Description
More Information for the LSI Logic 9260-8I RAID Controller
The 9260-8I LSI Logic 8-Ports SAS 6GBPS MegaRAID SATA 6GBPS PCI-E Low Profile RAID Controller is a sophisticated piece of hardware designed for managing and optimizing data storage in enterprise-level environments. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll delve into the key features, benefits, and technical specifications of this RAID controller, exploring its significance in storage solutions and how it enhances data management capabilities.
Overview of the 9260-8I RAID Controller
The 9260-8I RAID controller is manufactured by LSI Logic, a renowned company in the field of storage and data management solutions. This particular model is equipped with 8 ports, supporting both SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) with a 6Gbps data transfer rate and SATA (Serial ATA) with a similar 6Gbps speed. The PCI Express (PCI-E) interface ensures high-speed communication with the server or storage system.
Key Features
- 8 Ports for Enhanced Connectivity: The inclusion of 8 ports allows the RAID controller to connect to multiple drives simultaneously, increasing the overall storage capacity and providing redundancy for data protection.
- SAS and SATA Compatibility: The dual compatibility with both SAS and SATA drives makes the 9260-8I versatile, accommodating different types of storage devices based on the specific needs of the user or organization.
- High Data Transfer Rate: With a 6Gbps data transfer rate, the RAID controller ensures efficient and rapid communication between the connected drives and the server, enhancing overall system performance.
- PCI-E Interface for Speed and Efficiency: The PCI Express interface facilitates a direct and high-speed connection to the server or storage system, optimizing data throughput and minimizing latency.
- Low Profile Design: The low-profile design of the RAID controller is particularly beneficial in space-constrained environments, allowing for installation in compact servers or systems without sacrificing performance.
- MegaRAID Technology: The inclusion of MegaRAID technology further enhances the functionality of the controller by providing advanced RAID management features, such as RAID levels (0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, and 60) for data protection and performance optimization.
Importance of RAID Controllers in Data Management
RAID controllers play a crucial role in optimizing data storage and management in enterprise environments. The acronym “RAID” stands for Redundant Array of Independent Disks, and it represents a technology that allows multiple drives to work together as a single unit for improved performance, reliability, and data protection.
- Data Protection: One of the primary purposes of RAID controllers is to ensure data protection. By distributing data across multiple drives, RAID configurations can tolerate the failure of one or more drives without losing data. In the case of the 9260-8I, the support for various RAID levels provides flexibility in choosing the level of redundancy and performance that suits the specific requirements.
- Performance Optimization: RAID controllers also contribute to performance optimization. By striping data across multiple drives (RAID 0), for example, the overall speed of data access and retrieval is significantly improved. The 6Gbps data transfer rate of the 9260-8I further enhances this performance, making it suitable for applications that demand high-speed data processing.
- Scalability: As data storage requirements grow, the scalability of RAID configurations becomes crucial. The 8 ports on the 9260-8I RAID controller provide room for expansion, allowing users to add more drives as needed without sacrificing performance.
Technical Specifications
- Processor and Memory: The 9260-8I is equipped with a powerful processor to handle the complex computations involved in RAID management. Additionally, it features onboard cache memory to enhance data access speeds.
- Supported RAID Levels: This RAID controller supports a wide range of RAID levels, including RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, and 60. This flexibility enables users to choose the appropriate RAID level based on their specific needs for data protection and performance.
- Compatibility: The controller is designed to be compatible with various operating systems, ensuring seamless integration into diverse server environments. Compatibility with SAS and SATA drives adds to its versatility.
- Management Interface: The 9260-8I RAID controller comes with a user-friendly management interface, allowing administrators to monitor and configure RAID settings easily. This ensures efficient management of storage resources and quick responses to changing storage requirements.
Use Cases and Applications
- Server Environments: The 9260-8I RAID controller is well-suited for server environments where data integrity, performance, and scalability are critical. It can handle the demands of applications such as web hosting, database management, and virtualization.
- Data Centers: In data center environments where large-scale storage solutions are required, the 9260-8I can be employed to create robust and reliable storage arrays. Its support for RAID 6 and RAID 60 makes it particularly suitable for environments where dual-drive failures must be tolerated.
- Workstations: Workstations dealing with resource-intensive tasks, such as video editing or 3D rendering, can benefit from the high data transfer rates and performance optimization features of the 9260-8I RAID controller.
