Intel SASWT4I Hardware User's Manual

Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I Hardware
User’s Guide

Intel Order Number: E53872-002

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All rights reserved.

ii Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I Hardware User’s Guide

Preface

This is the primary reference and user’s guide for the Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I,
which can be used to manage SAS and SATA II disk drives. It contains installation
instructions and specifications.

For details on how to configure the storage adapters, and for an overview of the software
drivers, see the Intel

Audience

This document assumes that you have some familiarity with storage disk controllers,
RAID technology, and related support devices. The people who benefit from this book
are:

• Engineers who are designing an Intel

• Anyone installing an Intel

Organization

This document includes the following chapters and appendixes:

• Chapter 1 provides a general overview of the Intel

• Chapter 2 describes the procedures for installing the Intel

SASWT4I.

• Chapter 3 provides the characteristics and technical specifications for the Intel

RAID Controller.

®

IT/IR RAID Software User’s Guide on the Resource CD.

®

RAID Controller SASWT4I for a system.

®

RAID Controller SASWT4I in a RAID system.

®

RAID Controller SASWT4I.

®

RAID Controller

®

• Appendix A lists and explains the terms and abbreviations used in this manual.

Related Publication

The Intel® IT/IR RAID Software User’s Guide on the Resource CD that is included with
the RAID controller.

Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I Hardware User’s Guide iii

iv Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I Hardware User’s Guide

Table of Contents

Preface ........................................................................................................................iii

Audience ............................................................................................................................... iii

Organization ......................................................................................................................... iii

Related Publication ............................................................................................................... iii

Chapter 1: Overview ................................................................................................... 1

Summary of SAS RAID Controller Features ..........................................................................1

Usability .........................................................................................................................2

Redundancy and Error Handling ...................................................................................2

SAS and SATA Features ...............................................................................................3

Operating System Support ............................................................................................3

Benefits of Serial-Attached SCSI (SAS) ................................................................................4

Chapter 2: Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I Hardware Installation ....................... 5

Requirements ........................................................................................................................5

Installing the RAID Controller ................................................................................................6

Connecting the Cables ..........................................................................................................9

Configuring the Storage Adapter ...........................................................................................9

Replacing a Controller .........................................................................................................10

Chapter 3: Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I Characteristics ............................... 11

Technical Specifications ......................................................................................................12

LEDs ..........................................................................................................................12

Array Performance Features .......................................................................................13

Fault Tolerance ............................................................................................................13

Electrical Characteristics .............................................................................................13

Thermal and Atmospheric Characteristics ...................................................................14

Safety Characteristics ..................................................................................................14

Appendix A: Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations ............................................. 15

Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I Hardware User’s Guide v

vi Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I Hardware User’s Guide

List of Figures

Figure 1. Inserting the Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I into a PCI Express* Slot ................... 6

Figure 2. Attaching cables to the Intel

Figure 3. SAS and SATA Plugs and SAS Backplane Connector.............................................. 9

Figure 4. Card Layouts............................................................................................................ 11

®

RAID Controller SASWT4I.......................................... 7

Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I Hardware User’s Guide vii

viii Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I Hardware User’s Guide

List of Tables

Table 1. Jumper Descriptions ..................................................................................................11

Table 2. Specifications ............................................................................................................12

Table 3. Array Performance Features .....................................................................................13

Table 4. Fault Tolerance Features ..........................................................................................13

Table 5. Electrical Characteristics ...........................................................................................13

Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I Hardware User’s Guide ix

x Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I Hardware User’s Guide

1 Overview

This chapter provides a general overview of the Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I. It
consists of the following sections:

• Summary of SAS RAID Controller Features

• Benefits of Serial-Attached SCSI (SAS)

®

The Intel
provides reliable and fault-tolerant disk subsystem management. This is an ideal RAID
solution for the internal storage needs of mid to low-end servers and workstations for use
by workgroups and departmental-sized organizations or individuals. The Intel
Controller SASWT4I offers a cost-effective way to implement RAID in a server for
internal storage.

The SAS controller allows you to use SATA II and SAS hard disk drives in the same
system, so you can take advantage of the benefits of each type of drive; however, Intel
does not recommend mixing SAS and SATA II drives in the same enclosure.. The
controller supports up to 14 physical devices in IR mode and up to 122 devices, including
expander devices, in IT (non-RAID) mode. See the ANSI SAS Standard Specification,
Ver s i on 1 . 0 for more information about the use of expanders.

