PRI_J2

SEC_J2JP106

SEC_J0

PRI_J1OVERHEATFAIL1

PRI_I2C

SEC_I2CBUZZER_ENB1

SEC_J1A

A

12V_LED

5V_LEDFANFAIL1
C

C A

C A

C

BUZZER1
PRI_MODE5

SEC_MODE5
SEC_MODE4WWN

REMOTE_FAN_FAIL_SCOKET

PRI_MODE4

SEC_IPMIPRI_IPMIPRI_J0JP105

FAN_ALERT_EN1
SEC_EXP

PWR1
+5V

GND

GND

PWR0
+12V

+5V

GND

GND

J16

PRI_EXP+12V

SAS836EL
REV 1.01

PWR2
+12V

+5V

GND

GND

+12V

PRI_FLASH

GND

CB154

GND

SEC_FLASH

PWR3
+5V

FAN1

FAN3
FAN2
J17

FAN4

SAS-836EL SERIES BACKPLANE
USER'S GUIDE
Rev. 1.1

SAS-836EL Series Backplane User's Guide
The information in this User’s Manual has been carefully reviewed and is believed to be accurate.
The vendor assumes no responsibility for any inaccuracies that may be contained in this document,
makes no commitment to update or to keep current the information in this manual, or to notify any
person or organization of the updates. Please Note: For the most up-to-date version of thismanual, please see our web site at www.supermicro.com.
Super Micro Computer, Inc. ("Supermicro") reserves the right to make changes to the productdescribed in this manual at any time and without notice. This product, including software, if any,
and documentation may not, in whole or in part, be copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated or
reduced to any medium or machine without prior written consent.
IN NO EVENT WILL SUPERMICRO BE LIABLE FOR DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL,
SPECULATIVE OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING FROM THE USE OR INABILITY TO
USE THIS PRODUCT OR DOCUMENTATION, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF
SUCH DAMAGES. IN PARTICULAR, SUPERMICRO SHALL NOT HAVE LIABILITY FOR ANY
HARDWARE, SOFTWARE, OR DATA STORED OR USED WITH THE PRODUCT, INCLUDING THE
COSTS OF REPAIRING, REPLACING, INTEGRATING, INSTALLING OR RECOVERING SUCH
HARDWARE, SOFTWARE, OR DATA.
Any disputes arising between manufacturer and customer shall be governed by the laws of Santa
Clara County in the State of California, USA. The State of California, County of Santa Clara shallbe the exclusive venue for the resolution of any such disputes. Super Micro's total liability for
all claims will not exceed the price paid for the hardware product.
FCC Statement: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a ClassA digital device pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide
reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial
environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not
installed and used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instruction manual, may cause harmfulinterference with radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely
to cause harmful interference, in which case you will be required to correct the interference at yourown expense.
California Best Management Practices Regulations for Perchlorate Materials: This Perchlorate
warning applies only to products containing CR (Manganese Dioxide) Lithium coin cells. “Perchlorate
Material-special handling may apply. See www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate”

WARNING: Handling of lead solder materials used in thisproduct may expose you to lead, a chemical known to
the State of California to cause birth defects and otherreproductive harm.
Manual Revision 1.1
Release Date: April 28, 2008
Unless you request and receive written permission from Super Micro Computer, Inc., you may notcopy any part of this document.
Information in this document is subject to change without notice. Other products and companies
referred to herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies or markholders.
Copyright © 2008 by Super Micro Computer, Inc.
All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of AmericaiiSafety Information and Technical Speciﬁcations

Table of Contents
SAS-836EL SERIES BACKPLANE
Contacting Supermicro ..................................................................................................iv
Returning Merchandise for Service ..............................................................................iii

Chapter 1 Safety Guidelines
1-1

ESD Safety Guidelines ................................................................................... 1-1

1-2

General Safety Guidelines .............................................................................. 1-1

1-3

An Important Note to Users ............................................................................ 1-1

Chapter 2 Jumper Settings and Pin Deﬁnitions
2-1

Front Connectors and Jumpers ...................................................................... 2-1

2-2

Front Connector and Pin Deﬁnitions ............................................................... 2-2

2-3

Front Jumper Locations and Pin Deﬁnitions ................................................... 2-5

2-4

Rear Connectors and LED Indicators ............................................................. 2-8

Chapter 3 Dual Port and Cascading Conﬁgurations
3-1

Single and Dual Port Expanders .................................................................... 3-1

3-2

Failover............................................................................................................ 3-2

3-3

Cables and Chassis Power Card .................................................................... 3-3

3-4

Supported Cascading Conﬁgurations ........................................................... 3-12iii

SAS-836EL Series Backplane User's Guide

Contacting Supermicro
Headquarters
Address:

Super Micro Computer, Inc.
980 Rock Ave.
San Jose, CA 95131 U.S.A.

