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30 Sep 2024Form Number
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Abstract
The ThinkSystem RAID 9350 family of internal 12 Gbps SAS RAID controllers are high-performance low-cost RAID-on-chip (ROC) adapters that are designed and manufactured by Lenovo. These adapters support all major RAID levels including RAID-6 and RAID-60, and include support for Lenovo management tools.
This product guide provides essential presales information to understand the ThinkSystem RAID 9350-16i and 9350-8i adapters and their key features, specifications, and compatibility. This guide is intended for technical specialists, sales specialists, sales engineers, IT architects, and other IT professionals who want to learn more about the adapters and consider their use in IT solutions.
Change History
Changes in the September 30, 2024 update:
- Added additional documentation links - Related publications and links section
Introduction
The ThinkSystem RAID 9350 family of internal 12 Gbps SAS RAID controllers are high-performance low-cost RAID-on-chip (ROC) adapters that are manufactured by Lenovo. These adapters support all major RAID levels including RAID-6 and RAID-60, and include support for Lenovo management tools.
The family offers two port-counts:
- The ThinkSystem RAID 9350-8i supports up to eight internal SAS or SATA drives
- The ThinkSystem RAID 9350-16i supports up to 16 internal SAS or SATA drives
The family offers two adapter form factors:
- Low-profile PCIe installed in a standard PCIe slot
- Custom form-factor (CFF) design which is cabled to an onboard PCIe 4.0 x8 port on the server and not occupy a standard PCIe slot.
The ThinkSystem RAID 9350-16i is shown in the following figure.
Figure 1. ThinkSystem RAID 9350-16i 4GB Flash PCIe 12Gb Adapter
Did you know?
RAID on Chip-based controllers such as the RAID 9350 adapters have a dedicated processor that offloads all RAID functions from the server's CPU. With hardware acceleration for RAID 5 and 6 operations plus dedicated memory for caching, the 9350 series adapters are a high-performance low-cost RAID controller for ThinkSystem servers.
Part number information
The following table provides the ordering part numbers for the adapters.
The part numbers for the regular PCIe adapters include:
- RAID adapter with 3U full-height bracket attached
- 2U low-profile bracket
- Supercap power module
The part numbers for the CFF internal adapters include:
- Supercap power module
- Server-specific power cables
Technical specifications
The ThinkSystem RAID 9350 Series internal RAID adapters have the following specifications:
- PCIe 3.0 x8 host interface
- Two (8i adapter) or four (16i adapter) connectors to the drive backplanes
- Two adapter form factors:
- Low-profile PCIe adapter with broad server compatibility
- Custom form-factor, designed to not consume a standard PCIe slot
- 12 Gbps SAS/SATA RAID controllers, based on the Adaptec SmartRAID 3152-8i and SmartRAID 3154-16i
- 2GB (8i) or 4GB (16i) of integrated flash-backed cache
- Connectivity for up to 8 (8i) or 16 (16i) internal SAS or SATA drives
- Support for intermixing SAS and SATA HDDs and SSDs. Mixing SAS and SATA drives in the same array is not supported. Mixing of HDDs and SSDs in the same array is not supported.
- Support for intermixing of 24 Gb/s, 12 Gb/s, and 6 Gb/s drives; 24 Gb/s drives operate at 12 Gb/s
- Standard support for RAID 0, 1, 10, 5, 50, 6, 60, RAID 1 Triple, and RAID 10 Triple
- Support for JBOD (non-RAID, called “raw” or “HBA mode” in Adaptec parlance) drive state
- Support for up to 64 arrays and 64 logical drives (virtual drives)
- Support for logical drive sizes greater than 2 TB.
- Configurable stripe size from 16 KB up to 1 MB
- Supports 512e, 512n and 4K sector formatted drives
- RAID ADM through triple mirroring, move array, and split mirroring
- Quick initialization
- Online capacity expansion
- Copyback hot spare
- Dynamic caching algorithm
- Native command queuing (NCQ)
- Background initialization
- Hot-plug drive support
- RAID level migration
- Hot spares—global, dedicated, and pooled
- Automatic/manual rebuild of hot spares
- S.M.A.R.T. support
- Dynamic sector repair
- Staggered drive spin-up
- Bootable array support
- Smart PQI driver with multiple queue and MSI-X support for all device drivers for all supported operating systems
- Secure boot support
The following table compares the specifications of the RAID 9350 adapters.