As the second generation PCI Express* storage adapter, the Intel
SASWT4I addresses the growing demand for increased data throughput and scalability
requirements across mid to low-end servers and workstations. Simplified cabling between
drives is an additional benefit.

RAID Controller SASWT4I is a PCI Express* SAS RAID controller. It

®

RAID

®

RAID Controller

Summary of SAS RAID Controller Features

Note: In this document, the term low-profile refers to the height, not the length, of a PCI add-in

card.

®

The Intel

• An LSI* 1064E SAS (including SATA) controller.

• Four independent internal ports.

• Support for both enterprise-class SAS devices and enterprise-class SATA II drives.

• Support for up to 14 SAS or SATA II drives and 2 logical drives in IR mode.

• PCI Express* connector that fits into a x4 PCI Express* (or larger) slot capable of

• 3.0 Gbps point-to-point transfer rate.

• Both a standard and a low-profile bracket.

Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I Hardware User’s Guide 1

RAID Controller SASWT4I is a low-profile SAS RAID adapter with:

2.5 Gbps per lane over PCI Express* x1 or x4.

Usability

The SAS controller supports the ANSI Serial-attached SCSI (SAS) Standard, Version 1.0.
In addition, the controller supports the Serial ATA (SATA) protocol defined by the Serial
ATA Specification, Version 1.0a. The SAS controller is a versatile controller that supports
both the SAS and SATA interfaces and provides the backbone of both server and
workstation environments.

Protocols supported include:

• Serial SCSI Protocol (SSP): Communication with other SAS devices.

• SATA II Protocol: Communication with SATA II devices.

• Serial Management Protocol (SMP): Topology management information sharing

with expanders.

• Serial Tunneling Protocol (STP): Support for SATA II through expander interfaces.

• Smaller, thinner cabling with serial point-to-point 3.0 Gbps data transfer rates.

• Allows mixed connections to SAS or SATA II targets.

• Support for non-disk devices and mixed capacity drives.

• Support for RAID levels 0, 1, 1E and 10E.

• Hot spare with auto rebuild if an array drive fails.

• Fixed RAID stripe size of 64 KB.

• Advanced array configuration and management utilities that provide drive roaming.

• An upgradeable Flash ROM interface.

• Allows for staggered spin-up, hot plug, and lower power consumption.

Redundancy and Error Handling

• In-band SES enclosure management support, including fault LEDs (Expander

backplane must be used in order to support fault LED. No fault LED option is
possible or expected in direct HDD connect mode).

• Activity and fault indicators per drive, port selector (dual-port drives).

• Auto-detection of failed drives with transparent rebuild.

• Commands are retried up to four times.

• SMART technology predicts failures of drives and electronic components for drives

in IR mode.

• Firmware provides best effort to recognize an error and recover from it if possible.

• Failures are logged from controller and drive firmware.

• Failures are logged in Intel

®

RAID Web Console 2, CIM, and LEDs.

• Multiple cache options provide choice of speed and redundancy:

2 Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I Hardware User’s Guide

— Disk Write Cache: The data written / (done) signal is returned when data is

written to the drive or only to the drive’s cache.

✧ On (default): Write-back mode enabled. Faster, because it does not wait for

the disk, but data will be lost if power is lost.

✧ Off: Write-through mode enabled. Slower, but ensures data is on the disk.

• Redundancy through:

— Configuration stored in non-volatile RAM and on the drives (COD).

— Hot-swap support.

SAS and SATA Features

• Provides four independent PHYs, each supporting 3.0 Gbps and 1.5 Gbps SAS and

SATA data transfers.

• Scalable interface that supports up to 14 physical devices and 2 logical devices in IR

mode, or up to 122 physical devices in IT mode.

• Transfers data using SCSI information units.

• Supports SSP to enable communication with other SAS devices.

• Supports SMP to communicate topology management information.

• Allows addressing of multiple SATA targets through an expander if using SATA 2.0-

compliant hard disk drives.

Operating System Support

The Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I supports major operating systems, including:

• Microsoft Windows Server 2008*, Microsoft Windows Server 2003*, and Microsoft

Windows XP*

• Red Hat* Enterprise Linux 4.0 and 5.0

• SuSE* Linux Enterprise Server 9 and 10

Note: The operating systems supported by this controller may not be supported by your server

board. See the Tested Operating System List for your server board at
http://support.intel.com/support/motherboards/server/. See also the Tested Hardware and
Operating System List for the Intel
operating system you are using with the controller is supported.

