Optimized for virtualization and database applications with maximum memory and compute capacity in a blade

Product Guide

August 2010

IBM BladeCenter HX5

Optimized for virtualization and database applications with maximum memory and compute capacity in a blade

IBM???s eX5 technology-based systems are the ideal solution for scale-up database-serving applications on Microsoft?? Windows?? with Microsoft SQL Server?? or IBM DB2??, as well as Linux?? with Oracle or DB2. Database hosting demands ultimate server reliability features, and once installed, they tend to grow and grow, requiring ever greater levels of availability. eX5 servers provide exactly that degree to availability.

Another strong application area for the eX5-based systems is enterprise server consolidation activities workloads, including SAP and Oracle. eX5 systems can offer considerable savings over UNIX deployments, using our certified solution stacks on either Windows or Linux.. Larger servers need more processor, memory and I/O resources, which make maximum use of any applicable virtual machine software licensing fees and deliver superior system utilization levels. The name of the game in consolidation activities is to deploy the fewest new servers possible and help IT staff manage more images with the same or fewer overall people.

An integrated dual-port Gigabit Ethernet1 controller is standard, providing high-speed data transfers and offering TOE (TCP Offload Engine) support, load-balancing and failover capabilities. Via optional expansion cards, each blade can also connect to additional Ethernet,

10Gb Ethernet, SAS, Fibre Channel, iSCSI, InfiniBand???, and other high-speed communication switches housed in the chassis. This blade is designed with power management capability to provide the maximum uptime possible for your systems. In extended thermal conditions or power brownouts, rather than shut down completely, or fail, the HX5 automatically reduces the processor frequency to maintain acceptable thermal and power levels.

All HX5 models offer impressive features at an equally impressive price, including up to two 1.8- inch fixed solid-state drives (SSDs) with RAID-0/1 support, and one optional internal USB flash drive (for embedded hypervisor]. Additional direct-attach storage is available via the BladeCenter S chassis. Moreover, the HX5 is optimized for diskless operation, offering each blade server access to essentially unlimited external storage capacity via Fibre Channel, SAS, or iSCSI.

A single BladeCenter H chassis supports up to 14 hot-swappable 30mm-wide HX5 blades in only 9U (BladeCenter H) of rack space, or up to 12 in the 12U BladeCenter HT high-speed telecommunications chassis. In addition to the blade servers, these chassis also hold up to 10 (BladeCenter H) or 8 switches/bridges (BladeCenter HT) internally. The BladeCenter S, designed for SMB and mid-market customers, takes integration and affordability to a new level, combining up to 12 hot-swap SAS/SATA HDDs (with optional SAS card) and up to 6 blade servers and 4 switches. Not only can this save significant data center space (and therefore the cost of floor space and rack hardware) compared to 1U servers, it also consolidates switches/bridges and cables for reduced complexity and lower cabling costs, and it allows clients to manage everything in the solution as one. Using a BladeCenter H chassis, up to 56 HX5 servers (112 processors/896 cores) can be installed in one industry-standard 42U rack; but the value of BladeCenter extends far beyond high density data center environments.

The various BladeCenter chassis are designed to monitor environmental conditions in the chassis and each blade and send alerts to the administrator. Advanced standard features, such as Active Memory, Predictive Failure Analysis, light path diagnostics, hot-swap redundant SSDs and HDDs, power supplies and blower modules with Calibrated Vectored Cooling???; IPMI 2.0 support, including highly secure remote power control; text-console redirect over LAN, next-generation BIOS (UEFI), an Advanced Management Module (upgradeable with a redundant AMM), IBM Systems Director management software including IBM Systems Director Active Energy Manager???. Remote Deployment Manager and IBM ServerGuide??? help maintain system availability with increased uptime.

If you need scalable, highly manageable, high-performance virtualization in a space- or power- constrained environment, the HX5 is the ideal system.

???There is an HX5 model to fit all budgets. The HX5 offers a choice of high-performance 4-, 6-, and 8- core Xeon processors with dual integrated memory controllers, clock rates of 1.86GHz to 2.26GHz,

and 12MB, 18MB or 24MB of integrated Level 3 cache. Xeon 7500 series processors offer up to 3X better performance2 than the previous-generation 7400 series processors and up to 10X better performance than the single-core processors of a few years ago that you may still be using.

???Up to 128GB of registered DDR3 ECC memory per blade operates at 800MHz to 1066MHz (depending on the system configuration), for high performance and wide memory bandwidth.

???By scaling to 2 blade servers, the HX5 can support up to 256GB of memory???enough for even the most demanding virtualization, database, or ERP needs. If even that???s not enough memory, using two blade servers and two MAX5 memory expansion blades, the HX5 can scale to 640GB.

1Actual data transfer speed will vary and is often less than the maximum possible. Gigabit Ethernet transfer speed requires support on both system and server, and appropriate network infrastructure.

2Based on Intel measurements.

Optimized for virtualization and database applications with maximum memory and compute capacity in a blade

???Embedded virtualization (optional on all models) offers extremely high performance, enhanced security, and a zero-gigabyte HDD footprint. (In other words, no mechanical HDD to fail.)

???Solid state drives (SDDs) use only 2W of energy per drive, vs. 9-10W for 2.5-inch HDDs. This is as much as 80% less energy than a HDD would use (with a corresponding reduction in heat output).

