ICP GDT8500RZ User manual

ICP RAID Controller
GDT8500RZ
Hardware Installation and User’s Guide, Version 1.1.6
April 2003

Hardware Installation and User’s Guide
IMPORTANT NOTICE - READ BEFORE MAKING USE OF THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN
This information is provided “as is.” Information in this document is provided solely to enable use of ICP products. Except as provided in ICP vortex’s
Terms and Conditions of sale ICP vortex and/or its suppliers assume no liability whatsoever, and ICP vortex and/or its suppliers disclaim any express
or implied warranty, relating to this information including liability or warranties relating to fitness for a particular purpose, merchantability, satisfactory
quality or infringement of any patent, copyright or other intellectual property right. ICP vortex and/or its suppliers assume no responsibility for any
omissions or any errors which may appear in this document nor does it make a commitment to update the information contained herein.
ICP vortex retains the right to make changes to this document and its products at any time, without notice.
No License, express or implied, by Estoppel or otherwise, to any intellectual property rights is granted by this document. ICP products are not intended
for use in medical, life saving, or life sustaining applications.
Any recommended operating or test methods are correct to ICP’s reasonable knowledge at the time of writing. ICP vortex and/or its suppliers accept
no liability for the implementation of these methods within the user’s environment. The user is responsible for and must satisfy itself that any use
made of this information or ICP products is suitable to its needs.
Any named third party suppliers are provided for information only. The hardware vendor remains solely responsible for the design, sale and
functionality of its product, including any liability arising from product infringement or product warranty. ICP vortex accepts no liability for the quality of
third party suppliers, and cannot guarantee that third party products are suitable or are compatible with ICP products or that third party suppliers will
not change parts so that they are no longer compatible or no longer suitable.
IN NO EVENT WILL ICP VORTEX AND/OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE TO THE RECIPIENT OR USER OF THIS INFORMATION FOR ANY LOSS
OF PROFITS, LOSS OF USE, BUSINESS INTERRUPTIONS, INFRINGEMENT OF ANY THIRD PARTY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS,
LOSS OR CORRUPTION OF DATA, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT, SPECULATIVE, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, HOWSOEVER
ARISING AND IRRESPECTIVE OF WHETHER ICP VORTEX HAS ADVANCE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
THE LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS SET FORTH HEREIN WERE AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT IN ICP VORTEX AGREEING TO SUPPLY THIS
INFORMATION FREE OF CHARGE. THEY SHALL APPLY NOTWITHSTANDING SECTION 1.1 OF THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SALE OF
ICP VORTEX

Hardware Installation and User’s Guide 3
Contents
1 Getting Started
1.1 Using the User Documentation Set ...............................................................................................5
1.1.1 Document Formats ......................................................................................................6
1.2 About This Guide...........................................................................................................................6
1.3 Customer Support Contact Information .........................................................................................7
1.4 Regulatory and Certification Information .......................................................................................7
1.4.1 Product Regulatory Compliance .................................................................................. 7
1.4.2 Product Safety Compliance .........................................................................................7
1.4.3 Product EMC Compliance ...........................................................................................7
1.4.4 Product Regulatory Compliance Markings ..................................................................7
1.4.5 Electromagnetic Compatibility Notices ........................................................................7
1.5 Warnings and Cautions .................................................................................................................9
2 Hardware Installation
2.1 About this Chapter.......................................................................................................................11
2.2 Installation Procedures................................................................................................................11
2.2.1 Computer System Hardware Requirements ..............................................................11
2.2.2 Installing the ICP RAID Controller .............................................................................12
2.3 Programming the Flash Memory .................................................................................................13
2.4 SCSI Termination ........................................................................................................................13
2.5 Configurable Disk Drive SCSI Parameters..................................................................................14
2.6 Configurable I/O Controller SCSI Parameters.............................................................................14
3 Hardware Specifications and Features
3.1 ICP RAID Controller Hardware Features.....................................................................................15
3.1.1 Key Features .............................................................................................................15
3.2 Operating System Support ..........................................................................................................16
3.3 Supported SCSI Technology .......................................................................................................17
3.3.1 Supported Hard Drive Technology ............................................................................17
3.3.2 Support for Non-Hard-Disk-Drive SCSI Devices (Non-Direct-Access Devices) ........18
3.4 RAID Array Drive Roaming .........................................................................................................19
3.5 Optional Features........................................................................................................................19
3.6 RAID Controller Drive Limitations (Host, Array, Logical, and Physical).......................................19
A Flash Memory Programming
A.1 About Firmware Files..................................................................................................................21
A.2 Choosing Update vs. Recover ....................................................................................................21
A.3 Setting Jumper J1B1 ..................................................................................................................21
A.4 Updating or Recovering Firmware Using the FRUU...................................................................22
A.4.1 Creating Firmware Diskettes from the CD-ROM Autorun Menu ................................23
A.4.2 Creating Firmware Diskettes from the Bootable RAID Software Suite CD-ROM ......24
A.4.3 Running the FRUU ....................................................................................................24
A.5 Updating Firmware Using XROM ICPCON ................................................................................26

