IBM FlashSystem 9200 9848-AG8 NVMe Enterprise Storage System

The IBM FlashSystem 9200 9848-AG8 is a high-performance enterprise all-flash NVMe storage system designed for mission-critical databases, IBM Power Systems, virtualization, analytics, artificial intelligence, private cloud and other workloads that require extremely high IOPS, low latency and scalable flash capacity. The IBM FlashSystem 9200 9848-AG8 control enclosure. It combines 24 front-accessible NVMe drive positions, two redundant active-active node canisters, redundant power supplies, IBM FlashCore technology and IBM Storage Virtualize software within a compact 2U rack enclosure. The IBM FS9200 internal storage can consist of IBM FlashCore Module 2 devices, IBM-qualified industry-standard NVMe SSDs and Storage Class Memory. When additional capacity is required, the IBM FS9200 9848-AG8 can attach IBM 9848-AFF 2U24 and 9848-A9F 5U92 all-flash SAS expansion enclosures.

The IBM FlashSystem 9200 was designed for both scale-up and scale-out growth. A single IBM FS9200 control enclosure can support substantial internal and external flash capacity, while as many as four compatible control enclosures can participate in a clustered system for additional performance, ports and storage capacity. Other IBM FlashSystems in the FS9200 Family include the 9846-AG8 and 4666-AG8.

IBM FlashSystem 9200 9848-AG8 Specifications

• IBM Machine Type and Model: 9848-AG8
• Product Family: IBM FlashSystem 9200
• System Type: Enterprise all-flash NVMe storage
• Form Factor: 2U rack-mounted control enclosure
• Original IBM Warranty: Three years, 24x7
• Original Minimum Software Level: IBM Spectrum Virtualize 8.3.1
• Internal NVMe Positions: 24
• Node Canisters: Two redundant active-active node canisters
• Power Supplies: Two redundant hot-swappable power supplies
• Internal Storage: FCM2, industry-standard NVMe SSD and Storage Class Memory
• External Storage: All-flash 12Gb SAS expansion
• Scale-Out: Up to four control enclosures in a clustered system
• Storage Software: IBM Storage Virtualize, originally IBM Spectrum Virtualize

IBM FlashSystem 9200 Performance

The FlashSystem 9200 was IBM's highest-performance distributed FlashSystem platform of its generation and was designed for workloads where storage latency, throughput and transaction rates directly affect application performance.

IBM published maximum system-level performance for a single FlashSystem 9200 of approximately:

• Up to 4.5 million IOPS
• Latency down to approximately 70 microseconds
• Up to 45GB/s bandwidth

A fully configured four-control-enclosure FlashSystem 9200 cluster can scale IBM's published aggregate performance to approximately:

• 18 million IOPS
• 180GB/s aggregate bandwidth

These are complete-system performance figures rather than performance specifications for an individual drive. Actual results depend on drive technology, RAID configuration, workload, block size, compression ratio, host adapters, SAN infrastructure, software level and overall configuration.

FlashSystem 9200 9848-AG8 Cache and Memory

IBM offered multiple cache configurations for the FlashSystem 9200. The system can scale from 256GB total cache to approximately 1.5TB.

• Base cache: 256GB total, or 128GB per node canister
• Intermediate configuration: 768GB total
• Maximum cache: 1,536GB total, or 768GB per node canister
• ACGJ: 512GB cache upgrade feature used to reach the intermediate configuration
• ACGB: Additional 768GB cache upgrade used to reach the maximum configuration

Large cache configurations can be valuable for heavily consolidated databases, virtualization, metadata-intensive workloads and environments using extensive IBM Storage Virtualize data services.

24 Internal NVMe Drive Positions

The 9848-AG8 provides 24 internal NVMe-capable drive positions accessible from the front of the 2U control enclosure.

IBM supports three principal storage classes in these positions:

• IBM FlashCore Module 2
• IBM-qualified industry-standard NVMe SSDs
• NVMe Storage Class Memory

These internal NVMe devices must not be confused with the SAS flash drives installed in the external 9848-AFF and 9848-A9F expansion enclosures.

