| Q1. |
Is the Smart Array 5i Controller a Smart Array family member? |
| A1. |
|
Absolutely! As part of Compaq's Smart Array family of controllers, the Smart Array 5i Controller extends Compaq's philosophy of lowest
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) by providing ease of use and simple upgrade paths as business needs expand.
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| Q2. |
What are the differences between the Integrated Smart Array Controller and the Smart Array 5i Controller? |
| A2. |
|
The main differences between these two controllers include:
- Dual Ultra3 SCSI channels (1 internal and 1 external)
- 32 MB of cache memory used for code, transfer buffers, and non-battery backed read cache
- Recovery ROM to protect against a ROM image corruption
- Increased performance
|
 Q3. |
Where does the Smart Array 5i Controller fit in the Compaq family of array controllers? |
| A3. |
|
The Smart Array 5i Controller can be simplest way for today's software RAID and non-RAID users to step up to true hardware RAID protection in selected workgroup servers.
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| Q4. |
Are Ultra2 and Ultra3 compatible? |
| A4. |
|
Yes! Because Ultra2 and Ultra3 both operate on the Low Voltage Differential (LVD) electrical platform, the two protocols are completely data compatible. All Compaq Ultra2 and Ultra3 controllers are data compatible with Ultra2 and Ultra3 hard drives and servers.
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| Q5. |
What is the primary difference between the Smart Array 5i and the other Smart Array controllers? |
| A5. |
|
The Smart Array 5i controller is integrated directly on the server system board in Compaq's ProLiant ML370 G2 (optional upgrade - kit required)
and ProLiant DL380 G2 servers. All other Smart Array controllers are connected through a PCI slot. Additionally, other Smart Array controllers are faster, have higher availability, have higher capacity, and many have more channels.
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| Q6. |
What is the difference between non-RAID and RAID? |
| A6. |
|
RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) is today's mechanism by which data is protected from loss and is made available on a continuous basis, even during and after limited disk failure. RAID-0 (or non-fault tolerant RAID) is the term applied to data management which has no fault tolerance though read/write operations are generally faster than non-RAID. RAID-1, RAID 1+0, and RAID-5 are the most common RAID methods used where data is protected against disk drive failure. The difference, then, between non-RAID and RAID is
the degree of risk of data loss or data restoration time and the resulting impact on the business as compared to the cost of RAID implementation and management.
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| Q7. |
What is the difference between the Smart Array 5i and the Smart Array 5i Plus? |
| A7. |
|
The Smart Array 5i Plus is the upgraded version of the Smart Array 5i now with 64MB Cache and the capability to add battery backed write cache.
|
| Q8. |
How many drives will the Smart Array 5i support? |
| A8. |
|
The Smart Array 5i will support RAID data protection functionality on all internal drives and up to 14 external drives.
|
| Q9. |
Will the Smart Array 5i support both internal and external drives at the same time? |
| A9. |
|
Yes, the Smart Array 5i has 1 internal SCSI channel and 1 external SCSI channel which can be run simultaneously.
|
| Q10. |
Does the Smart Array 5i have an upgrade path to PCI Smart Array controller? |
| A10. |
|
Yes! Upon reaching the limitation of the Smart Array 5i, any current or future Ultra2 or Ultra3 Smart Array Controller can easily replace the Smart Array 5i to increase data performance, data availability and data capacity. This upgrade is as simple as shutting down the server, inserting the new PCI board, upgrading the
firmware to the most current firmware, and seamlessly the data will be recognized by the new array controller. The Integrated Smart Array Controller is not upgradeable to the Smart Array 5i Controller. (Note: It is recommended that users have a current back-up before attempting any server upgrades and refer to more detailed notes on upgrading in the user manuals provided with the controllers).
Note: You can not upgrade from the Integrated Smart Array Controller to the Smart Array 5i Controller because the Integrated Smart Array Controller is embedded on the system board and can not be removed. However, any hard drives on the Integrated Smart Array Controller can be moved to another server that has the Smart Array 5i Controller and that data would be seamlessly recognized.
|
| Q11. |
Does the Smart Array 5i support Single Ended SCSI devices? |
| A11. |
|
The Smart Array 5i will support all Ultra2 and Ultra3 servers, storage enclosures, and hard
disk drives. The Smart Array 5i does not support Single Ended hard disk drives, but does support Single Ended tape drives. (Single Ended refers to Wide Ultra SCSI and previous generations of the SCSI protocol).
|
| Q12. |
Does the Smart Array 5i support write-back cache? |
| A12. |
|
No, Compaq believes that data integrity is the most important feature of any of our array controller products. Write-back cache is vulnerable to power drops. With higher-end Compaq array controllers (e.g., the Smart Array 5300 family), write-back cache is protected by a unique removable battery backed cache daughter board. Since this is a costly feature to implement, standard with
higher end array controllers, the Smart Array 5i does not support battery backed write-back cache.
|
| Q13. |
Does Compaq offer Hard Disk Drive Pre-Failure Warranty Support with the Smart Array 5i like it does for higher end array controllers? |
| A13. |
|
Absolutely. Because this product feature adds true customer value, Pre-Failure Warranty for attached Compaq disk drives is a standard feature on all the Smart Array family products.
|
| Q14. |
What is the primary problem solved by Recovery ROM? |
| A14. |
|
The Smart Array Controller firmware is stored on the controller ROM and can be updated by flashing the ROM with a new version of the firmware. During the controller ROM flash process,
it is possible for a problem to occur resulting in corruption of the controller firmware. A corrupted firmware in the controller ROM would make the controller inoperable and bring the system down.
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| Q15. |
How is this problem addressed with Recovery ROM? |
| A15. |
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Recovery ROM provides a unique redundancy feature that helps ensure against controller availability. During the flash process, a new version of the firmware can be flashed to the ROM while the controller maintains the last known working version of firmware. If the firmware becomes corrupt, the controller will revert back to the last known version of firmware and continue operating. This reduces the risk of flashing new firmware to the controller.
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| Q16. |
What configuration utilities and management utilities are needed for the Smart Array 5i? |
| A16. |
|
The Smart Array 5i uses the same configuration utility (ACU) and management software (CIM) as the entire Smart Array family of products.
|
| Q17. |
What is contained in the Smart Array 5i Controller option kit? |
| A17. |
|
The Smart Array 5i Controller option kit includes a field installable option board, a user guide and software CD.
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| Q18. |
What operating systems will be supported by the Smart Array 5i? |
| A18. |
|
- NT 4.0 Server
- NT 4.0 Enterprise Edition
- NT 4.0 Terminal Server
- Windows 2000
- Windows 2000 Advanced Server
- NetWare 4.2*
- NetWare 5.x
- Linux Redhat 7.0, 7.1
- Caldera OpenLinux 2.3.1 and 3.1
- UnixWare 7.x
- OpenServer 5.x**
- Solaris***
- OS/2**
*NetWare 4.11 with SupportPack 9 is supported.
**Future support planned for ProLiant ML370 G2 servers
***Future support planned
NOTE: Your server may not be supported on all operating systems listed.
Please consult ftp://ftp.compaq.com/pub/products/servers/os-support-matrix-310.pdf for an up to date server OS support matrix.
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