Intel SRCS14L - RAID Controller User manual

Intel®Integrated RAID Controller
SRCS14L
Four-port Low Profile Serial ATA RAID Controller
Technical Product Specification, Version 1.0
November 2002
Order Number: 251526-001

Technical Product Specification
Information in this document is provided in connection with Intel® products. No license, express or implied, by estoppel or otherwise, to any intellectual
property rights is granted by this document. Except as provided in Intel's Terms and Conditions of Sale for such products, Intel assumes no liability
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Intel may make changes to specifications and product descriptions at any time, without notice.
The Intel SRCS14L RAID controller may contain design defects or errors known as errata which may cause the product to deviate from published
specifications. Current characterized errata are available on request.
Contact your local Intel sales office or your distributor to obtain the latest specifications and before placing your product order.
Copies of documents which have an ordering number and are referenced in this document, or other Intel literature may be obtained by calling
1-800-548-4725 or by visiting Intel's website at http://www.intel.com.
Copyright © Intel Corporation, 2002
i960, FlashFile, and Intel are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.
*Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.

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Intel®Integrated RAID Controller SRCS14L
Contents
1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................5
1.1 Acronyms ..............................................................................................................5
1.2 Documentation Conventions .................................................................................6
1.3 Product Overview .................................................................................................. 6
1.4 Operating System Support .................................................................................... 6
1.5 List of Features...................................................................................................... 6
2Hardware...........................................................................................................................8
2.1 Physical Layout ..................................................................................................... 8
2.2 Major Components ................................................................................................ 8
2.2.1 Intel®80303®Intelligent I/O Processor ................................................... 8
2.2.2 Intel®Smart 3 FlashFile™Flash Memory ...............................................9
2.2.3 SDRAM (Cache).......................................................................................9
2.2.4 SATA Controllers......................................................................................9
2.2.5 Audible Alarm ...........................................................................................9
2.2.6 SATA Connectors...................................................................................10
2.2.7 PCI Interface ..........................................................................................10
2.2.8 SRCS14L Jumpers.................................................................................10
2.2.9 Diagnostic Features ...............................................................................11
2.3 Architecture Features (HW)................................................................................. 13
2.4 Electrical Characteristics ..................................................................................... 13
2.5 Environmental Specifications ..............................................................................13
2.6 Supported Hard Drive Technology ...................................................................... 13
3Software..........................................................................................................................14
3.1 Software Architecture Overview ..........................................................................14
3.1.1 User Interface.........................................................................................15
3.1.2 System Management .............................................................................15
3.1.3 Common Layers .....................................................................................16
3.1.4 RAID Firmware.......................................................................................16
4 RAID Functionality and Features..................................................................................17
4.1 Hierarchy .............................................................................................................17
4.1.1 Level 1: Physical Drives .........................................................................17
4.1.2 Level 2: Logical Drives ...........................................................................17
4.1.3 Level 3: Array Drives ..............................................................................17
4.1.4 Level 4: Host Drives ...............................................................................18
4.1.5 RAID Host/Array Drive Statuses ............................................................19
4.1.6 Logical Drive Statuses............................................................................20
4.1.7 RAID Controller Drive Limitations (Host, Array, Logical, and Physical) .20
4.2 Utilities and Tools ................................................................................................21
4.3 RAID Features.....................................................................................................22
4.3.1 RAID Level Support................................................................................22
4.3.2 Caching ..................................................................................................22
4.3.3 Hot Fix (Spare) Disks .............................................................................24
4.3.4 Auto-detection of Hot-Plug Disk Drives in a Non-Intelligent Drive Enclo-
sure25

