Lenovo ThinkSystem 440-16e SAS/SATA PCIe Gen4 12Gb Host Bus Adapter

Overview

The Lenovo 4Y37A09724 is a host bus adapter designed for ThinkSystem servers, providing external SAS and SATA connectivity to expand storage capabilities. It fits into a PCIe 4.0 x8 slot and connects servers to external enclosures via four HD Mini-SAS ports, supporting up to sixteen lanes running at 12 Gb/s. This adapter is ideal for setups that require reliable, high-throughput connections to external drives managed by the operating system or application software.

Key features

• PCIe 4.0 x8 interface delivers high-speed data transfer for demanding storage environments
• Four external x4 HD Mini-SAS connectors (SFF-8644) enable connection to multiple external drive enclosures
• Supports 16 lanes of 12 Gb/s SAS throughput, ensuring consistent bandwidth for large data sets and backup targets
• Broadcom SAS3816 controller provides proven and stable external SAS connectivity
• Operates in JBOD mode without RAID, allowing software-based control of redundancy, tiering, and caching
• Compatible with Windows Server, major Linux distributions, and VMware ESXi for flexible deployment across common server platforms and hypervisors

Key specs

• Host interface: PCIe 4.0 x8
• External ports: Four x4 HD Mini-SAS (SFF-8644)
• SAS lanes: 16 lanes at 12 Gb/s each
• Controller: Broadcom SAS3816
• Operating modes: JBOD only (no RAID support)
• Supported operating systems: Windows Server, Linux, VMware ESXi

Connectivity and compatibility

This adapter connects servers to external storage enclosures through four HD Mini-SAS ports, each supporting four lanes of SAS at 12 Gb/s. The SFF-8644 interface ensures secure and high-speed connections to multi-bay enclosures or JBOD shelves. Its compatibility with major server operating systems and hypervisors makes it a versatile choice for various IT environments.

Ideal uses and environments

The Lenovo 4Y37A09724 is well suited to data centers and enterprise environments that require external storage expansion without hardware RAID. It fits well in virtualization clusters, file storage servers, and archival systems where software manages disk redundancy and caching. This adapter also works effectively in lab or test environments where direct control over external drives is preferred.