LSI MegaRAID SAS 9240-4i User manual

41450- 02C
41450-02 Rev. C
MegaRAID®6Gb/s SAS
RAID Controllers
USER’S
GUIDE
November 2009

ii
Copyright © 2009 by LSI Corporation. All rights reserved.
This document contains proprietary information of LSI Corporation. The
information contained herein is not to be used by or disclosed to third parties
without the express written permission of an officer of LSI Corporation.
LSI products are not intended for use in life-support appliances, devices, or
systems. Use of any LSI product in such applications without written consent of
the appropriate LSI officer is prohibited.
Purchase of I2C components of LSI Corporation, or one of its sublicensed
Associated Companies, conveys a license under the Philips I2C Patent Rights to
use these components in an I2C system, provided that the system conforms to
the I2C standard Specification as defined by Philips.
Document 41450-02 Rev. C, November 2009. This document describes the
current versions of the LSI Corporation MegaRAID®SAS RAID controllers and
will remain the official reference source for all revisions/releases of these
products until rescinded by an update.
LSI Corporation reserves the right to make changes to any products herein at
any time without notice. LSI 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 LSI; nor does the purchase or use of a product from LSI
convey a license under any patent rights, copyrights, trademark rights, or any
other of the intellectual property rights of LSI or third parties.
Copyright © 2009 by LSI Corporation. All rights reserved.
TRADEMARK ACKNOWLEDGMENT
LSI, the LSI logo design, Fusion-MPT, and MegaRAID are trademarks or
registered trademarks of LSI Corporation. Microsoft and Windows are registered
trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. SUSE is a trademark and NetWare is a
registered trademark of Novell, Inc. Red Hat is a registered trademark of Red
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centers, view our web page located at
http://www.lsi.com/contacts/index.html

MegaRAID 6Gb/s SAS RAID Controllers User’s Guide iii
Copyright © 2009 by LSI Corporation. All rights reserved.
Preface
This document is the primary reference and user’s guide for the LSI
MegaRAID®Serial Attached SCSI/SATA II RAID controllers based on the
6Gb/s SAS/SATA RAID On-a-Chip devices. This document contains
complete installation instructions for these RAID controllers and includes
specifications for them.
The MegaRAID 6Gb/s Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) RAID controller family
consists of the following controllers:
•MegaRAID SAS 9240-4i PCI Express 2.0 Low-Profile
Serial-Attached SCSI/SATA II Disk Array Controller with an Internal
Connector
•MegaRAID SAS 9240-8i PCI Express 2.0 Low-Profile
Serial-Attached SCSI/SATA II Disk Array Controller with Internal
Connectors
•MegaRAID SAS 9260-4i PCI Express 2.0 Low-Profile Serial-
Attached SCSI/SATA II Disk Array Controller with an Internal
Connector
•MegaRAID SAS 9260-8i PCI Express 2.0 Low-Profile
Serial-Attached SCSI/SATA II Disk Array Controller with Internal
Connectors
•MegaRAID SAS 9260DE-8i PCI Express 2.0 Low-Profile
Serial-Attached SCSI/SATA II Disk Array Controller with Internal
Connectors
•MegaRAID SAS 9261-8i PCI Express 2.0 Low-Profile
Serial-Attached SCSI/SATA II Disk Array Controller with Internal
Connectors
•MegaRAID SAS 9280-4i/4e PCI Express 2.0 Low-Profile
Serial-Attached SCSI/SATA II Disk Array Controller with an Internal
Connector and an External Connector

iv Preface
Copyright © 2009 by LSI Corporation. All rights reserved.
•MegaRAID SAS 9280-8e PCI Express 2.0 Low-Profile Serial-
Attached SCSI/SATA II Disk Array Controller with External
Connectors
•MegaRAID SAS 9280DE-8e PCI Express 2.0 Low-Profile
Serial-Attached SCSI/SATA II Disk Array Controller with External
Connectors
For information about how to configure the RAID controllers, refer to the
MegaRAID SAS Software User’s Guide. For information about the
operating system drivers, refer to the MegaRAID SAS Device Driver
Installation User’s Guide.
Audience
This document assumes that you have some familiarity with RAID
controllers and related support devices. The people who benefit from this
document are:
•Engineers who are designing a system that will include a MegaRAID
6Gb/s SAS RAID controller
•Anyone who is installing a MegaRAID 6Gb/s SAS RAID controller in
a system
Organization
This document contains the following chapters and appendix:
•Chapter 1, Overview, provides an overview of the MegaRAID 6Gb/s
SAS RAID controllers.
•Chapter 2, MegaRAID SAS Hardware Installation, describes the
procedures for installing the MegaRAID 6Gb/s SAS RAID controllers.
•Chapter 3, MegaRAID SAS RAID Controller Characteristics,
provides the characteristics and technical specifications for the
MegaRAID 6Gb/s SAS RAID controllers.
•Appendix A, Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations, lists and
defines the terms and abbreviations used in this document.

