Intel SASMF8I - RAID Controller Installation manual

Intel®RAID Controller SASMF8I Hardware
User’s Guide
Intel Order Number: E33625-003

ii Intel® RAID Controller SASMF8I Hardware User’s Guide
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Intel® RAID Controller SASMF8I Hardware User’s Guide iii
Preface
This is the primary reference and user’s guide for the Intel®RAID Controller SASMF8I,
which can be used for 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®IT/IR RAID Software User’s Guide on the Resource CD.
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®RAID Controller SASMF8I for a system.
• Anyone installing an Intel®RAID Controller SASMF8I in a software RAID system.
Organization
This document includes the following chapters and appendixes:
• Chapter 1 provides a general overview of the Intel®RAID Controller SASMF8I.
• Chapter 2 describes the procedures for installing the Intel®RAID Controller
SASMF8I.
• Chapter 3 provides the characteristics and technical specifications for the Intel®
RAID Controller SASMF8I.
• 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.

iv Intel® RAID Controller SASMF8I Hardware User’s Guide

Intel® RAID Controller SASMF8I Hardware User’s Guide v
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 ............................................................................................4
Benefits of Serial-Attached SCSI (SAS) ................................................................................4
Chapter 2: Intel®RAID Controller SASMF8I 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 SASMF8I Characteristics ................................ 11
Technical Specifications ......................................................................................................12
Array Performance Features .......................................................................................13
Fault Tolerance ............................................................................................................13
Electrical Characteristics .............................................................................................14
Thermal and Atmospheric Characteristics ...................................................................14
Safety Characteristics ..................................................................................................14
A Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations ................................................................ 16

vi Intel® RAID Controller SASMF8I Hardware User’s Guide

Intel® RAID Controller SASMF8I Hardware User’s Guide vii
List of Figures
Figure 1. Inserting the Intel®RAID Controller SASMF8I into a
PCI Express* Slot...................................................................................................................... 6
Figure 2. Attaching cables to the Intel®RAID Controller SASMF8I .......................................... 7
Figure 3. SAS and SATA Plugs and SAS Backplane Connector .............................................. 9
Figure 4. Card Layouts............................................................................................................ 11

viii Intel® RAID Controller SASMF8I Hardware User’s Guide

Intel® RAID Controller SASMF8I Hardware User’s Guide ix
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 ...........................................................................................14

xIntel® RAID Controller SASMF8I Hardware User’s Guide

Intel® RAID Controller SASMF8I Hardware User’s Guide 1
1Overview
This chapter provides a general overview of the Intel®RAID Controller SASMF8I. It
consists of the following sections:
•Summary of SAS RAID Controller Features
•Benefits of Serial-Attached SCSI (SAS)
The Intel®RAID Controller SASMF8I is a high-performance PCI Express* SAS RAID
controller. It provides reliability, high performance, 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®RAID Controller SASMF8I 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. The controller
supports up to eight devices including expander devices. See the ANSI SAS Standard
Specification, Version 1.0 for more information about the use of expanders.
As the second generation PCI Express* storage adapter, the Intel®RAID Controller
SASMF8I 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.
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®RAID Controller SASMF8I is a low-profile SAS RAID adapter with:
•An LSI 1068E SAS (including SATA) controller.
•Eight independent internal ports provided via two SFF8087 connectors.
•Support for both enterprise-class SAS devices and enterprise-class SATA II drives.
•Support for up to 8 SAS or SATA II drives and 40 logical drives.
•PCI Express* connector that fits into a x4 PCI Express slot capable of 2.5 Gbps per
lane over PCI Express* x1, or x4.
•3.0 Gbps point-to-point transfer rate.
•Both a standard and a low-profile bracket.

2Intel® RAID Controller SASMF8I Hardware User’s Guide
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 high-end
workstation environments.
Protocols supported include:
•Serial SCSI Protocol (SSP): Communication with other SAS devices.
•SATA II Protocol: Communication with other SATA II devices.
•Serial Management Protocol (SMP): Topology management information sharing
with expanders.
•Serial Tunneling Protocol (STP) support for SATA II through expander interfaces.
Usability
•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 software RAID levels 0, 1, 5, and 10.
•Global 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 migration.
— Drive roaming.
•An upgradeable Flash ROM interface.
•Allows for staggered spin-up, hot plug, and lower power consumption.
•User specified rebuild rate (% of system resources to use from 0-100%).
Warning: Exceeding 50% rate may cause operating system errors caused by waiting
for controller access.
•Background operating mode can be set for rebuilds, consistency checks,and
initialization (auto restarting consistency check on redundant volumes).
Redundancy and Error Handling
•Enclosure management support, including LEDs.
•Activity and fault indicators per drive, port selector (dual-port drives).
•Drive coercion (auto resizing to match existing disks).
•Auto-detection of failed drives with transparent rebuild. Disk activity (I/O to the
drive) must be present for a missing drive to be marked as failed.

