Date: Thu, 29 Jan 2004 15:12:39 +0300 From: "Artem Koutchine" <matrix@itlegion.ru> To: <freebsd-hardware@freebsd.org> Subject: SATA RAID 5 controller for FreeBSD Message-ID: <002401c3e661$32b27c00$0c00a8c0@artem>
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Hi! I am looking for supported RAID 5 controller for FreeBSD and I am very puzzled after reading all the specs and descrioptions. I haven't found any SATA RAID 5 controller in the FreeBSD supported Hardware list, but some manufacturer claim they support FreeBSD. SO far i have found 1) Promise FastTrak SX4 (around 200$) 2) HighPoint RocketRaid 1640 (aorund 150$ hard to find) 3) EscaladeR 8506 4-port one (around 500$) HightPoint and Escalade AFAIK are well supported by FreeBSD. FreeBSD 4.8 support is promised in Promise :) FastTrak. Here is the dilema: As i have read SX4 is not a hardware raid, it uses server's CPU to do XOR calculations. Which is not good, because it means if CPU is loaded RAID permonace will degrade. But SX4 has HUGE cache memory (up to 256MB SDRAM) and FRAM for internal queue storage. I could not find out if RocketRaid is a true hardware RAID 5 or partly software. Also, no infromation on the size of a cache on 1640. Review state that RAID 5 perfomance is not very good. However, I currently use just one huge SCSI disk with 4MB cache. Will i gain in speed with RAID 5 or loose? (it is a web server, many small file reads). Af for Escalde 6506 i again did not find any info on Cache size. However, the specs clearly state that it is a hardware raid5. But if does not have any significats amount of cache and IF rocketraid is too hardware raid 5 then why the heck escalade is so much more espansive? Please, help me to decide which to pick and maybe someone has info on cache size and ability to do hardware XOR for RAID5 for each controller? Regards, Artem Kuchin General Director of IT Legion Ltd. Russia, Moscow www.itlegion.ru matrix@itlegion.ru +7 095 232-0338 ó Õ×ÁÖÅÎÉÅÍ, áÒÔÅÍ ëÕÞÉÎ ïïï "áÊ ôÉ ìÅÇÉÏÎ" www.itlegion.ru matrix@ipform.ru +7(095)232-0338
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