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This drive arrived from the factory with firmware 1.3, so I’ve been following he firmware 1.4 release candidate discussions, seen here for example:
pcper.com/news/Storage/OCZ-Updates-Vertex-4-Enthusiasts-14-Release-Candidate-Firmware

and discussed on this PC Perspective Podcast #201 I had recently enjoyed.

Today, I noticed that OCZ’s firmware 1.4 has now come out of beta/release candidate status, and is available here:
www.ocztechnology.com/ssd_tools/OCZ_Vertex_4

Indeed, just as the OCZ release notes state (dated May 17 2012):

 

writes are now faster. Also note that reads are boosted at nearly all sizes, and doubled at 0.5KB! The only slower results were the slight drops seen just at the 512KB & 1024KB read sizes.

Here’s how I tested:

• took the SATA cable from the RAID controller off, and attached the OCZ Vertex to an AHCI enabled Intel 6Gbps port on vZilla‘s motherboard, booted, ignoring LSI RAID warnings
• booted Windows 7 x64 SP1, and used Drive Manager to NTFS format this 256GB SSD
• downloaded and ran OCZ Toolbox Firmware Updater (that includes firmware 1.4) and didn’t just reboot, but instead shut down/powered off (this step is important)
• ran OCZ Toolbox again, to verify 1.4 was in effect
• ran ATTO Disk Benchmark, knowing that my 1.3 results were very nearly identical to this review, giving me confidence my 1.4 results were also reliable
• when I’m done benchmarking/testing, I’ll attach the SSD back to my RAID5, and reconfigure CacheCade 2.0 (I don’t see a need to run Parted Magic)

Check out the results below:

As far as “AS SSD” benchmarks results, I didn’t capture 1.3 results, but here’s how firmware 1.4 looks:

As for my next tests, I’ll now put the OCZ Vertex back in the role of RAID5 cache. I’m very curious to witness the firmware boost in that array caching scenario, aren’t you?

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I’ve been watching the beta firmware levels, knowing that support for Ivy Bridge CPUs was coming in a new BIOS that ASRock was cooking up for users of the ASRock Fatal1ty Z68 Professional Gen3 motherboard, such as my tinkertry.com/vzilla and tinkertry.com/gzilla systems.

Thanks to Roy’s comment here on Tinkertry earlier today, I was alerted that the BIOS 2.10 had finally been published, and Roy already applied the update apparently. Will give it a try very soon myself, of course.

ASRock Fatal1ty Z68 Professional Gen3 BIOS 2.10 download here, and let us know how it goes!

Update May 18 2012:

Warning, this BIOS may have issues with your added PCI cards!

• In my case, this 2.10 BIOS didn’t like me having any of my 3 PCI card(s) inserted, I’m in the process of narrowing down what is going on here.
• I had to remove all PCI cards after I flashed the BIOS, because with any cards inserted, I had blank video output with error code 94 on the mobo LED.
• So while I can now boot with 2.10 and see the very new look-and-feel BIOS, I have no PCI cards added, so this is a problem!

If you have a vZilla configuration, please stay tuned here, since of course I’ll let you know if I come up with a fix.

Update May 19 2012:

The culprit has been found, apparently the HighPoint RU1144A PCI-Express 2.0 x4 USB 3.0 Controller Card won’t allow boot if it’s installed in any slot, if 2.10 is installed. Removed the card, the problem went away. BIOS upgrade process would have worked fine, had that card not been present, live and learn.

Windows 7 boots fine again now, and so does ESXi 5.0, so everything is now acting very normal.  I did have to manually do all my BIOS settings over again, but that’s no big deal to do.

Update May 25 2012:

Video now edited and published, showing you exactly how the BIOS flash is done, and sprinkles in some tips on configuring the new 2.1 BIOS for ESXi:

Update May 26 2012:

Warning,  thanks to reader comments from Jean, I realized that I should point out that it would appear this may be a one-way upgrade, meaning, you cannot back out of it. I admit to not actually trying to back-level, but the wording from ASRock gives me reason to be concerned about the risks of trying to go back:
After you finish updating this BIOS, please reboot your system. Please only flash newer versions of BIOS in the future
from this page:
www.asrock.com/mb/download.asp?Model=Fatal1ty%20Z68%20Professional%20Gen3&o=BIOS

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You may recall my saga of the major “turbo” boost I gave my stock ThinkPad W520 last October, using 2 8GB Kingston RAM kits, a 128GB RunCore mSATA SSD for my Windows 7 C: drive, and two 1TB Western Digital 1TB Scorpio Blue drives in a RAID0 for my D: drive. See also tinkertry.com/tzilla and tinkertry.com/thinkpadw520saga for more details.

