HP Smart Array P410 Controller
HP Smart Array P410i Controller

The HP Smart Array P410 is HP's PCI Express (PCIe) 2.0 Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) RAID controller. The low profile, half height card has 8 ports and utilizes DDR2-800 memory. The P410 is ideal for RAID 0, 1, 1+0, 5, 5+0 and can be upgraded with a minimum 256MB cache module, battery kit (for BBWC),and Smart Array Advanced Pack license key for RAID 6 (ADG), & 6+0.

• 512MB Flash Backed Write Cache (FBWC)
  NOTE: For the Smart Array P410i Controller only.
  
• 1G Flash Backed Write Cache (FBWC)
  NOTE: For the Smart Array P410i Controller only.

HP's innovative design and integration work of the Smart Array family of products creates customer value that is unmatched in the industry. Use of Smart Array products across multiple applications results in a much lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) than any other server storage RAID product. The HP Smart Array family brings an unparalleled return on investment through:

• The SA-P410 Controller supports up to 24 drives depending on the server implementation. Additional drives can be supported with cache and connection to the HP SAS Expander Card.
• Seamless upgrades from past generations and upgrades to next generation HP high performance and high capacity Serial Attached SCSI Smart Array controllers.
• 6Gb/s SAS technology delivers high performance and data bandwidth and contains full compatibility with 3Gb/s SATA technology.
• x8 PCI Express gen 2 host interface technology delivers high performance and data bandwidth up to 2 GB/s maximum bandwidth.
• Modular, easy-to-upgrade design lets you optimize performance by upgrading from 40-bit 256MB cache to 72-bit 512MB battery-backed write cache (BBWC) or 72-bit 512MB/1G Flash Backed Write Cache (FBWC).
• Addition of the battery or flash backed cache upgrade enables array expansion, logical drive extension, RAID migration, and stripe size migration.
• Additionally, Smart Array Advanced Pack License key enables RAID 6 (ADG), 6+0, Advanced Capacity Expansion, Mirror Splitting and Recombining in Offline Mode, Drive Erase, Performance Optimization-Degraded Reads and Read Coalescing (VOD).
• Mix-and-match SAS and SATA hard drives, lets you deploy drive technology as needed to fit your computing environment.
• Software consistency among all Smart Array family products: Array Configuration Utility (ACU), Option ROM Configuration for Arrays (ORCA), Systems Insight Manager, Array Diagnostic Utility (ADU) and SmartStart.
• Support for greater than 2TB in a single logical drive.
• Low-profile PCI Express form factor - ships with a full size bracket for deployment in either a low-profile or full sized slot.

• Online array expansion (with BBWC/FBWC upgrade)
• Online Advanced Capacity Expansion (with BBWC/FBWC and Smart Array Advanced Pack upgrade)
• Online logical drive extension (with BBWC.FBWC upgrade)
• Online RAID level migration (with BBWC/FBWC upgrade)
• Online strip size migration (with BBWC/FBWC upgrade)
• Offline Mirror splitting and recombining (with BBWC/FBWC and Smart Array Advanced Pack upgrade)
• Unlimited global online spare assignment
• User selectable expand and rebuild priority
• User selectable RAID level and stripe size
• User selectable read and write cache sizes

• Eight (8) SAS physical links distributed across 2 internal x4 wide port connectors.

Performance

HP's High Performance Architecture sets new boundaries of industry performance expectations!

• 6Gb/s SAS [(600MB/s bandwidth per physical link)]
• x8 6Gb/s SAS physical links (compatible with 3Gb/s SATA )
• 256 MB 40-bit wide DDR2-800MHz cache upgradeable to 512 MB 72-bit wide DDR2-800MHz battery-backed write cache or 512 MB / 1 G 72-bitwide DDR2 flash backed write cache provides up to 4.2 GB/s maximum bandwidth
• x8 PCI Express gen 2 host interface provides maximum bandwidth
• Gen 2.0
• Read ahead caching
• Write-back caching (with BBWC/FBWC)

Native Command Queuing (NCQ) is a technology designed to increase performance of SATA hard disk drives by allowing the individual hard disk to internally optimize the order in which received read and write commands are executed. This can reduce the amount of unnecessary going back-and-forth on the drive's heads, resulting in increased performance for workloads where multiple simultaneous read/write requests are outstanding, most often occurring in server or storage-type applications. Without NCQ the drive has to process and complete one command at a time. For NCQ to be enabled, it must be supported and turned on in the controller and in the hard drive itself.

