Abstract

The System x3550 M4 server provides outstanding performance for your mission-critical applications. Its energy-efficient design supports more cores, memory, and data capacity in a compact 1U package that is easy to service and manage. With more computing power per watt and the latest Intel Xeon processors, you can reduce costs while maintaining speed and availability.

This product guide provides essential pre-sales information to understand the structure of the x3550 M4 (E5-2600 v2) offering, its key features and specifications, components and options, and configuration guidelines.

This guide is intended for technical specialists, sales specialists, sales engineers, IT architects, and other IT professionals who want to learn more about the x3550 M4 (E5-2600 v2) and consider its use in IT solutions.

Notes:

• Models of the System x3550 M4 described in this Product Guide are withdrawn and no longer available for ordering. The replacement product is Lenovo System x3550 M5 (E5-2600 v3).
• This Product Guide describes withdrawn models of the x3550 M4 with the Intel Xeon processor E5-2600 v2 product family. For withdrawn models of the x3550 M4 with the Intel Xeon processor E5-2600 product family, see the Product Guide System x3550 M4 (E5-2600).

Introduction

The System x3550 M4 server provides outstanding performance for your business-critical applications. Its energy-efficient design supports more cores, memory, and data capacity in a compact 1U package that is easy to service and manage. With more computing power per watt and the latest Intel Xeon processors, you can reduce costs while maintaining speed and availability.

Suggested use: database, virtualization, enterprise applications, collaboration/email, streaming media, web, HPC, and cloud applications.

Figure 1 shows the System x3550 M4.

Figure 1. System x3550 M4

Did you know?

The x3550 M4 offers a flexible, scalable design and a simple upgrade path to eight HDDs plus an optical drive at the same time, and up to 768 GB of memory. The flexible onboard Ethernet solution provides four standard integrated Gigabit Ethernet ports and two optional embedded 10 Gb Ethernet ports without occupying PCIe slots. Comprehensive systems management tools with the next-generation Integrated Management Module II (IMM2) make it easy to deploy, integrate, service, and manage.

Key features

The x3550 M4 is a cost- and density-balanced 1U, 2-socket business-critical server, offering improved performance and pay-as-you grow flexibility along with new features that improve server management capability. The powerful system is designed for your most important business applications and cloud deployments.

Combining balanced performance and flexibility, the x3550 M4 is a great choice for small and medium businesses and up to the large enterprise. It can provide outstanding uptime to keep business-critical applications and cloud deployments running safely. Ease-of-use and comprehensive systems management tools make it easy to deploy. Outstanding RAS and high-efficiency design improves your business environment and helps save operational costs.

Scalability and performance

The x3550 M4 offers numerous features to boost performance, improve scalability, and reduce costs:

• Intel Xeon processor E5-2600 v2 product family
  • Improves productivity by offering superior system performance with up to 12-core processors, up to 30 MB of L3 cache, and up to two 8 GT/s QPI interconnect links.
  • Supports up to two processors, 24 cores, and 48 threads maximize the concurrent execution of multi-threaded applications.
  • Supports up to 1866 MHz memory speeds.
  • Supports up to 768 GB memory with 32 GB LRDIMMs.
• Intelligent and adaptive system performance with Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 allows CPU cores to run at maximum speeds during peak workloads by temporarily going beyond processor thermal design power (TDP).
• Intel Hyper-Threading Technology boosts performance for multithreaded applications by enabling simultaneous multithreading within each processor core, up to two threads per core.
• Intel Virtualization Technology integrates hardware-level virtualization hooks that allow operating system vendors to better utilize the hardware for virtualization workloads.
• Intel Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX) significantly improve floating point performance for compute-intensive technical and scientific applications compared to Intel Xeon 5600 series processors.
• 12 Gbps SAS internal storage connectivity doubles the data transfer rate compared to 6 Gb SAS solutions to maximize performance of storage I/O-intensive applications.
• The use of solid-state drives (SSDs) instead of or along with traditional spinning drives (HDDs) can significantly improve I/O performance. An SSD can support up to 100 times more I/O operations per second (IOPS) than a typical HDD.
• The server has four integrated Gigabit Ethernet ports and two optional 10 Gb Ethernet ports with mezzanine cards that do not consume a PCIe slot.
• The server offers PCI Express (PCIe) 3.0 I/O expansion capabilities that improve the theoretical maximum bandwidth by almost 100% (8 GTps per link using 128b/130b encoding) compared to the previous generation of PCI Express 2.0 (5 GTps per link using 8b/10b encoding).
• With Intel Integrated I/O Technology, the PCI Express 3.0 controller is integrated into the Intel Xeon processor E5 family. This helps to dramatically reduce I/O latency and increase overall system performance.
• Support for NVIDIA Quadro graphics processing units (GPUs) to maximize computing power.