It’s worked out quite nicely, this is a fast system.

I need stability when suspending/resuming.

But I also admit that I’ve had issues with power management, possibly related to the SSD. It’ll suspend fine (Windows 7 SP1 x64), but when trying to resume, the ThinkPad display shows only black for about 15 seconds, then Windows begins to boot from scratch. So yeah, the system is not waking from the sleep state properly. Why do I suspect it’s the SSD to blame?  Well, the process of elimination.

Using a traditional spinning 2.5″ drive for Windows 7 allowed suspend/hibernate/resume to all function just fine last October, docked or undocked. But as soon as I installed the Runcore mSATA SSD at firmware 3.3.2, I couldn’t suspend when docked or undocked. Now, with the recent 5.0.1 firmware, at least I can now suspend when undocked, which is certainly handy when traveling. RunCore support even states 5.0.1 was supposed to help with suspend/resume issues.

I cannot rule out that a new BIOS for the ThinkPad, or a new firmware for the RunCore, might come along some day, that’d address my issue eventually. But given this W520 first arrived in 2Q2011, I’m not holding my breath either (firmware and device drivers tend to trail off in release frequency).

So, why am I shopping for docks? Well, what if I can address several open issues with just one purchase, including:

• getting my 3rd monitor enabled
• getting my suspend/resume working again
• getting my watt burn and heat output down (important, considering my small office and the cost of electricity)

I’m hoping to achieve these goals by replacing my current ThinkPad W700 Mini Dock 2.0 (pictured below), especially now that the many month wait for new Power Management driver from Lenovo have proven to be futile. I’m getting tired of waiting, especially as I head into (warmer) summer months.

In one last desperate test, I temporarily removed all cables connected to the dock, except for power and video (there are 5 USB 2.0 cables, and a USB to digital coax audio that runs to amplified speakers), but even that didn’t help. I still can’t resume properly. It’s really is the mere fact that I’m docked that seems to be doing me in, along with my particular BIOS and SSD firmware.

I need to connect my existing third monitor (eventually I’d like one at 2560×1600)

It’s a well known limitation that the rather nicely decked out ThinkPad W520 can drive only 2 external monitors, even when docked. Yes, the dock has VGA, DisplayPort, and 2 DVI connectors, but the limitation is in the GPU/chipset. Visit the overview of the ThinkPad W700 Mini Dock 2.0, where it clearly states:

(1) Maximum of two monitors can be attached to the three video ports.  The ThinkPad W700 display is disabled.

I like to keep the noise and heat of the laptop a few feet behind me when I work, using externally attached devices. I have 2 of my 3 monitors hooked up currently, and use the Lenovo ThinkPad Black USB Wired Ultimate Compact Keyboard with TrackPoint and a Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse 8000. This way, using the keyboard and Trackpoint and mouse feels the same, whether I’m home, or away (yes, I travel with the dongle-free Bluetooth mouse).

So, checking out the variety of docks and port replicators recently at:
shop.lenovo.com/us/accessories/dock-port-replicators

I began to also consider the Lenovo ThinkPad USB 3.0 dock, available May 15th for $180:
www.engadget.com/2012/05/08/lenovo-thinkpad-usb-3-0-dock

Powered by DisplayLink’s DL-3900 graphics chip, the peripheral adds five of the aforementioned USB ports, dual DVI jacks for implementing multiple displays and both gigabit Ethernet and audio connections. Not too shabby for an expansion set that connects to your chosen workhorse over a single USB 3.0 cable

While rather pricey, and not knowing all the details yet (video resolutions, exact port counts it offers, etc.), it still does appear to be a promising option. And such USB 3.0 based GPUs do claim less watt burn as well, seen here:
www.displaylink.com/technology/power_saving.php

Currently, my docked W520 uses about 50 to 100 watts (depending upon CPU load), which works out to about $100 per year.

