StarTech.com PEXSAT34SFF User manual

Manual Revision: 04/30/2013
For the most up-to-date information, please visit: www.startech.com
DE: Bedienungsanleitung - de.startech.com
FR: Guide de l'utilisateur - fr.startech.com
ES: Guía del usuario - es.startech.com
IT: Guida per l'uso - it.startech.com
NL: Gebruiksaanwijzing - nl.startech.com
PT: Guia do usuário - pt.startech.com
PEXSAT34SFF
4 Port PCIe 2.0 SATA III 6Gbps RAID
Controller
*actual product may vary from photos

Instruction Manual
FCC Compliance Statement
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 o 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 dierent from that to which the receiver
is connected.
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
Use of Trademarks, Registered Trademarks, and other Protected Names and Symbols
This manual may make reference to trademarks, registered trademarks, and other
protected names and/or symbols of third-party companies not related in any way to
StarTech.com. Where they occur these references are for illustrative purposes only and do not
represent an endorsement of a product or service by StarTech.com, or an endorsement of the
product(s) to which this manual applies by the third-party company in question. Regardless
of any direct acknowledgement elsewhere in the body of this document, StarTech.com hereby
acknowledges that all trademarks, registered trademarks, service marks, and other protected
names and/or symbols contained in this manual and related documents are the property of
their respective holders.

Instruction Manual
i
Table of Contents
Introduction ............................................................................................1
Packaging Contents ................................................................................................................................. 1
System Requirements .............................................................................................................................. 1
Installation ..............................................................................................3
Hardware Installation .............................................................................................................................. 3
Driver Installation ...................................................................................................................................... 4
Management Utility Installation (Optional - Windows only) ..................................................... 5
Verifying Installation ................................................................................................................................ 7
Operation ................................................................................................8
RAID Conguration .................................................................................................................................. 8
Administration Console Method ......................................................................................................... 9
HyperDuo Conguration ........................................................................................................................ 11
Card BIOS Method .................................................................................................................................... 11
Administration Console Method ......................................................................................................... 12
HyperDuo Management (Windows only) ........................................................................................ 13
Specications ..........................................................................................15
Technical Support ..................................................................................16
Warranty Information ............................................................................16

Instruction Manual
1
Introduction
The PEXSAT34SFF PCI Express 2.0 SATA Controller Card enables 4 AHCI SATA III
connections to be added to a computer through a single internal Mini-SAS
(SFF-8087) port.
The Mini-SAS connector with Port Multiplier support allows for multiple SATA drives
(up to 7) to be connected using a single cable. When used with our Mini-SAS to 4x
SATA breakout cable or Mini-SAS SFF-8087 backplane (accessories not included, SAS
drives not supported), you have a complete internal 6Gbps connectivity solution, all
from a single card.
Featuring HyperDuo technology, the SATA card oers SSD auto-tiering which lets
you balance the performance advantages of SSD storage with the cost-eectiveness
and large capacity of standard hard drives. By combining SSD and HDD drives into a
single volume (up to 3 SSD + 1 HDD), HyperDuo discreetly works in the background to
identify and move frequently accessed les to the faster SSD drive(s) for improved data
throughput – up to 80% of SSD performance! (Note: The HyperDuo automatic storage
tiering feature is compatible with Windows® XP, Vista, 7 and 8 only)
Compliant with SATA revision 3.0, this PCI Express SATA RAID card delivers up to 6Gbps
of data bandwidth; ideal for high performance hard drives and solid state drives (SSD).
Plus, the controller card oers an eective hardware RAID solution, with native RAID (0,
1, 1+0) support.
Packaging Contents
• 1x PCIe SATA Controller Card
• 1x Low Prole Bracket
• 1x Driver CD
• 1x Instruction Manual
System Requirements
• PCI Express enabled computer with an available PCI Express x2 slot
• Windows® XP (32/64-bit)/ Server 2003(32/64-bit)/ Vista (32/64-bit)/ 7 (32/64-bit)/
Server 2008 R2/ 8 (32/64-bit), or Apple® Mac OS® 10.6/ 10.7/ 10.8, or Linux®

