IBM System x3200 M3 Product Manual

Also see for System x3200 M3: Brochure & specs Installation and user guide Product guide Service guide Product guide

Contents

An affordable single-socket, quad-core server with high performanceand data protection for small, medium, and large businessesPlease see the Legal Information section for important notices and information. 10Text Console Redirection support allows the administrator to remotely view x3200 M3 textmessages over serial or LAN. An optional upgrade to the Virtual Media Key adds graphicalconsole redirection.Predictive Failure Analysis (PFA) is designed to allow the system to detect impendingfailure of supported components (memory, voltage regulator module (VRD), fans, and hot-swap HDDs) before actual failure, and alert the administrator through IBM Systems Director.This gives you the ability to replace the failing component before it fails, resulting inincreased uptime.IBM Systems Director software for advanced workgroup management is included with thex3200 M3. IBM Systems Director comes with a portfolio of tools, including IBM SystemsDirector Active Energy Manager, Service and Support Manager, and others. SystemAvailability (a no-charge download) and Capacity Manager (sold separately) are available asadd-ons for additional server management and increased availability. IBM Systems Directorprovides 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 toa higher levelYou rely on System x options to supply a complete solution for your business needs. Optionshelp you create an optimized server system to meet your data protection, storage andavailability needs. Every IBM option is designed and tested for peak performance andflexibility, helping to maximize your return on investment. The combination of System xservers and options lets you keep your fingers on the pulse of your business.Memory — Memory is a significant factor in systems application performance. Adding morememory to a System x server is one of the most effective ways to increase applicationperformance. For best performance in a server with a dual-core processor, there should betwice as much memory available as for a single-core processor. A quad-core processorshould have twice as much memory as a dual-core processor.Hard Disk Drives — IBM hard disk drives help customers improve the transaction and costperformance of their System x servers. The choice of hard disk drives can be a criticalaspect of maximizing the I/O throughput of the system. SAS hard disk drives (3.5-inch) areavailable for the x3200 M3 with capacities of 2TB at 7,200 RPMs and 600GB at 15,000RPMs. Enterprise-class SATA hard disk drives are available with capacities of 2TB (3.5-inch) at 7,200 RPMs and up to 750GB at 10,000 RPMs. In addition, 2.5-inch SAS driveswith capacities of 500GB at 7,200 RPMs, up to 600GB at 10,000 RPMs, and 146.8GB at15,000 RPMs are supported in some models.IBM ServeRAID Controllers — System x servers using ServeRAID technology allowcompanies to build a reliable foundation for business-critical computing. IBM ServeRAIDtechnology allows an array consisting of multiple physical hard disk drives to be treated asone logical drive. ServeRAID technology also allows data to be stored redundantly, acrossmultiple hard disk drives— enhancing both the integrity and the availability of the data. SASand SATA ServeRAID controllers offer enhanced performance due to onboard processorsand cache. Because IBM ServeRAID controllers can help significantly improve data transferrates, this technology is extremely effective when implementing demanding, transaction-oriented applications. By employing the advanced fault tolerance of IBM ServeRAIDtechnology, companies can effectively implement networked business systems that requirelarge amounts of storage space for data and applications that must be available for theirbusinesses to continue operating.The ServeRAID-BR10il V2 SAS/SATA Controller offers RAID-0/1/1E support, with up to3Gbps per SAS port. The ServeRAID-M1015, x8 PCIe and 6Gbps, offers RAID-0/1/10;optionally RAID-5 with SED support. The ServeRAID-M5014, x8 PCIe and 6Gbps, provides256MB cache and RAID-0/1/10/5/50; optionally RAID-6/60 with SED, and battery backup).The ServeRAID-M5015, x8 PCIe and 6Gbps, has 512MB cache and RAID-0/1/10/5/50;optionally RAID-6/60 with SED, and battery backup. The ServeRAID-M5025 (x8 PCIe,provides 512MB cache, battery backup, RAID-0/1/10/5/50 (optionally RAID-6/60 with SED),and supports up to 9 external System Storage EXP3000 expansion units). The ServeRAIDM1000 Advance Feature Key adds RAID-5 and SED support to the ServeRAID-M1015.Similarly, the ServeRAID M5000 Series Advance Feature Key adds RAID-6/60 with SEDsupport to the M5014 and M5015. The ServeRAID M5000 Series Battery Key adds batterybackup support to the M5014.External Storage — The IBM System Storage EXP700 and EXP810 expansion units, aswell as the DS3000, DS4000, and DS5000 series storage subsystems, comprise a powerfuland broad shared storage family with integrated management software designed to meetmidrange and enterprise needs.