Lenovo ThinkSystem RAID 940-16i 8GB Flash PCIe Gen4... User manual

ThinkSystem RAID 940-16i 8GB Flash PCIe
Gen4 12Gb Internal Adapter Installation and
User Guide

First Edition (April 2020)
© Copyright Lenovo 2020.
LIMITED AND RESTRICTED RIGHTS NOTICE: If data or software is delivered pursuant to a General Services
Administration (GSA) contract, use, reproduction, or disclosure is subject to restrictions set forth in Contract No. GS-35F-
05925

Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Overview ...........................................................................................................................4
1.1 RAID Features...................................................................................................................................................... 4
1.2 Operating System Support................................................................................................................................. 5
1.3 PCIe Host Interface ............................................................................................................................................. 5
1.4 LED Management ................................................................................................................................................ 6
1.5 Tri-Mode Storage Interface Features................................................................................................................. 6
1.6 Adapter Characteristics...................................................................................................................................... 6
Chapter 2: Hardware Installation Instructions..................................................................................8
Chapter 3: Safety Characteristics ...................................................................................................10

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Chapter 1: Overview
The Thinksystem RAID 940-16i 8GB Flash PCIe Gen4 12Gb Internal Adapter, based on the SAS3916 tri-mode controller,
is a high-performance PCIe-to-SATA/SAS/PCIe (tri-mode) storage adapter. The tri-mode SerDes technology enables
operation of SAS, SATA, or PCIe (NVMe) storage devices in a single drive bay. A single controller can operate in all three
modes concurrently: SAS, SATA, and PCIe/NVMe. The adapter negotiates between the speeds and the protocols to
recognize and concurrently interface with these three storage devices types.
The adapter provides the following storage interface data transfer rates:
SAS data transfer rates of 12Gb/s, 6Gb/s, and 3Gb/s per phy
SATA transfer rates at 6Gb/s and 3Gb/s per phy
PCIe (NVMe) data transfer rates of 16 GT/s, 8 GT/s, 5 GT/s, and 2.5 GT/s per lane
The following table summarizes key adapter features.
Table 1 Adapter Features
Adapt
er
9
40-16i
Ports
16 internal
I/O Processor
SAS3916
Form Factor
Custom
Storage Interface Connectors
Four SFF-8654 x4
Host Interface
SFF-8654 x8
Storage Interface
SAS, SATA, and PCIe (NVMe)
Cache Memory
8 GB, 2666 MT/s, DDR4 SDRAM
Cache Protection
Yes
Super Capacitor
CVPM05 module
1.1 RAID Features
The following list includes primary RAID features that the adapter supports.
RAID levels 0, 1, 5, and 6
RAID spans 10, 50, and 60
JBOD mode with RAID0, RAID1, and RAID10
JBOD for SDS environments
Online Capacity Expansion (OCE)
Auto resume after loss of system power during array rebuild or OCE
Single controller multipathing
Load balancing
Configurable stripe size up to 1 MB
Fast initialization for quick array setup
Check Consistency for background data integrity
SSD support with SSD Guard™ technology
Patrol read for media scanning and repairing
Disk data format (DDF)-compliant Configuration on Disk (COD)
Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology (S.M.A.R.T) support

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Global and dedicated hot spare with revertible hot spare support
Automatic rebuild
Enclosure affinity
Emergency SATA hot spare for SAS arrays
Enclosure management
SCSI Enclosure Services (SES) (inband)
SGPIO (sideband) or I2C (UBM) enclosure management
DataBolt bandwidth optimizer technology support for compatible expander-based enclosures
Shield state drive diagnostic technology
1.2 Operating System Support
The adapter supports the operating systems in the following list.
Microsoft Windows
VMware vSphere/ESXi
Red Hat Enterprise Linux
SuSE Linux
Ubuntu Linux
Citrix XenServer
CentOS Linux
Debian Linux
Oracle Enterprise Linux
Fedora
FreeBSD
Visit http://support.lenovo.com, and download the latest firmware and driver for the adapter.
1.3 PCIe Host Interface
The adapter’s PCIe 4.0 host interface provides maximum transmission and reception rates of up to 128 GT/s (16 Gb/s per
lane). The tri-mode controller uses a packet-based communication protocol to communicate over the serial interconnect.
Other PCIe host interface features include the following:
Eight-lane PCIe host interface
PCIe Hot Plug
Power management
– Supports the PCI Bus Power Management Interface Specification Revision 1.2
– Supports Active State Power Management, including the L0 states, by placing links in a power-saving mode
during times of no link activity
Error handling
High bandwidth per pin with low overhead and low latency
Lane reversal and polarity inversion
Single-phy (one-lane) link transfer rate of 16 GT/s, 8 GT/s, 5 GT/s, and 2.5 GT/s in each direction
Eight-lane aggregate bandwidth of up to 16 GB/s (16,000 MB/s)
Support of x8, x4, x2, and x1 link widths

