High-Speed Links; Iseries Model 825 - IBM eserver i5 Handbook

Draft Document for Review October 18, 2004
iSeries and AS/400 servers have supported disk hot-plugging on all but the
smallest servers for many years. Disk hot-plugging capability is available on
Eserver i5 Models 520, 550, 570, and 595, and iSeries Models 800, 810, 825,
870, and 890. The in-use disk drive must be protected by RAID or mirroring
before removing the drive.
PCI hot-plugging was first introduced in 2000 on the iSeries Models 820, 830,
and 840, and the 2-way Model 270. It was introduced at the same time the
second generation PCI technology was introduced. Hot-plug PCI is supported on
Eserver i5 Models 520, 550, 570, and 595, and iSeries Models 825, 870, and
890, and 2-way Model 810.
PCI hot-plugging in the iSeries models is made possible by power control to
individual card slots. In most cases, IOA configurations can be changed while
other IOAs on the same IOP remain operational.
Removing the IOP or IOA associated with a running load source disk drive is an
obvious example of something which is not hot-pluggable unless the IOP or IOA
has been mirrored. The operator interface controlling hot-plugging uses the
Hardware Service Manager in the System Service Tools (SST), or a subset of
Dedicated Service Tools (DST), depending on which tool you have started.
Refer to the individual PCI card feature descriptions in Chapter 18, "iSeries I/O
adapters and controllers" on page 339, and a description of the server models to
determine if

High-speed links

First introduced in the year 2000 on the iSeries servers, a new bus structure
using HSL provided a faster data transportation mechanism running at
1GB/second. As faster processors, larger caches, faster memory, super fast
cross-bar switch complex, faster direct access storage device (DASD), and much
faster IOPs and IOAs emerged, it was clear the earlier AS/400 infrastructure
needed more speed, capacity, and function as IBM transitioned to iSeries.
In 2004, IBM announced the iSeries POWER5 technology-based servers, the
Model 520, 550, 570, and 595. These servers use the second generation of HSL
technology called HSL-2/RIO-G. Although the iSeries POWER5 technology
based processors use the same physical HSL-2 connections as used on the
iSeries Model 825, 870, and 890, the Model 520, 550, 570, and 595 can run the
RIO-G loop at up to 2 GB/s.
HSL loops can be either copper or optical cable.
iSeries architecture: Fundamental strength of the IBM ^ i5 and iSeries
hot swapping
of a specific PCI card is supported.
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