HP BladeSystem Deployment Guide for Solutions with 6Gb SAS BL Switches and External SAS Storage Enclosures

At startup time, the system negotiates the fastest available speed capable between all devices.
Currently, the available switch operates at a maximum of 6G. This means that the P731m will
default to operate at 6G.
• Storage interface (SAS/SATA)
◦ Eight 6 Gb SAS physical links distributed equally across 4 external 2x ports to support
up to four 6 Gb SAS Switches.
NOTE: If other devices are connected at 6G, this would cause the P731m to also
function at 6G.
◦ 6 Gb SAS technology delivers up to 600 MB/s theoretical bandwidth per physical lane.
◦ SATA technology delivers up to 600 MB/s theoretical bandwidth per physical lane for
directly attached SATA drives.
◦ Mix-and-match SAS and SATA drives to the same controller. Deploy drive technology as
needed to fit the computing environment.
◦ Support for SAS tape drives, SAS tape autoloaders and SAS tape libraries.
◦ Support for Smart Storage Administrator (SSA): www.hp.com/go/hpssa
◦ Support for HP Smart Cache: http://h18004.www1.hp.com/products/servers/
proliantstorage/arraycontrollers/smartcache/index.html
For more information
P712m Device website: http://www.hp.com/go/p712m
P711m Device website: http://www.hp.com/go/p711m
P721m Device website: http://www.hp.com/go/p721m
P731m Device website: http://www.hp.com/go/p731m
BladeSystem Technical Resources website: http://www.hp.com/go/bladesystem/documentation
Be sure to read the following documents, shipped with the controller card and BladeSystem
enclosure:
• HP BladeSystem c-Class Solution Overview Setup Poster—Overview of the complete installation
process of an HP BladeSystem c-Class solution.
For more detailed information about the Smart Array controllers, see the following documents,
available on HP websites:
• HP Smart Array Controllers for HP ProLiant Servers User Guide—Detailed information about
all Smart Array controllers, including specifications, installation, and configuration procedures.
Important tips
• In shared SAS solutions such as those using P2000 G3 SAS MSA external shared SAS storage,
all six models of SAS controller are supported (P711m with 1GB cache, P712m with 512MB
cache, P712m with 512MB cache, P721m/P731m with 512MB cache, or the P721m/P731m
with 2GB cache).
18 Device information