???The extremely high degree of integration in the various BladeCenter chassis reduces the need for server components, replacing numerous fans, KVM and Ethernet cables, power supplies, external switches and other components with fewer shared hot-swap/redundant components in the BladeCenter chassis itself. This integration also can greatly reduce the amount of power consumed and heat produced, relative to an equivalent number of 1U servers. This can significantly reduce a data center power bill. The reduced data center footprint can also save on infrastructure cost.

???The midplanes used in all chassis provide high-speed blade-to-blade, blade-to-switch-module and module-to-module communications internally as well as externally. The midplanes used in the BladeCenter H and BladeCenter HT chassis provide four 10Gb data channels to each blade, and supports high-speed switch modules, including 4X InfiniBand and 10Gb Ethernet.

???The various BladeCenter chassis use ultrahigh efficiency power supplies. Most industry-standard servers use power supplies that are between 70-75% efficient at converting power from AC wall current to the DC power used inside servers. BladeCenter power modules are up to 92% efficient. This helps save even more money, as more of the power input you are paying for is used for processing, rather than released into the data center as waste heat that requires even more energy to cool.

???BladeCenter design also reduces the number of parts required to run the system. Sharing fans, systems management, and optical media means fewer parts to buy and maintain, and fewer items that can fail and bring the overall solution down.

Flexibility

The HX5 has the ability to grow with your application requirements, thanks to:

???Up to two multi-core Xeon processors (up to 16 cores) per HX5 blade server; up to 2 blades (4 processors, 32 cores) per server.

???The ability to grow from a single-wide 2-socket server blade to a double-wide 4-socket server configuration, optimized for compute-intensive workloads with up to 4 processors/32 cores, 256GB of memory, 4 PCIe cards, 16 I/O ports, and 4 SSDs), or for memory-intensive workloads with up to 2 server blades and two MAX5 memory expansion blades (4 processors/32 cores, 640GB of memory, 4 PCIe cards, 16 I/O ports, and 4 SSDs).

???A choice of processor speeds (1.86 or 2.0GHz), and shared L3 cache sizes (12MB, 18MB, or

24MB).

???Up to 128GB of system memory in 16 DIMM slots. Using multiple blade servers and MAX5 memory expansion blades, the HX5 can support up to 256GB (2 server blades), 320GB (1 HX5 and 1 MAX5), or 640GB (2 HX5 servers and 2 MAX5 blades).

???Up to two internal hot-swap 1.8-inch solid state drives, and access to terabytes of external storage via the BladeCenter S chassis or IBM System Storage??? SAN and NAS storage devices. SSDs consume only 10-20% of the energy required by 2.5-inch HDDs.

???Two Gigabit Ethernet ports standard, plus optional 2-port or 4-port expansion cards or a

BladeCenter PCI Express I/O Expansion Unit 3. One HX5 model includes a 10Gb expansion card (optional in the other models).

In addition, the various BladeCenter chassis offer a high degree of flexibility:

???They support configurations that are 30mm or 60mm wide, with a variety of I/O options, depending on need.

???When installed in a BladeCenter H high-speed switch bay, the optional Multi-Switch Interconnect Module doubles the number of Gigabit Ethernet and Fibre Channel connections to every blade in the chassis (up to 8 or 12 ports, depending on the blade server).

???Xeon processor-based HX5 blades can be used in the same chassis as Intel processor-based

HC10, HS12, HS20, HS21, HS21 XM, HS22, HS22V, and HS40 blades; AMD Opteron processor- based LS20, LS21, LS22, LS41 and LS42 blades; IBM PowerPC?? processor-based JS20, JS21, and JS22 blades; POWER6?? processor-based JS12, JS23, and JS43 Express blades; POWER7?? processor-based PS700, PS701, and PS702 blades; Cell Broadband Engine??? processor-based QS21; and IBM PowerXCell??? processor-based QS22 blades. Depending on the blade servers

used, the various BladeCenter chassis support Microsoft Windows, Linux, Novell Netware, IBM AIX?? and Sun Solaris 10 operating systems in the same chassis.

Optimized for virtualization and database applications with maximum memory and compute capacity in a blade

???Most HS/LS/JS/QS blade servers ever released by IBM are supported in every BladeCenter chassis ever released, going back to 20023. Every switch module released by IBM is equally compatible. (Ask HP and Dell how far back their compatibility goes.)

???A blade server has access to as many as 10 communication switches/bridges in a BladeCenter H or 8 in a BladeCenter HT chassis. (Up to 4 switches in a BladeCenter E, S, or T chassis.) And the

switches can be Ethernet, iSCSI, SAS, InfiniBand, Fibre Channel, or anything else designed and ServerProven?? for BladeCenter use. Switches, bridges and interface cards are currently available from such vendors as Brocade, Cisco, Intel, McData, Nortel, QLogic, Cisco Topspin and others, in addition to IBM.

Manageability

???The HX5 blade server includes an Integrated Management Module (IMM) to monitor server availability, perform Predictive Failure Analysis, etc., and trigger IBM Systems Director alerts. The IMM performs the functions of both the Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) of earlier systems, and the Remote Supervisor Adapter II, as well as remote presence/cKVM.