Tel:+1 (408) 503-8000

Fax:+1 (408) 503-8008

Email:

marketing@supermicro.com (General Information)
support@supermicro.com (Technical Support)

W e
Site:

b

www.supermicro.com

EuropeAddress:

Super Micro Computer B.V.
Het Sterrenbeeld 28, 5215 ML's-Hertogenbosch, The NetherlandsTel:+31 (0) 73-6400390

Fax:+31 (0) 73-6416525

Email:

sales@supermicro.nl (General Information)
support@supermicro.nl (Technical Support)
rma@supermicro.nl (Customer Support)

Asia-PaciﬁcAddress:

Super Micro Computer, Inc.
4F, No. 232-1, Liancheng Rd.
Chung-Ho 235, Taipei County
Taiwan, R.O.C.

Tel:+886-(2) 8226-3990

Fax:+886-(2) 8226-3991

W e
Site:

b

www.supermicro.com.tw

Technical Support:
Email:

support@supermicro.com.tw

Tel:886-2-8226-1900

iv

Safety Information and Technical Speciﬁcations

Returning Merchandise for Service
A receipt or copy of your invoice marked with the date of purchase is required before any warranty service will be rendered. You can obtain service by calling yourvendor for a Returned Merchandise Authorization (RMA) number. When returning
to the manufacturer, the RMA number should be prominently displayed on theoutside of the shipping carton, and mailed prepaid or hand-carried. Shipping andhandling charges will be applied for all orders that must be mailed when service
is complete.
For faster service, RMA authorizations may be requested online (http://www.
supermicro.com/support/rma/).
Whenever possible, repack the backplane in the original Supermicro box, using theoriginal packaging materials. If these are no longer available, be sure to pack the
backplane in an anti-static bag and inside the box. Make sure that there is enoughpackaging material surrounding the backplane so that it does not become damaged
during shipping.
This warranty only covers normal consumer use and does not cover damages incurred in shipping or from failure due to the alteration, misuse, abuse or improper
maintenance of products.
During the warranty period, contact your distributor ﬁrst for any product problems.

v

Safety Information and Technical Speciﬁcations

Chapter 1
Safety Guidelines
To avoid personal injury and property damage, carefully follow all the safety steps
listed below when accessing your system or handling the components.

1-1

ESD Safety Guidelines

Electric Static Discharge (ESD) can damage electronic components. To prevent damage to your system, it is important to handle it very carefully. The following measures
are generally sufﬁcient to protect your equipment from ESD.
•Use a grounded wrist strap designed to prevent static discharge.

•

Touch a grounded metal object before removing a component from the antistaticbag.

•

Handle the RAID card by its edges only; do not touch its components, peripheral
chips, memory modules or gold contacts.

•

When handling chips or modules, avoid touching their pins.

•

Put the card and peripherals back into their antistatic bags when not in use.

1-2

General Safety Guidelines•

Always disconnect power cables before installing or removing any components
from the computer, including the backplane.

•

Disconnect the power cable before installing or removing any cables from the
backplane.

•

Make sure that the backplane is securely and properly installed on the motherboard to prevent damage to the system due to power shortage.

1-3•

An Important Note to Users
All images and layouts shown in this user's guide are based upon the latest
PCB Revision available at the time of publishing. The card you have received
may or may not look exactly the same as the graphics shown in this manual.

1-1

SAS-836EL Series Backplane User's Guide

Notes

1-2

Safety Information and Technical Speciﬁcations

Chapter 2
Jumper Settings and Pin Deﬁnitions
1

2

1

2
PRI_J2

SEC_J2

PRI_J1OVERHEATFAIL1

9

REV 1.01

GND

+12V

6

PRI_FLASH

PWR2
GND

10

PRI_EXP

J16

SAS836EL

SEC_FLASH

+5V

+12V

11

12

REMOTE_FAN_FAIL_SCOKET

13

+12V

CB154

GND

GND

5

4

PWR3
GND

GND

C

PRI_MODE5

14

PWR0
+5V

+12V

C A

PRI_MODE4FAN_ALERT_EN1

GND

C A

PRI_J0

PRI_IPMI

SEC_IPMI

GND

A

C

12V_LED

5V_LEDFANFAIL1

A

JP105

SEC_MODE5
SEC_MODE4WWN

3SEC_EXPPWR1+5V

SEC_J13

BUZZER1+5V

SEC_J0JP106

PRI_I2C

SEC_I2CBUZZER_ENB1

5

6

7

FAN1

7

J17

FAN3
FAN2
FAN4

8

8

8

8

Figure 2-1: SAS-836EL2 Backplane

Front Connectors
1. CD-ROM/Floppy Drive Power: JP105
and JP106
2 and 3. Primary and Secondary I2C

