Supermicro CloudDC SYS-121C-TN16R
The Supermicro SYS-121C-TN16R is a 1U dual-processor CloudDC server offering sixteen hot-swap E1.S or 2.5-inch NVMe drive bays. Designed for high-density cloud storage and virtualization, it incorporates 16 DDR5 DIMM slots, dual PCIe 5.0 slots, and dual OCP 3.0 AIOM slots.
Specifications
| Brand | Supermicro |
|---|---|
| Family | CloudDC |
| Form factor | 1U rack |
| Released | Mar 2023 |
| Form factor | 1U rack |
| Sockets | 2 |
| Processor family | Intel Xeon Scalable (4th/5th Gen) |
| Memory slots | 16 |
| Max memory | 4TB DDR5-5600 |
| Drive bays | 16x hot-swap E1.S or 2.5-inch NVMe |
| Power supplies | 2x 860W Redundant Titanium |
Generations
- Previous generation: Supermicro CloudDC SYS-120C-TN10R
Works together
How the Supermicro CloudDC SYS-121C-TN16R connects to servers, storage and the network: 4 ways, with the parts and products on each path.
Fibre Channel SAN
Match the speed: 16Gb and 32Gb FC HBAs, switches and array ports work together, and each generation also runs one or two speeds below its own (a 32Gb port runs at 16Gb and 8Gb).
Switches
Cisco MDS 9396V 2RU
Cisco MDS 9124V 1U rack
Cisco MDS 9148V 1RU
Dell Connectrix DS-7730B 2U switch
Storage
HPE Alletra Storage MP 2U rack
Lenovo ThinkSystem DE6400F 2U rack
Lenovo ThinkSystem DE6400H 2U rack
Lenovo ThinkSystem DE6600F 2U rack
Lenovo ThinkSystem DE6600H 2U rack
Lenovo ThinkSystem DM3010H 2U rack
Optics
57-1000262-01 Brocade 16G FC SFP+ ELWL 25 km
57-1000333-01 Brocade 32G FC SFP+ SWL
57-1000487-01 Brocade 16G FC SFP+ SWL
iSCSI and NVMe/TCP over Ethernet
Keep the speed the same at all three points: a 25GbE server, a 25GbE switch port and a 25GbE array port. Mixed speeds work but the slowest link sets the pace.
Adapters for the server (check the fit list)
AOC-A100G-B2CM Supermicro AOC-A100G-b2CM: OCP 3.0 AIOM 2x 100GbE QSFP28 PCIe 4.0 x16 Broadcom BCM57508
AOC-A25G-B2S-P Supermicro AOC-A25G-B2S-P: AIOM 2-port 25GbE SFP28, Broadcom BCM57414
AOC-A25G-B2SM Supermicro AOC-A25G-b2SM: OCP 3.0 AIOM 2x 25GbE SFP28 PCIe x8 Intel E810-XXVAM2
AOC-A25G-I2SM Supermicro AOC-A25G-i2SM: OCP 3.0 AIOM 4x 25GbE SFP28 PCIe x8 Intel E810-CAM1
Switches
Arista 7060X6-32D 1U fixed switch
Dell PowerSwitch Z9664F-ON 2U switch
HPE Aruba CX 8100 1U fixed switch
Cisco Nexus 9332D-GX2B 1U fixed switch
Storage
- HPE Alletra Storage MP 2U rack
- Lenovo ThinkSystem DE6400H 2U rack
- Lenovo ThinkSystem DE6600H 2U rack
- Lenovo ThinkSystem DM3010H 2U rack
Pure Storage FlashArray //X50 R4 3U rack
Pure Storage FlashArray //X70 R4 3U rack
Optics
QSFP-100G-CWDM4-AR Arista 100GBASE-CWDM4 QSFP28 Optical Transceiver Module
QSFP-100G-LR4-AR Arista 100GBASE-LR4 QSFP28 Optical Transceiver Module
QSFP-100G-SR4 Arista 100GBASE-SR4 QSFP28 Optical Transceiver
Direct-attached SAS
12Gb SAS uses Mini-SAS HD (SFF-8644) connectors; older 6Gb gear uses Mini-SAS (SFF-8088). Adapter cables exist, but the link runs at the slower speed.
