1912-8204 - IBM i Model E8A PCI-X DDR Dual Channel Ultra320 SCSI

IBM i Power 6, 8204 (#1912) PCI-X DDR Dual Channel Ultra320 SCSI Adapter

The PCI-X DDR Dual Channel Ultra320 SCSI Adapter IBM i Power 6, 8204 (#1912) is a 64-bit 3.3-volt adapter and is an excellent solution for high-performance SCSI applications. The PCI-X Dual Channel Ultra320 SCSI Adapter provides two SCSI channels (busses), each capable of running 320 MBps (max.). Each SCSI bus can either be internal (on systems that support internal SCSI device or backplane attachments) or external. Internally attached Ultra320 devices are designed to run at a data rate of up to 320 MB per second on systems that have internal backplanes that are capable of supporting Ultra320 speeds.

In order to achieve an Ultra320 SCSI bus data rate of up to 320 MB per second and maintain a reasonable drive distance, the adapter utilizes Low Voltage Differential (LVD) drivers and receivers. To utilize the 320 MB per second performance, all attaching devices should also be Ultra320 LVD devices; however, if Ultra2, Ultra3, or Ultra320 devices coexist on the same bus, each device will operate at its rated speed. For lower speed single-ended (SE) devices, the SCSI bus will switch to single-ended (SE) performance and interface to all devices on that SCSI bus at the lower SE bus data rate of the device.

Two VHDCI 68-pin connectors are mounted on the adapter's end bracket allowing attachment of various LVD and SE external subsystems. A 0.3 meter converter cable, VHDCI to P, Mini-68 pin to 68-pin, IBM i Power 6, 8204 (#2118) can be used with older external SE devices or subsystems to allow connection to the VHDCI connector on the PCI-X DDR Dual Channel Ultra320 SCSI Adapter.

Two external ports provide connectivity to numerous other SCSI external subsystems. Check the external subsystem sales/web pages for verification of connectivity support with this adapter.

The PCI-X Dual Channel Ultra320 SCSI Adapter IBM i Power 6, 8204 (#1912) is a native boot adapter. The adapter also supports target mode.

Limitations:

The two external ports do not support the connection to the IBM 7131-105 IBM Multi-Storage Tower Model 105.

Even though the Dual Channel Ultra320 SCSI nonRAID Adapter has ports that run at ultra320 SCSI speeds (up to 320 MBytes/s), the internally attached disk drives will run at a maximum SCSI bus data rate specified by that supporting system disk backplane.

Minimum System Firmware Required:

System firmware level required is SF235_185 or greater. Firmware level SF235_185 adjusts the PCI slots to run in Single Data Rate (SDR) mode. Enablement of Double Data Rate (DDR)slots to run at DDR mode is planned to be provided in an upcoming firmware enhancement.

For Double Data Rate (DDR), check for firmware upgrade at URL:

http://techsupport.services.ibm.com/server/mdownload2/ download.html

Running the adapter on a system with firmware level lower than SF235_185 is not supported.

Attributes provided: Attachment of internal SCSI devices (on systems that support an internal SCSI device or backplane attachment with this adapter) and external SCSI devices

Attributes required: One available 3.3 volt PCI or PCI-X slot or PCI-X 2.0 DDR slot

For 8204-E8A: IBM i Power 6, 8204 (#1912)

Minimum required: 0

Maximum allowed: 58 (Initial order maximum: 0)

OS level required: AIX 5.3 with the 5300-07 Technology Level or later. AIX 6.1 or later. SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 SP1 for POWER Systems, or later. Red Hat Enterprise Linux for POWER, version 4.5, or later. Red Hat Enterprise Linux for POWER, version 5.1, or later.

Initial Order/MES/Both/Supported: Supported

CSU: Yes

Return parts MES: Does not apply

Note: Maximum of two allowed in CEC under AIX, or Linux.

System maximum of 58 under AIX or Linux.

Not supported under IBM i.