Fan4 (Fan1 is not used)
9. SAS Connectors: PRI_J0
10. SAS Connectors: PRI_J1

connectors (optional)

11. SAS Connectors: PRI_J2

4. Power Connectors: PWR0, PWR1,
PWR2, and PWR3

12. SAS Connectors: SEC_J1 (not available in EL1 single port backplanes)

5. Primary and Secondary Expander
Chip

13. SAS Connectors: SEC_J0 (not available in EL1 single port backplanes)

6. Primary and Secondary Flash Chip

14. SAS Connectors: SEC_J2 (not available in EL1 single port backplanes)

7. EPP Connectors: J16 and J17
8. Fan Connectors: Fan2, Fan3, and

1

1

2
PRI_J2

JP106

GND

GND

C A

C

11

9

PRI_MODE5

+5V

C A

PRI_J0

PWR0
+12V

A

12V_LED

5V_LEDFANFAIL1C

REMOTE_FAN_FAIL_SCOKET

FAN_ALERT_EN1

GND

A

JP105

PRI_MODE4

WWN
PWR1
GND

OVERHEATFAIL1

PRI_IPMI

3BUZZER1+5V

PRI_J1

PRI_I2CBUZZER_ENB1

10
J16

PRI_EXP+12V

SAS836EL
REV 1.01

GND

GND

+12V

PRI_FLASH

4

PWR3
+5V

PWR2
+5V

GND

GND

+12V

5

6

7

FAN1

FAN3
FAN2
FAN4

8

8

8

Figure 2-2: SAS-836EL1 Backplane
2-1

8

SAS-836EL Series Backplane User's Guide

2-2

Front Connector and Pin Deﬁnitions

1. CD-ROM/Floppy 4-Pin Connectors

CD-ROM/
FDD Power
4-Pin Connector(JP105 and JP106)

The 4-pin connectors, designated JP105
and JP106, provide power to the CD-ROM
and ﬂoppy drives. See the table on the rightPin#

Deﬁnition1

for pin deﬁnitions.

2 and 3Ground4+12V

2 and 3. Primary and Secondary I2C Connectors
The I2C Connectors are used to monitor hard
drive activity and status through LED. See
the table on the right for pin deﬁnitions. There
are four total connectors--two primary andtwo secondary.

+5V

I2C Connector
Pin Deﬁnitions
Pin#

Deﬁnition

1

Data

2

Ground

3

Clock

4

No Connection

Note: These connectors are optional andshould only be used by qualiﬁed technicians.

4. Backplane Main Power Connectors
The 4-pin connectors, designated PWR0,
PWR1, PWR2, and PWR3, provide power
to the backplane. See the table on the rightfor pin deﬁnitions.

Backplane
Main Power
4-Pin Connector(PWR0, PWR1, PWR2,
and PWR3)
Pin#

Deﬁnition

1+12V

2 and 3Ground4

5. Primary and Secondary Expander Chips
This Primary and Secondary Expander
Chips allow the backplane to support dual
ports, cascading, and failover.

2-2

+5V

Safety Information and Technical Speciﬁcations
6. Primary and Secondary Flash Chips
The Primary and Secondary Flash Chips
enhance the backplane memory.

7. EPP Ports
The EPP ports are used for manufacturer
diagnostic purposes only.

8. Fan Connectors
The 3-pin connectors, designated Fan2,
Fan3, and Fan4, provide power to thefans.
A fan may be connected to Fan1; however,connector Fan1 is not fully supported by the
backplane. Any fan connected to Fan1 will
not be monitored.
See the table on the right for pin deﬁnitions.

9-14. SAS Ports
Note that the Primary and Secondary setsof SAS ports are in different order. Fromright to left the ports are Primary 0, 1, 2 andSecondary 1, 0, 2.