®

RAID Controller SASWT4I to make sure the

Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I Hardware User’s Guide 3

Benefits of Serial-Attached SCSI (SAS)

SAS is a serial, point-to-point, enterprise-level device interface that leverages the proven
SCSI protocol set. SAS is a convergence of the advantages of SATA, SCSI, and FC, and is
the future mainstay of the enterprise and high-end workstation storage markets. SAS
offers a higher bandwidth per pin than parallel SCSI, and improves signal and data
integrity.

The SAS interface uses the proven SCSI command set to ensure reliable data transfers,
while providing the connectivity and flexibility of point-to-point serial data transfers. The
serial transmission of SCSI commands eliminates clock skew challenges. The SAS
interface provides improved performance, simplified cabling, smaller connectors, lower
pin count, and lower power requirements when compared to parallel SCSI.

SAS controllers leverage a common electrical and physical connection interface that is
compatible with Serial ATA technology. The SAS and SATA protocols use a thin, 7-wire
connector instead of the 68-wire SCSI cable or 40-wire ATA cable. The SAS/SATA
connector and cable are easier to manipulate, allow connections to smaller devices, and do
not inhibit airflow. The point-to-point SATA architecture eliminates inherent difficulties
created by the legacy ATA master-slave architecture, while maintaining compatibility with
existing ATA firmware.

4 Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I Hardware User’s Guide

2 Intel

®

Hardware Installation

This chapter describes the procedures used to install the Intel® RAID Controller
SASWT4I with internal connectors.

Requirements

The following items are required to install a Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I:

• An Intel

• A host system with an available x4 bi-directional PCI Express* slot.

• The Resource CD, which contains drivers and documentation.

• Cables that are compatible with the RAID controller.

• SAS or SATA II hard disk drives.

RAID Controller SASWT4I

®

RAID Controller SASWT4I.

Note: Intel Corporation strongly recommends using an uninterruptible power supply (UPS).

Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I Hardware User’s Guide 5

Installing the RAID Controller

To install the RAID Controller, follow these steps:

1. Power off the computer, all drives, enclosures, and system components. Remove
the power cord from the computer.

2. Remove the chassis cover and access the PCI Express* add-in card slots. For
instructions, see your server chassis documentation.

3. Align the controller’s connector with a x4 PCI Express* slot on the server board.

4. Press down gently but firmly to ensure that the card is properly seated in the slot, as
shown in Figure 1. Secure the bracket to the computer chassis.

Figure 1. Inserting the Intel

5. Connect the SAS/SATA cables from the backplane (or hard drives) to the RAID
Controller (see Figure 2). Make sure the cables are properly connected to the
controller.

6 Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I Hardware User’s Guide

®

RAID Controller SASWT4I into a PCI Express*

Slot

Figure 2. Attaching cables to the Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I

Note: System throughput problems can occur if non-standard SAS cables are used.

To minimize the potential for problems:

✧ Use cables no longer than ten meters for SAS and one meter for SATA. It is

better to use the shortest possible cables. The cable length should be reduced
by about one foot (.33 meters) if using a backplane.

✧ You may connect one device per SATA/SAS cable either as a device or as an

expander.

✧ Route SAS cables carefully.

✧ Use only “straight” SAS cables, not “cross-over” SAS cables.

6. Replace components you needed to remove to access the PCI Express* add-in card
slot. For instructions, see your server chassis documentation.

7. Reinstall the chassis cover and reconnect the power cord(s). For instructions, see
your server chassis documentation for instructions.

8. Reconnect any peripheral items you needed to disconnect.

9. Turn the power on to the server and hard drives. As the server powers up, listen to
be sure that the SAS and SATA devices are powered up before or at the same time
as the computer boots.

Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I Hardware User’s Guide 7

10. Watch the boot process until you see a BIOS message informing you of the key
combination tthat you need to press in order to enter the LSI Corporation MPT SAS
BIOS Configuration Utility*. A message similar to the following appears:

Press <CTRL> + <C> to start the LSI SAS Configuration Utility

This message times out after several seconds. If you miss it, you will pass the
option to get into the LSI Corporation MPT SAS BIOS Configuration Utility*.

The firmware takes several seconds to initialize and then displays the Intel

®

RAID
Controller SASWT4I number and firmware version. The numbering of the
controllers follows the PCI slot scanning order used by the server board.

8 Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I Hardware User’s Guide

Connecting the Cables

This section describes the cables used on the SAS controller and provides instructions for
connecting SAS and SATA hard disk drives to the SAS RAID controller.

