IBM BladeCenter HX5 Product Manual page 14

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