Availability and serviceability

The x3550 M4 provides many features to simplify serviceability and increase system uptime:

• The server offers memory mirroring and memory rank sparing for redundancy in the event of a non-correctable memory failure.
• Tool-less cover removal provides easy access to upgrades and serviceable parts, such as CPU, memory, and adapter cards.
• The server offers hot-swap drives supporting RAID redundancy for data protection and greater system uptime.
• The server has two redundant hot-swap power supplies and six dual-motor hot-swap redundant fans (two fan zones with N+1 fan design) to provide availability for business-critical applications.
• The power source-independent light path diagnostics panel and individual light path LEDs quickly lead the technician to failed (or failing) components. This simplifies servicing, speeds up problem resolution, and helps improve system availability.
• Predictive Failure Analysis (PFA) detects when system components (processors, VRMs, memory, hard disk drives, fans, and power supplies) operate outside of standard thresholds and generates proactive alerts in advance of possible failure, therefore increasing uptime.
• Solid-state drivers (SSDs) offer significantly better reliability than traditional mechanical HDDs for greater uptime.
• Built-in Integrated Management Module II (IMM2) continuously monitors system parameters, triggers alerts, and performs recovery actions in case of failure, to minimize downtime.
• Built-in diagnostics using Dynamic Systems Analysis (DSA) Preboot speeds up troubleshooting tasks to reduce service time.
• Three-year customer replaceable unit and onsite limited warranty, next business day 9x5. Optional service upgrades available.

Manageability and security

Powerful systems management features simplify local and remote management of the x3550 M4:

• The server includes an Integrated Management Module II (IMM2) to monitor server availability and perform remote management.
• An integrated industry-standard Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) enables improved setup, configuration, and updates, and simplifies error handling.
• An integrated Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 1.2 support enables advanced cryptographic functionality such as digital signatures and remote attestation.
• There is industry-standard AES NI support for faster, stronger encryption.
• IBM Systems Director offers comprehensive systems management tools that help to increase uptime, reduce costs and improve productivity through advanced server management capabilities.
• Intel Execute Disable Bit functionality can help prevent certain classes of malicious buffer overflow attacks when combined with a supporting operating system.
• Intel Trusted Execution Technology provides enhanced security through hardware-based resistance to malicious software attacks, allowing an application to run in its own isolated space protected from all other software running on a system.

Energy efficiency

The x3550 M4 offers the following energy-efficiency features to save energy, reduce operational costs, increase energy availability, and contribute to a green environment:

• Energy-efficient planar components help lower operational costs.
• The x3550 M4 is Energy Star 2.0 compliant. Energy Star is the trusted, US government-backed symbol for energy efficiency, with the goal of helping customers save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices.
• High-efficiency 550 W and 750 W power supplies with 80 PLUS Platinum certification. Available 750 W dc power supply option.
• The Intel Xeon processor E5-2600 v2 product family offers significantly better performance over the previous generation, while fitting into the same TDP limits.
• Intel Intelligent Power Capability powers individual processor elements on and off as needed, to reduce power draw.
• Low-voltage Intel Xeon processors draw less energy to satisfy the demands of power and thermally constrained data centers and telecommunication environments.
• Low-voltage 1.35 V DDR3 memory RDIMMs consume up to 19% less energy compared to 1.5 V DDR3 RDIMMs.
• Solid-state drives (SSDs) consume as much as 80% less power than traditional spinning 2.5-inch HDDs.
• The server uses hexagonal ventilation holes, a part of Calibrated Vectored Cooling™ technology. Hexagonal holes can be grouped more densely than round holes, providing more efficient airflow through the system.
• IBM Systems Director Active Energy Manager™ provides advanced data center power notification and management to help achieve lower heat output and reduced cooling needs.

