I want to replace the PERC S100 RAID Controller with a PERC6i to be able to use 4 SAS harddrives instead of only SATA drives. What exactly do I need for this, what I've got so far:
- PERC6i PCIe x8 card.
- 4 x SAS 300GB 15000rpm drives
Some questions I have
- Do I need a different backplane to accomodate the SAS disks? If so, what kind of backplane?
- Do I need a special cable to hookup the PERC6i with the backplane? If so, what kind of cable?
Thanks.
I'm not sure the answer above is correct - your question reads that you wish to replace your existing SATA drives with SAS - I'm guessing these are internal so the PERC 6i would be correct rather than PERC6e.
As far as I know, Dell didn't make a SATA specific backplane so there should be no need to change backplane or cables.
You may also wish to look into the PERC H700 controller - this is the newer replacement to the 6i - both are compatible with the R410.
Robe,
You need PERC 6/e not "i" as it means internal controller.
It can be hot-plug HDDs:
For this option you will need a new backplane and new enclosures for disks (not cheap).
Or cabled:
Best if you don't need hotplug capabilities.
http://www.dell.com/downloads/emea/products/R410_spec_sheet.pdf
Hope this will help you!
Robe, I'm a little confused if you R410 is a cabled HDD unit or hotswap HDD unit.
You can go from hot swap to cabled but not cabled to hot swap. You would need a new R410 to accommodate the backplane if your unit is cabled HDD.
That being said, the cable you would need to use SAS drives with PERC6i and cabled drives is Dell p/n M322G, Mini-SAS to cabled HDD. There may be other part numbers that work but that is the only one I have encountered.
If by chance your machine is hot swap HDD and you just want to use SAS drives, then all you need is the PERC6i card and the cable (either Dell p/n Y180K or 69V70) will work.