4Hardware Installation and User’s Guide
Index
Figures
2-1 ICP RAID Controller Component Layout .................................................................................... 12
2-2 Installing the ICP RAID Controller into a Computer System....................................................... 13
Tables
2-1 Configurable Disk Drive SCSI Parameters................................................................................. 14
2-2 Configurable I/O Controller SCSI Parameters ............................................................................ 14
3-1 Hardware Architecture Features ................................................................................................ 15
3-2 Electrical Specifications.............................................................................................................. 16
3-3 Environmental Specifications ..................................................................................................... 16
3-4 Supported SCSI Device Standards ............................................................................................ 18
3-5 RAID Controller Drive Maximum Limitations (GDT8500RZ) ...................................................... 20

Hardware Installation and User’s Guide 5
Getting Started
Getting Started 1
Intended Audience
This documentation is intended for users who are experienced in configuring computer
systems with new add-in cards or have had previous experience with ICP RAID
Controllers.
Read and adhere to all warnings, cautions, and notices in this guide and the other
documents in the user documentation set supplied with this product.
1.1 Using the User Documentation Set
User documentation for this product is provided in four separate documents. Not all of
them must be part of the printed documentation. You will find the following documents on
the RAID software suite CD-ROM:
Quick Installation Guide
The Quick Installation Guide provides a high level view of installing and configuring a
RAID controller. Refer to the accompanying Software Guide for more detailed
information.
Hardware Installation and User’s Guide
The Hardware Installation and User’s Guide, or Hardware Guide, covers instructions for
installing an ICP RAID controller and provides a guide to its features and specifications.
For a particular ICP RAID controller, its hardware guide documents compatible RAID
adapters, supported operating systems, standard features and optional features.
Software Installation and User’s Guide
The Software Installation and User’s Guide, or Software Guide, contains:
•Quick installation of the ICP RAID controller software on a newly created bootable
host drive with commonly used operating systems.
•Detailed instructions covering more complex software installation scenarios for all
supported operating systems.
•Instructions for using the RAID Software Suite, the drivers, tools and utilities of the
ICP RAID controller.
The first part of the software guide provides an overview of RAID technology and its
features. Next, the guide documents various installation procedures for an ICP RAID
controller and the RAID Software Suite, depending on the chosen OS configuration. The
software guide then includes descriptions of the utilities, Storage Console (StorCon) and
Storage Console Plus (StorCon+), to facilitate the configuration of the RAID subsystem.

6Hardware Installation and User’s Guide
Getting Started
Finally, the guide provides details of all product features supported by the software and
firmware For further information refer to the Optional Features section of the appropriate
hardware guide since not all features are applicable to all ICP RAID controllers.
Clustering Guide
Clustering is applicable only for those RAID controllers that support this feature. See the
Hardware Guide to determine if clustering is supported.
The ICP RAID Controller Clustering Guide, or Clustering Guide, describes how to set up
clustering configurations using ICP RAID Controllers and ICP RAID controller software.
Information on Operating Systems, Cluster functionality, and other system details may be
found in their corresponding system manuals.
1.1.1 Document Formats
All documents, with the exception of the quick start poster, are provided on the CD-ROM
in both PDF and HTML format:
•HTML—To view online HTML documents, Click Documentation from the autorun
menu or open <cdromdrive>:\docs\index.htm.
•PDF—Portable Document Format (PDF) documents can be opened, viewed, and
printed with Adobe* Acrobat Reader* (not provided on the CD-ROM).
1.2 About This Guide
This guide contains three sections:
Chapter 1, Getting Started
This chapter covers how to use the different user documents in the user documentation set,
customer support contact information should you need support for this product, and
regulatory and license agreements covering this product.
Chapter 2, Hardware Installation
This chapter contains the procedures for installing the ICP RAID controller into a
computer system.
Chapter 3, Hardware Specifications and Features
This chapter covers all the hardware specifications associated with the ICP RAID
controller and its components and any optional RAID features that are supported by the
RAID Software. The Software Guide covers in detail all software features.

