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After reviewing several different NAS devices, it’s time for a change of pace. And what a change of pace it is – we have an embedded SATA RAID controller. It supports an amazing array of RAID levels and options ... and yet requires no drivers. It works on any SATA controller and any OS. Let’s play!
Introduction
Most RAID controllers follow a pretty well defined formula:
- Grab a cheap basic CPU;
- Grab a few ports for connections to disk drives (SAS, SATA, SCSI, IDE);
- [Optional] Get some RAM chips (increase price by 300% if RAID controller has RAM);
- Design a PCB to support the CPU, RAM if needed and disk drives;
- Plug the PCB into the inside of a PC or server (PCI, PCI-X and PCI-Express are the current generations);
- Write a BIOS, firmware and drivers as necessary;
- [Apparently optional] Debug the BIOS, firmware and drivers so it actually works.
It’s been a pretty successful formula for any number of companies - and it’s also the basis for most of the world’s x86 and x64 servers (HP, IBM, Dell and all their competitors all do RAID controllers this way in their main servers).
Then along comes an upstart with a new plan, something that changes the game completely. Meet the Addonics 5 Port HPM-XA RAID controller.
Comments (3)
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|70.114.239.xxx |2009-12-30 06:46:59 outcast2k - product review gaps?good start on covering some of the basics. some other detais that would be good to know:
1) how long does a RAID rebuild take?
2) how do you tell how far a rebuild has left?
3) how do you tell which disk failed?
4) does the software UI handle 2+ HDM-XA's in the system?
5) how do you recover the RAID if the HDM-XA itself has failed and needs to be replaced?
6) what's the biggest sized drives supported? 2TB?
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|219.90.134.xxx |2010-03-07 23:17:32 TERRABYTEONE - ?? 3132 pciex1 card max output is 190mb/seciv tested this.. etc..
sil 3132 pci-e x1 card )(addtronics one) or jmb 363 or highpoint 4 port x1 2300 raid card.
max oot put is 190mb sec total.. and if using 2 ports its 95mb/sec..
tested this using 4x volir wd 300g hdd
(they get each 109mb/sec)
so if using both e-sata ports.. transfer maxes out at 190mb.sec..
if using 4 hdd in raid 0 etc... max output for 4x vr 300 on intel on-board raid (x48 chipset) 500+mb/sec..
on sil using this product is.. 90mb/sec.
als tryed 4x 1.5 tb 7200.11 hdd..max out at 90mb/sec
also tryed raid 5.. 90mb/sec.
2tb hdd supported. but hardware or nonhardware raid the sil raid gear does not support partitions bigger than 2tb.(old design)
to get 6 tb hdd spac out of in i raid 0 (4x 1.5tb)
i hd to make 4 partitions .. the software is limited in what size to make. it..it was tricky.. i had to make partitin/volumns 2+ then delet and recreat smaller ones. in aparticular order.
they need to update thar raid cards. (chan...
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Thanks for the great write up!