Mini-SAS (SFF-8088)
Number of
SAS connectors (SFF-8088) on the controller I/O panel.
SFF-8088 is one of the types of connectors used to connect external drives via the SAS interface. This connection provides data transfer rates up to 12 Gbps, which is especially convenient when working with large amounts of data. At the same time, relatively few peripherals with such a connector are produced, so connectors of this type are quite rare.
Mini-SAS HD (SFF-8643)
The number of
SAS connectors (SFF-8643) provided on the controller board.
SAS is a SCSI-based interface that is mainly used for high-end professional hard drives, in particular server HDDs. The data transfer rate with this connection can reach 12 Gbps. SFF-8643 is one of the connectors used for such a connection, along with some other varieties; also known as mini-SAS HD. Up to 4 drives can be connected to one such connector (up to 8 when using a dual connector).
Cache size
The amount of cache memory provided in the controller.
Cache memory is used in RAID controllers (see "Type"). It serves to store the data that is most often used during the operation of the device: the cache provides high-speed access to this data, thus improving the overall performance of the controller. The larger the cache, the more data can be stored in it and the faster the device can work; on the other hand, large amounts of memory have a corresponding effect on the cost.
In the most advanced controllers, the cache may have special protection against data loss (see below for more details).
Low profile
This feature means that the controller board has a small height; and the height in this case is how much the board protrudes above the "motherboard" in which it is installed.
Low-
profile components are mainly designed for use in compact form factors where there is no room for full-sized boards. However, nothing prevents installing such a board in a larger case.
