3Ware 9590SE Series User manual

3ware® 9590SE
Serial ATA RAID
Controller
PN 720-0124-04
April 2006
Quick Install Guide

Copyright
©2004-2006 Applied Micro Circuits Corporation (AMCC). All
rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or
otherwise, without the proper written consent of AMCC, 215
Moffett Park Drive, Sunnyvale, CA 94089.
Trademarks
3ware, Escalade, and 3DM are all registered trademarks of AMCC.
The 3ware logo, 3BM, StorSwitch, TwinStor, and R5 Fusion are all
trademarks of AMCC. All other trademarks herein are property of
their respective owners.
Disclaimer
While every attempt is made to make this document as accurate as
possible, AMCC assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions
in this document, nor does AMCC make any commitment to update
the information contained herein.

www.3ware.com iii
Chapter 1. Installing an AMCC 3ware 9590SE RAID Controller 1
Before You Begin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Contents of Package . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Other Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Installation Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
What You Need: Tools and Equipment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Safety Factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Personal Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Protecting Equipment and Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
9590SE RAID Controller Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Multilane Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Installing a 9590SE RAID Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
To connect the multilane cables to the controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
To install the controller in the computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
To connect the multilane cables to the drives or backplane . . . . . . . 15
Connecting Drive Activity LED Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Additional Details About the LED Status Connectors. . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Finishing Up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Check Installation and Close the Case. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Configure your RAID Arrays. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Chapter 2. Installing the Battery Backup Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Tools and equipment required . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Installation Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Installation Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Replacing the Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Appendix: Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Table of Contents

iv 3ware 9590SE Serial ATA RAID Controller Quick Install Guide

www.3ware.com 1
Chapter 1. Installing an
AMCC 3ware 9590SE
RAID Controller
This chapter describes the physical installation of the AMCC 3ware
9590SE RAID controllers. It contains the following topics:
“Before You Begin” provides important information about
things you should consider before starting installation, and
tools and equipment you will need.
“Safety Factors” describes important precautions for your
personal safety and to protect your equipment and data. Be sure
to read this section.
“Installing a 9590SE RAID Controller” and “Connecting
Drive Activity LED Indicators” provide step-by-step
instructions for installing a Serial ATA RAID controller.
“Finishing Up” describes the final steps required when
installing a serial controller.
Chapter 2 (starting on page 21) includes information about how to
install the Battery Backup Unit, model BBU-9550SX-01, on a
9590SE RAID controller. The BBU is an optional add-on, which
can be purchased separately.

Chapter 1. Installing an AMCC 3ware 9590SE RAID Controller
23ware 9590SE Serial ATA RAID Controller Quick Install Guide
Before You Begin
Contents of Package
3ware 9590SE RAID controller
This document, 3ware 9590SE Serial ATA RAID Controller
Quick Install Guide.
3ware CD-ROM with drivers, software, and additional
documentation.
Multilane break-out cables (SFF-8087), for use with individual
drives. Each cable supports up to four serial ATA drives.
2 cables are provided with the 8-port controller.
3 cables are provided with the 12-port controller.
4 cables are provided with the 16-port controller.
Note: Double-ended multilane cables, for use with a
multilane backplane, can be purchased separately.
For details about these cables, see “Multilane
Cables” on page 10.
Important: Be sure to use AMCC/3ware certified
cables with your 3ware RAID controller. Using an
incorrect cable can result in drives that are not
detected. For a list of available cables and associated
part numbers, see http://3ware.com/products/
cables.asp.
Other Documentation
The following additional documentation is available for your 3ware
9590SE RAID Controller:

Before You Begin
www.3ware.com 3
In PDF format, on the CD that came with your controller, and
available through the 3ware website:
3ware Serial ATA RAID Controller User Guide
3ware 9000 Series Serial ATA RAID Controller CLI Guide
In HTML format:
Online help is available from 3DM 2 (3ware Disk Manager)
Additional support information is available in the 3ware
Knowledgebase, at this website: http://www.3ware.com/KB
Installation Considerations
Air Flow, Cable Length, and Routing Space
Adequate airflow and ventilation are particularly important for
3ware 9590SE RAID controllers. The on-board heat sink collects
heat, and must have adequate airflow in order to disburse it. It is
important that the cables do not obstruct the air flow or prevent
proper ventilation of the system.
Selecting the Slot in Which to Install the Controller
Consider these factors when deciding on the slot in which to insert
the controller:
3ware 9590SE RAID controllers must be installed in PCI
Express slots. They may be installed in PCI Express x4, x8, or
x16 slots.
Note that some desktop systems come with a PCI Express slot
that has only one lane (x1). The 3ware 9590SE RAID controller
cannot be installed in a PCI Express x1 slot.
Warning! Do NOT insert the 9590SE controller into a PCI-X
slot. Doing so could potentially damage the board or the
system, and void the warranty.
Cable routing may be easier if you install the 3ware RAID
controller next to an open slot.

