Lenovo 4XH7A08771 SR550 3.5 Sata/sas 12-BAY BP

Lenovo 4XH7A08771 SR550 3.5" 12-Bay SAS/SATA Backplane

Overview

The Lenovo 4XH7A08771 is a 12-bay, 3.5-inch SAS/SATA backplane designed specifically for the ThinkSystem SR550 server platform. If you're expanding raw storage capacity on an SR550 — whether for a high-volume NVR deployment, a dense file archive, or general-purpose data growth — this backplane is the factory-matched component that brings the full 12-drive bay array online. At 4.70 lb and 16.00 × 22.00 × 5.00 inches, it installs into the SR550 chassis without adapter brackets or third-party hardware.

For integrators building out server storage infrastructure, this is the difference between an SR550 running at partial capacity and one that's fully provisioned. Using the wrong or aftermarket backplane in a Lenovo ThinkSystem chassis introduces firmware compatibility risk and voids server warranty coverage — the 4XH7A08771 eliminates that risk by design.

Key Features

• 12 × 3.5" Drive Bays: Twelve full-size 3.5-inch bays means you can deploy high-capacity nearline SAS or SATA drives — think 8TB to 20TB per slot — for aggregate raw storage in the hundreds of terabytes from a single 2U footprint. That's meaningful for long-retention NVR storage or bulk archive workloads.
• Dual Interface Support — SAS and SATA: Native support for both SAS and SATA drives gives you flexibility at procurement time. SAS for enterprise-grade reliability and dual-port redundancy on mission-critical deployments; SATA for cost-per-terabyte efficiency on secondary or archive tiers. You're not locked into one drive family.
• PCI Express 3.0 Backplane Connectivity: The backplane communicates over PCIe 3.0, ensuring the controller path to the drives doesn't become the bottleneck in a high-drive-count configuration. Relevant when running simultaneous sequential writes across multiple bays — common in multi-stream video recording environments.
• SR550-Specific Engineering: Built to Lenovo's ThinkSystem mechanical and electrical specs for the SR550 chassis. Connector alignment, power delivery, and firmware recognition are designed to work as a system — not a best-effort fit. This matters in data center environments where hot-swap drive operations need predictable behavior.
• Factory-New, Genuine Component: Sourced as a genuine Lenovo part. In a server chassis where a backplane failure can bring down all attached drives simultaneously, using a counterfeit or grey-market component carries disproportionate risk. Factory-new, no parallel imports.
• Compact 2U Footprint: At 16.00 × 22.00 × 5.00 in, the assembly fits the standard SR550 2U rack envelope. No rack-space surprises — critical when you're planning a full-height rack build with known U-counts.
• Metallic Construction: The metallic enclosure finish is consistent with server-grade thermal and EMI requirements — not consumer-grade plastic framing that flexes under drive vibration over time.

Integration & Compatibility

The 4XH7A08771 is engineered for the Lenovo ThinkSystem SR550 server. Before ordering, confirm your SR550 chassis configuration — Lenovo offers multiple backplane options for the SR550 depending on whether you're equipping it for 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch drive bays. This is the 3.5-inch, 12-bay variant. Pair it with compatible SAS or SATA hard drives and a ThinkSystem RAID adapter (such as the 730-8i or 930-series) to complete the storage stack. Drive compatibility is governed by Lenovo's ServerProven list for the SR550 — verify individual drive models against that list before deploying at scale.

For surveillance-specific deployments, this backplane supports high-capacity surveillance-grade hard drives (e.g., Seagate SkyHawk or WD Purple lines in 3.5-inch SATA format) that meet the SR550's mechanical requirements. Twelve bays of 10TB SATA surveillance drives yields 120TB raw — enough for multi-camera, long-retention recording without an external expansion shelf.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What server is the Lenovo 4XH7A08771 designed for?

A: The 4XH7A08771 is a factory-matched backplane for the Lenovo ThinkSystem SR550 server, specifically the 3.5-inch, 12-bay drive bay configuration.

Q: What drive interfaces does the 4XH7A08771 support?

A: It supports both SAS and SATA drives in a 3.5-inch form factor, connected via a PCI Express 3.0 backplane interface to the server's storage controller.

Q: How many drives can the 4XH7A08771 hold?

A: It supports up to 12 drives in 3.5-inch bays.

Q: What are the physical dimensions and weight of the 4XH7A08771?

A: The assembly measures 16.00 × 22.00 × 5.00 inches (L × W × H) and weighs 4.70 lb.

Q: Can I use the 4XH7A08771 with SATA surveillance hard drives?

A: Yes. The backplane supports standard 3.5-inch SATA drives, which includes surveillance-optimized SATA HDDs. Confirm specific drive model compatibility against Lenovo's ServerProven list for the SR550 before deployment.

Q: Is the 4XH7A08771 compatible with NVMe drives?

A: Based on available specifications, the 4XH7A08771 supports SAS and SATA interfaces. NVMe support is not indicated in the available evidence — verify with Lenovo's SR550 configuration guide if NVMe is a requirement.

Marty Allison

When I spec storage infrastructure for high-channel NVR deployments, backplane selection is where I see the most costly mistakes. The Lenovo 4XH7A08771 is the factory-matched 12-bay, 3.5-inch SAS/SATA backplane for the ThinkSystem SR550 — and that word "matched" carries real weight. At 4.70 lb in a 16 × 22 × 5-inch assembly, it drops into the SR550 chassis without mechanical compromise, and the PCIe 3.0 controller path means you're not creating a throughput ceiling across all 12 bays.

Technical Highlights:

• 12 × 3.5" Bay Capacity: Twelve full-size bays at 3.5 inches means pairing with high-capacity SATA drives — 10TB to 20TB per slot — to reach 120–240TB raw in a single chassis. That's enough retention headroom for a 100+ camera system at standard bitrates without an external shelf.
• Dual SAS/SATA Interface: Keeping both interfaces live on a single backplane lets you mix drive tiers — enterprise SAS for transactional or hot storage, nearline SATA for bulk archive — without changing hardware. Useful when a deployment evolves from pure recording to tiered retention policies.
• PCIe 3.0 Controller Path: The PCIe 3.0 backplane interface sustains aggregate bandwidth across all 12 drives simultaneously. In a live recording environment where you're writing to many drives at once, this prevents the backplane from throttling write performance during peak camera activity.

Deployment Considerations:

• This backplane is chassis-specific to the SR550 — it will not drop into other ThinkSystem models. Confirm the SR550 chassis revision and existing backplane configuration before ordering; Lenovo SR550 can be configured with different backplane options depending on the original BTO spec.
• Drive compatibility is governed by Lenovo's ServerProven list. Deploying drives outside that list — even industry-standard 3.5-inch SATA surveillance HDDs — can result in firmware compatibility warnings or degraded RAID performance. Pull the ServerProven matrix for the SR550 before finalizing drive selection.

The 4XH7A08771 is the right call when you're fully provisioning an SR550 for a dense NVR or video archive build and need all 12 bays populated with large-capacity 3.5-inch drives — specifically where chassis-native compatibility and predictable hot-swap behavior matter more than a lower-cost generic alternative.