Dell/LSI RAID controllers

[Scott Long]

On Sep 23, 2009, at 11:12 PM, Charles Sprickman wrote:

> Hello all,
>
> I'm considering a Dell, specifically the Poweredge 2970, and I'm not  
> finding much info on their site about the various raid controller  
> options - there don't seem to be any actual specs.
>
> Anyone here familiar with the various models (PERC 5i, PERC 6I, SAS  
> 6/iR) and what FBSD driver each one uses?  All are within my price  
> range.  I assume all can handle SATA as well as SAS, correct?  Is  
> performance in the ballpark of a $500 3Ware or Areca card?
>
> Thanks,
>

Dell hardware works well and is well supported.  SAS5/6 means that  
it's a SAS+SATA controller that does basic RAID0 and RAID1.  PERC5/6  
means that it's a full-fledged caching RAID controller.  There is even  
a management tool for both the SAS5/6 and PERC5/6 controllers.

Scott