© 2008 IBM Corporation1

System p 520 Express – Split Backplane (POWER6)

NotesProcessor / memory on system board– 1-2 cores - 4 memory DIMMs– 4 cores – 8 memory DIMMs

Split Backplane Option– SAS Expander (FC 8345)– FC 5912

Other Options– 2nd Power Supply– RAID Controller (Requires FC 3845)

OptionalFeature

520 CEC

PCI-e or GX

PCI-e

PCI-e

PCI-X

FC 5912

DVD

Tape

SAS Expander

SAS Expander

SASCTL

MiniSAS

FC 8345

3 USB 2 HMC

RAID

POWER

POWER

SASCon

GX Bus

P6 4 MemoryDIMMs

P6 4 MemoryDIMMs

Sys Ports (2)

IVI Ethernet

IBM developerWorks: Wikis - AIX - p520split

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Added by oneskywalker, last edited by oneskywalker on Oct 08, 2008 (view change) Labels: (None)

p6 520 split backplane and internal SAS RAIDOn a p6 520, the DASD/Media Backplane without external SAS (feature code 8341) provides:

● six hot-swappable 3.5-inch SAS disk bays, one hot-plug, slim-line media bay, and one 5.25 inch media bay and● one integrated SAS DASD controller with eight SAS ports which are connected to the six disk bays and to any media devices.

On servers with a feature code 8341 backplane, all six SAS disk bays and the media devices must be assigned to the same LPAR. And with this backplane, there is no support of hardware RAID by the integrated SAS DASD controller.

On a p6 520, the optional DASD/Media Backplane with external SAS port (feature code 8345) provides:

● six hot-swappable 3.5-inch SAS disk bays, one hot-plug, slim-line media bay, and one 5.25 inch media bay and● one integrated SAS DASD controller with eight SAS ports which are connected to the six disk bays and to any media devices.

On servers with a feature code 8345 backplane, there is the opportunity to order additional features which provide additional functionality:

● Optional SAS Cable, DASD Backplane (Split) to Rear Bulkhead (feature code 3670), which allows three of the six SAS disk bays to be accessed via an external SAS port on the back of the p6 520. Feature code 3670 requires that a SAS Cable (feature code 3679) and a PCI-X SAS controller (feature code 5900 or 5912) also be configured. When the SAS Cable (FC 3679) is used to connect the PCI-X SAS controller to the external SAS port provided by feature code 3670, then three disk bays (accessed via the PCI-X SAS controller) can be assigned to one LPAR and three disk bays (accessed via the integrated SAS controller) can be assigned to another LPAR. Any media devices continue to be accessed via the integrated SAS controller. A PCI-X SAS controller (feature code 5900 or 5912, both of which are CCIN 572A) supports RAID 0, 5, 6, 10, but because the controller has no write cache, RAID 5 or 6 arrays will exhibit very poor write performance. Since base AIX provides striping and/or mirroring (software RAID 0, 1, or 10), software RAID is perhaps a better choice than the hardware (SAS) RAID 0 & 10 arrays provided by CCIN 572A, simply because most AIX sysadmins are typically more familiar with software RAID. To configure hardware RAID on CCIN 572A, use the IBM SAS Disk Array Manager, as described in the Power Systems IBM SAS RAID Controller Reference Guide for AIX (SA76-0112-04, downloadable from the PDF files for the 8203-E4A (IBM Power 520) web page ).

Feature code 5902 (CCIN 572B, PCI-X DDR Dual - x4 3Gb SAS RAID Adapter) is not a viable option for integrated disks with a split

backplane. Two such adapters are required to provide redundant write cache, both connected to the same set of disks. Integrated disks with a split backplane can be connected to only one adapter.

● Optional SAS Cable, DASD Backplane to Rear Bulkhead (feature code 3674), which connects the integrated SAS DASD controller to an external SAS port on the back of the p6 520. If an external EXP 12S expansion drawer (feature code 5886) is connected to the external SAS port provided by feature code 3674, then the integrated SAS DASD controller can access the twelve SAS disk bays in the EXP 12S in addition to the six SAS disk bays in the p6 520. (For information about cabling a 5886 SAS drawer to a Power System server, please see Chapter 9, "Connecting the 5886 SAS disk-drive enclosure" in the Expansion Units and Disk-Drive Enclosures manual (SA76-0151-02) and the Serial attached SCSI cable planning section of Chapter 10, "Planning for cables" in the Site and Hardware Planning Guide, both of which are downloadable from the PDF files for the 8203-E4A (IBM Power 520) web page .)

Feature code 3674 can not be configured in a 1-core p6 520 (feature code 5633).

