Chapter 1: Introduction to VessRAID
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Architectural Description
The VessRAID 1700i and 1800i Series are iSCSI subsystems suitable for Direct
Attached Storage (DAS) and Expanded Storage.
The VessRAID subsystems support:
• 3.0 Gb/s SATA disk drives
• 3.0 Gb/s SAS disk drives
All VessRAID enclosures include a mid-plane, RAID controller, power supply unit,
and enclosure processor all in one cable-less chassis design. Multiple fans and
optional power supplies provide redundancy to ensure continued usage during
component failure. The RAID controller is hardware based and controls all logical
drive functions transparently to the host system. VessRAID appears to the
computer’s operating system as a standard SCSI drive or drives.
Features and Benefits
Highlights
• Intel 81348 I/O Processor with 4MB NOR flash memory, 128 MB NAND flash
memory for additional functions and 128 KB 8-bit NVRAM.
• 512 MB DDRII SDRAM DIMM expandable to 2GB.
• SDRAM available with optional battery backup up to 72 hours.
• PMC PM8388 expander with 2MB flash memory. 16- and 12-bay models
only.
• 10/100Mb RJ45 Ethernet management port.
• RJ11 serial port supports RS232 protocol via adapter cable.
• USB 2.0 external ports for subsystem management.
• 8 or 12 hot-swappable drive bays in a robust 2U rackmount chassis.
• 16 hot-swappable drive bays in a robust 3U rackmount chassis.
• Redundant, hot-swappable power supplies on 1800i Series models.
• Supports for SAS and SATA 3 Gb/s drives simultaneously in the same
system—choose the drive that is best suited to your application.
• Four GbE iSCSI host ports provide high-availability SAN and cluster-friendly
platform.
• JBOD expansion support through a 3 Gb/s SAS x4 port on 16- and 12-bay
models.
• Simplified remote management with a comprehensive embedded web-
based management via Ethernet—WebPAM PROe. Command Line
Interface Utility via RJ-11 Serial Port.