I use more watts with my system than I care to, because:

• I cannot reliably suspend/resume (I’d prefer for laptop to wake up at night for ~20 minutes just for daily backups, saving considerable electricity)
• I cannot use the switchable graphics, since with the W520 docked and the LCD closed (2 external monitors only), the only BIOS setting I get to work is “Discreet Graphics Only”, which maximizes watt burn

While waiting for the Lenovo ThinkPad USB 3.0 dock to show up on lenovo.com’s site (due to arrive May 15 2012), anybody want to weigh in with a known-good solution that you have first-hand experience with?  Please comment below!

May 17 2012 Update:  Part # 0A33970 is now available to order, with 15% discount here direct from Lenovo:  just send me and email using tinkertry.com/contact and you too can enjoy this 15% off! 

May 25 2012 Update:  Received an email from Lenovo today, with order status showing “Released to Manufacturing”
The email had a subject line of “Your Lenovo order #………  has been delayed” and went on to explain:
We apologize, but we are unable to ship one or more items on your order at this time. We anticipate shipment within 30 days of this notification. Our online order status tool displays the latest information on your order therefore a revised estimated ship date is not included in this notification.
I then click on the tracking link, and I see the item actually shipped out of  Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong, on May 24 2012, with an estimated delivery date of June 3 2012.

May 26 2012 Update:  Received an email from Lenovo today, with order status showing “Shipped”
The UPS tracking now shows Scheduled Delivery: Thursday, 05/31/2012, By End of Day

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Description on box:

LSI00290
LSI CacheCade Software
Advanced Software Option Hardware Key
UPC 8 3034300224 5

Here’s what LSI00290 looks like installed, see green arrows:

Here’s the unboxing:

I like the notches that grab the tiny card when it’s fully inserted, and hold it in place.
Here’s the installing:

Next up, trying out the LSI9265-8i, should work right away for those without 30 day trial keys in place, a bit trickier if you’ve been using the trial keys…

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Be sure not to miss the the Google Doc that Bryce has created, this thing is a masterpiece, Z77 ESXi 5 Board Matrix

It goes way more in depth than my original, July 2011 spreadsheet about Z68 VMDirectPath successes and failures here:
tinkertry.com/vmdirectpath and this related article tinkertry.com/sandybridgeversusivybridge.

VT-d capability is handy for when you’d like to be able to “pin” current and future PCI devices to a particular VM, side-stepping devices that the hypervisor itself doesn’t support. Such as assigning HighPoint USB 3.0 card ports to a Windows VM, which works great with tinkertry.com/vzilla for example. Or perhaps a Thunderbolt card, assuming they ever become affordable.

Below is a reformatted, but unedited, forum-like dialogue between site visitor Bryce and fkhsr, pulled from the active Disqus comments below this popular (13,000 views) tinkertry.com/sandybridgeversusivybridge article. Enjoy!

 Bryce (US) April 25 2012 6:00pm eastern:

I’m looking to replicate your ASRock Z68 build on Z77.  However, according the manual the ASRock Z77 Professional board no longer includes the option to enable VT-d in the Advanced North Bridge Sections.  Other than the upgraded Intel chip set its very similar to your Z68 board, which means it offers good Ethernet and SATA compatibly with ESXi 5.  I have an inquiry out to ASRock to see if the feature is truly gone. 

Bryce (US) April 26 2012 6:50pm eastern:

I’ve been compiling a spreadsheet of some high end Z77 boards. Here is what I have so far. If you or anyone would like to contribute I think it would be a valuable resource. For each board in question I’ve been thru manuals or found speficications. I’ll update links in the the spreadsheet comments.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AjymuQhfM0vYdHZtNThGSllMeU1SMU9ldVltUmp4NWc

fkhsr (France) April 26 2012 8:38pm eastern:

Thanks so much for the testing, I’m kind of in the same situation as Bryce (looking to replicate your setup on Z77, for gaming and other stuff) ; i have been searching quite a while to find out that manufacturers don’t communicate that much about it..

