Avago Technologies 3ware SAS 9750-16i4e - Manual (Page 31)

Syntax Overview
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Phy. Phys are transceivers that transmit and receive the serial data stream that
flows between the controller and the drives. 3ware 9750 and 9690SA
controllers have four or more phys. These controller phys are associated with
virtual ports (vports) by 3ware software to establish up to 128 potential
connections with SAS or SATA hard drives. You can connect each controller
phy directly to a single drive, or you can connect it through an expander to
additional drives.
VPort. Connections from 3ware 9750 and 9690SA controllers to SAS or
SATA drives are referred to as virtual ports, or VPorts. A VPort indicates the
ID of a drive, whether it connects directly to the controller or cascades
through one or more expanders. The VPort, in essence, is a handle in the
software to uniquely identify a drive. The VPort ID or port ID allows a drive
to be consistently identified, used in a RAID unit, and managed. For dual-port
drives, although there are two connections to a drive, the drive is still
identified with one VPort handle.
For additional information about 3ware controller concepts and terminology,
refer to the user guide PDF for your 3ware RAID controller or the user guide
portions of the 3ware HTML Bookshelf.
Syntax Overview
The command syntax uses the general form:
Object Command Attributes
Objects are shell commands, controllers, units, ports (drives), battery backup
units (BBUs), and enclosures.
Commands can either select (show, get, present, read) attributes or alter (add,
change, set, write) attributes.
Attributes are either boolean attributes or name-value attributes.
• The value of a boolean attribute is deduced by presence of a value for that
attribute, or the lack of a value. For example, the command show alarms,
by default, lists controller alarms with the oldest alarm first. If you
include the attribute reverse, as in the command show alarms reverse,
alarms are listed in reverse order with the most recent alarm first.
• The value of name-value attributes are expressed in the format
attribute=value.
Note: For practical purposes, port and VPort are used interchangeably in this
document in reference to a drive (or disk). Therefore, unless otherwise specified,
the mention of port implies VPort as well. For example, when port is used to indicate
a drive, it is implied that, for the applicable controller series, the reference also
applies to VPort.