2-3

Fan Connectors(Fan1, Fan2, Fan3,
and Fan4)
Pin#

Deﬁnition
1

Ground2+12V

3

TachometerSAS-836EL Series Backplane User's Guide

2-3

Front Jumper Locations and Pin Deﬁnitions
PRI_J2

SEC_J2JP106

SEC_J0

PRI_J1OVERHEATFAIL1

PRI_I2C

SEC_I2CBUZZER_ENB1

SEC_J1A

A

12V_LED

5V_LEDFANFAIL1
C

C A

C A

C

BUZZER1
PRI_MODE5

SEC_MODE5
SEC_MODE4WWN

REMOTE_FAN_FAIL_SCOKET

PRI_MODE4

SEC_IPMIPRI_IPMIPRI_J0JP105

FAN_ALERT_EN1
SEC_EXP

PWR1
+5V

GND

GND

PWR0
+12V

+5V

GND

GND

J16

PRI_EXP+12V

SAS836EL
REV 1.01

PWR2
+12V

+5V

GND

GND

+12V

PRI_FLASH

GND

CB154

GND

SEC_FLASH

PWR3
+5V

FAN1

FAN3
FAN2
J17

SEC_I2CA

C AC

SEC_IPMIBUZZER1

PRI_MODE5

SEC_MODE5
SEC_MODE4

SEC_Mode5

PRI_Mode5

FAN_ALERT_EN1

Fan Alert Enable

SEC_EXPREMOTE_FAN_FAIL_SCOKET

PRI_MODE4

PRI_Mode4

Buzzer Enable
SEC_Mode4

FAN4

12V_LED

5V_LEDBUZZER_ENB1

Remote Fan
Fail

PWR0

Figure 2-3: Backplane Jumper Settings
Explanation of Jumpers
To modify the operation of the backplane,
jumpers can be used to choose between
optional settings. Jumpers create shorts
between two pins to change the functionof the connector. Pin 1 is identiﬁed witha square solder pad on the printed circuitboard. Note: On two pin jumpers, "Closed"means the jumper is on and "Open" means

Setting

General Jumper Settings
Jumper Settings

Note

PRI_MODE4

1-2

Factory Setting
Do not change

PRI_MODE5

2-3

Factory Setting
Do not change

SEC_MODE4

1-2

Factory Setting
Do not change

SEC_MODE5

2-3

Factory Setting
Do not change

2-4

2

1

3

2

1

Jumperthe jumper is off the pins.

Jumper3
Connector
Pins

Safety Information and Technical Speciﬁcations

General Jumper Settings
JumperJumper Settings

Note

BUZZER_ENB1

Open: Disable
Closed: Enable

Buzzer Enable

FAN_ALERT_ENI

Open: Disable
Closed: Enable

Fan Alert Enable

Socket Settings
Socket
REMOTE_FAN_FAIL_
SOCKET

Socket Setting

Note
Front Panel Fan Fail indicator(Optional)

Connected

2-5

SAS-836EL Series Backplane User's Guide

FRONT LED INDICATORSPRI_J2

SEC_J2JP106

SEC_J0

PRI_J1OVERHEATFAIL1

PRI_I2C

SEC_I2CBUZZER_ENB1

SEC_J1A

A

12V_LED

5V_LEDFANFAIL1
C

C A

C A

C

BUZZER1
PRI_MODE5

SEC_MODE5
SEC_MODE4WWN

REMOTE_FAN_FAIL_SCOKET

PRI_MODE4

SEC_IPMIPRI_IPMIPRI_J0JP105

FAN_ALERT_EN1
SEC_EXP

PWR1
+5V

GND

GND

PWR0
+12V

+5V

GND

GND

J16

PRI_EXP+12V

SAS836EL
REV 1.01

PWR2
+12V

+5V

GND

GND

+12V

PRI_FLASH

GND

CB154

GND

SEC_FLASH

PWR3
+5V

FAN1

FAN3
FAN2
J17

FAN4

OVERHEATFAIL1

OVERHEAT/FAN FAIL LEDS

A

C

A

12V_LED

5V_LEDFANFAIL1C A

FAN FAILURE
LED
PRI_J0C ACPOWER FAILURE
LEDS

Figure 2-4: Backplane LED Indicators

Backplane LEDs
LED

STATE

SPECIFICATIONOVERHEATFAIL1

ON

Overheat or Drive Failure

FANFAIL1

ON

Failure in System Fans

5V

OFF

Backplane power failure. Light is on
during normal operation.

12V

OFF

Backplane power failure. Light is on
during normal operation.

