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Promise Technology, Inc. Quality Assurance Labs

FastTrak SX4000 Compatibility Report & Performance Comparisons

Promise FastTrak SX4000 Promise SuperSwap Promise SuperSwap 1000

FastTrak SX4000 Certification Document 001

Test Hardware and Software: FastTrak SX4000

Assembly revision: ASSY 0116-00 REV A5 PFLASH.EXE version: 2.00.0.4 BIOS revision: 1.01.0.1 Windows NT 4.0 SCSI miniport driver: 1.1.0.2 Windows 2000 SCSI miniport driver version: 1.1.0.2 Windows XP SCSI miniport driver version: 1.1.0.2 Promise Array Management version: 3.01.0.42

SuperSwap Assembly revision: (TLA) A0-D0-G0-01-02-02

SuperSwap 1000 Assembly revision: ASSY 0143-00 REV A1

FastTrak SX4000 Compatibility Doc 001 – June 26, 2002 Page 1


This page is left intentionally blank.



Revision History and Control Document Change Description / Additions

001 Compatibility and open issues report for FastTrak SX4000 initial product release.



Table of Contents 1.0 Promise Product Descriptions Page 5

1.1.1. FastTrak SX4000 Page 5 1.1.2. SuperSwap Page 6 1.1.3. SuperSwap 1000 Page 6

2.0 Compatible Hardware Components 2.1.1. Motherboard Compatibility Page 8 2.1.2. Memory Module Compatibility Page 8 2.1.3. Hard Drive Compatibility Page 9

3.0 Performance Benchmarking Page 10 4.0 Promise Knowledge Base Entries Page 27 5.0 Promise FastTrak SX4000 DVT Errata Page 27



1.0 Promise Product Descriptions

The subsequent sections will provide a brief overview of the Promise products that were tested and proven to be compatible with various hard disk drives and systemboards. 1.1.1. FastTrak SX4000

The FastTrak SX4000 controller is a software based RAID adapter with hardware accelerated XOR and hardware based RAID functions. This RAID adapter supports RAID 0 (data striping), RAID 1 (disk to disk mirroring), RAID 0+1 (two drives striped together then mirrored), and RAID 5 (data striping with distributed parity across all array members). The FastTrak SX4000 uses an intelligent true RAID ASIC that has been developed to be a low-cost, high-performance, and high-reliability 4 Channel RAID solution. Hardware Configuration: 388 BGA packaged Promise PDC20621 ASIC. The PDC20621 RAID ASIC is 32-bit / 66MHz to maintain the low-cost structure and contains an integrated memory controller for up to 512MB1 of ECC or non-ECC local PC100 SDRAM. In addition, to help reduce CPU utilization, the ASIC implements a packetization features that will reduce processing overhead when accessing array members. Software Configuration: The FastTrak series RAID adapters contain a simplified RAID Engine for the BIOS and then a more complex RAID Engine contained in the operating system SCSI miniport driver. The FastTrak BIOS contains a FastBuild utility that allows the user to create, monitor (limited), and manage the arrays attached to the controller. At the operating system level, there is management software called Promise Array Management (PAM). PAM allows for either remote or local access to an array. With the software, the user can create, delete, and manage arrays on the fly through the OS level. Drive S.M.A.R.T. status, actual drive status, and array status can be viewed from the software. PAM also works in conjunction with the Windows NT, 2000, and XP Event Viewer for local event notifications. For remote notifications, PAM has the capabilities to send emails for array events. Test Hardware and Software: FastTrak SX4000

Assembly revision: ASSY 0116-00 REV A5 PFLASH.EXE version: 2.00.0.4 BIOS revision: 1.01.0.1 Windows NT 4.0 SCSI miniport driver: 1.1.0.2 Windows 2000 SCSI miniport driver version: 1.1.0.2 Windows XP SCSI miniport driver version: 1.1.0.2 Promise Array Management version: 3.01.0.42

1 Note: 512MB requires two memory banks; SX4000 utilizes only one memory bank for 256MB maximum memory.



1.1.2. SuperSwap The SuperSwap drive enclosure is a single drive enclosure that houses a standard 3-1/2” drive into a half-height 5-1/4” chassis. The primary role of the enclosure is to provide the hot-swap functionality with the best assurance or safety of a drives’ removal / insertion while the computer system is “hot”. In addition to the hot-swap functionality, the enclosure also offers enclosure management feature that works in conjunction with the PAM software. The enclosure management feature monitors fan speed, 5v/12v power into the enclosure, enclosure ambient temperature, and drive status. Drive status is also viewable by two LED’s on the front of the enclosure. The first single-mode green LED is designated for drive access. The 2nd multi-mode LED shows the disk status pertaining to the status of the drive as an array member. The following is a brief description of the LED modes:

o Green – Powered on and is in good health. o Amber – Drive is currently rebuilding. o Red – Drive has been set down by the RAID Engine as it has failed.

The SuperSwap enclosures are also designed to prolong the life of a hard disk drive by keeping the drives cool. There are several contributing factors to keeping the drive cool:

1. The drive carrier is made of aluminum to help dissipate and distribute the heat from the hard disk drive.

2. The drive enclosure uses vents on the front side to help pull in cool air into the drive carrier.

3. On the back side of the enclosure there is a dedicated fan that pulls the air through the enclosure.

4. The drive carrier uses an aluminum top cover that creates a wind tunnel affect that provides excellent circulation through the enclosure.

