Chapter 1. The System X3550 M4 Server - Lenovo System x3550 M4 Installation And Service Manual

Chapter 1. The System x3550 M4 server

This publication contains information and instructions for setting up your System x3550 M4 server,
instructions for installing some optional devices, cabling and configuring the server, removing and replacing
devices, and diagnostics and troubleshooting information.
In addition to the instructions in Chapter 2 "Installing optional devices" on page 23 for installing optional
hardware devices, updating firmware and device drivers, and completing the installation, Business Partners
must also complete the steps in "Instructions for Business Partners" on page 23.
The System x3550 M4 server is a 1-U-high 1 rack model server for high-volume network transaction
processing. This high-performance, multicore server is ideally suited for networking environments that
require superior microprocessor performance, input/output (I/O) flexibility, and high manageability.
Performance, ease of use, reliability, and expansion capabilities were key considerations in the design of
the server. These design features make it possible for you to customize the system hardware to meet your
needs today and provide flexible expansion capabilities for the future.
The server comes with a limited warranty. For information about the terms of the warranty, see the Warranty
Information document that comes with the server.
The server contains Lenovo X-Architecture technologies, which help increase performance and reliability. For
more information, see "What your server offers" on page 9 and "Reliability, availability, and serviceability"
on page 12.
You can obtain up-to-date information about the server and other server products at
http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/systems/. At http://www.ibm.com/support/mysupport/, you can create a
personalized support page by identifying products that are of interest to you. From this personalized page,
you can subscribe to weekly email notifications about new technical documents, search for information and
downloads, and access various administrative services.
If you participate in the client reference program, you can share information about your use of technology,
best practices, and innovative solutions; build a professional network; and gain visibility for your business.
For more information about the client reference program, see http://www.ibm.com/ibm/clientreference/.
The hot-swap server models support up to eight 2.5-inch hot-swap hard disk drives or three 3.5-inch
hot-swap hard disk drives. The simple-swap server models support up to three 3.5-inch simple-swap hard
disk drives. It supports 2.5-inch hot-swap Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) or SATA hard disk drives, 3.5-inch
hot-swap Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) or SATA hard disk drives, or 3.5-inch simple-swap SATA hard disk
drives.
Note: The illustrations in this document might differ slightly from your model.
The following illustration shows the 2.5-inch hot-swap server models with an optional optical drive bay.
1. Racks are marked in vertical increments of 1.75 inches each. Each increment is referred to as a unit, or a U. A
1-U-high device is approximately 1.75 inches tall.
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