Expansions

IBM Expansions - I/O Drawers, PCI Towers & Storage Units

Discover a wide selection of IBM-compatible expansion units, I/O drawers, PCI towers, and storage enclosures for Power Systems, AS/400, iSeries, and legacy IBM servers. These expansions add disk slots, PCI/PCI-X slots, and I/O capacity to support higher storage, networking, and adapter needs in AIX, IBM i, or Linux environments. Compatible across various Power generations and older models for scalable system growth.

Why Choose IBM Expansions?

IBM Power Systems and legacy AS/400/iSeries platforms benefit from modular expansions like storage towers (adding disk bays), PCI expansion units (extra adapter slots), and I/O drawers (enhanced connectivity). These units support Ultra SCSI, Ultra2 SCSI, PCI-X, and other legacy interfaces, with capacities from 6–45 disk slots and 7–14 PCI slots depending on the model. They enable system upgrades without full replacement, maintaining compatibility with existing configurations. All expansions include support for hot-swap where applicable and integrate via HSL, SPD, or direct attachment.

Available IBM Expansions & I/O Products

IBM 0595 PCI-X Tower Unit in Rack — PCI-X tower unit mounted in rack. Holds 12 disk units and 7 PCI slots. Provides scalable storage and I/O expansion for compatible Power and legacy systems.
IBM 5051 Storage Expansion Unit — Storage expansion unit with 8 disk slots. Designed for models like 500/510 series. Adds disk capacity for legacy AS/400 and early Power configurations.
IBM 5052 Storage Expansion Unit — Storage expansion with 16 disk slots. Compatible with models 500, 510, 530. Ideal for increasing storage in older iSeries and AS/400 environments.
IBM 5055 Storage Expansion Unit — 8-disk slot expansion unit for Ultra SCSI disk units. Supports legacy storage growth on compatible AS/400 and iSeries models.
IBM 5057 Storage Expansion Unit — 16-disk slot unit, often paired with #5077 Migration Tower II. Provides substantial storage expansion for legacy systems.
IBM 5058 Storage Expansion Unit — 16-disk slot expansion with battery backup unit. Enhances reliability for storage-intensive legacy workloads.
IBM 5065 Storage/PCI Expansion Tower SPD — Combined storage/PCI tower with 45 disk slots and 12 PCI slots. Supports Ultra2 SCSI for high-capacity legacy expansions.
IBM 5074 PCI Expansion Tower HSL — PCI expansion tower with 45 disk slots, 14 PCI slots, and two removable media bays. HSL-attached for high-performance I/O on compatible systems.
IBM 5075 PCI Expansion Tower — PCI expansion tower with 6 disk slots and 7 PCI slots, includes 32MB PCI IOP. Compact I/O addition for legacy Power and iSeries setups.
IBM 0588 PCI-X Expansion Unit in Rack — Rack-mounted PCI-X expansion unit with 14 PCI slots (equivalent to #5088 in #0551 rack). Adds adapter capacity for Power and legacy systems.

Note: These expansions support various attachment methods (HSL, SPD, direct) and are ideal for adding disk bays, PCI/PCI-X slots, or I/O without replacing core systems. Compatibility varies by model and generation.

Compatibility & Support

These expansion units are compatible with a range of IBM systems, including but not limited to Power Systems (various generations where backward compatible), AS/400 and iSeries legacy models (e.g., 9406 series, early iSeries), System p5/i5 models with appropriate I/O controllers, and compatible racks, towers, and migration setups.

Refer to individual product pages for exact compatibility (disk/PCI counts, attachment types, OS support in AIX/IBM i/Linux), installation notes, and any required cables/controllers. All items include a 60-day limited warranty.