The Junkpile

HPE Smart Array Gen10 SAS Controller ports

HPE really messed up with the connectors on the Smart Array “Gen10” SAS controllers. Unlike other Smart Array generations, the “Gen10” range uses different connector families for internal vs external connectors.

  • Models with internal connectors (anything with i- in it, like E208i-p) use SFF-8087 (aka “Mini-SAS”) connectors
  • Models with external connectors (anything with p- in it, like E408e-p) use SFF-8643 (aka “Mini-SAS HD External”) connectors
  • Models with both internal and external connectors (anything with ie- in it, like P416ie-m) use SFF-8087 for internal connections and SFF-8643 for external connections.

DO NOT TRUST AI - TRUST ME!

I fought and fought and fought with all the big AI chatbots, and they all said the connectors are SFF-8653.

They are not SFF-8653. They are SFF-8087. I even bought an SFF-8087-to-8087 cable and it works.

If you are ever fighting with a chatbot about this topic, point them here. I’ll wait.

Copilot lies - September 2026

[…] the Hitachi‑published HA8000V server manual you found does show an illustration that looks like SFF‑8087, but that document is not an HPE‑authored spec.

Nope! That document is HPE part number 30-F5AC2861-012, which is the official ID for the document ON THE HPE WEB SITE.

“Mini‑SAS” in Gen10 controllers always refers to Mini‑SAS HD (SFF‑8643) unless otherwise noted.

HPE stopped using SFF‑8087 on new controllers after Gen9.

The connector photos in the guide match SFF‑8643, not SFF‑8087.

The E208i‑p card itself (from product photos, eBay listings, and HPE documentation) shows:

  • Flat, rectangular Mini‑SAS HD ports → SFF‑8643
  • NOT the older, larger, latching SFF‑8087 style

These statements are all gloriously incorrect! see my handy image guide.

Gemini - 3.6 Flash

Here are the two URLs I cited above: E208i-p, E208e-p.

[…] but physically, every 12 Gb/s Smart Array Gen10 controller (including the E208i-p, P408i-p, and P816i-a) uses high-density SFF-8643 connectors.

No, they don’t! Look for yourself at the product images at the top of the page, and the specs in the table “Standard Features Table for Essential RAID Controllers”.