5. The drive is mounted at a slight elevation to allow air circulation below the drive to cool the drive’s electronic components.

Hardware Configuration: The SuperSwap uses an active backplane that uses a Promise PSS10198 PAL that works with the Promise RAID controller ASICs to transmit and receive messages over the ATA bus. The PSS10198 chip provides three functions:

1. Tri-state control for the hot-swap capabilities. 2. LED control for the multi-mode and single-mode enclosure LEDs. 3. I2C interface to a Winbond chip that manages the enclosure’s

environmental characteristics. Software Configuration: All hardware with the exception of the error reporting to the driver and management software. SuperSwap

Assembly revision: (TLA) A0-D0-G0-01-02-02

1.1.3. SuperSwap 1000 The SuperSwap 1000 drive enclosure shares the same concept as the previous generation SuperSwap drive enclosure with a few improvements.

Reduced the overall length of the enclosure to become equivalent to a standard CD-ROM drive length.



Implemented a new “Rotator” design that allows the drive to plug directly into the carrier’s backplane rather than use the adapter cable. This strengthens signal quality considerably over the previous SuperSwap design and will allow for ATA133 data transfers (SuperSwap does not support ATA133).

New Promise ID design for a more attractive design. New Promise PSS10199 ASIC that provides increased reliability.

The previous PSS10198 is a programmable PAL. Hardware Configuration: The SuperSwap 1000 uses an active backplane that uses a Promise PSS10199 ASIC that works with the Promise RAID controller ASICs to transmit and receive messages over the ATA bus. The PSS10199 chip provides three functions:

1. Tri-state control for the hot-swap capabilities. 2. LED control for the multi-mode and single-mode enclosure LEDs. 3. I2C interface to a Winbond chip that manages the enclosure’s

environmental characteristics. Software Configuration: All hardware with the exception of the error reporting to the driver and management software. Test Hardware and Software: SuperSwap 1000 Assembly revision: ASSY 0143-00 REV A1



2.0 DVT Test Tools and Preparation

Throughout the compatibility testing for the Promise FastTrak SX4000 and Superswap series enclosures, the use of various pieces of hardware were used in order to stress and test the functionality, compatibility, performance, and reliability of the overall system and Promise solution. 2.1.1. Compatible Systemboards

Manufacturer Model Chipset Memory Type CPU Type BIOS Core

BIOS Version

Asus A7N266-E Nvidia nForce 420-D 256MB PC2100 AMD 1.47GHz Award 1001.D Asus A7V333 VIA Apollo KT333 256MB PC2700 AMD 1.47GHz Award 3.3 Asus TR-DLS SW LE-T 256MB PC133 Registered ECC SMP Intel 1.13GHz P3 Award 2 SuperMicro 370SSA Intel i815e 128MB PC133 Intel 733MHz Celeron AMIBIOS 1.3 SuperMicro P3TDDE VIA Apollo Pro266 128MB PC133 Intel 1.13GHz P3 Award 1.1 SuperMicro P4DL6 SW GC-LE 256MB PC2100 Registered ECC SMP Intel 1.8GHz Xeon AMIBIOS 1.0B SuperMicro P4SBA+ Intel 845 128MB PC2100 Intel 1.6GHz P4 Award 1.0B Intel D845PT Intel 845 128MB PC2100 Intel 1.6GHz P4 AMIBIOS P01 Intel D850GB Intel 850 256MB PC800 Intel 1.4GHz P4 AMIBIOS P18 Intel D845BG Intel 845 128MB PC2100 Intel 1.6GHz P4 AMIBIOS P02 Gigabyte GA-7VRXP VIA Apollo KT333 256MB PC2700 AMD 1.47GHz AMIBIOS F4 Tyan S2518 SW-LE3 256MB PC133 Registered ECC SMP Intel 733MHz P3 AMIBIOS 1.07 Tyan S2266 VIA P4X266 128MB PC2100 Intel 1.6GHz P4 Award 1.04 Tyan S2460 AMD-760 MP 256MB PC2100 Registered ECC SMP AMD 1.0GHz Phoenix 1.03 Tyan S2720 Intel i7500 256MB PC2100 Registered ECC SMP Intel 1.8GHz Xeon AMIBIOS 1.01 Tyan S2390B VIA Apollo KT133A 128MB PC133 AMD 1.0GHz Award 1.11 MSI 850 Pro5 Intel 850 256MB PC800 Intel 1.6GHz P4 Award 1.6 MSI KT3 Ultra VIA Apollo KT333 256MB PC2700 AMD 1.0GHz AMIBIOS 5.1 MSI MS-6373 Nvidia nForce 420-D 256MB PC2100 AMD 1.47GHz Award 2.4 MSI K7T VIA Apollo KT133A 128MB PC133 AMD 1.0GHz Award 3.3 MSI 845 Ultra Intel 845 128MB PC2100 Intel 1.6GHz P4 AMIBIOS 3.2

2.1.2. Compatible PC100/PC133 memory modules for the SX4000

Manufacturer Capacity Speed ECC Support CMI 128MB PC133 No CMI 64MB PC133 No Elpida 64MB PC133 No Hyundai 128MB PC100 Yes Infineon 128MB PC133 Yes Infineon 64MB PC100 Yes Jetram 128MB PC100 Yes Jetram 128MB PC133 No Jetram 128MB PC133 Yes Micron 128MB PC133 Yes Micron 64MB PC133 No NEC 128MB PC133 Yes NEC 256MB PC133 Yes NEC 256MB PC100 No Samsung 128MB PC133 Yes



