.

Serial Attached SCSI RAID

Controllers Installation
and User's Guide
CDP-00277-01-A Rev. A
Issue: September 27, 2012
 Serial Attached SCSI RAID Controllers Installation and User's Guide

Copyright © PMC-Sierra, Inc. All rights reserved.

The information in this document is proprietary and confidential to

PMC-Sierra, Inc. In any event, no part of this document may be reproduced
or redistributed in any form without the express written consent of
PMC-Sierra, Inc.

CDP-00277-01-A Rev. A, IssueNumber

None of the information contained in this document constitutes an express

or implied warranty by PMC-Sierra, Inc. as to the sufficiency, fitness or
suitability for a particular purpose of any such information or the fitness, or
suitability for a particular purpose, merchantability, performance, compatibility
with other parts or systems, of any of the products of PMC-Sierra, Inc., or any
portion thereof, referred to in this document. PMC-Sierra, Inc. expressly
disclaims all representations and warranties of any kind regarding the contents
or use of the information, including, but not limited to, express and implied
warranties of accuracy, completeness, merchantability, fitness for a particular
use, or non-infringement.

In no event will PMC-Sierra, Inc. be liable for any direct, indirect, special,
incidental or consequential damages, including, but not limited to, lost profits,
lost business or lost data resulting from any use of or reliance upon the
information, whether or not PMC-Sierra, Inc. has been advised of the
possibility of such damage.

For a complete list of PMC-Sierra’s trademarks and registered trademarks,

visit: http://www.pmc-sierra.com/legal/.

Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks
of their respective owners.

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Revision History
Issue Issue Date Details of Change
1.0 September 27, Firmware/BIOS/Drivers/Utilities Version 8.0
2012

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Contents
Adaptec by PMC Product Support..............................................................................................................................8
Limited 3-Year Hardware Warranty............................................................................................................................9
Regulatory Compliance Statements..........................................................................................................................10

1 About This Guide..................................................................................................................................................13

What You Need to Know Before You Begin..................................................................................................13
Terminology Used in this Guide...................................................................................................................13
How to Find More Information....................................................................................................................13

2 Kit Contents and System Requirements................................................................................................................15

Kit Contents..................................................................................................................................................15
System Requirements ..................................................................................................................................15

3 About Your RAID Controller..................................................................................................................................16

Standard RAID Controller Features..............................................................................................................16
Array-level Features.........................................................................................................................16
Advanced Data Protection Suite......................................................................................................16
Adding a Flash Backup Module....................................................................................................................16
Upgrading the Controller Firmware.............................................................................................................17
About the Adaptec RAID 7805/7805Q.........................................................................................................18
About the Adaptec RAID 71605/71605Q.....................................................................................................19
About the Adaptec RAID 71605E.................................................................................................................20
About the Adaptec RAID 71685...................................................................................................................21
About the Adaptec RAID 72405...................................................................................................................22

4 Getting Started......................................................................................................................................................23
Choosing a RAID Level..................................................................................................................................23
Selecting Disk Drives and Cables .................................................................................................................23
Disk Drives.......................................................................................................................................23
Cables..............................................................................................................................................23
Replacing the Full-Height Bracket with a Low-Profile Bracket.....................................................................24
Installation Options......................................................................................................................................25
Basic Installation Steps.................................................................................................................................25
Installing with an Operating System................................................................................................26
Installing on an Existing Operating System......................................................................................26

5 Installing the Controller and Disk Drives...............................................................................................................27

Before You Begin..........................................................................................................................................27
Installing the Controller................................................................................................................................27
Installing a RAID Controller without Zero Maintenance Cache Protection......................................27
Installing a RAID Controller with Zero Maintenance Cache Protection ..........................................28
Connecting Disk Drives to Your Controllers..................................................................................................31
Connecting Drives Directly to the Controller...................................................................................32
Connecting Drives to a System Backplane.......................................................................................32
Connecting Solid State Drives (SSDs) ..............................................................................................32
Connecting External Devices .......................................................................................................................33
Next Steps....................................................................................................................................................34

6 Creating a Bootable Array ....................................................................................................................................35

Setting the Boot Controller..........................................................................................................................35
Creating an Array..........................................................................................................................................35
Creating an Array with the ARC Utility.............................................................................................35
Creating an Array with maxView Storage Manager.........................................................................36
Making Your Array Bootable........................................................................................................................38

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7 Installing the Driver and an Operating System .....................................................................................................39

Before You Begin..........................................................................................................................................39
Creating a Driver Disk...................................................................................................................................39
Creating a Driver Disk for Debian Linux or Ubuntu Linux ...............................................................40
Creating a Driver Disk for VMware ESX 4.1 .....................................................................................40
Installing with Windows ..............................................................................................................................41
Installing with Red Hat Linux 5 or Cent OS 5 ...............................................................................................41
Installing with Red Hat Linux 6, Cent OS 6, or Fedora Linux ........................................................................41
Red Hat Linux 6, Cent OS 6 with Dynamic Kernel Module Support ................................................41
Red Hat Linux 6, Cent OS 6, Fedora Linux without Dynamic Kernel Module Support ....................42
Installing with SuSE Linux Enterprise Server ...............................................................................................43
Installing with Debian Linux.........................................................................................................................43
Installing with Ubuntu Linux........................................................................................................................44
Installing with Solaris...................................................................................................................................45
Installing with FreeBSD ................................................................................................................................46
Installing with VMware ESX 4.1 ...................................................................................................................46
Installing with VMware ESXi 5.0 ..................................................................................................................47

8 Installing the Driver on an Existing Operating System .........................................................................................50

Before You Begin..........................................................................................................................................50
Creating a Driver Disk...................................................................................................................................50
Installing on Windows .................................................................................................................................50
Installing on Red Hat, Cent OS, SuSE, or Fedora Linux.................................................................................51
Installing on Debian Linux............................................................................................................................51
Installing on Ubuntu Linux...........................................................................................................................51
Installing on Solaris .....................................................................................................................................52
Installing on FreeBSD ...................................................................................................................................52
Installing on VMware...................................................................................................................................53

9 Managing Your Storage Space..............................................................................................................................54

About maxView Storage Manager...............................................................................................................54
Installing maxView Storage Manager..............................................................................................54
About the Adaptec RAID Controller Configuration Utility............................................................................54
About the Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility.............................................................................................54
About the Adaptec Flash Utility...................................................................................................................55
Which Utility Should I Use?..........................................................................................................................55

10 Solving Problems ................................................................................................................................................56

Troubleshooting Checklist............................................................................................................................56
Monitoring Disk Drives Status......................................................................................................................56
Silencing the Alarm .....................................................................................................................................56
Recovering from a Disk Drive Failure ...........................................................................................................56
Failed Disk Drive Protected by a Hot Spare .....................................................................................57
Failed Disk Drive Not Protected by a Hot Spare ..............................................................................57
Failure in Multiple Arrays Simultaneously ......................................................................................57
Disk Drive Failure in a RAID 0 Array ................................................................................................57
Multiple Failures in the Same Array ................................................................................................57
Failed SSD in maxCache Container..................................................................................................58
Resetting the Controller ..............................................................................................................................58

Appendix A Introduction to SAS...............................................................................................................................59

Terminology Used in This Appendix ............................................................................................................59
What is SAS?.................................................................................................................................................59
How Do SAS Devices Communicate?...........................................................................................................59
What’s a Phy?...............................................................................................................................................60
What’s a SAS Port?.......................................................................................................................................60
What’s a SAS Address?.................................................................................................................................60
What’s a SAS Connector?.............................................................................................................................61
What do SAS Cables Look Like?....................................................................................................................61
How are Disk Drives Identified in SAS? ........................................................................................................61

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What are the SAS Connection Options?.......................................................................................................61

Direct-attach Connections...............................................................................................................61
Backplane Connections...................................................................................................................62
SAS Expander Connections..............................................................................................................62
How is SAS Different from Parallel SCSI? .....................................................................................................63

Appendix B Understanding RAID.............................................................................................................................64

Understanding Drive Segments....................................................................................................................64
Non-redundant Arrays (RAID 0)...................................................................................................................64
RAID 1 Arrays ...............................................................................................................................................65
RAID 1 Enhanced Arrays...............................................................................................................................65
RAID 10 Arrays..............................................................................................................................................65
RAID 5 Arrays................................................................................................................................................67
RAID 50 Arrays..............................................................................................................................................68
RAID 6 Arrays................................................................................................................................................69
RAID 60 Arrays..............................................................................................................................................69
Comparing RAID Levels................................................................................................................................70

Appendix C Using the Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility......................................................................................71

Introduction to the ARC Utility.....................................................................................................................71
Ctrl-A or uEFI/HII? ...........................................................................................................................71
Running the ARC Utility...................................................................................................................71
Using the ARC Utility to Create and Manage Arrays....................................................................................72
Creating a New Array.......................................................................................................................72
Managing Existing Arrays.................................................................................................................72
Creating Bootable Arrays....................................................................................................72
Modifying Power Management Settings.............................................................................73
Modifying Cache Settings....................................................................................................73
Initializing Disk Drives......................................................................................................................74
Rescanning Disk Drives....................................................................................................................74
Secure Erasing Disk Drives...............................................................................................................74
Stopping a Secure Erase......................................................................................................74
Uninitializing Disk Drives.................................................................................................................74
Using the ARC Utility to Modify Controller Settings.....................................................................................74
Opening the Controller Settings Tool ..............................................................................................75
Applying Changes and Exiting..........................................................................................................75
Modifying Your Controller’s Configuration......................................................................................75
General Controller Settings ................................................................................................75
Power Management Settings..............................................................................................76
Checking Backup Unit Status...........................................................................................................77
Formatting and Verifying Disk Drives...........................................................................................................77
Locating Disk Drives.....................................................................................................................................77
Identifying Disk Drives .................................................................................................................................77
Viewing the Event Log .................................................................................................................................78

Appendix D Using the Adaptec Flash Utility............................................................................................................79

System Requirements..................................................................................................................................79
Compatibility Notes.........................................................................................................................79
Before You Begin..........................................................................................................................................79
Obtaining the Firmware...................................................................................................................79
Creating the Firmware Update Disks ..............................................................................................79
Running the Menu-based AFU.....................................................................................................................80
Running the AFU from the Command Line..................................................................................................80
AFU Commands...............................................................................................................................81
List.......................................................................................................................................81
Save.....................................................................................................................................81
Update.................................................................................................................................81
Verify...................................................................................................................................82
Version................................................................................................................................82
Help.....................................................................................................................................83
Updating the Flash Using the AFU Command Line......................................................................................83

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Appendix E Controller Alarm Connector Quick Reference.......................................................................................84

Adaptec RAID 7805/7805Q/71605/71605Q/71605E Alarm Connector Specification.................................84
Adaptec RAID 71685/72405 Alarm Connector Specification.......................................................................84

Appendix F Safety Information................................................................................................................................85

Electrostatic Discharge (ESD)........................................................................................................................85

Appendix G Technical Specifications........................................................................................................................86

Environmental Specifications.......................................................................................................................86
DC Power Requirements..............................................................................................................................86
Current Requirements .................................................................................................................................86

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Adaptec by PMC Product Support

If you have questions about installing or using your Adaptec by PMC product, check this document
first—you will find answers to most of your questions. If you need further assistance, use the support
options listed below. To expedite your service, have your computer in front of you.

Technical Support Identification (TSID) Number

• Before contacting Technical Support, you need your product unique TSID number. The TSID number
identifies your product and support status.
• The TSID number is included on a white, bar-coded label, like this example:

• It's recommended that you register your product so that you have easy access to your TSID when
contacting product support.
Note: The phone numbers below are subject to change. Please visit the Support
section of www.adaptec.com for the most up to date contact information.

North America
• Visit our Web site at www.adaptec.com.
• Search the Adaptec Support Knowledgebase (ASK) at ask.adaptec.com for articles, troubleshooting
tips, and frequently asked questions for your product.
• For support via e-mail, submit your question at ask.adaptec.com.
• To speak with a Technical Support Specialist, call +1 408 934 7274 or +49 89 4366 5544 or +44 845
266 8773.

Europe
• Visit our Web site at www.adaptec-europe.com.
• German: Call +49 89 43 66 55 22. For support via e-mail, submit your question at ask-de.adaptec.com.
• French: Call +49 89 43 66 55 33. For support via e-mail, submit your question at ask-fr.adaptec.com.
• English: Call +49 89 43 66 55 44. For support via e-mail, submit your question at ask.adaptec.com.

Japan
• Visit our Web site at www.adaptec.co.jp.
• Call 03-3367-3970 (fax). For support via e-mail, submit your question at ask.adaptec.co.jp

Australia
• Call +61-2-9503-1555.

Russia
• Visit our Web site at www.adaptec.com/ru-ru/.
• Call +7 499 918 7200 or +49 89 4366 5555. For support via e-mail, submit your question at
ask-ru.adaptec.com.

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Limited 3-Year Hardware Warranty

1. PMC-Sierra, Inc. (“PMC-Sierra”) warrants to the purchaser of this product that it will be free from
defects in material and workmanship for a period of three (3) years from the date of purchase. If
the product should become defective within the warranty period, PMC-Sierra, at its option, will
repair or replace the product, or refund the purchaser's purchase price for the product, provided it
is delivered at the purchaser's expense to an authorized PMC-Sierra service facility or to PMC-Sierra.
2. Repair or replacement parts or products will be furnished on an exchange basis and will either be
new or reconditioned and will be subject to original warranty term. All replaced parts or products
shall become the property of PMC-Sierra. This warranty shall not apply if the product has been
damaged by accident, misuse, abuse or as a result of unauthorized service or parts.
3. Warranty service is available to the purchaser by delivering the product during the warranty period
to an authorized PMC-Sierra service facility or to PMC-Sierra and providing proof of purchase price
and date. The purchaser shall bear all shipping, packing, and insurance costs and all other costs,
excluding labor and parts, necessary to effectuate repair, replacement or refund under this warranty.
4. For more information on how to obtain warranty service, write or telephone:
• Americas PMC-Sierra, Inc. at 1380 Bordeaux Drive Sunnyvale, CA 94089 USA, +1 408 934-7274
• EMEA PMC-Sierra, at Lise-Meitner-Strasse 7, 85737 Ismaning, Germany, +49 89 43665544
• Asia Pacific PMC-Sierra, at PO Box 110, Peakhurst NSW 2210, Australia, +61 2 8212-5531
• Japan PMC-Sierra, at Tokumasu-Building 4F, 5-5-5, Higashinakano, Nakano-ku, Tokyo 164-0003,
Japan, 03-3367-3970 (fax).
5. THIS LIMITED WARRANTY DOES NOT EXTEND TO ANY PRODUCT WHICH HAS BEEN DAMAGED AS A
RESULT OF ACCIDENT, MISUSE, ABUSE, OR AS A RESULT OF UNAUTHORIZED SERVICE OR PARTS.
6. THIS WARRANTY IS IN LIEU OF ALL OTHER EXPRESS WARRANTIES WHICH NOW OR HEREAFTER MIGHT
OTHERWISE ARISE RESPECT TO THIS PRODUCT. IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING THOSE OF
MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NON-INFRINGEMENT SHALL (A)
HAVE NO GREATER DURATION THAN 3 YEARS FROM THE DATE OF PURCHASE, (B) TERMINATE
AUTOMATICALLY AT THE EXPIRATION OF SUCH PERIOD AND (C) TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW
BE EXCLUDED. IN THE EVENT THIS PRODUCT BECOMES DEFECTIVE DURING THE WARRANTY PERIOD,
THE PURCHASER'S EXCLUSIVE REMEDY SHALL BE REPAIR, REPLACEMENT OR REFUND AS PROVIDED
ABOVE. INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION LOSS OF
DATA, ARISING FROM BREACH OF ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTY ARE NOT THE RESPONSIBILITY
OF PMC-SIERRA AND, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, ARE HEREBY EXCLUDED BOTH FOR
PROPERTY DAMAGE, AND TO THE EXTENT NOT UNCONSCIONABLE, FOR PERSONAL INJURY DAMAGE.
7. WITHIN THE US, SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL OR
CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES FOR CONSUMER PRODUCTS, AND SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW
LIMITATIONS ON HOW LONG AN IMPLIED WARRANTY LASTS, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION OR
EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
8. THIS WARRANTY GIVES YOU SPECIFIC LEGAL RIGHTS, AND YOU MAY ALSO HAVE OTHER RIGHTS
WHICH VARY DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU RESIDE.
9. FOR AUSTRALIA RESIDENTS, IF THE PRODUCT SHOULD BECOME DEFECTIVE WITHIN THE WARRANTY
PERIOD, PMC-SIERRA, AT ITS OPTION, WILL REPAIR OR REPLACE THE PRODUCT, OR REFUND THE
PURCHASER'S PURCHASE FOR THE PRODUCT, PROVIDED IT IS DELIVERED AT THE PURCHASER'S
EXPENSE BACK TO THE PLACE OF PURCHASE AFTER PMC-SIERRA TECHNICAL SUPPORT HAS ISSUED
AN INCIDENT NUMBER. IN ADDITION TO THE WARRANTIES SET FORTH HEREIN, OUR GOODS COME
WITH GUARANTEES THAT CANNOT BE EXCLUDED UNDER THE AUSTRALIAN CONSUMER LAW. YOU
ARE ENTITLED TO A REPLACEMENT OR REFUND FOR A MAJOR FAILURE AND FOR COMPENSATION
FOR ANY OTHER REASONABLY FORESEEABLE LOSS OR DAMAGE. YOU ARE ALSO ENTITLED TO HAVE
THE GOODS REPAIRED OR REPLACED IF THE GOODS FAIL TO BE OF ACCEPTABLE QUALITY AND THE
FAILURE DOES NOT AMOUNT TO A MAJOR FAILURE.

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Regulatory Compliance Statements

Federal Communications Commission Radio Frequency Interference Statement
Attention: Changes or modifications to this unit not expressly approved by the party
responsible for compliance could void the user's authority to operate the equipment.
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant
to Part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful
interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency
energy, and if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful
interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur
in a particular installation. However, if this equipment does cause interference to radio or television
equipment reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is
encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:
• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
• Increase the separation between equipment and receiver.
• Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/television technician for help.
• Use a shielded and properly grounded I/O cable and power cable to ensure compliance of this unit
to the specified limits of the rules.
This device complies with part 15 of the FCC rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
(1) this device may not cause harmful interference and (2) this device must accept any interference
received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

UL Compliance Statement

Adaptec by PMC products are tested and listed by Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. to UL 60950
-1 Second Edition and IEC-60950-1 Second Edition standards, file numbers E175975. Adaptec
by PMC products are for use only with UL listed ITE.
PMC-Sierra, Inc. Use only with the listed ITE:

ASR-7805/ASR-7805Q/ASR-71605/
ASR-71605E/ASR-71605Q/ASR-71685/
ASR-72405/AFM-700

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European Union Compliance Statement

This Information Technology Equipment has been tested and found to comply with EMC
Directive 89/336/EEC, as amended by 92/31/EEC and 93/68/EEC, in accordance with:
• EN55022 (1998+A1:2000+A2:2007) Emissions
∘ Class B ITE radiated and conducted emissions
• EN55024 (1998+A1:2001+A2:2010) Immunity:
∘ EN61000-4-2 (2009) Electrostatic discharge: ±4 kV contact, ±8 kV air
∘ EN61000-4-3 (2010) Radiated immunity: 3V/m
∘ EN61000-4-4 (2004) Electrical fast transients/burst: ±1 kV AC, ±0.5 kV I/O
∘ EN61000-4-5 (2006) Surges: ±1 kV differential mode, ±2 kV common mode
∘ EN61000-4-6 (2009) Conducted immunity: 3 V
∘ EN61000-4-11 (2004) Supply dips and variations: 30% and 100%
In addition, all equipment requiring U.L. listing has been found to comply with EMC Directive 73/23/EEC
as amended by 93/68/EEC in accordance with EN60950 with amendments A1, A2, A3, A4, A11.