Scalability
The LSI Logic 9260-8I is a low-profile RAID controller card that provides 8 ports for connecting SAS and SATA hard drives to a computer. It supports 6 Gbps SAS and 6 Gbps SATA data transfer speeds and is based on the PCI Express interface. The card is designed to provide scalability by allowing the user to add more hard drives to the system as storage needs grow.
Scalability in this context refers to the ability of the RAID controller card to handle an increasing number of hard drives without a significant decrease in performance. This part supports RAID levels 0,1,5,6,10,50 and 60, which allows the user to configure the hard drives in a way that fits the needs of their application, whether it be performance, capacity, or data protection.
Additionally, the card’s low profile form factor makes it a great option for use in compact, space-constrained systems, and its support for SAS and SATA hard drives ensures that it can be used with a wide range of hard drive types and capacities.
However, it’s important to note that the scalability also depends on the number of ports available on the controller card and the amount of storage that can be handled by a single RAID controller, which on this specific card is 8 ports. If the user needs to add more hard drives than the ports available, they will need to purchase additional RAID controller cards.
Performance and Reliability of Megaraid PCI-E
The LSI Logic 9260-8I MegaRAID controller card is designed to provide high performance and reliability for storage applications.
MegaRAID PCI-E refers to a type of RAID controller card that connects to a computer via the PCI Express interface. RAID, or Redundant Array of Independent Disks, is a technology that allows multiple hard drives to work together as a single logical unit, providing increased performance and redundancy. MegaRAID PCI-E controller cards are specifically designed to provide advanced RAID functionality and high-performance data transfer using the PCI Express interface.
Performance-wise, it supports data transfer speeds of up to 6 Gbps for both SAS and SATA hard drives, which allows for fast data transfer and access. Additionally, the card supports RAID levels 0,1,5,6,10,50 and 60, which allows the user to configure the hard drives in a way that fits the needs of their application, whether it be performance, capacity, or data protection. RAID 0 and RAID 1 provide the best performance while RAID 5, RAID 6, RAID 10, RAID 50, and RAID 60 provide better data protection.
In terms of reliability, the card utilizes advanced features such as hardware RAID and error correction to ensure data is transmitted and stored reliably even in the event of a hard drive failure. Hardware RAID allows multiple hard drives to work together as a single logical unit, providing increased performance and redundancy. Error correction is a feature that automatically detects and corrects errors in the data transmission, this helps to prevent data loss and ensure the integrity of the data.
General Compatibility
The LSI Logic 9260-8I MegaRAID controller card is generally compatible with a wide range of systems and devices. It is based on the PCI Express interface, which is a widely used standard for connecting expansion cards to a computer’s motherboard. This means that the card should be compatible with most systems that have an available PCI Express slot.
In terms of storage compatibility, the card supports both SAS and SATA hard drives, so it can be used with a wide range of hard drive types and capacities. It also supports data transfer speeds of up to 6 Gbps for both SAS and SATA drives, so it is compatible with both traditional hard drives and newer solid-state drives (SSDs).
The card also supports multiple RAID levels, which allows for flexibility in configuring the hard drives to fit the needs of the specific application. The RAID levels supported are 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, and 60.
It is important to check the compatibility of the card with the specific hardware and software being used, as there may be some limitations or requirements that need to be met. It’s recommended to check the specifications of the card compare it with the system’s specifications and consult the manufacturer’s documentation for any specific compatibility information. Additionally, it is recommended to check the operating system and server vendor’s compatibility matrix to ensure that the card is supported in your specific setup.
General Information about this LSI Logic 9260-8I
- Manufacturer: LSI Logic
- Part Number or SKU# 9260-8I
- Product Type: SAS-SATA
- Product Name: Controller
Technical Specifications
- Device Type: SAS Raid Controller
- Form Factor: Low Profile Plug-In Card
- Interface Type: PCI Express X8
- Data Transfer Rate: 6GB/S Throughput Per Por
- Standard Memory: 512 Mb DDR2 SDRAM
- Raid Level: Raid 0, Raid 1, Raid 5, Raid 6, Raid 10, Raid 50, Raid 60
- Port: 2 X Sff-8087 – Mini-SAS
In general, the 9260-8I LSI Logic 8-Ports SAS 6GBPS MegaRAID SATA 6GBPS PCI-E Low Profile RAID Controller stands as a robust solution for enhancing data storage and management capabilities in enterprise-level environments. With its versatile features, compatibility with various drive types, and support for advanced RAID configurations, it caters to the diverse needs of modern data-centric applications. Whether deployed in servers, data centers, or workstations, this RAID controller plays a pivotal role in ensuring data integrity, performance optimization, and scalability for storage solutions.