Instruction Manual
2
Mini-SAS
SFF-8087
port

Instruction Manual
3
Installation
Hardware Installation
WARNING! PCI Express cards, like all computer equipment, can be severely damaged
by static electricity. Be sure that you are properly grounded before opening your
computer case or touching your PCI Express card. StarTech.com recommends that you
wear an anti-static strap when installing any computer component. If an anti-static
strap is unavailable, discharge yourself of any static electricity build-up by touching a
large grounded metal surface (such as the computer case) for several seconds. Also be
careful to handle the PCI Express card by its edges and not the gold connectors.
1. Turn your computer o and any peripherals connected to the computer (i.e. Printers,
external hard drives, etc.). Unplug the power cable from the rear of the power
supply on the back of the computer and disconnect all peripheral devices.
2. Remove the cover from the computer case. See documentation for your computer
system for details.
3. Locate an open PCI Express x2 slot and remove the metal cover plate on the rear of
the computer case (Refer to documentation for your computer system for details.).
NOTE: This card will work in PCI Express slots of additional lanes (i.e.x4, x8, or x16 slots).
4. Gently insert the card into the open PCI Express slot and fasten the bracket to the
rear of the case.
NOTE: If installing the card into a small form factor/low prole system, replacing the
pre-installed full prole bracket with the included low prole installation bracket may
be necessary.
5. Connect a SFF-8087 cable (not included) from the card to your SATA device(s).
6. Place the cover back onto the computer case.
7. Insert the power cable into the socket on the power supply and reconnect all other
connectors removed in Step 1.

Instruction Manual
4
Driver Installation
Windows XP
NOTE: The latest driver is available from www.startech.com.
1. Once the computer has started and the operating system is fully loaded, insert the
provided Driver CD into the computer’s CD/DVD drive.
2. AutoPlay should give you the option to browse the les on the CD or automatically
open the CD.
If AutoPlay does not start, go into “My Computer” and access the CD/DVD drive that
the CD is in.
3. Open the folder “SATA6G_M9128”. Run the le ‘drvSetup.exe’. Follow the onscreen
instructions to complete the driver installation.

Instruction Manual
5
Management Utility Installation
(Optional - Windows only)
RAID and/or HyperDuo conguration can be accomplished either through the
integrated card-BIOS utility, or through the Marvell Storage Utility (MSU). Details for
installing the MSU are below.
To install the Marvell Storage Utility (MSU) in Windows:
1. Run the MSUSetup.exe, selecting Next and accepting the license agreement when
prompted – the default installation options are recommended.
2. After installing the Apache2 HTTP Server (which is a built-in component of the
installation package), the installation may trigger a Windows Security Alert on some
versions of Windows, please allow access.
3. Before opening the MSU, verify that Active Scripting or JavaScript is enabled in
the browser.
a. Internet Explorer
i. From the menu bar, select Tools > Internet Options.
ii. Select the “Security” tab, then “Local Intranet”, then “Custom level”.
iii. In the list of settings, scroll down to Scripting > Active scripting.
iv. Select “Enable”, then click “OK” to conrm the selection.

Instruction Manual
6
b. Firefox
i. From the menu bar, select Tools > Options
ii. Select the “Content” tab and ensure that the “Enable Javascript” option is
checked (should be by default) – if it is not, select it and click “OK”

Instruction Manual
7
Windows Vista/ 7/ 8
The driver is natively supported by newer Operating Systems. The driver should
automatically install through Windows Update.
Verifying Installation
Windows
From the main desktop, right-click on “My Computer” (“Computer” in Vista/7/8), then
select Manage. In the new Computer Management window, select Device Manager
from the left window panel.
Under the “SCSI and RAID Controllers” category (“Storage Controllers” in Vista or later),
should be a “Marvell 92xx” device. Right-click on the device and select “Properties” to
make sure it is installed and working correctly.
For Windows 7 and 8, if using the native drivers, the card will instead be listed under
the “IDE ATA/ATAPI Controller” category as a “Standard AHCI” device.

