Lenovo ThinkSystem DM Series HIC: 16/32 Gb FC, 4-Port

Powerful, scalable, and built for demanding data centers, the Lenovo ThinkSystem DM Series HIC delivers four high-bandwidth Fibre Channel ports on a compact PCIe card. Designed to pair with Lenovo ThinkSystem DM Series storage solutions and a broad range of SAN fabrics, this HIC helps organizations accelerate mission-critical workloads while preserving data integrity. With 16/32 Gb FC per port, you can scale your storage fabric to support databases, virtualized environments, backups, and archival systems with confidence. The card's architecture emphasizes reliability and performance, featuring Overlapping Protection Domains (OPD) to protect control and data paths, reducing the risk of data errors in multipath configurations. Whether you’re consolidating workloads in a private data center or extending a SAN to multiple servers, the DM Series HIC is engineered to meet the demanding needs of modern enterprises.

• High-speed, four-port Fibre Channel solution: Each port supports up to 32 Gbit/s, offering up to 128 Gbit/s of aggregate bandwidth across the card. This performance headroom makes the DM Series HIC well-suited for I/O-intensive workloads such as online transaction processing, large relational databases, high-velocity backups, and virtualized environments. The four-port configuration provides ample SAN port density, enabling parallel data paths to multiple storage targets without contending for bandwidth. In practice, this translates into lower latency per I/O operation, faster LUN provisioning, and more predictable performance during peak demand windows. The architecture is designed for enterprise-grade reliability, with robust error handling and compatibility with mainstream Fibre Channel fabrics and storage arrays from Lenovo and third-party vendors.
• PCIe 4.0 x4 interface: The DM Series HIC plugs into a PCIe 4.0 x4 slot, delivering substantial bandwidth between the server and the SAN. This architecture minimizes processor overhead and reduces bus contention, helping to sustain high throughput even in multi-VM environments. The PCIe 4.0 standard doubles the per-lane bandwidth relative to PCIe 3.0, providing headroom for future storage growth and smoother operation when data paths are shared across multiple devices. With this card, IT teams can scale performance in line with increasing data growth and application demands while maintaining low CPU utilization for application workloads. The result is an agile, future-ready solution capable of handling accelerating data workloads without compromising server performance.
• Overlapping Protection Domains (OPD) for data integrity: OPD is a core feature that isolates control and data paths in Fibre Channel traffic. This separation reduces the likelihood that transient errors or fabric events propagate into data transfers, helping protect against data corruption, inadvertent resets, or path failures during heavy I/O, fabric reconfigurations, or failover. The result is more stable storage connectivity and higher confidence in data integrity for critical workloads such as database transactions, analytics pipelines, and VDI storage. Lenovo’s implementation aligns with industry best practices for SAN reliability, providing a strong foundation for enterprise-grade storage that IT teams can rely on for mission-critical operations.
• Compact, enterprise-ready design with deployment flexibility: The card’s form factor fits standard PCIe x4 slots in a wide range of Lenovo ThinkSystem servers and other compatible systems supporting DM Series deployments. With four 16/32 Gb FC ports on a single card, IT teams can scale their SAN connectivity without adding additional PCIe cards, reducing motherboard and backplane complexity. This compact design is ideal for dense data centers, edge deployments, and virtualization hosts that demand robust Fibre Channel connectivity without sacrificing slot density or power budgets. The DM Series HIC’s robust mechanical design and Lenovo engineering quality help ensure long-term reliability in demanding conditions.
• Comprehensive management, firmware, and interoperability: The DM Series HIC is supported by Lenovo’s management ecosystem, including driver packs, firmware updates, and compatibility with major SAN fabrics and storage arrays. Regular firmware and driver updates help maximize throughput, reliability, and security across the Fibre Channel fabric. The card integrates with standard SAN management tools and operating systems, enabling straightforward configuration of fabric zoning, LUN mapping, and multipathing. IT teams appreciate Lenovo’s ongoing support, documentation, and compatibility with industry-standard storage protocols to ensure smooth interoperability in heterogeneous environments.

Technical Details of Lenovo ThinkSystem DM Series HIC, 16/32Gb FC,4-ports

• Product type: Fibre Channel Host Bus Adapter (HBA)
• Ports: 4 x Fibre Channel ports
• Speed per port: 16/32 Gb/s Fibre Channel (up to 32 Gb/s per port)
• Aggregate bandwidth: Up to 128 Gb/s when all ports are active
• Bus interface: PCIe 4.0 x4
• Form factor: PCIe card
• Series: ThinkSystem DM Series HIC
• Data integrity features: Overlapping Protection Domains (OPD) for control and data paths
• Compatibility: Designed for Lenovo ThinkSystem DM Series environments and broad SAN fabric interoperability

How to install Lenovo ThinkSystem DM Series HIC, 16/32Gb FC,4-ports

• Power down the server, unplug power, and ground yourself to prevent static discharge.
• Open the chassis and locate an available PCIe 4.0 x4 slot that aligns with the card’s interface and the server’s motherboard layout.
• Remove the slot cover if necessary and insert the DM Series HIC firmly into the PCIe slot, ensuring the connector is fully seated.
• Secure the expansion card bracket to the chassis with the appropriate screw to hold the card in place.
• Connect Fibre Channel cables from the HIC ports to your SAN switch or storage array using compatible SFP/SFP+ transceivers and fiber optic cabling appropriate for your fabric.
• Replace any chassis panels, reconnect power, and boot the server.
• Install the latest Lenovo ThinkSystem drivers and firmware for the HIC from the official Lenovo support site, following on-screen prompts and rebooting as required.
• Enter the operating system and configure the HIC with your SAN management software or OS-native tools. Set up zoning, LUN mappings, and multipathing as per your storage environment requirements.
• Run a validation pass to confirm link status, negotiated speeds, and path health. Verify that all SAN targets are reachable and that data throughput meets expected performance benchmarks.

Frequently asked questions

• Q: What is the speed of the Lenovo ThinkSystem DM Series HIC's Fibre Channel ports?
  A: Each port supports 16/32 Gb/s Fibre Channel, with up to 32 Gb/s per port and up to 128 Gb/s total potential bandwidth when all ports are utilized.
• Q: How many ports does this HIC have?
  A: It provides 4 Fibre Channel ports.
• Q: What PCIe interface does it use?
  A: PCIe 4.0 x4, enabling high-throughput connection to the server's CPU and memory subsystem.
• Q: What is overlapping protection domains (OPD)?
  A: OPD is a data integrity feature that ensures protection for both control and data paths in Fibre Channel, reducing risk of data corruption during SAN operations and path failover.
• Q: Is this card compatible with Lenovo DM Series storage?
  A: Yes, it’s designed as part of the Lenovo ThinkSystem DM Series HIC family and works with ThinkSystem DM Series storage solutions and compatible SAN fabrics.