HP 273914-B21 - Smart Array 6404/256 RAID Controller Technology Brief

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HP Smart Array Controller technologytechnology brief, 3rd editionHP Smart Array Controller technologytechnology brief, 3rd editionAbstract.............................................................................................................................................. 3Introduction......................................................................................................................................... 3Storage trends..................................................................................................................................... 3Meeting data storage requirements........................................................................................................ 4High performance................................................................................................................................ 4PCI Express technology..................................................................................................................... 4SAS/SATA technology ..................................................................................................................... 5SAS-2 standard ............................................................................................................................ 6Mini SAS 4x cable connectors and receptacles................................................................................ 7High-performance processor.............................................................................................................. 7Cache module benefits ..................................................................................................................... 8Read-ahead caching..................................................................................................................... 8Write-back caching ...................................................................................................................... 8Balanced cache size..................................................................................................................... 9RAID performance enhancements....................................................................................................... 9Disk striping................................................................................................................................. 9Parity data................................................................................................................................... 9Background RAID creation............................................................................................................. 9RAID 5 and RAID 6 read-modify-write ............................................................................................. 9Striping across arrays ................................................................................................................. 10RAID 1 load balancing ............................................................................................................... 10Hardware versus software RAID ................................................................................................... 10Smart Array performance................................................................................................................ 11Data availability ................................................................................................................................ 14RAID support ................................................................................................................................. 14Stripe size migration ................................................................................................................... 14RAID migration .......................................................................................................................... 15Drive roaming ............................................................................................................................... 16Mirror splitting and recombining...................................................................................................... 16Online drive flash .......................................................................................................................... 16Recovery ROM .............................................................................................................................. 16Pre-Failure Warranty using S.M.A.R.T technology .............................................................................. 16Automatic data recovery with rapid rebuild technology ...................................................................... 17Online spare ................................................................................................................................. 17Dynamic sector repair .................................................................................................................... 18ECC protection .............................................................................................................................. 18Battery-backed write cache ............................................................................................................. 18