SAS cabling for the 5887 disk drive enclosure

Learn about the different serial-attached SCSI (SAS) cabling configurations available for the 5887 disk drive enclosure.

SAS adapter (FC 5901 or FC 5278) to the 5887

There are seven supported configurations to connect the FC 5901 or FC 5278 adapters to a 5887.

Notes:
  1. No solid-state drives (SSDs) supported with the FC 5901 or FC 5278 adapters.
  2. No cascading of 5887 enclosures.
  3. No support for IBM® i.
  4. The long end (0.5 m) of the YO cable must be connected to the left side of the enclosure (as viewed from the rear). The short end (0.25 m) of the YO cable must be connected to the right side of the enclosure (as viewed from the rear).

The following list describes the supported configurations for connecting the FC 5901 or FC 5278 adapter to a 5887:

  1. Single FC 5901 or FC 5278 adapter to one 5887 enclosure via a mode 1 connection.
    • 5887 enclosure with one set of 24 hard disk drives (HDDs).
    • Connection using SAS YO cables to connect to the 5887 enclosure.
    • Supported only on AIX® and Linux systems.
    Figure 1. Mode 1 connection of a 5887 enclosure by using a YO cable to a single SAS adapter
    Mode 1 connection of a 5887 enclosure by using a YO cable to a single SAS adapter
  2. Single FC 5901 or FC 5278 adapter to two 5887 enclosures via a mode 1 connection.
    • 5887 enclosures with two sets of 24 hard disk drives (HDDs).
    • Connection using SAS YO cables to connect to the 5887 enclosures.
    • Supported only on AIX and Linux systems.
  3. Dual FC 5901 or FC 5278 adapters to one 5887 enclosure via a mode 1 connection.
    • 5887 enclosure with one set of 24 hard disk drives (HDDs).
    • Connection using dual SAS YO cables to connect to the 5887 enclosure.
    • Supported only on AIX and Linux systems.
    Figure 2. Mode 1 connection of a 5887 enclosure by using YO cables to dual SAS adapters
    Mode 1 connection of a 5887 enclosures by using YO cables to dual SAS adapters
  4. Dual FC 5901 or FC 5278 adapters to two 5887 enclosures via a mode 1 connection.
    • 5887 enclosures with two sets of 24 hard disk drives (HDDs).
    • Connection using dual SAS YO cables to connect to the 5887 enclosure.
    • Supported only on AIX and Linux systems.
  5. Two single FC 5901 or FC 5278 adapters to one 5887 enclosure via a mode 2 connection.
    • 5887 enclosure with two sets of 12 hard disk drives (HDDs).
    • Connection using two SAS YO cables to connect to the 5887 enclosure.
    • Each pair of FC 5901 adapters controls half of the 5887 enclosure.
    • Supported only on AIX and Linux systems.
    Figure 3. Mode 2 connection of a 5887 enclosure by using YO cables to two single SAS adapters
    Mode 2 connection of a 5887 enclosure by using YO cables to two single SAS adapters
  6. Two pairs of dual FC 5901 or FC 5278 adapters to one 5887 enclosure via a mode 2 connection.
    • 5887 enclosure with two sets of 12 hard disk drives (HDDs).
    • Connection using dual SAS X cables to connect to the 5887 enclosure.
    • Each pair of FC 5901 adapters controls half of the 5887 enclosure.
    • Supported only on AIX and Linux systems.
    Figure 4. Mode 2 connection of a 5887 enclosure by using X cables to two pairs of SAS adapters
    Mode 2 connection of a 5887 enclosure by using X cables to two pairs of SAS adapters
  7. Four single FC 5901 or FC 5278 adapters to one 5887 enclosure via a mode 4 connection.
    • 5887 enclosure with four sets of six hard disk drives (HDDs).
    • Connection using dual SAS X cables to connect to the 5887 enclosure.
    • Supported only on AIX and Linux systems.
    Figure 5. Mode 4 connection of a 5887 enclosure by using X cables to four single SAS adapters
    Mode 4 connection of a 5887 enclosure by using X cables to four single SAS adapters
Note: You must match the drive slots that you are using to the connector on the 5887 enclosure, and then to the correct leg of the X cable. For details, see 5887 disk drive enclosure.

SAS adapter (FC 5805 and FC 5903) to the 5887

There are three supported configurations to connect the FC 5805 or FC 5903 adapters to a 5887.

Notes:
  1. Maximum of eight SSDs in single enclosure configurations.
  2. No cascading of 5887 enclosures.
  3. IBM i only supports mode 1 connections.
  4. The long end (0.5 m) of the YO cable must be connected to the left side of the enclosure (as viewed from the rear). The short end (0.25 m) of the YO cable must be connected to the right side of the enclosure (as viewed from the rear).

