SAS interface

The half height drives can have a dual port 12 Gbps SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) host interface. See Drive performance to find out SAS speeds of different generations drives.

A drive with a SAS interface can be linked directly to controllers. SAS is a performance improvement over traditional SCSI because SAS enables multiple devices (up to 128) of different sizes and types to be connected simultaneously with thinner and longer cables. Its full-duplex signal transmission supports up to 12.0 Gbps. In addition, SAS drives can be hot-plugged. The maximum SAS cable length that can be used to connect the host adapter to the tape drive varies depending on the type of SAS connection. See Optional features for the maximum cable length that can be used.

SAS drives auto-negotiate speed. There are no configurable topologies thus no feature switches associated with SAS.

Physical characteristics

The drive contains a dual port, SFF-8644 SAS connector. A list of compatible cables is shown in Ordering optional features, replacement parts, and power cords.