Disk Controllers; Drive Bays - IBM System x3620 M3 Product Manual

A cost-optimized storage-rich alternative to traditional enterprise 2U dual-socket servers
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Data transfer rates depend on many factors and are often less than the maximum possible.
Please see the Legal Information section for important notices and information.
VMware ESXi includes all the performance, scalability and compatibility features of ESX,
including full VMFS support across FC SAN, iSCSI SAN, and NAS, and 4-way VSMP. 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. Licensing works the same as for "standard" ESX.

Disk Controllers

The x3620 M3 simple-swap models include firmware RAID-0/1 (in other words, without
hardware assist) standard, and support an optional ServeRAID-BR10il v2, ServerRAID-M1015,
ServeRAID-M5014, or ServeRAID-M5015 SAS/SATA controller, to enhance system
performance, availability and data protection. Hot-swap models include either a ServeRAID-
M1015, ServeRAID-M5014, or ServeRAID-M5015 controller standard (model-specific). They can
be upgraded to other ServeRAID controllers. The supported ServeRAID controllers include:
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The 3Gbps (x4 PCIe) ServeRAID-BR10il v2 controller offers hardware RAID-0/1/1E support (no
cache) for up to 4 HDDs.
The 6Gbps (x8 PCIe) ServeRAID-M1015 SAS/SATA controller supports RAID-0/1/10 (no
cache) for up to 16 drives (limited by available bays to 8). The IBM ServeRAID M1000 Series
Advance Feature Key adds RAID-5 with SED support.
The 6Gbps (x8 PCIe) ServeRAID-M5014 SAS/SATA controller offers enhanced performance
with 256MB of cache memory (with optional battery backup), and supports RAID-0/1/10/5/50 for
up to 16 drives (limited by available bays to 8).
The 6Gbps (x8 PCIe) ServeRAID-M5015 SAS/SATA controller offers enhanced performance
with 512MB of cache memory and battery backup included, and supports RAID-0/1/10/5/50 for
up to 16 drives (limited by available bays to 8).
The IBM ServeRAID M5000 Series Advance Feature Key adds RAID-6/60 with SED support to
the ServeRAID-M5014 and M5015. The IBM ServeRAID M5000 Series Battery Key adds
battery backup support to the M5014.

Drive Bays

The x3620 M3 supports up to 9 or 5 drive bays in all (model-specific). Models include either 8
hot-swap or 4 simple-swap 3.5-inch drive bays, plus one 5.25-inch bay for either an optional
optical drive, a tape drive, or an RDX Removable Disk Backup System. The hot-swap bays
support either SATA or SAS HDDs. The simple-swap bays support only SATA drives.
Hot-swap drives may be inserted or removed through the front of the server without powering off
the system. Simple-swap drives can be inserted or removed through the front of the server as
well; however, the system power must first be turned off.
For additional storage, a direct-attach, NAS or SAN external expansion option can be added,
using an optional controller.
No diskette drive is supplied with any model; an external USB floppy drive may be used, if
needed.
Flexible Internal Storage
The x3620 M3 offers flexibility with either 4 or 8 2.5" HDD bays (model-dependent), supporting
high-performance drives that provide high density/high reliability and allow you to scale up as
your business grows. (Hot-swap models require a RAID controller.)
3.5-inch Hot-Swap SAS
• 15,000 RPMs — 300, 450, or 600GB (4.8TB maximum capacity, with 8 bays)
3.5-inch Hot-Swap SATA
• 7,200 RPMs — 250 or 500GB, 1 or 2TB (16.0TB maximum capacity, with 8 bays)
3.5-inch Simple-Swap SATA
• 7,200 RPMs — 250 or 500GB, 1 or 2TB (8.0TB maximum capacity, with 4 bays)
The hot-swap drives use the Converged Tray for interchangeability with other IBM System x
systems. If you need more storage space, terabyte capacities are possible with external IBM
System Storage direct-attach, NAS and SAN offerings.
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