Components and connectors

Figure 2 shows the front of the server.

Figure 2. Front view of the System x3550 M4

Figure 3 shows the rear of the server.

Figure 3. Rear view of the System x3550 M4

Figure 4 shows the locations of key components inside the server.

Figure 4. Inside view of the System x3550 M4

Standard specifications

The following table lists the standard specifications.

The x3550 M4 servers are shipped with the following items:

• Statement of Limited Warranty
• Important Notices
• Rack Installation Instructions
• Documentation CD containing Installation and User's Guide
• IBM Systems Director Flyer
• System x Gen-III Slides Kit
• System x Gen-III Cable Management Arm (CMA)
• 2.8 m C13-C14 power cord (one for models with one power supply and two for models with two power supplies)

Standard models

The following table lists the standard models.

* x in the Model number represents a region-specific letter (for example, the EMEA Model number is 7914A3G, and the US Model number is 7914A3U). Ask a Lenovo representative for specifics.
† Processor detail: Processor quantity and model, cores, core speed, L3 cache, memory speed, TDP.
§ For models A3x and B3x, the standard DIMM is rated at 1600 MHz, but operates at up to 1333 MHz to match the processor memory speed. Actual memory speed maximums depend on several factors, as described in "Memory options".

Express models

The following table lists the Express models.

† Processor detail: Processor quantity and model, number of cores, core speed, L3 cache, memory speed, TDP.
(c) The ServeRAID M5110 RAID controller in this model includes cache memory with optional battery backup.
(f) The ServeRAID M5110 RAID controller in this model includes flash-backed cache memory.
§ The standard DIMM is rated at 1600 MHz (models E6G, EGU, ELC, EOC, ESC, ETC, FFM, and K4G) or 1866 MHz (model CCU), but operates at up to 1333 MHz to match the processor memory speed. For models EFG and CEU, the standard DIMM is rated at 1866 MHz, but operates at up to 1600 MHz to match the processor memory speed. Actual memory speed maximums depend on several factors, as described in "Memory options".

Processor options

The x3550 M4 supports the processor options listed in the following table. The server supports up to two processors. This table shows which server models have each processor standard. If there is no corresponding where used model for a particular processor, then this processor is only available through CTO. The part numbers include two system fans.

* The first feature code is for the first processor; the second feature code is for the second processor

Memory options

System x DDR3 memory is compatibility tested and tuned for optimal System x performance and throughput. System x memory specifications are integrated into the light path diagnostics for immediate system performance feedback and optimum system uptime. From a service and support standpoint, System x memory automatically assumes the system's warranty, and Lenovo provides service and support worldwide.

The System x3550 M4 supports DDR3 memory. The server supports up to 12 DIMMs when one processor is installed, and up to 24 DIMMs when two processors are installed. Each processor has four memory channels, and there are three DIMMs per channel.

The following rules apply when selecting the memory configuration:

• Server supports RDIMMs, and LRDIMMs.
• Mixing different types of memory (RDIMMs and LRDIMMs) is not supported.
• Mixing 1.5 V and 1.35 V DIMMs in the same server is supported; in such cases, all DIMMs operate at 1.5 V.
• The maximum number of ranks supported per one channel is eight (with the exception of Load Reduced DIMMs, where more than eight ranks are supported because one quad-rank LRDIMM provides the same electrical load on a memory bus as a single-rank RDIMM).
• The maximum quantity of DIMMs that can be installed in server depends on number of CPUs, DIMM type, rank, and operating voltage as shown in the "Maximum quantity" row in the following table.
• All DIMMs in all CPU memory channels operate at the same speed, which is determined as the lowest value of:
  • The memory speed supported by the specific CPU.
  • The lowest of maximum operating speeds for the selected memory configuration that depends on rated speed, operating voltage, and quantity of DIMMs per channel, as shown under "Maximum operating speed" section in the following table.

