Expansion enclosures

An IBM® Storage FlashSystem 9200 can be expanded beyond the capacity in the control enclosure by using expansion enclosures. This can be used to implement a tiered storage system.

The system supports the following expansion enclosures:
Table 1. IBM Storage FlashSystem 9200 expansion enclosure models
Machine Type - Model Description Minimum software level
9846-AFF 2U24 All-flash SAS Expansion enclosure – One-year warranty 8.3.1
9848-AFF 2U24 All-flash SAS Expansion enclosure – Three-year warranty 8.3.1
9846-A9F 2U24 All-flash SAS Expansion enclosure – One-year warranty 8.3.1
9848-A9F 2U24 All-flash SAS Expansion enclosure – Three-year warranty 8.3.1
46666-AFF 2U24 All-flash SAS Expansion enclosure with Expert Care 8.4.2
46666-A9F 2U24 All-flash SAS Expansion enclosure with Expert Care 8.4.2

The system supports specific combinations of SAS expansion enclosures, based on the capacity of each of the enclosures.

High-density enclosures and standard-density enclosures can be supported within a chain, based on the following rules:

  • A chain is allowed to have expansions with a total “weight” of 20U.
  • Standard-density expansion enclosure are 2U each.
  • High-density expansion enclosures are 5U each.
The following table describes the valid combinations of expansion enclosures based on these rules:
Table 2. Valid combinations of expansion enclosures per SAS chain
Expansion enclosures types Valid combinations
5U expansion enclosures 0 1 2 3 4
2U expansion enclosures 0-10 0-7 0-5 0-2 0

Supported Drives for IBM Storage FlashSystem 9200 expansion enclosures

The following tables provide the list of supported drives for IBM Storage FlashSystem 9200 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, however an Array must use drives of the same type.

Table 3. Supported drives, 2U24 Expansion enclosure
Drive type Capacities supported
2.5 inch Flash drive (SAS) 1.92 TB, 3,84 TB, 7.68 TB, 15.36 TB, 30.72 TB
Table 4. Supported drives, 5U92 Expansion enclosure
Drive type Capacities supported
3.5 inch Flash drive (SAS) 1.92 TB, 3,84 TB, 7.68 TB, 15.36 TB, 30.72 TB

For more details on the expansion enclosures, see the following pages: