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ThinkSystem 1610-4P NVMe Switch Adapter Installation and User Guide
February 28, 2018
Chapter 2: Overview
2.1
Overview
The ThinkSystem 1610-4P NVMe switch adapter provides high-performance storage connectivity for servers and
workstations. The adapter supports a x16 PCIe Gen3 host interface to four x4 PCIe Gen3 ports for NVMe connectivity.
The low-profile design of the adapter includes a full-height mounting bracket and a low-profile mounting bracket that
create a universal fit for any server.
NVMe technology is a logical device interface specification used to access non-volatile storage media that is attached
by a PCIe bus. Non-volatile memory is usually flash memory in solid-state drives (SSDs).
The 1610-4P NVMe adapter uses the Broadcom ExpressFabric® PEX9733, a fully nonblocking and low-latency, 33-lane,
9-port PCIe Gen 3 switch. This ExpressFabric switch, which conforms to the PCIe Base r3.0 specification, allows you to
build a high-performance, low-latency, scalable, and cost-effective PCIe-based fabric. Switched fabric is a network
topology that allow network nodes to interconnect by using one or more network switches (particularly crossbar
switches). A switched fabric network spreads data transfers across multiple physical links, which produces high
total throughput.
2.2
Features
This section lists the ThinkSystem 1610-4P NVMe switch adapter features.
Supports 4 internal 8Gb/s PCIe Gen3 ports
Offered with a full-height and a low-profile vented bracket
Provides a universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter (UART) debug/diagnostic port
2.3
Functional Descriptions
2.3.1
PCI Express Interface
PCIe is a high-speed standard local bus for point-to-point interfacing of I/O components to the processor and the
memory subsystems in high-end computers and servers. The PCIe functionality for the ThinkSystem 1610-4P NVMe
switch adapter is contained within the PEX9733 PCIe switch. The PEX9733 switch connects directly to the PCIe bus and
generates timing and protocol in compliance with the PCIe specifications.
The ThinkSystem 1610-4P NVMe switch adapter supports 16-lane 8Gb/s PCIe performance up to 128Gb/s single
direction and 256Gb/s dual direction.
2.3.2
NVMe Interface
The PEX9733 switch contains the PCIe functionality for the ThinkSystem 1610-4P NVMe switch adapter with PCIe
performance of 32GB/s per port in each direction.
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Chapter 2: Overview
Overview
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