For the entry-level ProLiant server market, it strikes a near-perfect balance. It offers better reliability and management features than a standard SATA controller, without inflating the server cost. If your workload is light to moderate and RAID 1/10 meets your redundancy needs, the S100i is an excellent choice. However, for mission-critical or storage-heavy workloads, consider it a placeholder until you can invest in a dedicated hardware RAID adapter.
: Operates strictly in UEFI Boot Mode ; it is not compatible with Legacy BIOS. hpe smart array s100i sr gen10 driver
The is a pragmatic solution. It is not designed to be a performance powerhouse; it is designed to provide reliable redundancy at a budget price. For the entry-level ProLiant server market, it strikes
The S100i relies on the server’s main CPU to process RAID calculations. While modern CPUs are powerful enough to handle this with ease, it introduces overhead. In I/O intensive environments—such as heavy database transactions or high-throughput virtualization hosts—the S100i cannot compete with dedicated hardware controllers that have their own RAID CPUs. It is not designed to be a performance
The S100i allows for the installation of the OS directly onto a RAID array (RAID 1 or RAID 10), which is often a limitation of pure software RAID solutions. It supports booting from the array, making it suitable for an "all-in-one" box setup.