The following table shows the characteristics of the supported DIMMs. Tables cells highlighted with a gray background indicate when the combination of DIMM voltage and the number of DIMMs per channel still allows the DIMMs to operate at a rated speed.

* The maximum quantity that is supported is shown for two processors installed.

The following memory protection technologies are supported:

• ECC
• Chipkill (for x4-based memory DIMMs)
• Memory mirroring
• Memory rank sparing

If memory mirroring is used, then DIMMs must be installed in pairs (a minimum of one pair per each CPU), and both DIMMs in a pair must be identical in type and size.

If memory rank sparing is used, then a minimum of one quad-rank DIMM or two single-rank or dual-rank DIMMs must be installed per populated channel (the DIMMs do not need being identical). In rank sparing mode, one rank of a DIMM in each populated channel is reserved as spare memory. The size of a rank varies depending on the DIMMs installed.

The following table lists memory options available for the x3550 M4 server.

Internal storage

The System x3550 M4 server supports the following internal storage configurations:

• Eight 2.5" Slim-SFF SAS/SATA hot-swap hard drive bays
• Four 2.5" Slim-SFF SAS/SATA hot-swap hard drive bays
• Three 3.5" hot-swap SAS/SATA hard drive bays
• Three 3.5" Simple Swap SATA hard drive bays (only available in CTO)

Figure 5 shows the first three of these configurations.

Figure 5. Internal drive configurations

Backplanes

All standard models, except C5x, ship with four 2.5" Slim-SFF SAS/SATA hot-swap hard drive bays. Model C5x ships with three 3.5" SAS/SATA hot-swap hard drive bays. The following table shows the internal storage expansion options available for the x3550 M4 server.

* Available only via CTO or special bid.

Option 81Y6657 upgrades models with four hot-swap HDD bays to eight hot-swap HDD bays. Models A2x and A3x require H1110 to be replaced by M1115 or M5110 to support eight HDDs. An optical drive can be installed internally when this option is used.

Option 00Y7297 together with option 00Y8597 upgrades CTO models with four 12 Gb 2.5" hot-swap drive bays to eight 12 Gb hot-swap 2.5" drive bays.

Controllers for internal storage

The following table lists the RAID controllers and the additional options used for the internal disk storage of the x3550 M4 server. The controllers are installed into a dedicated PCIe slot.

* The ServeRAID M5100 Series Battery Kit (81Y4508) is only supported with ServeRAID M5100 Series 512MB Cache/RAID 5 Upgrade (81Y4484).
† This upgrade requires a cache memory upgrade.

* Requires cache memory upgrade (47C8656, 47C8660, 47C8664, or 47C8668).

The ServeRAID H1110 adapter has the following specifications:

• Four internal 6 Gbps SAS/SATA ports
• One x4 mini-SAS internal connector (SFF-8087)
• Up to 6 Gbps throughput per port
• Based on LSI SAS2004 6 Gbps RAID on Chip (ROC) controller
• PCIe x4 Gen 3 host interface
• Supports RAID 0, 1, 1E, and 10
• Connects to up to four SAS or SATA drives

The ServeRAID M1115 SAS/SATA Controller has the following specifications:

• Eight internal 6 Gbps SAS/SATA ports
• Two x4 mini-SAS internal connectors (SFF-8087)
• Supports RAID levels 0, 1, and 10
• Supports RAID levels 5 and 50 with optional M1100 Series RAID 5 upgrades
• Up to 6 Gbps throughput per port
• PCIe x8 Gen 3 host interface
• Based on the LSI SAS2008 6 Gbps ROC controller

The ServeRAID M5110 SAS/SATA Controller has the following specifications:

