Adaptec asr-5405 kit [45/116] Connecting drives to a system backplane

Connecting Drives to a System Backplane

In a backplane connection, disk drives and SAS cards are attached to and communicate with each other

through a system backplane.

The number of disk drives is limited to the number of slots available on the backplane. Some backplanes

have embedded SAS expanders and can support up to 128 end devices. (For more information about

backplane and expander connections, see How are Disk Drives Identied in SAS? on page 72.)

1. Connect one or more internal SAS or SATA disk drives to the backplane. (Refer to your system's

documentation for more information.)

2. Use an internal mini-SAS or mini-SAS HD cable to connect the controller to the backplane, as required.

3. When all internal disk drives have been installed and connected, close your computer cabinet,

reattach the power cord, then continue with Connecting External Devices on page 46.

Connecting Solid State Drives (SSDs)

To connect a Solid State Drive to your controller, you can use a direct-attached connection or a backplane

connection, as required. If your server does not have a standard 2.5-inch drive tray, you must use a

bracket/SLED which enables the SSD to t properly.

Note: For Adaptec maxCache applications or hybrid RAID arrays (comprised of hard

drives and SSDs) you can use any Solid State Drive on the compatibility list. See

www.adaptec.com/compatibility for a list of compatible SSDs. Adaptec maxCache is

supported on Adaptec Series Q controllers only.

In a direct-attach connection (described in the steps below), you connect SSDs directly to the controller

with SAS cables (mini-SAS to SATA). In a backplane connection, use the appropriate cable for your

backplane type (see Connecting Drives to a System Backplane on page 45 for more about backplane

connections). For maxCache caching applications, you can connect a maximum of 8 maxCache-compatible

SSDs to a controller. For RAID arrays, Adaptec controllers support a maximum of 256 drives, including

SSDs (for details, see About Your RAID Controller on page 16).

1. Install the SSDs in your server. For servers with a standard 2.5-inch drive tray, install the SSD directly

into the tray. If your server does not have a standard 2.5-inch drive tray, use a bracket or adapter

which enables it to t properly.

45Proprietary and Condential to PMC-Sierra, Inc., and for its customers.

Document No.: CDP-00310-01-A Rev. A, Issue

Serial Attached SCSI RAID Controllers Installation and User's Guide