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PCIe* OCuLink Port Connections and NVMe* Drives Population Rules when Combined with SAS/SATA Drives

Content Type: Install & Setup   |   Article ID: 000027901   |   Last Reviewed: 08/06/2021
Description Resolution

Environment

Operating System

osindependent

Description

Will using Optical Copper (Cu) Links (OCuLink) in the 0 and 1 ports prevent detecting SAS/SATA drives in ports 2 and 3 of the SAS/NVMe Combo backplane F1U8X25S3PHS?

Resolution

There are basically two different scenarios that change the rules:

  1. Using the Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe*) Source #1 – Onboard PCIe OCuLinks:
    Non-Volatile Memory Express* (NVMe*) drive management routes connector pairs 0,1 and 2,3 and cannot mix NVMe with Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) or Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) drives within a pair.
    If NVMe drives are populated and OCuLinks enables in 0 and 1 connector pair only, ports 2,3,4,5,6,and 7 will remain SAS/SATA.
  2. Using the PCIe Source #2 – PCIe Switch Add-in Card:
    NVMe drive management routes Drive Connector Set 4,5,6,and 7 and mixing NVMe and SAS/SATA drives within the driver set is not supported.

These rules will apply only for Intel® Virtual RAID on CPU (Intel® VROC). Therefore, without VROC, NVMes can be connected to the server board as stand-alone drives in any enabled OCuLink without disabling any other SAS/SATA ports.

For more information, refer to the following reference examples:

 

Related Products

This article applies to 56 products.
Intel® Server Board S2600WFR Intel® Server Board S2600ST Intel® Server System R2208WFSZ Intel® Server Board S2600BPR Intel® Server System R2000WFR Family Intel® Server System R1000WFR Family

Discontinued Products

Intel® Server System R1208WFQYSR Intel® Server System R2308WFTZSR Intel® Server Board S2600BPQ Intel® Server Board S2600WFQR Intel® Server System R1304WFTYSR Intel® Server System R2208WFQZS Intel® Server Board S2600BPQR Intel® Server Board S2600STQ Intel® Server Board S2600STQR Intel® Server System R2312WFQZS Intel® Server System R2308WFTZS Intel® Server Board S2600WFTR Intel® Server System R1304WF0YS Intel® Server Board S2600BPB Intel® Server System R1208WFTYS Intel® Server Board S2600STS Intel® Server System R2208WF0ZSR Intel® Server System LWP2208ZR561603 Intel® Server System R2208WFQZSR Intel® Server System LWP2216ZR561205 Intel® Server System R2312WF0NP Intel® Server System R2208WFTZSR Intel® Server Board S2600STBR Intel® Server System LWP1304YR561601 Intel® Server System R2224WFTZSR Intel® Server System R2208WFDZS Intel® Server System LWP2216ZR561204 Intel® Server System ASB2208WFAFC1 Intel® Server Board S2600STB Intel® Server System R2312WF0NPR Intel® Server Board S2600WFT Intel® Server System R2224WFTZS Intel® Server System R2312WFTZSR Intel® Server System R2208WFSZS Intel® Server Board S2600WF0R Intel® Server System ASB2208WFAFP1 Intel® Server Board S2600STK Intel® Server Board S2600BPSR Intel® Server System R1304WFTYS Intel® Server System R1208WFTYSR Intel® Server System R2208WF0ZS Intel® Server Board S2600BPBR Intel® Server System R2208WFTZS Intel® Server System R2224WFQZS Intel® Server System R2312WFTZS Intel® Server System R1304WF0YSR Intel® Server Board S2600WF0 Intel® Server Board S2600BPS Intel® Server System LWP2208ZR581202 Intel® Server Board S2600WFQ

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