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Intel®Integrated RAID Controller SRCS14L
4.3.5 Auto-declare Hot Fix (Spare) Drive ........................................................ 25
4.3.6 RAID Array Drive Roaming .................................................................... 25
4.3.7 On-line RAID Array Configurations ........................................................ 25
4.3.8 Background Initialization and Instant Availability.................................... 27
4.3.9 PCI Hot Plug .......................................................................................... 27
5 Certifications and Supported Technologies................................................................ 28
5.1 OS Certifications ................................................................................................. 28
5.2 Electronic Regulatory Agencies Certifications (Hardware) ................................. 29
5.3 Supported Specifications and Standards ............................................................ 31
6 Technical Drawings and Diagrams............................................................................... 32
7 Appendices..................................................................................................................... 33
7.1 Referenced Documentation ................................................................................ 33
7.2 BIOS Boot Messages.......................................................................................... 33
Figures
1 SRCS14L RAID Controller Physical Layout.......................................................... 8
2 Jumper Settings and Pin Numbers ..................................................................... 10
3 LED Labels and Colors ....................................................................................... 11
4 RAID Software Stack Architecture Block Diagram.............................................. 14
5 Controller PBA Drawing, Front View ................................................................... 32
6 Controller PBA Drawing, Back View ................................................................... 32
Tables
1 Common Acronyms............................................................................................... 5
2 Controller Jumper Settings.................................................................................. 11
3 LED Descriptions ................................................................................................ 11
4 Beep Sequences................................................................................................. 12
5 Hardware Architecture ........................................................................................ 13
6 Electrical Specifications ...................................................................................... 13
7 Environmental Test Results ................................................................................ 13
8 Host Array Drive Statuses................................................................................... 19
9 Logical Drive Statuses ........................................................................................ 20
10 RAID Controller Drive Maximum Limitations (SRCS14L) ................................... 20
11 Utilities And Tools ............................................................................................... 21
12 Supported RAID Levels....................................................................................... 22
13 Supported Cache Settings .................................................................................. 23
14 Example of a 9GB Pooled Hot Fix Drive
Selected to Protect Four Raid Array Drives ........................................................ 24
15 OS Certification Requirements............................................................................ 28
16 Electronic Equipment Regulatory Certifications .................................................. 29
17 Supported Standards and Specifications ............................................................ 31
18 Referenced Documentation ................................................................................ 33

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Intel®Integrated RAID Controller SRCS14L
Introduction 1
1.1 Acronyms
The following acronyms may be used throughout this document.
Table 1. Common Acronyms (Sheet 1 of 2)
Acronym Description
API Application Programmer Interface
DLL Dynamic Linked Library
DOS Generic term to reference either MS-DOS* or ROM-DOS
DMI Desktop Management Interface –a system management specification
ECC Error Correction Code (also
error correcting code and error correcting circuits)
FRU Flash Recovery Utility
FUU Flash Update Utility
FW Firmware
Gb Gigabit
GB Gigabyte
HBA Host Bus Adapter
IIR Intel Integrated RAID
Kb Kilobit
KB Kilobyte
LVD Low Voltage Differential SCSI
Mb Megabit
MB Megabyte
PCB Printed Circuit Board
PCI Peripheral Component Interconnect
RAID Redundant Array of Independent Disks
SAF-TE SCSI Accessed Fault Tolerant Enclosure
SATA Serial AT Attachment
SE Single Ended SCSI device. SCSI device type.
SCA Single Connector Attachment - 80-pin SCSI connector on hot-swappable SE and LVD hard
disks.
SCSI Small Computer Systems Interface
SNMP Simple Network Management Protocol

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Intel®Integrated RAID Controller SRCS14L
1.2 Documentation Conventions
The terms “RAID controller” and “the controller” are used interchangeably throughout this
document. Each term represents the physical PCB that integrates all the components of the RAID
PCI add-in card.
1.3 Product Overview
The SRCS14L is a PCI-based, low-profile, four-port SATA RAID controller. It utilizes the Intel®
80303 Intelligent I/O processor, two Silicon Image* Sil3112A SATA controllers, and Intel
Integrated RAID software.
1.4 Operating System Support
The following operating systems are fully validated and supported:
•Microsoft* Windows* XP Professional
•Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
•Red Hat* Linux* 7.3 (2.4 kernel)
•SuSe* Linux 8.0 Professional
The following operating systems are supported with limited compatibility validation:
•Windows 2000 Server
•Red Hat Linux 7.2
•TurboLinux* 7.0 Server
1.5 List of Features
•Supports RAID levels 0, 1, 4, 5 and 10
•Supports up to four hard drives connected to the four SATA ports on the controller
•Online RAID level migration and capacity expansion without reboot
•RAID array roaming
StorCon Storage Console: A character-based, menu-driven tool used for setting up, monitoring and
maintaining mass storage device subsystems based on IIR Controllers.
StorCon+
Storage Console Plus: A GUI-based, menu-driven tool used for setting up, monitoring and
maintaining mass storage device subsystems based on IIR Controllers. Runs only on
Microsoft* Windows*-based systems.
XROM PCI Expansion ROM - BIOS utility accessed at system POST.
Table 1. Common Acronyms (Sheet 2 of 2)
Acronym Description