• Eight internal 6 Gbps SAS/SATA ports
• Two x4 mini-SAS internal connectors (SFF-8087)
• Supports RAID levels 0, 1, and 10
• Supports RAID levels 5 and 50 with optional M5100 Series RAID 5 upgrades
• Supports RAID 6 and 60 with the optional M5100 Series RAID 6 Upgrade
• Supports 512 MB battery-backed cache or 512 MB, 1 GB, or 2 GB flash-backed cache
• Up to 6 Gbps throughput per port
• PCIe x8 Gen 3 host interface
• Based on the LSI SAS2208 6 Gbps ROC controller

The ServeRAID M5210 SAS/SATA Controller has the following specifications:

• Eight internal 12 Gbps SAS/SATA ports
• Two x4 HD mini-SAS internal connectors (SFF-8643)
• Supports connections to SAS/SATA drives and SAS Expanders
• Supports RAID levels 0, 1, and 10
• Supports RAID levels 5 and 50 with optional M5200 Series RAID 5 upgrades
• Supports RAID 6 and 60 with the optional M5200 Series RAID 6 Upgrade
• Supports 1 GB non-backed cache or 1 GB, 2 GB, or 4 GB flash-backed cache
• Up to 12 Gbps throughput per port
• PCIe 3.0 x8 host interface
• Based on the LSI SAS3108 12 Gbps ROC controller

The 6Gb Performance Optimized HBA has the following specifications:

• Eight internal 6 Gbps SAS/SATA ports
• Two x4 mini-SAS internal connectors (SFF-8087)
• Supports connections to SAS/SATA HDDs and SATA SSDs
• Optimized for SSD performance
• No RAID support
• Up to 6 Gbps throughput per port
• PCIe 2.0 x8 host interface
• Based on the LSI SAS2008 6 Gbps controller

The N2115 SAS/SATA HBA has the following specifications:

• Eight internal 6 Gbps SAS/SATA ports
• Two x4 mini-SAS internal connectors (SFF-8087)
• Supports connections to SAS/SATA HDDs and SATA SSDs
• Optimized for SSD performance
• No RAID support
• Up to 6 Gbps throughput per port
• PCIe 3.0 x8 host interface
• Based on the LSI SAS2308 6 Gbps controller

The N2215 SAS/SATA HBA has the following specifications:

• Eight internal 12 Gbps SAS/SATA ports
• Two x4 HD mini-SAS internal connectors (SFF-8643)
• Supports connections to SAS/SATA HDDs and SATA SSDs
• Optimized for SSD performance
• No RAID support
• Up to 12 Gbps throughput per port
• PCIe 3.0 x8 host interface
• Based on the LSI SAS3008 12 Gbps controller

For more information, see the list of Lenovo Press Product Guides in the RAID adapters category:
https://lenovopress.com/servers/options/raid?rt=product-guide

Internal drive options

The following table lists hard drive options for internal disk storage of the x3550 M4 server.

Internal backup units

The server does not support internal tape drive options or other internal backup units. However, it can be attached to the external tape drives using SAS or Fibre Channel connectivity (see Table 26).

Optical drives

The server supports the optical drive options listed in the following table. Server models with 3.5" HDDs do not support internal optical drive; they provide a third USB port on the front for an external optical drive.

UltraSlim Enhanced SATA DVD-ROM (part number 46M0901) supports the following media and speeds for reading:

• CD-ROM 24X
• CD-DA (DAE) 20X
• CD-R 24X
• CD-RW 24X
• DVD-ROM (single layer) 8X
• DVD-ROM (dual layer) 8X
• DVD-R (4.7 GB) 6X
• DVD-R DL 4X
• DVD+R 6X
• DVD+R DL 4X
• DVD-RW (4.7 GB) 4X
• DVD+RW 4X
• DVD-RAM (4.7/9.4 GB) 4X

UltraSlim Enhanced SATA Multi-Burner (46M0902) supports the same media and speeds for reading as DVD-ROM (46M0901). This drive also supports the following media and speeds for writing:

• CD-R 24X
• CD-RW 4X
• High Speed CD-RW 10X
• Ultra Speed CD-RW 16X
• Ultra Speed Plus CD-RW 16X
• DVD-R 8X
• DVD-R DL 6X
• DVD+R 8X
• DVD+R DL 6X
• DVD-RW 6X
• DVD+RW 8X
• DVD-RAM 5X

