---
name: "ips"
section: "4"
platform: "openbsd"
package: "man"
version: "8.0-current-20261101"
release: "OpenBSD 8.0-current (2026-11-01)"
platforms: ["linux", "freebsd", "openbsd"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/ips/4"
---

# ips(4)

IBM SATA/SCSI ServeRAID controller

## NAME

**ips** – IBM SATA/SCSI ServeRAID controller

## SYNOPSIS

**ips\* at pci?**

## DESCRIPTION

The **ips** driver provides support for IBM ServeRAID controllers, including:

- ServeRAID 3H/3HB/3L

- ServeRAID 4H/4L/4Lx/4M/4Mx

- ServeRAID 5i/5i II

- ServeRAID 6i/6M

- ServeRAID 7k/7M/7t

Although the controllers are actual RAID controllers, the driver makes them look just like SCSI controllers. All RAID configuration is done through the bootable IBM ServeRAID Support CD; a CD image is freely available at the IBM website.

RAID management is done through the [bio(4)](/bio/4.md) device with the [bioctl(8)](/bioctl/8.md) command. Logical disk status is exposed under the *hw.sensors* [sysctl(8)](/sysctl/8.md) and can be monitored using [sensorsd(8)](/sensorsd/8.md).

## SEE ALSO

[bio(4)](/bio/4.md), [intro(4)](/intro/4.md), [pci(4)](/pci/4.md), [scsi(4)](/scsi/4.md), [sd(4)](/sd/4.md), [bioctl(8)](/bioctl/8.md), [sensorsd(8)](/sensorsd/8.md), [sysctl(8)](/sysctl/8.md)

**https://www.ibm.com**

## HISTORY

The **ips** driver first appeared in OpenBSD 4.1.

## AUTHORS

The **ips** driver was written by Alexander Yurchenko ⟨*grange@openbsd.org*⟩.

## CAVEATS

Due to [bioctl(8)](/bioctl/8.md) limitations the **ips** driver associates all unused and hot spare drives with the first volume but the drives can be used for rebuilding any degraded volume.