Datasheet
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7
Storage Controllers
All models include an integrated ServeRAID-BR10i V2 SAS/SATA Controller in a dedicated x8
PCIe slot. Supported controllers include:
• The 3Gbps
4
(x8 PCIe) ServeRAID-BR10i V2 controller — hardware RAID-0/1/1E support
(no cache) for up to 8 HDDs or SSDs.
• The 6Gbps (x8 PCIe) ServeRAID-M1015 SAS/SATA controller — RAID-0/1/10 (no cache)
for up to 8 drives. The IBM ServeRAID M1000 Series Advance Feature Key adds RAID-
5 and Self-Encrypting Disk (SED) support.
• The 6Gbps (x8 PCIe) ServeRAID-M5015 SAS/SATA controller — enhanced performance
with 512MB of cache memory and battery backup, and supports RAID-0/1/10/5/50 for up
to 8 drives. The IBM ServeRAID M5000 Series Advance Feature Key adds RAID-6/60
and SED support to the M5015.
• The 6Gbps (x8 PCIe) ServeRAID-M5025 SAS/SATA controller — enhanced performance
with 512MB of cache memory and battery backup. It supports RAID-0/1/10/5/50 for up to 8
internal drives, plus multiple external IBM System Storage
®
expansion units (with up to 240
HDDs).
Additional external SAS/SATA disk storage, as well as tape backup, is available via one of
several supported iSCSI or FC SAN controllers.
Versatile Drive Bays
The x3850 X5 and x3950 X5 servers include either 1 or 2 drive backplanes (model-specific).The
single-backplane models are upgradeable to 2 backplanes. Each backplane supports either 4
2.5-inch hot-swap HDDs or, within the same space, 8 1.8-inch hot-swap SSDs. Thus, you
can achieve up to 8 HDDs, or 16 SSDs using up to two IBM eXFlash storage options. Each
individual SSD is capable of sustaining approximately 4,300 IOPS, which is more than 10X what
an enterprise 15,000 RPM 2.5-inch 146.8GB SAS HDD can achieve (420 IOPS). Thus, each
eXFlash module (containing 8 SSDs) is capable of producing up to 34,400 IOPS, vs. only 3,360
IOPs for 8 SAS HDDs. This means one x3850/x3950 X5, with two eXFlash options (16 drives),
is capable of generating 68,800 IOPs, vs. only about 6,700 IOPS for storage servers using an
equal number of HDDs. In a 2-chassis configuration, up to 16 HDDs or 32 SSDs are supported
(for up to 137,600 IOPS).
Each customer-installable eXFlash option includes a drive cage, SSD backplane, and two x4
SAS/SATA cables, which can be installed in seconds as a single unit. One or two ServeRAID
controllers are required per eXFlash option. For RAID support, use one ServeRAID-M1015,
M5014, M5015 or M5025 controller. For enhanced IOPS throughput, use one ServeRAID
B5015 non-RAID controller, which is optimized for SSD IOPS performance. (Note: Because
SSDs offer triple
5
the reliability of SAS HDDs, RAID support is less necessary.) Each adapter
requires a PCIe slot. For maximum IOPS performance, use two ServeRAID-B5015 controllers
per eXFlash option.
Supported single-chassis configurations include:
• 4 2.5-inch HDDs + 8 1.8-inch SSDs (with 1 eXFlash option)
• 8 2.5-inch HDDs
• 16 1.8-inch SSDs (with 2 eXFlash options)
Supported two-chassis configurations include:
• 8 2.5-inch HDDs + 16 1.8-inch SSDs (with 2 eXFlash options)
• 16 2.5-inch HDDs
• 32 1.8-inch SSDs (with 4 eXFlash options)
An optional (ultraslim, 0.5”) optical drive with a SATA interface is supported in all x3850 X5 and
x3950 X5 servers. An external USB floppy drive or optical drive may be used, if needed.
For still more storage, NAS, iSCSI SAN, or FC SAN external expansion options can be added,
using an optional controller.
High
-
Performance Adapter Slots
There are seven PCIe (PCI Express) Gen 2 adapter slots standard (per chassis). PCI Express
Gen 2 is the latest high-performance, low-latency, next-generation serial I/O bus. Slot 7
contains a 10Gb Ethernet Adapter in all models except for the 7145-ARx. Slots 1 through 4
are full-length/full-height. Slots 5-7 are half-length/full-height. Slot 1 is a x16 (“by 16”) slot,
both physically and electrically (meaning it operates at the full x16 16GBps
6
bidirectional
speed). Slot 2 is physically x8 but electrically x4 (4GBps). Slots 3-7 are x8 (8GBps) both
physically and electrically.
Because the
SAS
,
ServeRAID
, dual
Gigabit Et
hernet
,
video
,
and
systems management