Note: Use only “straight” SAS cables, not “cross-over” SAS cables.

A SATA connector consists of a signal connector and a power connector. The SAS
connector adds a bridge (primary physical link) between the signal connector and the
power connector. This means SAS backplane connectors can accept either drive type, but
SATA backplane connectors can ONLY accept SATA drives. Figure 3 shows these
connectors.

Figure 3. SAS and SATA Plugs and SAS Backplane Connector

Configuring the Storage Adapter

After performing the Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I installation, you must configure
the storage adapter and install the operating system driver. The Intel
Software User’s Guide provides configuration options and instructions for the Intel
RAID Controller SASWT4I, as well as detailed installation instructions for operating
system drivers.

Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I Hardware User’s Guide 9

®

IT/IR RAID

®

Replacing a Controller

To replace a failed controller, follow these steps:

1. Power off the computer, all drives, enclosures, and system components. Remove
the power cord.

2. Remove the chassis cover and access the PCI Express* add-in card slots. For
instructions, see your server documentation.

3. Disconnect the cable(s) from the RAID controller.

4. Remove the failed controller from the system.

5. Insert the replacement controller into the system. For instructions, see “Installing

the RAID Controller”.

10 Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I Hardware User’s Guide

3 Intel

Characteristics

This chapter describes the characteristics of the Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I.

Figure 4 displays the connectors and headers on the controller and Ta ble 1 describes them.

®

RAID Controller SASWT4I

Figure 4. Card Layout

s

Table 1. Jumper Descriptions

Jumper Description Type Comments

J1 Lane board edge

connector

J2 SATA internal right-

angle connectors

J3 Right angle, 0.1-

inch pitch, pin
header

J5-J7 SATA internal right-

angle connectors

J8 Debug header 4-pin

PCI
Express* x4

SATA Connection to SAS/SATA devices

4-pin
header

SATA Connection to SAS/SATA devices

header

PCI Express X4 Slot or larger compatible

For driving external activity LEDs

For factory use

Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I Hardware User’s Guide 11

Technical Specifications

The design and implementation of the Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I minimizes
electromagnetic emissions, susceptibility to radio frequency energy, and the effects of
electrostatic discharge.

Table 2 lists the specifications for the Intel

Table 2. Specifications

Specification Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I

Operating Voltage +3.3 V, +12 V

Card Size Low-profile MD2 PCI Express* adapter card size (6.600 inches by 2.713

inches)

®

RAID Controller SASWT4I.

LEDs

Array Interface to
Host

SAS Bus Speed 3 GBps per port, point-to-point

SAS Controller One LSI* SAS 1064E controller

SAS / SATA Ports 4 internal ports

Firmware 2 MB in reflashable flash ROM

Compatible Devices • Mixed capacity, mixed SATA II and SAS in different enclosures

PCI Express* Rev 1.0A, x4 lane width 2.5 Gbps

• Non-disk devices, including expanders

Cabling • Small, thin cables that do not restrict airflow

• Shared connectors for multiple drive types

Redundant
Configuration

Enclosure
Management

The host adapters have four LEDs, labeled A0–A3, that turn green to indicate an activity
condition on any of the four phys. There are four LEDs, labeled LNP0–LNP3, that turn
yellow to indicate a fault condition on any of the four phys. See Figure 4 for LED
locations.

RAID configuration is stored and config on disk (COD)

In-band SES enclosure management support, including fault LEDs
(Expander backplane must be used in order to support fault LED. No fault
LED option is possible or expected in direct HDD connect mode).

The host adapters have two light pipes routed through the PCI bracket:

• One light pipe turns green to indicate activity on any phy.

• The other light pipe is bi-color. It flashes green to indicate the adapter heartbeat, or it

turns yellow when the adapter firmware detects a fault condition.

12 Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I Hardware User’s Guide

Array Performance Features

Table 3 lists the Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I array performance features.

Table 3. Array Performance Features

Specification Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I

PCI Express* Host
Data Transfer Rate

Drive Data Transfer
Rate

Maximum Queue
Tags per Drive

Stripe Sizes 64 Kbyte

Background Services Rebuild

Cache Options Disk cache enabled/disabled

Fault Tolerance

Table 4 lists the Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I fault tolerance features.

Specification Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I

Drive Replacement Auto detection of hard drive failure; hot-plug, hot-swap.

