Looking for the correct (Intel branded) drive cage to match Supermicro AOC-SLG3-4E2P

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ullbeking

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Jul 28, 2017
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Hello all!

There has been a LOT of discussion about this particular issue during the last year of so.

The issue...

The Supermicro AOC-SLG3-4E2P x8 PCI-e card, with quad port OCuLink and PLX switch, is a wonderful HBA in theory, enabling access to NVMe storage devices.

Coincidentally the IcyDock ToughArmor MB699VP-B drive cage came on the market roughly around the same time as this HBA. At first they seemed like a perfect match...

The MB699VP-B's specifications seemed perfect:
  • 4x 2.5" bays for NVMe drives;
  • occupyies one 5.25" bay on the main chassis;
  • the backplane provides mini-SAS HD (SFF-8643) connectors (which could join to OCuLink ports at the other end, on the Supermicro HBA);
  • the backplane supports hot swapping for the SSD's.
Unfortunately connecting the IcyDock drive cage to the Supermicro HBA resulted in no action, nothing. Some time later, the following message appeared on the official product webpage, "Note: There is a known issue regarding compatibility with Oculink connection. Please refer to FAQ."

Potential solutions...

This issue has been discussed many times in the STH forums. The generally accepted answers were either:
  • Find an appropriate Intel drive cage and attach it to the Supermicro HBA with Supermicro OCuLink to mini-SAS HD (SFF-8643) cables. These drive cages take 2x 5.25" drive bays on the chassis and provide 8 2.5" SFF drive bays with a hotplug backplane.
  • Find an Intel drive cage and an Intel HBA in PCI-e card form factor. Use this kit and repurpose the Supermicro AOC-SLG3-4E2P.
  • Wait for version 2 of the IcyDock ToughArmor MB699VP-B drive cage. Email communications with IcyDock indicated they were sincere about taking care of their affected customers. But I do not want to wait indefinitely. So I got a refund on the IcyDock drive cage and will explore the above two options.
Model numbers of compatible Intel drive cages needed...

Does anybody know what is the model/s of the Intel drive cage/s that matche/s the Supermicro AOC-SLG3-4E2P HBA? I'd rather keep the SM AOC-SLG3-4E2P if I can. Here is the list of all Intel options: Drive Bay Options Product Specifications . I feel like I'm searching for a needle among a very large haystack.

Could somebody please help me with the model number/s of the Intel hardware I need?

I'm prepared to use 2x 5.25" drive bays of my Supermicro CSE-747 chassis. I will end up with 4 spare 2.5" bays, but that may be very useful in future. It's the only solution now anyway. Thanks all!!
 

nthu9280

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I was looking for these too. Haven’t proven my theory yet. I believe the backplanes for the Intel 8 x 2.5 drive cages are interchangeable. I’ll update this post once I’m on my desktop. There is a thread here in DIY forum with HP Z workstation.

NVME Backplane - I'm thinking this is compatible with most drive cages. Has 2 x 8643 & 8x Oculink connectors. I was able to grab one for a decent price from KalleyOMalley. Haven't had a chance to test my hypothesis and don't have NVME drives either.

Intel 2U 8x2.5in Sas/NVME HOT Swap Backplane F2U8X25S3PHS

2U assembly with the above backplane. This will fit the 2x 5.25 bays but need to secure it since the holes don't lineup with 5.25 drive bays.
2U Hot-swap 8x2.5inch SAS/NVMe Combo Drive Bay Kit A2U8X25S3PHS Product Specifications

8x SAS/SATA or 4x NVME + 4x SAS/SATA
2U Hot-swap Drive Cage Upgrade Kit with 4x NVMe SSD Support A2U44X25NVMEDK Product Specifications

I believe this is the older model, prior to Oculink connector backplane.
8x2.5 inch Hot Swap SAS/NVMe COMBO Drive Bay Kit AUP8X25S3NVDK Product Specifications

IIRC, the following is only compatible with P4000 (M/L) chassis in the bottom drive cage area. 8 x 3.5 or 16 x 2.5 ( 2 x 8 bay kits)
Hot-swap Backplane PCIe Combination Drive Cage Kit for P4000 Server Chassis FUP8X25S3NVDK (2.5in NVMe SSD) Product Specifications

@ullbeking I'll grab some pics of the different assemblies I have and update the thread. Hopefully that will help. Intel docs/specs SUCK!!!
 
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ullbeking

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I was looking for these too. Haven’t proven my theory yet. I believe the backplanes for the Intel 8 x 2.5 drive cages are interchangeable.
Thank you for the reply @nthu9280 !