2-6

Safety Information and Technical Speciﬁcations

Rear Connectors and LED Indicators

C

SAS #4

SAS HDD #4

SAS #12

SAS HDD #12

SAS #5

SAS HDD #5

SAS #13

SAS HDD #13

SAS #6

SAS HDD #6

SAS #14

SAS HDD #14

SAS #7

SAS HDD #7

SAS #15

SAS HDD #15

Rear LED Indicators
Rear LED

Hard Drive Activity

Failure LED

SAS #0

ACT #0FAIL #0

SAS #1

ACT #1

FAIL #1

SAS #2

ACT #2FAIL #2

SAS #3

ACT #3

FAIL #3

SAS #4

ACT #4

FAIL #4

SAS #5

ACT #5

FAIL #5

SAS #6

ACT #6

FAIL #6

SAS #7

ACT #7

FAIL #7

SAS #8

ACT #8FAIL #8

SAS #9

ACT #9FAIL #9SAS #10

ACT #10FAIL #10

2-7

FAIL#12

SAS HDD #11

C86

A FAIL12

SAS #11C

SAS HDD #3

A

SAS #3C

SAS HDD #10

ACT12

SAS #10

ACT#12

SAS HDD #2

FAIL#13

SAS #2

A FAIL13

SAS HDD #9C

SAS #9C

SAS HDD #1

ACT#13J12

ACT13

FAIL#8

ACT#12
FAIL#12

FAIL#14

FAIL8

SAS

#12

FAIL14

ACT#8

C

ACT8

SAS #1A

A

FAIL#9FAIL9FAIL#4FAIL4SAS HDD #8

A
C

C

A

SAS #8

C

A

SAS

#13

SAS Drive
NumberSAS HDD #0

A

J13

A

SAS #0

ACT#14

C

ACT#9

ACT9

SAS #13
J13

ACT14

A

C

Rear
Connector

FAIL#15

FAIL#10FAIL10

ACT#13
FAIL#13

Rear SAS Connectors
SAS Drive
Number

FAIL15

C

J14

SAS

#14

Figure 2-5: Rear Connectors and LED Indicators

Rear
Connector

A

ACT#14
FAIL#14

SAS #14
J14

SAS #12
J12

C

SAS

#15

A

SEC_SRAM1

PRI_SRAM1

C A

A

J8

SAS

#8

C

C

SEC_SRAM2

PRI_SRAM2

ACT#4

ACT4

FAIL0

FAIL#0

C

ACT0

ACT#0

ACT#8
FAIL#8A

J15

ACT#10

ACT10

ACT#9
FAIL#9J9

ACT#15

FAIL#11

A FAIL11

A

#9

ACT15

C

FAIL#5

C

FAIL5

A

ACT#5

C

ACT5

C

SAS #8
J8

A

A

A

J4

SAS

#4

J10

SAS

#10

SAS

SAS #9
J9

C

C

FAIL6

FAIL1

FAIL#1

ACT#4
FAIL#4

ACT#10FAIL#10

FAIL#6C

C

SAS #4J4

ACT#5FAIL#5

ACT#15
FAIL#15

SAS #15
J15

SAS

#11

ACT#6

ACT6

A
J5

J11

ACT#11A

C

SAS #5J5SASSAS #11
J11

SAS #10
J10

J6

SAS

#6

#5

FAIL#7

FAIL7

ACT#1

ACT1

J0

ACT#6
FAIL#6

A

#1

#0

SAS

#7

FAIL#2

FAIL2

J1

SAS

SAS

SAS #6
J6

C

C

J2

#2

ACT#0
FAIL#0

J7

A

SAS

ACT#1
FAIL#1SAS #7
J7

A

ACT2

ACT#2

SAS #0
J0

C

SAS #1
J1

ACT#2
FAIL#2

#3

ACT7

A

SAS #2
J2

SAS

ACT#11
FAIL#11

ACT#7

FAIL3

FAIL#3A
C

SAS #3
J3

J3

C

C

ACT3

ACT#7
FAIL#7

ACT#3

ACT#3
FAIL#3A

2-4

SAS-836EL Series Backplane User's Guide

Rear LED Indicators
SAS #11

ACT #11

FAIL #11

SAS #12

ACT #12FAIL #12

SAS #13

ACT #13

FAIL #13

SAS #14

ACT #14

FAIL #14

SAS #15

ACT #15

FAIL #15

2-8

Safety Information and Technical Speciﬁcations

Chapter 3
Dual Port and Cascading Conﬁgurations
3-1

Single and Dual Port Expanders

Single Ports
SAS-836EL1 backplanes have a single-port expander that access all 16 drives
and supports cascading.

Dual Ports
SAS-836EL2 backplanes have dual-port expanders that access all 16 drives. Thesedual-port expanders support cascading, failover, and recovery.

