Broadcom Releases New SAS/SATA/NVMe Controllers

by Adam Armstrong February 21, 2017

written by Adam Armstrong February 21, 2017

Broadcom has released new tri-mode storage adapters, the HBA 9400 series. The HBA 9400 series marks the industry’s first HBAs with Tri-Mode SerDes. The series will be ideal for the modern data center where flexibility is desirable especially when it leads to increased performance.

Broadcom’s HBA 9400 series supports any combination of SATA, SAS, and NVMe devices. This makes it ideal for large-scale external storage enclosures or high-end servers giving them more performance and flexibility. As more and more organizations leverage NVMe to increase performance and reduce latency, the 9400-16i will give them the opportunity to utilize this newer technology while still capitalizing on the benefits of their existing SAS and SATA storage.

Key features include:

Tri-Mode Storage Interface Ports
- SFF-8680 Bay
  - x1 SAS
  - x1 SATA
  - x2 SAS (Multi Link)
  - Two x1 SAS (Dual port using MPIO)
- SFF-8639 (U.2) Bay
  - x2, x4 NVMe
Supports 12, 6, and 3Gb/s SAS and 6, 3Gb/s SATA data transfer rates
Up to 8 storage interface PCIe links. Each link supporting x4 or x2 link widths up to 8.0 GT/s (PCIe Gen3) per lane
SFF-9402 Compliant, Connector Pin-out
SFF-8485 Compliant, SGPIO
PCIe 3.1 Host Interface
- Supports x8, x4, x2, x1 PCIe lanes at a transfer rate up to 8.0 GT/s per lane, full duplex
- Lane and polarity reversal
- Variable PCIe bandwidth negotiation

Key specifications:

Models: 9400-16i | 9400-8i | 9400-16e | 9400-8e
Ports: 16 internal | 8 internal | 16 external | 8 external
Connectors: Two (x4) SFF-8643 | Four (x4) SFF-8643 | Four (x4) SFF-8644 | Four (x4) SFF8643
Storage Interface Support: SAS, SATA, PCIe (NVMe)
Max NVMe Direct Attach Devices: Four x4, Eight x2 | Two x4, Four x2 | N/A | N/A
Max Devices Per Controller
- Internal:
  - SAS/SATA: 1024
  - NVMe: 4 x4, up to 24 x2 or x4
- External: SAS/SATA:1024
I/O Processor / SAS Controller: SAS3416 | SAS3408 | SAS3416 | SAS3408
Host Bus Type: PCIe 3.1 x8
Typical power: 11.95W | 10.05W | 11.18W | 9.48W
Physical dimensions
- Internal: 6.127” x 2.712” (155.65 mm x 68.90 mm)
- External: 6.600” x 2.712” (167.65mm x 68.90mm)
Cable support
- Internal: Passive Copper
- External: Passive Copper, Active Copper, Active Optical
MTBF (Calculated): >4,500,000 hours at 40°C
Operating Voltage: +12V +/-8%; 3.3V +/-9%
Warranty: 3-year
OS Support: Microsoft Windows, Linux, VMware (Driver needed for Oracle Solaris)