2.1.3 Compatible Hard Disk Drives

Manufacturer HDD Family Model Capacity Spindle Speed Max Transfer Mode Western Digital Caviar -Special Ed. WD1200JB 120.0GB 7200 RPM ATA100 Western Digital Caviar WD1000BB 100.0GB 7200 RPM ATA100 Western Digital Caviar WD800BB 80.0GB 7200 RPM ATA100 Western Digital Caviar WD600AB 60.0GB 7200 RPM ATA100 Western Digital Caviar WD400BB 40.0GB 7200 RPM ATA100 Western Digital Caviar WD200BB 20.0GB 7200 RPM ATA100 Western Digital Protégé WD400EB 40.0GB 5400 RPM ATA100 IBM Deskstar120GXP IC35L040AVVA07-0 40.0GB 7200 RPM ATA100 IBM Deskstar120GXP IC35L020AVVN07-0 20.0GB 7200 RPM ATA100 IBM Deskstar 75GXP DTLA-307075 75.0GB 7200 RPM ATA100 IBM Deskstar 75GXP DTLA-307030 30.0GB 7200 RPM ATA100 IBM Deskstar 75GXP DTLA-307015 15.0GB 7200 RPM ATA100 Seagate Barracuda IV ST340016A 40.0GB 7200 RPM ATA100 Seagate Barracuda II ST320424A 20.0GB 7200 RPM ATA100 Seagate U Series 6 ST320410A 20.0GB 5400 RPM ATA100 Seagate U Series 5 ST320413A 20.0GB 5400 RPM ATA100 Samsung SpinPoint SV2042H 20.0GB 5400 RPM ATA100 Maxtor D540X 4G160J8 160.0GB 5400 RPM ATA133 Maxtor D540X 4D040H2 40.0GB 5400 RPM ATA100 Maxtor DiamondMax Plus60 5T020H2 20.0GB 7200 RPM ATA100 Maxtor D740X 6L020L1 20.0GB 7200 RPM ATA133 Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 45 54610H6 46.1GB 7200 RPM ATA100 Maxtor DiamondMax VL 30 31536H2 25.3GB 5400 RPM ATA100 Maxtor DiamondMax D540X 4D080H4 80.0GB 5400 RPM ATA100 Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 60 5T020H2 20.0GB 7200 RPM ATA100 Quantum Fireball Plus LM LM20A11 20.0GB 7200 RPM ATA100 Quantum Fireball Plus LM LM30A011 30.0GB 7200 RPM ATA100 Quantum Fireball LCT 20 LCT20 20.0GB 5400 RPM ATA100 Quantum Fireball Plus AS AS10.2 10.0GB 7200 RPM ATA100 Fujitsu MPG Series MPG-3204AT 20.4GB 5400 RPM ATA100



7.0 Performance Benchmarking

This section shall cover performance measuring the actual throughput and capabilities of the FastTrak SX4000 controller using various block size I/O access being measured by the standard Intel Iometer test utility.

Intel Iometer Tests The following tests shall measure the storage subsystem’s raw performance throughput on an Intel Pentium 4 Xeon based server board. The standard test tool for this testing is Iometer. System Testing Configuration: SuperMicro P4DL6 -ServerWorks Grand Champion – Low End (GC-LE) performance chipset -64-bit PCI-X 2 x 1.8GHz Pentium 4 Xeon CPUs w/ Hyperthreading enabled 400MHz FSB 256MB PC2100 Registered ECC memory Integrated ATI RAGE video Integrated Broadcom Gigabit Ethernet Integrated Intel 10/100 Server Ethernet IBM 60GXP connected to the onboard ATA100 controller (isolated boot drive) Windows XP Professional w/ applicable software FastTrak SX4000 was installed into PCI Slot 2 (32-bit / 66MHz mode) 4 x IBM 7200RPM 20GB DeskStar 120GXP System Setup Procedure:

1. Insert RAID controller into PCI slot 2. 2. Enter the system BIOS and restore default values, set the 1st IDE disk as a boot

device, save, and exit. 3. Install Windows XP Professional with all applicable software components and

drivers for all devices. 4. Install the Promise Array Management software. 5. Enable the Windows NT Event Logging under PAM. 6. Use 20GB IBM drives (7200RPM) with the RAID adapter.

Test Procedure:

1. Create a four drive RAID 0 array. 2. Boot into the Windows XP OS. 3. Run the Iometer Test software and assign the PHYSICALDISK to the 1st worker.

Set the outstanding IOs to 16 commands. 4. Define the access specification as follows:

Sequential Reads – 2k, 4k, 8k, 16k, 32k, 64k, 96k, 128k, 256k, 512k, 1024k Sequential Writes – 2k, 4k, 8k, 16k, 32k, 64k, 96k, 128k, 256k, 512k, 1024k Random Reads – 2k, 4k, 8k, 16k, 32k, 64k, 96k, 128k, 256k, 512k, 1024k Random Writes – 2k, 4k, 8k, 16k, 32k, 64k, 96k, 128k, 256k, 512k, 1024k

5. Set each specification to run for 45 seconds with a 5 second ramp up period before each access.

6. Record the IO/sec, MB/sec, and CPU utilization for each test run. 7. Shut down the server and reconfigure the RAID mode to RAID 5. 8. Repeat procedures 2 -6.



