8.0Installation

Cheetah disc drive installation is a plug-and-play process. There are no jumpers, switches, or terminators on the drive.

SAS drives are designed to be used in a host system that provides a SAS-compatible backplane with bays designed to accomodate the drive. In such systems, the host system typically provides a carrier or tray into which you need to mount the drive. Mount the drive to the carrier or tray provided by the host system using four 6-32 UNC screws. Do not over-tighten or force the screws. You can mount the drive in any orientation.

Note. SAS drives are designed to be attached to the host system without I/O or power cables. If you intend the use the drive in a non-backplane host system, connecting the drive using high-quality cables is acceptable as long as the I/O cable length does not exceed 4 meters (13.1 feet).

Slide the carrier or tray into the appropriate bay in your host system using the instructions provided by the host system. This connects the drive directly to your system’s SAS connector. The SAS connector is normally located on a SAS backpanel. See Section 9.4.1 for additional information about these connectors.

Power is supplied through the SAS connector.

The drive is shipped from the factory low-level formatted in 512-byte logical blocks. You need to reformat the drive only if you want to select a different logical block size.

SAS Interface

connector

Figure 14. Physical interface

8.1Drive orientation

The drive may be mounted in any orientation. All drive performance characterizations, however, have been done with the drive in horizontal (discs level) and vertical (drive on its side) orientations, which are the two pre- ferred mounting orientations.

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Seagate ST373355SS, ST3146755SS, ST3300555SS manual Installation, Drive orientation

ST3300555SS, ST3146755SS, ST373355SS specifications

The Seagate ST373355SS, ST3146755SS, and ST3300555SS represent a range of high-performance hard drives designed for enterprise applications, particularly in server environments requiring reliability, speed, and high capacity.

The ST373355SS is a 73.5 GB SCSI hard drive operating at 15,000 RPM, which ensures rapid data access and superior performance, making it ideal for transactional applications and data-intensive tasks. With its 4 MB cache, the drive leverages fast read and write speeds, enhancing overall system responsiveness. The SCSI interface, operating at 80 MB/s, allows for high-speed data transfers, making it a suitable choice for demanding environments where quick access to information is critical. Its hot-swappable feature enables maintenance without shutting down the system, maximizing uptime and productivity.

The ST3146755SS, with a capacity of 146.8 GB, builds on the performance of its predecessor while introducing improvements in data handling and reliability. Operating at the same impressive 15,000 RPM, this model also features a 16 MB cache that greatly improves data throughput and access speed. The drive is designed to reduce latency, which is crucial for applications where timing is everything. It is equipped with advanced error recovery features and Seagate’s innovative PowerTrim technology, which improves power efficiency during read and write operations. The ST3146755SS also features a higher mean time between failures (MTBF), underscoring its reliability in high-demand environments.

Lastly, the ST3300555SS offers even greater capacity with 300 GB. This drive maintains the 15,000 RPM rotation speed and benefits from a 16 MB cache, providing a balance of speed and storage capacity. Its advanced SCSI interface supports not just speed but also data integrity, ensuring consistent performance during extensive data transfers. The drive is designed to handle workloads naturally associated with enterprise servers, data warehouses, and video editing applications. Its rugged build supports continuous operation and is tested for high-temperature environments to ensure durability.

In summary, the Seagate ST373355SS, ST3146755SS, and ST3300555SS hard drives are engineered for enterprise environments, combining impressive RPM speeds, significant storage capacities, and advanced technologies to deliver reliability, performance, and efficiency for critical applications. These hard drives represent Seagate's commitment to providing solutions that meet the rigorous demands of modern data environments.