LSI SAS2 manual Introduction to the Integrated RAID Solution, Overview, Features, Enhanced RAID 1E

SAS2 Integrated RAID Solution User Guide Chapter 1: Introduction to the Integrated RAID Solution Overview

Chapter 1

Introduction to the Integrated RAID Solution

This chapter provides an introduction to the features and benefits of the LSI Integrated RAID solution for LSI SAS2 controllers.

1.1 Overview	The LSI Integrated RAID solution provides cost benefits for the server or workstation
	market that requires the extra performance, storage capacity, and/or redundancy of a
	RAID configuration. The LSI Integrated RAID solution includes the following RAID
	features:
	 The Integrated Mirroring solution, which provides features of RAID 1
	 The Integrated Mirroring + Striping solution, which provides features of RAID 10
	 The Integrated Mirroring Enhanced solution, which provides features of RAID 1
	Enhanced (RAID 1E)
	 The Integrated Striping solution, which provides features of RAID 0
	By simplifying the configuration options and by providing firmware support in its SAS2
	host adapters, LSI can offer the Integrated RAID solution at a lower cost than a
	hardware RAID implementation.

LSI Fusion-MPT™ firmware supports Integrated Mirroring volumes, Integrated Mirroring

+Striping volumes, Integrated Mirroring Enhanced volumes, and Integrated Striping volumes. You can create up to two Integrated RAID volumes on each LSI SAS2 controller.

The LSI Integrated RAID solution supports the following LSI SAS2 controllers and the host bus adapters based on these controllers:

LSISAS2004

LSISAS2008

LSISAS2108

LSISAS2208

LSISAS2304

LSISAS2308

LSI Integrated RAID firmware uses the same device drivers as the standard LSI Fusion-MPT-based controllers. This eliminates the need for complex backup software or expensive RAID hardware. To conserve system resources, the Integrated RAID firmware operates independently from the operating system. The BIOS-based configuration utility, documented in Chapter 3 and Chapter 5, makes it easy to configure mirrored and striped volumes. The Integrated RAID solution is currently available as an optional component of the Fusion-MPT architecture on LSI SAS2 controllers.

LSI Corporation Confidential August 2010 Page 5