Intel SC5250-E User Manual

The hot-swap backplane is responsible for the following system functions: 

• 

Drive Fault Light Control - SATA Specification, revision 1.0 does not support fault 
detection.  However, when the Intel® RAID Controller SRCS14L (with 2x5 LED cable) is 
installed, fault detection is supported.  Turning off the green LED does this when a fault 
occurs.  Note that this is different from previous generations where an amber LED would 
signify a fault condition.   If a different type of SATA controller is used, fault light control 
is not supported.  The RAID Controller SRCS14L provides a 2x5 LED header, which is 
connected between the backplane and drive fault lights.  Currently, no other SATA 
controllers on the market provide this 2x5 LED header. 

• 

Drive Presence Detection - Detects drive presence and makes this information 
available by turning on the green LED.  Note that this is also different from previous 
generation backplanes.  This functionality works regardless of which SATA controller is 
being used.  

• 

Drive Power Control - Unlike previous generation backplanes, power is always applied 
to slots; hot swap functionality is provided via a mating drive connector.  This is 
accomplished by using different length pins on both the drive side and the backplane.  A 
resistor on the pre-charge pins for both the 12V and 5V rails limits the in-rush current.  

6.1  Hot Swappable Controller (HSC) Hardware Configurations 

There are two possible configurations (“Primary” and “Secondary”) available for the SATA 
backplane on the Server Chassis SC5200.  There is no differentiation between backplanes, 
however, and from a user’s perspective, all drives are treated in the same manner as if they 
were connected directly to the controller, thereby making the backplane appear transparent.