#Esxi 6.5 raid hp z 600 software#
Dedicated RAID Card ⌗Ī dedicated RAID card is just that: a card that does all RAID functions itself, no software required. If you can answer "yes" to any of these questions then you are likely looking at a card that only does software RAID.
#Esxi 6.5 raid hp z 600 driver#
Despite the marketing of these cards, they operate similarly to the on-board SATA controllers - they require a software driver in order to operate in RAID mode which makes them ineligible for use as RAID controllers with ESXi. These cards are branded as RAID adapters and utilize LSI's 1068E and SAS2008 chipsets, respectively. Some really common examples of such cards include LSI's SAS30x1E-R or Super Micro's AOC-USAS-x cards as well as LSI's 921x or Super Micro's AOC-USAS2-x cards. The next best option to using the on-board ports is to add additional ports via a SATA or SAS HBA. SATA/SAS Host Bus Adapter With RAID Support ⌗ This eliminates on-board RAID as an option. The only way you can use on-board SATA ports is in non-RAID mode. This is what's known as "software RAID" because of the reliance on a software component.ĮSXi's support for software RAID is pretty clear: there is none. This means that ICH10R and SB750 based RAID arrays are heavily dependent on the type of operating system that's running - the OS must have an appropriate driver that enables the RAID functionality. When enabling RAID on these chipsets, they utilize a combination of the southbridge hardware and a software driver to operate the RAID array. Modern motherboards have southbridge chipsets with names like ICH10R for Intel boards and SB750 for AMD boards. These ports are connected to the southbridge on the motherboard with the southbridge acting as the SATA controller. Even server class motherboards made by companies like Super Micro and Intel support RAID on their SATA ports. This is usually seen as an easy, low cost (could even consider it "no cost") way of getting RAID into your machine.