High-performance blade server optimized for virtualization
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15.
The diagnostic programs create a merged log that includes events from all collected logs. The
information is collected into a file that you can send to IBM service and support. Additionally, you
can view the information locally through a generated text report file, or you can copy the log to
removable media and view the log from a Web browser.
IBM Systems Director
software for advanced workgroup management is included with the
server. IBM Systems Director comes with a portfolio of tools, including
Active Energy Manager,
Service and Support Manager
, and other tools.
System Availability
(a no-charge download) and
Capacity Manager
(sold separately) are available as add-ons for additional server management
and increased availability. IBM Systems Director provides a single uniform graphical interface for
all of these systems management functions.
IBM Systems Director enables you to customize thresholds and monitor system components (for
things like temperature, voltage regulation, etc.) to help maximize uptime.
Key Options
IBM options for System x servers let you take your servers to a
higher level
You rely on System x and blade options to supply a comprehensive solution for your business
needs. Options help create an optimized server system to meet your data protection, storage and
availability needs. Every IBM option is designed and tested for peak performance and flexibility,
helping to maximize your return on investment. The combination of System x servers and options
lets you keep your fingers on the pulse of your e-business.
Processors
— The Intel Xeon processor provides high clock rates, 64-bit extensions, a large
cache, Hyper Threading Technology, Turbo Boost Technology, energy-saving features, and
advanced features for availability and manageability. Large cache size and multiple cores,
combined with an
800MHz
,
1066MHz
or
1333MHz
memory access speed, reduce memory
latency and facilitate the movement of data through the processor and I/O devices. (
Note:
System performance depends not only on the number of processors in the server but also on the
power and functionality of each processor, as well as the number, capacity, and arrangement of
the DIMMs.) Adding a second processor may be a cost-effective way to achieve significant
performance improvements.
Memory
— Memory is a significant factor in systems application performance. Adding more
memory to a BladeCenter server is one of the most effective ways to increase application
performance.
For best performance in a server with a four-core processor, there should be twice
as much memory available as for a two-core processor.
Note:
Fewer large-capacity DIMMs may
provide better performance and use less energy than more lower-capacity DIMMs. On the other
hand, more lower-capacity DIMMs can be less expensive to buy than fewer high-capacity
DIMMs.
I/O Expansion Units
— A choice of BladeCenter
PCI Express Expansion Unit 3
(
BPE3
) or
BladeCenter
PCI Express Gen 2 Expansion Blade 4
(
BPE4
) offers from
3
to
10
total adapter
slots, to support additional fabrics (including Ethernet, 10Gb Ethernet, Fibre Channel, SAS, and
Converged network Adapters), and high-performance graphics processing units (GPUs).
Solid-State Drives
— IBM offers a
50.0GB
1.8-inch
solid-state drive
as a higher reliability,
lower-energy-use alternative to HDDs. They can be used as a highly available boot drive, for
storing disk images, or for other uses that stress read performance. Additional direct-attach
storage is available via the BladeCenter S chassis.
High IOPS SSD PCIe Adapters
— For storage media offering up to
500 times
the I/O
operations per second (IOPS) and up to
7.7 times
the bandwidth of 15,000-RPM HDDs, IBM
offers the
160GB High IOPS SS Class SSD PCIe Adapter
, the
320GB High IOPS SS Class
SSD PCIe Adapter
, the
320GB High IOPS MS Class SSD PCIe Adapter,
and the
320GB High
IOPS SD Class SSD PCIe Adapter
, as well as the
640GB High IOPS MLC Duo Adapter
.
These adapters offer near-DRAM performance, with extremely high data retention (up to 25
years) and RAID-grade data protection, with
160GB
or
320GB
capacities.
ServeRAID Controllers
— System x servers using ServeRAID technology allow organizations to
build a reliable foundation for business-critical computing. IBM ServeRAID technology allows an
array consisting of multiple physical hard disk drives to be treated as one logical drive.
ServeRAID technology also allows data to be stored redundantly, across multiple hard disk
drives— enhancing both the integrity and the availability of the data. SAS and SATA ServeRAID
controllers offer enhanced performance due to onboard processors and cache. Because IBM
ServeRAID controllers can help significantly improve data transfer rates, this technology is
extremely effective when implementing demanding, transaction-oriented applications. By
employing the advanced fault tolerance of IBM ServeRAID technology, companies can effectively
implement networked business systems that require large amounts of storage space for data and
applications that must be available for their businesses to continue operating.
The optional
ServeRAID-MR10ie
controller (CIOv form-factor), with up to
6Gbps
throughput per
SAS port, adds
RAID-5/50/6/60
support and
256MB
of cache memory and battery backup, as
well as support for direct-attach
BladeCenter S
storage or external
System Storage
expansion