Australian/New Zealand Compliance Statement

This device has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device,
pursuant to the Australian/New Zealand standard AS/NZS 3548 set out by the Spectrum
Management Agency.

Canadian Compliance Statement

This Class B digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian Interference-Causing
Equipment Regulations.
Cet appareil numérique de la classe B respecte toutes les exigences du Règlement sur le matériel brouilleur
du Canada.

Japanese Compliance (Voluntary Control Council Initiative)

This equipment complies to class B Information Technology equipment based on VCCI (Voluntary
Control Council for Interface). This equipment is designed for home use but it may causes radio
frequency interference problem if used too near to a television or radio. Please handle it
correctly per this documentation.

Korean Compliance (KCC) Statement

Adaptec by PMC products are tested and certified by KCC:

KCC-REM-KHK-ASR-7xxx5
The above certification covers the following series:

ASR-7805, ASR-7805Q, ASR-71605

ASR-71605E, ASR-71605Q
ASR-71685, ASR-72405

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This equipment is home use (Class B) electromagnetic wave suitability equipment and to be used mainly
at home and it can be used in all areas.

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1 About This Guide

This Installation and User's Guide explains how to install your Adaptec® by PMC™ RAID controller. It
also describes the utilities included in your controller kit, and provides a basic overview of Serial Attached
SCSI (SAS) and Redundant Array of Independent Disk (RAID) technology.
These Adaptec Serial Attached SCSI RAID (ASR) controller models are described in this guide:
• ASR-7805, ASR-7805Q
• ASR-71605, ASR-71605E, ASR-71605Q
• ASR-71685
• ASR-72405

What You Need to Know Before You Begin

You should be familiar with computer hardware, data storage, RAID technology, and SAS and Serial ATA
(SATA) technology. (For more information about SAS technology, see Introduction to SAS on page 59.)
You should also be familiar with direct-attached storage (DAS) concepts and technology.
Note: Because this guide covers multiple Adaptec RAID products, some of the features
and functions described may not be available for your controller. For more information,
see About Your RAID Controller on page 16.

Terminology Used in this Guide

Because you can use your Adaptec RAID controller to manage data storage in a variety of configurations,
the generic term “storage space” is used to refer to controller(s) and disk drives being managed with
Adaptec maxView Storage Manager™ (called simply maxView Storage Manager in the remainder of this
guide) or the other utilities described in this guide.
Many of the terms and concepts referred to in this guide are known to computer users by multiple
names. This guide uses these terms:
• Controller (also known as adapter, board, or card)
• Disk drive (also known as hard disk, hard drive, or hard disk drive)
• Solid State Drive (also known as SSD or non-rotating storage media)
• Enclosure (also known as a RAID enclosure, storage enclosure, or disk drive enclosure)
• Array (also known as a container, logical device, or logical drive)
Note: maxView Storage Manager refers to arrays as logical drives. Your RAID
controller creates arrays, which your operating system (and maxView Storage
Manager) recognizes as logical drives. For more information, refer to the maxView
Storage Manager User’s Guide on the Adaptec Installation DVD.

How to Find More Information

You can find more information about your Adaptec RAID controller and the software and utilities included
with it by referring to these documents:
• Readme.txt—Includes updated product information and known issues; located on the Adaptec
Installation DVD.
• maxView Storage Manager User’s Guide—Describes how to install and use the maxView Storage
Manager software (see About maxView Storage Manager on page 54) to manage your direct attached
storage; located on the Adaptec Installation DVD.
• maxView Storage Manager Online Help—Describes how to use the maxView Storage Manager
software; accessible from the main window of maxView Storage Manager.

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• Adaptec RAID Controller Command Line Utility User’s Guide—Describes how to use the included
Adaptec RAID Controller Configuration (ARCCONF) command line utility (see About the Adaptec
RAID Controller Configuration Utility on page 54) to perform basic array and configuration
management functions; located on the Adaptec Installation DVD.

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2 Kit Contents and System Requirements

This chapter lists the contents of your Adaptec RAID controller kit and the system requirements that
must be met for you to successfully install and use your controller.

Kit Contents
• Adaptec RAID controller
• Adaptec Installation DVD (bootable), including controller drivers, Adaptec maxView Storage Manager,
ARCCONF command line utility, and documentation
• Cables (Not included in Adaptec 'Single' product. If your kit includes cables, the type and quantity
vary—for more information, see Cables on page 23.)
• (Select models only) Low-profile bracket
• Adaptec Serial Attached SCSI RAID Controllers Quick Start Guide (Not included in Adaptec 'Single'
product)

System Requirements
• PC-compatible computer with Intel Pentium, or equivalent, processor
• Motherboard with these features:
∘ Support for multi-function devices where one of the devices is a PCI bridge
∘ Large memory-mapped address ranges
Refer to the Readme file on the Adaptec Installation DVD for additional motherboard compatibility
information.
• One of these operating systems:
Note: For up-to-date operating system version support check the readme on the
Adaptec Installation DVD or visit the Adaptec Web Site at www.adaptec.com. To
download Linux driver sources, visit the Support area of the Adaptec Web site at
www.adaptec.com/en-us/support.
∘ Microsoft® Windows® Server 2012 (32-bit and 64-bit), Windows Server 2008 (32-bit and 64-bit),
Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit), Windows SBS 2011, Windows Storage Server 2008 R2, Windows
Storage Server 2011, Windows 7 and Windows 8 (32-bit and 64-bit)
∘ Red Hat® Enterprise Linux 6.2, 5.8 (32-bit and 64-bit)
∘ SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 11, 10 (32-bit and 64-bit)
∘ FreeBSD 9, 8.2
∘ Debian Linux 6 (32-bit and 64-bit)
∘ Ubuntu Linux 12, 11, 10 (32-bit and 64-bit)
∘ Fedora Linux 16, 15, 14 (32-bit and 64-bit)
∘ CentOS 6.2, 5.8
∘ Solaris 10, Solaris 11 Express
∘ VMware ESXi 5.0, VMware ESX 4.1 Classic
• 2 GB of RAM minimum
• Available compatible PCIe slot (depending on your controller model—see the descriptions in About
Your RAID Controller on page 16)
• 350 MB of free disk drive space
• 16-bit SVGA color monitor with a resolution of at least 800 x 600
• DVD-ROM drive
• USB flash drive or CD burner, for creating driver disks and bootable media

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3 About Your RAID Controller

This chapter provides an overview of the features of your Adaptec RAID controller.

Standard RAID Controller Features

• Support for SAS disk drives, SATA/SATA II disk drives, and SATA and SAS Solid State Drives (SSDs)
• Flash ROM for updates to controller firmware, BIOS, and the Adaptec RAID Configuration utility
• Disk drive hot-swapping
• Event logging and broadcasting, including email notification messages
• Multiple options for creating and managing RAID arrays—A browser-based software application
(maxView Storage Manager), a BIOS-based utility (ARC), a command line utility (ARCCONF) (see
Managing Your Storage Space on page 54)
• Native command queuing (NCQ), which lets disk drives arrange commands into the most efficient
order for optimum performance
• Support for disk drive enclosures with SES2 enclosure management hardware
• Support for a flash backup module (see Adding a Flash Backup Module on page 16)
• Support for Adaptec maxCache™ SSD read and write caching (see Modifying Cache Settings on page
73)
Note: Adaptec maxCache is supported on Adaptec Series Q controllers only.
• Power-management of disk drives in your storage space to reduce cooling and electricity costs (see
Modifying Power Management Settings on page 73)
• Audible alarm
• I/O statistics logging

Array-level Features
• Support for RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 10, RAID 50, and simple volumes
• Support for hybrid RAID 1 and RAID 10 arrays comprised of hard drives and Solid State Drives (SSDs)
• Support for hot spares (global and dedicated)
• Support for automatic failover, so arrays are automatically rebuilt when a failed drive is replaced
(applies to redundant arrays in SES2- or SAF-TE-enabled disk drive enclosures only)
• Optimized disk utilization, which ensures that the full capacity of all disk drives can be used, even if
the disk drives vary in size
• Online capacity expansion, so you can increase the capacity of an array without recreating it
• Support for array migration from one RAID level to another

Advanced Data Protection Suite

• Copyback Hot Spare—You can use this feature to move data from a hot spare back to its original
location after a failed disk drive is replaced.
• Striped Mirror (RAID 1E)—A RAID 1 Enhanced array is similar to a RAID 1 array except that data is
both mirrored and striped, and more disk drives can be included.
• Dual Drive Failure Protection (RAID 6)—A RAID 6 array is similar to a RAID 5 array except that it
includes two independent sets of parity data instead of one.
• Dual Drive Failure Protection (RAID 60)—A RAID 60 array is similar to a RAID 50 array except that it
includes four independent sets of parity data instead of two.

Adding a Flash Backup Module

This table shows the flash backup module (or “zero maintenance cache protection”) supported by your
Adaptec RAID controller. To purchase a flash backup module, refer to the Adaptec Web site at
www.adaptec.com.

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RAID Controller Flash Module

Adaptec RAID 7805/Adaptec RAID 71605/Adaptec RAID 71685/ Adaptec Flash Backup Module AFM-
Adaptec RAID 72405 700 with Supercapacitor Card
(optional)
Adaptec RAID 7805Q/Adaptec RAID 71605Q Adaptec Flash Backup Module AFM-
700 with Supercapacitor Card (pre-
installed)

Upgrading the Controller Firmware

To upgrade the firmware on your Adaptec RAID controller, follow the instructions in Using the Adaptec
Flash Utility on page 79. You can also use maxView Storage Manager or the ARCCONF command-line
utility to upgrade your controller firmware. Refer to the maxView Storage Manager User’s Guide and
the Adaptec Command Line Interface User’s Guide.

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About the Adaptec RAID 7805/7805Q

The Adaptec RAID 7805/7805Q is a SAS RAID controller with these features:

Ext. Alarm connector

2 internal mini-SAS HD connectors HDA mode connector

Daughterboard
connector

PCIe x8 connector

Mounting bracket

Form Factor Low-profile MD2 SFF card size

Bus compatibility PCIe Gen3

PCIe bus width x8

Data transfer rate 6 Gb/s per port

Phys (Unified Serial Ports) 8

Standard cache 1024 MB DDR3

Connectors, internal 2 mini-SAS HD x4 (SFF-8643)

Maximum number of disk drives 8 direct-attached (or up to 256 with expanders)

maxCache SSD support 7805Q: Up to 8 solid state drives, 2TB capacity, max. See the maxCache
compatibility list at www.adaptec.com/compatibility.

Enclosure Support IBPI and SGPIO (Serial General Purpose Input/Output)

Onboard speaker Yes

Zero Maintenance Cache Protection Adaptec Flash Backup Module AFM-700 (7805: optional, sold separately;
Module 7805Q: standard, pre-installed)

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About the Adaptec RAID 71605/71605Q

The Adaptec RAID 71605/71605Q is a SAS RAID controller with these features:
Ext. Alarm connector
4 internal mini-SAS HD connectors HDA mode connector

CN0
CN1
CN2
CN3
Daughterboard
connector

PCIe x8 connector

Mounting bracket

Form Factor Low-profile MD2 SFF card size

Bus compatibility PCIe Gen3

PCIe bus width x8

Data transfer rate 6 Gb/s per port

Phys (Unified Serial Ports) 16

Standard cache 1024 MB DDR3

Connectors, internal 4 mini-SAS HD x4 (SFF-8643)

Maximum number of disk drives 16 direct-attached (or up to 256 with expanders)

maxCache SSD support 71605Q: Up to 16 solid state drives, 2TB capacity, max. See the
maxCache compatibility list at www.adaptec.com/compatibility.

Enclosure Support IBPI and SGPIO (Serial General Purpose Input/Output)

Onboard speaker Yes

Zero Maintenance Cache Protection Adaptec Flash Backup Module AFM-700 (71605: optional, sold
Module separately; 71605Q: standard, pre-installed)

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About the Adaptec RAID 71605E

The Adaptec RAID 71605E is a SAS RAID controller with these features:
Ext. Alarm connector
4 internal mini-SAS HD connectors HDA mode connector

CN0
CN1
CN2
CN3
PCIe x8 connector

Mounting bracket

Form Factor Low-profile MD2 SFF card size

Bus compatibility PCIe Gen3

PCIe bus width x8

Data transfer rate 6 Gb/s per port

Phys (Unified Serial Ports) 16

Standard cache 256 MB DDR3

Connectors, internal 4 mini-SAS HD x4 (SFF-8643)

Maximum number of disk drives 16 direct-attached (or up to 256 with expanders)

Enclosure Support IBPI and SGPIO (Serial General Purpose Input/Output)

Onboard speaker Yes

Zero Maintenance Cache Protection No

Module

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About the Adaptec RAID 71685

The Adaptec RAID 71685 is a SAS RAID controller with these features:
4 internal mini-SAS HD connectors Ext. Alarm
connector
HDA mode
connector

2 external
mini-SAS HD
connectors

Daughterboard
connector

PCIe x8 connector
Mounting bracket

Form Factor Full Height, Half Length

Bus compatibility PCIe Gen3

PCIe bus width x8

Data transfer rate 6 Gb/s per port

Phys (Unified Serial Ports) 24

Standard cache 1024 MB DDR3

Connectors, internal 4 mini-SAS HD x4 (SFF-8643)

Connectors, external 2 mini-SAS HD x4 (SFF-8644)

Maximum number of disk drives 24 direct-attached (or up to 256 with expanders)

Enclosure Support IBPI and SGPIO (Serial General Purpose Input/Output)

Onboard speaker Yes

Zero Maintenance Cache Protection Adaptec Flash Backup Module AFM-700 (optional, sold separately)
Module

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About the Adaptec RAID 72405

The Adaptec RAID 72405 is a SAS RAID controller with these features:
4 internal mini-SAS 2 internal mini-SAS
HD connectors HD connectors

HDA mode
connector

Ext. Alarm
connector

Daughterboard
connector

PCIe x8 connector
Mounting bracket

Form Factor Full Height, Half Length

Bus compatibility PCIe Gen3

PCIe bus width x8

Data transfer rate 6 Gb/s per port

Phys (Unified Serial Ports) 24

Standard cache 1024 MB DDR3

Connectors, internal 6 mini-SAS HD x4 (SFF-8643)

Maximum number of disk drives 24 direct-attached (or up to 256 with expanders)

Enclosure Support IBPI and SGPIO (Serial General Purpose Input/Output)

Onboard speaker Yes

Zero Maintenance Cache Protection Adaptec Flash Backup Module AFM-700 (optional, sold separately)
Module

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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
16).
• RAID 0 (Non-redundant Array)—Stripes data across multiple disk drives. Improved performance but
no redundancy (see Non-redundant Arrays (RAID 0) on page 64).
• 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
65).
• 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 65).
• RAID 5 Array—Stripes data for improved performance and uses parity data to provide redundancy
(see RAID 5 Arrays on page 67).
• 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 65).
• 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 68).
• 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 69).
• 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 69).
See Comparing RAID Levels on page 70 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.

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Internal mini-SAS HD to mini-SAS HD (SFF-8643 to

SFF- 8643)—Connects to a backplane or enclosure.

External mini-SAS HD to mini-SAS HD (SFF-8644 to

SFF- 8644)—Connects to a backplane or enclosure.

Replacing the Full-Height Bracket with a Low-Profile Bracket

If you are installing your Adaptec RAID controller into a low-profile computer cabinet, replace the original
full-height bracket with the low-profile bracket included in your distribution kit. The full-height bracket
is mounted on the front of the controller, the low-profile bracket is mounted on the back of the controller,
as shown in the figure below.

Full-height bracket
Low-profle bracket

Back of board

Front of board

To replace the full-height bracket with the low-profile bracket:

1. Remove the full-height bracket from the controller board. The full-height bracket is installed on the
front side of the controller, with the mounting screws inserted from the back of the controller, as
shown in the Figure 1.
Using a Phillips head screw driver, remove the mounting screws, as shown in Figure 2, then set the
screws aside for use in the next step.

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Remove mounting
screws with Phillips
screw driver

Back of board

Front of board
Figure 1

Figure 2

2. Attach the low-profile bracket to the controller board. The low-profile bracket is installed on the
back side of the controller, with the mounting screws inserted from the front of the controller, as
shown the Figure 3.
Insert the screws through the holes on the front of the controller, then fasten the screws to the
bracket with a Phillips screw driver.
Caution: The mount points on the low-profile bracket have a smooth or flat side
and a raised side that looks like a spacer (see Figure 3). Be sure to install the bracket
with the flat side against the controller PCB and the raised side facing away from
the PCB.

Flat side of bracket

Front of board

Back of board Raised side of bracket

Figure 3

Caution: The torque on the mounting screws should be a maximum of 3.0-4.0

lbf-in to avoid deformation. Be sure that the controller is not bent after attaching
the low-profile bracket to the controller board.

Installation Options
When you install your Adaptec RAID controller, you can choose to create a bootable array and then
install your operating system and the controller driver on that array.
Alternatively, you can complete a standard installation, where the controller driver is installed on an
existing operating system.

Basic Installation Steps

This section describes the installation process. Follow the steps for the installation option you’ve chosen.

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Installing with an Operating System

1. Install and connect your controller and internal disk drives (see Installing the Controller and Disk
Drives on page 27).
If your controller has an external connector, you can connect external disk drives as well (or instead).
2. Set the boot controller (see Setting the Boot Controller on page 35).
3. Create a bootable array (see Creating an Array on page 35).
4. Install your operating system and the controller driver (see Installing the Driver and an Operating
System on page 39.)
5. Install maxView Storage Manager and begin to manage your data storage (see Managing Your
Storage Space on page 54).

Installing on an Existing Operating System

1. Install and connect your controller and internal disk drives (see Installing the Controller and Disk
Drives on page 27).
If your controller has an external connector, you can connect external disk drives as well (or instead).
2. Install the controller driver (see Installing the Driver on an Existing Operating System on page 50).
3. Install maxView Storage Manager and begin to manage your data storage (see Managing Your
Storage Space on page 54).

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5 Installing the Controller and Disk Drives

This chapter explains how to install your Adaptec RAID controller, and how to install and connect internal
and external disk drives.

Before You Begin

• Read Safety Information on page 85.
• Familiarize yourself with your RAID controller's physical features and the RAID levels that it supports
(see Standard RAID Controller Features on page 16).
• Ensure you have the right quantity of disk drives for the RAID level you want to use for your arrays
(see Selecting Disk Drives and Cables on page 23).
• If you are installing the RAID controller into a low-profile computer cabinet, replace the original
full-height bracket with the low-profile bracket included in the kit (see Replacing the Full-Height
Bracket with a Low-Profile Bracket on page 24).

