RAID controller HP Enterprise SmartArray P408i-a SR Gen10 PCIe x8 12 Gbit/s (SATA, SAS)

HPE SmartArray P408i-a SR Gen10 is an internal RAID controller designed for server environments. It connects via a PCI Express x8 host interface and supports 12 Gbit/s data transfer rates for Serial ATA and Serial Attached SCSI drives. The controller provides hardware RAID offload and multiple RAID level options to support data protection and performance requirements in enterprise storage systems.

Advantages

The controller includes an on‑chip Adaptive RAID (AROC) engine and a 2 GB flash‑backed write cache to improve write performance and ensure data integrity during power loss. It offers broad RAID functionality, including advanced data mirroring modes, and uses 8 SAS lanes distributed across two internal Mini‑SAS ports for flexible drive connectivity.

Suitable for

• Server storage consolidation and array management
• Enterprise applications requiring redundancy and high availability
• Database and virtualization workloads needing hardware RAID offload

Key specifications

• Supported drive interfaces: Serial ATA (SATA) and Serial Attached SCSI (SAS)
• Host interface: PCI Express x8
• Maximum interface speed: 12 Gbit/s
• RAID levels supported: 0, 1, 1 ADM (Advanced Data Mirroring), 5, 6, 10, 10 ADM, 50, 60
• Cache: 2 GB flash‑backed write cache
• Connectivity: 8 SAS lanes across two internal Mini‑SAS ports

How to use

Install the controller into a compatible server PCIe x8 slot and connect the server drive backplane or drives to the internal Mini‑SAS ports. Configure RAID arrays using the server management tools or SmartArray configuration utility according to workload and redundancy needs. Ensure firmware and management software are kept up to date for optimal compatibility and performance.

Recommendations

Use the 2 GB flash‑backed cache with recommended battery or power‑loss protection settings and select RAID levels that match your performance and fault‑tolerance requirements; for mixed I/O workloads, consider RAID levels that balance read/write performance and redundancy.