It is difficult to determine which Intel disk cage hardware can function on its own, i.e., it can interface with the Supermicro AOC-SLG3-4E2P, and which Intel disk cage hardware kits function only when the kit is installed as a whole.

I have read the Ark page that lists all the Intel disk cages and kits. It is confusing to me. Maybe somebody more familiar with this hardware can make sense of the Intel Drive Bay Options page on Ark here: https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/series/51057/drive-bay-options.html .

I'm looking for the drive cage that uses 2x 5.25" bays vertically adjacent. It provides 8x 2.5" bays for NVMe SSD's. The backplane allows the SSD's to be hot-swapped. I intend to use Supermicro's OCuLink to mini-SAS HD cables, the ones with the green tags.

I’ll update this post once I’m on my desktop. There is a thread here in DIY forum with HP Z workstation.
I look forward to your update!!

I have seen the thread about the HP Z series workstation, and there are many other useful threads too.

Actually the Z workstations look pretty awesome, and I'd love to get a very quiet one (less than 20 dB) for myself. I understand the sweet spot is at about HP Z440, no?
 
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T_Minus

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Feb 15, 2015
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I have some of the 8x 2.5" Intel NVME Setups NIB if anyone needs one, I am not using them.
 
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ullbeking

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I was looking for these too. Haven’t proven my theory yet. I believe the backplanes for the Intel 8 x 2.5 drive cages are interchangeable. I’ll update this post once I’m on my desktop.
@nthu9280 you are awesome!! Thank you for writing down the details of this information that I really, really, ..., really need! This brings me several steps closer to having this system configured properly. Precise and accurate information about this stuff needs checking in general, you can't take anything at face value. I am looking forward to spending a nice afternoon researching your suggestions. They look solid so far.

There is a thread here in DIY forum with HP Z workstation
Linke please? I would love an HP Z Workstation. The primary concern is to keep it quiet as possible. I would like to read your Z workstation thread in the DIY forum. Maybe one day, and after more research, I could please ask you for a recommendation for some of the quietest Z Workstations?

I'm thinking this is compatible with most drive cages.
This is where I got stuck. The drive cage's specs indicated that the drive cage's backplane would be compatible with my Supermicro 4-port OCuLink HBA with PLX switching.

N.B. The Supermicro AOC-SLG3-4E2P HBA is not presently compatible with IcyDock's MB699VP-B drive cage. "The MB699VP-B are not compatible with the Oculink PCIe HBA/RAID cards due to different connector pin assignments used on the device." (See FAQ's about IcyDock mobile dock .)

I was able to grab one for a decent price from KalleyOMalley.
Who is Kalley O'Malley?

Intel 2U 8x2.5in Sas/NVME HOT Swap Backplane F2U8X25S3PHS

2U assembly with the above backplane. This will fit the 2x 5.25 bays but need to secure it since the holes don't lineup with 5.25 drive bays.
2U Hot-swap 8x2.5inch SAS/NVMe Combo Drive Bay Kit A2U8X25S3PHS Product Specifications

8x SAS/SATA or 4x NVME + 4x SAS/SATA
2U Hot-swap Drive Cage Upgrade Kit with 4x NVMe SSD Support A2U44X25NVMEDK Product Specifications

I believe this is the older model, prior to Oculink connector backplane.
8x2.5 inch Hot Swap SAS/NVMe COMBO Drive Bay Kit AUP8X25S3NVDK Product Specifications

IIRC, the following is only compatible with P4000 (M/L) chassis in the bottom drive cage area. 8 x 3.5 or 16 x 2.5 ( 2 x 8 bay kits)
Hot-swap Backplane PCIe Combination Drive Cage Kit for P4000 Server Chassis FUP8X25S3NVDK (2.5in NVMe SSD) Product Specifications
The five options in the above quote look great and I will research them in detail. I have already done a lot of research and I've mostly decided on the Intel A2U8X25S3PHS kit thanks to @T_Minus and his fantastic advice.. All I need now is to check that it will fit in the 2x free 5.25" drive bays and that it can be mounted securely.

@ullbeking I'll grab some pics of the different assemblies I have and update the thread. Hopefully that will help. Intel docs/specs SUCK!!!
[/QUOTE]

Please! Pretty pretty please with a cherry on top!

This will be so helpful by having a trusted reference source to compare against.

I have another option, but first I want to take some time to understand these options. Thanks again @nthu9280 !!! I would be immensely appreciative if please you could help me out with a couple of these things.

Kind regards,

Andrew