Supermicro Mobile Rack M28SAB-OEM Drive Bay Adapter – Black

Engineered for high-density storage deployments, the Supermicro Mobile Rack M28SAB-OEM is a scalable drive bay adapter designed to maximize utilization of your server chassis. This black modular unit supports eight 2.5-inch drives in a compact 8-bay footprint, delivering flexible storage expansion for SAS/SATA HDDs and SSDs with hot-swap convenience. The integrated 5.25-inch drive bay enclosure expands your options for I/O or ancillary devices, while a fan-less design keeps noise to a minimum in data centers and office environments alike. With real-time drive activity and failure indicators, plus an overheat LED and alarm, administrators gain visibility and protection to maintain uptime. Whether you are building a fast-ddata storage array, a backup repository, or a virtualization-ready storage pool, the M28SAB-OEM is a robust backbone for enterprise-grade storage at the rack level.

• Eight 2.5" hot-swap bays for dense storage: Easily scale capacity by populating each bay with SAS/SATA HDDs or SSDs. The hot-swap design minimizes downtime during maintenance or drive replacement, allowing you to upgrade or swap drives without powering down the system. This arrangement supports mixed-drive configurations, enabling performance-tuned storage pools for different workloads within a single enclosure.
• Fan-free subsystem for quiet, reliable operation: The module uses a fan-less cooling approach that relies on chassis airflow and passive heat dissipation. This makes it ideal for quiet data centers, edge deployments, and office environments where noise is a concern, while maintaining dependable operation through smart thermal management and status indicators.
• Integrated 2x iPASS connectors for streamlined connectivity: The M28SAB-OEM includes two iPASS connectors that deliver high-density SAS/SATA data pathways to the eight drives, simplifying backplane integration and reducing cabling complexity in dense server configurations. This design helps improve airflow and simplifies deployment in crowded rack environments.
• Comprehensive indicators: activity, failure, and overheat alerts: Drive Activity / Failure LED provides immediate status on individual drives, while the Overheat LED and alarm warn you of thermal conditions that could impact performance or longevity. These alerts enable proactive maintenance, reducing unplanned downtime and safeguarding data integrity.
• Two 5.25" drive bay enclosure for expanded capability: In addition to the 8 x 2.5" bays, the enclosure offers two 5.25" drive bay spaces for auxiliary devices such as optical drives or other expansion modules, maximizing rack real estate and enabling versatile system configurations without sacrificing bay density.

Technical Details of Supermicro Mobile Rack M28SAB-OEM Drive Bay Adapter

• Bay configuration: 8 x 2.5" hot-swap SAS/SATA HDDs
• Total drive bays: 8
• Interface support: SAS and SATA drives (SAS/SATA compatible backplane)
• Cooling design: Fan-less subsystem for silent operation
• Indicators: Drive Activity / Failure LED, Overheat LED and alarm
• Expansion bays: 2 x 5.25" drive bay enclosure
• Backplane/connectors: 2x iPASS connectors
• Color/finish: Black

How to install Supermicro Mobile Rack M28SAB-OEM Drive Bay Adapter

Follow these steps to integrate the M28SAB-OEM into a compatible Supermicro chassis:

• Power down and prepare: Ensure the server is powered off and unplugged. Gather the necessary tools for securing the drive bay adapter into the chassis rack rail or slot.
• Mount and secure: Slide the M28SAB-OEM into the designated bay or slot in the chassis and secure it with the appropriate screws to prevent movement during operation.
• Connect backplane interfaces: Attach the 2x iPASS connectors to the chassis backplane or motherboard as specified in your system's documentation. Verify connector alignment to avoid bent pins or improper seating.
• Populate drives and verify: Install 2.5" SAS/SATA drives into each bay, ensuring proper seating. Check that the drives are recognized by the backplane and that the drive activity LED begins to indicate activity once the system powers up.
• Power-on and monitor: Power on the system and monitor the LED indicators (Drive Activity / Failure, Overheat) to confirm proper operation. Use your management software to configure RAID or storage pools as needed and verify performance.

Frequently asked questions

• Q: Is the M28SAB-OEM fanless?

  A: Yes. The drive bay adapter uses a fan-less subsystem designed for silent operation, relying on chassis cooling for thermal management.

• Q: How many 2.5" drives does it support?

  A: It supports eight 2.5" SAS/SATA drives in eight hot-swap bays.

• Q: What types of drives are compatible?

  A: The unit supports SAS and SATA hard disk drives and solid-state drives compatible with SAS/SATA interfaces.

• Q: What indicators are available?

  A: The module includes a Drive Activity / Failure LED and an Overheat LED with alarm to provide real-time status and thermal alerts.

• Q: Does it include 5.25" bays?

  A: Yes, there are two 5.25" drive bay enclosures for additional expansion options in the same unit.