ASRock X79 Extreme11 LSI SAS2 Integrated RAID Solution User Guide - Page 5

SAS2 Integrated RAID Solution User Guide

Chapter 1: Introduction to the Integrated RAID Solution

|

Overview

LSI Corporation Confidential

|

August 2010

Page 5

Chapter 1

1.1

Overview

The LSI Integrated RAID solution provides cost benefits for the server or workstation

market that requires the extra performance, storage capacity, and/or redundancy of a

RAID configuration. The LSI Integrated RAID solution includes the following RAID

features:



The Integrated Mirroring solution, which provides features of RAID 1



The Integrated Mirroring + Striping solution, which provides features of RAID 10



The Integrated Mirroring Enhanced

solution, which provides features of RAID 1

Enhanced (RAID 1E)



The Integrated Striping solution, which provides features of RAID 0

By simplifying the configuration options and by providing firmware support in its SAS2

host adapters, LSI can offer the Integrated RAID solution at a lower cost than a

hardware RAID implementation.

LSI Fusion-MPT™ firmware supports Integrated Mirroring volumes, Integrated Mirroring

+ Striping volumes, Integrated Mirroring Enhanced volumes, and Integrated Striping

volumes. You can create up to two Integrated RAID volumes on each LSI SAS2

controller.

The LSI Integrated RAID solution supports the following LSI SAS2 controllers and the

host bus adapters based on these controllers:



LSISAS2004



LSISAS2008



LSISAS2108



LSISAS2208



LSISAS2304



LSISAS2308

LSI Integrated RAID firmware uses the same device drivers as the standard LSI

Fusion-MPT-based controllers. This eliminates the need for complex backup software or

expensive RAID hardware. To conserve system resources, the Integrated RAID firmware

operates independently from the operating system. The BIOS-based configuration

utility, documented in

Chapter 3

and

Chapter 5

, makes it easy to configure mirrored

and striped

volumes. The Integrated RAID solution is currently available as an optional

component of the Fusion-MPT architecture on LSI SAS2 controllers.

Introduction to the Integrated RAID Solution

This chapter provides an introduction to the features and benefits of the LSI Integrated

RAID solution for LSI SAS2 controllers.

Section	Page
SAS2 Integrated RAID Solution User Guide	1
Introduction to the Integrated RAID Solution	5
1.1 Overview	5
1.2 Benefits and Features	6
1.2.1 Host Interface	6
1.2.2 Metadata Support	6
1.2.3 SMART Support	6
1.2.4 Fusion-MPT Support	6
Overview of Integrated RAID Mirrored Volumes	7
2.1 Introduction	7
2.2 Integrated Mirroring and Integrated Mirroring Enhanced Features	7
2.3 Operation of Mirrored Volumes	8
2.4 Mirrored Volume Features	11
2.4.1 Resynchronization with Concurrent Host I/O Operation	11
2.4.2 Hot Swapping	11
2.4.3 Hot Spare Disk	11
2.4.4 Online Capacity Expansion	11
2.4.5 Media Verification	11
2.4.6 Disk Write Caching	12
2.4.7 NVSRAM Usage	12
2.4.8 Background Initialization	12
2.4.9 Consistency Check	12
2.4.10 Make Data Consistent	12
Creating Mirrored Volumes	13
3.1 Mirrored Volume Configuration Overview	13
3.2 Creating Mirrored Volumes	13
3.2.1 Creating an Integrated Mirroring Volume	14
3.2.2 Creating an Integrated Mirroring Enhanced or Integrated Mirroring + Striping Volume	15
3.2.3 Expanding an Integrated Mirroring Volume with OCE	16
3.3 Managing Hot Spare Disks	17
3.3.1 Creating Hot Spare Disks	17
3.3.2 Deleting Hot Spare Disks	18
3.4 Other Configuration Tasks	19
3.4.1 Viewing Volume Properties	19
3.4.2 Running a Consistency Check	19
3.4.3 Activating an Array	20
3.4.4 Deleting an Array	20
3.4.5 Locating Disk Drives in a Volume	21
3.4.6 Selecting a Boot Disk	21
Overview of Integrated Striping	23
4.1 Introduction	23
4.2 Integrated Striping Features	23
4.3 Integrated Striping Description	24
Creating Integrated Striping Volumes	25
5.1 Integrated Striping Configuration Overview	25
5.2 Creating Integrated Striping Volumes	25
5.3 Other Configuration Tasks	27
5.3.1 Viewing Volume Properties	27
5.3.2 Activating an Array	27
5.3.3 Deleting an Array	28
5.3.4 Locating Disk Drives in a Volume	28
5.3.5 Selecting a Boot Disk	29
Using the SAS2 Integrated RAID Configuration Utility	31
A.1 Hardware and Software Requirements	31
A.1.1 Controller Support	31
A.1.2 Operating System and Software Support	32
A.2 Interface Description	32
A.3 Commands	32
A.3.1 Common Command-Line Parameters	33
A.3.2 CREATE Command	33
A.3.3 DELETE Command	35
A.3.4 DISPLAY Command	35
A.3.5 HOTSPARE Command	37
A.3.6 STATUS Command	38
A.3.7 LIST Command	39
A.3.8 MFGPAGE Command	40
A.3.9 CONSTCHK Command	40
A.3.10 ACTIVATE Command	40
A.3.11 LOCATE Command	41

ASRock X79 Extreme11 LSI SAS2 Integrated RAID Solution User Guide - Page 5

Introduction to the Integrated RAID Solution

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