Hardware Installation and User’s Guide 7
Getting Started
1.3 Customer Support Contact Information
[Provided by RAID vendor]
1.4 Regulatory and Certification Information
Note: This card is intended for use in UL Listed computers or equivalent, that have instructions
detailing installation.
1.4.1 Product Regulatory Compliance
The GDT8500RZ RAID add-in card, when correctly integrated per this guide, complies
with the following safety and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) regulations.
1.4.2 Product Safety Compliance
•CE - Low Voltage Directive (73/23/EEC) (European Union)
1.4.3 Product EMC Compliance
•FCC Part 15, Class B Emissions (USA)
1.4.4 Product Regulatory Compliance Markings
The GDT8500RZ RAID controller is marked with the following regulatory markings:
1.4.5 Electromagnetic Compatibility Notices
1.4.5.1 FCC Verification Statement (USA)
Product Type: GDT8500RZ
Marking Description
CE mark for European Union

8Hardware Installation and User’s Guide
Getting Started
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following
two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device
must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired
operation.
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a
Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are
designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a
residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio
frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the
instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However,
there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation.
If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception,
which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is
encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following
measures:
-- Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
-- Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
-- Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different
from that to which the receiver is connected.
-- Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for
help.
If you make any modification to the equipment not expressly approved by ICP vortex, you
could void your authority to operate the equipment.
Any changes or modifications not expressly approved by the grantee of this device could
void the user’s authority to operate the equipment. The customer is responsible for
ensuring compliance of the modified product.
All cables used to connect to peripherals must be shielded and grounded. Operation with
cables, connected to peripherals that are not shielded and grounded may result in
interference to radio and TV reception.
1.4.5.2 CE Declaration of Conformity (Europe)
We, ICP vortex Corporation, declare under our sole responsibility that the product:
ICP vortex <OEM Regulatory Name> (GDT8500RZ)
is in conformity with all applicable essential requirements necessary for CE marking,
following the provisions of the European Council Directive 89/336/EEC (EMC Directive)
and Council Directive 73/23/EEC (Safety/Low Voltage Directive).
The product is properly CE marked demonstrating this conformity and is for distribution
within all member states of the EU with no restrictions.
This product follows the provisions of the European Directives 89/336/EEC and 73/23/
EEC.

Hardware Installation and User’s Guide 9
Getting Started
Dansk Dette produkt er i overensstemmelse med det europæiske direktiv 89/336/EEC &
73/23/EEC.
Dutch Dit product is in navolging van de bepalingen van Europees Directief 89/336/EEC
& 73/23/EEC.
Suomi Tämä tuote noudattaa EU-direktiivin 89/336/EEC & 73/23/EEC määräyksiä.
Français Ce produit est conforme aux exigences de la Directive Européenne 89/336/EEC
& 73/23/EEC.
Deutsch Dieses Produkt entspricht den Bestimmungen der Europäischen Richtlinie 89/
336/EEC & 73/23/EEC.
Icelandic Þessi vara stenst reglugerð Evrópska Efnahags Bandalagsins númer 89/336/
EEC & 73/23/EEC.
Italiano Questo prodotto è conforme alla Direttiva Europea 89/336/EEC & 73/23/EEC.
Norsk Dette produktet er i henhold til bestemmelsene i det europeiske direktivet 89/336/
EEC & 73/23/EEC.
Portuguese Este produto cumpre com as normas da Diretiva Européia 89/336/EEC & 73/
23/EEC.
Español Este producto cumple con las normas del Directivo Europeo 89/336/EEC & 73/
23/EEC.
Svenska Denna produkt har tillverkats i enlighet med EG-direktiv 89/336/EEC & 73/23/
EEC.
1.5 Warnings and Cautions
This guide and all associated guides in the user documentation set (the Quick Start Guide,
the Hardware Guide, and the Software Guide) should be used by qualified technical
personnel with experience installing and configuring PCI adapter cards.
Read and adhere to all warnings, cautions, and notices in this guide and all the guides in
the user documentation set supplied with this product.
Warnings
•The connection of a non-shielded equipment interface cable to this equipment will
invalidate the FCC certification of this device and may cause interference levels that
exceed the limits established by the FCC for this equipment. It is the responsibility of
the user to obtain and use a shielded equipment interface cable with this device. If the
equipment has more than one interface connector, do not leave cables connected to
unused interfaces unless otherwise instructed to do so in the user manual.
•Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the manufacturer could void the
user's authority to operate the equipment.

