PCIe3 3.2 TB NVMe Flash Adapter (FC EC56 and EC57; CCIN 58CC)
Learn about the specifications and operating system requirements for feature code (FC) EC56 and EC57 adapters.
Overview
FC EC56 and EC57 are both the same adapter with different feature codes. FC EC56 is a low-profile adapter and FC EC57 is a full-height adapter. See FC EC54 and EC55 for an adapter with less capacity.
The PCIe3 3.2 TB NVMe Flash Adapter is a PCI Express (PCIe)
generation 3 (Gen3) x4 adapter. The adapter can be used in either a x8 or x16 PCIe Gen3 slot in the
system and uses Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe). NVMe is a high performance software interface
that can read/write flash memory. Compared to a SAS or SATA SSD, the NVMe Flash adapter provides
more read/write input/output operations per second (IOPS) and larger throughput (GB/sec). The NVMe
Flash Adapter is read intensive and is not designed for high write intensive workloads. At about
17,000 to 35,000 TB of writes to the adapter, it will be at its maximum projected write capability.
The nature of the workload has a great impact on the maximum write capacity. If a high percentage of
more sequentially oriented writes is used instead of random writes, the maximum write capacity will
be closer to the larger value in the range. In the case of a high percentage of random writes, the
maximum will be closer to the smaller value in the range. Writes past the adapter's maximum write
capacity will continue to work for some period of time, but much more slowly. A Predictive Failure
Analysis message will indicate that it is time to replace the adapter if enabled by the system
administrator. After the warranty period, if the maximum write capability is achieved, the adapter's
replacement is not covered under IBM® maintenance. This adapter
has protection against single Flash channel failures. To prevent the entire adapter from failing,
software RAID should be used. For high value applications where the content in the adapter must be
protected, additional NVMe Flash adapters with OS mirroring or software Redundant Array of
Independent Disks (RAID) are recommended. This adapter is not supported in the PCIe Gen3 I/O drawer.
For a graphic of the full-height adapter, see Figure 1.
Important: Before removing a NVMe Flash adapter, ensure that all data on
the adapter or on the array that contains the adapter is backed up. Restore the data after the
adapter is replaced.
Figure 1. PCIe3 3.2 TB Full-height NVMe Flash Adapter (Full-height)
Important: The micro USB connector visible through the adapter tailstock has no function
and cannot be used. Do not insert a cable of any kind into this port.
Specifications
- Item
- Description
- Adapter FRU number
- 00MH993 (Designed to comply with RoHS requirement)
- I/O bus architecture
- PCIe3 x4
- Slot requirement
- One PCIe x8 or x16 slot per adapter
- Supported Systems
- POWER8® processor-based system
- 8246-41A, 8246-42A, 8284-21A, 8284-22A, 8247-42L, 8247-21L, and 8247-22L
- 9119-MHE and 9119-MME
- 8335-GCA
- Voltage
- 12 V
- Form factor
- Short, low-profile (FC EC56)
- Short, with full-height tailstock (FC EC57)
- Maximum number
- For details about the maximum number of adapters that are supported, see PCIe adapter placement rules and slot priorities and select the system you are working on.
- Attributes provided
- 3.2 TB of low latency flash memory
- Non-Volatile Write Buffer
- Hot Plug Capable
NVMe Flash adapter maximum write capability
Determine whether the NVMe Flash adapter maximum write capability is depleted by completing the
following steps:
- Type the following command at the Linux command line and press Enter: nvme smart-log /dev/nvmeX, where nvmeX is the resource name of the NVMe Flash adapter
- If the critical_warning field is 1 (bit 0 is set) and the percentage_used field is 90% or greater, replace the NVMe Flash adapter.
Note: The replacement of depleted NVMe Flash adapters is covered during the system warranty
period. After the warranty period has expired, the cost that is incurred for the replacement of
depleted NVMe Flash adapters is not covered under maintenance contracts, and is the responsibility
of the customer.
Service tools for Linux on Power servers
To obtain the utility to update firmware, format storage, and complete other service tasks,
complete the following steps:
- Go to Service and productivity tools and follow the instructions to download service tools.
- Install the NVMe management command line interface (CLI).
- For Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), type yum install nvme-cli.
- For SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES), type zypper install nvme-cli.
- For more information about using the NVMe CLI, see the README file.
Unsupported Feature: Subsystem-Reset
The PCIe3 3.2 TB NVMe Flash Adapter does not support the Subsystem-Reset feature even though it appears as an available capability. This error is due to a card firmware limitation. Selecting the Subsystem-Reset can lead to command timeouts and must be avoided.
Operating system or partition requirements
If you are installing a new feature, ensure that you have the software that is required to support the new feature and that you determine whether any prerequisites must be met for this feature and attaching devices. To check for the prerequisites, see IBM Prerequisite website.
The adapter is supported on the following versions of the operating systems:
- Linux
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.2, big-endian (PowerVM), or later
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.2, little-endian, or later
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.8 or later
- SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12, Service Pack 2, or later
- SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11, Service Pack 4, or later
- Ubuntu Server 16.04, or later
- For support details, see the Linux Alert website.
- The latest version of the device driver or iprutils can be downloaded from the IBM Service and Productivity Tools website.
Parent topic: PCIe adapters