NOTE: Please see the SATA Hard Drive QuickSpecs for specific SATA hard drive capacities that support NCQ: http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/11940_na/11940_na.html

Given the increasing need for high performance and rapid capacity expansion, the SA-P410 Controller offers:

• Up to 12TB of total internal storage with 24 x 500GB SFF SATA hard drives
• Up to 7.2TB of total internal storage 300GB SFF SAS hard drives

Provides increased server uptime by providing advanced storage functionality:

• Online RAID level migration (between any RAID level/with BBWC/FBWC )
• Online stripe size migration
• Online array expansion
• Online logical drive extension
• Online drive firmware upgrade
• Unlimited global online spare
• Pre-Failure Warranty

Fault Prevention

The following features offer detection of possible failures before they occur, allowing preventive action to be taken:

• S.M.A.R.T.: Self Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology first developed at HP detects possible hard disk failure before it occurs, allowing replacement of the hard drive before a real failure occurs.
• Drive Parameter Tracking monitors drive operational parameters, predicting failure and notifying the administrator.
• Dynamic Sector Repairing continually performs background surface scans on the hard disk drives during inactive periods and automatically remaps bad sectors, ensuring data integrity.
• Smart Array Cache Tracking monitors integrity of controller cache, allowing pre-failure preventative maintenance.

Fault Tolerance

Keeps data available and server running while a failed drive is being replaced; several fault tolerance configurations are supported including:

• RAID 6 with ADG (Advanced Data Guarding): This is the highest level of fault tolerance. It allocates two sets of parity data across drives and allows simultaneous write operations. This level of fault tolerance can withstand two simultaneous drive failures without downtime or data loss.
• RAID 6+0: Supported with min of 8 drives, but would have 4 available. Target benefit is to split RAID across the external boxes
  NOTE: RAID 6, 6+0 can be enabled with either
  • Minimum of 256 MB cache, Battery kit and Smart Array Advanced Pack License key option upgrades
  • Minimum of 512 MB BBWC/FBWC and Smart Array Advanced Pack License key option upgrades
• RAID 5 (Distributed Data Guarding): This allocates one set of parity data across drives and allows simultaneous write operations. This level of fault tolerance can withstand a single drive failure without downtime or data loss.
  • RAID5 is available on the SA P410/P410i with a minimum of 256MB cache
• RAID 5+0: This is a RAID 0 array striped across 5 elements. Combines the straight block-level striping of RAID 0 with the distributed parity of RAID 5.
• RAID 1, 1+0 (Drive Mirroring): This allocates half of the drive array to data and the other half to mirrored data, providing two copies of every file. It is a high-performance RAID.

Fault Recovery

Minimizes downtime, reconstructs data, and facilitates a quick recovery from drive failure

• Recovery ROM: This feature protects the user from a firmware image corruption by storing a redundant copy of the firmware image. If the active firmware image becomes corrupt, the controller will use the redundant firmware image and continue operating.
• On-Line Spares: There is no limit to the number of spare drives that can be installed prior to drive failure. If a failure occurs, recovery begins with an On-Line Spare and data is reconstructed automatically.
• DRAM ECC detects and corrects data bit errors.
• Battery-backed write cache upgrade provides for up to two days of battery power for data cache retention. The data backup duration could be extended anytime the server's auxiliary power is available during system power down.
• Flash Backed Write Cache upgrade provides indefinite data retention.

Consistency and Upgradeability make the Smart Array family unique in the industry:

• GUI based configuration, management and diagnostic software tools
• Common data format between generations of products
• Data migration between servers and external StorageWorks Modular Smart Array enclosures

• Powerful server and server options/storage manager tool
• Monitors over 1200 system wide parameters
• Configuration/Diagnostic Utilities

• Powerful Web based configuration utility for all Smart Array controllers
• Provides a graphical view of HP drive array configurations
• Allows for management of multiple arrays over a secure internet connection from anywhere in the world
• Easy to use Wizards for configuration
• Runs offline for all supported Operating Systems and runs online for Windows and Linux. For online configuration of NetWare, use CPQONLIN

• A simple method for managing logical drives during system power up by pressing F8 during POST
• Allows the ability to create arrays, logical drives, and assign an online spare drive
• Allows the ability to view and delete logical drives
• Allows the ability to select the boot controller
• For advanced array configurations use ACU

• In depth diagnostic and reporting utility for all Smart Array controllers
• Runs offline for all supported Operating Systems, and runs online for Windows and Linux

RAID 6, 6+0 (Advanced Data Guarding)
NOTE: RAID 6, 6+0 can be enabled with either

• Minimum of 256 MB cache, Battery kit and Smart Array Advanced Pack License key option upgrades
  
• Minimum of 512 MB BBWC/FBWC and Smart Array Advanced Pack License key option upgrades
  

© Copyright 2009 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.

The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.

For hard drives, 1GB = 1 billion bytes. Actual formatted capacity is less.