Intel RS3DC040 Hardware User Guide - Page 13

Note: All of these RAID controllers provide an x8 PCIe 3.0 interface. 12Gb/s Intel® RAID Controller Detailed Descriptions The 12Gb/s Intel® RAID Controllers are described in detail in the following subsections. Intel® RAID Controller RS3WC080 The Intel® RAID Controller RS3WC080 is a PCIe 3.0 Low-Profile SAS Controller that controls eight internal SAS/SATA ports through two SFF-8643 mini-SAS HD-4i internal connectors. Intel® RAID Controller RS3DC040 and RS3DC080 • The Intel® RAID Controller RS3DC040 is a PCIe 3.0 Low-Profile SAS Controller that controls four internal SAS/SATA ports through one SFF-8643 mini-SAS HD4i internal connector. • The Intel® RAID Controller RS3DC080 is a PCIe 3.0 Low-Profile SAS Controller that controls eight internal SAS/SATA ports through two SFF-8643 mini-SAS HD4i internal connectors. Configuration Scenarios You can use the 12Gb/s Intel® RAID Controllers in three main scenarios: • Low-end internal SATA configuration: In this configuration, use the RAID controller as a high-end SATA II or SATA III compatible controller that connects up to eight drives either directly or through a port expander. This configuration is mostly for low-end or entry servers. An out-of-band I2C bus provides enclosure management. Side bands of both types of internal SAS connectors support the SFF8485 (SGPIO) interface. • Midrange internal SAS configuration: This configuration is like an internal SATA configuration, but with high-end SAS drives. This configuration is more suitable for low-range to midrange servers. • High-end external SAS/SATA configuration: This configuration is for external connectivity using SATA II drives, SATA III drives, SAS drives, or combinations of SATA and SAS drives. External enclosure management is supported through inband, SCSI-enclosed storage. The configuration must support STP and SMP. 12Gb/s Intel® RAID Controllers User Guide 3