Intel Iometer results (7.1.1) – RAID 0 x 4 Drives

RAID 0 Sequential READ Access

0.00

20.00

40.00

60.00

80.00

100.00

120.00

140.00

160.00

180.00

2K 4K 8K 16K 32K 64K 96K 128K 256K 512K 1MB

Block Size

MB/

sec

FT SX4000 ST SX6000 2400A 7800 MegaRAID i4

Manufacturer Promise Promise Adaptec 3Ware LSI

Controller FT SX4000 ST SX6000 2400A 7800 MegaRAID

i4

PCI Config 32-

bit/66MHz 32-

bit/33MHz 32-

bit/33MHz 64-

bit/33MHz 32-

bit/33MHz Cache Size 128MB 128MB 128MB Integrated 16MB RAID Mode RAID 0 RAID 0 RAID 0 RAID 0 RAID 0

Driver 1.1.0.2 1.1.0.39 XP

Embedded 1.11.00.007 6.24 Firmware/BIOS 1.1.0.1 B74 370L 1.04.00.024 C661

Access MB/sec MB/sec MB/sec MB/sec MB/sec 2K Seq. READ 43.36 6.30 17.92 29.22 26.11 4K Seq. READ 79.99 11.77 28.70 59.23 35.30 8K Seq. READ 115.67 21.01 37.03 98.65 40.40 16K Seq. READ 137.90 23.75 64.87 139.91 46.97 32K Seq. READ 156.83 43.53 92.70 175.40 48.21 64K Seq. READ 165.69 77.53 107.03 175.13 58.29 96K Seq. READ 164.18 51.91 105.15 175.16 55.57 128K Seq. READ 166.21 77.16 107.11 175.47 60.21 256K Seq. READ 166.68 75.24 107.83 175.49 61.73 512K Seq. READ 165.74 76.69 108.22 174.95 61.09 1MB Seq. READ 165.71 75.77 107.86 176.15 58.40



RAID 0 Sequential WRITE Access

0.00

20.00

40.00

60.00

80.00

100.00

120.00

140.00

160.00

180.00

2K 4K 8K 16K 32K 64K 96K 128K 256K 512K 1MB

Block Size

MB/

sec




i4

PCI Config 32-

bit/66MHz 32-

bit/33MHz 32-

bit/33MHz 64-

bit/33MHz 32-


Driver 1.1.0.2 1.1.0.39 XP


Access MB/sec MB/sec MB/sec MB/sec MB/sec 2K Seq. WRITE 43.09 6.06 17.24 23.96 31.41 4K Seq. WRITE 74.99 11.25 32.28 53.21 41.43 8K Seq. WRITE 94.09 20.10 46.97 94.46 47.20 16K Seq. WRITE 116.03 31.43 55.07 141.57 47.39 32K Seq. WRITE 125.89 40.61 78.25 135.24 48.30 64K Seq. WRITE 133.15 47.89 82.40 132.84 54.80 96K Seq. WRITE 131.30 43.08 82.48 133.97 57.53 128K Seq. WRITE 133.07 47.95 82.64 132.85 61.72 256K Seq. WRITE 132.59 47.96 83.48 132.49 61.41 512K Seq. WRITE 132.89 47.87 84.04 133.02 57.38 1MB Seq. WRITE 132.70 47.98 84.33 133.14 56.10



RAID 0 Random READ Access {MB/sec}

0.00

10.00

20.00

30.00

40.00

50.00

60.00

2K 4K 8K 16K 32K 64K 96K 128K 256K 512K 1MB

Block Size

MB/

sec



Controller FT

SX4000 ST SX6000 2400A 7800 MegaRAID

i4

PCI Config 32-

bit/66MHz 32-

bit/33MHz 32-

bit/33MHz 64-

bit/33MHz 32-


Driver 1.1.0.2 1.1.0.39 XP


Access MB/sec MB/sec MB/sec MB/sec MB/sec 2K Ran. READ 0.61 0.58 0.49 0.52 0.45 4K Ran. READ 1.20 1.18 0.97 1.00 0.88 8K Ran. READ 2.27 2.25 1.78 1.97 1.67 16K Ran. READ 4.01 4.06 3.22 3.63 3.05 32K Ran. READ 6.72 6.81 5.35 5.84 5.07 64K Ran. READ 10.26 10.15 8.15 9.27 7.82 96K Ran. READ 4.74 10.49 10.14 11.32 9.44 128K Ran. READ 5.45 12.33 11.70 13.04 10.84 256K Ran. READ 7.13 19.54 18.37 19.92 15.30 512K Ran. READ 13.68 32.89 31.69 32.71 23.75 1MB Ran. READ 22.90 49.51 48.37 51.90 35.68