I/O expansion options

The server supports two PCI slots with different riser cards installed into two riser sockets on the system planar (one riser socket supports the installation of one riser card). The slot form factors are as follows:

• Slot 1: PCIe x16; low profile, half-length
• Slot 2: PCIe x16, PCIe x8, or PCI-X; full-height, half-length (PCIe x16 slot requires second processor)

Riser 1 supplies slot 1, and riser 2 supplies slot 2. All standard models except for model DDx have two riser cards installed that provide one PCIe x16 Gen 3 slot and one PCIe x8 Gen 3 slot (features A1HJ and A1HK).

You can replace the second riser card with one of the following (or configure one of these riser cards instead of the second riser card using special bid or CTO), provided a second processor is also installed:

• A riser with one PCIe x16 Gen 3 slot (69Y5671, feature A1HL)
• A riser with one PCIe x8 Gen 3 slot (69Y5670, feature A1HK
• A riser with one PCI-X 64 bit/133 MHz slot (69Y5669, feature A1HM)

The following table lists the PCI riser card options.

The x3550 M4 Thermal Solution Kit, 00Y7117 contains two 40mm fans which provides the fifth and sixth system fans needed for these options when only one processor is installed:

• All supported PCIe SSD adapters
• QLogic Dual Port 10GbE SFP+ Embedded VFA
• QLogic 8200 Dual Port 10GbE SFP+ VFA
• ServeRAID M5120 SAS/SATA Controller
• Solarflare SFN5162F MR Dual Port 10GbE SFP+ Adapter

The Thermal Solution Kit is not needed if two processors are installed, since the second processor includes these fans.

* For CTO orders, quantity two of feature code A40L, x3550 M4 Addl Fan for High Performance Adapters will be substituted.

Network adapters

The x3550 M4 supports four integrated Gigabit Ethernet ports.

Integrated NICs have the following features:

• An Intel I350AM4 chip
• Four GbE ports
• TCP Offload Engine (TOE) support
• Wake on LAN support
• 802.1Q VLAN tagging support
• IPv6 support
• NIC Teaming (load balancing and failover)

Optionally, two 10 Gb Ethernet ports can be added by installing the a dual-port 10 Gb Ethernet mezzanine card as listed in the following table. Mezzanine cards use a dedicated connector on the system board and do not consume a PCI expansion slot.

The following table lists additional supported network adapters.

* SFP+ and QSFP+ based adapters require supported transceivers or DAC cables that must be purchased separately.
† The QLogic Dual Port 10GbE SFP+ Embedded VFA and QLogic 8200 Dual Port 10GbE SFP+ VFA both require the x3550 M4 Thermal Solution Kit, 00Y7117 or the second processor (with additional system fans).
** CTO only.

For more information, see the list of Lenovo Press Product Guides in the Networking adapters category:
https://lenovopress.com/servers/options/ethernet?rt=product-guide

Storage host bus adapters

The following table lists storage HBAs supported by the x3550 M4 server.

For more information, see the list of Lenovo Press Product Guides in the Host bus adapters category:
https://lenovopress.com/servers/options/hba?rt=product-guide

PCIe SSD adapters

The server supports the High IOPS SSD adapters listed in the following table.

* The 5200GB and 6400GB io3 Flash Adapters cannot be factory installed; they are supported as field-installable options only. The server cannot be shipped with these adapters installed.

For details about these adapters, see the Lenovo Press Product Guides in the PCIe SSD Adapters category, found at the following address:
https://lenovopress.com/servers/options/ssdadapter?rt=product-guide

GPU adapters

The server supports a graphics processing unit (GPU) provided the x16 riser card (69Y5671, feature A1HL) is installed. The server provides up to 225W of external power to each GPU. The following table lists the supported GPUs.

* These GPU adapters are available via Special Bid or CTO only.

If the NVIDIA Quadro K600 is installed, the maximum memory that can be installed is 1 TB.

