SAS expansion enclosure requirements

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Before you install any 2U or 5U SAS expansion enclosure, your physical environment must meet certain requirements. These requirements include verifying that adequate space is available and power and environmental conditions are met.

Power requirements for each power supply (two per enclosure)

Ensure that your environment meets the following power requirements.

To aid in power and cooling requirements planning, Table 1 lists the rating of each power supply unit (PSU) by enclosure.

The power that is used by the system depends on several factors, including the number of enclosures and drives in the system and the ambient temperature.

Table 1. Power specifications per power supply
Model and type PSU Input power requirements Maximum input current Maximum power output Caloric value (BTU/hr)
4657-12G, or 4657-24G 764 W (2)

100 V to 240 V single phase AC at a frequency of 50 Hz to 60 Hz

 10A for 100 V

6A for 240 V

 764 W 2607
4657-92G 2400 W (2) AC 200 - 240 V~ nominal; +/- 10% tolerant)

50/60 Hz (nominal; 47 - 63 Hz tolerant)

12 A (x2 - per inlet redundancy)

Requires an IEC C20 appliance coupler (16-20A branch circuit or C19 power socket PDU)

 2400 W 8189
Note: One or more C19 power distribution units (PDU) are needed in the rack to connect power to the power supplies for 5U expansion enclosures.

The power and thermal measurements that are shown in Table 2 were obtained in the specific operating environment and under the conditions described. These measurements are presented as an illustration; measurements that are obtained in other operating environments might vary. Conduct your own testing to determine specific measurements for your environment.

Table 2. Power consumption examples per enclosure
Model and type Configuration Total power consumption
4657-12G, or 4657-24G One enclosure with 24 2.5-inch flash drives 151 W
4657-12G, or 4657-24G One enclosure with 24 10 K SAS drives 175 W
4657-12G, or 4657-24G One enclosure with 24 15 K SAS drives 234 W
4657-12G, or 4657-24G One enclosure with 12 7.2 K nearline SAS drives 158 W
4657-92G One enclosure with 92 10 TB nearline SAS drives 848 W
4657-92G One enclosure with 92 15 TB tier 1 flash drives 748 W

Each SAS expansion enclosure contains four PSUs for redundancy. The total power consumption values represent the total power that is drawn by all the PSUs.

Environmental requirements

System airflow is from the front to the rear of each enclosure:
  • Airflow passes between drive carriers and through each enclosure.
  • Airflow for the upper 4U of the 5U enclosure enters the front, passes between the disk drives, and exits through the large fans in the rear of the enclosure.
  • Airflow for the lower 1U of the 5U enclosure is driven through the power supplies with 40 mm X 56 mm fans. Air continues through the chassis, cools the ESMs or controllers, and exits the rear of the enclosure.
  • The combined power and cooling module exhausts air from the rear of each canister.
Ensure that your environment falls within the ranges that are shown in Table 3.
Table 3. Temperature requirements
Environment Ambient temperature Altitude Relative humidity Maximum wet bulb temperature
Operating 5°C to 35°C (5°C to 40°C for 24 drives)

41°F to 95°F (41°F to 104°F for 24 drives)

 0 - 2133 m(0 - 7000 ft) 8% to 80% noncondensing 23°C (73°F)
5°C to 30°C (41°F to 86°F) 2134 - 3048 m (7001 - 10000 ft)
Non-operating 1°C to 50°C (34°F to 122°F) -305 to 12192 m (-1000 to 40000 ft) 8% to 80% noncondensing 27°C (80°F)
Storage 1°C to 60°C (34°F to 140°F) 5% to 80% noncondensing 29°C (84°F)
Shipping -40°C to 60°C (-40°F to 140°F) 5% to 100% condensing, but not precipitating

Dimensions and weight requirements for rack installation

Ensure that space is available in a standard 19" rack that can support the enclosure. The rack rail kits support racks with either threaded round or square mounting holes in the rail. The following table lists the dimensions and weights of the expansion enclosures.

Table 4. Physical characteristics of the expansion enclosures
Enclosure Height Width Depth Maximum weight
Drive ready (without drives) Fully configured (with drives)
4657-12G, or 4657-24G 87 mm (3.46 in.) 483 mm (19.0 in.) 556 mm (21.9 in.) 16.7 kg (36.8 lb) 25.0 kg (55.1 lb)
4657-92G 222.2 mm (8.75 in.) 483 mm (19.0 in.) 968 mm (38.1 in.) 67 kg (147.7 lb) 135 kg (297 lb)
Attention: To avoid potential equipment damage during transport and subsequent loss of data, see Procedure: Transporting a 5U 92-drive expansion enclosure. The procedure describes what to do for the following situations.
  • When you power off a 92F, 92G, or an A9F 5U expansion enclosure because you intend to transport it to another location.
  • When you intend to move a rack that contains a 92F, 92G, or an A9F 5U expansion enclosure.
The procedure describes how to remove each drive from the 5U enclosure and transport the enclosure. Removing the drives prevents damage to the drives and makes the enclosure lighter to move.
Warning: Some racks do not provide sufficient space to close the rear door. Expansion enclosures that are 5U need 968 mm from the rack front post to the back of the cable management arm (CMA). In addition, allow 905 mm from the front post to the back of the enclosure. To allow space for the power cables, provide 60 - 70 mm from the back of the enclosure.
Figure 1 shows the rack space requirements for the 5U expansion enclosures.
Figure 1. Rack space requirements for the 5U expansion enclosures
Diagram of the rack space requirements for the 5U expansion enclosures
The following table shows the rack space requirements for the expansion enclosures in tabular form.
Table 5. Rack space requirements for the SAS expansion enclosures
Enclosure Minimum rail length Maximum rail depth
4657-12G, or 4657-24G 595 mm (23.4 in.) 795 mm (31.3 in.)
4657-92G 680 mm (26.8 in.) 800 mm (31.5 in.)

