Datasheet

IBM Flex System x240 Compute Node 12
Support for 1.8" solid state drives
The x240 supports up to eight 1.8-inch solid-state drives combined with a ServeRAID M5115 SAS/SATA
controller (90Y4390). The M5115 attaches to the I/O adapter 1 connector and can be attached even if the
Compute Node Fabric Connector is installed (used to route the Embedded 10Gb Virtual Fabric Adapter to
bays 1 and 2, as discussed in "I/O expansion options"). The ServeRAID M5115 cannot be installed if an
adapter is installed in I/O adapter slot 1.
The ServeRAID M5115 supports combinations of 2.5-inch drives and 1.8-inch solid state drives:
Up to two 2.5-inch drives only
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Up to four 1.8-inch drives only
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Up to two 2.5-inch drives, plus up to four 1.8-inch solid state drives
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Up to eight 1.8-inch solid state drives
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The ServeRAID M5115 SAS/SATA Controller (90Y4390) provides an advanced RAID controller
supporting RAID 0, 1, 10, 5, 50, and optional 6 and 60. It includes 1 GB of cache, which can be backed up
to Flash when attached to the supercapacitor included with the optional ServeRAID M5100 Series
Enablement Kit (90Y4342).
At least one hardware kit is required with the ServeRAID M5115 controller, and there are three hardware
kits that are supported that enable specific drive support:
ServeRAID M5100 Series Enablement Kit for IBM Flex System x240 (90Y4342) enables support
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for up to two 2.5” HDDs or SSDs in the hot-swap bays in the front of the server. It includes a
CacheVault unit, which enables MegaRAID CacheVault flash cache protection. This enablement kit
replaces the standard two-bay backplane (which is attached via the planar to an onboard controller)
with a new backplane that attaches to an included flex cable to the M5115 controller. It also includes
an air baffle, which also serves as an attachment for the CacheVault unit.
MegaRAID CacheVault flash cache protection uses NAND flash memory powered by a
supercapacitor to protect data stored in the controller cache. This module eliminates the need for a
lithium-ion battery commonly used to protect DRAM cache memory on PCI RAID controllers. To avoid
the possibility of data loss or corruption during a power or server failure, CacheVault technology
transfers the contents of the DRAM cache to NAND flash using power from the supercapacitor. After
the power is restored to the RAID controller, the saved data is transferred from the NAND flash back
to the DRAM cache, which can then be flushed to disk.
Tip: The Enablement Kit is only required if 2.5-inch drives are to be used. If you plan to install four or
eight 1.8-inch SSDs only, then this kit is not required.
ServeRAID M5100 Series IBM Flex System Flash Kit for x240 (90Y4341) enables support for up to
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four 1.8-inch SSDs. This kit replaces the standard two-bay backplane with a four-bay SSD backplane
that attaches to an included flex cable to the M5115 controller. Because only SSDs are supported, a
CacheVault unit is not required, and therefore this kit does not have a supercap.
ServeRAID M5100 Series SSD Expansion Kit for IBM Flex System x240 (90Y4391) enables
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support for up to four internal 1.8-inch SSDs. This kit includes two air baffles, left and right, which can
attach two 1.8-inch SSD attachment locations and Flex cables for attachment to up to four 1.8-inch
SSDs.
Note: The SSD Expansion Kit cannot be installed if the USB Enablement Kit, 49Y8119, is already
installed as these kits occupy the same location in the server.