Instruction Manual
8
Operation
RAID Conguration
Card BIOS Method
WARNING! Creating a RAID virtual disk destroys all data on the physical disks included
in the virtual disk set. Make sure to back up all data before continuing.
1. When prompted on startup, press Ctrl+M to enter the card BIOS utility
Press <Ctrl>+<M> to enter BIOS Setup or <Space> to continue_
2. Using the arrow keys to navigate, move to “HBA0: Marvell 0” and press Enter to
select
3. Press Enter again to open the Conguration Wizard
4. Use the arrow keys to scroll through the list of free physical disks to select the drives
that will be part of the RAID set. Press Space to select/de-select a disk.
NOTE: When a disk is selected, an asterisk (*) appears to the left of the disk label.
5. After selecting the required disks, press Enter to continue.

Instruction Manual
9
6. The “Create Virtual Disk” conguration options appear in the “Information” pane
(right-side), here you are able to select the RAID level and other
conguration options:
a. Select 2 HDDs for RAID 0 or RAID 1
b. Select 3 HDDs for RAID 0
c. Select 4 HDDs for RAID 0 or RAID 10
7. After conguring the virtual disk, highlight “Next” and press Enter. Press Y to conrm
the creation of the virtual disk. It will now be listed in the Topology Pane (left).
Administration Console Method
WARNING! Creating a RAID virtual disk destroys all data on the physical disks included
in the virtual disk set. Make sure to back up all data before continuing.
1. From the left pane of main screen of the Marvell Storage Utility (MSU), select the
adapter and hover the mouse over the “Operation” tab.
2. Select “Create RAID”

Instruction Manual
10
3. From the “Create new VD” screen that appears, click the “Select RAID Level” drop-
down to choose the appropriate RAID type
4. This will enable you to place a checkbox beside the disks that you would like to use
as part of the RAID set. Once you have selected, click “Next” to conrm
your selection.
5. You will now be presented with conguration options for your RAID set. Choose the
appropriate options and select “Submit” to conrm your changes. Your virtual disk
will then be visible in the left pane – the same properties can be accessed later by
selecting your virtual disk from the left pane.

Instruction Manual
11
HyperDuo Conguration
HyperDuo oers the following two modes that you can congure using either of the
procedures outlined in the following sections:
• Safe mode creates a virtual disk that is optimized for best fault tolerance – the
frequently accessed les copied to the SSD for performance are also stored on the
HDD. It is safe to use with hard drives that contain existing data. Virtual disks created
in safe mode can also be partially rebuilt if the SSD fails, but not if the HDD fails.
• Capacity mode creates a virtual disk that is optimized for maximum utilization of
the SSD – the frequently accessed les are moved to the SSD (not copied). Virtual
disks created in capacity mode have better read and write performance than those
created in safe mode. However, they cannot be rebuilt.
WARNING! Capacity mode is a data-destructive process. Please back up all data before
using capacity mode.
Card BIOS Method
1. When prompted on startup, press Ctrl+M to enter the card BIOS utility
Press <Ctrl>+<M> to enter BIOS Setup or <Space> to continue_
2. Using the arrow keys to navigate, move to “HBA0: Marvell 0” and press Enter
to select
3. Press Enter again to open the Conguration Wizard
4. Use the arrow keys to scroll through the list of free physical disks to select the drives
that will be part of the HyperDuo set. Press Space to select/de-select a disk.
NOTE: When a disk is selected, an asterisk (*) appears to the left of the disk label.
5. After selecting the required disks, press Enter to continue.
6. The “Create Virtual Disk” conguration options appear in the “Information” pane
(right-side), here you are able to select HyperDuo or RAID options
NOTE: The default HyperDuo mode is Safe mode.

Instruction Manual
12
7. Highlight “Keep original data” and press Enter to select. Select Yes or No and
press Enter.
WARNING! Selecting “No” will destroy all data on the disks included in the virtual
disk set. Make sure to back up all data before continuing. The “Keep original data”
option is disabled when you choose Capacity mode, as it is inherently data-
destructive.
8. After conguring the virtual disk, highlight “Next” and press Enter. Press Y to conrm
the creation of the virtual disk. It will now be listed in the Topology Pane (left).
Administration Console Method
1. From the left pane of main screen of the Marvell Storage Utility (MSU), select the
adapter and hover the mouse over the “Operation” tab.
2. Select “Create HyperDuo”
3. Select either Safe mode or Capacity mode from the drop-down in the right pane.
Click the “Submit” button once you have selected the appropriate options for
your operation.
NOTE: If Safe mode is selected, you will have the option to select the checkbox
marked “Keep Original Data” – this option is NOT available in Capacity mode, as it is
inherently data-destructive.

