IBM High IOPS SSD PCIe Adapters

The IBM High IOPS SSD PCIe Adapters provide a new generation of ultra-high-performance storage based on solid state device technology for System x and BladeCenter. These adapters are alternatives to disk drives and are available in two sizes, 160 GB and 320 GB. Designed for high-performance servers and computing appliances, these adapters deliver throughput of up to 100,000 I/O operations per second (IOPS), while providing the added benefits of lower power, cooling, and management overhead, and a smaller storage footprint.

The IBM 320GB High IOPS SSD PCIe Adapter is shown in Figure 1.


Figure 1. The IBM 320GB High IOPS SS and MS Class SSD PCIe Adapter

Did You Know?

These adapters use flash memory as the storage medium, contain no moving parts, and do not have the issues associated with vibration, noise, and mechanical failure. The adapters are built as block devices on a PCIe bus with advanced wear-leveling, advanced ECC, and N+1 chip-level redundancy, providing unparalleled reliability and efficiency.


Part number information

Table 1 lists the ordering part numbers and feature codes.

Table 1. Ordering part numbers and feature codes

Description	Part number	Feature code
IBM 160GB High IOPS SS Class SSD PCIe Adapter	46M0877	0096
IBM 320GB High IOPS MS Class SSD PCIe Adapter	46M0898	1649

The part numbers for the 160 GB and 320 GB PCIe adapters include the following items:

• One PCIe adapter
• 2U bracket
• Quick install guide
• Documentation on a USB key
• Safety flyer

Features

The IBM High IOPS SSD PCIe Adapters have the following features:

Performance features:

• High performance - 230 times better IOPS. That means, for example, 97,014 IOPS at 4K block random reads versus 420 IOPS for a 15K RPM 146GB disk drive.
• Low latency of 50 μs - 1% of the latency of a 15K RPM 146GB disk drive.
• 600 MB/s random writes sustained.

Reliability features:

• Predictable lifetime.
• Up to 25 years of data retention.
• N+1 redundancy built-in to ensure data protection.
• 11-bit ECC protection.
• Advance bad-block management algorithms enable taking blocks out of service when their failure rate becomes unacceptable.
• IBM High IOPS Launch Manager management suite.

Energy efficiency features:

• Low power consumption for performance: 9W delivering 100,000 IOPS versus 5.5W for 420 IOPS from a 15K RPM 146GB disk drive.
• Only 57 kWh/yr at 100,000 IOPS sustained.

Specifications

The IBM High IOPS SSD PCIe Adapters have the following specifications:

• 160 GB or 320 GB storage capacity
• Functions as a PCIe storage and controller device
• PCI Express low-profile MD2 (2U) form factor
• PCI Express 1.1 x4 host interface
• Power dissipation: 6 W (nominal), 9W (maximum)

Physical specifications

• Height: 1.6 cm (0.625 in)
• Width: 7.0 cm (2.75 in)
• Depth: 16.8 cm (6.625 in)
• Weight: 138 g (0.305 lb)

Operating environment

The adapters are supported in this environment:

• Temperature:
  • 10° to 35°C (50° to 95°F) at 0 to 914 m (0 to 3,000 ft)
  • 10° to 32°C (50° to 32°F) at 914 to 2,133 m (3,000 to 7,000 ft)
• Relative humidity:
  • 8% to 80% (non-condensing)

Warranty

The IBM High IOPS SSD PCIe Adapters have a three-year limited warranty.


Supported servers

The IBM High IOPS SSD PCIe Adapters are supported in the IBM System x servers listed in Table 2.

Table 2. Supported servers

Adapter

IBM 160GB High IOPS SSD PCIe

N

N

N

N

N

N

N

N

N

N

N

N

N

Y

N

N

Y

Y

Y*

IBM 320GB High IOPS SSD PCIe

N

N

N

N

N

N

N

N

N

N

N

N

N

Y

N

N

Y

Y

Y*

* With the addition of the IBM BladeCenter PCI Express I/O Expansion Unit, part number 43W4391

See IBM ServerProven for the latest information on the adapters supported by each System x server type: http://ibm.com/servers/eserver/serverproven/compat/us/.


Supported operating systems

The IBM High IOPS SSD PCIe Adapters support the following operating systems:

• Microsoft Windows Server 2003/2003 R2, Datacenter x64 Edition
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003/2003 R2, Enterprise x64 Edition
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003/2003 R2, Standard x64 Edition
• Microsoft Windows Storage Server 2003/2003 R2, Enterprise Edition x64
• Microsoft Windows Storage Server 2003/2003 R2, Standard Edition x64
• Microsoft Windows Storage Server 2003/2003 R2, Workgroup Edition x64
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Datacenter x64 Edition
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Enterprise x64 Edition
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Standard x64 Edition
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Web x64 Edition
• SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 10 for AMD64/EM64T
• SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 10 with Xen for AMD64/EM64T
• SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 11 for AMD64/EM64T
• SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 11 with Xen for AMD64/EM64T
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 AS for AMD64/EM64T
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Server x64 Edition
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Server with Xen x64 Edition

Related publications

For more information refer to these documents:

• IBM High IOPS SSD PCIe Adapters User Guide for Windows
  http://www.ibm.com/support
• IBM High IOPS SSD PCIe Adapters User Guide for Linux
  http://www.ibm.com/support
• IBM High IOPS Manager Application
  http://www.ibm.com/support
• IBM 160GB and 320GB High IOPS SS and MS Class SSD PCIe Adapters product page
  http://www-03.ibm.com/systems/storage/disk/ssd/ssd_adapters.html
• IBM 160GB and 320GB High IOPS SS and MS Class SSD PCIe Adapters data sheet
  ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/common/ssi/pm/sp/n/xsd03042usen/XSD03042USEN.PDF
• IBM US Announcement Letter for the IBM 160GB and 320GB High IOPS SS and MS Class SSD PCIe Adapters
  http://ibm.com/common/ssi/cgi-bin/ssialias?infotype=dd&subtype=ca&&htmlfid=897/ENUS109-396
• IBM System x Configuration and Options Guide
  http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=psg1SCOD-3ZVQ5W