???Each BladeCenter chassis includes an Advanced Management Module to provide additional systems management capabilities, including Web-based out-of-band control; virtual floppy and CD- ROM support; latest OS failure screen capture; LDAP and SSL support; and remote redirection of video, text, keyboard and mouse.

???Integrated industry-standard Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) next-generation BIOS. New capabilities include:

???Human readable event logs ??? no more beep codes

???Complete setup solution by allowing adapter configuration function to be moved into UEFI

???Complete out-of-band coverage by the Advance Settings Utility to simplify remote setup

???Integrated industry-standard IPMI 2.0 support works with the IMM to alert IBM Systems Director to anomalous environmental factors, such as voltage and thermal conditions. It also supports highly secure remote power control.

???Integrated Trusted Platform Module (TPM) provides a highly secure start-up process from power- on through hand-off to the operating system boot loader. ACPI support is provided to allow ACPI- enabled operating systems to access the security features of this module. (TCG V1.2-compliant.)

???IBM Systems Director Active Energy Manager, an IBM-exclusive, is designed to take advantage of new system power management features, by monitoring actual power usage and providing power consumption capping features. More accurate power usage data helps with data center construction planning and the sizing of power and cooling needs, as well as allowing you to use available power more efficiently.

???The HX5 supports remote presence/concurrent KVM (cKVM) and concurrent media (cMedia) access by multiple administrators at once, via the IMM.

???IBM Systems Director is included for proactive systems management and works with both the blade???s internal IMM and the chassis??? management module. It comes with a portfolio of tools, including IBM Systems Director Active Energy Manager, Service and Support Manager, and others. In addition, IBM Systems Director offers extended systems management tools for additional server management and increased availability. When a problem is encountered, IBM Systems Director can issue administrator alerts via e-mail, pager, and other methods.

Availability and Serviceability

???BladeCenter chassis are designed for operation with greatly reduced potential for single points of failure. Most aspects of operation, from blade servers to communication modules, to management modules, to power and blower modules, are hot-swappable. The midplane connections are redundant and the other features can be made so, when used in pairs.

???Fast PC3-10600 DDR3 ECC memory offers multiple layers of Active Memory protection, including Chipkill error correction, Memory ProteXion (redundant bit steering), memory scrubbing, memory rank sparing, and memory mirroring for high availability

???HX5 blade servers support the use of Chipkill-enabled ECC (error checking and correcting) memory. Chipkill memory can be up to 16X better than standard ECC memory at correcting some types of memory errors. This can help reduce downtime caused by memory errors.

???Solid-state drives offer up to triple the availability (MTBF rates) of conventional SAS HDDs. This can lessen the need for redundant drives.

???IPMI 2.0 supports highly secure remote system power on/off using data encryption. This allows an administrator to restart a server without having to visit it in person, saving travel time and getting the server back up and running quickly and securely.

Optimized for virtualization and database applications with maximum memory and compute capacity in a blade

???Environmentally tuned blower modules in the chassis adjust to compensate for changing thermal characteristics. At the lower speeds they draw less power and suffer less wear. Equally important in a crowded data center, temperature-controlled blowers produce less ambient noise in the data center than if they were constantly running at full speed.

???Text and graphics console redirection support allows the administrator to remotely view HX5 text and graphic messages over serial or LAN connections.

???A standard three-year (parts and labor) limited onsite warranty4 affords you peace of mind and greater potential investment protection.

Right, Open, Easy, Green

You need to make IT decisions that will drive business success. You face management challenges and technological complexity such as space constraints, power and cooling limitations, heterogeneous environments and I/O connectivity issues. IBM brings together the widest choice of compatible chassis, blade servers, storage and networking offerings and solution providers in the industry to help you build an open and flexible IT environment. And regardless of the size of your business, you want to be up and running 24/7. With built-in redundancy, innovative power and cooling and the latest I/O and management tools, IBM BladeCenter is easy to own???so you can focus on your business demands and stay ahead of the competition.

The RIGHT choice, tailored to fit your diverse needs:

???It???s flexible and modular. As needs evolve, a one-size-fits-all solution doesn???t work.

???Meet your needs with BladeCenter: everything from a high-performance data center to a small office with limited IT skills???IBM has you covered

???Get flexibility with 5 compatible chassis and 5 blade types supporting multiple I/O fabrics, all managed from a common point

???It???s robust and reliable, providing redundancy throughout and the information you need to keep your business up and running.

???Provide redundancy for no single point of failure with IBM BladeCenter

???Preserve application uptime with IBM Predictive Failure Analysis and light path diagnostics

???Make decisions based on accurate data for quick problem diagnosis with First Failure Data Capture

OPEN and innovative, for a flexible business foundation:

???It???s comprehensive, providing broad, fast, and reliable networking and storage I/O with BladeCenter Open Fabric.

???Match your data center needs and the appropriate interconnect using a common management point, and 5 I/O fabrics to choose from

???Extract the most from your third-party management solutions by utilizing the BladeCenter Open Fabric Manager

???It???s collaborative, enabling you to harness the power of the industry to deliver innovation that matters.

???Get flexibility from a myriad of solutions created by Blade.org members and industry leaders that have downloaded our open specification

EASY to deploy, integrate and manage:

???It enables efficient integrated management, which allows you to minimize costs with the tools you need for effective management.

