4
Getting Started
This chapter provides the basic information you need to set up your disk drives and arrays the way you
want them. It describes the options you have for installing your Adaptec RAID controller and disk drives
and creating arrays for storage. It also describes how to prepare your controller for installation into a
low-profile computer cabinet.
Choosing a RAID Level
This section provides a brief overview of the RAID levels supported by your Adaptec RAID controller,
including the minimum and maximum number of disk drives required by each.
Note: Before you begin, familiarize yourself with your controller's physical features
and the RAID levels that it supports (see
Standard RAID Controller Features
on page
17).
• RAID 0 (Non-redundant Array)—Stripes data across multiple disk drives. Improved performance but
no redundancy (see
Non-redundant Arrays (RAID 0)
on page 74).
• RAID 1 Array—Created from two disk drives where one disk drive is a mirror of the other (the same
data is stored on each disk drive). Redundancy, but reduced capacity (see
RAID 1 Arrays
on page
75).
• RAID 1E Array—Similar to a RAID 1 array except that data is mirrored and striped, and more disk
drives can be included (see
RAID 1 Enhanced Arrays
on page 75).
• RAID 5 Array—Stripes data for improved performance and uses parity data to provide redundancy
(see
RAID 5 Arrays
on page 77).
• (Adaptec Series 6 Controllers Only) RAID 5EE Array—Similar to a RAID 5 array, but includes a distributed
spare and must include a minimum of four disk drives (see
RAID 5EE Arrays
on page 78).
• RAID 10 Array—Built from two or more equal-sized RAID 1 arrays, stripes and mirrors data across
multiple disk drives. Redundancy and improved performance (see
RAID 10 Arrays
on page 76).
• RAID 50 Array—Built from multiple disk drives configured as two or more RAID 5 arrays, stripes
stored data and parity data across all disk drives (see
RAID 50 Arrays
on page 79).
• RAID 6 Array—Similar to a RAID 5 array except that it includes two independent sets of parity data
instead of one (see
RAID 6 Arrays
on page 80).
• RAID 60 Array—Similar to a RAID 50 array except that it includes four independent sets of parity
data instead of two (see
RAID 60 Arrays
on page 80).
See
Comparing RAID Levels
on page 81 to see how many disk drives you must connect to your RAID
controller to support the RAID level you want.
Selecting Disk Drives and Cables
Disk Drives
Your SAS controller supports SAS disk drives, SATA disk drives, and SATA and SAS Solid State Drives
(SSDs). When selecting disk drives for your RAID array, ensure that all the disk drives have the same
performance level. You can use different-sized disk drives in the array, but the array will be limited to
the capacity of the smallest and slowest disk drive. For more information about arrays, refer to the
maxView Storage Manager User’s Guide or online Help. For more information about compatible disk
drives, refer to the Adaptec Web site at
www.adaptec.com/compatibility
.
Cables
Depending on your requirements, you can use any of the cables listed below. Cable connectors are
keyed so that you can't insert them incorrectly. For more information about cabling options for your
RAID controller, visit the Adaptec Web site at
www.adaptec.com
.
Note: We recommend using only Adaptec SAS cables.
31
Proprietary and Confidential to PMC-Sierra, Inc.
Document No.: CDP-00277-02-A Rev. A, Issue:
Serial Attached SCSI RAID Controllers Installation and User's Guide