Adapters for the server (check the fit list)
AOC-S3008L-L8E Supermicro AOC-S3008L-L8E: Standard LP, 8 internal ports (12Gb/s) Gen-3; HBA
Storage
- Lenovo ThinkSystem DE6400H 2U rack
- Lenovo ThinkSystem DE6600H 2U rack
Dell PowerVault ME5012 2U rack
Dell PowerVault ME5024 2U rack
Dell PowerVault ME5084 5U rack
Lenovo ThinkSystem DE4200H 2U rack
File storage (NFS and SMB)
Front-end ports face the clients; back-end ports (on scale-out systems) connect the nodes to each other and need their own switch pair.
Adapters for the server (check the fit list)
- AOC-A100G-B2CM Supermicro AOC-A100G-b2CM: OCP 3.0 AIOM 2x 100GbE QSFP28 PCIe 4.0 x16 Broadcom BCM57508
- AOC-A25G-B2S-P Supermicro AOC-A25G-B2S-P: AIOM 2-port 25GbE SFP28, Broadcom BCM57414
- AOC-A25G-B2SM Supermicro AOC-A25G-b2SM: OCP 3.0 AIOM 2x 25GbE SFP28 PCIe x8 Intel E810-XXVAM2
- AOC-A25G-I2SM Supermicro AOC-A25G-i2SM: OCP 3.0 AIOM 4x 25GbE SFP28 PCIe x8 Intel E810-CAM1
Switches
- Arista 7060X6-32D 1U fixed switch
- Dell PowerSwitch Z9664F-ON 2U switch
- HPE Aruba CX 8100 1U fixed switch
- Cisco Nexus 9332D-GX2B 1U fixed switch
Storage
- HPE Alletra Storage MP 2U rack
- Lenovo ThinkSystem DM3010H 2U rack
NetApp AFF C250 2U rack
NetApp FAS Series FAS2820 2U rack
Pure Storage FlashArray //E 3U rack
Lenovo ThinkSystem DG5000 2U rack
Optics
- QSFP-100G-CWDM4-AR Arista 100GBASE-CWDM4 QSFP28 Optical Transceiver Module
- QSFP-100G-LR4-AR Arista 100GBASE-LR4 QSFP28 Optical Transceiver Module
- QSFP-100G-SR4 Arista 100GBASE-SR4 QSFP28 Optical Transceiver
Plan and size it
- Draw this setup in the topology planner mrplanb.com
- Add up rack power and space rack-density.com
- Virtualization storage Ledger: scored storage platforms mrplanb.com
- SAN transport and NVMe over FC for backup mrplanb.com
Check compatibility with Supermicro
Before you buy, confirm the exact configuration against the vendor's own lists: firmware levels, operating systems, adapters and optics that Supermicro has tested with the Supermicro CloudDC SYS-121C-TN16R.
- Compatibility Supermicro tested memory, drives and add-on cards (per system page)
- Support Supermicro Support
Equivalent models from other brands
- Dell PowerEdge R660xs · compare
- HPE ProLiant DL360 Gen11 · compare
- Lenovo ThinkSystem SR630 V3 · compare
FAQ
What form factor drives are supported on the SYS-121C-TN16R?
The server supports both EDSFF E1.S (9.5mm / 15mm) form factor SSDs and standard 2.5-inch U.2 NVMe drives.
What OCP form factors are supported?
The system includes two OCP 3.0 compliant AIOM slots supporting standard networking mezzanine cards.
Buying or selling SYS-121C-TN16R?
New, refurbished or used. Tell us the quantity and condition and we connect you with a vetted reseller in your region, usually within one working day.
Sources
- Supermicro SYS-121C-TN16R Specification, checked 2026-10-28