???Automate OS installation and BIOS updates remotely with IBM Systems Director tools

???Administer your blades at the chassis or rack level with the Advanced Management Module

???Plug into your enterprise management software

???It enable deployment simplicity without tradeoffs by speeding the deployment of new hardware in minutes rather than days, using BladeCenter Open Fabric Manager

???Get significantly faster deployment of servers and I/O than from rack solutions

???Reduce costly downtime with integrated failover capability

???Manage from a single point of control via the Advanced Management Module

???Use with virtually all IBM switches, blades and chassis

GREEN today for a better tomorrow:

???It offers control via powerful tools that help you optimize your data center infrastructure so you can be responsive.

4For terms and conditions or copies of the IBM Statement of Limited Warranty, call 800-772-2227 in the U.S. In Canada call 800-426-2255. Telephone support may be subject to additional charges. For warranties including onsite labor, a technician is sent after IBM attempts to resolve the problem remotely. International warranty service is available in any country in which this product is sold.

Optimized for virtualization and database applications with maximum memory and compute capacity in a blade

Intel???s Virtualization Technology (VT) integrates hardware-level virtualization hooks that allow operating system vendors to better utilize the hardware for virtualization workloads.

DDR3 Registered Memory with Active Memory Protection

The HX5 uses registered double data rate III (DDR3) VLP (very-low-profile) DIMMs and provides Active Memory features, including advanced Chipkill memory protection, for up to 16X better error correction than standard ECC memory. In addition to offering triple the memory bandwidth of DDR2 or fully-buffered memory, DDR3 memory also uses less energy. DDR2 memory already offered up to 37% lower energy use than fully buffered memory. Now, a generation later, DDR3 memory is even more efficient, using 10-15% less energy than DDR2 memory.

The HX5 supports up to 128GB of memory in 16 DIMM slots. Redesign in the architecture of the Xeon 7500 series processors bring radical changes in the way memory works in these servers. For example, the 7500 series processors integrate 2 memory controllers inside each processor, resulting in four memory controllers in a two-socket system. Each memory controller has four memory channels, one per pair of DIMMs. Depending on the type of memory, population of memory, and processor model, the memory may be clocked at 978MHz or

800MHz.

Redesign in the architecture of the x7500 series processors bring radical changes in the way memory works in these servers. For example, the Xeon 7500 series processors integrate two memory controllers inside each processor, resulting in four memory controllers in a two- socket system. Each processor has four memory channels.

Note: If only one processor is installed, only eight DIMM slots (up to 64GB) can be used. There are two ways to expand memory beyond 8 DIMMs. Adding a second processor not only doubles the amount of memory available for use, but also doubles the number of memory controllers, thus doubling the system memory bandwidth. If you add a second processor, but no additional memory for the second processor, the second processor has to access the memory from the first processor ???remotely,??? resulting in longer latencies and lower performance. The latency to access remote memory is almost 75% higher than local memory access. So, the goal should be to always populate both processors with memory.

Alternatively, you can add a MAX5 memory expansion blade, containing 24 more DIMM slots with up to 192GB of memory. This offers up to 32 DIMMs and 256GB of memory with only a single processor. Adding the second processor allows the use of 8 more DIMM slots inside the HX5 and a grand total of 40 DIMMs and 320GB of memory in a double-wide (60mm) blade server. Expanding further, 2 HX5 server blades and 2 MAX5 memory blades can create one 4- socket, 640GB powerhouse in a 4-wide blade server.

Notes: DIMMs must be installed in matching pairs. Also, each CPU requires at least 2 DIMMs. It is important to ensure that all memory channels in each processor are populated. The relative memory bandwidth decreases as the number of channels populated decreases. This is because the bandwidth of all the memory channels is utilized to support the capability of the processor. So, as the channels are decreased, the burden to support the requisite bandwidth is increased on the remaining channels, causing them to become a bottleneck.

For peak performance:

???Always populate processors with equal amounts of memory to enable a balanced NUMA system

???Always populate both memory channels on each processor with equal memory capacity

???Ensure an even number of ranks are populated per channel

Power guidelines:

???Fewer larger DIMMs (for example 8 x 4GB DIMMs vs. 16 x 2GB DIMMs will generally have lower power requirements

???x8 DIMMs (x8 data width of rank) will generally draw less power than equivalently sized x4 DIMMs

Optimized for virtualization and database applications with maximum memory and compute capacity in a blade

Reliability guidelines:

???Using fewer, larger DIMMs (for example 8 x 4 GB DIMMs vs. 16 x 2GB DIMMs is generally more reliable

???Xeon 7500 Series memory controllers support IBM Chipkill memory protection technology with x4 DIMMs (x4 data width of rank) and x8 DIMMs

For increased availability beyond Chipkill error correction, the eX5 servers offer additional levels of IBM Active Memory protection:

Memory ProteXion technology provides multichip error protection and works in conjunction with Chipkill technology???which provides multibit protection per chip???and standard ECC protection, to provide multi-level memory correction.

With memory rank sparing, two unused ranks per memory card are configured as spares.

These spare ranks are used in the event of a memory failure on the same memory card.

Memory mirroring works much like disk mirroring. The total memory is divided into two channels. Data is written concurrently to both channels. If a DIMM fails in one of the DIMMs in the primary channel, it is instantly disabled and the mirrored (backup) memory in the other channel becomes active (primary) until the failing DIMM is replaced. With mirroring enabled, one-half of total memory is available for use. (Note: Due to the double writes to memory, performance is affected.) Mirroring is handled at the hardware level; no operating system support is required.