Preface v
Copyright © 2009 by LSI Corporation. All rights reserved.
Related Publications
MegaRAID SAS Device Driver Installation User’s Guide
Document Number:80-00163-01 Rev. D
This document describes how to install the MegaRAID device driver for
your operating system. The information in this document is independent
of the back-end bus and applies to the MegaRAID SAS RAID controllers.
MegaRAID SAS Software User’s Guide
Document Number: 80-00156-01 Rev. H
This document describes how to use the MegaRAID Storage Manager,
WebBIOS, and command line interface (CLI) utilities to configure,
monitor, and maintain MegaRAID SAS RAID controllers and the
storage-related devices connected to them.
MegaRAID iBBU07 Intelligent Battery Backup Unit Quick Installation
Guide
Document Number: 34231-00 Rev. C
This quick installation guide explains how to install the LSIiBBU07
intelligent Battery Backup Unit 07 directly and remotely on your
MegaRAID controller. The LSIiBBU07 is used with the MegaRAID SAS
9260 RAID controller and the MegaRAID SAS 9280 RAID controller. The
LSIiBBU07 protects the integrity of the cached data on a MegaRAID
controller for up to 72 hours in case of a complete AC power failure or a
brief power outage.

vi Preface
Copyright © 2009 by LSI Corporation. All rights reserved.
Conventions
The following table describes how the user interacts with the product.
Notes contain supplementary information that can affect
system performance.
Caution: Cautions are notifications that an action has the potential to
adversely affect equipment operation, system performance,
or data integrity.
Revision History
Notation Example Meaning and Use
Courier typeface .nwk file Names of commands, files, and directories, as well as
code and screen messages, are shown in Courier.
Bold typeface fd1sp In a command line, keywords are shown in bold, non-italic
typeface. Enter them exactly as shown.
Italics module In command lines and names, italics indicate user vari-
ables. Replace italicized text with appropriate user-
specified items. Enter items of the type called for, using
lowercase.
Initial capital letters Undo
Edit
Apply
Names of menu commands, options, check buttons, text
buttons, options buttons, text boxes, list boxes, and so on,
are shown in text with initial capital lettering to avoid mis-
reading. These elements might appear on your screen in
all lowercase.
Semicolon, and other
punctuation
Use as shown in the text.
Document Number Date/Version Remarks
41450-02 Rev. C November 2009 Added the SAS 9261-8i RAID controller.
41450-02 Rev. B November 2009 Added the SAS 9240-4i, SAS 9240-8i, and SAS 9280-4i/4e
RAID controllers.
41450-02 Rev. A July 2009 Added the SAS 9260-4i, SAS 9260DE-8i, SAS 9280-8e,
and SAS 9280DE-8e RAID controllers.
41450-01 Rev. A June 2009 Documented the SAS 9260-8i RAID controller.
41450-00 Rev. A March 2009 Initial release of this document.

