IBM System X3550 M5 Server – Specifications

Additional features

• Up to 36-core processing achieved with a second processor of equal speed and processor type.
• System board containing 24 DIMM (RDIMM/LRDIMM) connectors supporting 4 GB, 8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB, and 64 GB DDR4 PC3-14900 SDRAM ECC DIMMs with:
  • DDR4 memory for improved performance
  • Up to 384 GB of system memory using optional 16 GB RDIMMs or up to 1.5 TB of memory with 64 GB LRDIMMs
• Up to three PCIe 3.0 slots. Clients ordering a single-processor model can:
  • Select three PCIe 3.0 slots: one PCIe 3.0 x16 low profile, one x8 low profile or half length, full height; and one x8 low profile.
  • With second CPU population, optionally buy two x16 low profile or half length, full height PCIe 3.0 slots to replace two x8 low profile or half length, full height slots.
• On standard models, four 2.5-inch bays or four 3.5-inch bays to support optional SAS/SATA HDDs and one bay to support an optical drive.
• Broadcom 5719 Quad-port Gbit Ethernet on board.

The System x3550 M5 offers solid system throughput from processor, to memory, to bus, to disk-intensive I/O. These features, combined with multi-core capability, make the x3550 M5 server an excellent choice for a stand-alone or clustered general-business application, file, and print server.

High-Availability And Serviceability Features

The System x3550 M5 subsystem delivers excellent reliability and serviceability features:

• Support for light path diagnostics with viewable drop-down panel, Wake on LAN, and Preboot Execution Environment (PXE)
• Up to eight hot-swap dual-motor cooling fans
• Up to twelve 2.5-inch HS HDDs with optional upgrade kit
• Chipkill memory that basically distributes information covered by error correction coding across separate memory chips; if any of the chips fail, the data can in many cases still be reconstructed from the remaining chips, and the system can continue running
• ECC L3 cache processors to help improve data integrity and help reduce downtime
• PFA on HDD options, memory, power supply, and fans (when Remote Supervisor Adapter is installed), to help alert the system administrator of imminent component failure
• IBM Integrated Management Module Advanced Upgrade (Feature on Demand (FoD) to enable the remote presence and blue-screen capture features
• Integrated Management Module systems management processor that supports:
  • Automatic server restart (ASR)
  • Fan monitoring and control
  • Power supply monitoring
  • Temperature monitoring
  • Voltage monitoring
  • Power on/off, reset sequencing
  • LED controls (onboard diagnostics support with light path LED)
  • Remote power control
  • Local firmware update
  • Error logging
• Information LED panel for visual indications of system well-being
• Onboard diagnostics with an LED map to locate a failing component, helping reduce downtime and service costs
• Support for virtual floppy (with optional IBM Integrated Management Module Advanced Upgrade) which enables a user to easily direct a remote host to boot, and use standard instructions stored anywhere on the network
• Easily accessible system board, adapter cards, processor, and memory
• CPU failure recovery in some configurations, which:
  • Forces the failed processor offline
  • Reboots the server automatically
  • Generates alerts
  • Continues operations with the working processor

Expandability And Growth

The System x3550 M5 includes a lot of function and storage capacity in a 1U 19-inch rack-drawer package, yet it is designed to be easy to upgrade and service. Functions such as SVGA video and SAS are integrated on the system board. Features include:

• Rack-drawer models designed for 19-inch-wide by 28-inch-deep industry-standard rack enclosures, such as the NetBAY42 SR
• Up to three PCIe 3.0 adapter card slots available; one PCIe x16 plus slot, plus two PCIe x8 (16 with second processor)
• System board optional upgrades (PCI slot not required)
  • IBM Integrated Management Module Advanced Upgrade. Remote presence function can be enabled by Feature on Demand (FoD).
• Support for up to 24 TB of internal data storage, using four 6 TB 3.5-inch SAS/SATA HDDs

Systems Management

Integrated Management Module (IMM2): The System x3550 M5 includes an Integrated Management Module that provides industry-standard Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) 2.0-compliant systems management. The IMM2 comes standard, and shares one of the four onboard Ethernet ports for access. The IMM2 can be accessed using software that is compatible with IPMI 2.0 (for example, xCAT). The IMM2 is implemented using industry-leading Open Systems Adapter (OSA) firmware and applications in conjunction with the Integrated Management Module.

Features and benefits:

• • Monitoring:
    • System voltages
    • Battery voltage
    • System temperatures
    • Fan speed control
    • Fan tachometer monitor
    • Good Power signal monitor
    • System ID and planar version detection
    • System power and reset control
    • NMI detection (system interrupts)
    • SMI detection and generation (system interrupts)
    • Serial port text console redirection
    • System LED control (power, HDD, activity, alerts, and heartbeat)
  • An embedded web server that gives you remote control from any standard web browser. No additional software is required on the remote administrator’s workstation.
  • For users who are accustomed to a command-line interface (CLI), the ability of the administrator to use the CLI from a Telnet session to perform some of the functions that can be performed from the web server.

Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP).

• Built-in LAN and serial connectivity that supports virtually any network infrastructure.
• Multiple alerting functions to warn systems administrators of potential problems through email, IPMI PETs, and SNMP.