RAID 0 Random WRITE Access {MB/sec}

0.00

5.00

10.00

15.00

20.00

25.00

30.00

35.00

40.00

45.00

2K 4K 8K 16K 32K 64K 96K 128K 256K 512K 1MB

Block Size

MB/

sec



Controller FT


i4

PCI Config 32-

bit/66MHz 32-

bit/33MHz 32-

bit/33MHz 64-

bit/33MHz 32-


Driver 1.1.0.2 1.1.0.39 XP


Access MB/sec MB/sec MB/sec MB/sec MB/sec 2K Ran. WRITE 0.90 0.73 2.80 0.67 0.83 4K Ran. WRITE 1.62 1.35 2.51 1.23 1.52 8K Ran. WRITE 2.95 2.44 4.26 2.24 2.77 16K Ran. WRITE 4.97 4.14 2.41 3.98 4.20 32K Ran. WRITE 7.84 6.44 6.30 5.98 5.46 64K Ran. WRITE 10.26 7.96 9.24 8.28 7.59 96K Ran. WRITE 11.72 8.52 10.97 9.37 8.30 128K Ran. WRITE 12.72 7.90 12.10 10.46 9.21 256K Ran. WRITE 15.24 11.55 16.41 13.86 12.17 512K Ran. WRITE 19.66 15.78 27.15 22.38 19.40 1MB Ran. WRITE 31.97 25.51 42.66 34.16 31.81




0.00

5000.00

10000.00

15000.00

20000.00

25000.00

2K 4K 8K 16K 32K 64K 96K 128K 256K 512K 1MB

Block Size

IO/s

ec




i4

PCI Config 32-

bit/66MHz 32-

bit/33MHz 32-

bit/33MHz 64-

bit/33MHz 32-


Driver 1.1.0.2 1.1.0.39 XP


Access IO/sec IO/sec IO/sec IO/sec IO/sec 2K Seq. READ 22202.49 3225.24 9172.58 14959.44 13367.28 4K Seq. READ 20477.98 3013.30 7347.75 15163.93 9036.08 8K Seq. READ 14805.17 2688.83 4740.08 12627.13 5171.42 16K Seq. READ 8825.72 1520.29 4151.44 8954.48 3005.78 32K Seq. READ 5018.66 1392.93 2966.26 5612.69 1542.85 64K Seq. READ 2650.99 1240.51 1712.49 2802.00 932.70 96K Seq. READ 1751.21 553.73 1121.60 1868.36 592.69 128K Seq. READ 1329.70 617.25 856.91 1403.77 481.72 256K Seq. READ 666.70 300.95 431.30 701.97 246.91 512K Seq. READ 331.49 153.38 216.44 349.89 122.17 1MB Seq. READ 165.71 75.77 107.86 176.15 58.40




0.00

5000.00

10000.00

15000.00

20000.00

25000.00

2K 4K 8K 16K 32K 64K 96K 128K 256K 512K 1MB

Block Size

IO/s

ec



Controller FT


i4

PCI Config 32-

bit/66MHz 32-

bit/33MHz 32-

bit/33MHz 64-

bit/33MHz 32-


Driver 1.1.0.2 1.1.0.39 XP


Access IO/sec IO/sec IO/sec IO/sec IO/sec 2K Seq. WRITE 22063.75 3103.34 8825.91 12268.03 16083.23 4K Seq. WRITE 19196.44 2880.73 8262.54 13620.91 10606.39 8K Seq. WRITE 12044.10 2572.99 6012.22 12090.85 6041.56 16K Seq. WRITE 7425.94 2011.57 3524.64 9060.54 3033.13 32K Seq. WRITE 4028.36 1299.49 2504.16 4327.72 1545.51 64K Seq. WRITE 2130.36 766.27 1318.39 2125.40 876.75 96K Seq. WRITE 1400.51 459.55 879.80 1428.99 613.69 128K Seq. WRITE 1064.58 383.63 661.14 1062.81 493.72 256K Seq. WRITE 530.37 191.83 333.92 529.95 245.65 512K Seq. WRITE 265.79 95.74 168.08 266.05 114.75 1MB Seq. WRITE 132.70 47.98 84.33 133.14 56.10



RAID 0 Random READ Access {IOPS}

0.00

50.00

100.00

150.00

200.00

250.00

300.00

350.00

2K 4K 8K 16K 32K 64K 96K 128K 256K 512K 1MB

Block Size

IO/s

ec



Controller FT


i4

PCI Config 32-

bit/66MHz 32-

bit/33MHz 32-

bit/33MHz 64-

bit/33MHz 32-


Driver 1.1.0.2 1.1.0.39 XP


Access IO/sec IO/sec IO/sec IO/sec IO/sec 2K Ran. READ 310.60 294.96 252.01 266.22 230.93 4K Ran. READ 307.05 301.89 247.29 256.40 224.42 8K Ran. READ 290.07 288.20 228.10 252.59 213.30 16K Ran. READ 256.85 259.83 206.37 232.39 195.40 32K Ran. READ 215.15 217.89 171.13 186.86 162.13 64K Ran. READ 164.19 162.35 130.36 148.32 125.18 96K Ran. READ 50.59 111.87 108.19 120.73 100.69 128K Ran. READ 43.61 98.68 93.56 104.33 86.74 256K Ran. READ 28.53 78.17 73.47 79.68 61.21 512K Ran. READ 27.36 65.77 63.38 65.42 47.50 1MB Ran. READ 22.90 49.51 48.37 51.90 35.68