So I decided to send a mail to ASRock (asking about status for the support of VT-d on Z77 MBs) and here’s (a snippet of) there answer :

Dear customer,
[...already known stuff preceeding...]
Last but not least it is maybe best to also ask Intel if the Z77 chipset does support VT-D. I found that the Z77 Extreme6, Z77 Extreme4 and Z77 Pro4 all have an option in the BIOS for Intel virtualization Technology (VMM) based on the Vanderpool protocol.
Last but not least it is maybe best to also ask Intel if the Z77 chipset does support VT-D.
I found that the Z77 Extreme6, Z77 Extreme4 and Z77 Pro4 all have an option in the BIOS for Intel virtualization Technology (VMM) based on the Vanderpool protocol.
Please give me some feedback, and let me know if I can be of assistance

Kind regards/ mit freundlichen Gruessen,ASRock Support
“So maybe if we all spam Intel about this they will do something (kiding.. or not) ? I really wouldn’t like to be forced to buy current gen-1 MB just because of this..What do you think about this guys ? And here a screenshot of the asrock z77 extreme6 UEFI :

 Bryce (US) April 27 2012 12:14am eastern:

Intel is supporting VT-d on their flagship Z77 board, the DZ77GA-70K. http://www.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop/sb/cs-030922.htm If you have an open line of communication with ASRock refer them to this link. 

Bryce (US) May 3 2012 12:28pm eastern:

I’ve finally gotten a ASRock rep to confirm support. The Z77 Professional Manual will be updated to include VT-d Support.
forums.tweaktown.com/asrock/48417-fatal1ty-z77-professional-vt-d-support.html

Moderator (US) May 3 2012 8:04pm eastern:

footnote, from above site, important to note
The quad core K models do NOT support SIPP, vPro, VT-d and TXT

Sounds similar to 2600 versus 2600k issue, no?  Discussed at Best affordable Intel CPU to buy for your personal virtualization project, Core i7 2600, not the 2600K! article.

See also the original source of this tip:
www.anandtech.com/show/5771/the-intel-ivy-bridge-core-i7-3770k-review/2

Best affordable Intel CPU to buy for your personal virtualization project, Core i7 2600, not the 2600K!

fkhsr (France) May 5 2012 2:47pm eastern:

Sorry for the delay, I’ve just passed this info onto asrock support in Netherlands (maybe tinkererguy passed it onto ASRock US and they may not have shared the info).
Anyway I’l keep an eye on the web to find new info (especially at tinkertry.com ) and keep you informed if I find some info I think is relevant to us.
Anyway one thing is sure : I’ll be ready to build my rig on july this year ; hopefully more info is available till then.

Thanks.

first.last (US) May 5 2012 8:48pm eastern:

I got the same information from ASRock tech support as Bryce regarding the Z77 Professional board supporting VT-d. Based on the email chain I had with them, it appears ASRock U.S. passed the question on to ASRock Taiwan, which responded with the following:

Dear Xxxxx,Thanks for your reply. There is an option of “Vt-d” in Z77 Professional BIOS.Z77 Professional user manual don’t mention the option, we are modifying the user manual. If any question, please kindly contact us.Thanks for your e-mail. Have a nice dayASRock TSD

Bryce (US) May 21 2012 12:53pm eastern:

Hi folks,

Have recently finished building my own ASRock Z77 Extreme4 with LSI MegaRAID 2965 SAS controller (including CacheCade 2.0) thanks to the great advice on this site. I actually ended up building my own ESXi install image with all the drivers I needed in it and thought this might be useful to others so have included my notes on using VMware PowerCLI to build a custom install ISO from the latest ESXi release including security updates below.

Note after downloading the extra ESXi drivers I had unziped them to my working directory.
Note: the set of Get-ESXImageProfile commands is just to narrow down the latest release – probably a better way but it works

Source: http://alexander.walden.com.au/2012/01/18/making-your-own-esxi-5-installation-image/

Download ESXi 5 drivers from LSI and from VMWare.
(VMWare.com – Support and Downloads (Hover) – Product
Downloads – Vmware vSphere – Drivers and Tools Tab – Expand Driver CDs – VMware
ESXi 5.0 Driver CD for Broadcom NetXtreme I Gigabit Ethernet Driver -
3.120h.v50.2)

[code]