Extra rack space requirements

Ensure that these additional space requirements, as shown in Table 6, are available around the enclosures.

Table 6. Clearances
Location Space requirements Reason
Left and right sides 50 mm (2 in.) Cooling air flow
Back Minimum of 100 mm (4 in.). This space is not needed for 5U expansion enclosure models. Cable exit

Supported drives for SAS expansion enclosures

Table 7 provides drive specifications for SAS expansion enclosures.

All drives are dual-port and hot-swappable. Drives of the same form factor and connector type can be intermixed within an enclosure.

Table 7. Drive specifications
Model and type 3.5-inch drives 2.5-inch drives
4657-12G, or 4657-24G -
  • 2.5” Flash Drive 200 GB, 400 GB, 800 GB, 1.6 TB
  • 2.5” 15 K RPM HDD 300 GB, 600 GB
  • 2.5” 10K RPM HDD 600 GB, 900 GB, 1.2 TB, 1.8 TB, 2.4 TB
  • 2.5” 7.2 K RPM HDD 2 TB
4657-92G N/A
  • 2.5” Flash Drive 1.6 TB, 1.92 TB, 3.2 TB, 3.84 TB, 7.68 TB, 15.36 TB

Acoustical specifications for SAS expansion enclosures

The following table provides the acoustical specifications for the 4657-24G SAS expansion enclosures.

Table 8. Acoustical specifications for 4657-24G SAS expansion enclosures
Model and type Acoustical output per enclosure
4657-24G Less than 6.3 B LwA - Operating (40% Average seek rate) @ 23°C ambient

The noise emission level that is stated is the declared (upper limit) sound power level, in decibels, for a random sample of machines. All measurements are made in accordance with ISO 7779 and reported in conformance with ISO 9296.

Table 9 provides the acoustical specifications for the 5U SAS expansion enclosures in accordance with ISO 9296(1,2,3).
Important: Hearing conservation program (HCP) procedures are required for field service personnel who service 5U SAS expansion enclosures.
Table 9. Declared noise emissions for 5U SAS expansion enclosures in accordance with ISO 9296
Model and type Declared A-Weighted Sound Power Level, LWAd (B) Declared A-Weighted Sound Pressure Level, LpAm (dB)
Operating Idling Operating Idling
Fully configured expansion enclosure, MTM / Model 4657-92G 8.5 8.5 85 85
Notes:
  1. Declared level LWAd is the upper-limit A-weighted sound power level. Declared level LpAm is the mean A-weighted sound pressure level that is measured at the 1-meter bystander positions.
  2. All measurements are made in conformance with ISO 7779 and declared in conformance with ISO 9296.
  3. B and dB are abbreviations for bels and decibels. 1 B = 10 dB.
Important: Government regulations (such as those regulations that are prescribed by OSHA or European Community Directives) can govern noise level exposure in the workplace and can apply to you and your server installation. This system is available with an optional acoustical door feature that can help reduce the noise that is emitted from this system. The actual sound pressure levels in your installation depend upon various factors. These factors include the number of racks in the installation. Other factors include the size, materials, and configuration of the room where you designate the racks to be installed. Other factors include the noise levels from other equipment, the room ambient temperature, and the employee's location in relation to the equipment. Further, compliance with such government regulations also depends upon various other factors, including the duration of employees' exposure and whether employees wear hearing protection. IBM® recommends that you seek qualified expert opinion in this field to determine whether you are in compliance with the applicable regulations.

Shock and vibration specifications for SAS expansion enclosures

Table 10 and Table 11 provide the shock and vibration testing results for SAS expansion enclosures.

Table 10. Shock testing results
Shock categories Test level Performance
Operational 5 g 10 ms 1/2 Sine <=25 g 10 ms
Non-operational 30 g 10 ms 1/2 Sine <=75 g 11 ms
Table 11. Vibration testing results
Vibration categories Test level Performance
Operational 0.21 Grms 5 - 500 Hz Random Throughput loss <=10% FCAL <= 0.68 Grms
Non-operational 1.04 Grms 2 - 200 Hz Random <=3.12 Grms
Shipping 0.3 Grms 2 - 200 Hz Sine <=5 Grms
Rotational vibration Normal operation performance measurements in enclosure with no external vibration. Throughput loss for all drives of the same type within performance profile.