RAID 0 Random WRITE Access {IOPS}

0.00

200.00

400.00

600.00

800.00

1000.00

1200.00

1400.00

1600.00

2K 4K 8K 16K 32K 64K 96K 128K 256K 512K 1MB

Block Size

IO/s

ec



Controller FT


i4

PCI Config 32-

bit/66MHz 32-

bit/33MHz 32-

bit/33MHz 64-

bit/33MHz 32-


Driver 1.1.0.2 1.1.0.39 XP


Access IO/sec IO/sec IO/sec IO/sec IO/sec 2K Ran. WRITE 458.25 376.15 1435.09 345.52 425.46 4K Ran. WRITE 415.28 345.97 641.29 315.28 388.66 8K Ran. WRITE 377.31 312.56 544.81 286.73 354.63 16K Ran. WRITE 317.89 265.05 154.44 254.46 268.50 32K Ran. WRITE 251.02 206.19 201.60 191.43 174.65 64K Ran. WRITE 164.13 127.40 147.77 132.47 121.44 96K Ran. WRITE 125.01 90.90 117.02 99.92 88.58 128K Ran. WRITE 101.80 63.18 96.79 83.66 73.70 256K Ran. WRITE 60.95 46.21 65.66 55.43 48.67 512K Ran. WRITE 39.32 31.56 54.31 44.76 38.79 1MB Ran. WRITE 31.97 25.51 42.66 34.16 31.81



Intel Iometer results (7.1.1) – RAID 5 x 4 Drives


0.00

20.00

40.00

60.00

80.00

100.00

120.00

140.00

2K 4K 8K 16K 32K 64K 96K 128K 256K 512K 1MB

Block Size

MB/

sec



Controller FT


i4

PCI Config 32-

bit/66MHz 32-

bit/33MHz 32-

bit/33MHz 64-

bit/33MHz 32-


Driver 1.1.0.2 1.1.0.39 XP


Access MB/sec MB/sec MB/sec MB/sec MB/sec 2K Seq. READ 43.56 6.41 16.79 23.69 25.99 4K Seq. READ 81.40 12.04 27.95 46.30 35.32 8K Seq. READ 113.10 17.03 36.79 78.27 40.65 16K Seq. READ 127.42 21.63 49.23 113.25 46.96 32K Seq. READ 127.38 39.75 89.82 131.42 48.11 64K Seq. READ 125.81 69.84 96.79 131.08 59.17 96K Seq. READ 127.30 47.71 95.80 131.05 55.52 128K Seq. READ 124.87 69.99 97.40 130.99 59.23 256K Seq. READ 127.16 69.98 98.99 131.14 62.36 512K Seq. READ 126.71 70.04 99.22 131.25 61.53 1MB Seq. READ 126.35 69.71 99.34 132.09 58.36




0.00

20.00

40.00

60.00

80.00

100.00

120.00

140.00

2K 4K 8K 16K 32K 64K 96K 128K 256K 512K 1MB

Block Size

MB/

sec



Controller FT


i4

PCI Config 32-

bit/66MHz 32-

bit/33MHz 32-

bit/33MHz 64-

bit/33MHz 32-


Driver 1.1.0.2 1.1.0.39 XP


Access MB/sec MB/sec MB/sec MB/sec MB/sec 2K Seq. WRITE 42.65 5.77 10.30 2.56 12.44 4K Seq. WRITE 72.01 10.03 12.86 3.78 13.59 8K Seq. WRITE 91.38 16.59 12.95 6.65 14.09 16K Seq. WRITE 111.60 23.86 13.58 10.45 14.11 32K Seq. WRITE 119.71 29.07 16.24 13.80 14.23 64K Seq. WRITE 125.29 32.86 17.87 25.66 15.23 96K Seq. WRITE 122.05 30.25 17.20 27.75 15.28 128K Seq. WRITE 125.29 32.99 16.82 30.28 15.39 256K Seq. WRITE 125.24 32.94 16.61 36.25 15.52 512K Seq. WRITE 125.32 32.97 18.07 38.15 15.39 1MB Seq. WRITE 125.27 33.02 17.83 33.22 15.24



RAID 5 Random READ Access

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Controller FT


i4

PCI Config 32-

bit/66MHz 32-

bit/33MHz 32-

bit/33MHz 64-

bit/33MHz 32-


Driver 1.1.0.2 1.1.0.39 XP


Access MB/sec MB/sec MB/sec MB/sec MB/sec 2K Ran. READ 0.60 0.60 0.45 0.52 0.42 4K Ran. READ 1.20 1.20 0.95 1.01 0.86 8K Ran. READ 2.26 2.26 1.77 1.99 1.64 16K Ran. READ 4.04 4.08 3.19 3.65 3.00 32K Ran. READ 6.86 6.79 5.36 5.85 5.04 64K Ran. READ 10.30 10.15 8.06 9.19 7.88 96K Ran. READ 4.76 10.59 9.99 11.44 9.54 128K Ran. READ 5.36 12.44 11.39 13.60 10.79 256K Ran. READ 7.72 19.62 18.56 21.40 14.60 512K Ran. READ 13.46 32.28 31.21 32.11 23.20 1MB Ran. READ 23.06 46.63 45.34 48.55 34.47



RAID 5 Random WRITE Access {MB/sec}

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i4

PCI Config 32-

bit/66MHz 32-

bit/33MHz 32-

bit/33MHz 64-

bit/33MHz 32-

bit/33MHz Cache Size 128MB 128MB 128MB Integrated 32MB RAID Mode RAID 5 RAID 5 RAID 5 RAID 5