Power supplies

The server supports up to two redundant power supplies, providing N+1 redundancy. Standard models come with one or two power supplies (model dependent). The following table lists the power supplies. An AC power supply ships standard with one 2.8 m C13 - C14 power cord.

General power supply rules are as follows:

• Minimum of 1 and maximum of 2 power supplies per system.
• If 2 are installed, power supplies must be identical.

Important: It is highly recommended to validate server configuration for specific power requirements using the latest version of the System x Power Configurator:
https://www.ibm.com/support/entry/portal/docdisplay?lndocid=LNVO-PWRCONF

This will ensure that the right power supply is chosen for optimal performance.

Integrated virtualization

The server supports VMware ESXi installed on a USB memory key. The key is installed in a USB socket inside the server. The following table lists the virtualization options.

Systems management

The server contains Integrated Management Module II (IMM2), which provides advanced service-processor control, monitoring, and an alerting function. If an environmental condition exceeds a threshold or if a system component fails, the IMM lights LEDs to help you diagnose the problem, records the error in the event log, and alerts you to the problem. Optionally, the IMM also provides a virtual presence capability for remote server management capabilities.

The IMM provides remote server management through industry-standard interfaces:

• Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) Version 2.0
• Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) Version 3
• Common Information Model (CIM)
• Web browser

The optional Integrated Management Module Advanced Upgrade is required to enable the remote presence and blue-screen capture features. The remote presence feature provides the following functions:

• Remotely viewing video with graphics resolutions up to 1600x1200 at 75 Hz with up to 23 bits per pixel, regardless of the system state
• Remotely accessing the server using the keyboard and mouse from a remote client
• Mapping the CD or DVD drive, diskette drive, and USB flash drive on a remote client, and mapping ISO and diskette image files as virtual drives that are available for use by the server
• Uploading a diskette image to the IMM memory and mapping it to the server as a virtual drive

The blue-screen capture feature captures the video display contents before the IMM restarts the server when the IMM detects an operating system hang condition. A system administrator can use the blue-screen capture to assist in determining the cause of the hang condition. The following table lists the remote management option.

All standard models ship with a pop-out light path diagnostics panel on the front of the server (See Figure 2). Configure-to-order (CTO) customers may elect to deselect this feature and instead have a basic light path diagnostics panel on the front of the server. The following table shows the two light path diagnostics features.

* CTO only

Operating systems

The server supports the following operating systems:

• Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2
• Microsoft Windows Server 2012
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Datacenter x64 Edition
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Datacenter x86 Edition
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Enterprise x64 Edition
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Enterprise x86 Edition
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Standard x64 Edition
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Standard x86 Edition
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Web x64 Edition
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Web x86 Edition
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Server with Xen x64 Edition
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Server x64 Edition
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 Server Edition
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 Server x64 Edition
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
• SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 10 for AMD64/EM64T
• SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 11 for AMD64/EM64T
• SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 11 for x86
• SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 11 with Xen for AMD64/EM64T
• SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 12
• SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 12 with Xen
• VMware vSphere (ESXi) 5.0
• VMware vSphere (ESXi) 5.1
• VMware vSphere (ESXi) 5.5
• VMware vSphere (ESXi) 6.0

See the ServerProven® website for the latest information about the specific versions and service levels supported and any other prerequisites:
www.lenovo.com/us/en/serverproven/

Physical and electrical specifications

Dimensions and weight:

• Height: 43 mm (1.7 in)
• Width: 429 mm (16.9 in)
• Depth: 734 mm (28.9 in)
• Weight:
  • Minimum configuration: 12.7 kg (28 lb)
  • Maximum configuration: 15.9 kg (35.1 lb)

Supported environment:

• Air temperature
  • Server on: 5 °C to 40 °C (41 °F to 104 °F); altitude: 0 to 950 m (3,117 ft); decrease the maximum system temperature by 1 °C for every 175-m increase in altitude.
  • Server off: 5 °C to 45 °C (41 °F to 113 °F)
  • Maximum altitude: 3,050 m (10,000 ft), 5 °C to 28 °C (41 °F to 82 °F)
  • Shipment: -40 °C to +60 °C (-40 °F to 140 °F)

