Adaptec ASR-6805Q User Manual

Also see for ASR-6405: Information sheet

Contents

Adaptec ASR-6805Q User Manual Manual pdf 41 page image

Connecting Disk Drives to Your ControllersYou can connect SAS disk drives, SATA disk drives, and SATA and SAS Solid State Drives (SSDs) to yourAdaptec RAID controller. (See www.adaptec.com/compatibility for a list of compatible drives.) Thereare no jumpers or switches to set before installation.If you plan to build a bootable array, ensure that you install at least the minimum number disk drivesrequired to support the RAID level you want. See Choosing a RAID Level on page 31 for more information.Note: Although you can connect both SAS and SATA disk drives to your SAS controller,we recommend that you do not combine SAS and SATA disk drives within the samearray. See What is SAS? on page 69 for more information.You have two connection options:• To connect directly to the controller, see the following section.• To connect to a backplane, see Connecting Drives to a System Backplane on page 41.To connect Solid State Drives to your controller, see Connecting Solid State Drives (SSDs) on page 41.Connecting Drives Directly to the ControllerIn a direct-attach connection, SAS or SATA disk drives are connected directly to a SAS card with SAScables. The number of direct-attached disk drives is limited to four per internal SAS connector. (Formore information about direct-attach connections, see How are Disk Drives Identified in SAS? on page71.)1. Install your internal SAS or SATA disk drives, following the instructions in your system's documentation.2. Use internal SAS, mini-SAS, or mini-SAS HD cables to attach the disk drives to the controller, asrequired.3. When all internal disk drives have been installed and attached to the controller, close your computercabinet, reattach the power cord, then continue with Connecting External Devices on page 42.Connecting Drives to a System BackplaneIn a backplane connection, disk drives and SAS cards are attached to and communicate with each otherthrough a system backplane.The number of disk drives is limited to the number of slots available on the backplane. Some backplaneshave embedded SAS expanders and can support up to 128 end devices. (For more information aboutbackplane and expander connections, see How are Disk Drives Identified in SAS? on page 71.)1. Connect one or more internal SAS or SATA disk drives to the backplane. (Refer to your system'sdocumentation for more information.)2. Use an internal mini-SAS or mini-SAS HD cable to connect the controller to the backplane, as required.3. When all internal disk drives have been installed and connected, close your computer cabinet,reattach the power cord, then continue with Connecting External Devices on page 42.Connecting Solid State Drives (SSDs)To connect a Solid State Drive to your controller, you can use a direct-attached connection or a backplaneconnection, as required. If your server does not have a standard 2.5-inch drive tray, you must use abracket/SLED which enables the SSD to fit properly.Note: For Adaptec maxCache applications or hybrid RAID arrays (comprised of harddrives and SSDs) you can use any Solid State Drive on the compatibility list. Seewww.adaptec.com/compatibility for a list of compatible SSDs. Adaptec maxCache issupported on Adaptec Series Q controllers only.In a direct-attach connection (described in the steps below), you connect SSDs directly to the controllerwith SAS cables (mini-SAS to SATA). In a backplane connection, use the appropriate cable for yourbackplane type (see Connecting Drives to a System Backplane on page 41 for more about backplaneconnections). For maxCache caching applications, you can connect a maximum of 16maxCache-compatible SSDs to a controller. For RAID arrays, Adaptec controllers support a maximumof 256 drives, including SSDs (for details, see About Your RAID Controller on page 17).41Proprietary 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