To compare these adapters to others in the ThinkSystem portfolio, see the ThinkSystem RAID Adapter and HBA Reference:
https://lenovopress.com/lp1288-thinksystem-raid-adapter-and-hba-reference
Features
Maximum Performance and Flexibility
Data center, Enterprise IT and general consumer server environments have a broad range of requirements—from basic connectivity to extreme data storage capacities. Effective data access and protection is crucial to their ultimate success. The 12 Gbps RAID 9350 Series adapters, coupled with 12 Gbps SSDs, provide maximum read/write bandwidth and IOPS as well as acceleration and latency optimization through caching for the most performance-hungry transactional and database applications.
maxCache 4.0 SSD Caching
maxCache accelerates HDD-based RAID arrays and logical drives, advancing the performance capabilities for a broader set of application workloads. RAID 9350 Series adapters support read- and write-back caching. By caching writes to a redundant SSD cache pool, maxCache 4.0 leverages the performance and latency capabilities of SSD technology for both read and write workloads. Read performance is also improved by caching frequently accessed data on the SSD tier with additional optimizations through the learned-path algorithm, which leverages the aggregate performance of all available storage devices.
Integrated Cache Protection
The RAID 9350 Series integrates flash-based cache backup to enable instant cache protection. The supercap capacitor module supports a five-year lifetime and is continuously monitored by the Smart firmware to make sure that the data can be safely backed up to the Flash memory on the RAID 9350 Series adapter in case of a power loss.
Consistency Check
Consistency check automatically checks your logical drives for bad or inconsistent data, and then fixes any problems. Enabling consistency check ensures that you can recover data if a drive fails. The scanning process checks physical drives in fault-tolerant logical drives for bad sectors. It also verifies the consistency of parity data, if applicable.
Advanced Data Protection and Ease of Use
Microchip's industry-leading Smart Storage stack delivers maximum reliability and best-in-class performance that all RAID levels come to expect, plus unique features like Mixed Mode support (RAID and HBA devices can be used simultaneously), adapter power management (reduces power consumption up to 30 percent), and Advanced Data Management (ADM) features that allow data migration from existing RAID arrays to new ones when upgrading old hard disks or worn-out SSDs. Adaptec maxView provides an HTML5 web interface that can be used in standard desktops and mobile browsers for all storage configuration and management needs. It supports local and remote management, and comes with plugins for major storage management software suites for enterprises and data centers.
Additional RAID levels
The adapters support additional RAID levels that offer enhanced redundancy and data protection.
- RAID 1 Triple is similar to RAID 1, but creates fault tolerance by maintaining redundant copies of data using three disk drives, rather than two. All three drives contain mirrored duplicated user data. If a drive fails, the remaining drives provide backup copies of the files and normal system operations are not interrupted.
- RAID 10 Triple is similar to RAID 10, but creates fault tolerance by maintaining redundant copies of data using at least six disk drives. Data is striped across two or more sets of RAID 1 (Triple) drives for rapid access. If a drive fails, the remaining drives provide backup copies of the files and normal system operations are not interrupted.
Support for Lenovo system management tools is listed in the following table.
* No capture of controller firmware log
Server support
The following tables list the ThinkSystem servers that are compatible.
- Supported in the SR645 and SR665 only with an EPYC 7003 "Milan" processor. Not supported with an EPYC 7002 "Rome" processor.
Note: The use of both an Intel E810 network adapter and an X350 HBA/RAID adapter (9350, 5350 and 4350) is supported, however E810 firmware CVL4.3 or later is required. For details, see Support Tip HT513226.
Operating system support
The following tables list the supported operating systems for the adapters:
1 For limitation, please refer Support Tip 103500
2 For limitation, please refer Support Tip 104278
1 HW is not supported with EPYC 7002 processors.
1 For limitation, please refer Support Tip 103500
2 For limitation, please refer Support Tip 104278
1 HW is not supported with EPYC 7002 processors.
1 For limitation, please refer Support Tip 103500
2 For limitation, please refer Support Tip 104278
3 The OS is not supported with EPYC 7003 processors.
1 For limitation, please refer Support Tip 103500
2 For limitation, please refer Support Tip 104278
3 For limitation, please refer Support Tip 104108
4 The OS is not supported with EPYC 7003 processors.
Warranty
The adapters carry a 1-year limited warranty. When installed in a supported ThinkSystem server, the adapter assumes the server’s base warranty and any warranty upgrades.