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Intel®Integrated RAID Controller SRCS14L
•Instant availability and background initialization
•Automatic rebuild with private (dedicated) or pooled (global) hot fix (spare) drives
•Variable data strip size configurable per array
•64MB of ECC SDRAM support
•Read/write controller caching
•Hot plug disk drive auto detection configurable for non-intelligent enclosures
•PCI Hot plug support

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Intel®Integrated RAID Controller SRCS14L
Hardware 2
2.1 Physical Layout
2.2 Major Components
2.2.1 Intel®80303®Intelligent I/O Processor
The SRCS14L features the Intel®80303®I/O processor. The core processor, PCI-to-PCI bridge,
and Memory Controller are particularly useful in RAID applications. For more information on the
Intel 80303 memory controller unit, visit http://developer.intel.com/design/iio/docs/iop303.htm.
Figure 1. SRCS14L RAID Controller Physical Layout
167 mm
56 mm
Power
PCI bus speed
66MHz = on
33MHz =off
Status
DMA mode
Port-B:0 activity
Port-B:1 activity
Back View
Port-A:1 activity
Port-A:0 activity
167 mm
56 mm
Alarm
64MB ECC SDRAM
data cache
IOP mode select
jumper (J1 )
Channel B
64-bit /
66MHz,
universally
keyed, 3.3
and 5 volt,
PCI interface Intel
®
80303
®
I/O processor
Front View
SATA connector B:0
SATA connector B:1
SATA Connector A:0
SATA connector A:1
SATA processor B
SATA processor A
4MB Intel® Smart 3
FlashFile™ flash memory
Activity indicator header
PCI bus speed jumper (J4 )
Standard bracket
Low-profile bracket

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Intel®Integrated RAID Controller SRCS14L
2.2.1.1 Processor Core
The 80303 uses the 80960JT-100 core. The core processor runs at 100 MHz with an internal 64-bit
100 MHz PCI bus. Among other features, it contains a 128-bit register bus, 16Kbyte two-way
instruction cache, 4Kbyte direct-mapped data cache, 1Kbyte zero wait state data RAM, and single
clock execution of most instructions.
2.2.1.2 PCI-to-PCI Bridge
The PCI-to-PCI bridge features fully independent PCI bus operation with independent clocks,
dedicated data queues, 32-bit/33Mhz and 64-bit/66Mhz PCI bus support, and 64-bit Dual Address
Cycle addressing.
2.2.1.3 Memory Controller Unit
The Memory Controller provides direct control of memory systems external to the 80960 core
processor, including SDRAM and Flash. It features programmable chip selects, a wait state
generator, ECC single-bit correction and double-bit error detection. The bus interface to the
memory controller operates at 100 MHz. The SRCS14L uses 64MB of embedded memory.
2.2.2 Intel®Smart 3 FlashFile™Flash Memory
This 3.3v, 32Mb (4MB) flash memory chip is used to store the RAID firmware. This non-volatile
storage can be accessed for firmware updates and recovery. For firmware recovery, set the IOP
mode select jumper J1 to reset; place jumper on pins 1 and 2. For normal firmware updates, place
the jumper on pins 2 and 3 (or remove totally). See Figure 2: Jumper Settings and Pin Numbers for
more information.
2.2.3 SDRAM (Cache)
The SRCS14L provides 64MB of 3.3v PC-100 ECC unbuffered CAS 2 latency SDRAM. The
memory is embedded in the RAID controller and is not upgradeable. It is connected directly to the
memory controller interface bus of the IOP, and serves as storage for the executable code
transferred from the flash. It also serves as cache during RAID transactions. Cache mode selection
takes immediate effect while the server is online. The IOP memory controller provides single-bit
ECC error correction.
2.2.4 SATA Controllers
The SRCS14L has two Silicon Image Sil3112A SATA controllers, which each control two serial
ports (four ports total). The Sil3112A can support data transfer rates up to 1.5 Gbps. See http://
www.siliconimage.com/products/sii3112.asp for more information.
2.2.5 Audible Alarm
An 80db audible alarm is mounted on the RAID controller to alert the user to a number of software
and/or hardware events experienced by the controller.

