MegaRAID™ 9520-8i PCIe Gen 4.0 Adapter

PCIe 4.0 x8, 8-Port SAS/SATA/NVMe Entry RAID Adapter

Overview

The MegaRAID™ 9520-8i adapter provides a reliable storage solution based on the Broadcom® second-generation PCIe Gen 4.0 Tri-Mode SAS3808 I/O controller.

Leveraging the MegaRAID iMR entry RAID firmware, the 9520-8i supports JBOD mode, RAID 0, 1, and 10 without requiring the Reserved Memory Region Reporting (RMRR) structure. This means that upon startup, the 9520-8i does not claim host memory for the RAID functions and other background operations. Due to security concerns, platform limitations

on using RMRR are always increasing, so the 9520-8i instead uses the SAS3808 on-chip memory to carry out the RAID and other necessary operations. This also allows for easy integration into system architectures that do not have a memory reservation capability to support a traditional iMR solution, such as the 9540-8i.

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.

Tri-Mode SerDes Technology (cont.)

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.