IBM X3400 M2 specifications Ultra-Efficient Cooling, Other Features, Integrated Ethernet ports

The engine of growth for your emerging businesses.

remote boot, TCPIP Offload Engine (TOE), Internet SCSI (iSCSI), Remote Direct Memory Access

(RDMA), and jumbo frames (9KB). A license key is required to enable the iSCSI and RDMA features.

Jumbo Frames—those larger than the standard frame (packet) size of 1,500 bytes—can be more efficient, dramatically increasing network performance and reducing server CPU overhead. TOE helps improve overall system performance by offloading TCP/IP protocol processing from the system microprocessor to the onboard Ethernet TOE processor. There is no additional charge for this capability.

It also supports highly secure remote power management using IPMI 2.0, plus Wake on LAN® and PXE (Preboot Execution Environment) flash interface. Optional PCIe adapters offering failover and load balancing between adapters are available for added throughput and increased system availability.

Integrated Ethernet ports:

•3 Gb RJ45 Ethernet ports, ideal for virtualization and I/O-intensive workloads

•2 ports standard for Gb Ethernet and plus 1 dedicated Fast Ethernet port for systems management

•Improves system performance by offloading protocol processing from CPU to a separate TOE engine

•Primary performance improvement for data copying (CPU) where CPU utilization is 90-100%

•The embedded NIC/TOE supports software iSCSI using a Microsoft iSCSI initiator

•Using a software initiator enables offloading the processing of TCP frames with the TOE engine in the adapter card, but the processing of iSCSI packets themselves is not hardware-offloaded at the Broadcom NIC

•Broadcom hardware-offloaded iSCSI (using TOE engine) of the iSCSI frames

Onboard Broadcom 5709C Gigabit Ethernet controller provides two Gigabit ports supporting IEEE 802.3 for 1000Base-T, 100Base-TX, and 10Base-T applications (802.3, 802.3u, 802.3ab) over a CAT 5 twisted- pair cable. TOE support on Windows is available today, but requires the Windows Scalable Network Pack (SNP) installed. Linux has no plan to support TOE at this time. Please refer to TOE_RDMA_iSCSI.doc for technology details. Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is supported.

Ultra-Efficient Cooling

Strategically located fans, combined with efficient airflow paths, provide highly effective system cooling for the x3400 M2, known as Calibrated Vectored Cooling. The server includes three hot-swapfans (plus another in the power supply).

The system contains three cooling zones. Zone 1 cools the memory slots and the three 5.25-inch drive bays. Zone 2 cools the processors, while Zone 3 cools the adapter slots and the HDD bays.

The fans automatically adjust speeds in response to changing thermal requirements, depending on the zone, redundancy, and internal temperatures. When the temperature inside the server increases, the fans speed up to maintain the proper ambient temperature. When the temperature returns to a normal operating level, the fans return to their default speed. Why not simply run the fans at 100% capacity all the time? For several good reasons: to reduce the ambient noise, reduce the wear-and-tear on the fans and reduce the server power draw. The reduction in ambient noise and power draw may be relatively minor for a single server, but put dozens or hundreds in a data center and it can make a big difference!

In addition, the server uses hexagonal ventilation holes in the chassis. Hexagonal holes can be grouped more densely than round holes, providing greater airflow through the system cover.

This cooling scheme is important because newer, more powerful processors generate a significant amount of heat, and heat must be controlled for the system to function properly.

Other Features

•Eight USB 2.0 ports — Provides flexibility to add high-speed external devices. The USB 2.0 specification supports up to 480Mbps transfer rates. (Note: Not all USB 2.0 devices are capable of achieving this rate.) Two ports are provided on the front of the server, four are on the back, one is internal to support a USB-interface tape drive, and one is internal to support a USB flash drive for an embedded hypervisor.

•Embedded hypervisor; a USB port on the motherboard, activated with an optional 2GB USB key for supporting VMWare ESXi for virtualization

•IMM Virtual Media Key — This optional feature adds local and remote management functions without consuming a valuable adapter slot.

•Toolless chassis — The cover can be opened without tools, and many components can be removed and replaced without tools, including the CD-RW/DVD combo drive, hot-swap drives, and PCIe/PCI-X adapters, as well as the integrated ServeRAID-BR10i controller, embedded hypervisor key, and IMM Virtual Media Key. This can save a servicer significant time.

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