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Intel®Integrated RAID Controller SRCS14L
2.2.6 SATA Connectors
The SRCS14L provides four SATA signal connectors.
2.2.7 PCI Interface
The SRCS14L has a 64-bit/66MHz PCI interface. The PCI connector is universally keyed for 3.3v
or 5v signaling and is PCI 2.2 compliant. The controller is designed for optimal performance when
inserted in a 64-bit/66MHz PCI expansion slot; however, it is backwards compatible with all
33MHz PCI expansion slots.
2.2.8 SRCS14L Jumpers
The IIR controller normally comes ready to be installed into the computer motherboard
immediately. However, jumper settings are available to:
•Reprogram the RAID firmware that is located in the flash memory of the IIR controller.
•Set the PCI bus speed (force 33 MHz or auto-negotiate 33/66 MHz).
For jumper locations and settings, see Table 2: Controller Jumper Settings and Figure 2: Jumper
Settings and Pin Numbers.
Figure 2. Jumper Settings and Pin Numbers
2
3
1
PCI Bus Speed (J4)
Auto-negotiate 33 or 66 MHz (pins 2-3)
Force 33 MHz (pins 1-2)
2
3
1
IOP Mode Select (J1)
Normal Mode (pins 2-3)
Recovery Mode (pins 1-2)

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Intel®Integrated RAID Controller SRCS14L
J1 - IOP mode select jumper block: This jumper is used to place the IOP in reset, which enables the
flash chip to be programmed to recover resident firmware (FW). This is only necessary if the
content of the flash part is corrupted and needs to be erased and reprogrammed. The jumper is
installed on pins 1-2 to enable this function. During normal operation and during normal firmware
updates, the jumper is installed on pins 2-3 (or removed totally).
J4 - PCI bus speed: Leave this jumper in the default position (pins 2-3 to auto-negotiate 33/66
Mhz) unless instructed to do otherwise by customer support or a specification update.
2.2.9 Diagnostic Features
The SRCS14L has LED indicators and audible beep sequences at startup to help you understand
the status of the controller.
Table 2. Controller Jumper Settings
Jumper Block Jumper Position Definition
J1
Jumper on pins [1-2] IOP is in reset mode with firmware recovery
enabled.
Jumper on pins [2-3] IOP is in normal run mode.
No jumpers IOP is in normal run mode.
J4
Jumper on pins [1-2] PCI bus is forced to 33 MHz.
Jumper on pins [2-3] PCI bus auto-negotiates 33 MHz or 66 MHz.
No jumpers PCI bus auto-negotiates 33 MHz or 66 MHz.
Figure 3. LED Labels and Colors
Table 3. LED Descriptions
LED Description
A:0 Indicates activity on SATA port A:0.
A:1 Indicates activity on SATA port A:1.
B:0 Indicates activity on SATA port B:0.
B:1 Indicates activity on SATA port B:1.
T Indicates data transfer to the controller’s cache memory.
S When illuminated, the controller's IOP is in reset mode.
P When illuminated, the controller card is powered on.
P66 When illuminated, PCI bus frequency is 66Mhz. When not illuminated, PCI bus frequency is
33Mhz.
A:0 A:1 T S P66P
green
yellow
yellow
green
red
green
yellow
yellow
yellow
B:0 B:1

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Table 4. Beep Sequences
Beep Sequence Meaning
beep - pause - beep, beep,
beep Controller startup was successful.
beep, beep, beep, beep, ....
RAID controller has a problem. A possible cause is disk failure. To diagnose the
problem, run the Storage Console to check the status of the RAID controller
and array.
beep, beep - pause - beep,
beep - pause - ....
Memory or firmware may have a problem. More details may be available from
the boot message. If necessary, use the FRU utility to recover the firmware as
described in
Appendix A of the SRCS14L hardware guide.

