ASTEK A33606-PCI-01 User manual

A33606-PCI-01
SAS-2 Expander
User Manual
Version: C
Document Number: 90-000186

A33606-PCI-01 SAS-2 Expander User Manual
2Copyright © 2010 by Astek Corporation. All rights reserved Ver. B
DOCUMENT 90-000186, VERSION C (1/15/2011)
This document describes Astek’s 36-port 6Gbit/s Serial-attached SCSI (SAS) expander and will remain the official reference
source for all revisions/releases of this product until rescinded by an update.
To receive product literature, visit us at http://www.astekcorp.com.
DISCLAIMER
Astek Corporation reserves the right to make changes to any products herein at any time without notice. Astek does not assume
any responsibility or liability arising out of the application or use of any product described herein, except as expressly agreed to
in writing by Astek; nor does the purchase or use of a product from Astek convey a license under any patent rights, copyrights,
trademark rights, or any other of the intellectual property rights of Astek or third parties. Astek products are not intended for
use in life-support appliances, devices, or systems. Use of any Astek product in such applications without written consent of
the appropriate Astek officer is prohibited.
TECHNOLOGY LICENSES
The hardware and/or software described in this document are furnished under a license and may be used or copied only in
accordance with the terms of such license.
REGULATOR COMPLIANCE
Note: The A33606-PCI has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to part 15 of
the FCC Rules. These Limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is
operated in its installation. This equipment generates, uses, can radiate radio frequency energy, and, if not installed and used in
accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. If this equipment does cause
harmful interference the user will be required to correct the interference.
The A33606-PCI has been tested and meets the safety requirements of IEC/EN 60950-1.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Copyright © 2010 by Astek Corporation. All rights reserved.
TRADEMARK ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The Astek logo design is the trademark or registered trademark of Astek Corporation. LSI, LSI Logic, and MPT are the
trademarks or registered trademarks of LSI, Inc. All other brand and product names may be trademarks of their respective
companies.

A33606-PCI-01 SAS-2 Expander User Manual
4Copyright © 2010 by Astek Corporation. All rights reserved Ver. B
Table of Contents
1Introduction ........................................................................................................................................5
2Installation Procedures......................................................................................................................6
Hardware Installation ...............................................................................................................................................6
Software Installation...............................................................................................................................................10
Typical Use Cases .................................................................................................................................................11
3A33606-PCI-01 Characteristics .......................................................................................................13
Board Outline .........................................................................................................................................................13
Serial Port (RJ-11) .................................................................................................................................................15
Heartbeat LED .......................................................................................................................................................15
External iPass (SFF-8088).....................................................................................................................................15
SAS LEDs ..............................................................................................................................................................16
Front Panel LEDs...................................................................................................................................................16
Input Power............................................................................................................................................................16
Internal iPass (SFF-8087)......................................................................................................................................17
Enclosure Services Header....................................................................................................................................18
Temperature Sensor Header .................................................................................................................................19
Fan Headers ..........................................................................................................................................................20
Other Connectors...................................................................................................................................................21
Front Panel.............................................................................................................................................................21
4SCSI Enclosure Services (SES)........................................................................................................21
Temperature Elements...........................................................................................................................................22
Voltage Sensor Elements.......................................................................................................................................22
Cooling Elements...................................................................................................................................................23
Power Supply Element...........................................................................................................................................23
SAS Expander Element .........................................................................................................................................23
Customization ........................................................................................................................................................23
5Specifications ....................................................................................................................................24
Electrical Specifications .........................................................................................................................................24
Environmental Specifications.................................................................................................................................24
Mechanical Specifications......................................................................................................................................24
6Troubleshooting ...............................................................................................................................26
Diagnostics.............................................................................................................................................................26
Support...................................................................................................................................................................26

Introduction
Ver. B Copyright © 2010 by Astek Corporation. All rights reserved 5
1Introduction
The Astek A33606-PCI-01 expander provides 36 lanes for connection to SAS/SATA devices and/or
hosts. Each lane is capable of 1.5Gb/s, 3.0Gb/s, or 6Gb/s operation. The A33606-PCI-01 contains
two SFF-8088 external miniSAS connectors and seven SFF-8087 internal miniSAS connectors.
Each connector contains four SAS/SATA lanes. Each internal miniSAS connector also includes
SGPIO sideband signals for the respective lanes on the connector.
The A33606-PCI-01P is designed to be installed in a PCI, PCI-X or PCIe slot. The PCI slot
provides a mechanical mounting location for the board; no signal or power pins are used. The
A33606-PCI-01 is also available without a PCI bracket for mounting directly to a chassis or with a
5.25” shell for mounting in a 5.25” bay on a traditional PC chassis.
The Astek expander SAS interface is compatible with the ANSI Serial Attached SCSI Specification,
revision 2.0 and the Serial ATA Specification, revision 2.6. The functionality of the expander board
comes from the LSISAS2X36 expander chip. The expander card makes it easy to add additional
SAS/SATA drive support to RAID and JBOD systems. The expander card support narrow port and
wide port operation. Wide port size is not limited by the expander. Typical port sizes are listed in
the table below.
Number of SAS lanes
Speed
Narrow Port (1 lane)
600 MB/s
Wide Port (4 lanes)
2400 MB/s
Wide Port (8 lanes)
4800 MB/s