Installing the Controller

This section describes how to install the Adaptec RAID controller into your computer cabinet. Adaptec
RAID controllers come in two basic configurations: standard and zero maintenance cache protection
with batteryless backup (ZMCP). ZMCP uses flash memory and a supercapacitor module to protect the
cache without a battery.
Follow one of these sets of instructions:
• To install an Adaptec RAID controller without zero maintenance cache protection, see the next
section.
• To install an Adaptec RAID controller with zero maintenance cache protection, see Installing a RAID
Controller with Zero Maintenance Cache Protection on page 28.
Caution: Be sure to handle the controller by its bracket or edges only.

Installing a RAID Controller without Zero Maintenance Cache Protection

To install an Adaptec RAID controller without zero maintenance cache protection:
1. Turn off your computer and disconnect the power cord. Open the cabinet, following the
manufacturer's instructions.
2. Select an available PCIe expansion slot that's compatible with your RAID controller and remove the
slot cover, as shown below. (PCIe bus compatibility is marked to the controller figures in About Your
RAID Controller on page 16.)

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3. Insert the RAID controller into the expansion slot and press down gently but firmly until it clicks into
place. When installed properly, the RAID controller should appear level with the expansion slot.
Caution: Touch a grounded metal object before handling the RAID controller.

4. Secure the bracket in the expansion slot, using the retention device (for instance, a screw or lever)
supplied with your computer.
5. Prepare and install your internal disk drives, following the instructions in Connecting Disk Drives to
Your Controllers on page 31.
If you are not installing internal disk drives, close your computer cabinet, reattach the power cord,
then continue with Connecting External Devices on page 33.

Installing a RAID Controller with Zero Maintenance Cache Protection

Adaptec RAID controllers with zero maintenance cache protection include a flash module daughterboard
and a supercapacitor module. On Adaptec Series Q controllers, the daughterboard is pre-installed on
the controller. On Adaptec RAID controllers with optional zero maintenance cache protection (see
Adding a Flash Backup Module on page 16), the daughterboard is user installed. The supercapacitor
module is always user installed.
The following instructions describe how to install the supercapacitor module using the mounting plate
method. Refer to the flyer in the flash module distribution kit for details about installing the
daughterboard on the RAID controller, as needed, and for other supercapacitor installation options.
Warning: Do NOT remove or insert a fully charged supercapacitor module. Always discharge the unit
first to avoid damage to the controller or flash backup module. The factory ships with discharged units,
so they are safe to install when you receive them. To ensure that an installed unit is discharged, switch
your system OFF, then wait 5 minutes. After a dirty shutdown, wait 3 minutes after backup is complete,
then remove the unit.
To install an Adaptec RAID controller with zero maintenance cache protection:
1. Assemble the mounting plate and attach the supercapacitor module:
a) Attach the full-height bracket to the mounting plate. The full-height bracket is installed on the
front side of the mounting plate (the side with the bents), with the mounting screws inserted
from the back, as shown below. Be sure to attach the mounting plate to the bracket with recessed
side at the bottom!

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Recessed side

b) Thread the cable-ties through the slots on the supercapacitor module and affix to the mounting
plate, as shown in the next figure. The cable-ties should completely encircle the supercapacitor
module and mounting plate to ensure that it is held in place securely.

c) Set the mounting plate aside; continue with the steps below.
2. Turn off your computer and disconnect the power cord. Open the cabinet, following the
manufacturer's instructions.
3. Select an available PCIe expansion slot that's compatible with your RAID controller and remove the
slot cover, as shown in the figure below. (PCIe bus compatibility is marked on the controller figures
in About Your RAID Controller on page 16.) Be sure to choose a slot next to an empty slot in the
backplane; you will use the empty slot to install the supercapacitor mounting plate, after you install
the controller. Remove the slot cover for the mounting plate, then continue with the next step.

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4. Insert the RAID controller into the expansion slot and press down gently but firmly until it clicks into
place. When installed properly, the RAID controller should appear level with the expansion slot.
Caution: Touch a grounded metal object before handling the RAID controller.

5. Secure the bracket in the expansion slot, using the retention device (for instance, a screw or lever)
supplied with your computer.
6. Attach the supercapacitor module to the RAID controller by inserting the connector into the socket
on the flash module daughterboard, as shown in the figure below. The connector attaches to the
socket in only one direction.

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7. Install the mounting plate in the empty slot next to the controller, as shown in the next figure. After
securing the mounting plate to the card cage, verify that the supercapacitor module and mounting
plate sit above (and do not touch) the PCIe slot.

Gap

8. Connect your computer's disk activity LED cable to the LED connector on the controller (marked on
the figures in About Your RAID Controller on page 16).
Ensure that the positive lead of the LED cable (usually a red wire or a wire marked with a red stripe)
is attached to pin 1.
9. Prepare and install your internal disk drives, following the instructions in Connecting Disk Drives to
Your Controllers on page 31.
If you are not installing internal disk drives, close your computer cabinet, reattach the power cord,
then continue with Connecting External Devices on page 33.
10. Restart your computer.
The supercapacitor starts charging automatically. It should reach full charge in 3-4 minutes.

Connecting Disk Drives to Your Controllers

You can connect SAS disk drives, SATA disk drives, and SATA and SAS Solid State Drives (SSDs) to your
Adaptec RAID controller. (See www.adaptec.com/compatibility for a list of compatible drives.) There
are 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 drives
required to support the RAID level you want. See Choosing a RAID Level on page 23 for more information.

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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 same
array. See What is SAS? on page 59 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 32.
To connect Solid State Drives to your controller, see Connecting Solid State Drives (SSDs) on page 32.

Connecting Drives Directly to the Controller

In a direct-attach connection, SAS or SATA disk drives are connected directly to a SAS card with SAS
cables. The number of direct-attached disk drives is limited to four per internal SAS connector. (For
more information about direct-attach connections, see How are Disk Drives Identified in SAS? on page
61.)
1. Install your internal SAS or SATA disk drives, following the instructions in your system’s documentation.
2. Use internal mini-SAS HD cables to attach the disk drives to the controller.
3. When all internal disk drives have been installed and attached to the controller, close your computer
cabinet, reattach the power cord, then continue with Connecting External Devices on page 33.

Connecting Drives to a System Backplane

In a backplane connection, disk drives and SAS cards are attached to and communicate with each other
through a system backplane.
The number of disk drives is limited to the number of slots available on the backplane. Some backplanes
have embedded SAS expanders and can support up to 128 end devices. (For more information about
backplane and expander connections, see How are Disk Drives Identified in SAS? on page 61.)
1. Connect one or more internal SAS or SATA disk drives to the backplane. (Refer to your system's
documentation for more information.)
2. Use an internal mini-SAS HD cable to connect the controller to the backplane.
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 33.

Connecting Solid State Drives (SSDs)

To connect a Solid State Drive to your controller, you can use a direct-attached connection or a backplane
connection, as required. If your server does not have a standard 2.5-inch drive tray, you must use a
bracket/SLED which enables the SSD to fit properly.
Note: For Adaptec maxCache applications or hybrid RAID arrays (comprised of hard
drives and SSDs) you can use any Solid State Drive on the compatibility list. See
www.adaptec.com/compatibility for a list of compatible SSDs. Adaptec maxCache is
supported on Adaptec Series Q controllers only.
In a direct-attach connection (described in the steps below), you connect SSDs directly to the controller
with SAS cables (mini-SAS to SATA). In a backplane connection, use the appropriate cable for your
backplane type (see Connecting Drives to a System Backplane on page 32 for more about backplane
connections). For maxCache caching applications, you can connect a maximum of 16
maxCache-compatible SSDs to a controller. For RAID arrays, Adaptec controllers support a maximum
of 256 drives, including SSDs (for details, see About Your RAID Controller on page 16).
1. Install the SSDs in your server. For servers with a standard 2.5-inch drive tray, install the SSD directly
into the tray. If your server does not have a standard 2.5-inch drive tray, use a bracket or adapter
which enables it to fit properly.

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Use a 2.5” to 3.5” adapter to

install your SSD if server does
not have 2.5” tray.

Typical SSD installation

2. Use an internal mini-SAS HD to SATA cable to attach the SSD(s) to the controller, as shown in the
example below.

To other SSDs
Internal x4 mini-SAS HD connector Single-port connector

SSD connected to controller with

internal mini-SAS to SATA Fanout cable

3. When all SSDs have been installed and connected, close your computer cabinet, reattach the power
cord, then continue with Connecting External Devices on page 33.

Connecting External Devices

Note: If you are not connecting any external devices, see the following section, Next
Steps on page 34.
Use high-quality cables to connect your controller to your external device(s), such as disk drives or disk
drive enclosures.
We recommend using only Adaptec cables. For more information about cabling options for your
controller, see Cables on page 23.

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Next Steps
If you are installing the controller driver and an operating system onto a bootable array, continue with
Creating a Bootable Array on page 35.
If you are completing a standard installation onto an existing operating system, continue with Installing
the Driver on an Existing Operating System on page 50.

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6 Creating a Bootable Array

This chapter explains how to set your Adaptec controller to be the boot controller, and how to create
a bootable array.
Note: If you are completing a standard installation onto an existing operating system,
you don’t have to complete this task. Skip to Installing the Driver on an Existing
Operating System on page 50.

Setting the Boot Controller

Note: If your system won’t contain more than one bootable controller, skip to the
next section, Creating an Array on page 35.
Your Adaptec RAID controller supports bootable disk drives and bootable arrays. To enable your system
to boot from either a disk drive or an array connected to your controller:
1. Enter the system setup.
2. Navigate to the drive boot sequence.
3. Move the boot controller to the top of the list.

For more information, refer to your computer documentation.

Creating an Array
This section explains how to create an array.
A RAID 5 array is created in the examples shown in this section because RAID 5 provides the most security
and best performance with a minimum of three disk drives. However, you can choose to create an array
with a different RAID level; you can also change array level later, after the operating system is installed.
You can create an array using any of these tools:
• Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility (ARC)—BIOS-based menus and keyboard navigation (see the
following section).
• maxView Storage Manager—Graphical software application (running from a bootable installation
DVD) that you can navigate with your mouse (see About maxView Storage Manager on page 54).
• ARCCONF—Command line utility. For instructions, refer to the Adaptec RAID Controller Command
Line Utility User’s Guide.
You can use any of these tools, but the ARC utility is the quickest and easiest tool for this task.
Note: We recommend that you do not combine SAS and SATA disk drives within the
same array. maxView Storage Manager displays a warning if you try to create a logical
drive using a combination of SAS and SATA disk drives. See What is SAS? on page 59
for more information.

Creating an Array with the ARC Utility

The ARC utility is menu-based. Instructions for completing tasks appear on-screen. Menus can be
navigated using the arrows, Enter, Esc, and other keys on your keyboard.
To create a RAID 5 array:
1. Power on your computer. When prompted, press Ctrl+A to enter the ARC utility.
Note: On servers that support the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface, or uEFI,
ARC utility options are presented with a uEFI/HII interface rather than the Adaptec
Ctrl-A interface described below. To begin using the ARC utility with the uEFI/HII
interface, see Ctrl-A or uEFI/HII? on page 71.

2. If you have more than one controller of the same model or family in your computer, select your
controller, then press Enter .

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3. Select Logical Device Configuration, then press Enter .

4. Select Initialize Drives, then press Enter .
5. Select at least three disk drives for the array, press Insert for each selected disk drive, then press
Enter.
Caution: During initialization, all data is deleted from the disk. Before continuing,
back up any data you want to keep.

6. Press Y , then press Enter .

The selected disk drives are initialized, then the Logical Device Configuration screen appears.
7. Select Create Array, then press Enter .
8. Select the disk drives that were just initialized, press Insert for each selected disk drive, then press
Enter .
9. When the Array Properties screen opens, follow the instructions in the following table.

Property Line Entry or Selection

Array Type Select RAID 5, then press Enter .

Array Label Type a name, then press Enter .

Array Size Press Enter , then press Enter again to use the default granularity of GB.

Stripe Size Press Enter to use the default (256 KB).

Read Caching Press Enter to use the default (Enable).

Write Caching Press Enter to use the default (Enable always), then press Y to confirm.

Create RAID via Press Enter to use the default (Build/Verify).

MaxCache Read Press Enter to use the default (Enable)

MaxCache Write Press Enter to use the default (Disable)

[Done] Press Enter .

10. When a cache warning message displays, type Y .

11. Once the array is created, a message displays telling you that the array can now be used. Press any
key to return to the Logical Device Configuration menu.
You can start using the array immediately. However, performance is reduced until the build process
is complete.
12. Press Esc until the Exit utility window appears.
13. Select Yes, then press Enter.
The computer restarts.
14. Continue with Making Your Array Bootable on page 38.

Creating an Array with maxView Storage Manager

This section describes how to use the maxView Storage Manager configuration wizard to build an array.
Note: You will need the Adaptec Installation DVD to complete this task.
To create a RAID 5 array:
1. Insert the Adaptec Installation DVD into your DVD drive, then restart your computer.
2. When prompted, select the language you want, then press Enter .

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3. Review the license information, then press Enter .

The DVD main menu opens.
4. Click Launch Configuration Utility .
maxView Storage Manager opens.
5. On the ribbon, in the Logical Disk group, click Create Logical Drive.

6. When the wizard opens, ensure that Express Configuration is selected, then click Next.

7. Review the logical drive configuration summary.

maxView Storage Manager uses the term logical drive when referring to an array (see Terminology
Used in this Guide on page 13).
The following example shows a RAID 5 array, ready to be created.

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8. Click Finish.
maxView Storage Manager builds the logical drives.
9. Partition and format your logical drive.
The logical drives you created appear as a physical disk drives on your operating system. You must
partition and format these logical drives before you can use them to store data.
10. Close all windows, then click Reboot to restart your system.
11. Remove the Adaptec Installation DVD.
For information on installing and using maxView Storage Manager as a full software application,
refer to the maxView Storage Manager User's Guide.
12. Continue with the following section.

Making Your Array Bootable

Use the ARC Utility to make the array bootable (see Creating Bootable Arrays on page 72).
Then continue with Installing the Driver and an Operating System on page 39.

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7 Installing the Driver and an Operating System

This chapter explains how to install your Adaptec RAID controller driver and an operating system on a
bootable array (see Creating a Bootable Array on page 35).
To install the driver on an existing operating system, see Installing the Driver on an Existing Operating
System on page 50.

Before You Begin

• Install and connect your Adaptec RAID controller and internal disk drives (see Installing the Controller
and Disk Drives on page 27).
• Create a bootable array (see Creating a Bootable Array on page 35).
• Create a driver disk (see the following section).
Note: For up-to-date operating system version support, visit the Adaptec Web Site
at www.adaptec.com. From the main menu select Support>Knowledgebase>Find
Answers. Select your controller type and OS to generate a list of supported operating
systems and to download the latest drivers.

Creating a Driver Disk

This section describes how to create a driver disk for the operating systems that require one. You will
need a USB flash drive or writable CD to complete this task.
• Windows operating systems do not require a driver disk. For Windows, the driver is loaded directly
from the Adaptec Installation DVD; see Installing with Windows on page 41.
• For Debian Linux, Ubuntu Linux, and VMware ESX 4.1, you must create the driver disk manually on
a USB flash drive (“USB stick”) or writable CD. See the instructions for your operating system, below.
• For Red Hat 6 and Cent OS 6 DKMS driver installation, see Red Hat Linux 6, Cent OS 6 with Dynamic
Kernel Module Support on page 41.
• For VMware ESXi 5.0, see Installing with VMware ESXi 5.0 on page 47.
• For all other OSs, create the driver disk using the Create Diskette menu on the Adaptec Installation
DVD.
To create a driver disk using the Create Diskette menu:
1. Set your system BIOS so that your computer boots from the DVD drive.
2. Turn on your computer, then insert the Adaptec Installation DVD.
3. Click Create Diskette, then select your operating system and version.
4. When prompted, insert a USB flash drive, then click OK.
The system creates the driver disk on the USB drive.
5. Remove and label the driver disk.
6. Continue with the instructions for your operating system:
• For Red Hat Linux 5 or Cent OS 5, see Installing with Red Hat Linux 5 or Cent OS 5 on page 41.
• For Red Hat Linux 6, Cent OS 6, or Fedora Linux, see Red Hat Linux 6, Cent OS 6, Fedora Linux
without Dynamic Kernel Module Support on page 42.
• For SuSE Linux, see Installing with SuSE Linux Enterprise Server on page 43.
• For Solaris, see Installing with Solaris on page 45.
• For FreeBSD, see Installing with FreeBSD on page 46.

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Creating a Driver Disk for Debian Linux or Ubuntu Linux

Note: You will need the Adaptec Installation DVD and a USB flash drive to complete
this task.
To create a driver disk for Debian or Ubuntu Linux:
1. Insert and mount the Adaptec Installation DVD:
mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
2. Insert and mount a USB flash drive:
mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/aacraid-driver
3. Change to the Linux driver directory on the Adaptec Installation DVD, locate the .tgz archive file for
your Debian or Ubuntu operating system version (32-bit or 64-bit), then extract the contents of the
archive to a temporary location.
4. Copy the contents of the archive to the USB drive by typing this command:
cp /<tempdir>/* /mnt/aacraid-driver

where tempdir is the temporary location of the driver files.

5. Unmount and remove the Adaptec Installation DVD and USB drive.
6. Continue with Installing with Debian Linux on page 43 or Installing with Ubuntu Linux on page 44.

Creating a Driver Disk for VMware ESX 4.1

Note: You will need the Adaptec Installation DVD and a writeable CD to complete
this task.
To create a driver disk for VMware ESX 4.1:
1. Insert and mount the Adaptec Installation DVD:
mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
2. Insert and mount a writable CD:
mount /dev/cdrom1 /mnt/cdrom1
3. Change to the Linux driver directory on the Adaptec Installation DVD, locate the VMware iso image,
vmware-aacraid-400.4.2.1.xxxxx-esx4.1.iso (where xxxxx is the build number), then burn
the iso to the CD.
Note: Use whatever tool you prefer to burn the CD, such as an interactive
(GUI-based) tool or the Linux command line.

4. Unmount and remove the Adaptec Installation DVD and CD drive.

5. Continue with Installing with VMware ESX 4.1 on page 46.

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Installing with Windows

Note: The following instructions apply to all supported Windows operating systems.
You will need your Windows Installation CD to complete this task.
To install the Adaptec RAID controller driver while installing Windows:
1. Insert your Windows CD, then restart the computer.
2. Follow the on-screen instructions to begin the Windows installation.
3. When prompted to specify a location for Windows, select Load Driver.
4. Insert the Adaptec Installation DVD, browse to the driver location, then click OK.
The 64-Bit driver is located within the AMD64 folder.
5. When the Adaptec driver is found, press Next.
You may see the message ‘No drives were found’. Repeat Step 3, Step 4 (browse to driver location),
and Step 5. On the second attempt, the driver will load successfully.
6. Click Next again to accept the default partition configuration, or refer to your Windows documentation
to configure partitions manually.
7. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.
8. Continue with Managing Your Storage Space on page 54.

