AEC™
-4312A
High-performance SCSI-to-SCSI
External RAID Controller
Overview
Increasingly PCs, workstations, and
servers need highly available external
storage. The AEC-4312A SCSI-to-SCSI
external RAID controller meets the
need, delivering outstanding perfor-
mance, easy upgrade capability, and
simplified array configuration
and management.
The performance advantage of the
AEC-4312A controller comes from its
powerful combination of fast micro-
processor, independent memory stores,
isolated processor and data buses, and
advanced cache algorithms. The host
interface can be quickly and easily
upgraded in the field. And easy-to-
use array management software
lets users configure, monitor, and
troubleshoot arrays.
Key Benefits
High-performance architecture
Everything about the architecture
of the AEC-4312A external RAID
controller is geared to outstanding
throughput and fast response times.
The powerhouse of the AEC-4312A
controller is an AMD 5x86 133 MHz
microprocessor, equivalent to a 75
MHz Pentium processor. Two indepen-
dent XOR memory controllers permit
separate parity and data caching. This
parallelism improves performances
for repeated RAID 5 writes. Separate
microprocessor and data buses over-
come typical performance bottlenecks
by minimizing PCI bus utilization and
allowing concurrent operations.
Performance can be further enhanced
using optional advanced algorithms
for Write-back, Write-through, and
Read-ahead cache. A dual-channel
Wide UltraSCSI disk interface and
single-channel host interface delivers
data transfer rates up to 40 MByte/sec
per channel.
Storage flexibility
A distinct advantage of AEC-4312A
external RAID controller is flexibility.
Its compact 3.5-inch form factor fits
inside any disk enclosure. It controls
up to 30 external hard drives in flexible
array configurations. Featuring up to
32 Mbytes of user-configurable cache,
the AEC-4312A controller allows
several combinations of data and
parity cache for optimizing perfor-
mance and storage costs. And the
AEC-4312A controller is completely
operating-system independent. It
supports all platforms — no special
software or drivers required.
Simple upgrade
Change from single-ended SCSI to
differential SCSI with a simple field
upgrade. As performance require-
ments increase, simply swap daughter
cards to go from the SCSI host inter-
face to a 100 MByte/sec Fibre Channel
interface. Upgrades to future technolo-
gies will be just as convenient.
Easy configuration and management
The AEC-4312A external RAID con-
troller comes with easy-to-use array
management embedded software.
Arrays can be configured, monitored,
and managed using Adaptec’s Disk
Array Administrator.
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PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS
• Based on high-performance 133
MHz 5x86 microprocessor with
16 KBytes of L1 cache
• Concurrent operation of PCI and
microprocessor buses
• Isolated processor and data
memory
• Wide UltraSCSI host and device
channels for data transfer rates
up to 40 MByte/sec per channel
• Field-upgradable host interface
• Compact 3.5-inch form factor
• Adaptec array management
software for easy array config-
uration and management
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
On-board CPU: AMD 5X86 processor, 133 MHz, 16 KByte L1 cache
Host/device bus burst data rate: 40 MByte/sec
Host interface
No. of channels: One, single-ended or differential
Protocol: Fast, Wide (8 and 16 bit), and UltraSCSI
Device interface
No. of channels: Two, single-ended
Protocol: Fast, Wide (8 and 16 bit), and UltraSCSI
Advanced RAID features: Hot spare and hot swap of drives
Array status monitoring
Adjustable stripe width
Automatic sector remapping
Advanced hardware features: Fast-page cache memory using standard 72-pin SIMMs
Up to 32 MByte user-configurable nonvolatile memory
Flash upgradable firmware
Independent memory stores allowing concurrent operations
Write-through, Write-back, and Read-ahead cache
Advanced SCSI features: Multiple SCSI PhaseEngine®co-processors
255 simultaneous commands
Tagged command queuing
Disconnect/reconnect
UltraSCSI 20 MHz for data transfer up to 40 MByte/sec
Wide SCSI connection for up to 15 devices per channel
(30 total)
Array support: Drives can be configured for RAID levels 0, 1, 0/1, 4, and 5
Configuration and management: RS232 serial interface to PC or standard VT100 terminal
Window and menu-based interface
Performance statistic monitoring
Event logging
Rebuild and verify utilities
MTBF: 450,000 power-on hours1
PHYSICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SPECIFICATIONS
Board form factor: 6.25 in. x 3.88 in.
Z-axis height: 1.0 in. max
Backplane mating connector: Robinson-Nugent with combined SCSI, RS232 serial port,
I2C, miscellaneous IO and power
Power requirements: 5.0Vdc ± 5% at 3.0 amps typical
12.0Vdc ± 10% at 0.1 amp maximum± 5%
Battery backup: 5.0Vdc ± 5% at 1.0 amps peak, regulated switched battery
power for disk cache DRAM
Temperature: +5˚C to +50˚C operating
-40˚C to +60˚C non-operating
Humidity : 10% to 85% noncondensing (operating)
5% to 90% noncondensing (non-operating)
Air flow: 400 ft/min (2.03 m/sec) minimum2
Dew point (salt/fog): TBD
1Preliminary numbers
2Allows exclusion of a heat-sink on the AEC-4312A controller. Air flow less than specified (including
zero) requires heat-sink on processor for maximum operating ambient temperature of 50˚C
Adaptec, Inc.
691 South Milpitas Boulevard
Milpitas, California 95035
Tel: (408) 945-8600
Fax: (408) 262-2533
Adaptec Europe–Belgium
Tel: (32) 2-352-34-11
Fax: (32) 2-352-34-00
Adaptec Japan–Tokyo
Tel: (81-3) 5276-9882
Fax: (81-3) 5276-9884
Adaptec Singapore
Tel: (65) 278-7300
Fax: (65) 273-0163
Literature:
1-800-934-2766 (USA and Canada)
or (510) 732-3829
Pre-Sales Suppport:
1-800-442-7274 (USA and Canada)
or (408) 957-7274
World Wide Web: http://www.adaptec.com
Internet FTP server: ftp.adaptec.com
CompuServe: GO ADAPTEC
Adaptec USA Bulletin Board Service (BBS):
(408) 945-7727 (up to 28,800 bps, using 8 bits,
1 stop bit, no parity)
Interactive Fax: (408) 957-7150
Copyright 1997 Adaptec, Inc. All rights reserved. Adaptec, the
Adaptec logo, the Adaptec tagline, AEC, and PhaseEngine are
trademarks of Adaptec, Inc., which may be registered in some
jurisdictions. All other trademarks used are owned by their
respective owners.
Information supplied by Adaptec, Inc. is believed to be accurate
and reliable at the time of printing, but Adaptec, Inc. assumes no
responsibility for any errors that may appear in this document.
Adaptec, Inc. reserves the right, without notice, to make changes in
product design or specifications. Information is subject to change
without notice.
P/N 980296-011 Printed in U.S.A. 3/97
