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The Flex System™ Storage Expansion Node is a storage enclosure that attaches to a single half-wide compute node to provide that compute node with additional direct-attach local storage. The Storage Expansion Node provide flexible storage to match capacity, performance, and reliability needs.
Ideal workloads include distributed database, transactional database, NAS infrastructure, video surveillance and streaming solutions. For example, when coupled with third-party NAS software, the combined compute node and storage expansion node make for an ideal infrastructure platform for a network-attached storage (NAS) server.
Figure 1 shows the Flex System Storage Expansion Node attached to an Flex System x240 Compute Node.
Figure 1. Flex System Storage Expansion Node (right) attached to an x240 Compute Node (left)
The Storage Expansion Node adds 12 drive bays to the attached compute node and all bays in the expansion node are hot-swap. The drive bays slide out on an internal rail system; provided that a suitable RAID level is employed, a failed drive can be removed while the system is still running. With storage capacity of up to 19 TB, the Storage Expansion Node is ideal for applications that can use large amounts of additional local storage.
Part number informationTable 1. Ordering part number and feature code
Description Part number Feature code Flex System Storage Expansion Node 68Y8588 A3JFThe part number includes the following items:
The Flex System Storage Expansion Node is supported when it is attached to the Flex System compute nodes listed in Table 2. Only one Expansion Node can be attached to each compute node.
Note: The Storage Expansion Node is not supported with any Power Systems compute nodes.
Table 2. Support for Flex System servers Part* The Storage Expansion Node requires that both processors be installed in the attached server.
FeaturesThe System Expansion Node has the following features:
Figure 2 shows the architecture of the Storage Expansion Node when connected to a compute node.
Figure 2. Architecture of the Storage Expansion Node
The Expansion Node connects to a standard-width compute node using the interposer cable, which plugs into the expansion connector on the compute node. This link forms a PCIe 3.0 x8 connection between Processor 2 on the compute node and the LSI RAID controller in the Expansion Node. The result is that the compute node sees the disks in the expansion node as locally attached. Management of the Storage Expansion Node is via the IMMv2 located on the compute node.
Note: The expansion connector in the x220 and x240 compute nodes is routed through processor 2. Therefore, processor 2 must be installed in the compute node.
Supported drivesThe Storage Expansion Node is a PCIe 3.0 and a SAS 2.1 complaint enclosure supporting up to twelve 2.5-inch drives. The drives can be HDD or SSD, and both SAS or SATA. Drive modes supported are JBOD or RAID. Supported RAID modes are RAID-0, 1, 5, 10, and 50 (cache upgrade required for RAID 5, 50 support).
The drives are accessed by opening the handle on the front of the Storage Expansion Node and sliding out the drive tray. Opening the drive tray can be done while it is operational. Figure 3 shows the Storage Expansion Node connected to an x240 compute node and with the drive tray extended part way out. With the drive tray extended, all twelve hot-swap drives can be accessed on the left side of the tray.
Figure 3. Storage Expansion Node with drive tray part way extended
The following tables lists the hard disk drives (HDDs) and solid state drives (SSDs) supported within the Storage Expansion Node. Drive support is dependent on the compute node that is attached to the expansion node.
Both SSDs and HDDs can be installed inside the unit at the same time. Preferred practice when creating logical drives is to use similar disk types. For example, for a RAID 1 pair, choose identical drive types, SSD or HDD.
