Server PCI Disk Array Controller PCIRAID



Server PCI Disk Array Controller PCIRAID (Mylex DAC960PL)
(Used in Server 8650-704)

                          FRU P/N     OPT P/N
 -----------------------------------------------------------
  PCIRAID Controller      75H9011     94G5884  (two channel)
  DRAM SIMM  4MB          60G2175
  DRAM SIMM 32MB          xxxxxxx
  Battery Backup Unit     xxxxxxx
 -----------------------------------------------------------
 PCIRAID Controller (DAC960PL) Specifications
 CPU            Intel® i960JF RISC 32-bit microprocessor
 Memory         ° DRAM Module Type 72-pin SIMM, 70ns (or faster)
                ° Minimum   2 MB
                ° Optional  4, 8, 16 or 32 MB  (n x36) 
                ° Cache Type
                  - Write     selectable, Write Through or Write Back
                  - Read      always enabled
 Firmware       ° ROM Type  Flash EEPROM 256x8 boot-sectored
                ° BIOS      Executed from DRAM (Shadow RAM)
 PCI            ° I/O Processor  Mylex 189206 ASIC
                ° Bus Type       32-bit, 33MHz, PCI Local Bus
                ° Mode           Bus Master
                ° Transfer Rate  Up to 132 MB/second (burst)
 SCSI           ° I/O Processors 53C720 one per channel
                ° Bus Type       8 or 16-bit Fast/Wide SCSI-2 compliant
                ° Transfer Rate  Up to 20MB/second per channel
                                 Up to 60MB/second 3 channels
 RAID           ° Levels supported
                  - RAID 0,   Striping
                  - RAID 1,   Mirroring
                  - RAID 5,   Parity
                  - RAID 0+1, Striping and Mirroring
                  - JBOD,     Single-drive control
 Electrical     ° Input Power  (Supply currents assume drives providing
                                term power (5Vdc at 5%)
                  - 5V 2.5 Amp. (w/4MB  memory)
                  - 5V 3.5 Amp. (w/16MB memory)
 Environmental  ° Temperature
                  - Operating       5°C to 55°C
                  - Storage       -60°C to +150°C
                ° Humidity (non condensing)
                  - Operating       20% to 90% rh
                  - Non Operating   20% to 90% rh
 Dimensions     ° Length    12.5  inches
                ° height     4.19 inches


  CAUTION When you remove or install the PCIRAID controller board, the battery backup module continues to
provide it with power. To prevent damaged to the board, do not allow anything metal to touch its components or gold edge connectors.

The PCIRAID Adapter uses a 32-bit RISC-based microprocessor, ASIC logic array, and a dedicated read/write cache memory to reduce the host system CPU load and to increase disk I/O throughput (up to 60MB/sec. 3-channel controller). Standard on-board memory is a 72-pin, 36-bit 70ns (or faster) DRAM SIMM module, of either 2, 4, 8, 16 or 32 MB size. The default SCSI address for the PCIRAID controller is target ID 7.

  If you connect SCSI devices to an internal channel on the PCIRAID, you should not connect any devices to its corresponding external channel. The total SCSI bus length must not exceed three meters.

Automated RAID Functions 



Supported Operating Systems

SCSI Cabling and Termination Conventions

Disk drives equipped with a SCSI interface should be connected to the controller by means of cables that comply with standard SCSI data-rate, pinout and cable-length conventions (including all internal wiring). Up to seven SCSI devices can be connected to each of the controller's drive channels. The first and last device on each channel must be terminated. The PCIRAID (DAC960PL) supports active termination (alternative-2, or ALT-2).

Terminating a SCSI chain is accomplished either by adding a terminator (or by terminating the device) on each of the two ends of the SCSI bus.

The PCIRAID (DAC960PL) has on board ALT-2 type SCSI terminators on all drive channels. Jumpers JP1, JP2 and JP3 are used to enable or disable terminations for Channels 0, 1 and 2 respectively.

By default, all three jumpers are installed when shipped from the factory (termination enabled). This is the normal termination required when the controller is installed at one end of the SCSI cable. In this case, whenever JP1, JP2 or JP3 are shunted, the controller will provide termination to each SCSI channel, and will also power the SCSI TERMPWR signal for that SCSI bus.

Terminating Internal Disk Arrays On a disk array system, the termination should be set in such a way that when any drive is removed from the SCSI bus, termination and termination power are left intact.
 

Selecting the Correct Terminator Use ALT-2 type external SCSI terminators for operating a SCSI channel at 10M Bytes/second (or faster) synchronous transfer rates. Use ALT-1 type external SCSI terminators for operating a SCSI channel at 5M Bytes/second synchronous ar asynchronous transfer rate. The DACCF Configuration Utility can be used to set the transfer rate and mode for each channel.

Setting SCSI Device Term Power All of the SCSI drives connected to the PCIRAID should be shunted to apply power on the SCSI TERMPWR line, as well as having any of their built-in terminators disabled or removed. It is important that all drives supply termination power, so that power is applied to the SCSI bus even if drives are removed or replaced.
The same rule also apply to non disk SCSI devices connected to any of the PCIRAID SCSI channels.

Optional Cache Battery Backup Module provides temporary protection for unwritten data in the write back cache on the PCIRAID controller card in the event of a system reset or power loss. Data maintained in the cache will be written to disk once power is restored. The battery backup module's rechargeable Nickel-Cadmium batteries have a life span of almost ten years.

Using an Uniterruptable Power Supply (UPS) We highly reccomend installation of a UPS for systems with a PCIRAID controller. Loss of power to the system in the midst of system activity can result in loss of data since the data in cache waiting to be written to disk will be lost, unless you have installed the optional cache battery backup module. Installation of a UPS may eliminate this situation completely. If properly installed, it will supply uninterrupted power to the host system and drives and allow the operating system to properly shut down before power is removed from the system.


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