IBM System x - x3650 M4 HD

The System x3650 M4 HD is a 2-socket 2U rack-optimized server. It supports up to 32 internal drives and features an innovative design that delivers an optimal balance of performance, uptime, and dense storage. It offers excellent reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS) for an improved business environment. The System x3650 M4 HD is designed for easy deployment, integration, service, and management.

Suggested use: Big data applications, cloud-computing deployments, data management, and business-critical workloads

The following figure shows the System x3650 M4 HD configured with 24 hot-swap 2.5-inch drive bays.

Figure 1. The System x3650 M4 HD

The x3650 M4 HD offers a flexible design that supports up to 26 2.5-inch drives (24 in the front, two accessible from the rear), or 16 2.5-inch drives and 16 1.8-inch solid-state drive bays. Combined with Intel E5-2600 v2 processors, up to 768 GB of memory, 12 Gbps SAS controllers, and up to 6 PCIe 3.0 slots, you have a system that can handle big data applications. Comprehensive systems management tools with the next-generation Integrated Management Module II (IMM2) make the server easy to deploy, integrate, service, and manage.

The x3650 M4 HD is an outstanding 2U two-socket business-critical server, offering improved performance and pay-as-you grow flexibility along with new features that improve server management capability. This powerful system is designed for your most important business applications and cloud deployments.

Combining balanced performance and flexibility, the x3650 M4 HD is a great choice for small and medium businesses up to the large enterprise. It can provide outstanding uptime to keep business-critical applications and cloud deployments running safely. Ease of use and comprehensive systems management tools make it easy to deploy. Outstanding RAS and high-efficiency design improve your business environment and help save operational costs.

Scalability and performance

The x3650 M4 HD offers numerous features to boost performance, improve scalability, and reduce costs:

• Featuring the Intel Xeon processor E5-2600 v2 product family, which improves productivity by offering superior system performance with up to 12 core per processors, core speeds up to 3.5 GHz, L3 cache up to 30 MB, and QPI interconnect links of up to 8 GTps.
• Two processors, up to 24 cores, and 48 threads maximize the concurrent execution of multi-threaded applications.
• Intelligent and adaptive system performance with Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 allows CPU cores to run at maximum speeds during peak workloads by temporarily going beyond processor thermal design power (TDP).
• Intel Hyper-Threading Technology boosts performance for multi-threaded applications by enabling simultaneous multi-threading within each processor core, up to two threads per core.
• Intel Virtualization Technology integrates hardware-level virtualization hooks that allow operating system vendors to better use the hardware for virtualization workloads.
• Intel Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX) improve floating-point performance for compute-intensive technical and scientific applications.
• Supports up to 24 Load Reduced DIMMs (LRDIMMs) of 1866 MHz DDR3 ECC memory, which provide speed, high availability, and a memory capacity of up to 768 GB (running at 1066 MHz).
• The use of solid-state drives (SSDs) instead of, or along with, traditional hard disk drives (HDDs) can improve I/O performance. An SSD can support up to 100 times more I/O operations per second (IOPS) than a typical HDD.
• Up to 26x 2.5-inch bays or a combination of up to 16x 2.5-inch bays and 16x 1.8-inch SSD bays provide a flexible and scalable platform to meet your increasing demands.
• The server has four integrated Gigabit Ethernet ports and two optional 10 Gb Ethernet (or InfiniBand) ports with mezzanine cards that do not use PICe slots.
• The server offers PCI Express 3.0 I/O expansion capabilities that improve the theoretical maximum bandwidth by 60% (8 GTps per link) compared to the previous generation of PCI Express 2.0.
• With Intel Integrated I/O Technology, the PCI Express 3.0 controller is integrated into the Intel Xeon processor E5 family. This integration helps to reduce I/O latency dramatically and increase overall system performance.
• Support for up to two NVIDIA Quadro graphics processing units (GPUs) to maximize computing power.