From HBA or higher
backplane

From HBA or higher
backplane

Port B
Secondary Ports
Expander 2Port A
Primary Ports
Expander 1
PRI_J2

SEC_J2

SEC_J0

J2

PRI_J1

SEC_J1

J1

J1 J2

J0

To Lower Backplane incascaded system

PRI_J0J0To Lower Backplane incascaded system

Figure 3-1: SAS-836EL2 Dual Port Conﬁguration
From HBA or higher
backplane

Port A
Primary Ports
PRI_J2

SEC_J2

SEC_J0

PRI_J1

SEC_J1J2J1To Lower Backplane incascaded system

Figure 3-2: SAS-836EL1 Single Port Conﬁguration
3-1

PRI_J0J0SAS-836EL Series Backplane User's Guide

3-2

FailoverThe SAS-836EL2 backplane has two expanders which allow effective failover andrecovery.

Single Host Bus Adapter
SAS HBAIn a single host bus conﬁguration, thebackplane connects to one Host Bus
PRI_J2

SEC_J2

SEC_J0Adapter (HBA).

PRI_J1

SEC_J1

PRI_J0WWN

Port B

Port A

J17

Figure 3-3: Single HBA
Single Host Bus Adapter
FailoverSAS HBAPRI_J2

SEC_J2

SEC_J0

PRI_J1

SEC_J1

PRI_J0WWN

If the Expander or data path in Port A
fails, the system automatically switches
to Port B.

Port B

Port A

J17

Figure 3-4: Single HBA Failover
Dual Host Bus Adapter

SAS HBAIn a Dual Host Bus Conﬁguration, thebackplane connects to two Host Bus
Adapters (HBA).

SAS HBAPRI_J2

SEC_J2

SEC_J0

PRI_J1

SEC_J1

PRI_J0WWN

Port B

Port A

J17

Figure 3-5: Dual HBA
Dual Host Bus Adapter
FailoverSAS HBASAS HBAPRI_J2

SEC_J2

SEC_J0

PRI_J1

SEC_J1

PRI_J0WWN

If the Expander or data path in Port A
fails, the system automatically switches
to Port B. This maintains a full connection to all drives.

Port B

Port A

J17

Figure 3-6: Dual HBA Failover
3-2

Safety Information and Technical Speciﬁcations

3-3

Cables and Chassis Power Card
Chassis Power Card

In a cascaded conﬁguration, the ﬁrst chassis includes a motherboard and at least
one Host Bus Adapter (HBA). Other servers in this enclosed system, include a
power card. This section describes the supported power card for the SAS-836
series backplane.
For more information, see the PCC-JBPWR2 power card manual. This manual
a can be found at the http://www.supermicro.com or as an appendix in the SAS836EL chassis manual.

A
A

A

JBPWR2 REV 1.00

Figure 3-7: Chassis Power Card (Sold Separately)
Power Card

Part Number

Part Type

Where Used

CSE-PTJBOD-CB1

Power Card

Allows the chassis to be in a
JBOD (Just a Bunch of Drives)
system.

3-3

SAS-836EL Series Backplane User's Guide

Connecting an Internal Host Bus Adapter to the
Backplane
The following section lists the most common cables used to connect the HBA to
the backplane.

PRI_J2

SEC_J2

SEC_J0

PRI_J1

SEC_J1

PRI_J0

WWN
J17

HBA
(Host Bus Adapter)

Figure 3-8: Single Internal Host Bus Adapter

PRI_J2

SEC_J2

SEC_J0

PRI_J1

SEC_J1

PRI_J0WWNJ17HBA (Host Bus Adapter)
HBA (Host Bus Adapter)
Figure 3-9: Dual Internal Host Bus Adapter

Supported Internal HBA to Backplane Cables
Use the following listed cables to create connections between the internal HBA andSAS-836EL backplane. The cables required depend on the HBA connector.

Cable Name: IPASS TO 4-LANE
Part #: CBL-0117

Length: 46 cm (18 inches)

Description: This cable has one SFF-8484 (32 pin) connector on one end andipass (SFF-8087/mini-sas) connector (36 pins) at the other. This cable connects
from the HBA to the SAS-836EL backplane.

3-4

Safety Information and Technical Speciﬁcations

Cable Name: IPASS (mini SAS) TO IPASS (mini SAS)
Part #: CBL-0108L-02

Length: 39 cm (15 inches)Part #: CBL-0109L-02

Length: 22 cm (9 inches)Part #: CBL-0110L-02

Length: 18 cm (7 inches)

Description: This cable has an ipass (SFF-8087/mini-sas) connector (36 pins) ateach end. It connects from the HBA to the SAS-836EL backplane.

3-5

SAS-836EL Series Backplane User's Guide

Connecting an External Host Bus Adapter to the
Backplane
This backplane supports external Host Bus Adapters. In this conﬁguration, the
HBA and the backplane are in different physical chassis. This allows a JBOD (Justa Bunch Of Drives) conﬁguration from an existing system.

