IBM SAS RAID controllers, Manual

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Feature comparison of SAS RAID cards
Compare the main features of PCIe3, PCIe2, PCI Express (PCIe), and PCI-X SAS RAID cards for IBM i.
The tables in this section provide a breakdown of the main features of the SAS RAID PCIe3, PCIe2, PCIe,
and PCI-X controller cards.
PCI-X SAS RAID card comparison
Use the table in this topic to compare the features of the various PCI-X SAS RAID cards for IBM i. There
are also images of adapters for you to view.
Table 1. PCI-X SAS RAID controller card comparison
Features 2BD9 2BE1 572A 572C 572F and 575C 57B8
Description PCI-X266 Planar 3
Gb SAS RAID
adapter
(RAID/cache
storage controller) PCI-X266 Planar 3
Gb SAS RAID
adapter
(RAID/cache
enablement) PCI-X 266 Ext
Dual-x4 3 Gb SAS
adapter PCI-X 266 planar 3
Gb SAS adapter PCI-X 266 Ext
Tri-x4 3 Gb SAS
RAID adapter PCI-X 266 planar 3
Gb SAS RAID
adapter
Form factor Planar unique
64-bit PCI-X Planar RAID
enablement Low profile 64 bit
PCI-X Planar integrated Long 64 bit PCI-X,
double-wide card
set Planar RAID
enablement
Physical links 6 (two 2x wide
ports to shared
SAS drives and
one 2x wide port
to 2BE1 adapter) 8 (two 2x wide
ports to shared
SAS Drives, one 2x
wide port to 2BD9
adapter, one
physical link to
DVD drive, and
optionally one
physical link to
tape drive) 8 (two mini SAS
4x connectors) 8
1
12 (bottom 3 mini
SAS 4x connectors)
and 2 (top mini
SAS 4x connector
for high
availability only) 8
1
RAID levels supported RAID 5, 6, system
mirroring RAID 5, 6, system
mirroring RAID 5
3
, RAID 6
3
,
system mirroring
System mirroring RAID 5, RAID 6,
system mirroring RAID 5, RAID 6,
system mirroring
Write cache size 175 MB 175 MB Up to 1.5 Gb
(compressed) 175 MB
Read cache size Up to 1.6 Gb
(compressed)
Cache battery pack
technology LiIon LiIon Lithium ion Not applicable
2
Cache battery
concurrent maintenance No No No No Yes
4
Not applicable
2
Cache data present
LED Yes Yes No No No No
Removable cache card No No No No No No
Auxiliary write cache
(AWC) support No No No No Yes Yes
Dual storage IOA
configuration Yes Yes No No Yes No
Requires dual storage
IOA configuration Yes Yes No No No No
1. Some systems provide an external mini SAS 4x connector from the integrated backplane controller.
2. The controller contains battery-backed cache, but the battery power is supplied by the 57B7 controller through the backplane connections.
3. The write performance of RAID 5 and RAID 6 might be poor on adapters that do not provide write cache. Consider using an adapter that
provides write cache when using RAID 5 or RAID 6, or use solid-state drives (SSDs) where they are supported to improve write performance.
4. The cache battery pack for both adapters is contained in a single battery field-replaceable unit (FRU), which is physically located on the 575C
Auxiliary Cache card.
Adapter graphics
View the SAS RAID controllers.
2
SAS RAID controllers for IBM i