● Optional SAS RAID Enablement (feature code 5679 and CCIN 57B8), which allows RAID 0, 5, 6, or 10 arrays to be configured on the integrated SAS DASD controller. If feature code 3674 is selected and an external EXP 12S expansion drawer is connected, up to eighteen SAS disk drives can be configured with hardware RAID. If feature code 3670 is selected, implying that at most three drives are accessible by the integrated SAS DASD controller, then RAID options are limited to 1 and 5. To configure hardware RAID on CCIN 57B8, use the IBM SAS Disk Array Manager, as described in the Power Systems IBM SAS RAID Controller Reference Guide for AIX (SA76-0112-04, downloadable from the PDF files for the 8203-E4A (IBM Power 520) web page ).

The SAS RAID Enablement feature provides redundant write cache so there is no requirement that a second RAID adapter be connected

to the same set of disks.

As an alternative to hardware RAID, AIX striping and/or mirroring (software RAID 0, 1, or 10) can be used with any hardware configuration which provides a sufficient number of hdisks to AIX, but AIX does

http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/wikis/display/WikiPtype/p520split (1 of 2)10/9/2008 10:48:34 AM

IBM developerWorks: Wikis - AIX - p520split

not provide software RAID 5 or 6.

The Power Systems Managing PCI Adapters manual (SA76-0092-04, downloadable from the PDF files for the 8203-E4A (IBM Power 520) web page ) defines the relationship between Custom Card Identification Number (CCIN) and feature code.

The contents of this web page solely reflect the personal views of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views, positions, strategies or opinions of IBM or IBM management. Please use the

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will not see the Add Comment link and you can not add a comment. If you do not already have an IBM ID, use the Register Now link on the sign in

page to obtain one. Registration is quick and easy.

The contents of this web page are loosely based on the 8203-E4A Power System LPAR Internal booting and RAID capabilities Techdoc published by Carlos Inigo Ladron De Guevara, but he is not responsible for this web page nor its contents.

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http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/wikis/display/WikiPtype/p520split (2 of 2)10/9/2008 10:48:34 AM

© 2008 IBM Corporation2

System p 550 Express – Split Backplane (POWER6)

Notes1-4 Processor / Memory cards– 2 cores and 8 memory DIMMs per

cardSplit Backplane Option 1 (6 Disks)– SAS Expander (FC 8345)– FC 5912

Split Backplane Option 2 (8 Disks)– SAS Expander (FC 8346) – FC 5912

Other Options– 2nd Power Supply– RAID Controller

(Requires FC 3845 or 8346)

OptionalFeature

550 CEC

PCI-e or GX

PCI-e or GX

PCI-e

PCI-X

FC 5912

3 USB 2 HMC

POWER

POWER

DVD

Tape

SAS Expander

SAS Expander

SASCTL

MiniSAS

FC 8345

RAID

SASCon

P6 8 MemoryDIMMs

P6 8 MemoryDIMMs

P6 8 MemoryDIMMs

P6 8 MemoryDIMMs

Sys Ports (2)

IVI Ethernet

550 CEC

PCI-e or GX

PCI-e or GX

PCI-e

PCI-X

FC 5912

3 USB 2 HMC

POWER

POWER

DVD

Tape

SASCTL

MiniSAS

FC 8346

RAID

SASCon

P6 8 MemoryDIMMs

P6 8 MemoryDIMMs

P6 8 MemoryDIMMs

P6 8 MemoryDIMMs

Sys Ports (2)

IVI Ethernet

SAS Expander

SAS Expander

© 2008 IBM Corporation3

System p 570 – Split Backplane (POWER6)

NotesWithout the split backplane, the internal disk and DVD are on the same controller.Split Backplane Option 1– Split ½ the disk and the DVD, and

the other ½ disk– Requires FC 5900 and FC 3650

Split Backplane Option 2– Put all of the disk on one controller

and the DVD on the other.– Requires FC 5900 and FC 3651

Note: These options will be sunset as FC 5900 is being discontinued

570 CEC

SAS Expander

SAS Expander

SASCTL Con

POWERPOWER

DVD

PCI-X (5)

FC 5900

PCI-e or GX Bus

PCI-e (1)

PCI-e (2)

FC 3650

P6 12 MemoryDIMMs

P6 12 MemoryDIMMs

GX

2 USB 2 HMC

570 CEC

SAS Expander

SAS Expander

SASCTL Con

POWERPOWER

DVD

PCI-X (5)

FC 5900

PCI-e or GX Bus

PCI-e (1)

PCI-e (2)

FC 3651

P6 12 MemoryDIMMs

P6 12 MemoryDIMMs

GX

2 USB 2 HMC

IVE System PortsEthernet 1 or 2

IVE System PortsEthernet 1 or 2

© 2008 IBM Corporation4

System p 570 – Split Backplane (POWER6)

NotesSplit Backplane Option 3– Split ½ the disk and the DVD, and

the other ½ disk– Requires FC 5912 and FC 3650

Split Backplane Option 4– Put all of the disk on one controller

and the DVD on the other.– Requires FC 5912 and FC 3651

570 CEC

SAS Expander

SAS Expander

SASCTL Con

POWERPOWER

DVD

PCI-X (5)

FC 5912

PCI-e or GX Bus

PCI-e (1)

PCI-e (2)