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1.4 LED Management
The adapter offers LED management support for SAS/SATA backplanes and (PCIe) NVMe backplanes. External connect
adapters offer enclosure LED management support for enclosure implementations through SES.
1.5 Tri-Mode Storage Interface Features
The adapter’s storage interface supports concurrent operation with SAS, SATA, and PCIe (NVMe) devices to provide a
fully functional solution for any storage environment.
PCIe (NVMe) interface features:
– Up to sixteen x1, eight x2, or four x4 NVMe direct-attach drive support
– Data transfer at 16 GT/s, 8 GT/s, 5 GT/s, and 2.5 GT/s
– Independent resets and configuration
– Common reference clock and separate reference clock independent SSC (SRIS) support
SAS features:
– SAS data transfers at 12Gb/s, 6Gb/s, and 3Gb/s
– DataBolt technology on all SAS phys to improve performance
– Serial, point-to-point, enterprise-level storage interface
– Wide ports that contain multiple phys
– Narrow ports that contain a single phy
– SAS phy power management
– Data transfer by using SCSI information units
– T10 data protection management
– Support for persistent connection capability
– Support for SPL-3 initiate close capability
– Configurable Rx and Tx polarity inversion
– Configurable phy-to-disk mapping
– Configurable SSC
SATA interface features:
– SATA and STP data transfers at 6Gb/s and 3Gb/s
– Addressing of multiple SATA targets through an expander
1.6 Adapter Characteristics
The adapter is a 6.02 in. × 2.67 in. (153 mm × 67.7 mm) board. The following figure shows the connectors and LED
locations on the adapter.

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Figure 1 Card Layout for the Thinksystem RAID 940-16i 8GB Flash PCIe Adapter
The following table describes the headers and connectors on the adapter.
Table 2 Headers and Connectors
Con
nector
T
yp e
De
sc ription
J2
St
andard edge card connector
T
he interface between the storage adapter and the host system.
J4
Default serial boot ROM (SBR) header
2-pin connector. Reserved.
J8
O
n-board serial UART connector
4
-pin connector. Reserved.
J5
(C3), J6 (C2),
J1
7 (C1), J18 (C0)
St
orage interface connectors
Four
SFF-8654 4-port internal connectors.
Connect the adapter by cable to the storage devices.
J14
Supercap i
nterface connector
9
-pin connector.
Co
nnects the adapter to a supercap module.
J25
Power
Power connector.
The following table describes the LEDs on the adapter.
Table 3 LED Designations
LED
T
yp e
De
sc ription
LED 2
Y
ellow controller over temperature
Stays
on solid to indicate that the SAS3916 device temperature sensor is over the
temperature threshold. When the device is in the proper temperature range, this LED is off.
LED 3
Green system heartbeat
Indicates that the SAS3916 RoC ASIC is operating normally. This LED blinks at 1 Hz.
LED 5
Y
ellow supercap fault
Ind
icates that the supercap pack is in fault state or is over temperature. This
LED res
ides on the nonheat-sink side of the board.
L
ED 6
G
reen Open NAND Flash Interface
(
ONFI) activity
Ind
icates when the ONFI is active for cache offload or recovery.

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Chapter 2: Hardware Installation Instructions
To install the adapter, follow these steps:
1. Unpack the adapter and inspect the adapter for damage.
Unpack the adapter in a static-free environment. Remove the adapter from the antistatic bag, and carefully inspect the
adapter for damage. If you notice any damage, contact Lenovo or your reseller support representative.
ATTENTION To avoid the risk of data loss, back up your data before you change your system configuration.
2. Review the adapter connectors.
3. Check whether the adapter is well-fixed on the mounting bracket.
The adapter ships preinstalled on a mounting bracket. Check that the adapter is fixed in place. If any loose screws
exist, tighten the screws using a No.1 Phillips torque screwdriver. The maximum torque is 4.8 ± 0.5 inch-pounds.
ATTENTION Exceeding this torque specification can damage the board, connectors, or screws, and can void
the warranty on the adapter. Damage caused to the adapter as a result of changing the bracket
can void the warranty on the board. Adapters returned without a bracket mounted on the board
will be returned without return merchandise authorization (RMA) processing.
4. Prepare the server.
Turn off the power to the server and disconnect all power cords.
5. Remove the top cover from the chassis.
6. Remove any components that might impede the adapter installation.
Refer to ThinkSystem Server Documentation Center, select your product, and review the Hardware replacement
procedures section for detailed instructions.
7. Install the adapter.
Align the notches on the mounting bracket with the four pins or three pins on the chassis, place down the adapter, and
slightly slide the adapter to secure it in place, as the following figure shows.
ATTENTION The shape, size, and locations of the components on your adapter and its bracket might vary
from the following illustration.
Figure 2 Installing the Adapter
8. Connect any cables to the adapter.
Refer to ThinkSystem Server Documentation Center, select your product, and review the Internal cable routing
section for detailed instructions.

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9. Reinstall any parts that have been previously removed and connect any internal cables.
Refer to ThinkSystem Server Documentation Center, select your product, and review the Hardware replacement
procedures section and the Internal cable routing section for detailed instructions.
10. Reinstall the top cover on the chassis.
Refer to ThinkSystem Server Documentation Center, select your product, and review the Hardware replacement
procedures for detailed instructions.
11. Reconnect any external cables and turn on the power to the system.
The hardware installation of your adapter is complete.

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Chapter 3: Safety Characteristics
The adapter meets or exceeds the requirements of UL flammability rating 94 V0. Each bare board is also marked with the
supplier name or trademark, type, and UL flammability rating. For the boards installed in a PCIe bus slot, all voltages are
lower than the SELV 42.4 V limit.

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Trademarks
LENOVO, LENOVO logo, and THINKSYSTEM are trademarks of Lenovo. All other trademarks are the property of their
respective owners. © 2020 Lenovo.