Memory scrubbing is an automatic daily test of all system memory. It detects and reports memory errors that might be developing before they cause a server outage. Memory scrubbing and Memory ProteXion work together. When a bit error is detected, memory scrubbing determines whether the error is recoverable. If the error is recoverable Memory ProteXion technology will write the data to new location; if it is not recoverable, scrubbing sends an alert to light path diagnostics, which then notifies IBM Systems Director.

Memory is available in 2GB, 4GB, 8GB, or 16GB DIMMs.

High-Performance Scalability

Because of eX5 design, an HX5 server has the incredible flexibility of scaling from 2 sockets to 4 sockets with ease, doubling the memory and storage capacity and I/O slots in the process. A 2- node configuration is achieved simply by connecting 2 30mm blades together via the Quick Path Interconnect (QPI) ports, for 4 sockets and 32 DIMMs (256GB).

Alternatively, you can scale via MAX5, adding memory capacity to increase performance in an I/O-intensive enironment. This configuration connects 1 HX5 blade to 1 MAX5 blade, for a total of up to 40 DIMMs (320GB), If even that???s not enough, you can connect 2 HX5 blades to 2 MAX5 blades, and the two MAX5 units are cabled together using our exclusive EXA scalability kit. The result is a powerhouse 4-socket, 80 DIMM (640GB) blade server in only 120mm.

Note: Selected models of HX5 come standard with a MAX5 blade.

This scalability and memory expansion feature is a unique IBM enhancement, not offered by other x86 server architectures.

XceL4v Dynamic Server Cache

A key performance feature of MAX5 expansion is the XceL4v L4 cache. When using a single HX5 blade with a MAX5 expansion unit, no virtual cache needs to be taken from main memory. However, when multiple MAX5 nodes are connected, 256MB of L4 cache is allocated from main memory used for interprocessor communications between chassis, to keep data in synch. In a 2- chassis configuration, this amounts to 512MB of L4 cache. This not only compensates for any performance hit that might otherwise result from sending data across the distances between processors in multiple chassis, it actually results in a performance improvement versus a single chassis. (IBM X3, eX4 and eX5 servers have achieved well over 100 #1 results on industry- standard benchmarks, such as TPC-C, TPC-E, TPC-H, SAP SD, vConsolidate, Vmark, and more.)

This feature is another IBM-unique enhancement.

Integrated Virtualization

HX5 offers a separately orderable IBM 2GB USB Flash Drive option preloaded with VMware ESXi 4.0 (an embedded version of VMware ESX Server). Microsoft Hyper-V and Xen are also supported, installed by the user on an SSD.

ESXi is fully contained on the flash drive, without requiring any disk space. Because it runs from flash memory, it???s extremely fast and ideal for diskless configurations. It also offers enhanced security, because it runs without an operating system-based console and is updated/patched much like firmware. ESXi includes all the performance, scalability and compatibility features of

Optimized for virtualization and database applications with maximum memory and compute capacity in a blade

ESX Server, including full VMFS support across FC SAN, iSCSI SAN, and NAS, and 4-way VSMP. Rather than management through a Service Console based on a Linux operating system, ESXi relies on aggregate management tools, including VirtualCenter, the Remote Command Line interface and the introduction of CIM for standards-based and agentless hardware monitoring. Licensing works the same as for ???standard??? ESX Server.

Disk Controllers

HX5 models support an optional LSI 1064E SAS/SATA controller (required for SSD support). This controller supports up to two internal solid-state drives and offers hardware RAID-0/1/1E support.

High Performance/High-Availability Internal Storage

The HX5 supports up to two fixed 1.8-inch solid-state drives (SSDs) internally:

???SATA-based solid-state ??? 50GB capacity (100GB maximum)

???High I/O Performance

???Offers up to 8X more IOPS than HDDs (67/33% read/write OLTP transaction base mix);

???Optimized for heavy mix of read and write operations, such as transaction processing, media streaming, surveillance, file copy, logging, backup / recovery, and business Intelligence

???Lower-Cost IOPS Performance

???Yields better $/IOPS: lower capacity (GB) required to achieve higher IOPS

???Consumes less energy and produces less heat than a conventional disk drive

???Superior Uptime

???3X the availability of mechanical disk drives

???No moving parts to fail

???Enterprise wear-leveling to extend life even further

???Full OS Support

???Supports all ServerProven OSes

Due to the statistically higher failure rates for traditional spinning media, IBM recommends the use of the solid state drives (SSDs) as an alternative. They store data on flash memory chips, rather than on magnetic media. Like HDDs, SSDs can be used as boot media and for random access storage. However, SSDs offer higher thresholds of shock and vibration, and a higher operating temperature range (between 0 and 70 degrees C). This yields a failure rate only 1/3 that of HDDs (approximately 3,000,000 hours MTBF vs. 1,000,000 hours). In addition, the IBM 50GB 1.8??? Solid State Drive requires only 2W. This reduces the storage power requirement and heat output by as much as 80%, compared to 2.5-inch HDDs. If used as a boot device, no special device drivers are required.

