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The IBM SSA RAID Cluster Adapter for PC Servers is a PCI bus-master adapter that
serves as the interface between systems using the Peripheral Component Interconnect
(PCI) architecture and devices using the Serial Storage Architecture (SSA).
The SSA RAID Cluster Adapter provides for RAID-1 arrays and non-RAID disk drives.
SSA
SSA is a high-performance serial-interconnect technology used to connect I/O devices
and host adapters. SSA is an open standard, and SSA specifications have been approved
by the SSA Industry Association and are in the process of being approved as an ANSI standard
through the ANSI X3T1O.1 subcommittee. SSA retains the SCSI-2 commands, queuing model, status,
and sense bytes.
In SSA subsystems, transmissions to several destinations are multiplexed, the
effective bandwidth is further increased by spatial reuse of the individual links. Commands are
forwarded automatically from device to device along a loop until the target device is reached.
Multiple commands can be travelling around the loop simultaneously.
The Adapter Card
The adapter provides 4 SSA ports for the attachment of storage devices such as hard disk drives.
Each port operates at 20 MB/s full-duplex using point-to-point copper cables up to 25 meters long.
RAID
RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) is the technology of grouping several hard disk drives
into an array that is defined as a single logical disk drive. This grouping technique increases data availability,
if one disk fails, the system continues to run, with no operator intervention required.
The failed disk can be replaced without turning off the server (hot swapping).
The SSA RAID Cluster Adapter provides RAID functions within the interface between your server and its
disk drives. Disk drives connected to the adapter can be configured as individual drives, as members of a
RAID-1 array, or as hot spares for future use in an array.
The members of an array should be disk drives only, that is, having an array as a member of another
array is not supported.
If you need some basic information about RAID technology, refer to, 'Introducing SSA and RAID'
Clustering
Two SSA RAID Cluster Adapters can be connected in one or two SSA loops with SSA disk drives.
This arrangement is known as a cluster.
(Neither of the two servers in an SSA cluster can share disk drives with a third server.)
One of the adapters is considered the primary adapter By default, this is the adapter with the higher SSA unique ID.
There is an option within the configuration utility to select the other adapter as the primary adapter,
'Changing the Primary Adapter' describes how to use this option.
The performance of I/O operations to RAID-1 arrays is:
Disk Drives Not in Arrays
Access to disk drives that are not members of arrays can be
restricted to one of the adapters of a pair.
'Viewing and Changing Disk Drive Access Modes' describes how to do this.
Access must be restricted in this way if you want to boot from an
SSA disk drive that is attached to clustered adapters.
Operating Systems
The SSA RAID Cluster Adapter, its firmware, and the software supplied with it provide attachments of SSA
devices to servers running Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Server or Microsoft Windows NT 4.0
Server/Enterprise Edition which includes Microsoft Cluster Server.
Microsoft Cluster Server handles failover between clustered
adapters. The maximum number of arrays you can define is lower if
you are using Microsoft Cluster Server, 'Clustering Implementation'
gives details of this.
Before Installing the Adapter
This book is intended for a network administrator-that is, the person responsible for configuring, maintaining,
managing, and troubleshooting a PC server. The administrator should be familiar with RAID and hot-swapping technology.
Do not open the static-protective bag containing the adapter until instructed to do so.
This option package contains:
Installation Requirements
To install this option, you will need the following:
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