IBM FlashCore Module 2 Options

IBM's FlashSystem 9200 Product Guide identifies AHS5, AHS6, AHS7 and AHS8 as the FlashCore Module feature family for the 9848-AG8.

FlashCore Module 2 uses a PCIe Gen3 U.2 NVMe interface and incorporates IBM hardware-based inline compression, self-encryption and T10-DIF data-integrity protection.

AHS5 – 4.8TB NVMe FlashCore Module 2

• IBM Feature Code: AHS5
• Usable Capacity: 4.8TB
• IBM Maximum Effective Capacity: 21.99TB
• Primary IBM Service FRU: 02YC416
• Additional IBM FCM2 Part: 03GH469
• FlashCore Generation: FCM2

AHS6 – 9.6TB NVMe FlashCore Module 2

• IBM Feature Code: AHS6
• Usable Capacity: 9.6TB
• IBM Maximum Effective Capacity: 21.99TB
• Primary IBM Service FRU: 02YC417
• Additional IBM FCM2 Part: 03GH470
• FlashCore Generation: FCM2

AHS5 and AHS6 share the same published 21.99TB maximum effective-capacity ceiling even though their physical usable capacities differ. The effective figure is constrained by the FCM2 architecture and should not be interpreted as evidence that the 4.8TB and 9.6TB modules have the same real-world capacity.

AHS7 – 19.2TB NVMe FlashCore Module 2

• IBM Feature Code: AHS7
• Usable Capacity: 19.2TB
• IBM Maximum Effective Capacity: 43.98TB
• Primary IBM Service FRU: 02YC418
• Additional IBM FCM2 Part: 03GH471
• FlashCore Generation: FCM2

AHS8 – 38.4TB NVMe FlashCore Module 2

• IBM Feature Code: AHS8
• Usable Capacity: 38.4TB
• IBM Maximum Effective Capacity: 87.96TB
• Primary IBM Service FRU: 02YC419
• Additional IBM FCM2 Part: 03GH472
• FlashCore Generation: FCM2

Maximum Internal FlashCore Capacity

Using twenty-four 38.4TB AHS8 FlashCore Modules provides:

24 × 38.4TB = 921.6TB of nominal installed FCM2 capacity.

Nominal installed capacity is not the same as host-usable capacity. IBM's original Product Guide publishes approximately 806TB usable capacity in a 2U control enclosure using twenty-four high-capacity FCMs and the applicable Distributed RAID configuration.

IBM also published approximately 1.62PB effective capacity at a 2:1 compression assumption for the 2U configuration.

FlashCore Module RAID Requirements

IBM specifies the following general rules for the FlashCore Module configuration:

• Minimum of six FlashCore Modules for an FCM array
• Distributed RAID 6 is recommended
• Distributed RAID 5 is supported where applicable
• FlashCore Modules within the same RAID array must have the same capacity
• FCMs and industry-standard NVMe SSDs are separate storage types and should not be treated as identical members of the same RAID array

Industry-Standard NVMe SSD Options

The 9848-AG8 can also use IBM-qualified industry-standard NVMe SSDs. These drives provide enterprise NVMe performance, self-encryption and T10-DIF protection but do not contain the internal hardware compression of IBM FlashCore Modules.

IBM's original FlashSystem 9200 Product Guide lists five AHT-series capacities. The 800GB AHT1 remains important for installed-base service, although later/current IBM drive documentation emphasizes the larger 1.92TB through 15.36TB capacities.

AHT1 – 800GB NVMe Flash Drive

• IBM Feature Code: AHT1
• Capacity: 800GB
• Primary IBM Service FRU: 01YM585
• Technology: Industry-standard enterprise NVMe SSD
• Installation: 9848-AG8 NVMe control enclosure

AHT2 – 1.92TB NVMe Flash Drive

• IBM Feature Code: AHT2
• Capacity: 1.92TB
• IBM Service FRU: 01YM586

AHT3 – 3.84TB NVMe Flash Drive

• IBM Feature Code: AHT3
• Capacity: 3.84TB
• IBM Service FRU: 01YM587

AHT4 – 7.68TB NVMe Flash Drive

• IBM Feature Code: AHT4
• Capacity: 7.68TB
• IBM Service FRU: 01YM588

AHT5 – 15.36TB NVMe Flash Drive

• IBM Feature Code: AHT5
• Capacity: 15.36TB
• IBM Service FRU: 01YM589

Maximum Industry-Standard NVMe Capacity

Using all twenty-four internal positions with 15.36TB AHT5 NVMe SSDs provides:

24 × 15.36TB = 368.64TB of nominal installed NVMe capacity.

