M/Lenovo 81Y1655&81Y1656 Fiber Channel HBA Product Introduction

1. Product Overview

81Y1655 (single port) and 81Y1656 (dual port) are IBM/Renault customized Emulex LightPulse LPe12000 series fiber channel HBAs, based on 8GFC (8Gbps) technology, designed specifically for IBM System x, Lenovo ThinkSystem, and compatible servers. These adapters provide stable SAN connectivity, suitable for enterprise storage, virtualization, and critical business applications.

2. Key characteristics

High performance and compatibility:

Supports 8GFC speed, backward compatible with 4GFC/2GFC, seamlessly integrates with existing SAN infrastructure.

The theoretical bandwidth reaches 1.6GB/s (full duplex), suitable for medium scale data throughput requirements.

Reliability and low latency:

Adopting Emulex's fourth generation LightPulse architecture, optimizing I/O paths and reducing CPU overhead.

Hardware level T10 PI (Data Integrity Check) to prevent data corruption.

High availability feature:

Support NPIV (N_Port ID Virtualization), allowing multiple virtual machines to share a single physical port.

Automatic link recovery and fault switching to ensure business continuity.

Flexible configuration options:

PCIe 2.0 x4 host interface, compatible with standard PCIe slots (supports low profile/Low Profile configuration).

81Y1655: Single port SFP; 81Y1656: Dual port SFP, suitable for different connection density requirements.

Management and Diagnosis:

Support IBM/Lenovo system management tools (such as Lenovo XClarity Controller).

Integrated status LED indicator light for quick troubleshooting.

3. Applicable scenarios

IBM/Renovo server storage connection:

Connect IBM DS8000, Lenovo DM series storage, or third-party SAN (such as EMC, NetApp).

Virtualization environment:

Provide high reliability SAN access for VMware HANA and Microsoft Hyper-V.

Enterprise applications:

Database (DB2, SQL Server), ERP system, and mail server (such as Exchange).

Backup and disaster recovery:

Integrate with tape libraries (IBM TS series) or backup devices.

4. Certification and compatibility

Server compatibility:

IBM System x3650/x3850, Lenovo ThinkSystem SR/SD series, etc.

Operating system support:

Windows Server（2008 R2/2012）

Linux（RHEL、SLES、Ubuntu）

VMware ESXi（5.x/6.x）

AIX, IBM i (specific driver version required)

5. Summary of Technical Specifications

Project parameters

Model 81Y1655 (single port), 81Y1656 (dual port)

Fiber Channel speed 8GFC/4GFC/2GFC (adaptive)

Host interface PCIe 2.0 x4

The protocol supports FCP-4 (SCSI) and FC Tape (optional)

Power consumption<10W (typical value)

Standard external dimensions/Low Profile optional

6. Market positioning

Target users:

Enterprise customers using IBM/Lenovo servers require cost-effective 8GFC SAN connectivity.

Scenarios for upgrading or building small to medium-sized storage networks from 4GFC.

Lifecycle status:

We have entered the mature stage and suggest considering higher performance 16GFC/32GFC models (such as Lenovo 7ZT7A series) for new deployment.