Preface vii
Copyright © 2009 by LSI Corporation. All rights reserved.
Safety Instructions
Use the following safety guidelines to help protect your computer system
from potential damage and to ensure your own personal safety.
Note: Use the MegaRAID 6Gb/s SAS RAID controllers
with UL-listed Information Technology Equipment (ITE)
products only.
When Using Your Computer System – As you use your computer
system, observe the following safety guidelines:
Caution: Do not operate your computer system with any covers
(such as computer covers, bezels, filler brackets, and
front-panel inserts) removed.
•To avoid damaging your computer, make sure that the voltage
selection switch on the power supply is set to match the alternating
current (AC) power available at your location:
– 115 volts (V)/60 hertz (Hz) in most of North American and South
American countries, and some Asian countries, such as Japan,
South Korea, and Taiwan.
– 230 V/50 Hz in most of Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Also
make sure that your monitor and attached peripherals are
electrically rated to operate with the AC power available in your
location.
•To avoid possible damage to the system board, wait 5 seconds after
you turn off the system before you remove a component from the
system board or disconnect a peripheral device from the computer.
•To prevent electric shock, connect the computer and peripheral
power cords into correctly grounded power sources. These cords are
equipped with three-prong plugs to ensure correct grounding.
•Do not use adapter plugs or remove the grounding prong from a
cable. If you must use an extension cable, use a three-wire cable
with correctly grounded plugs.
•To protect your computer system from sudden, transient increases
and decreases in electrical power, use a surge suppressor, line
conditioner, or uninterruptible power supply (UPS).

viii Preface
Copyright © 2009 by LSI Corporation. All rights reserved.
•Make sure that equipment does not rest on your computer system
cables and that the cables are not located where they can be
stepped on or tripped over.
•Do not spill food or liquids on your computer. If the computer gets
wet, consult the documentation that came with it.
•Do not push any objects into the openings of your computer. Doing so
can cause fire or electric shock by shorting out interior components.
•Keep your computer away from radiators and heat sources. Also, do
not block cooling vents. Avoid placing loose papers underneath your
computer; do not place your computer in a closed-in wall unit or on
a rug.
When Working Inside Your Computer –
Caution: Do not attempt to service the computer system yourself,
except as explained in this document and elsewhere in LSI
documentation. Always follow installation and service
instructions closely.
1. Turn off your computer and any peripherals.
2. Disconnect your computer and peripherals from their power sources.
Also disconnect any telephone or telecommunications lines from
the computer.
Performing these actions reduces the potential for personal injury or
shock. Also note these safety guidelines:
– When you disconnect a cable, pull on its connector or on its
strain-relief loop, not on the cable itself. Some cables have a
connector with locking tabs. If you are disconnecting this type of
cable, press in on the locking tabs before you disconnect the
cable. As you pull connectors apart, keep them evenly aligned to
avoid bending any connector pins. Also, before you connect a
cable, make sure that both connectors are correctly oriented and
aligned.
– Handle components and cards with care. Do not touch the
components or contacts on a card. Hold a card by its edges or
by its metal mounting bracket. Hold a component, such as a
microprocessor chip, by its edges, not by its pins.

Preface ix
Copyright © 2009 by LSI Corporation. All rights reserved.
Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge – Static electricity can
harm delicate components inside your computer. To prevent static
damage, discharge static electricity from your body before you touch any
of your computer’s electronic components, such as the microprocessor.
To discharge static electricity, touch an unpainted metal surface, such as
the metal around the card-slot openings at the back of the computer.
As you continue to work inside the computer, periodically touch an
unpainted metal surface to remove any static charge that your body
might have accumulated. In addition to the preceding precautions, you
also can take the following steps to prevent damage from electrostatic
discharge:
•When unpacking a static-sensitive component from its shipping
carton, do not remove the component from the antistatic packing
material until you are ready to install the component in your
computer. Just before unwrapping the antistatic packaging, be sure
to discharge static electricity from your body.
•When transporting a sensitive component, first place it in an
antistatic container or packaging.
•Handle all sensitive components in a static-safe area. If possible, use
antistatic floor pads and workbench pads.

xPreface
Copyright © 2009 by LSI Corporation. All rights reserved.

MegaRAID 6Gb/s SAS RAID Controllers User’s Guide xi
Copyright © 2009 by LSI Corporation. All rights reserved.
Contents
Chapter 1
Overview
1.1 Overview 1-1
1.2 SAS Controller Descriptions 1-3
1.3 General Description 1-4
1.4 Configuration Scenarios 1-6
1.5 Benefits of the SAS Interface 1-8
1.5.1 PCI Express Architecture 1-8
1.5.2 Operating System Support 1-9
1.6 Summary of SAS RAID Controller Characteristics 1-9
1.6.1 SAS Features 1-10
1.6.2 SAS Array Limitations 1-11
1.6.3 SATA II Features 1-13
1.6.4 PCI Express Performance 1-13
1.6.5 Usability Features 1-13
1.6.6 Flexibility Features 1-14
1.6.7 Drive Roaming 1-14
1.6.8 Drive Migration 1-15
1.7 Hardware Specifications 1-17
1.8 Technical Support 1-19
Chapter 2
MegaRAID SAS Hardware Installation
2.1 Requirements 2-1
2.2 Quick Installation 2-2
2.3 Detailed Installation 2-3
2.4 After Installing the RAID Controller 2-6
2.5 SAS Device Cables and Connectors 2-6
2.5.1 Connecting a SAS RAID Controller with Internal

