Supported PCIe Cards

This section includes information about the PCIe cards that are supported on the Sun Server X2-4. It includes the following information:

• Quantity and Slot Restrictions

• Minimum Firmware Revisions

• Card Placement and Cooling

• ESM Replacement Interval

• Internal Sun Storage 6 Gb SAS PCIe RAID HBA Requirements

• Sun Storage 10 GbE FCoE PCIe CNA and OS Support

Quantity and Slot Restrictions

The following table lists the quantity and slot restrictions for PCIe cards supported on the Sun Server X2-4. The Maximum Quantity Supported column indicates the number of cards tested and supported by Oracle.

Table 1 PCIe Card Quantity and Slot Restrictions

Minimum Firmware Revisions

The following table lists minimum firmware revisions for PCIe cards.

Table 2 PCIe Card Minimum Firmware Revisions

The Sun Server X2-4 now supports dual-rank and quad-rank 16 GB DIMMs. However, mixing dual-rank DIMMs with quad-rank DIMMs in the same memory riser degrades performance.

• Dual-rank DIMMs (marked 2Rx4) do not include heat spreaders.

• Quad-rank DIMMs are marked 4Rx4 and include heat spreaders. DIMMs with heat spreaders have two U-shaped metal clips on the top of the DIMM.

Sun Flash Accelerator F20 PCIe Card Requirements

Review the following sections that describe the Sun Flash Accelerator F20 PCIe card requirements:

• Card Placement and Cooling

• ESM Replacement Interval

Card Placement and Cooling

If you are using the Sun Flash Accelerator F20 PCIe card, your configuration must meet the following requirements for proper installation and cooling:

1. Do not connect devices to the internal SAS/SATA ports of the Sun Flash Accelerator F20 PCIe card. The Sun Server X2-4 does not support using this card as an internal Host Bus Adapter (HBA).

2. The HBA can be installed only in PCIe slots 9, 4, 8, 7, or 6, in that order of preference (slot 9 is the best slot to use for this HBA and slot 6 is acceptable but is the least desirable slot to use).

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   Note - If you are using a Sun Storage 6 Gb SAS PCIe RAID HBA, that HBA must be installed in slot 4; therefore, slot 4 will not be available for the Sun Flash Accelerator F20 PCIe card.

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3. If you are using the Sun Flash Accelerator F20 PCIe card, you must use the Oracle Integrated Lights Out Manager (ILOM) available with software version 1.1 or later.

4. If your server is running Oracle Integrated Lights Out Manager (ILOM) 3.0 or earlier release, you must enable the Enhanced PCIe Cooling Mode Policy. Refer to the Oracle Integrated Lights Out Manager (ILOM) 3.0 Supplement for Sun Server X2-4 for information about the Enhanced PCIe Cooling Mode Policy.

5. With this HBA installed only in slots 9 and/or 4, the ambient temperature requirement for the server remains as follows:

   • Operating temperature: 5 ^°C to 35 ^°C (41 ^°F to 95 ^°F)

   • Nonoperating temperature: -40 ^°C to 70 ^°C (-40 ^°F to 158 ^°F)

6. With this HBA installed in slot 8, slot 7, or slot 6, the ambient temperature requirement for the server is modified to the following:

   • Operating temperature: 5 ^°C to 32 ^°C (41 ^°F to 89.6 ^°F)

ESM Replacement Interval

The Sun Flash Accelerator F20 PCIe card contains a component called the energy storage module (ESM) that functions similarly to a battery backup. The ESM plays a critical role protecting data during power outages and enabling optimal card performance. When the ESM is online and functioning properly, the card operates in write-back mode (providing optimal performance). When the ESM is not functioning properly, the card functions in write-through mode. While data is secure in write-through mode, performance is dramatically decreased.

Based on the expected life of the ESM, and to maintain optimal card performance, replace the ESM every three years. If the ESM is not replaced at the recommended service interval, the level of stored energy degrades over time. If there is not enough stored energy to complete a write operation during a power failure, any data stored on the card is at risk of being lost.

Internal Sun Storage 6 Gb SAS PCIe RAID HBA Requirements

If you are using the internal Sun Storage 6 Gb SAS PCIe RAID Host Bus Adapter (HBA) (SGX-SAS6-R-INT-Z or SG-SAS6-R-INT-Z), your configuration must meet the following requirements for proper battery cooling:

1. The HBA must be installed in PCIe slot 4. In slot 4, the battery on the HBA faces an area with greater airflow, which is required for proper battery cooling. Do not move the HBA to slot 2 to allow slot 3 to operate in x16 mode.

2. With this HBA installed, the ambient temperature requirement for the server is as follows:

   • Operating temperature: 5 ^°C to 32 ^°C (41 ^°F to 89.6 ^°F)

Sun Storage 10 GbE FCoE PCIe CNA and OS Support

The Windows operating system (OS) is not supported with the Sun Storage 10 GbE FCoE PCIe Twin-Ax/SR Converged Network Adapter (SG-PCIEFCOE2-Q-TA or SG-XPCIEFCOE2-Q-TA; or SG-PCIEFCOE2-Q-SR or SG-XPCIEFCOE2-Q-SR). Refer to Windows Known Issues for more information about this known issue.