FC 3650

P6 12 MemoryDIMMs

P6 12 MemoryDIMMs

GX

2 USB 2 HMC

570 CEC

SAS Expander

SAS Expander

SASCTL Con

POWERPOWER

DVD

PCI-X (5)

FC 5912

PCI-e or GX Bus

PCI-e (1)

PCI-e (2)

FC 3651

P6 12 MemoryDIMMs

P6 12 MemoryDIMMs

GX

2 USB 2 HMC

IVE System PortsEthernet 1 or 2

IVE System PortsEthernet 1 or 2

© 2008 IBM Corporation5

System p 570 – Split Backplane (POWER6)

NotesSplit Backplane Option 5– Split ½ the disk and the DVD, and

the other ½ disk– Requires FC 5909

570 CEC

SAS Expander

SAS Expander

SASCTL Con

POWERPOWER

DVD

PCI-X (5)

PCI-X (4)

PCI-e or GX Bus

PCI-e (1)

PCI-e (2)

FC 5909

P6 12 MemoryDIMMs

P6 12 MemoryDIMMs

GX

2 USB 2 HMC

IVE System PortsEthernet 1 or 2

20

IBM Power Systems

© 2008 IBM Corporation

Split DASD Backplane

Support

21

IBM Power Systems

© 2008 IBM Corporation

SASPort

PCI-X or PCIe SAS Adapter

SAS CableFC 3679

IntegratedSAS

Controller

PCI-X or PCIe SAS Adapter

Internal Disks (front view)

Power 550 and 520 Split Backplane Configuration

22

IBM Power Systems

© 2008 IBM Corporation

� Base DASD backplane� FC 8341 (6x3.5” DASD slots) �Internal SAS cable not included; Does not support an external SAS port

� Optional DASD backplanes� FC 8345 (High Function 6x3.5” DASD slots)� FC 8346 (12 SFF DASD slots) available in May 2008� Features will include an internal SAS cable which supports an external SAS port� For Split DASD Mode support� Must order an internal Split DASD Mode SAS cable:

• FC 3669 (550) or FC 3670 (520).• New Split DASD Mode SAS cable replaces the internal SAS cable above.� Split DASD Mode configuration is shown on next page.� Base DASD FC 8341 can not support the Split DASD Mode.

Power 550 and 520 Split Backplane Support

23

IBM Power Systems

© 2008 IBM Corporation

Splitting Power 570 Internal Disk Drives….Current back plane supports splitting disk drives�Configuration: Three drives and Three drives plus Media controller

Phase 1�PCI-X SAS adapter Dedicated slot ( Slot 4 )�Pass through cable Dedicated slot ( Slot 3 )�Cable attaches into external connection

Phase 2�PCIe SAS adapter Dedicated slot ( Slot 3 )�Pass through cable Shared slot with PCIe adapter ( Slot 3 )�Cable attaches into external connection

Slot3

Slot4

POWER6 570

24

IBM Power Systems

© 2008 IBM Corporation

Power 570 PCIe Split Backplane support

PCI-e SASCard

Connects IntoDASD Bkpln

Ext SASCable

8204-E8A Power System LPAR Internal booting and RAID capabilities

Document Author:

Carlos Inigo Ladron De Guevara

Document ID:

TD104556

Doc. Organization:

Global Technical Support

Document Revised:

05/13/2008

Product(s) covered:

# 8xx

Abstract: Here you can find a summary of the LPAR internal booting and RAID capabilities for 8204-E8A

8204-E8A (p6): 2LPAR internal boot capable The on board SAS controller provides eight ports, two groups of four, to the SAS DASD backplane and one port to the media device. The default backplane (FC#8341) do not support splitting backplane neither RAID enablement daughter card. Only 1 LPAR internal boot capable through this way. Nevertheless, there is available an option for splitting the backplane to allow booting a second LPAR internally and enabling RAID: First of all, optional backplane (FC#8345) has to be chosen to allow both RAID and split backplane functionalities. Regarding RAID, the SAS RAID enablement feature (FC#5679) provides the internal SAS enclosure with RAID 0, 1, 5, 6,and 10 functionality and additional cache via backplane pluggable daughter cards. The daughter cards contains the Raid functionality and a 175 MB of write cache with battery power pack. For splitting backplane is necessary configure the cable Feature 3669. This SAS cable connects the DASD Backplane with External SAS Port (#8345) to the rear bulkhead of the system providing connection via cable (1m AI cable) #3679 to a slot adapter SAS controller. An internal cable #3668 is chosen for you. This feature gives the user the ability to split the backplane, allocating a SAS controller for each half of the internal disks. . This configuration gives you RAID 0,1,5,6 or 10 for both halfs of internal disks. Adapters 5900 and 5912 gives you RAID 0,1,5,6 and 10 functionality but has not write cache.

Classification: Hardware Category: Hardware/Software Maintenance

Platform(s): IBM Power Systems

:

Keywords: 8204, E8A, boot, RAID

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