New HDDs for IBM System x and BladeCenter

The 160GB, 500GB 7.2K rpm NL SATA 2.5-inch SFF HS and NHS HDDs and the 500GB 7.2K rpm NL SAS 6 Gbps 2.5-inch HS and Slim-HS HDDs from IBM Corp. provide 2.5-inch form factor options can be used as hot-swap or non-hot-swap drives. The addition of the 500GB 7.2K rpm offering to the System x and BladeCenter blade family of 2.5-inch SAS HDDs makes it the highest-capacity SFF options. The addition of the 500GB 7.2K HDDs introduces a new capacity point for this class device. These additions bring a wider selection of choice to satisfy the range of System x and BladeCenter applications. These new drives are positioned at the top of our SATA and SAS SFF HDD line based on increased capacity.

Key features and benefits include:

• 500GB is largest capacity point for an SFF drive
• Superior reliability that enables operation in RAID environments without compromising application performance or availability

New HDD performance characteristics include:

• Formatted capacity: 160,000MB to 500,000MB drives
• Drive to host interface that supports up to 3 Gb/s burst rate for SATA drives and up to 6 Gb/s for SAS drives
• Drive media to buffer interface that supports sustained interface data transfers of up to 84MB/s average
• Spindle speed of 7,200 rpm
• Either hot-swap or non-hot-swap capability on SATA or hot-swap capability on SAS
• SATA or SAS interface drive dependent

Reliability

• SAS and SATA compliance enables HDDs to connect directly into System x or BladeCenter systems.
• S.M.A.R.T Technology allows software utilities to alert you of impending drive failures so replacements can be made before a problem occurs.
• Rigorous testing through the ServerProven program instills confidence that your storage subsystem is compatible and will function reliably.

Warranty One-year, customer replaceable unit (CRU), limited warranty

Key prerequisites: Supported on IBM System x and BladeCenter systems with a 2.5-inch bay.

Planned availability date: August 14, 2009