Series 8E FAQs
Overview
» What are the differences between Microsemi Adaptec Series 8E, Series 8 and Series 8Q?
» What applications is the Series 8E ideal for and why?
» What are the benefits of Series 8E Hardware RAID vs. Entry-Level Software RAID?
» What are the benefits of on-board cache?
» What RAID levels do the Series 8E products support?
» What operating systems are supported? »
» What management utilities are included with the Series 8E?
» How compatible is the Series 8E family?
» Is Micromsemi Adaptec Series 8E compatible with the existing Series 7 and Series 6 products?
» What is the warranty period on the Series 8E RAID adapter family?
What are the differences between Microsemi Adaptec Series 8E, Series 8 and Series 8Q?
The Microsemi Adaptec 12 Gbps Series 8 family of RAID adapters is designed to meet a broad range of storage requirements.
- Series 8E: The newest members of the family provide the ideal combination of price/performance in 4 and 8-port supporting 4 or 8 direct attached devices for entry-level servers and workstations using RAID 0, 1, 10 or Hybrid RAID.
- Series 8Q: With Microsemi Adaptec maxCache 3.0 read and write SSD caching, these16 port adapters feature internal and external configurations that advance the performance capabilities of SSD caching to a broader set of performance-hungry application workloads. Includes our AFM-700 flash-based cache protection module (daughterboard and Supercap) to enable instant battery-free cache protection. Unique for the Microsemi Adaptec 81605Z/ZQ, flash backup is embedded on the board and ships with the Supercap.
- Series 8: Available in four unique configurations including 16 port low-profile/MD2format, these RAID adapters deliver performance and maximum connectivity. The support a full RAID feature set including RAID 5, 50, 6, 60 on top of the base RAID features and support up to 256 devices through expanders.
What applications is the Series 8E ideal for and why?
Series 8E adapters are ideal for entry-level server platforms, workstations or industrial PCs where a Series 8 adapter would not fit in from a price, form factor or host connectivity standpoint and basic RAID 0, 1, 10 is sufficient.
What are the benefits of Series 8E Hardware RAID vs. Entry-Level Software RAID?
Entry-level RAID adapters typically have several drawbacks. Either RAID is implemented in software only, which limits its robustness and it comes without the support for DRAM caching, which limits performance. Adaptec Series 8E SATA/SAS RAID adapters feature hardware RAID and run the same "Adaptec RAID Code" (ARC) as Adaptec Series 8 RAID controllers. They also come with the same drivers, BIOS and storage management tools as Series 8 adapters and do not require additional training. Hardware RAID is enabled through open source drivers for Linux and other open source operating systems and does not require host CPU cycles and memory bandwidth to perform the RAID task.
What are the benefits of on-board cache?
The fastest way for a RAID adapter to fulfill a read or write request is to serve data out of its cache. Savvy network administrators know that enabling the RAID adapter cache offers significant performance benefits, such as reduced latency in I/O requests, the capability to read ahead and higher performance at low queue depths that surpass software application limits.
What is Hybrid RAID?
Hybrid RAID arrays are mirrors of Solid State Drives (SSDs) and Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) offer tremendous performance gains over standard HDD RAID arrays by performing read operations from the faster SSD and write operations on both the SSD and HDD. The result is a higher number of read operations per second with no significant degradation of write I/O performance, and complete transparency to the operating system and all running applications. Compared to SSD only RAID it provides a lower cost solution.
What RAID levels do the Series 8E products support?
The Series 8E RAID adapter family supports standard RAID levels 0, 1, 10. It also supports Copyback Hot Spare, which allows the user to specify a fixed physical location for the hot spare for improved manageability.
What operating systems are supported?
The Series 8E family supports a long list of operating systems including Windows, Linux, VMware, Solaris, and FreeBSD. For a complete list of available operating systems and drivers, please consult the support site.
What management utilities are included with the Series 8E?
Microsemi Adaptec maxView Storage Manager™ is a one-view utility that centralizes management of all Microsemi Adaptec RAID products. Microsemi Adaptec Storage Manager enables network wide RAID management, monitoring, and configuration through secure, encrypted communication.
- ARCCONF (Command Line Interface – CLI) - Text-based command line interface that provides the same functions as Microsemi Adaptec Storage Manager in environments where a GUI is not available. This includes SMI-S support under VMware to send and receive email notifications (requires Adaptec email notification client for Linux).
- Event Monitor - Stores adapter event in the OS logs such as /var/log/messages and provides proactive failure notification through email.
- Vsphere plugin - Provides RAID status and configuration information through VMWare vsphere™.
How compatible is the Series 8E family?
Series 8E adapters support SATA and SAS devices, and have been qualified with the same systems, motherboards, backplanes and drives as Series 8 adapters. Series 8E adapters have also been thoroughly tested with storage devices for entry-level server platforms, workstations and motherboards most typically used for basic servers, performance workstations or industrial PCs.
What applications is 12Gbps PCIe Gen3 ideal for and why?
While 12Gbps PCIe Gen3 solutions can play in all kinds of environments and applications, it provides its true benefit when high throughput and high bandwidth is required. 12 Gb/s SAS provides 2x the bandwidth over 6 Gbps SAS; as such typical applications, such as OLTP, video streams or archiving can perform at their most optimal.
Is Micromsemi Adaptec Series 8E compatible with the existing Series 7 and Series 6 products?
Yes, Series 8E (12 Gbps) is fully compatible with its 6 Gbps predecessors: Series 7, 7E and Series 6, 6E. Existing RAID arrays can be migrated from those adapter Series to Series 8E.
What is the warranty period on the Series 8E RAID adapter family?
The Series 8E RAID adapters have been extensively tested with third-party systems to deliver the utmost in compatibility, now and in the future. Each is backed by a 3-year warranty and Adaptec industry-leading technical support.
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