Dell 2x M.2 SATA 2280 Slot BOSS-S1 RAID Controller Modular Card
0853XN / 853XN
The Dell BOSS-S1 (Boot Optimized Storage Solution) Modular Card – 0853XN / 853XN is a dedicated RAID controller designed to host a server operating system on M.2 SATA SSDs. It provides a simple, cost-effective, and reliable boot solution for Dell PowerEdge servers by separating OS storage from primary data drives.
⚠️ The BOSS-S1 supports M.2 SATA only and is not compatible with NVMe SSDs.
Product Overview
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Device Type: RAID Controller / Adapter Card
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Primary Purpose: Operating System Boot Storage
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Interface: PCIe Gen 2.0 x8 (x8 physical connector)
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Form Factor:
Drive Support
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Supported Drives: Up to 2 × M.2 SATA SSDs
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M.2 Form Factor: 2280 (22mm × 80mm)
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Interface Speed: SATA 6 Gbps
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Validated Drives: Dell enterprise-class, read-intensive M.2 SATA SSDs (commonly 240GB or 480GB)
RAID & Storage Configuration
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Supported RAID Level: RAID 1 (Mirroring) only
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Non-RAID Mode: Two independent disks supported
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Maximum Virtual Disks: 1
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Cache Policy: Write-through only (no battery backup or non-volatile cache)
Management & Configuration
Server Compatibility
The Dell BOSS-S1 (853XN) is compatible with select Dell PowerEdge servers (primarily 14th Generation and newer), including but not limited to:
Rack Servers
R240, R340, R440, R540
R640, R740, R740xd, R940
R6415, R7415, R7425
R6515, R6525, R7515, R7525
C4140, C6420, C6525
Tower Servers
T140, T340, T440, T640
Modular / Blade Servers
FC640, M640
Always confirm server BIOS and backplane support before installation.
Key Features
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Dedicated OS boot controller
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RAID 1 redundancy for increased reliability
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PCIe-based boot solution
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Enterprise integration with Dell server management tools
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Designed specifically for Dell PowerEdge infrastructure
Ideal Use Cases
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Virtualization hosts
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Enterprise server deployments
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Data center environments requiring redundant OS boot media
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Infrastructure where OS and data storage must remain isolated