Add-EsxSoftwareDepot https://hostupdate.vmware.com/software/VUM/PRODUCTION/main/vmw-depot-index.xml
Add-EsxSoftwareDepot ..\tg3-3.120h.v50.2-547149\tg3-3.120h.v50.2-offline_bundle-547149.zip
Add-EsxSoftwareDepot ..\VMW-ESX-5.0.0-LSIProvider-500.04.V0.24-261033-456178\VMW-ESX-5.0.0-LSIProvider-500.04.V0.24-261033-offline_bundle-456178.zip
Get-ESXImageProfile
Get-ESXImageProfile -name "ESXi-5.0.0-201205*"
Get-ESXImageProfile -name "ESXi-5.0.0-201205*"|format-list
New-EsxImageProfile -CloneProfile ESXi-5.0.0-20120504001-standard -Name ESXi-5.0.0-20120511001-Custom
Set-EsxImageProfile -ImageProfile ESXi-5.0.0-20120511001-Custom -AcceptanceLevel CommunitySupported
(Get-EsxImageProfile -Name ESXi-5.0.0-20120511001-Custom).VibList
Get-EsxSoftwarePackage
Add-EsxSoftwarePackage -ImageProfile ESXi-5.0.0-20120511001-Custom -SoftwarePackage net-tg3
Add-EsxSoftwarePackage -ImageProfile ESXi-5.0.0-20120511001-Custom -SoftwarePackage LSIProvider
Export-EsxImageProfile -ImageProfile ESXi-5.0.0-20120511001-Custom -ExportToBundle -FilePath " ESXi-5.0.0-20120511001-Custom.zip"
Export-EsxImageProfile -ImageProfile ESXi-5.0.0-20120511001-Custom -ExportToISO -FilePath "ESXi-5.0.0-20120511001-Custom.iso"
Compare-EsxImageProfile ESXi-5.0.0-20111204001-standard ESXi-5.0.0-20120511001-Custom

[/code]

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Finally, the drum-roll moment, will CacheCade Pro 2.0′s Read and Write caching of my LSI 9265-8i’s RAID5 work well?  Will my RAID5 array become the homebrew SAN and NAS of my dreams, far exceeding most typical under $1,000 USD NAS appliances?

Am I taking a risk by marrying an enterprise RAID adapter with such a “consumerish” SSD, with potentially immature Indilinx firmware on Marvell Silicon?
www.2fit.anandtech.com/show/5741/ocz-confirms-octane-and-vertex-4-use-marvell-based-silicon

Sure, I’m taking a risk, but my data is backed up, and I’d like to see what kind of performance I get with this latest generation of SSDs, the current speed champion in the consumer space. Well, the 512GB model beats it, but at a huge $ penatly.

I would suspect LSI is going to eventually come out and list the pricey and no longer new Intel 510/520 series of drives as CacheCade Pro 2.0 compatible, a brand more typical for “enterprise” use (see also item #4 here):
tinkertry.com/lsi-faq-cachecade-pro-2-0-coming-soon-meanwhile-summary-open-questions 
update, see page 25-28 for a somewhat out of date list (older LSI firmware tested, older SSDs):
www.lsi.com/downloads/Public/RAID%20Controllers/RAID%20Controllers%20Common%20Files/MegaRAID_Value_Feature_Interop_List_SAS2.pdf 

You may want to  check out this closely related article from friend welchworks, who has a 9260-4i with SAS Expander, and CacheCade Pro 2.0 on his RAID10 with multiple OCZ Agility drives for caching:
homeservershow.com/forums/index.php?/topic/3791-playing-with-cachecade-20

and the really detailed LSI articles he refers to:
www.lsi.com/downloads/Public/Direct%20Assets/LSI/Benchmark_Tips_Jan_2010_v2_0.pdf
www.lsi.com/downloads/Public/Direct%20Assets/LSI/6Gbs_LSI_LRb.pdf

and the MegaRAID Storage Manager Manual:
www.lsi.com/downloads/Public/MegaRAID%20Common%20Files/51530-00_RevF.pdf 

Want to also see the other published Vertex 4 benchmarks? Here’s quite a list:
www.ocztechnologyforum.com/forum/showthread.php?100402-Vertex-4-performance-and-analysis 

My twist is not about trying to be a source of official benchmarks, it’s really more about testing the SSD in a wide variety of ESXi use-case scenarios (not sure I’ll have the patience to try all of these):

• as a physical NTFS drive, running under Windows 7 x64 SP1
  TESTS COMPLETE
• as a CacheCade Pro 2.0 SSD read/write cache for my RAID5 that holds my ESXi 5.0 thin provisioned VMs
  TESTS COMPLETE, not yet published
• as a motherboard’s Intel AHCI-connected, VMFS formatted datastore, in ESXi for thin provisioned VMs
• as a motherboard’s Intel AHCI-connected, , RDM mapped to a Windows VM, where it’s NTFS formatted (SATA passthrough)
• as an LSI-9265-8i attached single drive RAID0, VMFS formatted datastore, in ESXi for thin provisioned VMs
• as an LSI-9265-8i attached single drive RAID0, RDM mapped to a Windows VM, where it’s NTFS formatted (SATA passthrough)

My story is just starting to unfold here, come back and visit to watch progress. I have many more test scenarios left to try, including a little Iometer action.

