User`s guide
Adaptec HostRAID Setup Guidelines D-1
Appendix D Adaptec HostRAID Setup Guidelines
After all the hardware has been installed, you must fi rst confi gure the Adaptec Embedded
Serial ATA RAID before you install the Windows operating system.
D-1 Introduction to the Adaptec Embedded Serial ATA RAID
Controller Driver
Serial ATA (SATA)
Serial ATA(SATA) is a physical storage interface. It uses a single cable with a minimum of
four wires to create a point-to-point connection between devices. It is a serial link which
supports SATA Transfer rates up to 3.0 Gbps. Because the serial cables used in SATA are
thinner than the traditional cables used in Parallel ATA(PATA), SATA systems have better
airfl ow and can be installed in smaller chassis than Parallel ATA. In addition, the cables
used in PATA can only extend to 40cm long, while Serial ATA cables can extend up to one
meter. Overall, Serial ATA provides better functionality than Parallel ATA.
Introduction to the Intel ESB2 I/O Controller Hub
Located in the South Bridge of the Intel 5000P Chipset, the ESB2 I/O Controller Hub
provides the I/O subsystem with access to the rest of the system. It supports 1-channel
Ultra ATA/100 Bus Master IDE controller (PATA) and one Adaptec's Serial ATA (SATA) Host
Controller, which support up to six Serial ATA drives, up to two RAID volumes and up to
four drives in RAID Confi gurations. (See below for details.)
Adaptec’s SATA HostRAID Controller Firmware supports
Drives supported Six
Number of RAID Volumes supported Two
Total Drives in RAID Confi gurations Four
Examples of Valid RAID Confi gurations
Two drives of RAID 1 + two drives of RAID 0
Two drives of RAID 1 + two drives of RAID 1
Three drives of RAID 0
Four drives of RAID 0
Examples of Invalid RAID Confi gurations:
Three drives of RAID 0 + two drives of RAID 1
NOTE: The following section provides information on the Adaptec SATA RAID Driver
based on the Intel Enterprise South Bridge 2 (ESB2) Controller.
NOTE: This list is applicable to Adaptec’s HostRAID Controller Firmware only.