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Intel®Integrated RAID Controller SRCS14L
2.3 Architecture Features (HW)
2.4 Electrical Characteristics
2.5 Environmental Specifications
2.6 Supported Hard Drive Technology
The RAID controller supports up to 4 hard disk drives connected to the 4 SATA ports. These hard
drives must be compliant with the SATA specification 1.0.
Table 5. Hardware Architecture
Component Features
I/O Microprocessor The 80303 processor: 100MHz, RISC 64-bit core
Cache Memory 3.3V unbuffered, PC100, ECC SDRAM. 64MB embedded not upgradeable
Flash Memory 3.3v, 32Mb (4MB) flash memory chip is used to store the RAID firmware
I/O interface (PCI) PCI 2.2 compliant, universally keyed for 3.3 and 5 volt PCI slots
PCI Transfer Rate 528 MB/sec (Burst) DMA to PCI and local buses
PCI Signaling +5 or +3.3 volt
SATA controllers Two Silicon Image Sil3112A SATA controllers, which each control two serial
ports (four ports total) with speeds up to 1.5 Gbps
Table 6. Electrical Specifications
Attribute Measurements
Voltage Requirements +3.3 or +5 Volts (all +/–5% tolerance)
Power Consumption +5 Volts @ 0.25 Amps = 1.25W
+3.3 Volts @ 2.5 Amps = 8.25W
Table 7. Environmental Test Results
Environmental Stress Test Meets Required Conditions
Operating Temperature 0°C to +55°C
Storage Temperature -40°C to +70°C
Form Factor (physical dimensions) Height: 56mm
Length: 167mm

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Intel®Integrated RAID Controller SRCS14L
Software 3
3.1 Software Architecture Overview
The RAID software stack is composed of two major component groupings: the RAID firmware
embedded in the Flash memory and a set of host resident drivers and utilities installed on the host
system. All host-based software contains an OS dependent portion and an OS independent portion.
This allows for a consistent ‘look and feel’ across operating system platforms. A simple, custom
messaging protocol is used to communicate between the host driver or utility and the embedded
RAID firmware. The firmware is independent of the OS, I/O processor, and I/O bus through the
use of abstraction layers. This layered RAID software executes on a custom, multi-tasking, real-
time software executive and relies on the reuse of internal software communication ‘building
blocks’ to incorporate new technology and provide for new products.
Figure 4. RAID Software Stack Architecture Block Diagram
PCI Bus
Operating System DriverPCI BIOS
API API API API
API (ROM)
Storage
Console
Storage
Console
(StorCon)
StorCon+
Windows
(GUI)
SNMP
Extension
Agent
IIR Service
/ IIRD
To Remote
StorCons
To Operating
System
Install
Programs
PCI Host Interface
Common
Firmware
I/O Processor
I/O Device

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Intel®Integrated RAID Controller SRCS14L
Note: The architecture block diagram in Figure 4: RAID Software Stack Architecture Block Diagram is a
generalization. Its goal is to cover all OS implementations. Certain blocks may or may not be
relevant to each specific OS.
3.1.1 User Interface
3.1.1.1 Storage Console
The Storage Console is a text-based user interface. It is a full-featured monitoring and
configuration utility for managing all aspects of the RAID subsystem as well as many features of
the RAID controller. It can be accessed via two methods. The first is during system boot time when
entering the controller’s BIOS by depressing the <Ctrl>+<G> keys when prompted. The utility
accesses the RAID subsystem via the PCI BIOS.
The other method of accessing the Storage Console is via launching the application from within the
host operating system.
Storage Console communicates with the firmware via a common API both during system POST
and from within the host OS. This unique feature allows for a common user interface (UI) between
both OS and pre-OS environments.
3.1.1.2 Storage Console+
Storage Console+ provides a graphical user interface (GUI) for the Storage Console. However, it
runs only on Microsoft Windows-based systems and has the same features and functionality with
only a few exceptions.
3.1.2 System Management
3.1.2.1 RAID Mail Utility
The RAID Mail utility provides the RAID subsystem the ability to send notifications of specific
IIR events to remote computer stations. This utility takes certain messages generated by the RAID
Configuration Service and converts them into standard mail messages (for Windows NT/9x/200/
XP, in MAPI format). It relies on the IIR API for communication to the IIR specific information. It
can send messages locally (pop-up messages on local monitor) or to specific remote workstations.
It also can interface with standard email applications (like Microsoft Outlook or Exchange)
installed on the local system.
3.1.2.2 SNMP Extension Agent
The SNMP Extension Agent is the interface between SNMP and the IIR Management Information
Base (MIB). It interacts with the host resident MIB as well as the IIR HBA (via the IIR API) to
respond to SNMP requests.

