Lenovo ThinkStation P920 User manual

Onboard/Integrated Intel Storage Configuration
Lenovo ThinkStation P920, P720, P520, P520c

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Table of Contents
Overview............................................................................................................................3
Section 1 –ThinkStation P920...........................................................................................4
Section 2 –ThinkStation P720...........................................................................................6
Section 3 –ThinkStation P520...........................................................................................9
Section 4 –ThinkStation P520c.......................................................................................11
Section 5 –Configuring RAID Arrays...............................................................................13
Section 6 –Deleting RAID Arrays....................................................................................20
Section 7 - Glossary.........................................................................................................23
Section 8 –Document Revision History ...........................................................................28

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Overview
The purpose of this document is to provide guidance for users on how to
configure their SATA storage options using the onboard integrated Intel SATA
controller in the ThinkStation P520c, P520, P720, and P920. These ThinkStation
systems are capable of supporting up to six SATA HDDs/SSDs at Gen3 (6Gb/s)
maximum theoretical throughput. It is important to note that only SATA devices
are supported with the onboard integrated Intel SATA controller.
Some users may find a different naming for the SATA controller, depending on
BIOS level. Refer to the chart below to for guidance. The steps for creating and
deleting SATA RAID are the same regardless of which version is displayed.
ThinkStation
Platform
BIOS Level with
“Intel® VROC SATA
Controller”
BIOS Level with
“Intel® RSTe SATA
Controller”
P520 / P520c
S03KT30A & newer
S03KT29A & earlier
P720
S04KT40A & newer
S04KT38A & earlier
P920
S05KT40A & newer
S05KT38A & earlier

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Section 1 –ThinkStation P920
Level of Support Summary
Maximum Number of Drives
6
Connection Method
Tool-less FLEX tray blind-mounted to a backplane (BCA).
BCA is standard.
Drive Locations
Drives install into HDD Bays via FLEX Tray.
Hardware Required
BCA-S1or BCA-P
Blind HDD FLEX Tray Assembly
Drive Type Supported
(6Gb/s)
3.5” SATA HDD (7200rpm)
2.5” SATA SSD
RAID Level Support
RAID 0
RAID 1
RAID 5
RAID 10
Drive Data Rate
Maximum drive data rate is 6Gb/s.
Drive Bay Configuration
0,1,2 drive bays used →single BCA-S with dual blind connect
FLEX Trays
3,4 drive bays used →dual BCA-S with 4 blind connect FLEX
trays.
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BCA-S comes standard in P920.

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How to Utilize the Onboard Intel SATA Controller
In the P920 system, drives are always connected through a backplane called
Blind Connect Assembly (BCA). When using the onboard Intel SATA controller,
up to four drives can be connected to the first (bottom) BCA and up to two drives
can be connected to the second (top) BCA. This gives the P920 support for up to
6 drives with the onboard Intel SATA controller via two BCA’s.
The red boxes in the diagram below show the active SATA ports that are available
with the onboard Intel SATA controller.
Power 1
S/X 2
BCA1 Control
Power 2
BCA2 Control
S/X 1
Power 1
connect
or
BCA1 Control
BCA2 Control
connector
Power 2
connect
or
S/X 1
S/X 2

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Section 2 –ThinkStation P720
Level of Support Summary
“Default" - Manual HDD Connect Option
Maximum Number of Drives
4
Connection Method
Manual plug for data and power using standard
cabling methods.
Drive Locations
Drives install into HDD Bays via FLEX Tray.
Hardware Required
SATA HDD cable(s)
HDD Power cable
Manual HDD FLEX Tray Assembly
Drive Type Supported
(6Gb/s)
3.5” SATA HDD (7200rpm)
2.5” SATA SSD
RAID Level Support
RAID 0
RAID 1
RAID 5
RAID 10
Drive Data Rate
Maximum drive data rate is 6Gb/s.
Drive Bay Configuration
0,1 drives →1 SATA + 1 dual drop power
2 drives →2 SATA + 1 dual drop power
3 drives →3 SATA + 1 quad drop power + 2 manual
FLEX trays
4 drives →4 SATA + 1 quad drop power + 2 manual
FLEX trays
“Optional” – Blind Connect Assembly (BCA) using the integrated Intel Controller
Maximum Number of Drives
4
Connection Method
Tool-less via BCA.
BCA is optional.
Drive Locations
Drives install into HDD Bays via FLEX Tray.
Hardware Required
Up to two BCA-S or one BCA-S + BCA-P.
Blind HDD FLEX Tray Handle Assembly.
Drive Type Supported
(6Gb/s)
3.5” SATA HDD (7200rpm)
2.5” SATA SSD
RAID Level Support
RAID 0
RAID 1
RAID 5
RAID 10
Drive Data Rate
Maximum drive data rate is 6Gb/s.
Drive Bay Configuration
0,1,2,3,4 drives →2 BCA’s + 4 FLEX trays

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How to Utilize the Onboard Intel SATA Controller
In the P720 system, SATA drives are connected to the onboard Intel SATA controller via
a manual plug method. This consists of manually cabling both power and data to each
drive individually. The P720 system can support up to 4 drives using the onboard Intel
SATA controller.
Data Cable
Power Cable
2-drop
Power Cable
4-drop
HDD/SSD Manual Connect Option