Actual host-usable capacity is lower after RAID parity, distributed spare capacity, metadata and other system overhead.

Industry NVMe RAID Options

IBM's original FlashSystem 9200 configuration guidance specifies:

• Minimum of two industry-standard NVMe drives depending on RAID type
• RAID 10 supported
• Distributed RAID 6 recommended
• Distributed RAID 5 supported
• All industry-standard NVMe drives within an array must use the same capacity

IBM Storage Class Memory Options

The FlashSystem 9200 generation also supports NVMe Storage Class Memory. SCM provides extremely low latency for workloads where response time is more important than maximum capacity.

AHTA – 375GB Storage Class Memory

• IBM Feature Code: AHTA
• Capacity: 375GB
• IBM Service FRU: 02PX477

AHTB – 750GB Storage Class Memory

• IBM Feature Code: AHTB
• Capacity: 750GB
• IBM Service FRU: 02PX478

AHTE – 800GB Storage Class Memory

• IBM Feature Code: AHTE
• Capacity: 800GB
• IBM Service FRU: 02PX482

AHTF – 1.6TB Storage Class Memory

• IBM Feature Code: AHTF
• Capacity: 1.6TB
• IBM Service FRU: 02PX483

Storage Class Memory Maximums

IBM's original FlashSystem 9200 Product Guide specifies a maximum of 12 SCM drives in a control enclosure configuration.

With twelve 1.6TB AHTF drives, nominal installed SCM capacity would be:

12 × 1.6TB = 19.2TB.

SCM configurations follow separate RAID and slot-population rules. IBM's original guidance supports Distributed RAID 5 and applicable traditional RAID 1 or RAID 10 configurations depending on drive count and software level.

FCM2 vs. Industry NVMe vs. Storage Class Memory

The three internal storage technologies serve different purposes.

IBM FlashCore Module 2

• NVMe / PCIe Gen3 U.2
• 4.8TB through 38.4TB usable capacities
• Hardware-based inline compression
• Self-encryption
• T10-DIF
• Highest internal capacities

Industry-Standard NVMe SSD

• Enterprise NVMe storage
• Original capacities from 800GB through 15.36TB
• Hardware-based data-at-rest encryption
• T10-DIF protection
• No FlashCore internal compression
• No FCM effective-capacity rating

Storage Class Memory

• Very low latency
• 375GB through 1.6TB capacities
• Designed for high-performance small-capacity workloads
• Separate feature-code and FRU family from conventional NVMe SSDs

IBM FlashSystem 9200 9848-AG8 Expansion Enclosures

External flash capacity is provided through supported 12Gb SAS all-flash expansion enclosures.

The original three-year-warranty expansion models corresponding to the 9848-AG8 are:

• 9848-AFF – 2U24 all-flash SAS expansion enclosure
• 9848-A9F – 5U92 high-density all-flash SAS expansion enclosure

IBM's interoperability documentation also permits applicable FlashSystem 9200 expansion models from the related 9846 and later 4666 families at supported software levels. Exact mixed-machine configurations should be checked against the installed IBM Storage Virtualize release.

9848-AFF 2U24 Expansion Enclosure

The IBM 9848-AFF is a 2U all-flash SAS expansion enclosure containing up to 24 supported 2.5-inch dual-port, hot-swappable SAS flash drives.

IBM's original FlashSystem 9200 Product Guide lists AH2A through AH2D. The continuing AFF platform subsequently added the 30.72TB AH2E capacity.

