Adaptec RAID Series 5Q with maxCache

Adaptec maxCache storage adapters with SSD Caching are Adaptec raid adapters with special pre-loaded SSD read caching software. This software allows IT managers in I/O-intensive data centers and cloud computing environments to get the most out of SSDs by creating SSD/HDD High-Performance Hybrid Arrays to convert industry-standard servers into cost-effective, high-performance, scale-out application storage appliances. SSD is not included.

Specific Adaptec 3Gb/s adapters with maxCache SSD read caching software include:

5805Q: high performance, 8 internal port, low profile Unified Serial (SATA/SAS) PCI Express storage adapter with Adaptec maxCache SSD Caching.

5805ZQ: high performance, 8 internal port, low profile Unified Serial (SATA/SAS) PCI Express storage adapter with Adaptec maxCache SSD Caching and advanced Zero Maintenance Cache Protection.

Adaptec Series 6Q adapters, are available with maxCache 2.0 SSD read and write caching.

The Adaptec maxCache adapters are ideal for IOPs intensive storage applications; online transaction processing servers (OLTP), web servers and cloud computing data centers. Each adapter will support both SATA midplane designs with sideband enclosure management and LED signals, as well as a SAS infrastructure with in-band signaling. With this design, the adapters provide compatibility with both SATA-only systems and with new SAS designs too.

A data storage architecture approach that is designed to provide IT data centers and cloud computing data centers with high I/O (Input/Output) storage performance at a lower cost per I/O by combining hard disk drives (HDDs) with solid state drives (SSDs) using Adaptec maxCache SSD Caching software.

Adaptec maxCache storage adapters with SSD Caching provide the following benefits for customers building SSD/HDD High-Performance Hybrid Arrays:

• Up to 8X faster than HDD-only solutions: Adaptec maxCache SSD Caching software introduces a patent-pending Learned-Path Algorithm that identifies frequently-read ("hot") data, and optimizes "reads" by copying this data directly into anSSD cache pool for faster retrieval in future requests.
  
• Reduced capital expenses by up to 70%: Adaptec maxCache SSD Caching reduces capital expenses by increasing IOPs with less hardware – thereby significantly cutting energy and maintenance costs.
  
• Reduced Cost and Increased Flexibility for SSD Selection: Adaptec maxCache storage adapters with SSD Caching allow the use of any standard SATA or SAS SSD as a cache, allowing a wide range of vendors and lower cost.

 By leveraging its unique presence in the data path, Adaptec maxCache SSD read caching software introduces a patent-pending Learned-Path Algorithm that identifies frequently-read data, and optimizes “reads” by copying this data directly into an SSD cache pool for faster retrieval of future requests. Adaptec maxCache SSD Caching also updates “hot” cached data on subsequent writes to the same blocks to maximize storage efficiency. Because this is done at the adapter level, these processes are completely transparent and do not require any changes to storage architectures, application software or operating systems.

To get maximum performance when using a standard SSD or a PCIe-based flash card, applications must be tuned to store data that requires higher IOPs on the high-performance SSD. This requires that an administrator have intimate knowledge of that specific application and understand how it will benefit by routing data that requires higher IOPs to the SSD. Adaptec maxCache SSD Caching software eliminates this need by transparently analyzing and routing the read and write data and eliminating the need for application-specific tuning.

Secondly, with a standard SSD deployment, data is lost if the SSD fails. With Adaptec maxCache SSD Caching, all the data gets first written to the RAID rotating media, protecting the data in case the SSD cache pool fails.

And finally, standard SSD storage capacities are very small (about 32GB to 160GB) compared to those of rotating disk drives. Therefore, a larger number of SSDs are needed, which will increase capital expenditures significantly. With Adaptec maxCache SSD Caching, one can still benefit from the larger capacities of rotating media (HDDs), while gaining the improved I/O performance benefits of the SSDs.

Adaptec maxCache storage adapters with SSD Read Caching are ideal for data centers running applications with high "read" demands such as web serving, file serving and databases.

In general, any standard SATA or SAS SSD maybe used. For a list of SSDs that have tested by Adaptec for compatibility, please go to www.adaptec.com/compatibility.

The Adaptec Series 5Q maxCache adapters support standard RAID levels 0, 1, 1E, 5, 5EE, 6, 10, 50, 60, and JBOD. The Adaptec Series 2Q maxCache adapter supports hardware RAID levels 0, 1, 1E, 10, and JBOD.   They all  support Copyback Hot Spare, which allows the user to specify a fixed physical location for the hot spare for improved manageability. Hot spare support is not offered on similar products from 3ware.