Chapter 1. Installing an AMCC 3ware 9590SE RAID Controller
43ware 9590SE Serial ATA RAID Controller Quick Install Guide
Deciding Whether to Use the LED Status Connector
3ware RAID controllers include two types of LED status
connectors:
Overall indicator, which lights when any drive is active.
Individual LED indicators, for each drive. (Not supported on
chassis that have a common ground.)
If you are building a system from scratch, you may want to consider
using a chassis or drive carrier that is compatible with the 3ware
RAID controller activity LEDs, such as the AMCC RDC-400-
SATA drive carrier, available through AMCC. Please check the
3ware web site for the Chassis Reference list (www.3ware.com/
products/compatibility_sata.asp).
Most chassis have a single drive activity cable that you can connect
to the overall activity indicator on the 3ware 9590SE controller. For
the location of the overall drive activity connector, see the figure for
the appropriate controller on page 16 and page 17, and refer to
Table 1, “LED Indicator Pin Positions,” on page 18.
Note: If you are using a chassis that includes a Chassis
Control Unit (CCU), follow the instructions that came
with the chassis to connect the I2C cable from the CCU
to the I2C connector on the 9590SE.
Drive Installation Considerations
Selecting an enclosure. If you are planning to use RAID 1, 5,
10, or 50, you may want to consider installing drives into hot-
swappable enclosures, so that they can be easily removed in the
event of a drive failure. For a discussion of RAID levels, see
the 3ware Serial ATA RAID Controller User Guide.

Safety Factors
www.3ware.com 5
When to install the drives. If the drives are not already
installed in your computer, you can choose to install them
either before or after installing the 9590SE controller. In either
case, be sure to connect the SATA cable from the drive to the
controller and connect the drive to power before turning on the
system or you will not be able to see or configure the drives.
What You Need: Tools and Equipment
Tools Required
You will need the following tools during installation:
An ESD grounding strap or mat
Standard hand tools to open your system’s case and install the
3ware RAID controller into an available PCI Express
expansion slot. Often a Phillips screwdriver is all that is
required.
Safety Factors
Be sure to follow the guidelines presented on the next few pages to
insure your own safety, and that of your equipment.
Personal Safety
Warning! High voltages may be found inside computer
equipment.
Before installing any of the hardware in this package or
removing the protective covers of any computer
equipment, turn off power switches and disconnect
power cords. Do not reconnect the power cords until the
hardware is installed and the system cover is closed.
Caution. Avoid contact with the heat sink if the system or
server is in operation, as the heat sink will be very hot. The
heat sink will be safe to touch after the server or system is
powered down and the cover has been removed for a few
minutes.

Chapter 1. Installing an AMCC 3ware 9590SE RAID Controller
63ware 9590SE Serial ATA RAID Controller Quick Install Guide
Protecting Equipment and Data
Backing Up Your Data
Back up your data! Creating or deleting disk arrays
destroys existing files on the member drives. If your drives
contain valuable data, back them up and save the data
elsewhere before attaching the drives to the controller.
ESD (Electrostatic Discharge) Precautions
To avoid damaging computer components and accessories when
installing or removing the 3ware RAID controller, follow standard
electrostatic discharge (ESD) precautions:
When your computer case is open and its internal parts are
exposed, do not touch any internal part unnecessarily.
Always wear a grounded strap or work on an ESD-protective
mat.
Do not remove the 3ware RAID controller from its protective
bag until you are properly grounded.
Handle the 3ware RAID controller by its edges or by the black
rail and metal bracket at its two ends.
Do not touch any pin, contact, lead or component on the 3ware
RAID controller.
Things to Watch Out For
Be careful when installing the 3ware RAID controller into your
system. Excessive force can damage the board or your system.
Be sure you insert the board into a PCI Express slot, not a
PCI-X slot.
Be sure the board is aligned with its slot on the motherboard
before installing. Do not flex the board excessively.
Once the board is inserted into the PCI Express slot, make sure
the board is seated correctly. If the board is not plugged in
correctly, it will not work.

