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Installing an adapter

Use this information to understand the types of adapters that the server supports.

The following notes describe the types of adapters that the server supports and other information that you must consider when you install an adapter:

  • To confirm that the server supports the adapter that you are installing, see Lenovo ServerProven website.
  • Locate the documentation that comes with the adapter and follow those instructions in addition to the instructions in this section.
  • The server supports an add-on video adapter in slot 1 of the two slot riser-card.
  • The server does not support stereo connectors on any add-on video adapter.
  • The server does not support PCI-X adapters or legacy 5 V PCI adapters.
  • Disconnect the power cords from the power source before you remove or install any adapter or riser-card.
  • The server supports five optional Ethernet adapters that you can purchase: the Intel x540 ML2 Dual-port 10 Gb-T Ethernet adapter, the Intel I350-T4 ML2 Quad-port 1 Gb-T Ethernet adapter, the Emulex VFA5 ML2 Dual-port 10 Gb-SFP+ Ethernet adapter, the Broadcom NetXtremeII ML2 Dual-port 10 Gb-SFP+ Ethernet adapter and the Broadcom NetXtremeII ML2 Dual-port 10 Gb-T Ethernet adapter. For more information, see Table 1.
  • The server supports an internal mini-SAS HD RAID controller that is plugged into PCIe slots 1, 2 or 3. RAID controllers supporting internal drive connections are limited to slots 1 - 3 by cable routing constraints.
  • The server provides one PCIe riser-card slot on the system board. The riser-card provides two or three PCI Express Gen3 adapter slots dependent on the optional riser-card used in the server. See PCIe riser-card for the location of the PCIe slots on the optional riser-card. The system board provides five additional PCI Express Gen3 adapter slots (see System-board optional-device connectors for the location of the PCIe slots on the system board). Some models come with the PCIe riser-card assembly with brackets installed. The following table lists the PCIe slots on the riser-card and the system board, the microprocessor to which each slot is connected, and the supported adapters that you can install in each slot.
    Table 1. PCIe slots, the microprocessor which supports the PCIe slot, and the size of the PCIe adapters supported..

    Five column table with headers documenting the PCIe slot numbers, the microprocessor to which the PCIe slots are connected to, the supported adapters for each PCIe slot, and the location of the PCIe slot (riser card or system board). The bottom row spans across all columns.

    PCIe slotsSlot on PCI riser-cardSlot on the system boardMicroprocessor to which the slot is connectedAdapters supported in the slot
    Slot 1Yes Microprocessor 2PCIe Gen3 x16 (x16, x8, x4, x1) full-height, half-length adapter
    Slot 2Yes Microprocessor 2PCIe Gen3 x16 (x8, x4, x1) full-height, half-length adapter
    Slot 3Yes Microprocessor 2PCIe Gen3 x16 (x8, x4, x1) full-height, half-length adapter
    Slot 4 YesMicroprocessor 2PCIe Gen3 x8 low-profile adapter
    Slot 5 YesMicroprocessor 2PCIe Gen3 x8 low-profile adapter
    Slot 6 YesMicroprocessor 1PCIe Gen3 x8 low-profile adapter
    Slot 7 YesMicroprocessor 1PCIe Gen3 x8 low-profile adapter
    Slot 8 YesMicroprocessor 1PCIe Gen3 x8 low-profile adapter
    Note
    • The x16 (x8) designation for a PCIe slot identifies a x16 slot that is wired for x8. If you install a x16 adapter in this slot that can downshift to the x8 bandwidth, it will run at the x8 bandwidth. The x16 connector can be used for x8, x4, x1, and x16 adapters. Check the information that comes with your adapter for compatibility information.
    • The server also supports PCIe Gen1 and Gen2 adapters.
  • The server comes with an onboard RAID controller that provides basic RAID levels 0, 1, and 10 functionality. The server supports optional RAID controllers, RAID cache cards, and Feature On Demand software RAID that you can purchase for additional RAID levels 5, 6, 50, and 60 support. For configuration information, see the documentation that comes with the adapter or the ServeRAID documentation at Lenovo Data Center Support.

    For more information about the supported adapters, see Table 1. For more information about the supported RAID cache cards, see Table 1. For more information about the supported Features on Demand (FoD) software, see Table 1. For instructions on how to install an adapter, see Adapter installation instructions.