High IOPS SSD PCIe Adapters

???IBM 160GB High IOPS SS Class SSD PCIe Adapter (x4 Gen 1???100K IOPS, 750MBps)

???IBM 320GB High IOPS SS Class SSD PCIe Adapter (x4 Gen 1???100K IOPS, 750MBps)

???IBM 320GB High IOPS MS Class SSD PCIe Adapter (x4 Gen 1???100K IOPS, 750MBps)

???IBM 320GB High IOPS SD Class SSD PCIe Adapter (x8 Gen 2???200K IOPS, 1.5GBps)

???IBM 640GB High IOPS MLC Duo Adapter (x8 Gen 2???200K IOPS, 1.5GBps)

For read-intensive transactional workloads requiring extreme IOPS performance, such as database, video-on-demand, and caching, IBM offers High IOPS SSD PCIe Adapters, equivalent to the IOPS output of approximately 5005 3.5-inch 600GB 15K SAS HDDs, with 99% lower latency (30 ??s), and 7.7x the bandwidth of a HDD. On a performance-per-watt basis, these adapters outperform HDDs by up to 445x6.

Because these adapters go in PCIe slots, rather than drive bays, they can be used in addition to standard HDDs and SSDs. This makes them ideal for virtualized servers running multiple tasks, requiring both write- and read-intensive storage media. As flash media they also offer a predictable lifetime, compared to the sporadic failure rate of HDDs, using N+1 chip-level redundancy and 11-bit ECC protection.

Note: The High IOPS Adapters require a BPE4 expansion unit.

Additional storage is available via the BladeCenter S chassis.

If you need more storage space, terabyte capacities are possible with optional external direct- attach, NAS, and SAN storage solutions.

External Tape Storage

The HX5 supports various external rack-mounted SAN-attached tape drives. Supported tape

Optimized for virtualization and database applications with maximum memory and compute capacity in a blade

technologies include:

???IBM System Storage TS2230 Express Tape Drive

???IBM System Storage TS2240 Tape Drive Model S4E

???IBM System Storage TS2900 Tape Autoloader

???IBM System Storage TS3100 Tape Library

???IBM System Storage TS3200 Tape Library

???IBM System Storage TS3310 Modular Tape Library

???IBM System Storage TS3500 Tape Library

Light Path Diagnostics

Light path diagnostics enables a technician to quickly identify and locate a failed or failing system component, such as a specific blower module or memory DIMM. This enables quick replacement of the component, which helps increase server uptime and lower servicing costs.

The front of each blade server???and the chassis itself???has an LED indicator light to show possible component failures. This lets the servicer identify the failing component without the need to or remove the blade server from the chassis. The light path diagnostics panel tells the servicer which component of the affected server requires attention.

In addition, many components have their own identifying LEDs. For example, each of the memory modules has an LED next to the socket, as do both processors. This allows 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.)

Gigabit Ethernet Controller

The HX5 includes a dual-port integrated Broadcom BCM5709S Gigabit Ethernet controller for up to 10X higher maximum throughput than a 10/100 Ethernet controller. The controller offers TOE (TCP Offload Engine) support, as well as failover and load balancing for better throughput and system availability. It also supports highly secure remote power management using IPMI 2.0, plus Wake on LAN?? and PXE (Preboot Execution Environment) Flash interface.

If 2 ports aren???t enough, optional 2-port or 4-port Ethernet expansion cards can be used for additional ports. For example, the CIOv slot can hold a 2-port card, the CFFh slot supports a 4- port card, and a bridge module can add another 2 ports, for a total of 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports per HX5 blade.

High-Performance Adapter Slots

The HX5 blade server includes two PCIe adapter slots. They support CFF (compact form factor) cards: one standard-speed CIOv and one high-speed CFFh card. Note: The SSD expansion card is installed in the upper I/O slot. When SSDs are installed, both I/O slots are still available for use.

Adding a second HX5 blade for a 2-wide 4-socket server doubles the number of PCIe card slots.

The BladeCenter PCI Express I/O Expansion Unit 3 (BPE3) adds 2 standard full-height/full- length x16 physical/x8 electrical (4GBps) PCIe Gen 1 expansion card slots, supporting adapters of up to 25W apiece to an HS22. One BPE3 can be connected per HS22 blade, for a total of 3 available slots (1 in the blade and 2 in the expansion unit). Note: The BPE3 reserves the high-speed CFFh expansion connector in the HS22, leaving only the CIOv slot available.

Similarly, the optional BladeCenter PCI Express Gen 2 Expansion Blade (BPE4) adds 1 standard full-height/full length and 1 standard full-height/half-length x16 physical/x8 mechanical (8GBps) PCIe Gen 2 expansion card slot per HS22 blade. These slots support two industry-standard PCIe adapters, up to 75W per adapter. The BladeCenter PCI Express Gen 2 Expansion Blade offers a unique stacking feature that allows clients to stack up to 4 expansion blades per HS22 blade, offering up to an additional 8 PCIe slots per HS22 blade. Note: Unlike the BPE3, the BPE4 does not reserve the high-speed CFFh expansion connector in the HS22, leaving both slots available in the server.

If I/O slots are a greater need than processors or memory, attaching multiple I/O expansion units to one blade server is much more cost-effective than installing multiple blade servers for the same number of adapter slots.

Adapters can be used to add fabrics to BladeCenter switch modules, including 10Gb Ethernet, additional Gigabit Ethernet controllers, CNA, Fibre Channel, InfiniBand, SAS, etc.