The following list describes the supported configurations:

  1. Dual FC 5805 or FC 5903 adapters to one 5887 enclosure via a mode 1 connection.
    • 5887 enclosure with 1 - 24 HDDs or 1 - 8 SSDs.
    • Connection using dual SAS YO cables to connect to the 5887 enclosure.
    Figure 6. Mode 1 connection of a 5887 enclosure by using YO cables to dual SAS adapters
    Mode 1 connection of a 5887 enclosures by using YO cables to dual SAS adapters
  2. Dual FC 5805 or FC 5903 adapters to two 5887 enclosures via a mode 1 connection.
    • 5887 enclosures with HDDs only.
    • Connection using dual SAS YO cables to connect to the 5887 enclosures.
  3. Two pairs of FC 5805 or FC 5903 adapters to one 5887 enclosure via a mode 2 connection.
    • 5887 enclosure with 1 - 12 HDDs or 1 - 8 SSDs.
    • Connection using dual SAS X cables to connect to the 5887 enclosure.
    • Supported only on AIX and Linux systems. No support for IBM i.
    Figure 7. Two pairs of FC 5805 or FC 5903 adapters to one 5887 enclosure via a mode 2 connection
    Two pairs of FC 5805 or FC 5903 adapters to one 5887 enclosure via a mode 2 connection

SAS adapter (FC 5913 and FC ESA3) to the 5887

There are four supported configurations to connect the FC 5913 and FC ESA3 adapter to a 5887.

Notes:
  1. Maximum of 24 SSDs for a pair of FC 5913s or FC ESA3s.
  2. Allowed to have 24 SSDs in a single enclosure or split between two enclosures.
  3. No cascading of 5887 enclosures.
  4. In mode 2, the 5887 appears as two logical enclosures.
  5. The long end (0.5 m) of the YO cable must be connected to the left side of the enclosure (as viewed from the rear). The short end (0.25 m) of the YO cable must be connected to the right side of the enclosure (as viewed from the rear).
  6. Dual initiator configurations require an AA cable to connect the top port (T3) of each adapter in the pair with each other, except for configurations with three 5887 enclosures.

The following list describes the supported configurations:

  1. Dual FC 5913 or FC ESA3 adapters to one 5887 enclosure via a mode 1 connection.
    • 5887 enclosures with 1 - 24 HDDs or SSDs.
    • Connection using SAS 6x YO cables to connect to the 5887 enclosure (both cables must be attached to the same port on each adapter).
    • SAS 6x AA cable is required for connecting the pair of FC 5913 or FC ESA3 adapters.
  2. Dual FC 5913 or FC ESA3 adapters to two 5887 enclosures via a mode 1 connection.
    • 5887 enclosures with either a maximum of 48 HDDs or 24 SSDs only (cannot have a mix of HDDs and SSDs in the same enclosure).
    • Connection using SAS 6x YO cables to connect to the 5887 enclosures.
    • SAS 6x AA cable is required for connecting the pair of FC 5913 or FC ESA3 adapters.
  3. Dual FC 5913 or FC ESA3 adapters to three 5887 enclosures via a mode 1 connection.
    • 5887 enclosures with either a maximum of 72 HDDs or 24 SSDs only (cannot have a mix of HDDs and SSDs in the same enclosure).
    • Connection using SAS 6x YO cables to connect to the 5887 enclosures.
  4. Two pairs of FC 5913 or FC ESA3 adapters to one 5887 enclosure via a split connection.
    • 1 - 12 SSDs or 1 - 12 HDDs per FC 5913 or FC ESA3 pair.
    • Connection using SAS 6x X cables to connect to the 5887 enclosure (both cables must be attached to the same port on each adapter).
    • SAS 6x AA cable is required for connecting each pair of FC 5913 or FC ESA3 adapters.
    • Supported only on AIX and Linux systems.
    • No IBM i support.
    • POWER7® only support.

SAS adapters with high density (HD) connectors

Learn about the various configurations available using HD connectors.

