Current favored SCSI RAID controller?

[Scott Long]

Scott Lambert wrote:

> I haven't found any recent discussions about which SCSI RAID controllers
> are well supported and have usable management interfaces from within
> FreeBSD.
> 
> I am currently trying to spec out a new mail server for running
> Postfix/Cyrus-imapd for more than 10,000 e-mail accounts.
> 
> I think I'm going to want to go RAID 5 for the capacity.  I would
> like to have a management interface to the array that permits a high
> confidence that a junior admin won't accidentally rebuild the array from
> the new drives rather than the existing, remaining members of the array
> if I'm out of town when a drive goes out.  I've had that happen at past
> employers.
> 
> I don't want any dependence on X for the management utilities.
> 
> I want to be able to add drives and build an array without going to the
> BIOS if I need more disk space in the future.
> 
> I have an Intel SE7520JR2 motherboard to build the server around.  Are
> the Intel RAID controllers all re-branded LSI boards?  From some of the
> mailing list posts, I get the impression that at least the SRCU42X is an
> LSI chipset.
> 

Some of the Intel branded controllers are LSI, some are ICP/Adaptec. 
The numbering scheme is too confusing for me to keep track of anymore.

The Adaptec (non-ICP) controllers probably have the best command line
management tool.  The ICP tool is passable, but getting it to work seems
to be problematic for some people.  The LSI tool is very bare bones.
Just about all of the SCSI RAID controllers out there are supported well
by FreeBSD, with the exception of the older Adaptec controllers that 
fall under the asr driver.  Avoid that at all costs.

Scott