Intel RS2BL080 - RAID Controller User Manual

2 Intel® RAID Controller RS2BL080 Hardware User’s Guide
Intel
®
RAID Controller RS2BL080
The Intel
®
RAID Controller RS2BL080 is an intelligent, low-profile RAID adapter with
an integrated LSI SAS2108 RAID-On-Chip chipset, providing both a SAS controller and
RAID engine. With 512-MB RAM built onto the board and eight independent ports
supporting 6-Gbps and 3-Gbps SAS data transfers using two SFF-8087 mini multi-lane
connectors, this controller supports up to 32 enterprise-class SAS or SATA devices and 64
logical drives. The PCI Express* connector fits into an x8 or x16 PCI Express* slot
capable of performance up to 5 Gbps per lane.
The SAS RAID controllers support the SAS protocol as described in the Serial Attached
SCSI Standard, Version 2.0. The controllers also support the Serial ATA II (SATA II)
protocol defined by the Serial ATA Specification, Version 1.0a and the Serial ATA II:
Extension to the Serial ATA Specification, Version 1.1. SATA II is an extension to SATA
1.0a.
In addition, the SAS RAID controllers support the following SATA II features:
• 3-Gbps SATA II
• Staggered spin-up
• Hot plug
• Native command queuing
• Activity and fault indicators for each PHY
• Port selector (for dual-port drives)
Protocol Support
Each port on the SAS controllers supports SAS devices, SATA II devices, or both using
SSP, SMP, STP, and SATA II as follows:
• Serial SCSI Protocol (SSP) to enable communication with other SAS devices.
• SATA II Protocol to enable communication with other SATA II devices.
• Serial Management Protocol (SMP) to share topology management information
with expanders.
• Serial Tunneling Protocol (STP) support for SATA II through expander interfaces.
Operating System Support
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003*, Microsoft Windows Server 2008*, and Windows
Vista*.
• Red Hat* Enterprise Linux 4.0, and 5.0.
• SuSE* Linux Enterprise Server 10 and 11.

Intel RS2BL080 - RAID Controller Specifications

General

Category	RAID Controller
Interface	PCIe 2.0 x8
RAID Levels Supported	0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, 60
Max Devices Supported	128
Battery Backup	Optional
Product Name	Intel RS2BL080
Number of Ports	8
Operating System Support	Windows, Linux
Data Transfer Rate	6Gb/s per port

Summary

Chapter 1, Overview

Protocol Support

Operating System Support

Redundancy and Error Handling

Covers drive coercion, auto-detection of failures, smart initialization, and error logging.

SAS/SATA Features

Online Capacity Expansion and RAID Level Migration Rules

Chapter 2, Hardware Installation

Requirements

Installing the RAID Controller

Provides step-by-step instructions for physically installing the RAID controller into the system.

Configuring the RAID Controller

Guides users through accessing and using the Intel® RAID BIOS Console 2 for configuration.

Replacing a Controller

Resolving a Configuration Mismatch

Chapter 3, Characteristics

Technical Specifications

Lists key technical specifications including ROC, voltage, card size, bus speed, and port details.

Array Performance Features

Fault Tolerance

Details fault tolerance features like SMART support, battery backup, drive replacement, and error checking.

Electrical Characteristics

Safety Characteristics

Appendix A: Drive Roaming and Drive Migration Install

Drive Roaming

Drive Migration

Appendix B: Installation / Assembly Safety Instructions

General Safety Guidelines

Lists essential safety precautions to observe when using the computer system.

Working Inside the Computer

Provides safety instructions for operations performed inside the computer system.

Additional Safety Guidelines

Offers further safety advice, including handling cables and components carefully.

Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge (ESD)

Explains methods to prevent damage from static electricity to computer components.