A highly-affordable, ultradense, uniprocessor server delivering power-optimized performance for
non-virtualized application workloads
Please see the Legal Information section for important notices and information.
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all fans, both power supplies, the voltage regulator module and the service processor, allowing
the servicer to easily identify exactly which component needs servicing. By following the “light
path,” the component can be replaced quickly, and without guesswork. (
Note:
In the event of a
failed DIMM, the system will restart and mark the DIMM as bad while offline, thus allowing the
system to continue running, with reduced memory capacity, until serviced.)
Ultra-Efficient Cooling
Four strategically located fans, combined with efficient airflow paths, provide highly effective
system cooling for the x3350, known as
Calibrated Vectored Cooling
. The base server with one
power supply includes four hot-swap fans. In addition, each power supply also contains a fan.
The system contains
two cooling zones
.
Zone 1
(incorporating one or two fans) cools all 4
DIMM sockets, all hard disk drives, and adapter Slot 2.
Zone 2
(two or four fans) cools the
processor, the optical drive, and Slot 1. Upgrading to optional hot-swap redundant cooling adds a
second fan to Zone 1 and three more to Zone 2.
The fans automatically adjust speeds in response to changing thermal requirements, from a
minimum of
7,000
RPMs to the maximum
15,000
RPMs, depending on the zone and internal
temperatures. When the temperature inside the server increases, the fans speed up to maintain
the proper ambient temperature. When the temperature returns to a normal operating level, the
fans return to their default speed. Why not simply run the fans at 100% capacity all the time? For
several good reasons: to reduce the ambient noise, reduce the wear-and-tear on the fans and
reduce the server power draw. The reduction in ambient noise and power draw may be relatively
minor for a single server, but put dozens or hundreds in a data center and it can make a big
difference.
In addition, the server uses
hexagonal ventilation holes
in the chassis. Hexagonal holes can be
grouped more densely than round holes, providing greater airflow through the system cover.
This cooling scheme is important because newer, more powerful processors generate a
significant amount of heat, and heat must be controlled for the system to function properly.
Other Features
•
Four USB 2.0 ports
— Provides flexibility to add high-speed external devices. The USB 2.0
specification supports up to 480Mbps transfer rates. (
Note:
Not all USB 2.0 devices are
capable of achieving this rate.) Two ports are provided on the front of the server and two on
the back.
•
Remote Supervisor Adapter II SlimLine
support — This optional “slotless” full-function
advanced systems management adapter adds local and remote management functions.
•
Toolless slides
— Allows quick rack installation and quicker upgrade and servicing of the
server.
•
Toolless chassis
— The cover can be opened without tools, and many components can be
removed and replaced without tools, including the optical drive, the
Remote Supervisor
Adapter II SlimLine
, the
PCI-E adapters
, the
fans
,
CD-ROM
drive,
adapter
riser card
, the
hot-swap
or
simple-swap backplane
, and the
hot-swap
or
simple-swap HDDs
. This can
save a servicer significant time.
Rack Cable Management and KVM Console Switching
IBM Advanced Cabling Technology (
ACT
) is an optional feature that offers many advantages
over standard KVM cabling across the entire System x and xSeries product line. So now you can
interconnect all of your servers with one smart cabling architecture. ACT cabling eliminates the
need for one-to-one direct connections between each server and a KVM switch by using a daisy-
chain approach.
The snarl of cabling behind most racks is at best inconvenient to work around and at worst an
expensive logistical nightmare, requiring the rewiring of servers, PDUs, KVM switches, and other
equipment whenever a rack server is added or removed. Even worse, the veil of cables blocks
rack airflow and can actually contribute to equipment failure due to overheating. ACT cabling is
the solution for reducing behind-the-rack cabling by as much as
87%
.
Conventional cabling has bulky KVM cables exiting each server, which then connect to a KVM
switch. The cables exiting a series of KVM switches must then be aggregated via additional KVM
switches and PDUs, which only increases the number—and cost—of cables, KVM switches and
PDUs. Instead, the daisy-chain approach of ACT cabling uses readily available, inexpensive
CAT5 and 6 cabling to considerably
reduce
the number of cables, KVM switches, and PDUs
needed, rather than increasing them. If a server is removed or added, no complicated rewiring is
needed. One cable connects the first server in the rack to the next, and so on. Up to
16
servers
form a chain; up to
8
chains can connect to one Local Console Manager (LCM);
16
LCMs can
connect to one Global Console Manager (GCM). In this manner, up to
2,048
servers
can be
centrally managed. Equally importantly, with ACT—unlike some other offerings—everything is