Safety Factors
www.3ware.com 7
SATA cable connectors must be mated carefully with the
connectors in the controller. The connectors provided are keyed
to prevent you from inserting them upside-down.
SATA cables are fragile and must not be crimped or pinched.
Ensure that they do not impede the flow of cooling air from
fans or heat sinks in the system case.
Make sure that there is adequate air flow and ventilation around
the 3ware 9590SE controller and its on-board heat sink.
Warning! Do not replace the factory-installed heat sink
shipped with the 3ware 9590SE RAID controller.
Replacing the heat sink will alter thermal characteristics
and cooling requirements and may cause the controller to
fail. Replacing the factory-installed heat sink will void the
warranty.

Chapter 1. Installing an AMCC 3ware 9590SE RAID Controller
83ware 9590SE Serial ATA RAID Controller Quick Install Guide
9590SE RAID Controller Cards
Note: For details about LED connectors, see page 16.
Figure 1. 8-Port 3ware 9590SE-8ML Serial ATA RAID Controller
Figure 2. 12-Port 3ware 9590SE-12ML Serial ATA RAID Controller
Ports:
4 thru 7
0 thru 3
I2C connector
Slots for battery holder
BBU connector and hole for post
Heat sink
LED Connectors
Ports:
8 thru 11
4 thru 7
0 thru 3
I2C connector
Slots for battery holder
BBU connector and hole for post
Heat sink
LED Connectors

9590SE RAID Controller Cards
www.3ware.com 9
Figure 3. 16-Port 3ware 9590SE-16ML Serial ATA RAID Controller
Ports:
12 thru 15
8 thru 11
4 thru 7
0 thru 3
I2C connector
Slots for battery holder
BBU connector and hole for post
Heat sink
LED Connectors

Chapter 1. Installing an AMCC 3ware 9590SE RAID Controller
10 3ware 9590SE Serial ATA RAID Controller Quick Install Guide
Multilane Cables
Important: Be sure to use AMCC/3ware certified cables
with your 3ware RAID controller. Using an incorrect cable
can result in drives that are not detected. For a list of
available cables and associated part numbers, see
http://3ware.com/products/cables.asp.
Three types of multilane cables can be used with 3ware 9590SE
RAID controllers.
Multilane breakout cables
For use with a backplane that has individual SATA connectors
or individual serial ATA drives, multilane breakout cables have
an SFF-8087 multilane connector on one end and four
individual SATA connectors on the other end.
Note: This is the type of cable that ships with the 3ware
9590SE controller. Depending on the enclosure you are using,
you may need to purchase a different cable to connect the
9590SE controller and the enclosure backplane
Figure 4. Multi-lane Serial ATA Break-out Cable (SFF-8087)

Multilane Cables
www.3ware.com 11
Multilane double-ended 4x cables
For use with a multilane-enabled drive backplane that has the
SFF-8087 mini SAS 4i connectors, these double-ended 4x
cables have multilane connectors on each end.
Figure 5. Multilane Cable Serial ATA (SFF-8087)
Multilane converter cables
To connect from a 3ware 9590SE RAID controller to a chassis
that has SFF-8470 connectors on the backplane, use multilane
converter cables, which have a SFF-8087 connector on one end
and an Infini-band SFF8470 connector on the other end.
Figure 6. Multilane SFF-8087 to SFF-8470 Serial ATA Converter
Cable

Chapter 1. Installing an AMCC 3ware 9590SE RAID Controller
12 3ware 9590SE Serial ATA RAID Controller Quick Install Guide
Installing a 9590SE RAID Controller
3ware 9590SE RAID controllers can be installed in a standard
enclosure or in an enclosure with a backplane.
Note: If you have a Battery Backup Unit (BBU), install
it on the controller before proceeding. For details, see
“Chapter 2. Installing the Battery Backup Unit”.
To connect the multilane cables to the controller
1 Connect each multilane cable to a multilane connector on the
controller.
When the cable is inserted correctly, you will feel it click into
place.
Figure 7. Connecting a Multilane Cable with an SFF-8087
Connector to the 9590SE-16ML Controller
Depending on the which model of the 9590SE you have, and
the number of drives you will be connecting, you will connect
between one and four multilane cables. The 9590SE-8ML
comes with two multilane connectors, the 9590SE-12ML