10 Hardware Installation and User’s Guide
Getting Started
Cautions
•Take precautions to prevent electrostatic discharge (ESD) damage before handling the
ICP RAID controller.
•ESD can damage adapter card components. Perform the described procedures in this
guide only at an ESD workstation. If no such station is available, you can provide some
ESD protection by wearing an antistatic wrist strap and attaching it to a metal part of
the computer chassis.

Hardware Installation and User’s Guide 11
Hardware Installation
Hardware Installation 2
2.1 About this Chapter
This chapter provides information on installing the ICP RAID controller, programming
the Flash memory, and general SCSI termination information.
2.2 Installation Procedures
Warning: Do not attempt to insert your RAID controller into any non RAIDIOS-enabled PCI
slot. Doing so may cause damage to your controller and/or your computer. Please
consult your motherboard documentation about availability of RAIDIOS-enabled
PCI slots.
Warning: Shock hazards may be present inside the computer in which this card is being
installed. Disconnect all power cords to the computer before the removal of any
covers.
Follow the warnings noted in your computer’s user manual before installing this board.
ONLY after reinstallation of all the covers should you reconnect the power cords and
power up the computer.
Note: Take precautions to prevent electrostatic discharge (ESD) damage before handling the
ICP RAID controller.
2.2.1 Computer System Hardware Requirements
•Computer with CD-ROM drive
•One available 64bit, 66MHz, 3.3 volt-keyed RAIDIOS-enabled PCI slot.
•PCI 2.2 compliant System BIOS

12 Hardware Installation and User’s Guide
Hardware Installation
Figure 2-1. ICP RAID Controller Component Layout
2.2.2 Installing the ICP RAID Controller
1. Power-off the computer system.
2. Disconnect power cord(s) and remove the system cover.
3. Install the ICP RAID controller into an available RAIDIOS-enabled PCI slot. See
Figure 2-2.
Note: The computer system (with RAIDIOS-enabled PCI slot) illustrated in Figure 2-2 may
not be representative of your system. Consult your system docs for the exact location of
the RAIDIOS-enabled PCI slot.
4. Connect one end of the SCSI cable to the on-board SCSI connector. Connect the other
end of the SCSI cable to the SCSI drives or drive enclosure.
Note: Ensure that the end of the SCSI bus is properly terminated. See Section 2.4 in this
guide for termination details.
5. Replace the system cover and reconnect power cord(s).
Warning: Attention the controller CPU can get HOT! Controller requires constant airflow for
cooling (min 1m/sec).
167mm (6.57 inches)
56mm (2.20 inches)
J1B1
Flash Memory
I/O Processor
DS2A1 SDRAM
64Bit 3.3 Volt PCI Interface
(Requires a RAIDIOS-enabled PCI slot)

Hardware Installation and User’s Guide 13
Hardware Installation
Figure 2-2. Installing the ICP RAID Controller into a Computer System
2.3 Programming the Flash Memory
The ICP RAID controller normally comes ready to be installed into the computer
motherboard immediately. However, you may need to reprogram the RAID firmware that
is located in the flash memory of the ICP RAID controller.
There are 2 options for programming the firmware, Firmware Update or Firmware
Recovery. See Appendix A for more information.
2.4 SCSI Termination
Termination is critical when connecting SCSI devices together. Connected SCSI devices
are typically called a SCSI bus, and termination is required at the each end of the SCSI
bus. Use a high-quality terminator at the end of the SCSI cable after the last device in the
bus to ensure proper termination.
The modular RAID on motherboard (MROMB) design lowers cost by utilizing the SCSI
controller and connectors that are integrated into the system’s motherboard. With
MROMB, termination occurs on the host SCSI controller.
RAIDIOS-ENABLED PCI

