Product Description
IBM EJ2A PCIe4 x16 to CXP Converter Adapter (support AOC)
The IBM EJ2A PCIe4 x16 to CXP Converter Adapter is a high-performance PCIe Gen4 host bus adapter designed for IBM Power Systems servers. This x16 adapter converts a PCIe Gen4 slot to a CXP port, enabling attachment of active optical cables (AOC) for high-speed, long-distance connectivity to NVMe expansion drawers (such as the ESR0 NED24) or other CXP-based I/O devices in Power10 and compatible Power9 configurations.
Product Description
The IBM EJ2A (feature code EJ2A, CCIN typically 5D10 or related) is a PCIe Gen4 x16 to CXP converter adapter that occupies a single PCIe Gen4 x16 slot on the host server. It provides one CXP port for connecting active optical cables (AOC) or compatible CXP copper cables, delivering up to 400 Gbps aggregate bandwidth (4 × 100 Gbps lanes) over optical fiber for low-latency, high-throughput NVMe storage expansion. The adapter is specifically engineered for attaching the ESR0 NED24 NVMe Expansion Drawer (24 × U.2 NVMe bays) to Power10 servers (and select Power9 models with Gen4 support), enabling massive scale-out NVMe flash capacity without requiring additional PCIe switches or complex cabling. It supports hot-plug AOC cables, low-latency NVMe-oF-like access (via direct PCIe extension), and full IBM qualification for reliability, power management, and firmware integration. The EJ2A is a key component for modern Power10 iSeries and AIX/Linux environments needing high-density, high-performance NVMe storage expansion.
Features
- PCIe Gen4 x16 host interface with one CXP port output.
- Supports active optical cables (AOC) for long-distance, low-latency NVMe connectivity.
- Up to 400 Gbps aggregate bandwidth (4 × 100 Gbps lanes) over fiber.
- Designed for attachment of ESR0 NED24 NVMe Expansion Drawer (24 × U.2 NVMe SSDs).
- Hot-plug AOC/cable support for zero-downtime maintenance.
- Low-latency PCIe extension for NVMe-oF-like performance.
- Power management and thermal optimization for enterprise reliability.
- Full IBM firmware integration and qualification for Power10/Power9 servers.
- Backward compatible with select Gen3 configurations (reduced bandwidth).
Technical Specifications
- Feature Code: EJ2A
- CCIN: Typically 5D10 (or related PCIe4 CXP adapter CCIN)
- Interface (Host): PCIe Gen4 x16 (single slot)
- Interface (Device): 1 × CXP port (QSFP28-based, 4-lane)
- Bandwidth: Up to 400 Gbps aggregate (4 × 100 Gbps per lane)
- Form Factor: PCIe full-height, half-length card
- Cable Support: Active Optical Cables (AOC) recommended; compatible CXP copper cables (short reach)
- Reach: Up to 100 m (AOC fiber, typical); copper limited to ~3–5 m
- Power Consumption: ~15–25 W (configuration dependent)
- Cooling: Passive heatsink; relies on server airflow
- Status Indicators: Link/activity LEDs on CXP port
- Compatibility: Power10 (primary), select Power9 Gen4 slots
Compatibility
The IBM EJ2A PCIe4 x16 to CXP Converter Adapter is compatible with:
- Power Systems Models:
- Power10: S1012/S1014/S1022/S1022s/S1024 (scale-out), E1080 (enterprise), and other Power10 models with PCIe Gen4 slots
- Power9: Select models with PCIe Gen4 slots (e.g., S922/S924/E950/E980 with Gen4-capable slots)
- Operating Systems: AIX 7.2+ / 7.3+, IBM i 7.4+ (TR1+ for NVMe expansion), Linux (RHEL/SUSE/Ubuntu), VIOS
- Attachment: PCIe Gen4 x16 slot on host server; connects to ESR0 NED24 NVMe Expansion Drawer via AOC
- Cables: IBM-qualified CXP AOC (lengths vary, typically 3–50 m); copper CXP for short reach
- Storage Target: ESR0 NED24 (24 × U.2 NVMe SSD bays)
- Limitations: Requires PCIe Gen4 slot and compatible firmware; not backward compatible with Gen3 CXP devices at full speed; copper limited to short distances
Verify exact slot requirements, cable part numbers, firmware levels, and IBM i/AIX TR/patch levels via IBM Sales Manual or resources for your specific Power Systems model.
Warranty
This product comes with a 60-day warranty covering parts and functionality.