Physical specification
The PCIe low profile adapters have the following dimensions:
- Height: 64 mm (2.5 inches)
- Length: 167 mm (6.6 inches)
Operating environment
The adapters are supported in the following environment:
- Operating:
- Temperature: 0°C to 55°C (32°F to 131°F)
- Relative humidity: 20% to 80% (non-condensing)
- Altitude: Up to 3,000 meters
Agency approvals
The adapters have the following agency approvals:
- FCC Part 15 Class A
- Australia/New Zealand (AS/NZS 3548)
- Canada (ICES-003 Class B)
- Europe (EN55032/EN55024)
- Japan VCCI
- Korea KCC
- RoHS compliant
- EN/IEC/UL 60950
- USA (FCC 47 CFR part 15 Subpart B class B)
Related publications and links
For more information, see the following documents:
- Product publications:
- Server Option page for the adapters:
https://serveroption.lenovo.com/storage_adapter_options/thinksystem_4350_5350_9350_adapter_ic/ - Adaptec Smart HBA & RAID - Installation And User's Guide
https://download.adaptec.com/pdfs/user_guides/adaptec_smarthba_smartraid_iug_12_2024.pdf - Lenovo ThinkSystem product publications:
http://thinksystem.lenovofiles.com/help/index.jsp - ServerProven hardware compatibility:
http://www.lenovo.com/us/en/serverproven - Lenovo RAID Management Tools and Resources:
https://lenovopress.com/lp0579-lenovo-raid-management-tools-and-resources - Lenovo RAID Introduction
https://lenovopress.com/lp0578-lenovo-raid-introduction - Lenovo ThinkSystem RAID Adapter and HBA Reference
https://lenovopress.com/lp1288-thinksystem-raid-adapter-and-hba-reference
Trademarks
Lenovo and the Lenovo logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Lenovo in the United States, other countries, or both. A current list of Lenovo trademarks is available on the Web at https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/legal/copytrade/.
The following terms are trademarks of Lenovo in the United States, other countries, or both:
Lenovo®
ServerProven®
ThinkSystem®
XClarity®
The following terms are trademarks of other companies:
AMD is a trademark of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
Intel® and Xeon® are trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries.
Linux® is the trademark of Linus Torvalds in the U.S. and other countries.
Microsoft®, Windows Server®, and Windows® are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both.
Other company, product, or service names may be trademarks or service marks of others.
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Full Change History
Changes in the September 30, 2024 update:
- Added additional documentation links - Related publications and links section
Changes in the November 10, 2023 update:
- The adapter supports the intermixing of 24 Gb/s, 12 Gb/s, and 6 Gb/s drives; 24 Gb/s drives operate at 12 Gb/s - Technical specification section
Changes in the June 20, 2023 update:
- The adapters support up to 64 arrays and 64 logical drives - Technical specifications section
Changes in the May 23, 2023 update:
- The adapters now support SED drives - Technical specifications section
Changes in the April 3, 2023 update:
- Updated the links to the hardware and software user guides, and added a link to the maxView Storage Manager user guide - Related publications and links section
Changes in the August 23, 2022 update:
- The adapters support RAID 1 Triple and RAID 10 Triple - Technical specifications section and Features section
Changes in the June 10, 2022 update:
- Added the OS compatibility matrix for the following adapters - Operating system support section:
- ThinkSystem RAID 9350-16i 4GB Flash PCIe 12Gb Internal Adapter, 4Y37A72486
- ThinkSystem RAID 9350-8i 2GB Flash PCIe 12Gb Internal Adapter, 4Y37A72484
Changes in the May 24, 2022 update:
- New internal (CFF) adapters announced:
- ThinkSystem RAID 9350-16i 4GB Flash PCIe 12Gb Internal Adapter, 4Y37A72486
- ThinkSystem RAID 9350-8i 2GB Flash PCIe 12Gb Internal Adapter, 4Y37A72484
Changes in the April 13, 2022 update:
- The adapters are currently not supported in a server with Intel E810 Ethernet adapter - Server support section
Changes in the August 31, 2021 update:
- Added links to the Installation Guide and Software User's Guide - Related publications and links section
First published: August 17, 2021
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