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3.1.3 Common Layers
3.1.3.1 PCI BIOS
The PCI BIOS is the Expansion ROM software as defined in the PCI specification. It performs
IIR initialization from host system memory during POST.
3.1.3.2 IIR API
The IIR API is a C++ class library consisting of OS-independent classes and methods. This layer
encapsulates sequences of lower level C library API functions and builds OS independent data
structures used for communicating with the HBA. This API relies on an OS dependent layer that
communicates with the local driver (if one is present) or a remote driver via the TCP/IP or IPX/
SPX network protocol.
3.1.3.3 Operating System Driver
The IIR device driver is the OS specific driver that communicates between the host resident
application and the IIR HBA using the IIR communications protocol.
3.1.3.4 RAID Configuration Service
The IIR Service / IIRD allows remote access to the IIR HBA. It runs as a service on Windows-
based systems and as a daemon on Unix-based systems. In order to use the remote access
capability, an administrator has to create user accounts. The passwords for these accounts are
encrypted for security.
3.1.4 RAID Firmware
The IIR firmware is composed of multiple software layers allowing for maximum flexibility, re-
use and maintainability. At the highest level is a host interface abstraction layer in the common
firmware that is also composed of multiple internal layers of service and library modules.
The I/O Device pictured next to the firmware (Figure 4: RAID Software Stack Architecture Block
Diagram) also communicates over an abstraction layer allowing for elegant integration of multiple
I/O device types from different vendors.

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Intel®Integrated RAID Controller SRCS14L
RAID Functionality and Features 4
4.1 Hierarchy
A fundamental purpose of a RAID system is to present a usable (with some level of redundancy)
data storage medium (or drive) to a host operating system. In accomplishing this, the Intel RAID
firmware is based on a four level hierarchal model. Each level has its own drives associated with it.
The basic rule is to build drives on a given level in the hierarchy; the drives of the next lower level
are used as components. So, in order to create a data drive (host drive/RAID volume) and present it
to the host operating system, the RAID firmware typically follows these steps:
1. One or more physical drives are selected and initialized
2. A logical drive is created for each physical device
3. The logical drives are grouped and an array drive is created
4. The RAID firmware designates the array drive as a host drive and presents it to the host OS
4.1.1 Level 1: Physical Drives
Physical drives are located on the lowest level of the hierarchy. This includes hard disk drives,
removable hard disks, and some Magneto Optical drives. They are the basic components of all
drive constructions. However, before they can be used by the firmware, these hard drives must be
prepared by a process called initialization. During initialization each hard disk has configuration
information written to its physical medium in non-user accessible redundant areas. This
information allows a univocal identification even if the disk-ID or the controller is changed. For
reasons of data coherency, this information is extremely important for any drive construction
consisting of two or more physical drives.
4.1.2 Level 2: Logical Drives
Logical drives are constructed to obtain full independence of the physical coordinates of a
physical device. This is important because it allows one to rearrange the disk-IDs and channel
location of the physical drives of a disk array without compromising the integrity of the RAID
array disk. It also is what allows you to interchange disk arrays between compatible controllers.
You can create a logical drive manually by using one or more available physical drives. A logical
drive created manually in this way is presented directly to the host OS as a Host drive (see host
drives in Level 4). However, it is not associated with any array drive (see array drives in Level 3).
4.1.3 Level 3: Array Drives
Array drives are located at this level in the hierarchy. Array drives always consist of logical drives
and consist of the following drive types:
•RAID 0 drives
•RAID 1 drives