Instruction Manual
13
The newly created HyperDuo drive will then appear in the left pane and begin
initializing. This can take up to 30 minutes to complete, and system performance may
be slow during this period.
HyperDuo Management (Windows only)
1. From the left pane of the MSU, select “HyperDuo Service”
2. The right pane will then display available programs and folder that you can
customize to one of the following optimization modes:
a. Check Auto to have the MSU manage the optimization of a folder or program
automatically.
b. Check Cache to manually select a folder or program for optimization.
c. Check neither to specify that a folder or program should never be optimized.

Instruction Manual
14
3. Select Submit to apply your changes, then select “OK” on the pop-up that follows.
4. If the folder you would like to optimize is not available, select “Advanced” from the
“HyperDuo Service” pane.
5. The “Customize Wizard” will pop-up and allow you to select the desired folders.

Instruction Manual
15
Specications
Host Interface PCI Express 2.0
SATA Revision 3.0
Form Factor Full/Low Prole
Chipset ID Marvell 9230
Internal Connectors 1x Mini-SAS (SFF-8087) receptacle*
Maximum Transfer Rate SATA: 6Gbps
RAID Support RAID 0, 1, 1+0
Port Multiplier Yes**
Operating Temperature 5°C ~ 50°C (41°F ~ 122°F)
Storage Temperature -25°C ~ 70°C (-13°F ~ 158°F)
Humidity 20% ~ 80% RH
Dimensions (LxWxH) 80mm x 120mm x 20mm
Weight 40g
Compatible Operating Systems
Windows XP(32/64-bit)/ Server
2003(32/64-bit)/ Vista(32/64-bit)/
7(32/64-bit)/ Server 2008 R2/ 8(32/64-
bit), Mac OS 10.6/ 10.7/ 10.8, Linux
*Not compatible with SAS drives, only SATA drives are supported.
**Port Multiplier is not supported in Mac OS

Instruction Manual
16
Technical Support
StarTech.com’s lifetime technical support is an integral part of our commitment to
provide industry-leading solutions. If you ever need help with your product, visit
www.startech.com/support and access our comprehensive selection of online tools,
documentation, and downloads.
For the latest drivers/software, please visit www.startech.com/downloads
Warranty Information
This product is backed by a two year warranty.
In addition, StarTech.com warrants its products against defects in materials
and workmanship for the periods noted, following the initial date of purchase.
During this period, the products may be returned for repair, or replacement with
equivalent products at our discretion. The warranty covers parts and labor costs only.
StarTech.com does not warrant its products from defects or damages arising from
misuse, abuse, alteration, or normal wear and tear.
Limitation of Liability
In no event shall the liability of StarTech.com Ltd. and StarTech.com USA LLP (or their
ocers, directors, employees or agents) for any damages (whether direct or indirect,
special, punitive, incidental, consequential, or otherwise), loss of prots, loss of business,
or any pecuniary loss, arising out of or related to the use of the product exceed the
actual price paid for the product. Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation
of incidental or consequential damages. If such laws apply, the limitations or exclusions
contained in this statement may not apply to you.

Hard-to-nd made easy. At StarTech.com, that isn’t a slogan. It’s a promise.
StarTech.com is your one-stop source for every connectivity part you need. From
the latest technology to legacy products — and all the parts that bridge the old and
new — we can help you nd the parts that connect your solutions.
We make it easy to locate the parts, and we quickly deliver them wherever they need
to go. Just talk to one of our tech advisors or visit our website. You’ll be connected to
the products you need in no time.
Visit www.startech.com for complete information on all StarTech.com products and
to access exclusive resources and time-saving tools.
StarTech.com is an ISO 9001 Registered manufacturer of connectivity and technology
parts. StarTech.com was founded in 1985 and has operations in the United States,
Canada, the United Kingdom and Taiwan servicing a worldwide market.