Driver 1.1.0.2 1.1.0.39 XP


Access MB/sec MB/sec MB/sec MB/sec MB/sec 2K Ran. WRITE 0.27 0.16 1.26 0.12 0.11 4K Ran. WRITE 0.48 0.32 0.46 0.24 0.19 8K Ran. WRITE 0.85 0.59 0.63 0.46 0.37 16K Ran. WRITE 1.54 1.09 0.81 0.85 0.67 32K Ran. WRITE 2.50 1.85 0.96 1.47 1.19 64K Ran. WRITE 3.86 1.98 1.66 2.36 1.99 96K Ran. WRITE 4.65 2.13 2.89 3.08 2.88 128K Ran. WRITE 5.37 2.09 5.38 3.61 3.64 256K Ran. WRITE 8.23 3.61 6.93 3.62 5.62 512K Ran. WRITE 13.00 6.33 10.41 4.15 8.42 1MB Ran. WRITE 22.40 11.03 14.94 4.89 12.99

RAID 5



RAID 5 Sequential READ Access {IOPS}

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25000.00

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Block Size

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Controller FT


i4

PCI Config 32-

bit/66MHz 32-

bit/33MHz 32-

bit/33MHz 64-

bit/33MHz 32-


Driver 1.1.0.2 1.1.0.39 XP


Access IO/sec IO/sec IO/sec IO/sec IO/sec 2K Seq. READ 22303.59 3283.22 8598.95 12127.01 13304.46 4K Seq. READ 20839.58 3081.96 7155.61 11851.57 9042.06 8K Seq. READ 14476.23 2179.61 4708.81 10019.17 5202.65 16K Seq. READ 8154.65 1384.05 3150.98 7247.91 3005.28 32K Seq. READ 4076.13 1272.07 2874.20 4205.50 1539.62 64K Seq. READ 2012.93 1117.45 1548.61 2097.31 946.67 96K Seq. READ 1357.87 508.90 1021.89 1397.91 592.26 128K Seq. READ 998.98 559.89 779.16 1047.88 473.83 256K Seq. READ 508.65 279.93 395.97 524.55 249.43 512K Seq. READ 253.41 140.09 198.44 262.50 123.05 1MB Seq. READ 126.35 69.71 99.34 132.09 58.36



RAID 5 Sequential WRITE Access {IOPS}

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15000.00

20000.00

25000.00

2K 4K 8K 16K 32K 64K 96K 128K 256K 512K 1MB

Block Size

IO/s

ec



Controller FT


i4

PCI Config 32-

bit/66MHz 32-

bit/33MHz 32-

bit/33MHz 64-

bit/33MHz 32-


Driver 1.1.0.2 1.1.0.39 XP


Access IO/sec IO/sec IO/sec IO/sec IO/sec 2K Seq. WRITE 21837.33 2954.37 5271.77 1308.89 6369.07 4K Seq. WRITE 18435.62 2567.18 3293.04 966.62 3480.13 8K Seq. WRITE 11696.90 2123.21 1657.27 851.48 1803.97 16K Seq. WRITE 7142.44 1526.92 869.43 668.61 903.25 32K Seq. WRITE 3830.83 930.34 519.75 441.63 455.22 64K Seq. WRITE 2004.67 525.75 285.92 410.59 243.74 96K Seq. WRITE 1301.86 322.62 183.52 295.96 163.02 128K Seq. WRITE 1002.35 263.91 134.57 242.22 123.13 256K Seq. WRITE 500.98 131.76 66.46 145.00 62.07 512K Seq. WRITE 250.65 65.93 36.14 76.29 30.79 1MB Seq. WRITE 125.27 33.02 17.83 33.22 15.24



RAID 5 Random READ Access {IOPS}

0.00

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250.00

300.00

350.00

2K 4K 8K 16K 32K 64K 96K 128K 256K 512K 1MB

Block Size

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ec



Controller FT


i4

PCI Config 32-

bit/66MHz 32-

bit/33MHz 32-

bit/33MHz 64-

bit/33MHz 32-


Driver 1.1.0.2 1.1.0.39 XP


Access IO/sec IO/sec IO/sec IO/sec IO/sec 2K Ran. READ 307.84 308.12 230.46 268.73 216.95 4K Ran. READ 306.48 307.21 242.42 259.02 219.46 8K Ran. READ 289.76 289.37 226.57 254.85 209.58 16K Ran. READ 258.74 260.80 204.21 233.34 192.02 32K Ran. READ 219.59 217.31 171.55 187.10 161.31 64K Ran. READ 164.83 162.44 128.91 147.10 126.04 96K Ran. READ 50.73 112.93 106.59 122.06 101.77 128K Ran. READ 42.84 99.52 91.12 108.79 86.30 256K Ran. READ 30.88 78.49 74.26 85.60 58.38 512K Ran. READ 26.92 64.56 62.41 64.23 46.39 1MB Ran. READ 23.06 46.63 45.34 48.55 34.47