Optimized for virtualization and database applications with maximum memory and compute capacity in a blade

BladeCenter Chassis

IBM???s blade architecture offers five choices of compatible and interoperable chassis in which to use various blade servers. Each chassis serves different customer needs. The BladeCenter S is a small, entry-level chassis designed for office environments. The original chassis (refreshed with the latest Advanced Management Modules and power supply modules) offers maximum density, great flexibility and a wide variety of expansion options at an entry-level price. The next- generation BladeCenter H chassis offers all of BladeCenter???s capabilities, and adds high- performance features, including 10Gb fabric support. If you need a ruggedized chassis (for example, government/military or telecom), BladeCenter T offers special features optimized for those environments. The next-generation BladeCenter HT is a high-performance ruggedized telecommunications platform, also supporting 10Gb fabrics. HX5 is supported in the BladeCenter H, BladeCenter HT and BladeCenter S chassis.

There is a high degree of interchangeability and compatibility of features among the chassis, and all of these chassis can be installed in a rack along with other rack-optimized equipment.

See the separate IBM BladeCenter Chassis Product Guide for details.

Advanced Systems Management Capabilities

Each BladeCenter chassis offers a high level of systems management capabilities that are well- suited to remote locations as well as to stand-alone environments. Features include the Advanced Management Module (AMM), Integrated Management Module (IMM), IBM ToolsCenter, Automatic Server Restart, Systems Director Active Energy Manager, Wake on LAN support, PXE 2.0 support, text and graphics console redirect, Predictive Failure Analysis, Embedded Dynamic System Analysis, and IBM Systems Director.

The chassis-based AMM, in combination with the HX5 blade server???s IMM, provides industry- standard Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) 2.0-compliant systems management. The AMM provides a number of important system functions, including:

???Monitoring of system and battery voltage, system temperature, fans, power supplies, processor and DIMM status

???Fan speed control

???Product ID and Family ID detection

???Highly secure remote power on/off

???System reset control

???NMI/SMI detection and generation

???System diagnostic LED control (power, HDD, activity, alerts, heartbeat)

???IPMI over LAN

???Serial Over LAN

???Proxy server support

???LAN messaging and alerting

???VLAN support

???Enhanced authentication and encryption algorithms (RMCP+, AES)

???Local update of IMM firmware

???Firmware firewall

???Support for IPMI v2.0 compliant management software (e.g., xCAT)

???Other mandatory and optional IPMI functions in the blade???s IMM

The IMM, via the management module, alerts IBM Systems Director to anomalous environmental factors, such as voltage and thermal conditions???even if the server has failed.

Other systems management features offered for the combination of blade server and chassis include:

???Predictive Failure Analysis for system processors, memory and HDDs, as well as chassis switch modules, blower modules and power modules

???Web-based out-of-band control

???Latest OS failure screen capture

???Remote virtual media

???High-speed remote redirection of PCI video, keyboard and mouse

???SSL (Secure Socket Layer) and LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) support

IBM ToolsCenter consolidates 42 needed tools for managing servers individually into an

Optimized for virtualization and database applications with maximum memory and compute capacity in a blade

integrated suite of 8 tools. They are organized by function: deployment, updates, configuration and diagnostics. Tools are now simpler to access and use with a single webpage for access, a common look and feel and a common command line interface for the scripting tools. The ToolsCenter Bootable Media Creator offers significantly more functionality than past tools with the ability to add more tools to the bootable image and to automatically download the bootable environment if needed. Bootable Media Creator allows you to create bootable CDs, DVD, and USB keys for updates customized to your systems.

In order to put control of processor power-saving features at the fingertips of administrators, IBM developed IBM Systems Director Active Energy Manager. Active Energy Manager is designed to take advantage of new processor features, such as balancing the performance of the system according to available power input. It provides the ability to plan and predict power consumption based on your BladeCenter hardware configuration. It also helps you reduce the infrastructure required for redundancy, by using fewer servers on smaller power feeds and potentially lowering your overall data center support costs. It does this by inventorying all components at the blade level, then adding up the power draw for each blade and tracking that usage. In failure mode, Active Energy Manager (through the BladeCenter Management Module) might request that certain blades in each domain throttle down to reduce power consumption.

Automatic Server Restart (ASR) helps reduce downtime by restarting the server automatically in the event of a system lockup. ASR technology is a combination of hardware circuitry tied into the server???s system reset function and a device driver. As long as the server continues running, the ASR watchdog timer will keep being reset, but if the operating system crashes or the hardware freezes somehow the ASR software will be unable to reset the hardware timer. If the timer is not reset within five minutes, it automatically triggers the ASR hardware, which immediately restarts the server (and logs an ASR event with IBM Systems Director). These features are designed so that no more than five minutes can pass before the server is restarted.

Text and Graphics Console Redirect support allows the administrator to remotely view HX5 text and graphics messages over serial or LAN.

Wake on LAN permits the server to be remotely powered on if it has been shut off. Once powered up, the server can be controlled across the network, using the Preboot Execution Environment (PXE).

Like Wake on LAN, PXE is system firmware. It allows software such as the IBM Remote Deployment Manager to take control of a system before the BIOS, operating system or applications are loaded (using Wake on LAN/PXE) and lets an administrator perform many low- level tasks remotely that would otherwise require a visit to each system. These tasks may include such things as formatting a hard disk drive, updating system firmware, or deploying a Windows or Linux operating system.

