Ibm Exflash And 1.8-Inch Ssd Support - IBM System x3850 X5 Implementation Manual

3.9.3 IBM eXFlash and 1.8-inch SSD support

Database-optimized models of the x3950 X5 include one IBM eXFlash SSD backplane,
supporting eight 1.8-inch solid-state drives, as listed in Table 3-3 on page 65. Other models
also support the addition of an eXFlash backplane, controllers, and SSDs.
You can add a second eXFlash backplane to increase the supported number of SSDs to 16
(using part number 59Y6213, as listed in Table 3-24). See 3.9.3, "IBM eXFlash and 1.8-inch
SSD support" on page 93 for more information.
Table 3-24 IBM eXFlash 8x 1.8-inch HS SAS SSD Backplane
Part number
59Y6213
The IBM eXFlash 8x 1.8-inch HS SAS SSD Backplane, part number 59Y6213, supports eight
1.8-inch SSDs. The eight drive bays require the same physical space as four SAS hard disk
bays. A single eXFlash backplane requires two SAS x4 input cables and a
power/configuration cable, which are both shipped standard. Up to two SSD backplanes and
16 SSDs are supported in the x3850 X5 chassis.
For more information regarding eXFlash and SSD information, including a brief overview of
the benefits of using eXFlash, see 2.8, "IBM eXFlash" on page 47.
Two-node configurations: Spanning an array on any disk type between two chassis is
not possible because the RAID controllers operate separately.
Figure 3-23 shows an x3850 X5 with one of two eXFlash units installed.
Figure 3-23 IBM eXFlash with eight SSDs
Table 3-25 on page 94 lists the supported controllers.
Feature code Description
4191 IBM eXFlash 8x 1.8-inch HS SAS SSD Backplane (two optional,
replacing the standard SAS backplane); includes a set of cables
Chapter 3. IBM System x3850 X5 and x3950 X5
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