Installing with Red Hat Linux 5 or Cent OS 5

Note: You will need the installation CD for your operating system to complete this
task.
To install the Adaptec RAID controller driver while installing Red Hat Linux 5 or Cent OS 5:
1. Insert your installation CD.
2. Restart your computer.
3. When the first installation screen appears, insert the USB driver disk.
4. Type this command at the Boot: prompt and press Enter:

linux dd

5. Select Yes to indicate that you have a driver disk, then select the driver image from the USB drive
(typically, /dev/sda1).
6. Complete the Linux installation, following the on-screen instructions.
7. Continue with Managing Your Storage Space on page 54.

Installing with Red Hat Linux 6, Cent OS 6, or Fedora Linux

Follow the instructions in this section to install the controller driver with Red Hat Linux 6, Cent OS 6, or
Fedora Linux. We recommend that you install the driver with Dynamic Kernel Module Support, or DKMS.
DKMS ensures that the driver remains installed across OS or online updates. The DKMS instructions are
valid for Red Hat 6 and Cent OS 6 only.

Red Hat Linux 6, Cent OS 6 with Dynamic Kernel Module Support

Note: You will need your OS installation CD and a USB flash drive to complete this
task. You must have root privileges to install the driver image.
To install the Adaptec RAID controller driver while installing Red Hat 6 or Cent OS 6:
1. Copy aacraid-1.2.1.29900-dd.img and aacraid.conf from the Linux driver directory on the
Adaptec Installation DVD to a USB flash drive. Remove the USB drive when you are finished.
2. Insert the OS installation CD, then restart your computer.
3. When the graphical Welcome screen appears, press Tab, then insert the USB driver disk.

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4. Make sure that "Install a new system or upgrade an existing system" is highlighted, then, at the end
of the "vmlinuz initrd=initrd.img" line press Space, type the following command, and press Enter:

linux dd

5. Select Yes to indicate that you have a driver disk, then select the driver image from the USB drive
(typically, /dev/sda1).
6. Complete the Linux installation, following the on-screen instructions, then reboot.
7. Assuming the USB driver disk is /dev/sda1, type the following commands to ensure that the driver
remains installed when you update the OS:

mount /dev/sda1 /mnt

cp /mnt/aacraid.conf /etc/depmod.d/aacraid.conf

8. Continue with Managing Your Storage Space on page 54.

Red Hat Linux 6, Cent OS 6, Fedora Linux without Dynamic Kernel Module Support
Note: You will need the Installation CD for your operating system to complete this
task. You must have root privileges to install the driver image.
To install the Adaptec RAID controller driver while installing Red Hat 6, Cent OS 6, or Fedora Linux:
1. Insert your installation CD.
2. Restart your computer.
3. When the Welcome screen appears, press Enter at the boot prompt, type CTRL+ALT+F2 to switch
to the shell, then continue the installation by selecting your language and keyboard.
4. Insert the USB driver disk.
5. Assuming the USB drive is assigned to /dev/sda1, type the following commands to load the
controller driver:

mkdir /mnt2 /AACRAID

mount /dev/sda1 /mnt2
cp -r /mnt2/* /AACRAID
umount /mnt2
cd /AACRAID
sh ./fc-pre-install.sh

6. Press ALT+F6 to switch back to the installation screen, then click Next.
7. Follow the on-screen prompts to continue the installation. When prompted to reboot the system,
press CTRL+ALT+F2 to switch to the console. Do not reboot before completing Step 8!
8. Type the following commands to complete the driver installation:

mkdir /mnt/sysimage/tmp/AACRAID
cp -r /AACRAID/* /mnt/sysimage/tmp/AACRAID
chroot /mnt/sysimage/
cd /tmp/AACRAID
sh ./fc-post-install.sh
exit

9. Press ALT+F6 to switch back to the installation screen, finish the installation, then reboot.
10. Continue with Managing Your Storage Space on page 54.

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Installing with SuSE Linux Enterprise Server

To install the Adaptec RAID controller driver while installing SuSE Linux:
1. Insert the first SuSE Installation CD.
2. Restart your computer.
3. When the SuSE installation selection screen appears, choose the type of installation you want, press
the F6 key, then select Yes to indicate that you have a driver disk. (If F6 is not shown on the screen,
you may have an older version of SuSE; press the Alt key instead.)
4. Insert the USB driver disk.
5. Type this command on the 'Boot Options' line and press Enter:

linux dd

6. When prompted to "Please choose the Driver Update medium," highlight the USB partition, then
select OK.
If the "choose Driver Update medium" screen is displayed again, assume that the driver was accepted
and select Back.
7. Follow the prompts to continue the installation.
Note: For SuSE Linux 11, switch to the console by typing CTRL+ALT+F2 when the
installation is between 50%-90% complete, type this command:
cp -a /update/install /mnt/tmp

...then press CTRL+ALT+F7 to return to the installation screen and complete the
installation as usual.

8. Complete the installation, following the on-screen instructions.

9. Continue with Managing Your Storage Space on page 54.

Installing with Debian Linux

Note: You will need your Debian Installation CD to complete this task. You must have
root privileges to install the driver image.
To install the Adaptec RAID controller driver while installing Debian Linux:
1. Insert the Debian Installation CD, then restart your computer.
2. When the Welcome screen appears, select Graphical Install. Continue the installation until you see
the "Configure Network" screen, then type CTRL+ALT+F2 to switch to the console.
3. Insert the USB driver disk, then type the following command to scan for the device:
fdisk -l
4. Assuming the USB drive is assigned to /dev/sda1, type the following commands to begin loading
the driver:

mkdir /AACRAID
mount /dev/sda1 /mnt
cp -R /mnt/* /AACRAID
umount /mnt

Note: The following steps assume you are installing Debian 6 using kernel 2.6.32-5.

5. Copy the driver file to the /lib/modules directory:

Debian 32-bit:

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cp -f /AACRAID/aacraid.ko-PRE_MOD
/lib/modules/2.6.32-5-486/kernel/drivers/scsi/aacraid/aacraid.ko

Debian 64-bit:
cp -f /AACRAID/aacraid.ko
/lib/modules/2.6.32-5-amd64/kernel/drivers/scsi/aacraid/aacraid.ko
6. Remove the USB drive.
7. Install the loadable module:
Debian 32-bit:
insmod /lib/modules/2.6.32-5-486/kernel/drivers/scsi/aacraid/aacraid.ko

Debian 64-bit:
insmod /lib/modules/2.6.32-5-amd64/kernel/drivers/scsi/aacraid/aacraid.ko
8. Press CTRL+ALT+F5 to switch back to the installation screen, then follow the on-screen prompts
to continue the installation.
Note: Do not press Continue at the end of the installation until you complete Step
9!

9. When prompted to reboot the system, press CTRL+ALT+F2 to switch to the console.
10. Type the following commands to complete the driver installation:
Debian 32-bit:

cp -f /AACRAID/aacraid.ko-POST_MOD
/target/lib/modules/2.6.32-5-486/kernel/drivers/scsi/aacraid/aacraid.ko
chroot /target
/sbin/depmod -a 2.6.32-5-486
update-initramfs -u -v
exit

Debian 64-bit:

cp -f /AACRAID/aacraid.ko
/target/lib/modules/2.6.32-5-amd64/kernel/drivers/scsi/aacraid/aacraid.ko
chroot /target
/sbin/depmod -a 2.6.32-5-amd64
update-initramfs -u -v
exit

11. Press CTRL+ALT+F5 to switch back to the installation screen, then reboot.
12. Continue with Managing Your Storage Space on page 54.

Installing with Ubuntu Linux

Note: You will need your Ubuntu Installation CD to complete this task. You must have
root privileges to install the driver image.
To install the Adaptec RAID controller driver while installing Ubuntu Linux:
1. Insert the Ubuntu Installation CD, then restart your computer.
2. When the installation menu appears, select Install Ubuntu Server. Continue the installation until
the "Configure Network" screen appears, then type CTRL+ALT+F2 to switch to the console.
3. Insert the USB driver disk, then type the following command to scan for the device:
fdisk -l

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4. Assuming the USB drive is assigned to /dev/sda1, type the following commands to begin loading
the driver:
mkdir /AACRAID
mount /dev/sda1 /mnt
cp -R /mnt/* /AACRAID
umount /mnt

Note: The following steps assume you are installing Ubuntu 10 or 11, using kernel
2.6.32-28. For Ubuntu 12 or higher, the driver files aacraid.ko-PRE_MOD and
aacraid.ko-POST_MOD are both replaced by the single file aacraid.ko.

5. Copy the driver file to the /lib/modules directory:

cp -f /AACRAID/aacraid.ko-PRE_MOD
/lib/modules/2.6.32-28-generic/kernel/drivers/scsi/aacraid/aacraid.ko

6. Remove the USB drive.

7. Install the loadable module:
insmod /lib/modules/2.6.32-28-generic/kernel/drivers/scsi/aacraid/aacraid.ko
8. Press CTRL+ALT+F1 to switch back to the installation screen, then follow the on-screen prompts
to continue the installation.
Note: Do not press Continue at the end of the installation until you complete Step
9!

9. When prompted to reboot the system, press CTRL+ALT+F2 to switch to the console.
10. Type the following commands to complete the driver installation:
Ubuntu 32-bit:

cp -f /AACRAID/aacraid.ko-POST_MOD
/target/lib/modules/2.6.32-28-generic-pae/kernel/drivers/scsi/aacraid/aacraid.ko
chroot /target
/sbin/depmod -a 2.6.32-28-generic-pae
update-initramfs -u -v
exit

Ubuntu 64-bit:

cp -f /AACRAID/aacraid.ko-POST_MOD
/target/lib/modules/2.6.32-28-server/kernel/drivers/scsi/aacraid/aacraid.ko
chroot /target /sbin/depmod -a 2.6.32-28-server
update-initramfs -u -v
exit

11. Press CTRL+ALT+F1 to switch back to the installation screen, then reboot.
12. Continue with Managing Your Storage Space on page 54.

Installing with Solaris

Note: This task is not necessary if you are installing Solaris 10 Update 2 or later.
Instead, you can choose to install Solaris using the in-box driver and update it either
during or after the installation is complete, if required.
Note: If necessary, you can create a driver disk by burning a CD with the
aac_solaris-x86.iso file, available on the Adaptec Installation DVD.
To install the Adaptec RAID controller driver while installing Solaris:
1. Start your computer.

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2. Interrupt the autoboot, press the ESC key. The Device Configuration Assistant (DCA) Utility will open.
3. Select Apply driver updates.
4. Insert the driver disk or other update media, then press Return.
5. Complete the Solaris installation, following the instructions included with your operating system.

Installing with FreeBSD

Note: You will need your FreeBSD Installation CD to complete this task.
To install the Adaptec RAID controller driver while installing FreeBSD:
1. Insert the FreeBSD Installation CD.
2. Insert the USB driver disk.
3. Restart your computer. (Be sure to boot from the installation CD!)
4. When the FreeBSD start screen opens, select 2 for 'Escape to Loader Prompt'.
5. Type: load kernel
6. Type this command to locate the USB drive: lsdev
7. Assuming the USB drive is disk2s1, type this command:
load disk2s1:aacu.ko
8. Type this command: boot
9. Complete the FreeBSD installation, as usual. When finished, remove the installation CD, but not the
USB driver disk, then reboot.
Note: Be sure the system is configured to boot from the controller's bootable
array, not the USB drive!

10. To ensure that the driver is loaded automatically as a module at boot time, repeat Steps 4-7, then
complete the steps below.
11. Type this command to boot to the kernel: boot
12. Login as root, then type:
dmesg
13. Assuming the USB drive is da1s1, type this command to mount the drive:
mount -t msdosfs /dev/da1s1 /mnt
14. Install the driver package:
pkg_add /mnt/aac9x-amd64.tgz
Note: The distribution also includes driver packages for FreeBSD 8.

15. Reboot the computer.

Installing with VMware ESX 4.1

Note: You will need your VMware Installation CD to complete this task. You must
have root privileges to create and install the driver image.
To install the Adaptec RAID controller driver while installing VMware ESX 4.1:
1. Insert the VMware Installation CD.
2. Restart your computer.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to begin the VMware installation.
4. Select Yes to install a custom driver, then click Add.

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5. Insert the CD containing the driver, then click OK.

6. Select the driver from the displayed list, click OK, then follow the on-screen instructions to load the
driver.
7. Complete the VMware installation, following the on-screen instructions.
8. Reboot your computer, then remove the VMware Installation CD.
Note: You may see a warning that the controller driver is not certified by VMware
(no signature attached). You can ignore this message.

Installing with VMware ESXi 5.0

Note: You will need a writable CD to complete this task. You must have administrator
privileges to create the driver disk and install the driver image.
To install the Adaptec RAID controller driver with VMware ESXi 5.0, you must create a custom boot
image using the VMware Image Builder tool. The VMware Image Builder is distributed as a snap-in
component for vSphere PowerCLI, a command-line and scripting tool from VMware based on Microsoft
PowerShell.
You can download PowerCLI from the VMware Download Center at www.vmware.com/downloads. To
perform the installation, you will also need to download the VMware ESXi5.0 Standard Software Depot
from the VMware Download Center.
Note: In the following instructions, perform Steps 1-7 on the Windows machine used
to build the custom boot image, and Steps 8-11 on the machine where you want to
install the custom image. Be sure to install the prerequisite software first, including
Powershell and Microsoft .NET 2.0, before you install PowerCLI or create the custom
boot image.
To install the Adaptec RAID controller driver while installing VMware ESXi 5.0:
1. Download Microsoft PowerShell and Microsoft .NET 2.0 (if not installed on your machine already)
and install on your Windows build machine. You can download PowerShell and Microsoft .NET from
the Microsoft Download Center at www.microsoft.com/download.
Note: PowerShell is preinstalled on many Windows systems, including Windows
Server 2008, Windows 7, and Windows 8.

2. Download and install vSphere PowerCLI on your Windows build machine. You can download PowerCLI
from the VMware Download Center at www.vmware.com/downloads (for example,
VMware-PowerCLI-5.0.0-374833.exe).
3. Run PowerShell as Administrator, then set the execution policy to Remote Signed:
# Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned
4. Download the VMware ESXi5.0 Standard Software Depot (for example,
vmware-ESXi-5.0.0-469512-depot.zip) and store in a temporary location on your Windows
build machine. You can download the software depot from the VMware Download Center at
www.vmware.com/downloads. When you start the download, be sure to choose “ESXi Offline
Bundle”.
Note: You may need to provide account credentials to download the software
depot from the VMware Web site.

5. Insert the Adaptec Installation DVD, navigate to the Linux driver folder, then copy the Adaptec
AACRAID driver binary to a temporary location on the Windows build machine:
Options Description
ESXi 5.0 aacraid-esxi5.0-1.2.1.xxxxx.zip
where xxxxx is the build number.
After you copy the file, remove the Adaptec Installation DVD.

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6. Launch vSphere PowerCLI, then follow the steps below to create the custom boot image:
a) At the PowerCLI prompt, add the VMware Image Builder snap-in by running the following cmdlet:
# Add-PSSnapIn VMware.ImageBuilder
Note: You will see a message if the Image Builder snap-in is already installed.
You can ignore this message.
Note: Continue using PowerCLI in Steps 6.b through 6.j.

b) Add the VMware ESXi 5.0 Software Depots:

# Add-EsxSoftwareDepot
C:\ESXi5.0-PMC-CustomISO\vmware-ESXi-5.0.0-469512-depot.zip

where C:\ESXi5.0-PMC-CustomISO is the temporary folder on your build machine where the
software depot is stored.
c) Add the AACRAID driver binary as a software depot (where xxxxx is the build number):
# Add-EsxSoftwareDepot
C:\ESXi5.0-PMC-CustomISO\aacraid-esxi5.0-1.1.7.xxxxx.zip

where C:\ESXi5.0-PMC-CustomISO is the temporary folder on your build machine where the
software depot is stored.
d) Verify that the software depots are added:
# $DefaultSoftwareDepots
e) List ESX Image Profiles:
# Get-EsxImageProfile
You should see a display like this:

ESXi-5.0.0-469512-no-tools
ESXi-5.0.0-469512-standard

f) Create a copy of the standard image profile, using the -CloneProfile option:
# New-EsxImageProfile -CloneProfile ESXi-5.0.0-469512-standard -Name
"ESXi 5.0 Adaptec Series 7"
g) Change the vendor and acceptance level of the new image profile:
# Set-EsxImageProfile -ImageProfile "ESXi 5.0 Adaptec Series 7" -vendor
PMC-Sierra -AcceptanceLevel VMwareCertified
h) Check if the new driver package is available:
# Get-EsxSoftwarePackage
You should see a line like this:

scsi-aacraid 5.0.5.2.1.29900-1 Adaptec_Inc 8/24/201...

i) Add the scsi-aacraid software package to the new image profile:

# Add-EsxSoftwarePackage -ImageProfile "ESXi 5.0 Adaptec Series 7"
-SoftwarePackage scsi-aacraid
j) Export the custom ISO image:

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# Export-EsxImageProfile -ImageProfile "ESXi 5.0 Adaptec Series 7"

-FilePath C:\ESXi5.0-PMC-CustomISO\ESXi5.0-PMC-Sierra-Series-7.iso
-NoSignatureCheck -ExportToISO

where -FilePath specifies the path to the custom iso image.

7. Burn the custom ISO image to a writable CD.

Note: Use whatever tool you prefer to burn the CD, such as an interactive
(GUI-based) tool or a command line tool.
Remove the CD after you finish burning the image.
8. On the VMware ESXi machine, insert the custom boot CD, then restart your computer.
9. Follow the on-screen instructions to begin the VMware installation.
10. Complete the VMware installation, following the on-screen instructions.
11. Remove the custom boot CD, then reboot your computer.

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8 Installing the Driver on an Existing Operating System

This chapter explains how to install your Adaptec RAID controller driver on an existing operating system.
Note: To install the driver while you're installing an operating system, see Installing
the Driver and an Operating System on page 39.

Before You Begin

Before you begin, install and connect your Adaptec RAID controller and internal disk drives (see Installing
the Controller and Disk Drives on page 27).
You must also create a driver disk before you begin installing the controller driver.
Note: For up-to-date operating system version support, visit the Adaptec Web Site
at www.adaptec.com. From the main menu select Support>Knowledgebase>Find
Answers. Select your controller type and OS support to generate a list of supported
operating systems and to download the latest drivers.

Creating a Driver Disk

This section describes how to create a driver disk for operating systems that require one. You will need
a USB flash drive to complete this task.
• Windows operating systems do not require a driver disk; see Installing on Windows on page 50.
• For Debian Linux, the driver is loaded directly from the OS installation DVD; see Installing on Debian
Linux on page 51.
• For FreeBSD and VMware, you must copy the driver from the installation DVD and install it from the
local system; see Installing on FreeBSD on page 52 and Installing on VMware on page 53.
• For all other OSs, create the driver disk using the Create Diskette menu on the Adaptec Installation
DVD.
To create a driver disk using the Create Diskette menu:
1. Set your system BIOS so that your computer boots from the DVD drive.
2. Turn on your computer, then insert the Adaptec Installation DVD.
3. Click Create Diskette, then select your operating system and version.
4. When prompted, insert a USB flash drive, then click OK.
The system creates the driver disk on the USB drive.
5. Remove and label the driver disk.
6. Continue with the instructions for your operating system:
• For Red Hat, Cent OS, SuSE, or Fedora Linux, see Installing on Red Hat, Cent OS, SuSE, or Fedora
Linux on page 51.
• For Ubuntu Linux, see Installing on Ubuntu Linux on page 51.
• For Solaris, see Installing on Solaris on page 52.

