wikiAdaptec RAID Controller overview
Microsemi, a wholly owned subsidiary of Microchip, offers under the product name Adaptec a wide range of hardware RAID Controller to configure RAID arrays. This article shows current Adaptec RAID controller generations and which mechanisms are used to protect the cache in these controllers.
Adaptec RAID Controller Generations
The table shows an overview of the latest generations of Adaptec RAID controllers:
| Controller Generation | Ports internal | Ports external | PCIe Lanes | Cache | Cache Protection |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adaptec SmartRAID 3100 Controller | up to 24 | up to 16 | 8 PCIe 3.0 | 1 up to 4GB | ZMCP |
| Adaptec Series 8 RAID Controller 12 Gb | up to 16 | up to 8 | 8 PCIe 3.0 | 1024MB | ZMCP |
| Adaptec Series 7 RAID Controller 6 Gb | up to 24 | up to 8 | 8 PCIe 3.0 | 1024MB | ZMCP |
| Adaptec Series 6 RAID Controller 6 Gb | up to 8 | up to 4 | 1 up to 8 PCIe 2.0 | 128MB up to 512MB | ZMCP or BBU |
| Adaptec Series 5 RAID Controller 3 Gb | up to 24 | up to 4 | 8 PCIe 1.0 | 512MB | ZMCP or BBU |
Adaptec RAID Controller in a Server
For a sample server configuration with Adaptec RAID Controller, please see Configurator - 2U Intel Single-CPU RI1208+ Server Scalable (Ver. 3.*).
Cache Protection
Adaptec RAID controllers provide an integrated cache to accelerate write access. To preserve cache content in the event of a power failure, it can be protected with ZMCP or a battery backup unit.
Further information about the cache settings can be found in the article RAID Controller and Hard Disk Cache Settings.
ZMCP
Cache protection using Adaptec Zero Maintenance Cache Protection (ZMCP) no battery is used. Instead, in the event of a power failure, a capacitor briefly supplies enough power to write the contents of the volatile cache to a non-volatile flash memory. The content of the cache remains in the flash memory, no matter how long the power failure lasts. In addition, this solution is maintenance-free as there are no batteries that need to be replaced at regular intervals.
Battery Backup Unit
Cache protection with Battery Backup Unit (BBU) uses a battery to hold the contents of the cache. Depending on the capacity of the battery and the current charge level, the content of the cache can be retained for up to 72 hours. If the power failure lasts longer, the content of the cache is lost.
BBUs must be serviced regularly. For more information, see the article Battery Backup Unit (BBU/BBM) Maintenance for RAID Controllers.
 |
Author: Werner Fischer Werner Fischer, working in the Knowledge Transfer team at Thomas-Krenn, completed his studies of Computer and Media Security at FH Hagenberg in Austria. He is a regular speaker at many conferences like LinuxTag, OSMC, OSDC, LinuxCon, and author for various IT magazines. In his spare time he enjoys playing the piano and training for a good result at the annual Linz marathon relay.
|