Table 3. Supported HDDs Part number Feature code Description x220 (7906) x240 (8737, E5-2600) x240 (8737, E5-2600 v2) x240 (7162) x240 M5 (9532) 2.5-inch hot-swap HDDs - 6 Gb SAS 10K 90Y8877 A2XC 300GB 10K 6Gbps SAS 2.5" SFF G2HS HDD Y Y Y Y Y 90Y8872 A2XD 600GB 10K 6Gbps SAS 2.5" SFF G2HS HDD Y Y Y Y Y 81Y9650 A282 900GB 10K 6Gbps SAS 2.5" SFF HS HDD Y Y Y Y Y 00AD075 A48S 1.2TB 10K 6Gbps SAS 2.5" G2HS HDD Y Y N Y N 2.5-inch hot-swap HDDs - 6 Gb SAS 15K 00AJ300 A4VB 600GB 15K 6Gbps SAS 2.5" G2HS HDD Y Y Y Y Y 2.5-inch hot-swap HDDs - 6 Gb NL SATA 81Y9726 A1NZ 500GB 7.2K 6Gbps NL SATA 2.5" SFF HS HDD Y Y Y Y Y 81Y9730 A1AV 1TB 7.2K 6Gbps NL SATA 2.5" SFF HS HDD Y Y Y Y Y Table 4. Supported SSDs Part number Feature code Description x220 (7906) x240 (8737, E5-2600) x240 (8737, E5-2600 v2) x240 (7162) x240 M5 (9532) 2.5-inch hot-swap SSDs - 6 Gb SAS - Enterprise Performance (10+ DWPD) 49Y6129 A3EW 200GB SAS 2.5" MLC HS Enterprise SSD Y N N Y N 49Y6134 A3EY 400GB SAS 2.5" MLC HS Enterprise SSD Y N N Y N 49Y6139 A3F0 800GB SAS 2.5" MLC HS Enterprise SSD Y N N Y N 49Y6195 A4GH 1.6TB SAS 2.5" MLC HS Enterprise SSD Y Y Y Y N 2.5-inch hot-swap SSDs - 6 Gb SATA - Enterprise Mainstream (3-5 DWPD) 00AJ355 A56Z 120GB SATA 2.5" MLC HS Enterprise Value SSD Y Y Y Y Y 00AJ360 A570 240GB SATA 2.5" MLC HS Enterprise Value SSD Y Y Y Y Y 00AJ365 A571 480GB SATA 2.5" MLC HS Enterprise Value SSD Y Y Y Y Y 00AJ370 A572 800GB SATA 2.5" MLC HS Enterprise Value SSD Y Y Y Y Y 2.5-inch hot-swap SSDs - 6 Gb SATA - Enterprise Entry (<3 DWPD) 00AJ000 A4KM S3500 120GB SATA 2.5" MLC HS Enterprise Value SSD Y Y Y Y N 00AJ005 A4KN S3500 240GB SATA 2.5" MLC HS Enterprise Value SSD Y Y Y Y N 00AJ010 A4KP S3500 480GB SATA 2.5" MLC HS Enterprise Value SSD Y Y Y Y N 00AJ015 A4KQ S3500 800GB SATA 2.5" MLC HS Enterprise Value SSD Y Y Y Y N Feature upgradesThe Storage Expansion Node supports the upgrades listed in the following table.
Table 5. Supported adapter cards
Part* The cache upgrades are mutually exclusive.
** FoD upgrades require one of the cache upgrades also be ordered (81Y4559 or 81Y4487). FoD upgrades for ServeRAID are system-wide: If you have these features installed on the M5115 in the compute node they will automatically be activated on the LSI controller in the Storage Expansion Node.
ServeRAID M5100 Series 512MB and 1GB Flash Upgrade option part numbers include the following items:
The cache module is installed at the rear of the Storage Expansion Node and the power module is installed near the front of the expansion node. The provided cable is used to connect the cache module to the power module.
Figure 4 shows the flash-backed cache module, power module, and power cable.
Figure 4. Flash-backed cache module, power module, and power cable
The Performance Accelerator Upgrade for Flex System, part number90Y4412 (implemented using the LSI MegaRAID FastPath software) provides high performance I/O acceleration for SSD-based virtual drives by using an extremely low latency I/O path to increase the maximum I/O per second (IOPS) capability of the controller. This feature boosts the performance of applications with a highly random data storage access pattern, such as transactional databases. Part number 90Y4412 is a Feature on Demand license. Requires one of the cache upgrades also be ordered (81Y4559 or 81Y4487).
FoD upgrades are system-wide: The FoD upgrades are the same ones as used with the ServeRAD M5115 available for use internally in the x220 and x240 compute nodes. If you have an M5115 installed in the attached compute node and have installed any of these upgrades, the upgrades will automatically be activated on the LSI controller in the Storage Expansion Node. You do not need to purchase the FoD upgrades separately for the expansion node.
LED indicatorsThe Storage Expansion Node has a number of LEDs on the lower right front for identification and status purposes, as shown in Figure 5.
Figure 5. LEDs on the front of the Storage Expansion Node
The following table identifies the meanings of the LEDs.
Table 6. External LED status table
LED Color Meaning Activity lightIn addition to the lights described in the previous table, there are LEDs locally on each of the drive trays. These lights can be observed when the drive tray is extended and the unit is operational. A green LED indicates disk activity and an amber LED indicates a drive fault.
With the Storage Expansion Node removed from the Flex System chassis and its cover removed, there are additional LEDs visible. If there is a fault detected then the relevant LED will light:
Dimensions and weight (approximate):
Shipping dimensions and weight (approximate):
When the unit is powered on, it is supported in the following environment:
The unit conforms to the following standards:
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