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•RAID 4 drives
•RAID 5 drives
•RAID 10 drives
You can manually create an array drive by using two or more logical drives that were manually
created at level 2. This action combines the original host drives associated with each of the logical
drives into a single host drive at a chosen RAID level.
4.1.4 Level 4: Host Drives
Host drives (RAID volumes) are created at the highest level of the hierarchy by the RAID
firmware. This is done automatically upon the creation of an array drive. It is also done
automatically upon the manual creation of a logical drive. Each host drive is assigned a drive
number that matches the drive number of its array drive or logical drive. Host drives are the only
hierarchal level drives that are detectable by the host operating system. The three lowest level
hierarchal drives are transparent to the host operating system.
After a capacity expansion of a given array drive, the added capacity appears to the host OS as a
new host drive on this level. It can then be configured as a separate host drive or, using the ‘Merge’
feature in the Host Drive menu, be combined with the initial host drive of the array drive into one
single host drive.
Warning: Any data located on the new host drive (created from the capacity expansion) will be lost using the
Merge feature. Do not use this feature if the new host drive already contains data that you do not
wish to destroy.
Within the Storage Console utility, each level of hierarchy has its own special menu:
Level 1  Menu: Configure Physical Devices
Level 2  Menu: Configure Logical Drives
Level 3  Menu: Configure Array Drives
Level 4  Menu: Configure Host Drives

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Intel®Integrated RAID Controller SRCS14L
4.1.5 RAID Host/Array Drive Statuses
Table 8 lists the available states of RAID Host and Array Drives.
Table 8. Host Array Drive Statuses
Drive Status Attribute Drive Type Redundant Description
Idle RW RAID 4 / 5 / 10 No Newly defined array prior to build
process starting.
Build RW RAID 1 / 4 / 5 / 10 No
The initial process of configuring
redundancy information upon creation
of drive.
Ready RW RAID 1 / 4 / 5 / 10 Yes The array drive is fully operational, its
normal state.
Rebuild RW RAID 1 / 4 / 5 / 10 No
Array drive assumes this status after
the automatic activation of a Hot Fix or
after manual replacement (hot plug).
Expand RW RAID 4 / 5
Yes when
adding new
drives.
No when
using free
space.
This status indicates that the RAID
level and or capacity are (is) being
migrated.
The Expand status combines with the
Ready and Fail statuses as shown
below:
•Ready/Expand
•Fail/Expand
Fail RW RAID 1 / 4 / 5 / 10 No This status indicates that a
logical
drive
has failed.
Error RO RAID 4 / 5 / 10 No
This status indicates that more that
one logical drive has failed. In this
event, the array is set to read only.
Patch RW RAID 4 / 5 Yes
This status indicates that the array
drive has gone through a significant
procedure or has been patched from
the error status to fail status.
The Patch status combines with other
statuses as shown below:
•Ready/Patch
•Fail/Patch
•Error/Patch
•Idle/Patch
•Rebuild/Patch
RW = Read Write
RO = Read Only
The drive
attribute indicates the level of host OS
access to the drive

20 Technical Product Specification
Intel®Integrated RAID Controller SRCS14L
4.1.6 Logical Drive Statuses
4.1.7 RAID Controller Drive Limitations (Host, Array, Logical, and
Physical)
The following are limitations assuming the following:
•Four SATA ports
•Cabling that meets SATA specifications 1.0
Physical drives are limited by the number of ports (four) on the RAID controller. Each physical
drive must be connected to one of the SATA ports. The maximum number of array drives is two. A
RAID array drive requires a minimum of two hard disk drives (or logical drives). Therefore the
maximum RAID array drive limitation for the SRCS14L controller is the physical drive limit
divided by two.
Each RAID array drive (up to two) can contain up to a maximum of two host drives. This means
that the SRCS14L controller has a maximum limitation of four host drives. Also, each array drive
must have at least one host drive. A host drive can only be associated with (or reside on) a single
array drive.
Table 9. Logical Drive Statuses
Drive Status Attribute Description
Ready RW The drive is operational and functioning normal.
Missing - The drive is missing or no longer detected by the RAID controller.
Fault RW The drive is no longer operating within expected parameters.
RW = Read Write
RO = Read Only
The drive
attribute indicates the level of host OS access to the drive.
Table 10. RAID Controller Drive Maximum Limitations (SRCS14L)
Drive Type Per RAID
Controller Per Array Drive Per Host Drive
Physical Disk Drives 4 4 4
RAID Array Drives 2 N/A 1
RAID Host Drives 4 2 N/A