The 5884 controller integrates specialized processors, separate memories, and optimized RAID and cache algorithms to deliver the high-speed, disk-based performance required by open systems environments.

The 5884 controller's fifth-generation enterprise controller architecture boasts independent processing elements and separate memories – reducing contention and letting each element focus on its specific job. Its high-speed XOR engine generates RAID parity calculations without a performance penalty, enabling this compute-intensive task to be handled efficiently and effortlessly. A separate processor focuses on data movement control, allowing setup and control instructions to be processed and dispatched independent of data.

Two 5884 controllers are integrated into a controller module and combined with one or more drive modules to create a fully featured storage system. These dual controller systems are fully redundant and support up to eight 2 Gb/s or 1 Gb/s Fibre Channel host connections and 224 Fibre Channel or SATA disk drives.

5884 Controller Module Features and Specifications

• Dual-active 5884 controllers
• Four 2 Gb/s Fibre Channel host channels
  • 800 MB/s of host-side bandwidth
    (two 2 Gb/s interfaces per controller)
  • Dual-ported interface cards provide eight
    host connections
  • Support for 2 Gb/s and 1 Gb/s connectivity
  • Support for direct-attach and SAN-attach
  • Support for point-to-point, arbitrated loop and fabric connectivity
• Four 2 Gb/s Fibre Channel drive channels
  • 800 MB/s of drive-side bandwidth
• 2 GB of dedicated data cache
• Engenio custom ASIC generates RAID parity with no performance penalty
• Specialized I/O control processor focuses on data movement
• Performance:
  • Burst I/O from cache: 148,000 IOPS
  • Sustained I/O rate from FC media: 53,200 IOPS
  • Sustained throughput from FC media: 795 MB/s