HP Smart Array technologies
The HP Serial Attached SCSI (SAS)-2 Smart Array controllers boost I/O performance to 6Gb/s in ProLiant G6 servers compared to 3Gb/s for SAS-1 controllers. The SAS-2 controllers—Smart Array P410i, P410, P411, P212, and P712—provide administrators with configuration, management, and diagnostic tools for direct attach and storage area network (SAN) requirements. SAS expander devices offer higher system performance by expanding the number of disk drives that can be attached to an HP Smart Array controller. Other Smart Array controller features include SATA native command queuing, improved battery life, and the HP Smart Array Advanced Pack. For a compatibility matrix and an up-to-date listing of HP Smart Array controllers that support the SAS-2 specification, go to www.hp.com/products/smartarray.
SATA native command queuing
Native Command Queuing (NCQ) increases SATA HDD performance by internally prioritizing read/write command execution without assistance from the CPU. This reduces unnecessary drive head movement which results in increased performance, especially in server or storage applications where multiple simultaneous read/write requests are common.
Improved battery life
Battery-backed write cache life has been improved so that a single battery can last up to two days. Previously, two days of battery life required two batteries.
Flash-backed write-cache
HP implemented a flash-backed write-cache (FBWC) system to protect against data loss beyond the 48-hour battery life limitation of write caches with battery backup. During a power loss, the FBWC uses power provided by super-capacitors (Super-caps) to write cache data to NAND1 flash devices. On the next system power up, the FBWC posts the data to the disk drive.
HP Smart Array Advanced Pack
Release 1 of the Smart Array Advanced Pack (SAAP) provides additional functionality that you can initiate on-demand with a software key from HP:
∙RAID 6 – protects against the simultaneous failure of two drives in an array without downtime or data loss
∙RAID 60 (RAID 6+0) – uses RAID 0 block-level striping across multiple RAID 6 arrays with dual distributed parity, which splits the RAID storage across multiple external boxes
∙Advanced Capacity Expansion (ACE) – allows the contents of a disk array to be transferred to a second set of physical drives in order to upgrade the capacity or speed of the drives. ACE can also help shrink the size of the array (remove excess drives) after its capacity has been expanded.
∙Erase Drive – securely erases the contents of hard drives or logical units without running a “shredder” utility on the host computer
HP Thermal Logic technologies
HP Thermal Logic technologies (Dynamic Power Capping, thermal sensors, and common slot power supplies) implemented in ProLiant G6 servers can double the power efficiency of the previous generation of ProLiant servers.
1Non-volatile semiconductor memory that can be electronically erased and reprogrammed. No power is needed to maintain data stored in the chip