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Optionally, in the P720 system, SATA drives can be connected to the onboard
Intel SATA controller via BCA’s. This consists of the Blind Connect to SATA cable
and dual BCA-S. The P720 system can support up to 4 drives using the onboard
Intel SATA controller.
The red boxes in the diagram below show the active SATA ports that are available
with the onboard Intel SATA controller.
S/X 1
S/X 2
BCA1 Control
BCA2 Control
Power 1
Power 2
BCA1 Control
BCA2 Control
S/X 1
S/X 2
Power 1
Power 2
BCA 3
BCA 3
Blind Connect Assembly (BCA) Option

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Section 3 –ThinkStation P520
Level of Support Summary
Maximum Number of Drives
4
Connection Method
Manual plug for data and power using standard cabling
methods.
BCA is not supported.
Drive Locations
4 Drives install into HDD Bays via FLEX Tray.
Hardware Required
SATA HDD cable(s)2
SATA HDD Power cable(s)3
SATA HDD Power cable(s)4
Drive Type Supported
(6Gb/s)
3.5” SATA HDD (7200rpm)
2.5” SATA SSD
RAID Level Support
RAID 0
RAID 1
RAID 5
RAID 10
Drive Data Rate
Maximum drive data rate is 6Gb/s.
Drive Bay Configuration
0,1 drives →1 SATA + 1 dual drop power
2 drives →2 SATA + 1 dual drop power
3 drives →3 SATA + 1 quad drop power + 1 cage/tray kit
4 drives →4 SATA + 1 quad drop power + 1 cage/tray kit
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SATA HDD cable(s) should equal the quantity of HDD’s/SSD’s in the HDD bays and FLEX bays.
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2-drop HDD Power cable for the HDD’s/SSD’s in the HDD bays comes standard.
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4-drop HDD Power cable for the HDD’s/SSD’s in the HDD bays gets derived when more than two
drives are selected.

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How to Utilize the Onboard Intel SATA Controller
In the P520 system, SATA drives are connected to the onboard Intel SATA
controller via a manual plug method. This consists of manually cabling both
power and data to each drive individually. The P520 system supports up to 4
drives using the onboard Intel SATA controller.
Power Cable
4-drop
Data Cable
Power Cable
2-drop

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Section 4 –ThinkStation P520c
Level of Support Summary
Maximum Number of Drives
2
Connection Method
Manual plug for data and power using standard cabling
methods.
BCA is not supported.
Drive Locations
2 Drives install into HDD Bays via FLEX Tray.
Hardware Required
SATA HDD cable(s)5
HDD Power cable(s)6
Drive Type Supported
(6Gb/s)
3.5” SATA HDD (7200rpm)
2.5” SATA SSD
RAID Level Support
RAID 0
RAID 1
Drive Data Rate
Maximum drive data rate is 6Gb/s.
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SATA HDD cable(s) should equal the quantity of HDD’s/SSD’s in the HDD bays and FLEX bays.
6
2-drop HDD Power cable for the HDD’s/SSD’s in the HDD bays.

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How to Utilize the Onboard Intel SATA Controller
In the P520c system, SATA drives are connected to the onboard Intel SATA
controller via a manual plug method. This consists of manually cabling both
power and data to each drive individually. The onboard Intel SATA controller
supports up to 4 drives (2 drives in the HDD bays and 2 drives in the FLEX bays).
HDD bay 1
HDD bay 2
SATA 2
SATA 1
Data Cable
FLEX Bay Power
Cable –3 drop
HDD Bay Power
Cable –2 drop

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Section 5 –Configuring RAID Arrays
Follow the instructions below to create a basic RAID array using the onboard Intel
SATA controller.
1. Install the drives for the RAID array into the system. See the above
sections to determine the correct hardware and placement of the storage
devices.
2. Power on the system and press the ‘F1’ function key at the ‘Lenovo’ splash
screen indicated below to enter BIOS.

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3. Select the “Devices” menu along the left column and “PCH SATA
Configuration” menu along the right column at the screen indicated below.
4. Select the “Configure SATA as” menu option drop-down menu box and
select “RAID” as indicated below.

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5. Select F10 key to “Save and Exit” the BIOS setup menu.
6. As the system reboots, reenter BIOS using the same method as before.
Select the “Advanced” menu along the left column and select the “Intel®
VROC SATA Controller” menu along the right column at the screen
indicated below.

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On older BIOS versions, this option may display as “Intel® RSTe SATA
Controller”. For more information, please see this table in the Overview
section. The process for creating SATA RAID is identical, so continue
following along the next steps.
7. Select the “Create RAID Volume” menu option.

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8. Select the “RAID Level” drop-down menu box and select the RAID type.
9. Select the disks to use in the RAID array by selecting the drop-down box
next to each disk and select ‘X’ to select the disk to use in the RAID array
creation.

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10.Scroll down to the bottom of the window and select “Create Volume”.
11.The RAID array will then show up under the “RAID Volumes:” section as
indicated in the screenshot below.

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12.Once finished with creating the RAID array(s), press ‘F10’ to ‘Save and
‘Exit’ BIOS.

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Section 6 –Deleting RAID Arrays
Follow the instructions below to delete an existing RAID array using the onboard
Intel SATA controller.
1. Power on the system and press the ‘F1’ function key at the ‘Lenovo’ splash
screen indicated below to enter BIOS.
2. Select the “Setup” menu option at the screen indicated below.