The Adaptec maxCache Series 5Q are high performance adapters that offer a collection of standard features offering customers advanced storage management and data protection features.

Premium RAID Features on Series 5Q :
Dual Drive Failure Protection (RAID 6, 60) delivering  the ability to survive two simultaneous drive failures, protecting data during the extended array rebuild times required by new large capacity disk drives. A RAID 60 array provides optimal data protection by allowing two drive failures for each leg of a multi-layer array. Dual Drive Failure Protection is particularly interesting for use with large capacity disk drives which exhibit longer rebuild times. This results in a larger window of vulnerability where a second drive failure (in RAID 5) could bring down a server.

Hot Space (RAID 5EE) which distributes the hot spare space within the RAID 5 array, increasing the number of spindles in the array, and therefore, the I/O performance.

Striped Mirror (RAID 1E) provides mirrored data protection over an odd number of disk drives by mirroring the data stripes rather than the drives.

Copyback Hot Spare lets administrators designate a physical drive location as a hot spare. When a failed drive is replaced, the data is copied back to the replaced drive.

The maxCache Series 5 adapters support cache protection.  The  5805ZQ supports zero maintenance cache protection with the flash module included, the 5805Q supports battery backup with the ABM-800 T battery module sold separately. 

Zero-Maintenance Cache Protection is a revolutionary advancement that solves Lithium Ion BBU deficiencies by providing full protection to cached data with no installation, monitoring, maintenance, disposal or replacement costs. It utilizes flash memory and super-cap technology to deliver an advanced and superior adapter cache protection solution. The super-cap charges while your system boots offering backup protection immediately, while 4GB of flash memory dedicated to protecting the data in adapter cache offers continued protection that never needs to be monitored or replaced after installation. Zero-Maintenance Cache Protection removes the hardware maintenance associated with other adapter cache backup solutions.

ZMCP is a free feature on the Adaptec maxCache 5805ZQ product line, with all maintenance savings directly improving your bottom line. The actual cost of the Lithium Ion BBU protection model varies by use case, but there are several contributing variables to the Lithium Ion BBU cost equation. Battery charge reduces over time, requiring replacement during the system installation life. This replacement adds hardware costs and installation costs to physically replace the Lithium Ion BBU. Additionally, the system may suffer from unplanned downtime to replace a failed battery, resulting in loss of system resources that can be avoided with ZMCP. Old batteries need to be disposed of, usually adhering to hazardous material standards, adding even more cost. By adding up the hardware, maintenance, and disposal costs, savings can accumulate to thousands of dollars per year by implementing a Adaptec maxCache 5805ZQ solution.

Zero-Maintenance Cache Protection is an industry-first solution offered only by Adaptec and is the result of conquering several technical hurdles in design and validation. Adaptec delivers the most innovative and impactful technological advances to its customers, emphasizing performance, efficiency, and value. The Adaptec maxCache 5805ZQ extends all three of these criteria, and is essential to ensure your data is protected with assurance and confidence.

Read our feature brief for more details.

Adaptec products are available worldwide from Adaptec Authorized Retail partners. To locate a reseller near you, visit Adaptec's where to buy page.

The Adaptec maxCache family supports a long list of operating systems including Windows, Linux, Solaris, FreeBSD, and SCO. Please consult the Adaptec support site for a complete list of available operating systems and drivers.

Adaptec Storage Manager™ - One-view utility which centralizes management of all Adaptec RAID products. Adaptec Storage Manager enables remote RAID management, monitoring, and configuration through secure, encrypted communication.

ARCCONF (Command Line Interface - CLI) - Text-based command line interface that provides the same functions as Adaptec Storage Manager in environments where a GUI is not available.

BIOS configuration utility (ACU) - used for quick and easy local setup without booting the OS.

 Like all Adaptec products, the Adaptec maxCache adapters have  been extensively tested with third-party systems to deliver the utmost in compatibility, now and in the future. Each is backed by a 3-year warranty and Adaptec industry-leading technical support.

Adaptec adapters are tested and supported on all the major vendors' motherboard, enclosures, and disk drives. Please visit our website at www.adaptec.com/compatibility for a list of tested components.

 Unified Serial adapters, support both SATA and SAS disk drives using a serial point-to-point interface. The command set is an enriched SCSI command set providing robust data management, error handling, and performance characteristics.

This flexibility of supporting both SATA and SAS disk drives makes it easy for companies to standardize on a single I/O infrastructure for both mission-critical storage and secondary storage – dependent solely upon whether SATA or SAS disk drives are installed. Customers can standardize on a single I/O adapter or storage system for all of their storage configurations, reducing training and repair costs.