MegaRAID™ 9500 PCIe  Gen 4.0 Tri-Mode Storage  Adapters

12Gb/s SAS/SATA/PCIe (NVMe) Tri-Mode  RAID Controller

Overview 

Data center, cloud, and high-performance computing environments not  only require large amounts of storage capacity, but must also provide the  data protection, flexibility, and performance that today’s applications and  end users demand. The MegaRAID™ 9500 Series of 12Gb/s SAS/SATA/PCIe  (NVMe) Gen 4.0 Tri-Mode Storage Adapters, with 16 and 8 ports, address  these needs by delivering more performance and offering RAID data  protection for a range of high-end server storage applications. 

Based on the Broadcom SAS3916 and SAS3908 eight-lane host PCIe to  SAS/SATA/PCIe RAID on Chip (RoC) controller, the 9500 series MegaRAID  adapters are the first RAID adapters to offer both PCIe Gen 4.0 host and  PCIe Gen 4.0 storage interfaces. PCIe Gen 4.0 enables these adapters for  high bandwidth by delivering twice the bandwidth and 75% more IOPs. 

Applications 

• High-port direct-attached connectivity applications  

• Enterprise databases 

• Analytics applications 

• Medical imaging 

• Media applications 

• Flexible solutions for cloud computing 

Tri-Mode SerDes Technology  

The Broadcom Tri-Mode SerDes technology enables operation of NVMe,  SAS, or SATA storage devices in a single drive bay. A single adapter  can operate in all three modes concurrently servicing NVMe, SAS, or  SATA drives. The adapter negotiates between speeds and protocols to  seamlessly work with any of the three types of storage devices. Tri-Mode  support provides a nondisruptive way to evolve existing data center  infrastructure. By upgrading to a Tri-Mode adapter, users can expand  beyond SAS/SATA and use NVMe without major changes to other system  configurations. The 9500 series adapters are compatible with existing  PCI Express SFF-8639 Module (U.2) backplanes, allowing users to boost  performance for today’s ever increasing bandwidth requirements.

As next-generation systems  expand the adoption of Tri-Mode  SerDes technology through  implementation of the SFF-TA-1001  and SFF-TA-1005 standards, the  9500 series adapters allow users  to get the most performance  and flexibility. The SFF-TA-1001  specification commonly known as  U.3 defines a common bay type  and connector for SAS (x1, x2,  x4), SATA, and NVMe (x1, x2, x4)  devices. The creation of the U.3  standard gives unprecedented  flexibility to system OEMs and data  centers that want to support the  latest storage technologies at the  lowest cost and system complexity.  With a single 9500 series adapter,  system implementers can take full  advantage of SAS, SATA, and x1, x2,  and x4 NVMe drives in a U.3 based  backplane.

Control and management of  multiprotocol (SAS/SATA/NVMe)  backplanes has been loosely  defined in previous generations  of products. Recognizing this,  Broadcom worked with key  industry members to introduce  Universal Backplane Management  (UBM) or SFF-TA-1005. UBM  builds upon current management  frameworks to provide a  comprehensive approach to  managing SAS, SATA, and NVMe.  The 9500 series adapters are  UBM ready, and customers can  immediately integrate these  adapters into their U.3 backplanes  utilizing UBM.

Hardware Secure Boot 

The onboard controller  incorporates advanced security  through hardware secure boot.  The hardware secure boot feature  permits only authenticated  firmware to execute on the adapter.  The controller’s Internal Boot ROM  establishes an initial Root of Trust  (RoT). Hardware secure boot  authenticates and builds a Chain  of Trust (CoT) with succeeding  firmware images using the RoT,  meaning only authorized firmware  is executed on the adapter.  Broadcom provides the signed  firmware images, making the use of  hardware secure boot transparent  to customers, while providing  confidence in the security of the  solution.