xii Contents
Copyright © 2009 by LSI Corporation. All rights reserved.
Connectors to Drives 2-9
2.5.2 Connecting the SAS RAID Controller with External
Connectors to a Drive Enclosure 2-10
Chapter 3
MegaRAID SAS RAID Controller Characteristics
3.1 MegaRAID 6Gb/s SAS RAID Controller Family 3-1
3.1.1 MegaRAID SAS 9240 RAID Controllers 3-1
3.1.2 MegaRAID SAS 9260 RAID Controllers 3-3
3.1.3 MegaRAID SAS 9261 RAID Controller 3-6
3.1.4 MegaRAID SAS 9280 RAID Controllers 3-8
3.2 MegaRAID SAS 6Gb/s RAID Controller Characteristics 3-13
3.3 Technical Specifications 3-14
3.3.1 RAID Controller Specifications 3-15
3.3.2 Array Performance Features 3-16
3.3.3 Fault Tolerance 3-17
3.3.4 Electrical Characteristics 3-17
Power Supply Requirements for SAS 9240 RAID
Controllers 3-17
Operating and Non-operating Conditionsfor the
SAS 9240 RAID Controllers 3-18
Power Supply Requirements for SAS 9260 RAID
Controllers 3-18
Operating and Non-operating Conditions for SAS
9260 RAID Controllers 3-19
Power Supply Requirements for the SAS 9261
RAID Controller 3-20
Operating and Non-operating Conditions for the
SAS 9261 RAID Controller 3-21
3.3.5 Power Supply Requirements for SAS 9280 RAID
Controllers 3-21
Operating and Non-operating Conditions for SAS
9280 RAID Controllers 3-22
3.3.6 Safety Characteristics 3-22
Appendix A
Glossary of Terms
and Abbreviations

Contents xiii
Copyright © 2009 by LSI Corporation. All rights reserved.
Customer Feedback

xiv Contents
Copyright © 2009 by LSI Corporation. All rights reserved.

Contents xv
Copyright © 2009 by LSI Corporation. All rights reserved.
Figures
1.1 Example of an LSI SAS Direct-Connect Application 1-7
1.2 Example of an LSI SAS RAID Controller Configured with
an LSISASx12 Expander 1-7
2.1 Example of the MegaRAID SAS 9260-8i Board Installation
in a PCI Express Slot 2-4
2.2 Internal SAS Cable for Connection to SAS Drives, SATA II
Drives, or Both 2-7
2.3 SATA II Connectors 2-8
2.4 SAS Plugs and SATA II Plugs and SAS Backplane
Receptacle Connector 2-9
2.5 Connecting the SAS 9260-8i RAID Controller to a Drive 2-10
2.6 Connecting the SAS 9280-8e RAID Controller to a Drive
Enclosure 2-11
3.1 Card Layout for the MegaRAID SAS 9240-8i RAID
Controller 3-2
3.2 Card Layout for the MegaRAID SAS 9260-8i RAID
Controller 3-4
3.3 Card Layout for the MegaRAID SAS 9261-8i RAID
Controller 3-7
3.4 Card Layout for the MegaRAID SAS 9280-8e RAID
Controller 3-9
3.5 Card Layout for the MegaRAID SAS 9280-4i/4e RAID
Controller 3-11

xvi Contents
Copyright © 2009 by LSI Corporation. All rights reserved.