A33606-PCI-01 SAS-2 Expander User Manual
6Copyright © 2010 by Astek Corporation. All rights reserved Ver. B
2Installation Procedures
Hardware Installation
A33606-PCI-01P
The A33606-PCI-01P contains a PCI bracket and is intended to be installed in a PCI, PCI-X, or
PCIe slot.
CAUTION
Ground yourself before removing any electronic equipment or parts.
Step 1. Remove the A33606-PCI-01P from the ESD packaging and check that it is not
damaged.
Step 2. Insert the Expander card into a PCI, PCI-X, or PCIe slot on the motherboard per the
motherboard manufacturer recommendations.
Step 3. Attach a 4-pin power cable from the power supply to J13 (shown below). The
A33606-PCI-01 utilizes 12V input power.
Step 4. Attach the SAS HBA or RAID Card to the expander card.
For internal connection, connect the host to J5 using an SFF-8087 cable.
For external connection, connect the host to J2 using an SFF-8088 cable.
Step 5. Attach drives to the expander card. The mapping of drive number to connector is
shown below.
J2
J5

Installation Procedures
Ver. B Copyright © 2010 by Astek Corporation. All rights reserved 7
Connector
Drive Numbers
J3
1-4
J4
5-8
J6
9-12
J7
13-16
J8
17-20
J9
21-24
Drives can be attached via a backplane by using an SFF-8087 cable.
Drives may also be attached using an SFF-8087 to SATA fanout cable.
Step 6. Power on the system.
A33606-PCI-01D
The A33606-PCI-01D is enclosed in a 5.25” mounting shell and is intended to be installed in a 5.25”
bay in a PC.
CAUTION
Ground yourself before removing any electronic equipment or parts.
Step 1. Remove the A33606-PCI-01D from the ESD packaging and check that it is not
damaged.
Step 2. Insert the Expander with mounting shell into a 5.25” bay and secure it with the
provided hardware.
Step 3. Attach a 4-pin power cable from the power supply to J13 (shown below). The
A33606-PCI-01 utilizes 12V input power.
Mounting
Holes

A33606-PCI-01 SAS-2 Expander User Manual
8Copyright © 2010 by Astek Corporation. All rights reserved Ver. B
Step 4. Attach the SAS HBA or RAID Card to the expander card.
For internal connection, connect the host to J5 using an SFF-8087 cable.
For external connection, connect the host to J2 using an SFF-8088 cable.
Step 5. Attach drives to the expander card. The mapping of drive number to connector is
shown below.
Connector
Drive Numbers
J3
1-4
J4
5-8
J6
9-12
J7
13-16
J8
17-20
J9
21-24
Drives can be attached via a backplane by using an SFF-8087 cable.
Drives may also be attached using an SFF-8087 to SATA fanout cable.
Step 6. Power on the system.
A33606-PCI-01
The A33606-PCI-01 is intended to be installed directly to a chassis or PC case.
CAUTION
Ground yourself before removing any electronic equipment or parts.
J2
J5

Installation Procedures
Ver. B Copyright © 2010 by Astek Corporation. All rights reserved 9
Step 1. Remove the A33606-PCI-01 from the ESD packaging and check that it is not
damaged.
Step 2. Insert the Expander card into the chassis. The mounting holes are sized to support
M3 or 4-40 hardware. Board dimensions and mounting hole locations are defined
in the Mechanical Specifications section.
Step 3. Attach a 4-pin power cable from the power supply to J13 (shown below). The
A33606-PCI-01 utilizes 12V input power.
Step 4. Attach the SAS HBA or RAID Card to the expander card.
For internal connection, connect the host to J5 using an SFF-8087 cable.
For external connection, connect the host to J2 using an SFF-8088 cable.
Step 5. Attach drives to the expander card. The mapping of drive number to connector is
shown below.
Connector
Drive Numbers
J3
1-4
J4
5-8
J6
9-12
J7
13-16
J8
17-20
J9
21-24
J2
J5

A33606-PCI-01 SAS-2 Expander User Manual
10 Copyright © 2010 by Astek Corporation. All rights reserved Ver. B
Drives can be attached via a backplane by using an SFF-8087 cable.
Drives may also be attached using an SFF-8087 to SATA fanout cable.
Step 6. Power on the system.
Software Installation
The A33606-PCI-01 does not require drivers or special software to operate the expander. The
standard drivers for your HBA/RAID card contain the necessary support for expanders in the
system.
Follow the recommended instructions for creating RAID arrays and disk arrays for the HBA or RAID
card manufacturer.