AH2A – 1.92TB 12Gb SAS Flash

• IBM Feature Code: AH2A
• Capacity: 1.92TB
• Interface: 12Gb SAS
• Form Factor: 2.5-inch
• IBM Service FRUs: 01EJ803 / 01EJ808

AH2B – 3.84TB 12Gb SAS Flash

• IBM Feature Code: AH2B
• Capacity: 3.84TB
• Interface: 12Gb SAS
• IBM Service FRUs: 01EJ961 / 01EJ966

AH2C – 7.68TB 12Gb SAS Flash

• IBM Feature Code: AH2C
• Capacity: 7.68TB
• Interface: 12Gb SAS
• IBM Service FRUs: 01LJ382 / 01LJ391

AH2D – 15.36TB 12Gb SAS Flash

• IBM Feature Code: AH2D
• Capacity: 15.36TB
• Interface: 12Gb SAS
• IBM Service FRUs: 01LJ385 / 01LJ393

AH2E – 30.72TB 12Gb SAS Flash

• IBM Feature Code: AH2E
• Capacity: 30.72TB
• Interface: 12Gb SAS
• IBM Service FRU: 02PX474

Maximum 9848-AFF Capacity

A fully populated 9848-AFF containing twenty-four 30.72TB SAS flash drives provides:

24 × 30.72TB = 737.28TB of nominal installed flash capacity per 2U24 enclosure.

9848-A9F 5U92 High-Density Expansion Enclosure

The IBM 9848-A9F is the high-density expansion option for FlashSystem 9200. It occupies 5U and contains up to 92 SAS flash drive positions.

The physical 2.5-inch SAS SSD is installed within the high-density carrier used by the enclosure.

AH7J – 1.92TB 12Gb SAS Flash

• IBM Feature Code: AH7J
• Capacity: 1.92TB
• IBM Service FRU: 01LJ075

AH7K – 3.84TB 12Gb SAS Flash

• IBM Feature Code: AH7K
• Capacity: 3.84TB
• IBM Service FRU: 01LJ076

AH7L – 7.68TB 12Gb SAS Flash

• IBM Feature Code: AH7L
• Capacity: 7.68TB
• IBM Service FRU: 01LJ077

AH7M – 15.36TB 12Gb SAS Flash

• IBM Feature Code: AH7M
• Capacity: 15.36TB
• IBM Service FRU: 01LJ078

AH7N – 30.72TB 12Gb SAS Flash

• IBM Feature Code: AH7N
• Capacity: 30.72TB
• Interface: 12Gb SAS
• IBM Service FRU: Verify the installed A9F FRU against IBM service records before replacement

IBM's current documentation supports 30.72TB SAS flash in the 5U92 enclosure family, but the exact service replacement part should be verified against the machine type, serial number and installed drive rather than inferred from capacity alone.

Maximum 9848-A9F Capacity

Using ninety-two 30.72TB SAS flash drives produces:

92 × 30.72TB = 2,826.24TB, or approximately 2.83PB of nominal installed flash capacity per 5U92 enclosure.

Expansion Enclosure Maximums

The 9848-AG8 can support SAS expansion when the appropriate AHBA SAS Expansion Enclosure Attach Card is installed.

• Feature AHBA: pair of 12Gb SAS expansion attachment adapters
• IBM's original Product Guide supports up to 20 SAS-attached expansion enclosures per control-enclosure pair
• Up to 480 AFF expansion drives using twenty 24-drive enclosures
• Up to 736 A9F expansion drives using eight 92-drive enclosures in the original configuration model
• Current IBM configuration limits identify up to 760 drives per I/O group
• A four-I/O-group system can scale to as many as 3,040 drives under applicable configuration limits

AFF and A9F Expansion Combinations

Current IBM Storage Virtualize documentation describes each SAS expansion chain as supporting a maximum expansion weight equivalent to 20U.

Valid combinations per SAS chain include:

• Zero 5U enclosures plus up to ten 2U enclosures
• One 5U enclosure plus up to seven 2U enclosures
• Two 5U enclosures plus up to five 2U enclosures
• Three 5U enclosures plus up to two 2U enclosures
• Four 5U enclosures and no 2U enclosure

Internal NVMe vs. SAS Expansion Drives

An important FlashSystem 9200 configuration rule is that internal NVMe storage and external SAS storage are different device families.

The following features install in the 9848-AG8 control enclosure:

• AHS5, AHS6, AHS7 and AHS8 FlashCore Modules
• AHT1, AHT2, AHT3, AHT4 and AHT5 industry-standard NVMe SSDs
• AHTA, AHTB, AHTE and AHTF Storage Class Memory devices

They do not install in the AFF or A9F expansion enclosure.