  1. Two PCIe2 SAS adapters with HD connectors to one 5887 enclosure via a mode 1 connection.
    • No cascading allowed.
    • HD AA cable is required.
    Figure 8. Mode 1 connection of a 5887 enclosure to two PCIe2 SAS adapters with HD connectors
    Mode 1 connection of a 5887 enclosure to two PCIe2 SAS adapters with HD connectors
  2. Two PCIe2 SAS adapters with HD connectors to two 5887 enclosures via a mode 1 connection.
    • No cascading allowed.
    • HD AA cable is required.
    Figure 9. Mode 1 connection of two 5887 enclosures by using HD connectors to two PCIe2 SAS adapters
    Mode 1 connection of two 5887 enclosures by using HD connectors to two PCIe2 SAS adapters
  3. Two PCIe2 SAS adapters with HD connectors to three 5887 enclosures via a mode 1 connection.
    • No cascading allowed.
    Figure 10. Mode 1 connection of three 5887 enclosures to two PCIe2 SAS adapters with HD connectors
    Mode 1 connection of three5887 enclosures to two PCIe2 SAS adapters with HD connectors
  4. Two pairs of PCIe2 SAS adapters with HD connectors to one 5887 enclosure via a mode 2 connection.
    • No cascading allowed.
    • HD AA cable is required.
    Figure 11. Mode 2 connection of a 5887 enclosure by using HD connectors to two pairs of PCIe2 SAS adapters
    Mode 2 connection of a 5887 enclosure by using HD connectors to two pairs of PCIe2 SAS adapters
  5. Two PCIe3 SAS adapters with HD narrow connectors to one 5887 enclosure via a mode 1 connection.
    • No cascading allowed.
    • Two HD AA narrow cables are required.
    Figure 12. Mode 1 connection of a 5887 enclosure to two PCIe3 SAS adapters with HD narrow connectors.
    Mode 1 connection of a 5887 enclosure to two PCIe3 SAS adapters with HD narrow connectors.
  6. Two PCIe3 SAS adapters with HD narrow connectors to two 5887 enclosures via a mode 1 connection.
    • No cascading allowed.
    • Two HD AA narrow cables are required.
    Figure 13. Mode 1 connection of two 5887 enclosures to two PCIe3 SAS adapters with HD narrow connectors.
    Mode 1 connection of two 5887 enclosures to two PCIe3 SAS adapters with HD narrow connectors.
  7. Two PCIe3 SAS adapters with HD narrow connectors to three 5887 enclosures via a mode 1 connection.
    • No cascading allowed.
    • One HD AA narrow cable is required.
    Figure 14. Mode 1 connection of three 5887 enclosures to two PCIe3 SAS adapters with HD narrow connectors.
    Mode 1 connection of three 5887 enclosures to two PCIe3 SAS adapters with HD narrow connectors.
  8. Two PCIe3 SAS adapters with HD narrow connectors to four 5887 enclosures via a mode 1 connection.
    • No cascading allowed.
    Figure 15. Mode 1 connection of four 5887 enclosures to two PCIe3 SAS adapters with HD narrow connectors.
    Mode 1 connection of four 5887 enclosures to two PCIe3 SAS adapters with HD narrow connectors.
  9. Two pairs of PCIe3 SAS adapters with HD narrow connectors to one 5887 enclosure via a mode 2 connection.
    • No cascading allowed.
    • Two HD AA narrow cables are required on each pair of adapters.
    Figure 16. Mode 2 connection of a 5887 enclosure to two pairs of PCIe3 SAS adapters with HD narrow connectors.
    Mode 2 connection of a 5887 enclosure to two pairs of PCIe3 SAS adapters with HD narrow connectors.
  10. Four single FC EJ0J or FC EJ0M adapters to one 5887 enclosure via a mode 4 connection.
    • 5887 enclosure with four sets of six disk drives (HDDs or SSDs).
    • Connection using two HD SAS X narrow connector cables to connect to the 5887 enclosure.
    • Supported only on AIX and Linux systems.
    Note: See Figure 17 for examples of the following types of connections:
    • The cable that plugs into independent SAS adapter 1 (C) contains a label with the P1 identifier. This adapter does not have access to any other independent adapter and has access only to drive bays D1 - D6.
    • The cable that plugs into independent SAS adapter 2 (D) contains a label with the P2 identifier. This adapter does not have access to any other independent adapter and has access only to drive bays D7 - D12.
    • The cable that plugs into independent SAS adapter 3 (E) contains a label with the P1 identifier. This adapter does not have access to any other independent adapter and has access only to drive bays D13 - D18.
    • The cable that plugs into independent SAS adapter 4 (F) contains a label with the P2 identifier. This adapter does not have access to any other independent adapter and has access only to drive bays D19 - D24.
    Figure 17. Mode 4 connection of a 5887 enclosure by using X cables to four single PCIe3 SAS adapters with HD narrow connectors.
    Mode 4 connection of a 5887 enclosure by using X cables to four single PCIe3 SAS adapters with HD narrow connectors.
Parent topic: Planning for serial-attached SCSI cables
Parent topic: Planning for serial-attached SCSI cables
Parent topic: Planning for serial-attached SCSI cables


Last updated: Tue, February 02, 2021