Dell DTC59 – 12Gbps SAS External Host Bus Adapter

Overview :

The Dell DTC59 is a high-performance, external Host Bus Adapter (HBA) designed for seamless connectivity between Dell PowerEdge servers and external storage arrays or tape drives. Operating on the SAS 3.0 protocol, it provides 12Gbps throughput per port, effectively doubling the bandwidth of previous generation 6Gbps controllers to eliminate data bottlenecks in high-speed backup and storage environments.

Equipped with two external mini-SAS HD (SFF-8644) ports, this HBA is optimized for dense data center deployments. It utilizes a PCIe 3.0 x8 interface to ensure the bus speed matches the controller’s throughput capabilities. As a non-RAID controller, it passes physical disk information directly to the Operating System, making it an essential component for Software-Defined Storage (SDS) architectures like VMware vSAN or Microsoft Azure Stack HCI.

This specific variant is a low-profile card, making it suitable for 1U and 2U rack servers where internal vertical space is restricted. It is primarily deployed for connecting PowerVault JBODs or LTO tape libraries. It should not be used if internal drive management or hardware-level RAID logic is required, as this card functions strictly as a transparent pass-through interface.

Key Features :

• 12Gbps SAS Data Rates: Dual-port connectivity for high-speed storage access.

• Non-RAID Pass-Through: Ideal for ZFS, vSAN, and software-defined workloads.

• PCIe 3.0 x8 Interface: Ensures maximum bandwidth for external data transfers.

• Mini-SAS HD Ports: SFF-8644 connectors support modern high-density cabling.

• Low-Profile Form Factor: Fits modern 1U/2U PowerEdge and Precision systems.