Contents xvii
Copyright © 2009 by LSI Corporation. All rights reserved.
Tables
1.1 SAS RAID Controller Array Limitations 1-11
1.2 MegaRAID 6Gb/s SAS RAID Controller Features 1-17
3.1 SAS 9240-4i/SAS 9240-8i RAID Controller – Jumpers and
Connectors 3-3
3.2 SAS 9260-8i/SAS 9260DE-8i RAID Controller – Jumpers
and Connectors 3-5
3.3 SAS 9261-8i RAID Controller – Jumpers and Connectors 3-7
3.4 SAS 9280-8e and SAS 9280DE-8e RAID Controllers –
Connectors 3-9
3.5 SAS 9280-4i/4e RAID Controller – Connectors 3-11
3.6 MegaRAID 6Gb/s SAS RAID Controller Characteristics 3-13
3.7 RAID Controller Specifications 3-15
3.8 Array Performance Features 3-16
3.9 Fault Tolerance Features 3-17
3.10 Power Supply for SAS 9240 RAID Controllers 3-18
3.11 Power Supply for SAS 9260 RAID Controllers 3-19
3.12 Power Supply for SAS 9261 RAID Controllers 3-20
3.13 Power Supply for SAS 9280 RAID Controllers 3-22

xviii Contents
Copyright © 2009 by LSI Corporation. All rights reserved.

MegaRAID 6Gb/s SAS RAID Controllers User’s Guide 1-1
Copyright © 2009 by LSI Corporation. All rights reserved.
Chapter 1
Overview
This chapter provides an overview of the MegaRAID 6Gb/s Serial
Attached SCSI/Serial ATA II controllers with RAID control capability.
It consists of the following sections:
•Section 1.1, “Overview”
•Section 1.2, “SAS Controller Descriptions”
•Section 1.3, “General Description”
•Section 1.4, “Configuration Scenarios”
•Section 1.5, “Benefits of the SAS Interface”
•Section 1.6, “Summary of SAS RAID Controller Characteristics”
•Section 1.7, “Hardware Specifications”
•Section 1.8, “Technical Support”
1.1 Overview
The MegaRAID 6Gb/s SAS RAID controllers are high-performance
intelligent PCI Express-to-SCSI/Serial ATA II adapters with RAID control
capability. MegaRAID 6Gb/s SAS RAID controllers provide reliability, high
performance, and fault-tolerant drive subsystem management. They are
an ideal RAID solution for the internal storage of workgroup,
departmental, and enterprise systems. MegaRAID 6Gb/s SAS RAID
controllers offer a cost-effective way to implement RAID in a server.
SAS technology brings a wealth of options and flexibility with the use of
SAS and Serial ATA (SATA) II devices within the same storage
infrastructure. However, SAS and SATA devices bring individual
characteristics that make each one a more suitable choice depending on
your storage needs. MegaRAID gives you the flexibility to combine these

1-2 Overview
Copyright © 2009 by LSI Corporation. All rights reserved.
two similar technologies on the same controller, within the same
enclosure, and in the same virtual drive.
Note: LSI recommends that you carefully assess any decision to
mix SAS drives and SATA drives within the same virtual
drives. Although you can mix drives, LSI strongly
discourages the practice.
LSI offers a family of MegaRAID SAS RAID controllers addressing the
needs for both internal and external solutions. The MegaRAID 6Gb/s
SAS RAID controllers are based on the LSI first-to-market SAS IC
technology and proven MegaRAID technology. As second-generation
PCI Express RAID controllers, these controllers address the growing
demand for increased data throughput and scalability requirements
across midrange and enterprise-class server platforms. These controllers
provide:
•6.0 Gb/s Serial Attached SCSI performance
•3.0 Gb/s SATA II performance
•Eight-lane, 5-Gb/s PCI Express host interface
The SAS 9260DE-8i RAID controller and the SAS 9280DE-8i RAID
controller offer data security using disk encryption. This feature offers the
ability to encrypt data on drives and use disk-based key management to
provide data security. This solution provides data protection in the event
of theft or loss of physical drives. With self-encrypting drives, if you
remove a drive from its storage system or the server it is housed in, the
data on that drive is encrypted and useless to anyone who attempts to
access without the the appropriate security authorization.
For more information about self-encrypting drives, refer to the MegaRAID
SAS Software User’s Guide.
The SAS 9260 RAID controllers, the SAS 9261 RAID controller, and the
SAS 9280 RAID controllers use the LSI intelligent Battery Backup Unit
07 (LSIiBBU-07) to provide cached data protection and allow system
builders to protect cached data even during the most catastrophic system
failures.
Refer to the battery backup documentation on the MegaRAID Universal
Software Suite CD for more information about this battery backup unit.