May 2 2012 7:11pm:
Not sure if I’ll stick with using this drive for my SSD cache in my RAID5 array, or elsewhere, so I gotta kick the tires first, no?

Finally made my purchase from Amazon:
www.amazon.com/OCZ-Industrys-Highest-Performance-2-5-Inch/dp/B007RARHSO/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1335886598&sr=1-2

Here’s the brief unboxing video (iPhone 4 on a trip works quite well for quick 720p video creation, sent right to YouTube, as-is):

May 2 2012 11:00pm:
Initial round of tests completed, with a lot of video to edit soon.  Meanwhile, I am nearly ready to post preliminary results that show how this drive performed under Windows 7 x64 SP1, formatted as a secondary NTFS drive. I’ll also give a look at the performance when used as SSD Cache for my RAID5, using a VM under ESXi 5.0 (VMFS filesystem).

May 3 2012 12:15am:
Using a 1.6GB test file (Windows 2008 ISO), takes 15 seconds to copy over the network, that’s right, for the first time ever, I’m seeing >90% utilization of my gigabit network when doing file transfers from an SSD laptop to a VM, 100MB/sec, this is good, this is fun, this not your typical RAID5!

First round of results from just the ATTO and AS SSD benchmarks run under Windows 7 x64 SP1 are ready, seen below. To be clear, these graphics below do not show the RAID5 at all, they merely test out the base performance of the Vertex 4 itself.

Notice that the 6Gbps Marvell/ASMedia ports on the ASRock Z68 Fatal1ty motherboard, results listed first,  don’t come close to the Intel 6Gbps ports, listed second.
Also notice that if 4K write speed is what really matters for SSDs, then this drive is impressive, and may get better with future firmware (1.3 is still current):

Marvell/ASMedia 6Gbps connected OCZ Vertex 4, formatted NTFS as drive F: under Windows 7 x64 SP1, using 2GB Total Length

 Intel 6Gbps connected OCZ Vertex 4, formatted NTFS as drive F: under Windows 7 x64 SP1, using 2GB Total Length

Marvell/ASMedia 6Gbps connected OCZ Vertex 4, formatted NTFS as drive F: under Windows 7 x64 SP1

Intel 6Gbps connected OCZ Vertex 4, formatted NTFS as drive F: under Windows 7 x64 SP1

Please come back soon, for more results of testing the RAID5 from within ESXi 5.0, and full videos of many of the actual testing procedures.

Here’s my first ESXi 5.0 test, a Windows 7 VM on VMFS filesystem on 5 x 1.5TB Seagate 7200.11 drives RAID5, with 256GB Vertex 4 configured as CacheCade 2.0, next test will be identical, with CacheCade 2.0 turned off:

After a few more tests, I’m able to tentatively put some observations out there:

1 CPU versus 2 CPU cores given to the VM doesn’t change benchmark results (CPU utilization never goes above 60%)
2GB versus 4GB of RAM given to the VM doesn’t change benchmark results (Memory utilization of ATTO never goes above 10MB)
Thick Provisioning give about 10% better overall performance than Thin Provisioning, but the benefits of Thin Provisioning (no wasted (expensive) storage) outweigh this minor performance cost
Running ATTO 2x in a row shows no significant improvement in speed, so I don’t bother
 

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I’ve worked directly with a contact in LSI Sales and another two in LSI Support, and have pulled together this CacheCade related Q&A/FAQ, with answers in red below.

As always, your honest feedback is always appreciated, so I can continue to improve the accuracy of the information I provide, and focus on the sorts of articles you enjoy! 

Software License Ordering PN LSI00293 – Compatible with MR SAS 9260/9261/9265/9266/9280/9285 series

Physical Key Ordering PN

LSI00292 – Compatible with MR SAS 9260 (-4i, -8i, -16i, CV-4i, CV-8i), 9280 (-4i4e, -16i4e, -24i4e)

LSI00290 – Compatible with MR SAS 9265-8i, 9266 (-4i, -8i), 9285 (-8e, CV-8e)

which states:

Will CacheCade software work with any size or model of SSD drive?

