IBM Flex System Storage Expansion Node 68Y8588 User Manual

Product codes
68Y8588
Page of 11
IBM Flex System Storage Expansion Node
6
Figure 4. Flash-backed cache module, power module, and power cable
The  following license-only Features on Demand upgrades are available;
RAID 6 Upgrade (90Y4410)
Adds support for RAID 6 and RAID 60. This is a Feature on Demand license.
Performance Upgrade (90Y4412)
The Performance Upgrade for IBM Flex System (implemented using the LSI MegaRAID FastPath 
software) provides high performance I/O acceleration for SSD-based virtual drives by using an 
extremely low latency I/O path to increase the maximum I/O per second (IOPS) capability of the 
controller. This feature boosts the performance of applications with a highly random data storage 
access pattern, such as transactional databases. Part number 90Y4412 is a Feature on Demand 
license.
SSD Caching Enabler for traditional hard drives (90Y4447)
The SSD Caching Enabler for IBM Flex System (implemented using the LSI MegaRAID CacheCade 
Pro 2.0) is designed to accelerate the performance of hard disk drive (HDD) arrays with only an 
incremental investment in solid-state drive (SSD) technology. The feature enables the SSDs to be 
configured as a dedicated cache to help maximize the I/O performance for transaction-intensive 
applications, such as databases and web serving. The feature tracks data storage access patterns 
and identifies the most frequently accessed data. The hot data is then automatically stored on the 
SSDs that are assigned as a dedicated cache pool on the ServeRAID controller. Part number 
90Y4447 is a Feature on Demand license. This feature requires that at least one SSD drive is 
installed.
FoD upgrades are system -wide: The FoD upgrades are the same ones as used with the ServeRAD 
M5115 available for use internally in the x220 and x240 compute nodes. If you have an M5115 installed in 
the attached compute node and have installed any of these upgrades, the upgrades will automatically be 
activated on the LSI controller in the Storage Expansion Node. You do not need to purchase the FoD 
upgrades separately for the expansion node.
LED indicators
The Storage Expansion Node has a number of LEDs on the lower right front for identification and status 
purposes, as shown in Figure 5.