RAID 5 Random WRITE Access {IOPS}

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400.00

500.00

600.00

700.00

2K 4K 8K 16K 32K 64K 96K 128K 256K 512K 1MB

Block Size

IO/s

ec



Controller FT


i4

PCI Config 32-

bit/66MHz 32-

bit/33MHz 32-

bit/33MHz 64-

bit/33MHz 32-


Driver 1.1.0.2 1.1.0.39 XP


Access IO/sec IO/sec IO/sec IO/sec IO/sec 2K Ran. WRITE 138.07 82.76 647.11 63.27 55.10 4K Ran. WRITE 122.14 80.94 116.99 61.61 49.75 8K Ran. WRITE 108.71 75.74 80.56 58.80 47.70 16K Ran. WRITE 98.52 69.71 51.53 54.33 43.19 32K Ran. WRITE 80.01 59.19 30.72 47.14 38.09 64K Ran. WRITE 61.80 31.75 26.55 37.72 31.86 96K Ran. WRITE 49.56 22.73 30.81 32.85 30.74 128K Ran. WRITE 43.00 16.74 43.02 28.86 29.09 256K Ran. WRITE 32.94 14.43 27.73 14.49 22.47 512K Ran. WRITE 26.00 12.67 20.81 8.30 16.83 1MB Ran. WRITE 22.40 11.03 14.94 4.89 12.99



4.0 Promise Knowledge Base Entries Promise PCI RAID Controller FastTrak SX4000

The PFLASH.EXE utility requires a significant amount conventional memory in order to return status. The Windows startup disks install memory managers and many drivers that load into the conventional memory. The result of using the flash utility with these boot disks will cause the system to hang during the PFLASH process. However, when the system is hung, the BIOS has been safely written to the controller and the system can be hard reset.

5.0 Promise FastTrak SX4000 DVT Errata

As a result of the DVT testing on the FastTrak SX4000 RAID controller card, below is a list of open issues concerning the overall BIOS, driver, and management software package.

BIOS 1.1.0.1 Errata Errata #A1 - Using the TAB key in the FastBuild utility on an ASUS A7V333 systemboard will cause the system to hard lock.

Conclusion: Promise Engineering will revisit this issue post ship for the 1st service release. The problem occurs on 1 systemboard model out of 25 tested.

Workaround: Use the arrow keys when navigating through the menu options. Solution: BIOS update.

Errata #A2 – BIOS resource compatibility issue with ATI Radeon 8500 and Nvidia GeForce4 Ti4x00

Conclusion: The FastTrak SX4000 BIOS is must be able to initialize at 64kb and at times will have compatibility issues with other large BIOS expansion ROMs. The systemboard BIOS must be equipped to accommodate large BIOS expansion ROMs. Most Server systemboards will accept multiple expansion ROMs to be initialized. However, Desktop systemboards generally are less tolerant for initializing the external expansion ROMs

Workaround: User can try to rearrange the PCI cards to try initializing the FastTrak ROM first.

Solution: BIOS update for specific scenarios.

Systemboard / Video Card

ATI Radeon 8500DV

Nvidia GeForce4 Ti4x00

Intel D850GB Pass SX4000 BIOS does not POST Intel D845BG SX4000 BIOS does not POST SX4000 BIOS does not POST Intel D845PT Pass System hangs after POST Tyan S2080GB Pass SX4000 BIOS does not POST SuperMicro 370SSA Pass SX4000 BIOS does not POST

Driver 1.1.0.2 Errata Errata #B1 Driver fails during FAT to NTFS filesystem conversion on the Tyan 2518 systemboard.

Conclusion: Occurs on Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, and XP Operating Systems

Workaround: None Solution: Scheduled for 1st service release – driver update.




Errata #B2 Driver fails to recognize array capacity during Windows NT 4.0 text setup when installed into PCI Slot 1 on an MSI 845 Ultra systemboard.

Conclusion: This failure is due to the PCI resource allocation of the SX4000 driver and the system BIOS.

Workaround: Use PCI slots 2 through 5 and not PCI slot 1 Solution: Scheduled for 1st service release – driver update.

Errata #B3 Windows NT 4.0 hangs during the text based setup after the driver is loaded on the MSI MS-6373 systemboard that uses the Nvidia nForce chipset.

Conclusion: Nvidia and MSI are not supporting Windows NT 4.0 operating systems with the nForce chipset. This issue will remain open.

Workaround: Windows 2000 and Windows XP work properly on the nForce motherboards.

Solution: None

PAM 3.1.0.42 Errata Errata #C1 The “Yes to All” option is missing from the email and notification options page

Conclusion: This was an oversight that will cause a bit of an inconvenience to users who wish to change the default settings.

Workaround: Manually configure the settings. Solution: The option will be in the Plug-in version of Windows-based PAM.

Errata #C2 Rebuild events can be listed as both Warning or Information notices in the Windows System Event log.

Conclusion: The events were defined in the PAM service but were not defined in a robust enough manor to properly distinguish the severity levels of events.

Workaround: The events are reported, the severity is the only problem. Solution: The option will be corrected in the Plug-in version of Windows-

based PAM. Errata #C3 Array event time stamps are slightly off in the Windows System Event log.

Conclusion: This is caused by the PAM software’s delayed polling when using the remote management module.

Workaround: none. Solution: The response time for array events will be increased in the Plug-in

version of Windows-based PAM. Errata #C4 Synchronization scheduler fails only synchronizes one array when two redundant arrays are defined.

Conclusion: This issue will remain open until the next revision of software is available.

Workaround: Manually synchronize the 2nd array. Solution: The option will be corrected in the Plug-in version of Windows-

based PAM.

BIOS 1.1.0.1 ErrataDriver 1.1.0.2 ErrataPAM 3.1.0.42 Errata

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