Availability and serviceability

The x3650 M4 HD provides many features to simplify serviceability and increase system uptime:

• The server offers memory mirroring and memory rank sparing for redundancy in the event of a non-correctable memory failure.
• Tool-less cover removal provides easy access to upgrades and serviceable parts, such as CPU, memory, and adapters.
• The server offers hot-swap drives, supporting RAID redundancy for data protection and greater system uptime.
• The server has up to two redundant hot-swap power supplies and four hot-swap dual-motor redundant fans (two fan zones with an N+1 fan design) to provide availability for business-critical applications.
• A light path diagnostics panel and individual light path LEDs quickly lead the technician to failed (or failing) components, which simplifies servicing, speeds up problem resolution, and helps improve system availability.
• Predictive Failure Analysis (PFA) detects when system components (processors, VRMs, memory, HDDs, fans, and power supplies) operate outside of standard thresholds and generates proactive alerts in advance of a possible failure, therefore increasing uptime.
• SSDs offer better reliability than traditional HDDs for greater uptime.
• The built-in Integrated Management Module Version II (IMM2) continuously monitors system parameters, triggers alerts, and performs recovery actions in case of failures to minimize downtime.
• Built-in diagnostics, using Dynamic Systems Analysis (DSA) Preboot, speed up troubleshooting tasks to reduce service time.
• Three-year customer-replaceable unit and onsite limited warranty, 9x5 next business day. Optional service upgrades are available.

Manageability and security

Powerful systems management features simplify local and remote management of the x3650 M4 HD:

• Local console ports are standard at the rear of the server. Front video and USB ports are available through an optional console breakout cable.
• The server includes an Integrated Management Module II (IMM2) to monitor server availability and perform remote management.
• An Integrated industry-standard Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) enables improved setup, configuration, and updates, and simplifies error handling.
• Integrated Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 1.2 support enables advanced cryptographic functionality, such as digital signatures and remote attestation.
• Industry-standard Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) NI support for faster, stronger encryption.
• IBM Systems Director is included for proactive systems management. It offers comprehensive systems management tools that help increase uptime, reduce costs, and improve productivity through advanced server management capabilities.
• Intel Execute Disable Bit functionality can prevent certain classes of malicious buffer overflow attacks when combined with a supported operating system.
• Intel Trusted Execution Technology provides enhanced security through hardware-based resistance to malicious software attacks, allowing an application to run in its own isolated space, protected from all other software running on a system.

Energy efficiency

The x3650 M4 HD offers the following energy-efficiency features to save energy, reduce operational costs, increase energy availability, and contribute to a green environment:

• Energy-efficient system board components help lower operational costs.
• The x3650 M4 HD is Energy Star 2.0 compliant. Energy Star is the trusted, US government-backed symbol for energy efficiency, with the goal of helping customers save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices. For the Power and Performance Data Sheet, see http://ibm.com/systems/x/hardware/energy-star
• There are highly efficient 550 W, 750 W, and 900 W AC power supplies with 80 PLUS Platinum certification. A 750W DC power option is available.
• The Intel Xeon processor E5-2600 v2 product family offers better performance over the previous generation while fitting into the same thermal design power (TDP) limits.
• Intel Intelligent Power Capability powers individual processor elements on and off as needed to reduce power draw.
• Low-voltage Intel Xeon processors draw less energy to satisfy the demands of power and thermally constrained data centers and telecommunication environments.
• Low-voltage 1.35 V DDR3 memory RDIMMs consume 15% less energy compared to 1.5 V DDR3 RDIMMs.
• SSDs use as much as 80% less power than traditional 2.5-inch HDDs.
• The server uses hexagonal ventilation holes, which are a part of Calibrated Vectored Cooling™ technology. Hexagonal holes can be grouped more densely than round holes, providing more efficient airflow through the system.
• IBM Systems Director Active Energy Manager™ provides advanced data center power notification and management to help achieve lower heat output and reduced cooling needs.

The following figure shows the front of the server.

Figure 2. Front view of the System x3650 M4 HD

The following figure shows the rear of the server.

Figure 3. Rear view of the System x3650 M4 HD

The following figure shows the locations of key components inside the server.

Figure 4. Inside view of the System x3650 M4 HD