Installing a 9590SE RAID Controller
www.3ware.com 13
comes with three, and the 9590SE-16ML comes with four.
Each cable supports up to four serial ATA ports.
To install the controller in the computer
1 If the computer is running, shut it down. Turn off power to the
computer and disconnect the power cord from the outlet.
2 Make sure you are properly grounded. (For details about safety
precautions, see page 5.)
3 Open the computer case according to the manufacturer’s
instructions.
4 Find the PCI Express slot you want to use for the 3ware
9590SE RAID controller.
For a discussion of which slot to use, see “Selecting the Slot in
Which to Install the Controller” on page 3.
Warning! Make sure you select a PCI Express slot, not
a PCI or PCI-X slot. Inserting a 9590SE into a PCI or
PCI-X slot could potentially damage the board or
system, and void the warranty of either the 9590SE or
the motherboard. If you are uncertain about which slot
to use, see the documentation for your system’s
motherboard.
5 Remove the metal filler bracket for the slot.
Save this screw; it will be used to secure the 3ware RAID
controller after you have seated it in the slot.
6 Position the card in the PCI Express slot so that the contacts
will mate with the grooves in the slot, and all pins make proper
contact with the PCI Express slot pins when pushed into place.
The 3ware 9590SE RAID controller will not fit in the one lane
(x1) PCI Express slot. It will only work in the x4, x8, and x16
PCI Express slots.

Chapter 1. Installing an AMCC 3ware 9590SE RAID Controller
14 3ware 9590SE Serial ATA RAID Controller Quick Install Guide
7 Press down gently on the edge of the 3ware RAID controller
directly above the PCI Express slot until it is fully seated.
Figure 8. Inserting Controller Into PCI Express Slot
8 Check that the 3ware RAID controller’s metal bracket covers
the hole in the case and secure the bracket with the screw that
was used to secure the filler bracket in step 5.
9 When you tighten the screw on the bracket to the enclosure,
make sure the card is not slanted in any direction; otherwise the
card will not work properly.
Use a PCI Express slot
for the 3ware 9590SE
controller
Do NOT use a
PCI-X slot for the
3ware 9590SE
controller

Installing a 9590SE RAID Controller
www.3ware.com 15
To connect the multilane cables to the drives or
backplane
1 If your drives are not already installed, install them now, either
by attaching them to the backplane, or by installing them in the
computer chassis.
If appropriate, set the PM2 (power management) jumper on the
disk drives, to enable staggered spinup. Check the
documentation that came with your disk drives to see whether
this is required.
2 If your enclosure has a multilane drive backplane, connect the
other end of each multilane cable to the backplane.
If you are using a breakout cable, select one of the ends and
plug it into each drive or drive carrier.
One edge of each SATA cable connector is keyed to ensure
proper installation.
Figure 9. SATA End of Breakout Cable Connecting to Drive
3 Be sure that the power supply is connected to either the
backplane or the individual drives, either by cable or through
the drive carrier.
4 (Optional) Connect the drive activity LED connectors. For
details, see page 16.
5Turnto“Check Installation and Close the Case” on page 20.

Chapter 1. Installing an AMCC 3ware 9590SE RAID Controller
16 3ware 9590SE Serial ATA RAID Controller Quick Install Guide
Connecting Drive Activity LED
Indicators
Connecting drive activity LED indicators is optional. For a
discussion of whether to make these connections, see “Deciding
Whether to Use the LED Status Connector” on page 4.
Figure 10, 11, and 12 show the location of LED indicators on the
different 9590SE controllers.
Additional detail about these connectors starts on page 18.
Figure 10. 8-Port 3ware 9590SE-8ML Serial ATA RAID Controller
Overall LED drive status indicator is the
right-most LED header pin pair on each
LED connector (J7 and J8). The anode is
the lower of the two pins and the cathode
is the upper.
LED indicators for individual drives
J7 is for drives 0, 1, 2, 3 (left to right)
J8 is for drives 4, 5, 6, 7 (left to right)