Can a G1 DL580 server be upgraded to run with Ultra 320 disks? If it can, will the disks run at 320 MB/s? If an array controller is required, which one is most appropriate.
Yes, in order to achieve the Ultra320 protocol, you need to have a Ultra320 Controller. If you are going to install one, you might use the SmartArray 641 controller if all you need are the internal drives. You should move up the food chain to a SA6400 series if you need to manage a StorageWorks Enclosure.
Two things though... The DL580G1 only has a 66MHz PCI bus available so the cards will run at that speed. You will loose some bandwidth.
Also, I am not sure what the Generation 6 controller will look like to the DL580G1 bios. I an fairly sure that you will be able to config the array and then set the boot order to use it, but if I were you I would use SmartStart 6.40 to do it.
Hope this helps! -john
Let me know if you need any more help?
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Thanks for your answers. How much of the 320MB/s bandwidth will be lost due to the DL580G1 bus running at 66MHz? What bus speed is required to give the 320MB/s bandwidth? Would this be found in a G2 or G3 server? Alternatively, is it better to put these U320 disks in a StorageWorks enclosure that is linked to the DL580G1 to give 320MB/s? Is this what you mean by a SA6400? We have Ultra 3 disks in the DL580G1 servers at the moment; so are they running at 160MB/s or is this bandwidth also being degraded by the 66MHz bus speed?
No definitive answer to question. A G1 DL580 has two PCI slots each capable of operating at 533MB/s so it might be expected that Ultra 320 drives hanging off a Smart Array Controller 641 in such a slot would be capable of reaching 320MB/s. But would have liked a confirmation of this.