Please visit www.lsi.com/channel/support/marketing_resources for a complete list of tested SSDs.

For example,

 

a) There’s the type of SATA3 (6Gbps) SSD to choose, say:

 

OCZ Vertex 4 128GB

$170

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227791

uses a new Indilinx controller (that is really Marvell), new kid on the block and most promising for raw speed:

http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/12/ocz-indilinx-controller-built-by-marvell/

 

Then there’s the stable veteran out since last year, but winning review after review:

Samsung 830 128GB

$135.99 (after 15 off promo code)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147163

 

b) Then there’s the quantity to choose:

What makes for more raw speed?

Am I better off configuring CacheCade Pro 2.0 on 2 64GB SSDs or 1 128GB SSD, assuming all other specifications are equivalent?

a) activate then login as administrator

b) disable UAC on Win 7

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• SSD chosen to cache both reads and writes on a RAID5 array, under ESXi 5
  (finally, CacheCade Pro 2.0 for the LSI 9265-8i RAID adapter, reliability and speed, NAS nirvana at last?)
• Re-testing nested Hyper-V
  (will we have to wait for ESXi 5.1?)
• How to handle graceful ESXi/VM shutdown when power is lost, using CyberPower UPS USB-connected to the VMware VMA Appliance
  (this now works with affordable consumer level products and the free Hypervisor, here’s exactly how to go about it!)
• Whole-home backup generator, with automatic idle, and the unique ability to get along with my CyberPower UPSs
• <$100 USD upgrade:  affordable ceiling fixture/LED combo from Home Depot
  (use 1/4th the power of a 4-tube T8 flourescent fixture in your home office, putting out far less heat, and paying for itself in a year or two)
• Jabra 9470 DECT cordless head-set review:  good choice for phone calls, VOIP calls, and PC based recording? (Camtasia, XSplit Broadcaster, Skype, etc.)

Related posts:

1. 2012: Here’s a sampler of what’s coming up next… Thank you for returning to Tinkertry for 2012, stay tuned!...

It could be a while before Google+ Hangout on Air is available. When it does arrive, with convenient auto-publishing to YouTube, it may not record in high enough resolution to be useful for capturing demonstrations or screen sharing sessions that I’d like to host. So I’m trying out live recording techniques, which I managed to get working tonight, without any fancy audio mixing software or hardware.  Just my Logitech C920 webcam and Jabra PRO 9470 headset.

 If there’s enough demand, I’ll record a video or screenshots of me setting all this up.

Here’s the not-so-secret-anymore recipe for success:

1)  Primary computer is used to start the Google Hangout on its primary display, inviting myself to the Hangout, to get set up for broadcast

2)  Primary computer has a secondary display, where I leave a browser running to show the  justin.tv/tinkertry channel’s live stream and chat
I make sure to mute the audio (since it’s delayed by a few seconds)
Anybody can view the live stream stream and chat with each other, but the Google+ Hangout participants use Google+ Hangout’s built-in chat to communicate with one another.

3)  Secondary computer is used for broadcasting. In my first test tonight, it was a virtual machine (so no physical sound card or no speakers), running under ESXi 5.0 on Core i7 vZilla, with:

• plenty of CPU power assigned to it (Core i7, 4 of 8 hyperthreaded cores total assigned)
• on the Hardware settings of the VM, I made sure to use “Enable 3d support” on the virtual video card, with resolution of 1280×720
• on the settings of the Remote Desktop Connection session, I made sure to  use the Local Resources tab, Remote audio, Play on this computer (this ensures a “Remote Audio” sound device is present)

You can see the results of my first test here, looks and sounds pretty good, 25 frames per second, 1280×720 video, with 16KHz 16 bit 42200 bitrate mono recording:
http://www.justin.tv/tinkertry/b/316512422

Some of my other test videos have some echo, I’ll figure out what is causing that after some more testing.

But the good news is that it works, and works well. No video editing required on my part, no large FLV files saved locally if I don’t wish. And it’s ready for anybody to replay, in full resolution, within just a few seconds of my stopping the XSplit Broadcaster. Nice!

Related posts:

1. Things we learned doing Google+ Hangouts today, testing potential for podcasting and/or training purposes Today, a bunch of the friends of the Home Server...