Installing on Windows
Note: The following instructions apply to all supported Windows operating systems.
To install the driver on Windows:
1. Start or restart Windows.
The Found New Hardware Wizard opens and searches for the driver.
2. Insert the driver disk, then select Locate and Install Driver Software.... and Don't Search Online.
3. Click Next, then click Close.
4. When the installation is complete, remove the driver disk and restart your computer.
5. Continue with Managing Your Storage Space on page 54.

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Installing on Red Hat, Cent OS, SuSE, or Fedora Linux

To install the driver on Red Hat Linux, Cent OS, SuSE Linux, or Fedora Linux:
1. Insert and mount the Adaptec Installation DVD:
Options Description
Red Hat, Cent OS: mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
SuSE: mount /dev/cdrom /media/cdrom
Fedora: mount /dev/hdc /mnt/cdrom
2. Install the module RPM:
rpm -ivh mount-point/xxx/yyy.rpm

where mount-point is the mount point on the Linux system, xxx is the driver path, and yyy.rpm is
the rpm file.
3. Reboot your computer to ensure the driver loaded correctly.
4. Continue with Managing Your Storage Space on page 54.

Installing on Debian Linux

Note: You must have root privileges to install the driver image. For Debian Linux, the
su command is sufficient.
To install the driver on Debian Linux:
1. Insert and mount the Debian Installation DVD:
mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
2. Load the Debian unpacking tools:
apt-get install build-essential
3. Install the DEB driver package (where xxxxx is the build number):
dpkg -i aacraid-1.2.1-xxxxx-Debian6.0-all.deb
4. Reboot your computer to ensure the driver loaded correctly.
5. Continue with Managing Your Storage Space on page 54.

Installing on Ubuntu Linux

Note: For driver installation on Ubuntu Linux, you may need to create the root account
and password. Enter these commands: sudo bash; sudo passwd root. You
must have root privileges to install the driver image.
To install the driver on Ubuntu Linux:
1. Update the Ubuntu package index:
sudo apt-get update
2. Load the Ubuntu unpacking tools:
sudo apt-get install build-essential
3. Install the DEB driver package (where xxxxx is the build number):
Ubuntu 10.x:

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sudo dpkg -i aacraid-1.2.1-xxxxx-Debian+Ubuntu-all.deb

Ubuntu 11.x and Ubuntu 12.x:

sudo dpkg -i aacraid-1.2.1-xxxxx-Ubuntu11.04+11.10+12.04-all.deb
4. Reboot your computer to ensure the driver loaded correctly.
5. Continue with Managing Your Storage Space on page 54.

Installing on Solaris
To install the driver on Solaris:
1. Start your computer.
2. (Solaris 10 only) Check for any pre-existing Adaptec driver by running pkginfo SUNWaac in a
terminal window . If there is no pre-existing Adaptec driver on your computer, continue with Step
3. If an Adaptec driver is already installed on your computer, run pkgrm SUNWaac to remove it.
Caution: If your operating system currently boots from the Adaptec controller,
do not reset your computer after you remove the pre-existing Adaptec driver.
Instead, follow the steps in this section to install a new driver before rebooting
your computer.

3. Insert and mount the driver disk:

volcheck
4. Change to the driver installer directory:
Solaris 10:
cd /rmdisk/aacraid/DU/sol_210/i86pc/Tools

Solaris 11:
cd /rmdisk/aacraid/DU/sol_211/i86pc/Tools
5. Start the driver installer:
./install.sh -i
6. Remove the driver disk, then reboot your computer.
7. Continue with Managing Your Storage Space on page 54.

Installing on FreeBSD
To install the driver on FreeBSD:
1. Start your computer.
2. Insert and mount the driver disk:
mount -t msdos /dev/fd1 /mnt
3. Copy the driver package to the /tmp directory:
cp /mnt/aac8x-i386.tgz /tmp
4. Install the driver package:
pkg_add /tmp/aac8x-i386.tgz
5. Remove the driver disk, then reboot your computer.
6. Continue with Managing Your Storage Space on page 54.

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Installing on VMware
Note: You must remove the old driver before you can install the new one. You must
have root privilege to install the new driver.
Note: To copy the driver VIB file to the VMware ESX/ESXi server (in Step 2 below),
you must have access to a remote copy utility, such as WinSCP, putty, or Linux scp.
To install the driver on VMware:
1. At the VMware console screen, type these commands to remove the old driver:
VMware ESX 4.1:

esxupdate query --vib-view | grep -i aacraid (list driver packages)

esxupdate -b <vibID> --maintenancemode remove (remove package)

where vibID is the full name of the driver package.

Note: For VMware 4.0 or earlier, use the rpm -e command to remove the driver.

VMware ESXi 5.0:

esxcli software vib list | grep -i aacraid (list driver packages)

esxcli software vib remove --vibname=scsi-aacraid --maintenance-mode (remove
package)

2. Using a remote copy utility, copy the driver VIB file for your operating system version from the Linux
driver folder on the installation DVD to a local directory on the ESX server. This example uses Linux
scp to copy the driver to /tmp/aacraid (where xxxxx is the build number):
VMware ESX 4.1:
scp
/mnt/cdrom/linux/driver/vmware-esx-drivers-scsi-aacraid-400.4.2.1.xxxxx-1.0.4.260247.x86_64.vib
root@<esx-server-ip>:/tmp/aacraid

VMware ESXi 5.0:

scp
/mnt/cdrom/linux/driver/vmware-esxi-drivers-scsi-aacraid-500.5.2.1.xxxxx.-1.0.5.472560.x86_64.vib
root@<esx-server-ip>:/tmp/aacraid
Note: Due to file name limits on the installation DVD, the “_64.vib” portion of the
file name may be truncated and not visible.

3. Install the VIB module (where xxxxx is the build number):

VMware ESX 4.1:
esxupdate -b
/tmp/aacraid/vmware-esx-drivers-scsi-aacraid-400.4.2.1.xxxxx-1.0.4.260247.x86_64.vib
--nodeps --nosigcheck --maintenancemode update

VMware ESXi 5.0:

esxcli software vib install -f -v
file:/tmp/aacraid/vmware-esxi-drivers-scsi-aacraid-500.5.2.1.xxxxx.-1.0.5.472560.x86_64.vib
4. Reboot your computer.

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9 Managing Your Storage Space

Once you have installed your Adaptec RAID controller, disk drives (or other devices), and device driver,
you can begin to build and manage your storage space.
This chapter introduces maxView Storage Manager, and describes the other utilities included with your
Adaptec RAID controller.

About maxView Storage Manager

maxView Storage Manager is a browser-based software application that helps you build a storage space
for your online data, using Adaptec RAID controllers and disk drives.
With maxView Storage Manager, you can group disk drives into logical drives and build in redundancy
to protect your data and improve system performance.
From a single workstation, you can use maxView Storage Manager to monitor and manage all the
controllers and disk drives in your storage space.
When maxView Storage Manager is installed on a computer, the maxView Storage Manager Agent (and
other related services) is also installed automatically. The Agent is designed to run in the background,
without user intervention. Its job is to monitor system health, manage event notifications, task schedules,
and other on-going processes on a system. It sends notices when tasks are completed successfully, and
notifies you when errors or failures occur on that system.
If your storage space includes systems that won't be connected to monitors (and therefore won't require
the graphical user interface), you can choose to run the Agent only on those systems instead of the full
application. For more information, refer to the maxView Storage Manager User’s Guide on the Adaptec
Installation DVD.

Installing maxView Storage Manager

maxView Storage Manager is included on the Adaptec Installation DVD. For installation instructions,
refer to the maxView Storage Manager User’s Guide, in the books folder on the installation DVD.

About the Adaptec RAID Controller Configuration Utility

The Adaptec RAID Controller Configuration (ARCCONF) is a command line utility that you can use to
perform basic array and configuration management functions.
With ARCCONF, you can:
• Create and delete logical drives
• Modify and copy configuration settings
• Recover from disk drive failures and troubleshoot your system
ARCCONF is described in the Adaptec RAID Controller Command Line Utility User’s Guide, which is
included on the Adaptec Installation DVD.

About the Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility

The Adaptec RAID Configuration (ARC) utility is a BIOS-based utility that you can use to create and
manage controllers, disk drives and other devices, and arrays. The ARC utility comprises these tools:
• Logical Device Configuration—For creating and managing arrays, and initializing and rescanning disk
drives.
• Controller Settings—For modifying your controller and disk drive settings.
• Disk Utilities—For formatting or verifying disk drives.
The ARC utility is included in your controller's BIOS. For more information, see Using the Adaptec RAID
Configuration Utility on page 71.

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Note: The ARC utility is primarily intended for pre-operating system installation
configuration.

About the Adaptec Flash Utility

The Adaptec Flash Utility (AFU) is a text-based DOS utility that you can use to update, save, or verify
your RAID controller's firmware.
Caution: Although the AFU contains safeguards to prevent you from accidentally
damaging your RAID controller's flash contents, it is still important to use the AFU
carefully and correctly to avoid rendering your RAID controller inoperable. We
recommend that only advanced users familiar with working in DOS use the AFU. You
can also use maxView Storage Manager to update the controller firmware. See the
maxView Storage Manager User’s Guide for more information.

Which Utility Should I Use?

To create a bootable array, we recommend that you use the BIOS-based ARC utility (See Using the
Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility on page 71).
For subsequent storage management tasks on most supported operating systems, including VMware
Guest OSs, we recommend that you install and use maxView Storage Manager (see About maxView
Storage Manager on page 54). As a full-featured software application with a graphical user interface,
it is the easiest to use and offers the widest range of management functions. For operating systems
that do not support the maxView Storage Manager GUI, such as FreeBSD, use the ARCCONF command
line utility to configure and manage arrays.

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10 Solving Problems
This chapter provides basic troubleshooting information and solutions for solving controller problems.

Troubleshooting Checklist
If you encounter difficulties installing or using your Adaptec RAID controller, check these items first:
• With your computer powered off, check the connections to each disk drive, power supply, LED
connector, and so on.
Try disconnecting and reconnecting disk drives from the Adaptec RAID controller.
• Check that your Adaptec RAID controller is installed in a compatible PCIe expansion slot. To
double-check the bus compatibility of your controller, see About Your RAID Controller on page 16.
• Ensure that your Adaptec RAID controller is firmly seated and secured in the PCIe expansion slot.
• If your Adaptec RAID controller is not detected during system boot, try installing it in a different
compatible expansion slot. (See Installing the Controller on page 27 for instructions.)
• Did the driver install correctly?
• If you have external disk drives (or other devices), are they powered on?
• Check the Readme on the installation DVD for compatibility issues and known problems.
If you are still unable to resolve a problem, you can find additional troubleshooting information and
direction on the Adaptec Web site at www.adaptec.com or the Support Knowledgebase at
ask.adaptec.com.

Monitoring Disk Drives Status

You can use the ‘blink’ feature in maxView Storage Manager to monitor the status of your SAS and SATA
disk drives. When you blink a specific disk drive or set of disk drives, the LED(s) on the selected disk
drives flash.
This table describes the LED flash states.
Controller Device State Slot State LED Flash State

Failed Device is faulty On

Rebuilding Device is rebuilding Slow flash

Blink Identify the device Fast flash

Other No error Off

For more information about using maxView Storage Manager to monitor your disk drives, refer to the
maxView Storage Manager User’s Guide or the online Help.

Silencing the Alarm

If your Adaptec RAID controller includes an alarm, the alarm will sound when an error occurs. To silence
the alarm, use maxView Storage Manager (see Managing Your Storage Space on page 54.) OR the ARC
utility (see Modifying Your Controller’s Configuration on page 75.)

Recovering from a Disk Drive Failure

This section explains how to recover when a disk drive or SSD fails:
• If the array was protected by a hot spare, see Failed Disk Drive Protected by a Hot Spare on page
57.
• If the array was not protected by a hot spare, see Failed Disk Drive Not Protected by a Hot Spare on
page 57.
• If there is a disk drive failure in more than one array simultaneously, see Failure in Multiple Arrays
Simultaneously on page 57.

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• If it is a RAID 0 array, see Disk Drive Failure in a RAID 0 Array on page 57.
• If multiple disk drives fail within the same array, see Multiple Failures in the Same Array on page
57.
• If the drive is part of the maxCache Container, see Failed SSD in maxCache Container on page 58.
Note: maxView Storage Manager uses the term logical drives or logical devices when
referring to arrays (see Terminology Used in this Guide on page 13).

Failed Disk Drive Protected by a Hot Spare

When an array is protected by a hot spare, if a disk drive in that array fails the hot spare is automatically
incorporated into the array and takes over for the failed drive.
To recover from the failure:
1. Remove and replace the failed disk drive.
2. If copyback is not enabled—In maxView Storage Manager, remove the ‘hot spare’ designation from
the original hot spare (the disk drive that was built into the array). Then, designate a new hot spare
to protect the arrays on that controller.
If copyback is enabled—Data is automatically moved back to its original location once the controller
detects that the failed drive has been replaced. No action is required.

Failed Disk Drive Not Protected by a Hot Spare

When an array is not protected by a hot spare, if a disk drive in that array fails, remove and replace the
failed disk drive. The controller detects the new disk drive and begins to rebuild the array.
If the controller fails to rebuild the array, check that the cables, disk drives, and controllers are properly
installed and connected. Make sure that the new disk drive is equal or greater in size than the failed
disk drive. Then, if necessary, use maxView Storage Manager to rebuild the array. For instructions, refer
to the maxView Storage Manager User’s Guide or online Help.

Failure in Multiple Arrays Simultaneously

If there's a disk drive failure in more than one array at the same time (one failure per array), and the
arrays have hot spares protecting them, the controller rebuilds the arrays with these limitations:
• A hot spare must be of equal or greater size than the failed disk drive it's replacing.
• Failed disk drives are replaced with hot spares in the order in which they failed. (The array that
includes the disk drive that failed first is rebuilt first, assuming an appropriate hot spare is
available—see bullet above.)
If there are more disk drive failures than hot spares, see Failed Disk Drive Not Protected by a Hot Spare
on page 57.
If copyback is enabled, data is moved back to its original location once the controller detects that the
failed drive has been replaced.

Disk Drive Failure in a RAID 0 Array

Because RAID 0 volumes do not include redundancy, if a disk drive fails in a RAID 0 array, the data can’t
be recovered.
Correct the cause of the failure or replace the failed disk drives. Then, restore your data (if available).

Multiple Failures in the Same Array

Except in RAID 6 and RAID 60 arrays (see Understanding RAID on page 64), if more than one disk drive
fails at the same time in the same array, the data normally can't be recovered.
You may be able to recover the data by forcing the logical drive online or by recreating the logical drive
without the initialization step. You can use the BIOS utility, ARC (see About the Adaptec RAID Configuration
Utility on page 54), the command-line utility, ARCCONF, or maxView Storage Manager. For more
information, refer to the Adaptec RAID Controller Command Line Interface User’s Guide and the maxView
Storage Manager User's Guide.

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Note: In some instances, RAID 10 and RAID 50 arrays may survive multiple disk drive
failures, depending on which disk drives fail.

Failed SSD in maxCache Container

Because the maxCache Container is a redundant logical device, comprised of SSDs only, it is rebuilt
automatically when a failed SSD is replaced, just like an ordinary array. Once you identify the failed SSD,
for example, by using maxView Storage Manager's rapid fault isolation feature, replace it with a new
one (see Connecting Solid State Drives (SSDs) on page 32). The controller detects the new SSD and
begins rebuilding the maxCache Container.

Resetting the Controller

You may need to reset, or flash, your Adaptec RAID controller if it becomes inoperable or if a firmware
upgrade is unsuccessful. Adaptec RAID controllers support a reset protocol called HDA mode flash. For
information about HDA mode, see the Readme on the installation DVD or contact your support
representative. To locate the flash jumper on your RAID controller board, see the illustrations in About
Your RAID Controller on page 16.

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A Introduction to SAS
This section provides a basic overview of the main features of SAS, introduces some common SAS terms,
and explains how SAS differs from parallel SCSI.
Note: For technical articles and tutorials about SAS, refer to the SCSI Trade Association
(STA™) Web site at www.scsita.org.

Terminology Used in This Appendix

For convenience, SAS HBAs and SAS RAID controllers are referred to generically in this chapter as SAS
cards. HBAs, RAID controllers, disk drives, and external disk drive enclosures are referred to as end
devices and expanders are referred to as expander devices.
For convenience, this chapter refers to end devices and expander devices collectively as SAS devices.

What is SAS?
Legacy parallel SCSI is an interface that lets devices such as computers and disk drives communicate
with each other. Parallel SCSI moves multiple bits of data in parallel (at the same time), using the SCSI
command set.
SAS is an evolution of parallel SCSI to a point-to-point serial interface. SAS also uses the SCSI command
set, but moves multiple bits of data one at a time. SAS links end devices through direct-attach connections,
or through expander devices.
SAS cards can typically support up to 128 end devices and can communicate with both SAS and SATA
devices. (You can add 128 end devices—or even more—with the use of SAS expanders. See SAS Expander
Connections on page 62.)
Note: Although you can use both SAS and SATA disk drives in the same SAS domain
(see SAS Expander Connections on page 62), we recommend that you do not combine
SAS and SATA disk drives within the same array or logical drive. The difference in
performance between the two types of disk drives may adversely affect the
performance of the array.
Data can move in both directions simultaneously across a SAS connection (called a link—see How Do
SAS Devices Communicate? on page 59). Link speed is 300 MB/sec in half-duplex mode. Therefore, a
SAS card with eight links has a bandwidth of 2400 MB/sec.
Although they share the SCSI command set, SAS is conceptually different from parallel SCSI physically,
and has its own types of connectors, cables, connection options, and terminology, as described in the
rest of this chapter.
To compare SAS to parallel SCSI, see How is SAS Different from Parallel SCSI? on page 63.

How Do SAS Devices Communicate?

SAS devices communicate with each other through links. A link is a physical connection between two
phys.
As shown in the following figure, SAS devices contain ports (see What’s a SAS Port? on page 60), ports
contain phys, and each phy contains one transmitter and one receiver—one transceiver. A phy can
belong to one port only.

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SAS Device SAS Device

link
Narrow Receiver Transmitter Narrow
Phy Receiver
Phy
Port Transmitter Port

SAS Device Transmitter

Receiver
Phy
Wide
Receiver
Phy Transmitter Transmitter Port
Wide Phy
Receiver
Port Receiver
Phy Transmitter
SAS Device

Receiver Transmitter
Phy Transmitter Receiver
Phy

Receiver Transmitter
Phy Transmitter Receiver
Phy
Wide Wide
Port Receiver Transmitter Port
Phy Transmitter Receiver
Phy

Receiver Transmitter
Phy Transmitter Receiver
Phy

What’s a Phy?
Phys are part of the physical communication connection between SAS devices. Each phy contains a
transceiver that sends data back and forth between SAS devices.
When a connection is formed between two end devices, a link is established from a phy in one port to
a phy in the other port. As shown in the figure above, a wide port can support multiple independent
links simultaneously.
Phys are internal, within SAS connectors (see What’s a SAS Connector? on page 61).
SAS cables physically connect one or more phys on one SAS device to one or more phys on another SAS
device.