14 Hardware Installation and User’s Guide
Hardware Installation
2.5 Configurable Disk Drive SCSI Parameters
When a SCSI hard disk drive is initialized the first time by the RAID controller, its SCSI
parameters are automatically set to their optimal settings. Most settings are set
automatically and can not be configured manually. To view or configure disk drive SCSI
parameters from the Storage Console, choose Advanced Setup ÆConfigure Physical
Devices ÆSelect Physical Drive ÆSCSI Parameter/Initialize.
2.6 Configurable I/O Controller SCSI Parameters
When the controller starts up, its SCSI parameters are automatically set to their optimal
settings. Manual configuration is not required. However, you can customize I/O SCSI
parameters for each channel on the controller by using the Storage Console menu
Advanced Setup > Configure Controller > Controller Settings.
Table 2-1. Configurable Disk Drive SCSI Parameters
Parameter Setting/
Value Configuration Description
Synch.
Transfer
Enabled /
Disabled Automatic This setting when enabled allows the controller to
operate in synchronous transfer mode
Synch.
Transfer Rate
Speed
(MB/sec) Automatic
Allows for the setting of the speed for the SCSI
hard disks (up to 320 MB/sec for U320 drives).
No matter the setting, the SCSI bus will negotiate
the fastest speed up to this setting. Lowering the
setting will force the disk drive to transfer at the
lower speed.
Disconnect Enabled /
Disabled Automatic
Enabling this setting allows for the disk drive to
disconnect from the SCSI bus when it’s not
participating in a transfer. This allows for optimal
bus utilization by all devices on the bus.
Tagged
Queues On / Off Automatic
When enabled, this feature allows the SCSI disk
drive to execute more than one command at a
time.
Disk Read
and Write
Cache
On / Off Configurable
For performance reasons, the
Read Ahead and
Write cache of the hard disk drives should always
be on. This is the default setting.
Table 2-2. Configurable I/O Controller SCSI Parameters
Parameter Setting/Value Description
Domain Validation On / Off
When this is set to On , Domain validation allows for a
cyclical check of the correct data transfer at a given rate for
the respective channel.
For ultra320, the GDT8500RZ controller supports Basic,
Enhanced, and Margined Domain Validation. For ultra160,
the GDT8500RZ controller supports Basic and Enhanced
Domain Validation.

Hardware Installation and User’s Guide 15
Hardware Specifications and Features
Hardware Specifications and Features 3
This chapter covers all the hardware specifications associated with the ICP RAID
controller and its components. Section 3.5 covers optional RAID features that are
supported by the RAID Software Suite. The accompanying Software Guide covers all
implemented software features.
3.1 ICP RAID Controller Hardware Features
This section provides a summary of the key features, configuration options and support
interface technology supported by the ICP RAID controller.
3.1.1 Key Features
•Supports RAID levels 0, 1, 4, 5, and 10
•Supports selected Ultra160 or Ultra320 SCSI controllers.
•Online RAID level migration and capacity expansion without reboot
•RAID array roaming
•Instant availability and background initialization
•Automatic rebuild with private (dedicated) or pooled (global) hot fix (spare) drives
•Variable data strip size configurable per array
•Non hard disk drive SCSI device support (tape, CD-ROM)
•32MB of embedded ECC SDRAM
•Read/write controller and disk drive caching
•SAF-TE and SES intelligent enclosure support
•Hot plug drive auto detection configurable for non-intelligent enclosures
•Hot plug drive support
Table 3-1. Hardware Architecture Features
Component Feature
I/O Microprocessor The 80303 processor: 100MHz, RISC 64-bit core
Cache Memory
The 80303 IOP supports up to 512 Mbytes of 64-bit 100
MHz ECC SDRAM operating at 66 MHz. It is backward
compatible to support 64, 128, and 256 Mbit SDRAM
technologies. Note: The GDT8500RZ is limited to 32MB
of embedded memory.
Flash Memory 3.3v, 16Mbit (2 MB) flash memory chip is used to store
the RAID firmware