Predictive Failure Analysis (PFA) enables the AMM and the IMM to detect impending failure of supported components (processors; memory; expansion cards; switch, blower and power supplies; and hard disk drives) 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 in increased uptime.

Embedded Dynamic System Analysis (DSA) feature collects and analyzes system information to aid in diagnosing problems. The diagnostic programs collect the following information:

???System configuration

???Network interfaces and settings

???Installed hardware

???Service processor status and configuration

???Vital product data, firmware, and BIOS configuration

???Hard disk drive health

???RAID controller configuration

???Event logs for ServeRAID controllers and service processors

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.

Optimized for virtualization and database applications with maximum memory and compute capacity in a blade

Optimized for virtualization and database applications with maximum memory and compute capacity in a blade

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 4-core processor, there should be twice as much memory available as for a 2-core processor. With 8 cores, there should be twice as much memory as for a 4-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 slots ??? Additional slots are available by adding HX5 blades to the first, to form a multiblade server.

I/O Expansion Units ??? A choice of BladeCenter PCI Express Expansion Unit 3 (BPE3) or BladeCenter PCI Express Gen 2 Expansion Blade (BPE4) offers from 3 to 10 total adapter slots per HS22 server, 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??? solid-state drive as a higher reliability, lower- energy-use alternative to internal 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.

External Storage ??? The IBM System Storage DS3000, DS4000, DS5000, and DS8000 series, as well as the System Storage N3000, N5000, N6000, and N7000 series, comprise a powerful and broad shared storage family with integrated management software designed to meet midrange and enterprise needs. For lower-end needs, IBM offers the System Storage EXP810, and EXP3000 storage expansion units. Additionally, external LAN-attached tape storage is available.

Communication Modules ??? The various BladeCenter chassis support integrated communication and I/O switches and/or bridges for Gigabit and 10Gb Ethernet, Myricom, 4Gb and 8Gb Fibre Channel, 1X and 4X InfiniBand, iSCSI, 3Gb SAS, and others. Expansion adapters for individual HX5 blades are available to interface with these modules. The BladeCenter H and BladeCenter HT also support the Multi-Switch Interconnect Module, which doubles the number of Gigabit Ethernet and Fibre Channel connections available to all blades in the chassis.

Rear Door Heat eXchanger ??? The unit attaches to the back of an IBM S2 42U Enterprise Rack. It is capable of removing up to 50,000 BTUs (14KVa) from the data center using water lines under the raised floor. The door swings open for servicing.

Redundant features ??? Optional hot-swap drives, power supply modules, blower modules, management modules, switches and bridges provide redundancy for the various BladeCenter chassis.

Optimized for virtualization and database applications with maximum memory and compute capacity in a blade

HX5 Images

Front View

4-socket HX5

Status / cKVM

Panel

Light Path

Diagnostics Panel

Hexagonal Ventilation

Holes

Low-Profile Hot-

Swap Handles

Interior View

1.8-inch SSD

Optimized for virtualization and database applications with maximum memory and compute capacity in a blade

BladeCenter HX5 Specifications

Optimized for virtualization and database applications with maximum memory and compute capacity in a blade

Optimized for virtualization and database applications with maximum memory and compute capacity in a blade

Optimized for virtualization and database applications with maximum memory and compute capacity in a blade

???Up to two internal 1.8-inch non-hot-swap SSDs per node

???Solid-state drives are an energy-saving, higher-reliability alternative to HDD storage

???Optional IBM 160GB, 320GB, or 640GB High IOPS SSD Adapters for extremely high IOPS and bandwidth storage (requires BPE4 expansion unit)

???Integrated RAID ??? RAID-1 mirrored arrays optional

???Two available adapter slots standard :

???Two CFF (compact form factor) slots: one high-speed CFFh and one standard-speed CIOv

???Additional optional adapter slots9:

???Up to 3 total, using 1 BladeCenter PCI Express I/O Expansion Unit 3 blade

???Up to 10 total, using 4 BladeCenter PCI Express Gen 2 Expansion Blades (BPE4) blades

Manageability and Availability

???IBM Systems Director systems management software, including:

???IBM Systems Director Active Energy Manager

???IBM Service and Support Manager

???Integrated Management Module:

???IPMI 2.0 compliance, including highly secure remote power control

???cKVM

???Advanced management capabilities

???Interface to one or two Advanced Management Modules in the chassis for advanced systems management capability

???Supports LDAP and SSL industry standards

???Text and graphics console redirection systems management

???Serial over LAN

???Active Memory protection:

???Advanced Chipkill ECC memory correction

???Memory ProteXion support

???Memory rank sparing

???Memory mirroring

???Memory scrubbing

???Solid-state drive as a high-reliability alternative to internal HDD storage (with up to three times the MTBF of spinning disk drives)

???Numerous hot-swap/redundant capabilities provided via the chassis

Optimized for virtualization and database applications with maximum memory and compute capacity in a blade

Server Comparison Chart

The following table shows the suggested uses for the respective IBM BladeCenter blade servers, including comparisons of the uses for which each server is best suited:

Optimized for virtualization and database applications with maximum memory and compute capacity in a blade

For More Information

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