Different HBA for each SFF-8643 Port?

[semose]

Simple question that I wasn't easily able to find an answer on Google to: Can I use different HBAs for each SFF-8643 port on the backplane of, say, a 16 x 2.5" R730?

I can't see why not, but wanted to confirm before purchasing hardware.

 

[Dev_Mgr]

As you'd be connecting with a single cable to each port, you wouldn't increase bandwidth between the drives and the controllers/PCIe buses, but I would think it would work, though you'll probably need to try it to confirm.

On my T630 the 18-drive backplane (2 cables to a PERC H730), there's a port multiplier built into the backplane, so I'd expect one with your R730 as well.

 

[OBasel]

Only time you can't is if there's an expander backplane.

 

[semose]

Sounds like I should be good then. The R730 has up to two 8 x 2.5" front backplanes, each with two SAS ports.

I need a bunch of 3.5" drives, and less 2.5" drives, so I'm thinking two LSI 9207-4i4e cards. Each would go to one of the 2.5" backplane SAS ports as well as an MD1200 for a total of 24 x 3.5" HDDs and 8 x 2.5" SSDs per node, plus an H330 for RAID1 OS. If I ever need to, I can also grab an LSI 9207-4i and add 4 x 2.5" more SSDs.

This also allows me to balance the I/O load across both CPUs, though I doubt that will have a very meaningful effect.


If anyone knows how to get 24 x 3.5" and 8 x 2.5" hotswap bays in IT mode, plus 2 x 2.5" hotswap RAID1 or more in less than 6U, please let me know...