With video compression now built into the adapter hardware, it is designed to allow the greater screen sizes and refresh rates that are becoming common in the marketplace. This feature helps enable the user to display server activities from power-on to full operation remotely with remote user interaction at virtually any time.

1 GHz and MHz denote the internal and/or external clock speed of the microprocessor only, not application performance. Many factors affect application performance.

IBM Integrated Management Module Advanced Upgrade (FoD)

The optional IBM Integrated Management Module Advanced Upgrade delivers advanced control and monitoring features to manage your IBM System x3550 M5 server at virtually any time, from virtually any place. The key can be enabled by FoD. This key enables easy console redirection with text and graphics, and keyboard and mouse (operating system must support USB) support over the system management LAN connections.

IBM Director
The System x3550 M5 server is supported by IBM Director, a powerful, highly integrated, systems-management software solution built on industry standards and designed for ease of use. Exploit your existing enterprise or workgroup-management environments, and use rich security to access and manage physically dispersed IT assets more efficiently over the Internet. It can help reduce costs through potentially:

• Reduced downtime
• Increased productivity of IT personnel and users
• Reduced service and support costs

IT administrators can view the hardware configuration of remote systems in detail, and monitor the usage and performance of critical components such as processors, HDDs, and memory.

IBM Director includes a portfolio of integrated server tools that work with the systems management monitoring functions. Typical functions and monitoring capabilities can include:

• PFA-enabled critical hardware components
• Temperature
• Voltage
• Fan speed
• Light path diagnostics

IT administrators have comprehensive, virtual on-site control of System x servers with the ability to remotely:

• Access the server, often regardless of its status
• Inventory and display detailed system and component information
• View server bootup during POST
• Browse and delete logs of events and errors
• Reset or power cycle the server
• Monitor and set thresholds on server health including:
  • Operating system load
  • POST time-out
  • Voltage
  • Temperature
• Set proactive alerts for critical server events including PFA on:
  • Memory
  • HDDs
  • Power supplies
  • Fans
• Define automated actions, such as:
  • Send an email or a page to an administrator
  • Run a command or program
  • Send an error message to the IBM Director console
• Flash UEFI
• Monitor and graph the use of server resources, such as:
  • Memory
  • Processor
  • HDDs
• Identify potential performance bottlenecks and react to prevent downtime

IBM Director integrates into leading workgroup and enterprise systems management environments through upward integration modules (available from IBM and third parties). Advanced management capabilities built into System x servers are available through:

• Tivoli® Enterprise and Tivoli NetView®
• Computer Associates Unicenter TNG
• HP OpenView
• Microsoft™ SMS
• BMC Patrol
• NetIQ

IBM Active Energy Manager
IBM Active Energy Manager offers direct monitoring of power consumption and thermal load of your server through IBM Director. You can monitor power consumption to track utilization of energy resources. IBM Active Energy Manager is a leading solution on the market providing users with the combination of intelligence and features needed to effectively monitor power consumption in the data center. Active Energy Manager, an extension to IBM Director systems management software, allows clients to “meter” actual power usage and trend data for any single physical system or group of systems. Developed by IBM Research, Active Energy Manager utilizes IBM-developed monitoring circuitry to help identify how much actual power is being used and the temperature of the system. The software is available across the new IBM System x servers, as well as IBM’s BladeCenter® line of systems. With Active Energy Manager, the user can understand the actual power draw.

With the addition of the optional IBM Integrated Management Module Advanced Upgrade, the IT administrator achieves comprehensive, virtual on-site control of System x servers through the ability to remotely:

• Access the server, in many cases regardless of the status
• Inventory and display detailed system and component information
• View server bootup during POST
• Browse and delete logs of events and errors
• Reset or power cycle the server
• Run diagnostics, SCSI, and RAID setup during POST
• Monitor thresholds on server health, including:
  • Operating system load
  • POST time-out
  • Voltage
  • Temperature
• Set proactive alerts for critical server events, including PFA on:
  • Memory
  • Fans
  • HDDs
  • Power supplies
• Define automated actions, such as:
  • Send an email or a page to an administrator
  • Run a command or program
  • Send an error message to the director console
• Manage flash UEFI
• Monitor and graph the utilization of server resources, such as:
  • Memory
  • Processor
  • HDDs
• Identify potential performance bottlenecks and react to prevent downtime
• Monitor, manage, and configure RAID subsystems without taking them off line

Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI)

ACPI is an open industry specification that defines a flexible and extensible hardware interface for the system board. Software designers use this specification to integrate power management features throughout a computer system, including hardware, the operating system, and application software. This integration enables Microsoft Windows™ to determine which applications are active, and handle all of the power management resources for computer subsystems and peripherals.

World-class support tools and programs

The System x3550 M5 tools and programs can make ownership a positive experience. From the start, IBM programs help you purchase servers, get them running, and keep them running. IBM can help your company maintain ownership of technology leadership network servers.

• The server purchase includes a three-year, customer replaceable unit (CRU) and on-site service, limited warranty; optional warranty service upgrades are available.
• The ServerProven® program lets you confidently configure your server with various devices and operating systems. This web-based program provides compatibility information from actual testing of the System x3550 M5 server with various adapters and devices.
• Electronic support on the web offers additional support in an easy-to-use format.

Standard System x3550 M5 Configurations