16 Hardware Installation and User’s Guide
Hardware Specifications and Features
3.2 Operating System Support
The following operating systems are fully validated and supported:
•Microsoft* Windows* 2000 Advanced Server, Service Pack 3
•Novell* NetWare* 6.0
•SCO* Openserver* 5.0.6a
•Red Hat* Linux* 7.2 (2.4 kernel)
•SCO UnixWare* 8.0
•SuSe Linux 7.3 Professional
The following operating systems are supported with limited compatibility validation:
•Windows 2000 server
•Windows NT 4.0 Server and Enterprise Server, Service Pack 6a or higher
•Novell NetWare 5.1 (support pack 2a or higher)
•Linux (2.4 kernel)
— Red Hat Linux 7.1
— Debian* Linux 2.2r6
I/O interface (PCI) RAIDIOS-enabled PCI 2.2 compliant
PCI Transfer Rate 528MB/second (burst)
PCI Signaling 3.3 volts
Table 3-1. Hardware Architecture Features
Component Feature
Table 3-2. Electrical Specifications
Attribute Measurements
Voltage Requirements +3.3 or +5 Volts (all +/– 5% tolerance)
Power Consumption +5V @ 0.25 Amps = 1.25W
+3.3V @ 2.5 Amps = 8.25W
Table 3-3. Environmental Specifications
Attribute Condition
Operating Temperature 0°C to +55°C
Storage Temperature -40°C to +70°C
Form Factor
(physical dimensions)
Height: 56 mm (2.20 inches)
Length: 167 mm (6.57 inches)

Hardware Installation and User’s Guide 17
Hardware Specifications and Features
— Caldera Linux 3.1
— Mandrake* Linux 8.1
— TurboLinux* 7.0 Server
•SCO UnixWare 7.1.1
•FreeBSD* 4.4 and 4.5
•Linux (2.2 kernal)
— Red Hat Linux 7.0
3.3 Supported SCSI Technology
The RAID adapter supports up to 15 SCSI devices per SCSI channel. It supports up to 15
hard disk drives (or 14 hard disks drives if one of the SCSI ID’s is occupied by a SAF-TE
processor) per channel of the SCSI controller (30 disk drives total for an MROMB
application, assuming a dual channel SCSI controller on the motherboard).
The GDT8500RZ firmware supports the following SCSI controllers on the motherboard:
•SCSI Ultra160
— Adaptec* AIC-7899x dual-channel Ultra160 SCSI controller
— Adaptec AIC-7892x single-channel Ultra160 SCSI controller
•SCSI Ultra320
— Adaptec AIC-7901 single-channel Ultra320 SCSI controller
— Adaptec AIC-7902 dual-channel Ultra320 SCSI controller
3.3.1 Supported Hard Drive Technology
The ICP RAID controller supports both Single-ended (SE) and Low Voltage Differential
(LVD) devices but it is recommended that you use only one type of drive technology (SE
or LVD) on any one channel at a time.
The ICP RAID controller supports single-ended drives which operate at up to 40MB/sec
depending upon the speed of the drives attached.
The ICP RAID controller supports Ultra-2 LVD SCSI devices operating at up to 80MB/
sec, Ultra160 LVD SCSI devices operating at up to 160MB/sec, and Ultra320 LVD SCSI
devices operating at up to 320MB/sec.
Note: If both SE and LVD devices are attached to the same channel/bus, the entire bus will
operate at the single-ended mode, which is a maximum of 40 MB per second. See
Table 3-4 for the maximum cable length distances that apply to each mode.
The ICP RAID controller is designed to use an Ultra160 or Ultra320 SCSI controller
implementation on the motherboard and is backward compatible with older SCSI hard
drive specifications. See Table 3-4 for the SCSI standards supported.