What’s a SAS Port?

Note: Because the physical link between SAS devices is from phy to phy, rather than
port to port, a “port” is more of a virtual concept, different from what is normally
considered a port on other types of RAID controllers and storage devices.
A port is one or more phys. A narrow port contains one phy. A wide port typically contains four phys.
Each port has its own unique SAS address (see How are Disk Drives Identified in SAS? on page 61), and
all the phys in a port share that same SAS address.
SAS card port options vary. A SAS card with four phys could be configured with one wide port, with two
wide ports that comprise two phys, or with four narrow ports each containing one phy. (A wide port
with four phys is referred to as a 4-wide or 4x port.)

What’s a SAS Address?

Each SAS port is identified with a unique SAS address, which is shared by all phys on that port.
For example, a SAS disk drive might have two narrow ports. Each port has one unique SAS address. The
single phy in each port uses its port’s SAS address.
In another example, a SAS device might have one 4-wide port. That port has one SAS address, which is
shared by all four phys in the port.
Unlike SCSI devices and SCSI IDs, SAS devices self-configure their SAS addresses. User intervention is
not required to set SAS addresses, and SAS addresses cannot be modified.

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What’s a SAS Connector?

A SAS or mini-SAS connector is the physical plug or receptacle that you see on a SAS device. It’s what
you plug a SAS cable into, or the end of the SAS cable that’s being plugged in. (See Cables on page 23.)
A connector is what forms physical links between phys. Some SAS connectors can support multiple links.
The number of links a SAS connector can support is referred to as its width. Narrow connectors support
a single link; wide connectors supports more than 1 link.
A single SAS device may have one or more connectors. A single SAS connector may help form links
between more than two SAS devices. (For instance, as shown in the figure in Connecting Drives Directly
to the Controller on page 32, the 4-wide internal SAS connector forms links with four independent disk
drives.)

What do SAS Cables Look Like?

Internal standard SAS cables are narrower than internal parallel SCSI cables. The connectors vary in size
depending on the number of links they support, from single link connectors to 4-wide (or larger)
connectors. Internal fan-out cables let you attach four disk drives to a single 4-wide connector.
Mini-SAS connectors support both internal and external SAS connections. The mini-SAS connectors are
smaller than the standard SAS internal and external connectors. Mini-SAS connectors support single
and multilinks with the ability to scale to future speed needs.
For examples of some internal SAS/mini-SAS cables and an external SAS/mini-SAS cables, see Cables on
page 23.

How are Disk Drives Identified in SAS?

In the BIOS and in the management utilities (see Identifying Disk Drives on page 77), disk drives are
identified in the following formats:
• CNX:DevY = Device Y is attached to Connector X (see Direct-attach Connections on page 61 for more
information)
• BoxX:SlotX = Enclosure X is attached to a disk drive in Slot X (see Backplane Connections on page
62 for more information)
• ExpX:PhyX = Expander X is attached to Phy X (see SAS Expander Connections on page 62 for more
information)
where X is the count number.
Note: Devices other than disk drives (CDROM, tape drives, etc...) are listed in order
after your system disk drives.
In parallel SCSI, XX is the disk drive’s channel number, YY is the target number, and ZZ is the logical unit
number (LUN).

What are the SAS Connection Options?

You can connect end devices to each other through direct cable connections and through backplane
connections. When you use one or more expander devices (see SAS Expander Connections on page 62),
you can create large configurations.

Direct-attach Connections
In a direct-attach connection, SAS or SATA disk drives are connected directly to a SAS card with SAS or
mini-SAS cables. One disk drive is attached to one SAS/mini-SAS connector with one SAS/mini-SAS cable
(or multiple disk drives are attached to one SAS/mini-SAS connector with one fan-out cable). The figure
in Connecting Drives Directly to the Controller on page 32 shows an example of direct-attach connections.

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The number of direct-attached disk drives is limited to the number of phys supported by the SAS card.
(Note that there may be multiple phys within a single connector. See SAS Expander Connections on page
62.)

Backplane Connections
In a backplane connection, disk drives and SAS cards are attached to and communicate with each other
through a system backplane.
There are two types of backplane connections, passive and active. When connecting to either backplane,
it’s important to properly connect your disk drive LEDs in order to identify disk drive conditions. See
About Your RAID Controller on page 16 for your RAID controller Activity LED connections and locations.
Once you have connected to a backplane, use maxView Storage Manager to manage your disk drives.
For more information, refer to the maxView Storage Manager User’s Guide on the Adaptec Installation
DVD.
The number of end devices is limited to the number of slots available on the backplane. For example,
the Adaptec S50 enclosure, which contains an expander, is a backplane connection that supports up to
12 SAS or SATA disk drives.
Some backplanes support daisy-chain expansion to other backplanes. For example, you can daisy-chain
(connect one to the next) up to nine Adaptec S50 enclosures to a single SAS card in a host system.

SAS Expander Connections

A SAS expander device literally expands the number of end devices that you can connect together.
Expander devices, typically embedded into a system backplane (see Backplane Connections on page
62), support large configurations of SAS end devices, including SAS cards and SAS and SATA disk drives.
With expander devices, you can build large and complex storage topologies.
There are two types of SAS expanders: fanout expanders and edge expanders. Each performs a different
role in a storage system. (For more information about how SAS expanders work, refer to the STA Web
site at www.scsita.org.)
You can connect up to 128 SAS ports to an edge expander. (A single edge expander can therefore support
up to 128 SAS addresses.)
You can connect up to 128 edge expanders to a fanout expander.
You can use only one fanout expander in any single SAS domain (a topology of SAS—and possibly
SATA—end devices and expander devices). A single SAS domain can therefore comprise up to 16,384
SAS ports (and therefore up to 16,384 SAS addresses including the fanout expander).
The next figure illustrates (in very basic terms) a SAS domain and shows how SAS cards, SAS and SATA
disk drives, and expander devices can fit together in a large data storage topology.

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How is SAS Different from Parallel SCSI?

In summary, although SAS and parallel SCSI both use the SCSI command set, how they move data from
one place to another is very different. To support point-to-point serial data transport, SAS introduces
new types of connectors, cables, connection options, and terminology.
Generally speaking, SAS is faster and more flexible than parallel SCSI, and provides more options for
building your storage space. SAS lets you mix SAS and SATA disk drives together, and lets you connect
many, many more devices.
This table describes many of the main differences between the two interfaces.
Parallel SCSI Serial Attached SCSI

Parallel interface Serial interface

Maximum speed 320 MB/sec shared by all devices Maximum speed 300 MB/sec per phy when in half-duplex
on the bus mode

Supports SCSI devices only Supports SATA and SAS disk drives simultaneously

Up to 16 devices per SCSI channel More than 100 disk drives per SAS card, using an expander
(see SAS Expander Connections on page 62) or 50 SATAII
disk drives.

Supports single-port devices only Supports single- and dual-port devices

Uses SCSI IDs to differentiate between devices Uses unique SAS addresses to differentiate between devices
connected to the same adapter

User intervention required to set SCSI IDs SAS addresses self-configured by SAS devices

Requires bus termination Requires no bus termination

Standard SCSI connectors SAS connectors (see Cables on page 23)

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B Understanding RAID
When you create arrays (or logical drives), you can assign a RAID level to protect your data.
Each RAID level offers a unique combination of performance and redundancy. RAID levels also vary by
the number of disk drives they support.
This appendix describes the RAID levels supported by your Adaptec RAID controller, and provides a basic
overview of each to help you select the best level of protection for your data storage.

Understanding Drive Segments

A drive segment is a disk drive or portion of a disk drive that is used to create an array. A disk drive can
include both RAID segments (segments that are part of an array) and available segments. Each segment
can be part of only one logical device at a time. If a disk drive is not part of any logical device, the entire
disk is an available segment.

Non-redundant Arrays (RAID 0)

An array with RAID 0 includes two or more disk drives and provides data striping, where data is distributed
evenly across the disk drives in equal-sized sections. However, RAID 0 arrays do not maintain redundant
data, so they offer no data protection.
Compared to an equal-sized group of independent disks, a RAID 0 array provides improved I/O
performance.
Drive segment size is limited to the size of the smallest disk drive in the array. For instance, an array
with two 250 GB disk drives and two 400 GB disk drives can create a RAID 0 drive segment of 250 GB,
for a total of 1000 GB for the volume, as shown in this figure.

Drive Segment Size

Disk Drive 1 250 GB
(Smallest Disk Drive)

Disk Drive 2 250 GB

Disk Drive 1 1 5 . . . 997

Disk Drive 2 2 6 . . . 998

Disk Drive 3 400 GB

Disk Drive 3 3 7 . . . 999

Unused Space = 150 GB

Disk Drive 4 4 8 . . . 1000

Disk Drive 4 400 GB
Unused Space = 150 GB

Disk Drives in Logical Drive RAID 0 Logical Drive = 1000 GB

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RAID 1 Arrays
A RAID 1 array is built from two disk drives, where one disk drive is a mirror of the other (the same data
is stored on each disk drive). Compared to independent disk drives, RAID 1 arrays provide improved
performance, with twice the read rate and an equal write rate of single disks. However, capacity is only
50 percent of independent disk drives.
If the RAID 1 array is built from different- sized disk drives, the free space, drive segment size is the size
of the smaller disk drive, as shown in this figure.

Drive Segment Size

(Smallest Disk Drive)

Disk Drive 1 250 GB

Disk Drive 1 1 – 250

Disk Drive 2 400 GB Disk Drive 2 1 – 250

Unused Space = 150 GB

Disk Drives in Logical Drive RAID 1 Logical Drive = 250 GB

RAID 1 Enhanced Arrays

A RAID 1 Enhanced (RAID 1E) array—also known as a striped mirror—is similar to a RAID 1 array except
that data is both mirrored and striped, and more disk drives can be included. A RAID 1E array can be
built from three or more disk drives.
In this example, the large bold numbers represent the striped data, and the smaller, non-bold numbers
represent the mirrored data stripes.

Disk Drive 1 400 GB

Disk Drive 1 3 6
Disk Drive 2 400 GB
Disk Drive 2 1 4

Disk Drive 3 400 GB Disk Drive 3 2 5

Disk Drives in Logical Drive RAID 1E Logical Drive = 600 GB

RAID 10 Arrays
A RAID 10 array is built from two or more equal-sized RAID 1 arrays. Data in a RAID 10 array is both
striped and mirrored. Mirroring provides data protection, and striping improves performance.

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Drive segment size is limited to the size of the smallest disk drive in the array. For instance, an array
with two 250 GB disk drives and two 400 GB disk drives can create two mirrored drive segments of 250
GB, for a total of 500 GB for the array, as shown in this figure.

Drive Segment Size

Disk Drive 1 250 GB
(Smallest Disk Drive)

Disk Drive 2 250 GB

Disk Drive 1 1 3 . . . 499

Disk Drive 2 2 4 . . . 500

Disk Drive 3 400 GB

Disk Drive 3 1 3 . . . 499

Unused Space = 150 GB

Disk Drive 4 2 4 . . . 500

Disk Drive 4 400 GB
Unused Space = 150 GB

Disk Drives in Logical Drive RAID 10 Logical Drive = 500 GB

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RAID 5 Arrays
A RAID 5 array is built from a minimum of three disk drives, and uses data striping and parity data to
provide redundancy. Parity data provides data protection, and striping improves performance.
Parity data is an error-correcting redundancy that’s used to re-create data if a disk drive fails. In RAID
5 arrays, parity data (represented by Ps in the next figure) is striped evenly across the disk drives with
the stored data.
Drive segment size is limited to the size of the smallest disk drive in the array. For instance, an array
with two 250 GB disk drives and two 400 GB disk drives can contain 750 GB of stored data and 250 GB
of parity data, as shown in this figure.

Drive Segment Size

Disk Drive 1 250 GB
(Smallest Disk Drive)

Disk Drive 2 250 GB

Disk Drive 1 1 4 .. . P

Disk Drive 2 2 5 . . . 748

Disk Drive 3 400 GB

Disk Drive 3 3 P . . . 749

Unused Space = 150 GB

Disk Drive 4 P 6 . . . 750

Disk Drive 4 400 GB
Unused Space = 150 GB

Disk Drives in Logical Drive RAID 5 Logical Drive = 750 GB plus Parity

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RAID 50 Arrays
A RAID 50 array is built from six to forty-eight disk drives configured as two or more RAID 5 arrays, and
stripes stored data and parity data across all disk drives in both RAID 5 arrays. (For more information,
see RAID 5 Arrays on page 67.)
The parity data provides data protection, and striping improves performance. RAID 50 arrays also provide
high data transfer speeds.
Drive segment size is limited to the size of the smallest disk drive in the array. For example, three 250
GB disk drives and three 400 GB disk drives comprise two equal-sized RAID 5 arrays with 500 GB of
stored data and 250 GB of parity data. The RAID 50 array can therefore contain 1000 GB (2 x 500 GB)
of stored data and 500 GB of parity data.
In this figure, P represents the distributed parity data.

RAID 50
Logical Drive
=
1000 GB
plus Parity

RAID 5 Each RAID 5 Logical Drive has RAID 5

A 500 GB Data Storage B
250 GB Parity Data

1, 5, P 3, P, 9 P, 7, 11 2, 6, P 4, P, 10 P, 8, 12 Total Unused
Space = 150 GB
Drive 1 Drive 2 Drive 3
250 GB 250 GB 250 GB Drive 4 Drive 5 Drive 6
400 GB 400 GB 400 GB

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RAID 6 Arrays
A RAID 6 array—also known as dual drive failure protection—is similar to a RAID 5 array because it uses
data striping and parity data to provide redundancy. However, RAID 6 arrays include two independent
sets of parity data instead of one. Both sets of parity data are striped separately across all disk drives
in the array.
RAID 6 arrays provide extra protection for your data because they can recover from two simultaneous
disk drive failures. However, the extra parity calculation slows performance (compared to RAID 5 arrays).
RAID 6 arrays must be built from at least four disk drives. Maximum stripe size depends on the number
of disk drives in the array.

Drive Segment Size

Disk Drive 1 250 GB
(Smallest Disk Drive)

Disk Drive 2 250 GB

Disk Drive 1 1 P1 . . . P2

Disk Drive 2 2 P2 . . . 449

Disk Drive 3 400 GB

Disk Drive 3 P1 3 . . . P1
Unused Space = 150 GB

Disk Drive 4 P2 4 . . . 500

Disk Drive 4 400 GB
Unused Space = 150 GB

Disk Drives in Logical Drive Based on the drive segment sizes used:
RAID 6 Logical Drive = 500 GB plus parity
(P1 & P2)

RAID 60 Arrays
Similar to a RAID 50 array (see RAID 50 Arrays on page 68), a RAID 60 array—also known as dual drive
failure protection—is built from eight disk drives configured as two or more RAID 6 arrays, and stripes
stored data and two sets of parity data across all disk drives in both RAID 6 arrays.
Two sets of parity data provide enhanced data protection, and striping improves performance. RAID 60
arrays also provide high data transfer speeds.

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Comparing RAID Levels

Use this table to select the RAID levels that are most appropriate for the logical drives on your storage
space, based on the number of available disk drives and your requirements for performance and reliability.
RAID Level Redundancy Disk Drive Read Write Built-in Hot Minimum
Usage Performance Performance Spare Disk Drives

RAID 0 No 100% *** *** No 2

RAID 1 Yes 50% ** ** No 2

RAID 1E Yes 50% ** ** No 3

RAID 10 Yes 50% ** ** No 4

RAID 5 Yes 67 – 94% *** * No 3

RAID 50 Yes 67 – 94% *** * No 6

RAID 6 Yes 50 – 88% ** * No 4

RAID 60 Yes 50 – 88% ** * No 8

Disk drive usage, read performance, and write performance depend on the number of drives in the
logical drive. In general, the more drives, the better the performance.

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C Using the Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility

The Adaptec RAID Configuration (ARC) utility is a BIOS-based utility that you can use to create arrays
and manage controllers, disk drives and other devices.

Introduction to the ARC Utility

The ARC utility comprises these tools:
• Logical Device Configuration—For creating and managing arrays, and initializing and rescanning disk
drives (see Using the ARC Utility to Create and Manage Arrays on page 72).
• Controller Settings—For modifying your controller and disk drive settings (see Using the ARC Utility
to Modify Controller Settings on page 74).
• Disk Utilities—For formatting or verifying disk drives (see Formatting and Verifying Disk Drives on
page 77).

Ctrl-A or uEFI/HII?
Your Adaptec RAID controller supports two interfaces to the BIOS-level RAID configuration options of
the ARC utility: Ctrl-A and uEFI/HII. On servers that support the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface,
or uEFI (version 2.10 or higher), the BIOS-level RAID configuration options are presented with a HII
interface, or Human Interaction Infrastructure, rather than the Adaptec Ctrl-A interface described in
this chapter. uEFI/HII provides an architecture-independent mechanism for initializing add-in cards, like
the Adaptec RAID controller, and rendering contents to the screen in a uniform way.
In the HII interface, access to the RAID configuration options is provided through the server's standard
BIOS. How you access the BIOS varies, depending on the manufacturer, but typically it's started by simply
pressing DEL. Once you enter setup, navigate to the "PMC maxView Storage Manager" option, typically
on the BIOS' "Advanced" menu, then scan for and select a controller.
From that point on, the HII menus and the Ctrl-A menus for configuring your RAID controller are almost
identical. For example, the top-most menu contains the same three choices: Logical Device Configuration,
Controller Settings, Disk Utilities (described above). Options in the lower-level menus are also similar.
In both interfaces, all the tools are menu-based and instructions for completing tasks appear on-screen.
Menus can be navigated using the arrows, Enter, Esc, and other keys on your keyboard.
This chapter provides instructions for navigating and completing tasks with the Ctrl-A interface. To
complete tasks with the HII interface:
• Refer to the on-screen instructions for keyboard navigation and selection options.
• Refer to the option descriptions in this chapter for details about individual RAID configuration settings
and tasks.

Running the ARC Utility

If your Adaptec controller is connected to a RAID enclosure, power on your enclosure (or enclosures)
before you power on your computer.
Start or restart your computer. When prompted, press Ctrl+A.
During boot up, if your system has insufficient memory this message displays:
“Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility will load after, system initialization. Please wait... Or press <Enter> Key to
attempt loading the utility forcibly [Generally, not recommended]”
Note: The first time you power on your computer after you install a new controller,
the BIOS may display a configuration that doesn’t match your system’s configuration.
This is normal.

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Using the ARC Utility to Create and Manage Arrays

To use the ARC utility to create and manage arrays, start the ARC utility (see Running the ARC Utility on
page 71), select your controller (if you have more than one), then press Enter. Select Logical Device
Configuration from the ARC main menu, then press Enter.
Follow the on-screen instructions to create and manage arrays, and initialize, rescan, and erase disk
drives.

Creating a New Array

To begin creating an array, select Create Arrays from the Logical Device Configuration menu.
Only disk drives that can be used in a new array are available for selection. (Disk drives must be initialized
before they can be used in an array. See Initializing Disk Drives on page 74 for more information.)
Note:
• To create a hybrid array that leverages the performance benefits of the SSDs in
your system, you must select an equal number SSDs and HDDs. You can create a
hybrid RAID1 or hybrid RAID10 only.
• When you create an all SSD array, we recommend disabling all caching, including
maxCache caching. If any caching is enabled when you create the array, you will
be prompted to turn caching off.
Use the Array Properties menu to modify the array's RAID level, size, name, stripe size, cache settings,
and maxCache settings.
Note: For more information about RAID levels and using disk drives to create arrays,
see Choosing a RAID Level on page 23. For more information about maxCache, see
Modifying Cache Settings on page 73.