The following are SAS expansion drive families:

• AH2A through AH2E for AFF
• AH7J through AH7N for A9F

A drive having the same nominal capacity does not make an NVMe device and SAS expansion drive interchangeable.

FlashSystem 9200 Connectivity

The 9848-AG8 contains six PCIe expansion slots, three per node canister, with adapters installed symmetrically between the two nodes.

Original IBM host-interface options include:

• AHB3: pair of quad-port 16Gb Fibre Channel adapters
• AHB4: pair of quad-port 32Gb Fibre Channel adapters
• AHB6: pair of dual-port 25Gb Ethernet RoCE adapters
• AHB7: pair of dual-port 25Gb Ethernet iWARP adapters
• AHBA: pair of 12Gb SAS expansion-enclosure attachment adapters
• ACHU: pair of 16Gb Fibre Channel long-wave SFP transceivers
• ACHV: pair of 32Gb Fibre Channel long-wave SFP transceivers

Maximum Host Connectivity

A single FlashSystem 9200 control enclosure can be configured with substantial host connectivity, including:

• Up to 24 Fibre Channel ports with applicable 16Gb or 32Gb FC adapters
• Up to 12 25Gb Ethernet host ports with applicable RoCE or iWARP adapters
• Standard onboard Ethernet connectivity
• Fibre Channel SCSI
• FC-NVMe / NVMe over Fibre Channel
• iSCSI
• RoCE
• iWARP
• NVMe/TCP on supported later software and adapters
• 12Gb SAS expansion attachment

IBM Storage Virtualize Capabilities

The FlashSystem 9200 runs IBM Storage Virtualize, providing advanced software-defined storage functions in addition to its NVMe hardware performance.

• Storage pooling
• Logical volume virtualization
• Thin provisioning
• Data Reduction Pools
• Deduplication
• Software compression
• FlashCore hardware compression
• Distributed RAID
• FlashCopy snapshots and clones
• Metro Mirror
• Global Mirror
• HyperSwap high availability
• Encryption
• External storage virtualization
• Storage migration
• REST API management
• Ansible automation
• VMware integration
• Container Storage Interface integration
• IBM Storage Insights integration

FlashSystem 9200 Scale-Out

The 9848-AG8 can participate in a clustered FlashSystem configuration. IBM supports as many as four control enclosures in applicable clustered arrangements.

A four-control-enclosure configuration can provide:

• Up to 96 internal NVMe positions
• Up to approximately 18 million aggregate IOPS
• Up to approximately 180GB/s aggregate bandwidth
• As many as 3,040 drives under applicable configuration limits
• Additional host ports, cache and processing resources

FlashSystem 9200R and 9848-AG8

IBM also used the 9848-AG8 as the controller building block in the preconfigured FlashSystem 9200R rack solutions.

• 9202R: two 9848-AG8 FlashSystem 9200 control enclosures
• 9203R: three 9848-AG8 control enclosures
• 9204R: four 9848-AG8 control enclosures

These systems were delivered as preconfigured rack solutions and could include Fibre Channel switching, power distribution and supported AFF or A9F expansion.

FlashSystem 9200 Capacity Maximums

IBM published several capacity figures for FlashSystem 9200. It is important to distinguish between nominal installed, usable and effective capacity.

• 921.6TB nominal internal FCM capacity: 24 × 38.4TB FCM2
• Approximately 806TB IBM published usable capacity: one 2U control enclosure under IBM's specified DRAID6 assumptions
• Approximately 1.62PB effective: IBM's 2:1 FCM compression example
• Approximately 4.03PB effective: IBM's higher 5:1 software data-reduction example for one control enclosure
• Approximately 3.2PB usable: four-control-enclosure cluster
• Approximately 16.1PB effective: four controls using the IBM 5:1 data-reduction example
• Up to approximately 32PB raw expansion capacity: IBM product-generation maximum using expansion storage

Effective-capacity figures depend on compressibility and data-reduction assumptions and are not guaranteed physical usable capacities.

