Areca ARC-1883ix24-287 PCI-Express 3.0 x8 SAS RAID Adapter.

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fleggett

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I'm getting perilously close to purchasing this monstrosity for my Norco setup. I know it's over-over-overkill for my needs - akin to driving a Lamborghini on a country road since I'm only using Windows 10 with Storage Spaces - but ever since I laid eyes on this uberbeast, I've wanted it. I've craved it. I've had nightmares about it. And it looks like I might finally be in a position to buy one.

So, is there anything of which I should be aware before sodomizing my credit card? Should I be prepared to flash the newest firmware, get a higher capacity compatible DDR stick than the default, or make sure to encase it in permafrost (with six SFF-8643 ports, I'm guessing this thing gets Krakatoa hot)? Does this thing play nice with W10 and SS or should I be prepared to sacrifice a goat or two to appease vengeful Arecan gods?

Any (constructive) advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!
 
It is a complete waste of money if you're not going to be using it for its RAID functionality. There are plenty of other solutions that will offer identical performance at a fraction of the cost.
 
Well, technically speaking, I'm already using a low-low-low-cost alternative by way of two cheap Supermicro cards and my motherboard's endemic SATA ports connected via two reverse breakout cables. I think that's ghetto, though, and wanted a more permanent arrangement. Once you cross that magical 4-port threshold, prices start going stratospheric. Newegg is selling a bundled deal with six SFF-8643 to SFF-8087 cables for a little over a grand, which seems like an exceptionally good price for such a 'roided-out board.
 
8 port HBAs are about $80. You can get a 24 port Intel SAS expander for $180. Cable management would be essentially identical since you'd still be using multi-lane cables. Spending 4 times as much is a total waste.
 
You could also get a $65 HP SAS Expander (if you're not using SSDs off the expander).
 
As others have mentioned, if you plan on using windows as the primary OS on the box, it is a GREAT hardware RAID card! But it will be a HUGE waste of money if you plan on just using Storage Spaces. You will get so much more performance put of your array by utilizing it as a RAID6 controller. Also, unless you plan on running SAS12 HD's or SSD's, you can save yourself some $$$ by going with a leftover 1880/1881/1882 which you can find new or used for even further savings. Which motherboard are you planning on using, and do you have an available x8 electrical PCIe slot?
 
To answer your direct questions first:

fleggett said:
Should I be prepared to flash the newest firmware, get a higher capacity compatible DDR stick than the default, or make sure to encase it in permafrost (with six SFF-8643 ports, I'm guessing this thing gets Krakatoa hot)?
Click to expand...
  1. Yes, definitely update the firmware. The latest is 1.52, dated 2015-11-20. The problem is there have been multiple prior versions also numbered 1.52 (my 1883i came with one).
  2. The included 2GB is already overkill for your needs.
  3. The card already has a nice large heatsink with blower, which should be more than sufficient since you're not doing hardware RAID.
That said, if your credit card has that big an itch to scratch, what you should be having wet dreams about is ditching the Norco and getting a Supermicro chassis with built-in expander backplane. This assumes (a) you are at least slightly interested in cable management, (b) your Norco is not brand new and (c) you don't sleep next to it (fan noise).

Slap an Areca 188xi in such a (gently used) chassis, and you get your Lamborghini with a freeway to drive it around on for about the same cost as the 1883ix-24.

As everyone else has already said, getting the 1883ix-24 for your JBOD needs is about the same as setting six or seven Benjamins on fire. Plus Areca RAID cards aren't the best HBAs for JBOD mode either -- the LSI HBAs are par excellence for that scenario.

P.S: if you get an Areca, don't forget the battery backup (or supercap) -- that's another $120-200.
 
Hrrrr. Okay, let's say, for S&Gs, that I ditched SS in favor of some RAID6 solution. What would be that solution? Keep in mind that I'm already using SS and would have to migrate over. Also bear in mind that I understand RAID about as well as I grasp warp drive theory. Would I be looking at something like unRAID? I don't know squat about Linux, so I'd have to remain on the Windows bandwagon (as such, I know my RAID options are pretty limited).

The Norco is the 4224 and it's almost brand new in terms of use. I had it mothballed for awhile pending getting together enough new hardware to make the transition from my old 4220. Dumping it in favor of a (used) Supermicro chassis is viable. A royal PITA, as I've modified it to accept a Corsair hydrocooler, but feasible. Is there any particular Supermicro model I should target or one that is a favorite amongst you guys?

I'm 90% sure I have a spare x8 slot, but will confirm.

Oh, I luurrve me some cable management. The less of those pesky wires, the better.
 
Hardware RAID6 operates on similar principles to unRAID (upto two disks can fail and the data is still OK) , but the controller takes care of everything, so there's no software necessary except to manage the controller.

For up to 24 drives, the Supermicro 846s with SAS2 (=SATA3) backplane are the consensus among the "homelab" community. The built-in expander means there's just one mini SAS cable required from card to backplane. Sticking with Windows storage spaces for now, the controller recommended is an IBM M1015 or Dell Perc 200/310, which easily flashes to the LSI 9211-8i. No hardware RAID would be involved, though you could certainly upgrade in the future by simply replacing this controller with an Areca 188xi (the -24 expander is already in the Supermicro backplane).
 
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