18 Hardware Installation and User’s Guide
Hardware Specifications and Features
3.3.2 Support for Non-Hard-Disk-Drive SCSI Devices (Non-Direct-
Access Devices)
The RAID controller will pass through to the host operating system direct access to non-
direct-access SCSI devices which are connected to a SCSI bus (channel) of the RAID
controller. The RAID controller passes through all control of these devices to the host
operating system.
Types of supported non-Direct-Access SCSI devices (this does not cover specific vendors
and models):
•SAF-TE Processors.
•Tape Backups. Check with your vendor. Some manufacturers recommend that you do
not connect a tape backup drive directly to a RAID controller of any kind.
•CD-ROMs.
Table 3-4. Supported SCSI Device Standards
SCSI Drive
Standard
Speed
(MB/Sec)
Bus Width
(Bits)
Maximum Cable
Length (meters) (1)
Adapter Maximum
Devices per SCSI
Channel
Single-
Ended LVD
SCSI-1 (2) 586
(3) 8
Fast SCSI (2) 10 8 3 (3) 8
Fast Wide SCSI 20 16 3 (3) 16
Ultra SCSI (2) 20 8 1.5 (3) 8
Ultra SCSI (2) 20 8 3 N/A 4
Wide Ultra SCSI 40 16 N/A (3) 16
Wide Ultra SCSI 40 16 1.5 N/A 8
Wide Ultra SCSI 40 16 3 N/A 4
Ultra 2 SCSI (2, 4) 40 8 (4) 12 8
Wide Ultra 2 (4) 80 16 (4) 12 16
Ultra160 (Ultra 3) 160 16 (4) 12 16
Ultra320 320 16 (4) 12 16
Notes:
1. May be exceeded in Point-to-Point and engineered specific applications.
2. Use of the word "Narrow", preceding SCSI, Ultra SCSI, or Ultra2 SCSI (for example, Narrow
SCSI) is optional.
3. LVD was not defined in the original SCSI standards for this speed. If all devices on the bus
support LVD, then 12-meters operation is possible at this speed. However, if any device on the
bus is singled-ended only, then the entire bus switches to single-ended mode and the distances
in the single-ended column apply.
4. Single-ended is not defined for speeds beyond Ultra.
After Ultra2 all new speeds are wide only.

Hardware Installation and User’s Guide 19
Hardware Specifications and Features
3.4 RAID Array Drive Roaming
Array Roaming allows the user the ability to move a complete RAID array from one
computer system to another computer system and preserve the RAID configuration
information and user data on that RAID array. ††Compatible RAID controllers must
control the RAID subsystems of the two computer systems (see list of compatible
controllers in this section). The transferred RAID array may be brought online while the
target server continues to run if the hard disk drives and disk enclosure support hot plug
capabilities; however, not all operating systems support this feature. The hard disk drives
are not required to have the same SCSI ID in the target system that they did in the original
system that they are removed from. The RAID array drive that is being roamed must not
be of type Private. This includes all non-private host, array, and logical drives.
Note: For a migrated RAID array to be recognized by the new host operating system, the host
system may need to be rebooted.
Warning: The GDT8500RZ controller is compatible with controllers of the same product
family if those controllers have the same or a higher firmware version. Migration to
newer controller models of the same IO technology with the same or higher
firmware versions is also usually supported. However, downgrade to older
firmware versions may cause problems and is therefore NOT recommended.
Note: Compatibility refers only to how data and RAID configuration information are written to
the hard disks. Compatible adapters have the same data file format.
3.5 Optional Features
There are no optional features for this product.
3.6 RAID Controller Drive Limitations (Host, Array,
Logical, and Physical)
The following are limitations assuming the following:
•U160 or U320 speed depending on the SCSI controller on the motherboard
•Dual channel SCSI controller
•Cabling that meets U160 or U320 specifications depending on the SCSI controller
Physical drives are limited by the number of SCSI channels being controlled by the
RAID controller. The firmware/software supports a maximum of 15 hard disk drives per
channel (or 14 if one SCSI ID is being occupied by an intelligent enclosure processor).
The maximum number of array drives is limited to 35 by the RAID firmware. The actual
maximum limit of the GDT8500RZ RAID controller is 15, see Table 3-5. The firmware
supports channel spanning where an array can consist of physical drives that are attached
to either one or to both channels of the RAID controller. An array drive requires a
minimum of two hard disk drives (or logical drives). Therefore the maximum array

20 Hardware Installation and User’s Guide
Hardware Specifications and Features
limitation for each RAID controller is the physical drive limit of that RAID controller
divided by two. An array drive can contain (or have reside on it) up to a maximum of 2
host drives.
RAID firmware limits the controller to a maximum of 30 host drives (RAID volumes) per
controller. There is a minimum of at least one host drive per array drive. A host drive can
only be associated with (or reside on) a single array drive. Like array drives, host drives
can reside on hard disk drives that are isolated to a single channel or span both of the
channels of the RAID controller.
Table 3-5. RAID Controller Drive Maximum Limitations (GDT8500RZ)
Drive Type Maximum
Per Channel
Maximum
Per Controller
Maximum
Per Array Drive
Maximum
Per Host Drive
Physical Disk Drives 15 30 30
(2 minimum) 30
RAID Array Drives 7 15 1
RAID Host Drives 30 2