Managing Existing Arrays

To view or modify existing arrays, select Manage Arrays from the Logical Device Configuration menu.
From the Manage Arrays menu, you can:
• View the properties of an array.
Note: Failed drives are displayed in a different text color.
• Make an array bootable (see Creating Bootable Arrays on page 72).
• Assign or remove hot spares.
• Modify power management settings.
• Change the cache settings for an array.
• Delete an array.
Caution: Before deleting an array, back up the data to avoid permanently losing
it.

Creating Bootable Arrays

Note: You may need to change the system BIOS to modify the boot order. For more
information, refer to your computer documentation.
The controller always uses the lowest numbered array as its bootable array.
To make an array bootable:
1. Select Manage Arrays from the Logical Device Configuration menu.
2. Select the array that you want to make bootable, then press Ctrl+B.
Note: You cannot make an array bootable while it's building, verifying, or
rebuilding.
The array's number changes to Array 00, which makes this array the controller's boot array.
3. Restart your computer.

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Modifying Power Management Settings

Power management settings switch the array to low power state when it is inactive for a specific time.
To modify power management settings:
1. Select Manage Arrays from the Logical Device Configuration menu.
2. Select the array, then press Ctrl+W.
In the power management console, enter these details:

Option Description

Power Management When enabled, switches the array to low power state, when the array/
drive is inactive.

Slow Down Drive After The duration of inactive state of the array/drive after which it is slowed
down to low power mode. This is an optional setting.
Note: The disk drive should support low power mode.

Power Off Drive After The duration of inactive state of the array/drive after which it is powered
off. This is an optional setting.
Note: Power Off Drive After duration should be greater
than Slow Down Drive After Duration.

Verify Drive After The regular time interval at which the system performs a health check
of the array/drive.

Modifying Cache Settings

You can modify the read and write cache settings for an array. You can also modify the maxCache
settings. Adaptec maxCache uses the compatible Solid State Drives (SSDs) in your system as fast cache
memory to improve performance for both read and write operations in I/O-intensive applications with
mixed workloads.
Note: maxCache SSD Caching is supported on Adaptec Series Q controllers only.
To modify the cache settings for an array:
1. Select Manage Arrays from the Logical Device Configuration menu.
2. Select the array, then press Ctrl+C.
The Modify Cache Settings window opens.
3. Enable or disable read caching.
4. Press Tab.
5. Enable or disable write caching:
• Select Enable always for “write-back” caching
• Select Enable with ZMM if your controller has battery backup or a zero-maintenance cache
protection module
• Select Disable for “write-through” caching

6. Press Tab.
7. Select the maxCache Read Cache setting (Enable/Disable).
8. Select the maxCache Write Cache setting (Enable/Disable).
9. Press Enter to accept the values.

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Initializing Disk Drives

If a disk drive appears grayed-out (unavailable for use in a new array), it may need to be initialized.
To begin initializing a disk drive, select Initialize Drives from the Logical Device Configuration menu.
You can initialize one drive or multiple drives. If an error occurs during initialization, the message
“Initializing drives...FAILED x of n” is displayed. Press Enter to see a list of drives that failed to initialize.
Press Esc to continue.
Caution: Do not initialize a disk drive that is part of an array. Initializing a disk drive
that's part of an array may make the array unusable. Back up all data from your disk
drive before you initialize it.

Rescanning Disk Drives

To begin rescanning a disk drive, select Rescan Drives from the Logical Device Configuration menu.

Secure Erasing Disk Drives

When you perform a secure erase on a disk drive, all data on that disk drive is completely and irretrievably
eradicated. Secure erase performs three distinct writing passes to the disk drive being erased—it does
not just write zeros.
Performing a secure erase takes up to six times longer than clearing (or zeroing) a disk drive; on a 2TB
or 3TB drive, often it takes hours, possibly as long as a day! You may want to perform a secure erase
only on disk drives that contain confidential or classified information.
Note: To erase (or zero) a disk drive with non-classified information, you may choose
to format it (see Formatting and Verifying Disk Drives on page 77) instead, or initialize
it using maxView Storage Manager—both options take much less time than the secure
erase option.
To begin a secure erase, select Secure Erase from the Logical Device Configuration menu, then select
Y (yes). To return to the main Logical Device Configuration menu once the secure erase has begun, press
Esc.
Note: For newer SATA drives, you can choose to perform a Secure ATA Erase, which
implements the secure erase feature at the drive firmware level. To start a Secure
ATA Erase, select a SATA drive, then type Ctrl-S to open the Secure ATA Erase dialog.
You will see this dialog only if the drive supports Secure ATA Erase.
The selected disk drive(s) cannot be used until the erase is complete.

Stopping a Secure Erase

To stop a secure erase in progress:
1. In the Logical Device Configuration menu, select Secure Erase.
2. Select the disk drive being secure erased, then press Ctrl+Q.
The secure erase stops and you return to the main Logical Device Configuration menu.

Uninitializing Disk Drives

Uninitializes one or more physical drives so that they can be used in HBA mode (see General Controller
Settings on page 75). This option clears Adaptec meta-data and any OS partitions from a drive. Drives
can uninitialized only if they are not part of any array.
To begin uninitializing a disk drive, select Uninitialize Drives from the Logical Device Configuration menu,
then type Y to continue.

Using the ARC Utility to Modify Controller Settings

The ARC Controller Settings tool allows you to modify the settings of your controller and the disk drives
connected to it.

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Opening the Controller Settings Tool

To open the ARC Controller Settings tool, start the ARC utility (see Running the ARC Utility on page 71),
select Controller Settings from the ARC main menu, then press Enter.
Follow the on-screen instructions to modify the settings of your controller and connected disk drives,
as needed.

Applying Changes and Exiting

1. To exit the Controller Settings tool, press Esc until you are prompted to exit.
If you modified any settings, you are prompted to save the changes before you exit.
2. Select Yes to exit, then press any key to restart your computer.
Any changes you made take effect after the computer restarts.

Modifying Your Controller’s Configuration

Note: Default controller settings are suitable for most computers. We recommend
that you do not change the default setting.
To modify your controller's basic settings, select Controller Configuration from the main Controller
Settings menu.
To modify your controller's power management settings, select Advanced Configuration.
Some options may not be available for your controller.

General Controller Settings

Note: Default settings are shown in bold type.

Option Description

Drive's Write Cache When set to Enable All, write cache is enabled on all disk drives on the controller.
(Enabling the write cache overrides any individual drive settings in maxView Storage
Manager.) When set to Disable All, write cache is not used on the disk drives. When
set to Drive Specific, write cache is enabled/disabled on a per-drive basis in maxView
Storage Manager.
Caution: When write cache is enabled, there is a slight possibility
of data loss or corruption during a power failure.

Runtime BIOS When enabled, the controller BIOS allows the controller to act as a bootable device.
Disabling the BIOS allows another controller to act as a bootable device.

Automatic Failover When enabled, the controller automatically rebuilds an array when a failed disk
drive is replaced. When disabled, the array must be rebuilt manually.

Array Background When enabled, the controller constantly verifies a redundant array. Note that there
Consistency Check may be a significant performance reduction. Default is disabled.

Array-based BBS Support When enabled in systems that support BBS, the controller presents attached bootable
devices up to the BIOS for boot device selection. This is relevant for logical arrays.
Default is disabled.

SATA Native Command When enabled, NCQ is enabled. Disable this feature if you want to attach more than
Queuing (NCQ) 48 SATA II disk drives. Only available with SATA II disk drives.

Physical Drives Display When enabled, connected disk drives are displayed during system Power On Self
During POST Test (POST). Displaying the disk drives adds a few seconds to the overall POST time.
Default is disabled.

DVD/CD-ROM Boot Support When enabled, the system can be booted from a bootable DVD/CD. (This setting is
not available on all RAID controller models.)

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Option Description

Removable Media Devices When enabled, removable media devices, such as CD drives, are supported. (This
Boot Support setting is not available on all RAID controller models.)

Alarm Control When enabled, the alarm sounds. Default is enabled.

Note: When the alarm is turned off (disabled), it will
remain off after a reboot.

Default Background Task Sets the default priority for background tasks on the controller (such as logical drive
Priority creation) to High, Medium, or Low. Default is High.
Note: This setting applies to new tasks. It does not affect
currently running tasks.

LED Indication Mode When set to Activity and Fault, the drive activity LEDs blink to indicate I/O activity
(randomly depending on I/O load) and fault (steady 1Hz). When set to Fault Only,
the drive activity LEDs blink to indicate fault state only. For Series 6/6E controllers,
default is Fault Only.

Backplane Mode When set to Default, controller automatically sets the backplane mode to IBPI. To
set the backplane mode explicitly, select IBPI, SGPIO, or Disabled. Default is IBPI.
Note: With the default IBPI setting, the firmware sends
a SGPIO "Backplane_TYPE" signal if it recognizes that a
SGPIO Backplane is connected. If any connected SGPIO
backplane does not support the "Backplane_TYPE" signal,
or it does not support the IBPI protocol, you can manually
set the Backplane Mode to "SGPIO".

Selectable Performance When set to Dynamic, performance criteria adjusts automatically based on controller
Mode usage, RAID level, and disk drive type. When set to OLTP/Db, performance criteria
is optimized for transaction-oriented applications, such as data entry and retrieval.
When set to Big Block Bypass, DRAM write cache is bypassed based on I/O write
size; performance criteria is optimized for serving Web pages, file serving, and data
retrieval. When set to User Defined, you are prompted to use the OS tools to set
individual parameters (contact Adaptec support for more information). Default is
Dynamic.

Controller Mode When set to RAID Mode, all RAID functions of the controller are enabled. When set
to Auto Volume Mode, RAID functions of the controller are enabled. Attached drives
without Adaptec meta-data, but with an OS partition, are surfaced to the host
operating system as Pass Through devices, where the RAID layer of the controller
firmware is bypassed when the host issues commands to the device. Attached drives
without Adaptec meta-data and without OS partitions, are automatically configured
as Simple Volumes. When set to HBA Mode, attached drives are surfaced as Pass
Through devices. Changing into HBA mode is allowed only if there are no drives with
Adaptec meta-data attached to the controller (see Uninitializing Disk Drives on page
74 for more information). Default is RAID Mode.

Power Management Settings

Note: When power management is disabled, no related options will be displayed.

Note: Make sure the operating system driver supports power management.

Note: Default settings are shown in bold type.

Option Description

Power Management When enabled, switches the system to low power state, based on the specified
Settings settings.

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Option Description

Time Zone The time zone of the place in which the system is located. Time specific power
management settings are implemented based on the set time zone. By default, it is
set to 00:00.
The valid range for the time zone settings is -12:00 to +12:00.

Stay Awake Start The time from which the system should operate in the full power mode, irrespective
of other power management settings, daily. By default it is set to 00:00.
The valid range is 00:00 to 23:59.

Stay Awake End The time until which the system should operate in the full power mode, irrespective
of other power management settings, daily. By default it is set to 00:00.
The valid range is 00:00 to 23:59.

Spin Up Limit (Internal) The number of internal drives to be spun up at any given moment. By default it is
set to 0. In the default setting, all the internal drives will spin up.

Spin Up Limit (External) The number of external drives to be spun up at any given moment. By default it is
set to 0. In the default setting, all the external drives will spin up.

Checking Backup Unit Status

To check the status of the controller's flash backup unit, select Backup Unit Status from the Controller
Settings menu. This option is available only if the controller is configured with a flash backup unit.

Formatting and Verifying Disk Drives

You can use the ARC Disk Utilities tool to low-level format or verify your disk drives. (New disk drives
are low-level formatted at the factory and do not need to be low-level formatted again.)
Caution: Before you format a disk drive, back up all data. Formatting destroys all data
on a disk drive.
To format or verify a disk drive:
1. Start the ARC utility (see Running the ARC Utility on page 71).
2. Select the controller you want, then press Enter.
3. Select Disk Utilities.
4. Select the disk drive you want, then press Enter.
5. Select Format Disk or Verify Disk Media.

Locating Disk Drives

You can use the Identify Drive feature to physically locate a disk drive by blinking the LED.
Note: This feature is only available with disk drives that have an activity LED.
To locate a disk drive:
1. Start the ARC utility (see Running the ARC Utility on page 71).
2. Select the controller you want, then press Enter.
3. Select Disk Utilities.
4. Select the disk drive you want, then press Enter.
5. Select Identify Drive, then press Enter.
6. When you have finished locating your disk drive, press any key to stop the blinking.

Identifying Disk Drives

You can identify disk drives by viewing the list of disk drives on your system. Only physical drives that
display during POST are shown.

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To identify a disk drive:

1. Start the ARC utility (see Running the ARC Utility on page 71).
2. Select the controller you want, then press Enter.
3. Select Disk Utilities.
The Disk Utilities view provides you with the following information:

Location Model Rev# Speed Size

CN1=DEV1 The manufacturer The revision The speed of the The size of the disk
Box0=Slot0 information. number of the disk disk drive. drive.
Exp0=phy0 drive.

The location information of a disk drive is determined by three types of connections:

• Direct attached drives—The connection is determined by the cable connected to a device, for
example CN1 (connector 1) is connected to DEV1 (device 1). For more information, see
Direct-attach Connections on page 61.
• Storage Enclosure Processor (SEP) managed devices—The connection is determined by an active
backplane. Box0 (enclosure 0) is connected to slot0 (disk drive slot 0 in the enclosure). For more
information, see Backplane Connections on page 62.
• Expanders—The connections is determined by an expander. Exp0 (expander 0) is connected to
phy0 (phy 0 within a connector). For more information, see SAS Expander Connections on page
62.
Note: Devices other than disk drives (CDROM, tape drives, etc...) are listed in order
after your system disk drives.

Viewing the Event Log

The BIOS-based event log records all firmware events, such as configuration changes, array creation,
and boot activity.
Some events are not stored indefinitely—the event log is cleared of any non-persistent events each
time you restart your computer; additionally, once the log is full, new events overwrite old events.
To view the event log:
1. Start the ARC utility (see Running the ARC Utility on page 71).
2. Select the controller you want, then press Enter.
3. When the ARC utility menu appears, press Ctrl+P.
4. Select Controller Log Information, then press Enter.
The current event log opens.

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D Using the Adaptec Flash Utility

This chapter describes how to use the Adaptec Flash Utility (AFU), a text-based DOS utility that you can
use to update, save, or verify the RAID controller's firmware.
Caution: Although the AFU contains safeguards to prevent you from accidentally
damaging your RAID controller's flash contents, it is still important to use the AFU
carefully and correctly to avoid rendering your RAID controller inoperable. We
recommend that only advanced users familiar with working in DOS use the AFU. For
more information, see Managing Your Storage Space on page 54.

System Requirements
• DOS version 5.0 or later.
Note: You can’t run the AFU from a DOS command prompt window under any
version of Windows.
• At least 8 MB of extended memory.

Compatibility Notes
• Supports HIMEM.SYS; compatible with other DOS drivers running under HIMEM.SYS (for example,
SMARTDRV.SYS and SETVER.SYS).
• Does not support DOS extenders installed in memory, such as EMM386.SYS and DOS4GW.

Before You Begin

1. Obtain the firmware (see the following section).
2. Create firmware disks (see Creating the Firmware Update Disks on page 79).
There are two ways to run the AFU:
1. Using the AFU menus (see Running the Menu-based AFU on page 80)
2. From the command line (see Running the AFU from the Command Line on page 80)

Obtaining the Firmware

To obtain RAID controller firmware, go to:
• Adaptec Installation DVD—Includes the AFU executable (AFU.exe) and a separate flash image. The
flash image may comprise multiple User Flash Image (UFI) files.
• Adaptec Web site—Download a new firmware file to get the most recent version of firmware/BIOS
and AFU.
See www.adaptec.com for more information.

Creating the Firmware Update Disks

To create the firmware update disks:
1. Copy these files to empty, formatted floppy disks, a USB flash drive, or a writable CD:
• AFU.exe
• Axxxx01.ufi
where xxx is the model number of your controller.
Note: Most controller model numbers have a suffix (for example Adaptec RAID
6405). Check that the .ufi file is the correct file for your controller before copying.
2. If using floppy disks, copy each additional Axxxx0x.ufi file to a separate floppy disk. (Some RAID
controllers have four UFI files; some have more. Each goes onto its own floppy disk.)
3. To use a menu-based AFU, see the following section.
To run the AFU from the command line, see Running the AFU from the Command Line on page 80.

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Running the Menu-based AFU

To run the menu-based AFU:
1. Shut down your operating system and reboot to DOS from a bootable DOS floppy disk or from a DOS
partition on a bootable drive. (You can use a disk drive connected to the controller you are updating.)
If your computer isn’t set up to boot from the bootable floppy disk, enter the system setup utility
and change the setting.
2. Insert the firmware update disk (created using the steps above) containing AFU.exe
3. At the DOS command prompt, type AFU with no arguments.
The AFU’s main menu is displayed.
4. Select Select Controllers, then select the Adaptec RAID controller(s) to be flashed.
To update multiple RAID controllers in the same system, update the boot controller’s flash first,
restart the computer, then update the flash for the remaining controllers.
5. Select Select an Operation.
6. Choose the operation you want, then follow the on-screen instructions to complete the task:
• Update flash image—Updates all the flash components on a RAID controller with the flash image
data from the UFI file.
• Save flash image—Reads the contents of a RAID controller’s flash components and saves the
data to a UFI file, which you can use to restore a RAID controller’s flash if required.
• Verify flash image—Reads the contents of a RAID controller’s flash components and compares
it to the contents of the specified UFI file.
• Display flash information—Displays version information about a RAID controller’s flash
components.

7. Complete the flash operation and restart your computer before trying to use the RAID controller
again. (You can not use your RAID controller while you are updating its flash.)
The AFU processes the selected command, prompts you to insert additional floppy disks as needed,
and reports either success or an error message code.

Running the AFU from the Command Line

Note: You can also run a menu-based AFU (see Running the Menu-based AFU on page
80).
To run the AFU from the command line:
1. Shut down your operating system and reboot to DOS from a bootable DOS floppy disk or from a DOS
partition on a bootable drive. (You can use a disk connected to the controller you’re updating.) If
your computer isn’t set up to boot from the bootable floppy disk, enter the system setup utility to
change the setting.
2. Insert the firmware update disk containing AFU.exe.
3. At the DOS command, type AFU followed by a command (see AFU Commands on page 81) and any
switches you want.
Note: To find a controller number, type AFU LIST, then press Enter.

The AFU processes the command, prompts you to insert additional floppy disks as needed, exits,
and reports either success or an error message code.

To update a RAID controller’s flash using the command line utility ARCCONF, see Updating the Flash
Using the AFU Command Line on page 83.

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AFU Commands
This section lists the available AFU commands.

List
Displays the AFU-supported RAID controllers installed on your computer. Also displays the ID numbers
assigned to each controller.
You don’t have to restart the computer after completing this command.

