Question 1

I've seen a few posts about good performance but this is a PCIe x1 card isn't it which gives it a max rate of 250 MBs isn't it? Are you happy with performance or just larger reliable volumes?  I plan on using this in RAID 10 with 4 x 4TB drives.  Thanks!

Accepted Answer

Daniel,

This is a great card, I us mine with SATA 3 WD RED drives.  The 250 MBs you are referencing is version 1 PCIe port NOT x1.  This is a PCIe x1 Version 2, this has speed up to 500 MBs.  There are many factors that can make this even slower that are much more common.  The PCIe bus slight lower speed capacity probably won't greatly reduce your performance.  PCIe is hard because with older boards you may only have version 1 or 1.1, or you may be using sata 2 drives, or an inferior cable, all things that could be problematic.  Again, if this is in you price point and can't sped the $500 to get the better models this is the way to go.

AND this card is a REAL RAID all cards cheaper than this are not Real RAID cards, but that is a whole different conversation.

Question 2

The cable harness that comes with the Adaptec 6405E comes with 4 SATA connectors + 1 mystery connector (9-pin identical to USB and 1394 connectors to a mobo).  Does this mystery connector need to plug in to the mobo or some other component?  I'm using the SATA connectors for 4 Seagate 2 TB drives.

Accepted Answer

The mystery connector is a sideband cable used for array management. From Adaptec's website:

"The 10-pin sideband connector included with the internal mini-SAS x4 to (4x) SATA fanout cables should be connected with a managed enclosure or backplane that provides enclosure management via sideband (SFF-8448)...Leave the cable unused if there is no managed backplane/enclosure connected with the RAID controller."

Question 3

Will this fit in the Supermicro 5018A-FTN4 1U enclosure and motherboard?

Accepted Answer

DK the specific Supermicro server you mention.  However, pancake servers typically have a riser card with two expansion slots.  This card comes with both a low rise and a high rise bracket - so as long as your riser card supports the required slot, you should be good.  You will need to look at the Supermicro provisioning to make sure it has the supported expansion slot in the riser card.

You may want to revisit your architecture.  If you are using NL (AKA ML) drives, the Supermicro should have an organic SAS controller  and you wouldn't need this one.  If it is a low end Supermicro, then it should natively support NL drives also, but NL drives only.

Question 4

Does this card Support Windows Server 2008 R2 64bit?

Accepted Answer

From Adaptec site:

At the time of release the following drivers were included in the Kit:

Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard
    Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise
    Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Standard
    Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Enterprise
    Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Datacenter

Don't know if the 64 bit version is supported.

Question 5

How many independent arrays can this card run? I would like to run my two Intel Elm Crest 120GB SSDs in one array (RAID 0) as for OS, and another array with two WD 500 GB Black (RAID 0) as storage. Will this card handle this situation?

Accepted Answer

If you were to run the SSD's in a RAID 1 configuration, then you would see significant speed gain.

Question 6

Question about the software interface:  Can it be configured to send an email alert in the event of a drive failure?  TIA!

Accepted Answer

If you are running windows yes you can configure the management software to send emails in the even of a failure. This feature was not available for for configuration in the Xen/Linux driver although that might have changed since I set it up.

Question 7

Would someone that's using a third party 40 mm fan on the heatsink please provide some insight on proper mounting? Did you find/use the four M2.6 x 12L screws required for the heatsink screw holes or something else?

Accepted Answer

I have been running this controller for 4+ years and was puzzled at the question at first.  The heat sink which comes organic with the raid card is more than sufficient.  It is always cool to the touch.

I would say forget the fan - don't make it hard.

Question 8

Will this work with Asus Sabertooth X79 motherboard?

Accepted Answer

Not an answer - but a suggestion for methodology to answer your question.

You are asking the expansion card if it will work on the Mobo  - you should be contactacting the Mobo people if the expansion card has a supported expansion slot on the Mobo.  The answer is likely in the Mobo documentation, but if not - then a phone call SHOULD get the job done.

The card is rock solid.  More importantly, it is natively supported in Windows OS platforms up through Server 2012 and the Beta of Windows 10.

Hope it helps

Question 9

Will it work with HP ML150 G6 and VMware 5.x compatible?

Accepted Answer

I do not know about this computer.

I am using this card with VMware 5.1 and it works well. VMware had a driver already, but I followed the instructions to install the updated one that came with the card. It was easy if you follow the steps.

Question 10

Does this card store the raid array config on the array itself so if the card fails a replacement can rebuild the array?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Each disk attached to an Adaptec RAID or HostRAID controller which has been initialized for use in an array includes a special data structure referred to as metadata. This data structure defines the configuration of the disks, partitions, and arrays created by the controller. The metadata allows you to swap an entire array from one controller to another, or swap the controller itself, without reconfiguring the partitions or arrays.

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