PRI_J2

SEC_J2

SEC_J0

PRI_J1

SEC_J1

PRI_J0

WWN
J17

HBA
(Host Bus Adapter)

Power Card

CBL-0200L
External HBA Cable

Figure 3-10: Single External Host Adapter

PRI_J2

SEC_J2

SEC_J0

PRI_J1

SEC_J1

PRI_J0

WWN

HBA
J17

(Host Bus Adapter)

HBA(Host Bus Adapter)

Power Card

Dual External Host Bus Adapter
CBL-0200L
External HBA Cables

Figure 3-11: Dual External Host Bus Adapter
3-6Safety Information and Technical Speciﬁcations

Supported External HBA to Backplane Cable
Use the following cable if your external HBA has an InﬁniBand connector.

Figure 3-12: SAS InﬁniBand Cable (CBL-0200L)

Cable Name: SAS InﬁniBand to Mini SAS X4 1M cable, PBF
Part #: CBL-0200L

Length: 1 meter

Description: This cable has an InﬁniBand connector (SFF-8470) on one end andan SFF-8088-1X (26-pins) at the other end.

3-7

SAS-836EL Series Backplane User's Guide

Connecting Multiple Backplanes in a Single Channel
Environment
This section describes the cables used when cascading from a single HBA. These
connections use CBL-0167L internal cables and CBL-0166L external cables.

PRI_J2

SEC_J2

SEC_J0

CBL-0167L
with Single Port Assembly(internal cable)

PRI_J1

SEC_J1

PRI_J0WWN

Port B Expander 2 Port A Expander 1
J17

HBA (Host Bus Adapter)
CBL-0166L(external cable)
PRI_J2

SEC_J2

SEC_J0

PRI_J1

SEC_J1

PRI_J0WWN

Port B Expander 2Port A Expander 1

J17Power Card

Figure 3-13: Single HBA Conﬁguration

3-8

Safety Information and Technical Speciﬁcations

Single HBA Conﬁguration Cables
Single Port Cable Assembly

Figure 3-14: Single Port Internal Cable (CBL-167L)
Cable Name: SAS EL2/EL1 Backplane Cable (Internal) with 2-port Cascading Cable,
68 cm
Part #: CBL-0167L (SFF-8087 to SFF-8088 x1)
Ports: Single
Placement: Internal cable
Description: Internal cable. Connects the backplane to the Host Bus Adapter (HBA)or external port. Used in single port environments.

Figure 3-15: External Cable (CBL-166L)
Cable Name: SAS EL2/EL1 Cascading Cable (External), 68cm
Part #: CBL-0166L (SFF-8088 1x to SFF-8088 x1)
Ports: Single or Dual
Placement: External cable
Description: External cascading cable. Connects ports between servers. With
most connectors, use one cable for single port connections and two cables for dual
port connections.

3-9

SAS-836EL Series Backplane User's Guide

Connecting Multiple Backplanes in a Dual Channel
Environment
This section describes the cables used when cascading from dual HBAs. These
connections use CBL-0168L internal cables and CBL-0166L external cables.

PRI_J2

SEC_J2

SEC_J0

PRI_J1

SEC_J1

PRI_J0WWN

Port B Expander 2 Port A Expander 1
J17

Cable 0168L
with Single Port Assembly(internal cable)

HBA (Host Bus Adapter)
HBA (Host Bus Adapter)

Cable 0166L(external cable)
PRI_J2

SEC_J2

SEC_J0

PRI_J1

SEC_J1

PRI_J0WWN

Port B Expander 2Port A Expander 1

J17Power Card

Figure 3-16: Dual HBA Conﬁguration

3-10

Safety Information and Technical Speciﬁcations

Dual HBA Conﬁguration Cables
Dual Port Cable
Assembly

Figure 3-17: Dual Port Internal Cable (CBL-168L)
Cable Name: SAS Dual-port Cable Assembly, 68/76cm
Part #: CBL-0168L
Ports: Dual

Placement: Internal cable

Description: Internal cascading cable. Connects the backplane to the Host Bus
Adapter (HBA) or external port. Used in dual port environments.

Figure 3-18: External Cable (CBL-166L)
Cable Name: SAS EL2/EL1 Cascading Cable (External), 68cm
Part #: CBL-0166L
Placement: External cable
Ports: Single or Dual
Description: External cascading cable. Connects ports between servers. Use one
cable for single port connections and two cables for dual port connections.

