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Solid-state drive configuration rules for the 8202-E4B, 8202-E4C, 8202-E4D, 8205-E6B, 8205-E6C, or 8205-E6D

Before you install and configure solid-state drives (SSDs), you must review the supported machine type model, the supported expansion unit or enclosure, adapter, and configuration details.

SSD drive rules for a system, enclosure, or expansion unit

Solid-state drives, also known as flash drives, follow similar rules as a regular hard disk drive (HDD). For example, SSDs physically resemble, install in the same manner, and in most of the same slots as HDDs. However, some restrictions and configuration rules are specific to the SSD. The following tables helps you determine the operating system, adapter, machine type model, and disk drive configuration rules that apply to your system or expansion unit.

After you review the configuration rules, you can install the drive as you would any other disk drive. For more information about installing disk drives or solid-state drives, see the topic collection for your system or expansion unit.

Restriction: Solid-state drives must be part of a RAID array or system mirroring in the system or logical partition that is controlled by IBM® i.

See Table 1 for the system or partition or the enclosure or expansion unit where you want to install drives.

Attention: Before you install SSD in your system, ensure that both the SSD and the adapters have all the prerequisite updates. To check for the prerequisites, go to the IBM Prerequisite website .
Table 1. Solid-state drive rules for the IBM AIX®, IBM i, or Linux operating system for a system, enclosure, or expansion unit
System, enclosure, or expansion unit Adapter Mixing rules
8202-E4B, 8202-E4C, 8202-E4D, 8205-E6B, 8205-E6C, or 8205-E6D
  • FC 5631 (Split disks enablement adapter)
  • SSD and HDD cannot be mixed in the same RAID array or mirroring group.
  • SSDs and HDDs can be connected to the 5886 from the external SAS port.
  • 5631 can be used to split disks
5802 and 5877 FC 5903 (PCIe 380 MB Cache Dual x4 3 Gb SAS RAID Adapter)
  • SSD and HDD cannot be mixed on a pair of 5903 adapters.
  • A maximum of 9 SSDs are supported on a pair of 5903 adapters.
5886
  • FC 5904 (PCI-X DDR 1.5 GB Cache SAS RAID Adapter)
  • FC 5906 and FC 5908 (PCI-X DDR 1.5 GB Cache SAS RAID Adapter)
  • FC 5903 (PCIe 380 MB Cache Dual - x4 3 Gb SAS RAID Adapter)
  • SSDs and HDDs can be mixed in this drive enclosure.
  • A maximum of 24 drives are supported in this enclosure.
  • SSDs and HDDs can be attached to the SAS Controller PCI or PCI-X adapters. Also, can be attached to the embedded SAS controller in a system with an embedded SAS port.
5887 disk drive enclosure
  • FC 5805 (PCIe 380 MB Cache Dual - x4 3 Gb SAS RAID Adapter)
  • FC 5901 (PCIe Dual x4 SAS Adapter)
  • FC 5908 (PCI-X DDR 1.5 GB Cache SAS RAID Adapter)
  • FC ESA1 (PCIe2 RAID SAS Adapter Dual-port 6 Gb)
  • FC ESA1 (PCIe2 LP RAID SAS Adapter Dual-port 6 Gb)
  • PCIe2 (3.1 GB Cache RAID SAS Enclosure 6 Gb x8)
  • A maximum of 24 drives are supported in this enclosure.
  • The EXP24S can be configured as one set of 24 bays (mode 1), two sets of 12 bays (mode 2), or four sets of 6 bays (mode 4).
  • The EXP24S serial-attached SCSI (SAS) ports are attached to SAS controllers, which can be a SAS Peripheral Component Interconnect-X (PCI-X) adapter, PCI Express (PCIe) adapter, or a pair of adapters. The EXP24S can also be attached to an embedded SAS controller in a system with an embedded SAS port.
  • The mixing of the SSDs and HDDs is as follows:
    • SSDs and HDDs cannot be mixed in a logical group when configured as in mode 1.
    • SSDs and HDDs can be mixed when configured as in mode 2: one set can be SSDs and the other set can be HDDs.
    • SSDs and HDDs cannot be mixed when configured as in mode 4 because the SSDs are not supported by the adapter that is required to configure the 5887 for mode 4.
5888 PCIe storage enclosure PCIe2 (3.1 GB Cache RAID SAS Enclosure 6 Gb x8)
  • This enclosure is a 1-unit (1U) high I/O drawer that provides 30 hot-swap SSD bays and a pair of integrated SAS controllers. The SAS controllers provide large write cache and enhanced performance.
  • The EXP30 does not support HDDs.
  • A maximum of 30 SSDs are supported in this disk drive enclosure.
  • The EXP30 can be configured as follows:
    • One set of 30 bays and the set is owned by both controllers that are working together.
    • Two logical sets and each of the two controllers owns one of the logical sets.
  • The EXP30 is attached to the system by a PCIe x8 cable that is installed at the GX ++ slot in the system.
  • The system supports connection of the 5887 disk drive enclosure through the external SAS ports by using FC 5913, ESA1, or ESA2.
  • The system supports only the HDD in the 5887 disk drive enclosure when this enclosure is configured as one set of 24 bays (mode 1).
EDR1 PCIe storage enclosure PCIe2 (3.1 GB Cache RAID SAS Enclosure 6 Gb x8)
  • This enclosure is a 1-unit (1U) high I/O drawer that provides 30 hot-swap SSD bays and a pair of integrated SAS controllers. The SAS controllers provide large write cache and enhanced performance.
  • The EXP30 does not support HDDs.
  • A maximum of 30 SSDs are supported in this disk drive enclosure.
  • The EXP30 can be configured as follows:
    • One set of 30 bays and the set is owned by both controllers that are working together.
    • Two logical sets and each of the two controllers owns one of the logical sets.
  • The EXP30 is attached to the system by a PCIe x8 cable that is installed at the GX ++ slot in the system.
Parent topic: Installing a disk drive or solid-state drive in the 8202-E4B, 8202-E4C, 8202-E4D, 8205-E6B, 8205-E6C, or 8205-E6D

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Last updated: Thu, November 20, 2014