IBM FlashSystem 9200 for IBM Power Systems

The 9848-AG8 is well suited for SAN storage supporting IBM Power Systems running IBM i, AIX and Linux.

Common workloads include:

• IBM Db2 for i
• IBM Db2 on AIX
• Oracle Database
• SAP
• ERP applications
• PowerVM virtualization
• High-volume transaction processing
• Analytics
• Business intelligence
• AI and machine-learning data
• Backup and recovery
• High availability
• Disaster recovery

FlashSystem 9200 Availability and Resiliency

IBM designed FlashSystem 9200 with an active-active architecture and redundant components for business-critical storage.

• Two active-active node canisters
• Mirrored cache architecture
• Redundant power supplies
• Dual-port storage devices
• Multiple host connectivity paths
• Distributed RAID
• FlashCopy
• Remote replication
• HyperSwap
• Concurrent maintenance capabilities for supported components
• Battery protection for cached data and metadata

Why Buy an IBM FlashSystem 9200 9848-AG8?

The FlashSystem 9200 9848-AG8 remains a compelling enterprise storage platform for organizations maintaining an established IBM storage environment or seeking high-performance refurbished or secondary-market enterprise storage.

Key benefits include:

• High-performance all-flash NVMe architecture
• Up to approximately 4.5 million published IOPS
• Bandwidth up to approximately 45GB/s
• Latency down to approximately 70 microseconds
• 24 internal NVMe storage positions
• FCM2 hardware compression
• Industry-standard NVMe options
• Low-latency SCM support
• Large AFF and A9F SAS expansion capability
• Up to four-way clustered scalability
• IBM Storage Virtualize enterprise data services
• Strong IBM Power Systems connectivity
• Three-year original IBM warranty model

9848-AG8 Replacement Drive Checklist

Before ordering a FlashSystem 9200 drive or expansion replacement, verify:

• Machine type and model: 9848-AG8, 9848-AFF or 9848-A9F
• IBM feature code
• Installed IBM FRU or service part
• Drive technology: FCM2, NVMe SSD, SCM or SAS flash
• Capacity
• Interface: NVMe or SAS
• FlashCore generation if applicable
• Drive or FCM firmware level
• IBM Storage Virtualize software level
• Existing RAID configuration
• Capacity and type of other array members
• IBM supersession or replacement history

The preferred replacement relationship is:

IBM machine type/model → feature code → storage technology and capacity → installed FRU → IBM-approved replacement FRU.

IBM Feature Codes vs. IBM Part Numbers

An IBM feature code and IBM service FRU should not be treated as the same identifier.

For example:

• AHS8 identifies the 38.4TB FCM2 option in a FlashSystem 9200 machine configuration.
• 02YC419 is an IBM-documented physical 38.4TB FCM2 service FRU.
• 03GH472 is another IBM-documented part number associated with the 38.4TB FCM2 hardware family.

The same physical FCM2 hardware can therefore appear under different configuration feature codes on other FlashSystem families. Always use the machine-specific feature code when identifying the configured option and the FRU when identifying physical replacement hardware.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is IBM FlashSystem 9200 9848-AG8?

The IBM 9848-AG8 is a three-year-warranty FlashSystem 9200 enterprise NVMe control enclosure containing 24 internal NVMe positions, two redundant active-active node canisters and IBM Storage Virtualize software.

What is the difference between 9846-AG8 and 9848-AG8?

The systems use the same FlashSystem 9200 architecture. IBM originally differentiated the machine types primarily by warranty: 9846-AG8 carried a one-year 24x7 warranty while 9848-AG8 carried a three-year 24x7 warranty.

How many internal drives does 9848-AG8 support?

The control enclosure supports up to 24 internal NVMe storage devices.

Which FlashCore Modules are supported?

The FlashSystem 9200 Product Guide identifies AHS5 4.8TB, AHS6 9.6TB, AHS7 19.2TB and AHS8 38.4TB FCM2 options.

What is the largest FlashCore Module for 9848-AG8?

The largest FCM2 option is AHS8 38.4TB, with IBM service FRU 02YC419.

What is the maximum nominal internal FCM capacity?

Twenty-four 38.4TB FCM2 devices provide 921.6TB nominal installed capacity.