Intel® RAID Controller SASMF8I Hardware User’s Guide 3
•Auto-resume of initialization or rebuild on reboot (the auto rebuild feature must be
enabled before virtual disk creation).
•Smart initialization automatically checks consistency of virtual disks if there are five
or more disks in a RAID 5 array, which optimizes performance by enabling read-
modify-write mode. RAID 5 arrays of only three or overdrives use peer read mode.
•Smart Technology predicts failures of drives and electronic components.
•Commands are retried at least four times.
•Firmware provides best effort to recognize an error and recover from it if possible.
•Failures are logged from controller and drive firmware, SMART monitor, and SAF-
TE controller.
•Failures are logged in Intel®RAID Web Console 2 or CIM, and can be viewed from
LEDs.
•Multiple cache options provide choice of speed and redundancy:
— 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.
— Read Ahead: Predicts the next read will be sequential and buffers this data into
the drive’s cache.
✧On: Read Ahead mode enabled. Faster in data sequential read mode but
slower in data random read mode.
✧Off: Non-Read Ahead mode enabled. Always reads from the drive after
determining the exact location of each read.
•Redundancy through:
— Configuration stored in non-volatile RAM and on the drives (COD).
— Hot-swap support.
SAS and SATA Features
•Provides eight independent PHYs, each supporting 3.0 Gbps and 1.5 Gbps SAS and
SATA data transfers.
•Scalable interface that supports up to eight direct-attached SAS/SATA devices or
eight logical devices.
•Transfers data using SCSI information units.
•Supports SSP to enable communication with other SAS devices.
•Supports SMP to communicate topology management information.
•Supports single PHY or wide ports consisting of two, three, or four PHYs within a
single quad port.

4Intel® RAID Controller SASMF8I Hardware User’s Guide
•Allows addressing of multiple SATA targets through an expander if using SATA 2.0-
compliant hard disk drives.
•Allows multiple initiators to address a single target (in a fail-over configuration)
through an expander.
Operating System Support
The Intel®RAID Controller SASMF8I 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®RAID Controller SASMF8I to make sure the RAID
controller supports your operating system.
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.

Intel® RAID Controller SASMF8I Hardware User’s Guide 5
2Intel®RAID Controller SASMF8I
Hardware Installation
This chapter describes the procedures used to install the Intel®RAID Controller
SASMF8I with internal connectors.
Requirements
The following items are required to install a Intel®RAID Controller SASMF8I:
•An Intel®RAID Controller SASMF8I.
•A host system with an available x4 bi-directional PCI Express* slot.
•The Resource CD, which contains drivers and documentation.
•The cables provided with the RAID controller.
•SAS or SATA II hard disk drives.
Note: Intel Corporation strongly recommends using an uninterruptible power supply (UPS).

6Intel® RAID Controller SASMF8I Hardware User’s Guide
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®RAID Controller SASMF8I into a
PCI Express* Slot
AF002653
Edge of
Main Board
Bracket Screw
Press
Here
Press
Here
64-bit Slot (3.3V)
PCI Express* Slot (3.3V)
32-bit Slots (3.3V)

Intel® RAID Controller SASMF8I Hardware User’s Guide 7
5. Connect the SAS/SATA cables from the backplane (or hard drives) to the RAID
Controller. Make sure the cables are properly connected to the controller.
Figure 2. Attaching cables to the Intel®RAID Controller SASMF8I
Note: System throughput problems can occur if the SAS cables that come with the RAID
controller are not 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.
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.
Ports 0-3
Ports 4-7
1
2

8Intel® RAID Controller SASMF8I Hardware User’s Guide
10. Watch the boot process until you see a BIOS message to inform you of the key
combination to press to enter the Intel®Embedded Server RAID Technology II
Configuration Utility. A message similar to the following appears:
Press <CTRL> + <E> to run the Intel®Embedded Server RAID Technology
II Configuration Utility.
This message times out after several seconds. If you miss it, you will pass the option
to get into the Intel®Embedded Server RAID Technology II Configuration Utility.
The firmware takes several seconds to initialize and then displays the Intel®RAID
Controller SASMF8I number and firmware version. The numbering of the controllers
follows the PCI slot scanning order used by the server board.

Intel® RAID Controller SASMF8I Hardware User’s Guide 9
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.
The cable supplied with the Intel®RAID Controller SASMF8I is for SATA drives or a
SAS backplane connection.
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 installing the Intel®RAID Controller SASMF8I, you must configure the storage
adapter and install the operating system driver. The Intel®IT/IR RAID Intel®IT/IR RAID
Software User’s Guide instructs you on the configuration options and how to set them on
your Intel®RAID Controller SASMF8I, and provides detailed installation instructions for
operating system drivers.

10 Intel® RAID Controller SASMF8I Hardware User’s Guide
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”.