Out of curiosity, how do these boards report issues to the administrator?

It varies. Promise has a supported Windows utility that pops up error windows, but I don't think it supports e-mail. No idea what the (unsupported, I think) Linux software supports.

The Arco units have a buzzer and a serial output that can be wired to an alarm or a contact closure. They have a new set of Win and Linux support programs, but I don't think they include notification - you'd still have to roll your own off that serial connector.

The 3ware controllers come with a nice, browser-configurable daemon "3dm" that includes configurable SMTP error notification. That's one reason I think it's a better deal.

None of these, to my knowledge, support SNMP.