Supermicro X7DA3 Plus User Manual page 93

Appendix C: Installing the Adaptec HostRAID Utility and the Windows OS
Appendix C
Installing the Adaptec HostRAID Utility and the
Windows OS
After all the hardware has been installed, you must fi rst confi gure the SAS RAID
before you install the Windows Operating System and other software drivers.
C-1 The Adaptec Embedded SAS with HostRAID Controller
Note: If you do not wish to confi gure Adaptec SAS/SATA HostRAID functions,
please go directly to Section C-2 and Appendix E for the Windows OS and Other
Software Installation instructions. For Intel's ESB2 SATA HostRAID Utility, please
refer to Appendix D. For more information on the SAS/SATA RAID settings, please
refer to the CD that came with your motherboard.
Introduction to SATA (Serial ATA) and SAS (Serial Attached
SCSI)
Serial ATA(SATA) is a physical storage interface. It uses a single cable with a
minimum of four wires to create a point-to-point connection between devices. It is
a serial link which supports SATA transfer rates up to 150Mbps. Because the serial
cables used in Serial ATA are thinner than the traditional cables used in Parallel ATA
(PATA), SATA systems provide more effi cient system cooling, faster data transfer
and better functionality than Parallel ATA. In addition to SATA which is supported
by the Intel ESB2 South Bridge, the X7DA3+ has an Adaptec SAS (Serial Attached
SCSI) 9410W Controller built in. SAS supports serial link data transfer rates up
to 3Gbps. With the dynamic SAS infrastructure built in, the X7DA3+ supports both
SATA and SAS, providing the user with unparalleled data storage expansion and
inter-connectivity capability.
Using the Adaptec RAID Confi guration Utility
The onboard SAS Controller is enabled by default. To disable it, please set Jumper
JPS1 to Pins 2-3 (See Page 2-28 in Chapter 2 for details.)
When the system is detecting the SAS Controller BIOS, make sure that the 16-
digit Adapter WWN address displays. If this number is not shown, you will not be
able to use the controller.
Once the WWN address appears, press the <Ctrl> and <A> keys simultaneously
when prompted to access the Adaptec SAS RAID BIOS. (Note: Use the arrow keys
to highlight an item and then press <Enter> to select an option. To return to the
previous menu, press <ESC>.)
C-1