What industry-standard NVMe drives are supported?

The original product configuration includes AHT1 800GB, AHT2 1.92TB, AHT3 3.84TB, AHT4 7.68TB and AHT5 15.36TB NVMe SSDs.

Which Storage Class Memory drives are supported?

The original SCM family includes AHTA 375GB, AHTB 750GB, AHTE 800GB and AHTF 1.6TB.

Which expansion enclosures are supported by 9848-AG8?

The corresponding three-year-warranty expansion models are the 9848-AFF 2U24 all-flash SAS expansion and 9848-A9F 5U92 high-density all-flash SAS expansion.

What drives are supported in 9848-AFF?

The AFF flash family includes AH2A 1.92TB, AH2B 3.84TB, AH2C 7.68TB, AH2D 15.36TB and the later AH2E 30.72TB SAS flash option.

What drives are supported in 9848-A9F?

The A9F family includes AH7J 1.92TB, AH7K 3.84TB, AH7L 7.68TB, AH7M 15.36TB and the later AH7N 30.72TB SAS flash option.

Can AHS8 be installed in a 9848-AFF expansion?

No. AHS8 is an NVMe FlashCore Module for the 9848-AG8 control enclosure. The 9848-AFF requires supported SAS flash drives.

Can AHT1 be installed in a 9848-A9F?

No. AHT1 is an internal NVMe SSD feature. The 9848-A9F is a SAS-connected expansion enclosure.

What is the maximum performance of IBM FlashSystem 9200?

IBM published performance of up to approximately 4.5 million IOPS, 45GB/s bandwidth and latency down to approximately 70 microseconds for a single system under applicable test conditions.

Can FlashSystem 9200 be clustered?

Yes. Up to four compatible control enclosures can participate in an applicable clustered system, with IBM publishing aggregate FlashSystem 9200 performance up to approximately 18 million IOPS and 180GB/s.

How much cache can 9848-AG8 have?

IBM's Product Guide documents cache configurations from 256GB up to 1.5TB per control enclosure.

Does FlashSystem 9200 support IBM i?

FlashSystem 9200 can provide enterprise SAN storage for IBM Power Systems environments running IBM i, AIX and Linux when configured with supported host connectivity and operating-system interoperability.

IBM FlashSystem 9200 9848-AG8 Summary

The IBM FlashSystem 9200 9848-AG8 is a high-performance 2U enterprise NVMe storage system with 24 internal flash positions, redundant active-active controllers and a three-year original IBM warranty configuration.

The control enclosure supports AHS5 through AHS8 FCM2 FlashCore Modules, AHT1 through AHT5 industry-standard NVMe SSDs, and AHTA, AHTB, AHTE and AHTF Storage Class Memory options.

External capacity can be added with the 9848-AFF 2U24 and 9848-A9F 5U92 all-flash SAS expansion enclosures using the AH2A-AH2E and AH7J-AH7N drive families.

IBM published performance reaches approximately 4.5 million IOPS, 45GB/s bandwidth and latency down to 70 microseconds from a single FlashSystem 9200. Four-system clusters can scale to approximately 18 million IOPS and 180GB/s.

Combined with IBM Storage Virtualize functions including Distributed RAID, FlashCopy, compression, deduplication, HyperSwap, remote replication and external storage virtualization, the 9848-AG8 remains a capable platform for existing enterprise FlashSystem environments and high-performance IBM Power Systems storage.

Related IBM FlashSystem 9200 Drives and Parts

• IBM AHT1 800GB NVMe Flash Drive
• IBM 02YC416 4.8TB FlashCore Module 2
• IBM 02YC417 9.6TB FlashCore Module 2
• IBM 02YC418 19.2TB FlashCore Module 2
• IBM 02YC419 38.4TB FlashCore Module 2
• IBM 01YM587 3.84TB NVMe Flash Drive
• IBM 01YM588 7.68TB NVMe Flash Drive
• IBM 02PX477 375GB NVMe Storage Class Memory
• IBM 02PX478 750GB NVMe Storage Class Memory
• IBM AHS5 4.8TB FlashCore Module
• IBM FlashSystem Systems, Drives, FlashCore Modules and Upgrades