This example shows a typical system response to a LIST command:

A:\> AFU LIST

Adaptec Flash Utility V4.0-0 B5749 (c)Adaptec Inc. 1999–2005.
All Rights Reserved.
Controllers Detected and Recognized:
Controller #0 (03:05:00) Adaptec RAID 51645

Save
Saves the contents of a RAID controller's flash in a UFI file. The name of the UFI file is based on the
controller type and can't be changed.
You must restart the computer following a SAVE command.
The command syntax for the SAVE command is:
AFU SAVE [/C<Controller ID>] [/D <UFI File Path>]
These switches are available:
• /C <Controller ID>—One or more RAID controller IDs representing the set of RAID controllers on
which to perform the specified command. The default is 0; if the computer has multiple RAID
controllers, the AFU defaults to controller 0 unless you specify otherwise.
For example:
To specify a single RAID controller ID: /C 0
To specify multiple IDs separated by commas: /C 0,2
To indicate all RAID controllers:ALL
If you are using multiple RAID controllers, you must specify the controller you want by using the /C
switch; otherwise, the AFU displays an error message and exits.
• /D <UFI File Path>—Specifies the path where the UFI files are located. If you do not specify the /D
switch, the AFU looks for (or creates) its UFI files in the default location.
You cannot specify the name of a UFI file, only its path. UFI filenames are predefined, based on the
RAID controller type.
In this example, the AFU saves flash contents from RAID controller 0 to a UFI file in the current
default drive and directory:
A:\> AFU SAVE /C 0
In this example, the AFU saves flash contents from Controller 1 to a UFI file in C:\UFI_FILES:
A:\> AFU SAVE /C 1 /D C:\UFI_FILES

Update
Updates the flash components of one or more RAID controllers on your computer from the flash image
data in a UFI file. You must restart the computer following an UPDATE command.
The command syntax for the UPDATE command is:
AFU UPDATE [/C<Controller ID>] [/D <UFI File Path>]

This example shows a typical system response after an update.

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A:\> AFU UPDATE /C 0

Adaptec Flash Utility V4.0-0 B5749
(c)Adaptec Inc. 1999–2005. All Rights Reserved.
Updating Controller 0 (Adaptec RAID 31205)
Reading flash image file (Build 5749)
AFU is about to update firmware on controllers Adaptec RAID
51645
***PLEASE DO NOT REBOOT THE SYSTEM DURING THE UPDATE***
This might take a few minutes.
Writing Adaptec RAID 51645 (4MB) Flash Image to controller
0...OK.
Verifying...OK
Please restart the computer to allow firmware changes to take
effect.

Verify
Compares the contents of each of the flash components on a RAID controller to the corresponding
image in a UFI file, and indicates whether they match. After using the VERIFY command, you must restart
the computer.
The command syntax for the VERIFY command is as follows:
AFU VERIFY [/C<Controller ID>] [/D <UFI File Path>]

This example shows a typical system response after a VERIFY command.

A:\> AFU VERIFY /C 0

Adaptec Flash Utility V4.0-0 B5749 (c)Adaptec Inc. 1999–2005.
All Rights Reserved.
Reading flash image file (Build 5748) Controller #0: Adaptec
RAID 51645
ROM: Checksum: 797B [VALID] (Build 5748)
File: Checksum: 797B [VALID] (Build 5748)
Image Compares Correctly

Version
Displays version information about the flash components on a RAID controller. After using the VERSION
command, restart your computer.
The command syntax for the VERSION command is:
AFU VERSION [/C<Controller ID>]

This example displays version information about all supported RAID controllers.

A:\> AFU VERSION /C 0

Adaptec Flash Utility V4.0-0 B5749 (c)Adaptec Inc. 1999–2005.

All Rights Reserved.

Version Information for Controller #0 (Adaptec RAID 51645)
ROM: Build 5748 [VALID] Fri Sep 27 13:28:40 EDT 2005
A:\> AFU VERSION /C ALL

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Help
Displays a summary of AFU functions and command switches.

For example:
A:\> AFU HELP
A:\> AFU /?

Updating the Flash Using the AFU Command Line

1. Create the firmware update disks (see Creating the Firmware Update Disks on page 79).
2. Shut down your operating system and reboot to DOS from a bootable DOS floppy disk or from a DOS
partition on a bootable drive. (You can use a disk connected to the controller you’re updating.) If
your computer isn’t set up to boot from the bootable floppy disk or a bootable device other than a
disk drive, enter the system setup utility to change the setting.
3. Insert the firmware update disk containing AFU.exe
4. At the DOS command, if you have multiple controllers and you don’t know the number of the
controller you want to update, type AFU LIST, then press Enter. Otherwise, skip to the next step.
5. At the DOS command, type AFU followed by a command (see AFU Commands on page 81) and any
switches you want.
6. Update the flash using the instructions suitable for your requirements:
• To update a single RAID controller:
AFU UPDATE /C <cont_number>
Where <cont_number> is the number of the RAID controller whose firmware you are updating.
For example, to upgrade Controller 0, type AFU UPDATE /C 0
• To update multiple RAID controllers:
AFU UPDATE /C <cont_number_a>,<cont_number_b>
Where <controller_number_a> and <controller_number_b> are the numbers of the Adaptec RAID
controllers whose firmware you are updating. For example, to upgrade controllers 0, 2, and 3,
type AFU UPDATE /C 0, 2, 3
• To update all RAID controllers simultaneously:
AFU UPDATE /C all
Note: The UFI file identifies the RAID controllers, so you don’t have to worry
about flashing the wrong controller.

7. When prompted, insert the first firmware disk into your floppy disk drive.
The AFU reads the first disk.
8. When prompted, remove the first firmware disk and insert the second firmware disk into your floppy
disk drive.
9. Repeat Step 8 as required.

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E Controller Alarm Connector Quick Reference

This appendix provides a reference guide for Adaptec RAID controller external alarm connectors.

Adaptec RAID 7805/7805Q/71605/71605Q/71605E Alarm Connector

Specification
2274100-R ASR-7805 SGL

2274200-R ASR-7805 Kit

2274300-R ASR-7805Q SGL

2274400-R ASR-71605 SGL
2274500-R ASR-71605E SGL
2274600-R ASR-71605Q SGL

• Adaptec RAID 7805/7805Q/71605/71605Q/71605E External Alarm Connector: Molex 22-28-4023

or equivalent
• Alarm Mating Cable Connector: Molex 50-57-9002 or equivalent
J6:
J6 Pin Number Signal Description

2 ~2kHz Square Wave Open collector transistor

1 +3.3V —

Adaptec RAID 71685/72405 Alarm Connector Specification

2274700-R ASR-71685 SGL

2274900-R ASR-72405 SGL

• Adaptec RAID 71685/72405 External Alarm Connector: Molex 22-28-4023 or equivalent

• Alarm Mating Cable Connector: Molex 50-57-9002 or equivalent
J6:
J6 Pin Number Signal Description

2 ~2kHz Square Wave Open collector transistor

1 +3.3V —

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F Safety Information
To ensure your personal safety and the safety of your equipment:
• Keep your work area and the computer clean and clear of debris.
• Before opening the system cabinet, unplug the power cord.

Electrostatic Discharge (ESD)

Caution: ESD can damage electronic components when they are improperly handled,
and can result in total or intermittent failures. Always follow ESD-prevention procedures
when removing and replacing components.
To prevent ESD damage:
• Use an ESD wrist or ankle strap and ensure that it makes skin contact. Connect the equipment end
of the strap to an unpainted metal surface on the chassis.
• Avoid touching the controller against your clothing. The wrist strap protects components from ESD
on the body only.
• Handle the controller by its bracket or edges only. Avoid touching the printed circuit board or the
connectors.
• Put the controller down only on an antistatic surface such as the bag supplied in your kit.
• If you are returning the controller to Adaptec by PMC Product Support, put it back in its antistatic
bag immediately.
If a wrist strap is not available, ground yourself by touching the metal chassis before handling the
controller or any other part of the computer.

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G Technical Specifications
Environmental Specifications
Note: Adaptec RAID controllers require adequate airflow to operate reliably. The
recommended airflow is 200 LFM (linear feet per minute), minimum. Forced airflow
is required.

Ambient temperature with forced airflow 0 °C to 55 ° C

Ambient temperature with Flash Backup Unit 0 °C to 50 ° C

Relative humidity 10% to 90%, non-condensing

Altitude Up to 3,000 meters

Note: Ambient temperature is measured 1” from the RAID processor.

DC Power Requirements
Bus Type Description Requirements

PCIe Ripple and noise 50 mV peak-to-peak (max)

PCIe DC Voltage 3.3 V ± 9%, 12 V ± 8%

Current Requirements
Adaptec Model Typical Current

Adaptec RAID 7805/7805Q 0.1A @ 3.3 VDC; 1.5A @ 12.0 VDC

Adaptec RAID 71605/71605Q 0.1A @ 3.3 VDC; 1.6A @ 12.0 VDC
Adaptec RAID 71605E 0.1A @ 3.3 VDC; 1.5A @ 12.0 VDC
Adaptec RAID 71685 0.1A @ 3.3 VDC; 1.8A @ 12.0 VDC
Adaptec RAID 72405 0.1A @ 3.3 VDC; 1.8A @ 12.0 VDC

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Index
A B
activity LED connector specifications 84 backplane connections 32, 61, 62, 78
Adaptec Flash Utility, See AFU batteryless backup 27, 28
Adaptec RAID Configuration utility 54 Big Block Bypass mode 76
Adaptec RAID Controller Configuration utility, See boards, See controllers
ARCCONF boot controller 26, 35
adapters, See controllers bootable arrays 16, 34, 35, 36, 38, 39, 72, 73
advanced data protection 16 creating 16, 34, 35, 38, 39, 72, 73
AFU 55, 79
Alarm Control setting 76
ARC 16, 35, 38, 56, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77
C
checking flash backup unit 77 cards, See controllers
creating arrays 35, 72 CD-ROM Boot Support setting 75
creating bootable arrays 16, 38, 72, 73 checking flash backup unit 77
HII interface 35 command line interface (flash utility) 79, 80
initializing disk drives 72, 74 command line utility 54
managing arrays 72 concept 13, 14, 35, 54, 55, 57
modifying controller settings 56, 75 connectors 61, 78
opening Controller Settings tool 75 contents of controller kit 15
rescanning disk drives 74 Controller Mode 76
secure erasing disk drives 74 Auto Volume Mode 76
stopping a secure erase 74 HBA Mode 76
uninitializing disk drives 74, 76 RAID Mode 76
ARC Controller Settings 75 controllers 13, 15, 16, 17, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 31, 32,
applying changes 75 33, 35, 56, 58, 61, 62, 63, 71, 72, 74, 75, 76,
exiting 75 77, 78, 79, 84, 86
ARCCONF 16, 54 alarm connector specifications 84
Array Background Consistency Check setting 75, 77 Alarm Control setting 76
array migration 16 Array Background Consistency Check setting 75, 77
Array-based BBS Support setting 75 Array-based BBS Support setting 75
arrays 16, 23, 35, 36, 38, 64, 65, 67, 68, 69, 72, 73 array-level features 16
creating (ARC) 35, 72 Automatic Failover setting 75
creating (maxView Storage Manager) 36 CD-ROM Boot Support setting 75
creating bootable arrays 16, 38, 72, 73 connecting disk drives 28, 31
making an array bootable 36, 38 connecting external devices 28, 31, 32, 33
managing with ARC 72 data protection 16
non-redundant 23, 64 descriptions 13, 15, 16, 27, 29, 31, 32, 56, 58, 62
RAID 1 23, 65 disk drives 23, 27
RAID 10 23, 65 Drive's Write Cache setting 75
RAID 1E 23, 65 event log 78
RAID 5 23, 67, 68 figures 13, 15, 16, 27, 29, 31, 32, 56, 58, 62
RAID 50 23, 68, 69 firmware 79
RAID 6 23, 69 flashing 58
RAID 60 23, 69 installation options 25
arrays (bootable) 34, 35, 39 installing 27, 56
audible alarm 56 modifying general settings 74, 75
Auto Volume Mode 76 modifying settings with ARC 71, 74
automatic failover 16 Physical Drives Display During POST setting 75
Automatic Failover setting 75 RAID levels 23, 31, 72
Removable Media Devices Boot Support setting 76
resetting 58
Runtime BIOS setting 75

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controllers (continued) end devices 59

SAS cables 15, 23, 33, 61, 63 event log 78
setting boot controller 26, 35 expander connections 59, 61, 62, 63, 78
specifications 86 expander devices 59
standard features 16, 23, 27 external devices 28, 31, 32, 33
troubleshooting 56
updating firmware 79
upgrading firmware 17
F
failed disk drives 56, 57
D multiple arrays 56, 57
multiple disk drives 57
direct-attach connections 32, 61, 78 RAID 0 arrays 57
disk drives 16, 23, 27, 28, 31, 32, 33, 56, 57, 60, 61, 71, without hot spare 56, 57
72, 74, 76, 77, 78 firmware 79, 83
connecting to controllers 28, 31 creating floppy disks 79, 83
connections 78 firmware upgrades 17
external 28, 31, 32, 33 flashing controllers 58
failure recovery 56, 57 floppy disks for firmware update 79, 83
multiple arrays 56, 57 formatting disk drives 71, 74, 77
multiple disk drives 57 FreeBSD 39, 46, 50, 52
RAID 0 arrays 57 driver installation 50, 52
with hot spare 56, 57 OS installation 39, 46
without hot spare 56, 57
formatting 71, 74, 77
identifying 61, 77
H
initializing 72, 74 hard disk 13
recovering from failure 56 hard disk drive 13
rescanning 74 hard drive, See disk drive
SAS identifiers 32, 60, 61 HBA mode 74, 76
secure erasing 74 HBA Mode 76
stopping a secure erase 74 HDA mode 58
solid state 16, 23, 31 HDA mode jumper 58
types of connections 78 HII interface 35, 71
uninitializing 74, 76 hot spares 16
verifying 71, 74, 77 Human Interaction Infrastructure Interface (HII) 35, 71
DKMS 39, 41 hybrid RAID 16, 32
drive requirements 23
Drive's Write Cache setting 75
driver and operating system installation 26, 38, 39, 50 I
driver disk 39
driver installation 26, 34, 35, 39, 50 initializing disk drives 72, 74
drivers 39, 40, 41, 43, 46, 47, 50, 52 installation 25, 26, 27, 28, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 38, 39,
installing on FreeBSD 50, 52 40, 41, 43, 46, 47, 50, 56, 58, 61
installing on Solaris 50, 52 backplane 32
installing on Windows 50 controllers 27, 56
installing with FreeBSD 39, 46 creating a driver disk 39
installing with Linux 39, 40, 41, 43 direct-attach 32, 61
installing with VMware 39, 40, 46, 47 disk drives 28, 31
installing with VMware 4.1 40 driver 26, 34, 35, 39, 50
installing with Windows 39, 41 driver and FreeBSD 39, 46
drivers Debian 40 driver and Linux 39, 41, 43
installing with Linux 39, 40, 41, 43 driver and operating system 26, 38, 39, 50
drivers Ubuntu 40 driver and VMware 39, 40, 46, 47
installing with Linux 39, 40, 41, 43 driver and Windows 39, 41
Dynamic Kernel Module Support 39, 41 existing operating system 26
external devices 28, 31, 32, 33
installation options 25
E solid state drives 32, 58
with operating system 26
electrostatic discharge 85

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 Serial Attached SCSI RAID Controllers Installation and User's Guide

K RAID levels 23, 31, 72

recovering from disk drive failure 56
kit contents 15 Red Hat 39, 41
OS installation 39, 41
Redundant Array of Independent Disks, See RAID
L Removable Media Devices Boot Support setting 76
LED Indication Mode 76 replacing failed disk drives 56
Linux 39, 43 requirements 15, 23
OS installation 39, 43 drive 23
Linux installation 39, 41 rescanning disk drives 74
low-profile bracket 15, 25 resetting controllers 58
installing 25 Runtime BIOS setting 75
low-profile computer cabinet 23
S
M safety information 27, 85
maxCache cache settings 72 SAS 13, 15, 23, 32, 33, 35, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 78
maxCache Solid State Drive 32, 57, 58 4-wide ports 60
failed 57, 58 backplane connections 61, 62, 78
installing 32, 58 cables 15, 23, 33, 61, 63
maxView Storage Manager 36, 54 comparison to parallel SCSI 59, 63
creating arrays 36 connectors 60, 61
installing 54 description 32, 35, 59
mini-SAS 32, 61 direct-attach connections 61, 78
direct connection 32 disk drives 32, 60, 61
overview 61 edge expanders 62
mirroring 23 end devices 59
expander connections 59, 61, 62, 63, 78
expander devices 59
N fanout expanders 62
link speed 59
NCQ 16 links 59
non-redundant arrays 23, 64 narrow connectors 61
narrow ports 60
O phys 60
ports 59, 60
online expansion 16 SAS address 60
operating system installation 26, 38, 39, 50 SAS cards 59
operating systems 15 SAS devices 59
SAS domain 62
terminology 59
P transceivers 59
parity 23 wide connectors 61
phys 60 wide ports 60
Physical Drives Display During POST setting 75 SAS devices 59
SAS disk drive identifiers 32, 60, 61
secure ATA erase 74
R secure erasing disk drives 74
stopping a secure erase 74
RAID 13, 16, 23, 64, 65, 67, 68, 69 Selectable Performance Mode 76
non-redundant arrays 23, 64 Serial Attached SCSI, See SAS
RAID 0 23, 64 software 54
RAID 1 23, 65 Solaris 50, 52
RAID 10 23, 65 driver installation 50, 52
RAID 1E 16, 23, 65 Solid State Drive (SSD) 16, 23, 31, 32, 58
RAID 5 23, 67, 68 installing 32, 58
RAID 50 23, 68, 69 specifications 86
RAID 6 16, 23, 69 storage management 54, 55
RAID 60 16, 23, 69 Adaptec RAID Configuration utility 54
RAID controllers, See controllers

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storage management (continued) Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (uEFI) 35, 71

AFU 55 uninitializing disk drives 74, 76
ARCCONF 54 updating firmware 79
maxView Storage Manager 54 upgrading firmware 17
storage space 13 utilities 54, 55
SUSE installation 39, 43 Adaptec RAID Controller utility 54
system requirements 15 AFU 55
ARCCONF 54
T
V
technical specifications 86
terminology 13, 37, 57, 59 verifying disk drives 71, 74, 77
SAS 59 VMware 39, 40, 46, 47
tools 54, 55 OS installation 39, 40, 46, 47
Adaptec RAID Configuration utility 54
AFU 55
ARCCONF 54
W
maxView Storage Manager 54 Windows 39, 41, 50
topic 13, 16, 26, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 50, 51, 52, 54, 56, driver installation 50
59, 79 OS installation 39, 41
troubleshooting tips 56

Z
U
zero maintenance cache protection 16, 27, 28
uEFI 35, 71

Proprietary and Confidential to PMC-Sierra, Inc. 90

Document No.: CDP-00277-01-A Rev. A, Issue:
PMC-Sierra, Inc.
1380 Bordeaux Drive
Sunnyvale, CA 94089 USA
© Copyright PMC-Sierra, Inc. 2012
All rights reserved. Adaptec and the Adaptec by PMC logo
are trademarks of PMC-Sierra, Inc.

Part Number: CDP-00277-01-A Rev A

JPB 03/11