Drive Rebuild Using
Hot Spares

2.5 Gigabit/s per lane

3 Gigabit/s per lane

As many as the drive can accept

Table 4. Fault Tolerance Features

Automatic at drive failure; auto-resume of initialization or rebuild on
reboot

Error Checking and
Indication

Power Conservation Staggered spin-up, lower power requirements.

Parity generation and checking, activity and fault LEDs

Electrical Characteristics

This section provides the power requirements for the Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I.

Table 5 lists the maximum power requirements.

Table 5. Electrical Characteristics

PCI / PCI Express* /

Express +12 V

0.5A 6 W 0° C to 60° C

Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I Hardware User’s Guide 13

PCI PRSNT1# / 2#

Power

Operating Range

Temperature

Thermal and Atmospheric Characteristics

The thermal and atmospheric characteristics are:

• Temperature range from 0°C to 60°C (dry bulb).

• Relative humidity range: 5% to 90% non-condensing

• Maximum dew point temperature: 32°C

The storage and transit environment conditions are:

• Temperature range from -45°C to 105°C (dry bulb).

• Relative humidity range: 5% to 90% non-condensing

Safety Characteristics

The Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I meets or exceeds the requirements of UL
flammability rating 94 V0. Each bare board is also marked with the supplier name or
trademark, type, and UL flammability rating. For the boards installed in a PCI Express*
bus slot, all voltages are lower than the SELV 42.4 V limit.

The design and implementation minimize electromagnetic emissions, susceptibility to
radio frequency energy, and the effects of electrostatic discharge. The board carries the CE
mark, C-Tick mark, Canadian Compliance Statement, Korean MIC, Taiwan BSMI, Japan
VCCI, FCC Class B and is marked with the FCC Self-Certification logo. The board also
meets the requirements of CISPR Class B.

14 Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I Hardware User’s Guide

Appendix A: Glossary of Terms and

Abbreviations

BIOS Basic Input/Output System. Software that provides basic read/write capability.

Usually kept as firmware (ROM based). The system BIOS on a server board is used
to boot and control the system. The BIOS on your host adapter acts as an extension
of the system BIOS.

Configuration The way a computer is set up; the combined hardware components (computer,

monitor, keyboard, and peripheral devices) that make up a computer system, and the
software settings that allow the hardware components to communicate with each
other.

Device Driver A program that allows a microprocessor (through the operating system) to direct the

operation of a peripheral device.

Domain
Validation

EEPROM Electronically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory. A memory chip

External SAS
Device

Host The computer system in which a storage adapter is installed. It uses the storage

Host Adapter
Board (HAB)

Internal SAS
Device

Main Memory The part of a computer’s memory that is directly accessible by the CPU (usually

NVRAM Non-volatile Random Access Memory. An EEPROM (Electronically Erasable

Peripheral
Devices

A software procedure in which a host queries a device to determine its ability to
communicate at the negotiated data rate.

typically used to store configuration information. It provides stable storage for long
periods without electricity and can be reprogrammed. See NVRAM.

A SAS device installed outside the computer cabinet. These devices are connected
together using specific types of shielded cables.

adapter to transfer information to and from devices attached to the SCSI bus.

A circuit board or integrated circuit that provides a device connection to the
computer system.

A SAS device installed inside the computer cabinet. These devices are connected
together using an unshielded ribbon cable.

synonymous with RAM).

Read-Only Memory chip) used to store configuration information. See EEPROM.

A piece of hardware (such as a video monitor, disk drive, printer, or CD-ROM) used
with a computer and under the computer’s control. SCSI peripherals are controlled
through a SAS Intel

®

RAID Controller SASWT4I.

Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I Hardware User’s Guide 15

SAS Serial-attached SCSI. A serial, point-to-point, enterprise-level device interface that

leverages the proven SCSI protocol set. The SAS interface provides improved
performance, simplified cabling, smaller connections, lower pin count, and lower
power requirements when compared to parallel SCSI. SAS controllers leverage a
common electrical and physical connection interface that is compatible with Serial
ATA. The SAS controllers support the ANSI Serial Attached SCSI standard, version

1.0. In addition, the controller supports the Serial ATA (SATA) protocol defined by
the Serial ATA specification, version 1.0a. Each port on the SAS RAID controller
supports SAS and SATA devices.

SAS Device Any device that conforms to the SAS standard and is attached to the SAS bus by a

SAS cable. This includes SAS storage adapters (host adapters) and SAS peripherals.

16 Intel® RAID Controller SASWT4I Hardware User’s Guide