3-11

SAS-836EL Series Backplane User's Guide

3-4

Supported Cascading Conﬁgurations

Cascading allows the system to access data at a faster rate by allowing several
backplanes to share resources to reduce latency time.
The ﬁrst backplane in a cascaded system requires a motherboard and HBA. Other
servers require a power control card with no motherboard and no HBA. For more
information, see the SC836 Chassis Manual available at www.supermicro.com.

PRI_J2

SEC_J2

SEC_J0

PRI_J1

SEC_J1

PRI_J0WWN

Port B Expander 2 Port A Expander 1
J17Single Port Cable
Assembly

HBA (Host Bus Adapter)

Cable 0167L(internal cable)

PRI_J2

SEC_J2

SEC_J0

Cable 0166L(external cable)

PRI_J1

SEC_J1

PRI_J0WWN

Port B Expander 2Port A Expander 1

J17Power Card

PRI_J2

SEC_J2

SEC_J0

PRI_J1

SEC_J1

PRI_J0WWN

Port B Expander 2Port A Expander 1

J17Power Card

Figure 3-19: Simple Cascaded Conﬁguration

3-12

Safety Information and Technical Speciﬁcations
Server System with Single SAS HBA
The expanders allow horizontal branching. This conﬁguration also applies to dual
ports.

PRI_J2

SEC_J2

SEC_J0

PRI_J2

SEC_J2

PRI_J1

SEC_J0

SEC_J1

PRI_J1

SEC_J1

PRI_J0

PRI_J0WWN

WWNPort A Expander 1

Port A Expander 1
J17

J17

Power Card

HBA
Cable 0167L(internal cable)

Single Port Cable
Assembly

PRI_J2

SEC_J2

PRI_J1
PRI_J2

SEC_J2
SEC_J0

PRI_J1

SEC_J1
SEC_J0

SEC_J1

PRI_J0
PRI_J0WWN

WWNPort A Expander 1

Port A Expander 1

J17
J17

Power Card

Power Card

Cable 0166L(external cable)

PRI_J2

SEC_J2

PRI_J1
PRI_J2

SEC_J2
SEC_J0

PRI_J1

SEC_J1
SEC_J0

SEC_J1

PRI_J0
PRI_J0WWN

WWNPort A Expander 1

Port A Expander 1

J17
J17

Power Card

Power Card

Figure 3-20: Cascaded Conﬁguration with Horizontal Branching

3-13

SAS-836EL Series Backplane User's Guide
Dual SAS HBA and Cascaded Conﬁguration

PRI_J2

SEC_J2

SEC_J0

PRI_J1

SEC_J1

PRI_J0WWN

Port B Expander 2 Port A Expander 1
J17

HBA
Dual Port Cable
Assembly

HBA
Cable 0168L(internal cable)

PRI_J2

SEC_J2

SEC_J0

Cable 0166L(external cables)

PRI_J1

SEC_J1

PRI_J0WWN

Port B Expander 2Port A Expander 1

J17Power Card

PRI_J2

SEC_J2

SEC_J0

PRI_J1

SEC_J1

PRI_J0WWN

Port B Expander 2Port A Expander 1

J17Power Card

Figure 3-21: Dual SAS HBA with Cascaded Conﬁguration
3-14

Safety Information and Technical Speciﬁcations
Dual SAS HBA with Cascaded Conﬁguration and Branching

PRI_J2

SEC_J2

SEC_J0

PRI_J1

SEC_J1

PRI_J0WWN

Port B Ex. 2

Port A Ex. 1

J17

PRI_J2

SEC_J2

SEC_J0

PRI_J1

SEC_J1

PRI_J0WWN

Port B Ex. 2 Port A Ex. 1
J17

HBA

Power
Card

HBA

PRI_J2

SEC_J2

SEC_J0

PRI_J1

SEC_J1

PRI_J0WWN

Port B Ex. 2

Port A Ex. 1

J17

PRI_J2

SEC_J2

SEC_J0

PRI_J1

SEC_J1

PRI_J0WWN

Port B Ex. 2 Port A Ex. 1
J17

Power
Card

Power
Card

Cable 0166L(external cable)
PRI_J2

SEC_J2

SEC_J0

PRI_J1

SEC_J1

PRI_J0WWN

Port B Ex. 2

Port A Ex. 1

J17

PRI_J2

SEC_J2

SEC_J0

PRI_J1

SEC_J1

PRI_J0WWN

Port B Ex. 2 Port A Ex. 1
J17

Power
Card

Power
Card

Figure 3-22: Dual SAS HBA with Cascaded Conﬁguration and
Branching
3-15

SAS-836EL Series Backplane User's Guide

Notes

3-16