RE: [OT] 8-port AHCI SATA Controller?



> -----Original Message-----
> From: linux-kernel-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> [mailto:linux-kernel-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
> Lennart Sorensen
> Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2006 12:58 PM
> To: Sander
> Cc: linux-kernel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx; jgarzik@xxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: [OT] 8-port AHCI SATA Controller?
>
> On Tue, Jan 31, 2006 at 07:50:07PM +0100, Sander wrote:
> > Actually, I need 24 ports :-) But 3x SX8 sets me back 540 dollars
> > according to pricewatch, which is less than half.
>
> I know with older promise controllers, it wasn't possible to
> run more than 2 in one system as far as I remember due to
> some dma issues. Not sure if that applies to the SX8.
>
> If it turns out the SX8 has issues (like the one pointed out
> earlier about number of commands to the card at once) or that
> it can't have 3 cards in one system at once, then what? Are
> you then out $540 + the cost of a better controller?
> Certainly worth finding out before spending the money.
>
> > Fakeraid controllers are less expensive, and would do too of course
> > :-)
>
> Of course those aren't hardware, and are only meant for small
> toy raids for windows users. The rest of use treat them as
> ide/sata controllers only. I haven't seen one of those with
> more than 4 ports either. If the SX8 is one, then I must
> admit I haven't looked at it before. I try to avoid hardware
> from promise whenever possible.
>

Highpoint has some that I believe are software raidish.

They do have on-board parity generators that are used when
you use there binary only modules.

I have heard that they will work with later kernels (2.6.15+)
since the highpoint are a standard Marvell chipset, and they
seem to be fairly price competitive with JBOD raid controllers,
and have some controllers that have more than 8 ports, the price
per port may be better on the larger controllers.

Using 3 disk software stripe (linux) or 3 disks software stripe
(binary modules) I have got IO rates of 135MB/second sustained
over 90-100 GB read/write tests.

Roger

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