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Connecting the SAS cables

Use this information to connect the SAS cables to the drive backplanes (BP).

The following table provides information for connecting the SAS cables to the drive BP based on the backplane slot and supported drive backplane configurations:

Table 1. Connecting the SAS cables to the drive BP based on the configurations.

Five-column table with headers describing how to connect SAS cables based on backplane configuration. The bottom row spans across all columns

Drive backplaneBP 1BP 2BP 3BP 4
4x2.5-inch drive backplane
  • Connect the SAS cable from BP 1 to the SAS signal connector port 0 on the system board.
  • Connect the SAS cable from BP 2 to the SAS signal connector port 1 on the system board.
  • Connect the SAS cable from BP 3 to port 0 on the PCIe adapter.
  • Connect the SAS cable from BP 4 to port 1 on the PCIe adapter.
8x2.5-inch drive backplane
  • Connect one SAS cable from BP 1 to the SAS signal connector port 0 on the system board.
  • Connect one SAS cable from BP 2 to the SAS signal connector port 1 on the system board.
  • Connect one SAS cable from BP 3 to port 0 on the PCIe adapter.
  • Connect one SAS cable from BP 4 to port 1 on the PCIe adapter.
8x2.5-inch drive backplane with controller expander  
  • Connect one SAS cable from BP 3 to the SAS signal connector port 0 on the system board
  • Connect one SAS cable from BP 4 to the SAS signal connector port 1 on the system board
8x1.8-inch drive backplane
  • Connect two SAS cables from BP 1 to the two SAS signal connectors on the system board.
  • Connect two SAS cables from BP 2 to the connectors on the PCIe adapter.
  • Connect two SAS cables from BP 3 to the connectors on the PCIe adapter.
  • Connect two SAS cables from BP 4 to the connectors on the PCIe adapter.
Note: Follow this general rule for connecting the SAS signal cables to the drive backplanes and adapters:
  • Port 0 on the drive backplane to Port 0 on the adapter
  • Port 1 on the drive backplane to Port 1 on the adapter