38 IBM System x3850 X6 and x3950 X6 Planning and Implementation Guide2.6 Internal storageIn this section, we give an overview of different technologies used in the storage subsystem ofthe X6 servers family: 2.6.1, “Storage Book” on page 38 2.6.2, “IBM eXFlash memory-channel storage” on page 38 2.6.3, “IBM eXFlash SSD technology” on page 40 2.6.4, “IBM High IOPS adapters” on page 41 2.6.5, “IBM FlashCache Storage Accelerator” on page 422.6.1 Storage BookThe x3850 X6 and x3950 X6 servers support 1.8-inch solid-state drives (SSDs) in the IBMeXFlash SSD units and 2.5-inch SSDs and HDDs. The drives are installed in the StorageBook, as shown in Figure 2-27:Figure 2-27 The X6 Storage BookIn addition to the drive bays, a Storage Book contains two PCIe 3.0 x8 slots for internal RAIDcontrollers or HBAs.The X6 servers bring a new generation of SAS protocol, 12 Gb SAS. It doubles the datatransfer rate compared to 6 Gb SAS solutions to fully unlock the potential of the PCIe 3.0interface and to maximize performance for storage I/O-intensive applications, includingdatabases, business analytics, and virtualization and cloud environment.IBM 12 Gb SAS/SATA controllers provide performance benefits, even for the 6 Gbps SASdrive infrastructure, especially for solid-state drives (SSDs), by providing next generationcontroller performance features.2.6.2 IBM eXFlash memory-channel storageIBM eXFlash memory-channel storage is the newest innovative flash storage technology thatIBM introduces with new X6 family servers. The eXFlash memory-channel storage is a highperformance solid-state storage device that is produced in a standard DIMM form factor andplugs into an existing memory DIMM slot.Two PCIe 3.0 x8 slots for RAID-adapters Operator panel with LCD screenand USB portsHot-swap drives