Specific microprocessors:

• Microprocessor Intel Xeon E5-2690, 135 W:
  • Temperature: 10 °C to 27 °C (50 °F to 80.6 °F)
  • Altitude: 0 to 304.8 m (1,000 ft)
• Microprocessor models with 115 W and 130 W:
  • Temperature: 10 °C to 35 °C (50 °F to 95 °F)
  • Altitude: 0 to 914.4 m (3,000 ft)
• Humidity
  • Server on: 8% to 85%, maximum dew point 24 °C, maximum rate of change 5 °C/hr
  • Server off: 8% to 85%, maximum dew point 27 °C
• Design to ASHRAE Class A3, ambient of 36 °C to 40 °C (96.8 °F to 104 °F), with relaxed support:
  • Supports cloud like workload with no performance degradation acceptable (Turbo-Off).
  • Under no circumstance can any combination of worst case workload and configuration result in system shutdown or design exposure at 40 °C.
• Electrical
  • Models with 750 W power supplies:
    • 100 to 127 (nominal) V ac; 50 Hz or 60 Hz; 8.9 A
    • 200 to 240 (nominal) V ac; 50 Hz or 60 Hz; 4.5 A
    • Input kilovolt-amperes (kVA) (approximately):
      • Minimum configuration: 0.14 kVA
      • Maximum configuration: 0.9 kVA
  • Models with 550 W power supplies:
    • 100 to 127 (nominal) V ac; 50 Hz or 60 Hz; 6.5 A
    • 200 to 240 (nominal) V ac; 50 Hz or 60 Hz; 3.3 A
    • Input kilovolt-amperes (kVA) (approximately):
      • Minimum configuration: 0.14 kVA
      • Maximum configuration: 0.66 kVA
• BTU output
  • Minimum configuration: 461 Btu/hr (135 watts)
  • Maximum configuration: 2900 Btu/hr (850 watts)
• Noise level
  • 6.5 bels (operating)
  • 6.3 bels (idle)

Warranty options

The System x3550 M4 has a three-year warranty with 24x7 standard call center support and 9x5 Next Business Day onsite coverage. Also available are Lenovo Services warranty maintenance upgrades and post-warranty maintenance agreements, with a well-defined scope of services, including service hours, response time, term of service, and service agreement terms and conditions.

Lenovo warranty service upgrade offerings are country-specific. Not all warranty service upgrades are available in every country. For more information about Lenovo warranty service upgrade offerings that are available in your country, visit the Lenovo Services website:
https://www-304.ibm.com/sales/gss/download/spst/servicepac

The following table explains warranty service definitions in more detail.

The following Lenovo warranty service upgrades are available:

• Warranty and maintenance service upgrades:
  • Three, four, or five years of 9x5 or 24x7 service coverage
  • Onsite response from next business day to 2 or 4 hours
  • Committed repair service
  • Warranty extension of up to 5 years
  • Post warranty extensions
• Committed Repair Service

Committed Repair Services enhances the level of Warranty Service Upgrade or Post Warranty/Maintenance Service offering associated with the selected systems. Offerings vary and are available in select countries.

• Priority handling to meet defined time frames to restore the failing machine to good working condition
• Committed repair service levels are measured within the following coverage hours:
  • 24x7x6: Service performed 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, within 6 hours
  • 24x7x8: Service performed 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, within 8 hours
  • 24x7x24: Service performed 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, within 24 hours
• Hard Drive Retention

Lenovo’s Hard Drive Retention service is a multi-drive hard drive retention offering that ensures your data is always under your control, regardless of the number of hard drives that are installed in your Lenovo server. In the unlikely event of a hard drive failure, you retain possession of your hard drive while Lenovo replaces the failed drive part. Your data stays safely on your premises, in your hands. The Hard Drive Retention service can be purchased in convenient bundles with our warranty upgrades and extensions.

• Microcode Support

Keeping microcode current helps prevent hardware failures and security exposure. There are two levels of service: analysis of the installed base and analysis and update where required. Offerings vary by country and can be bundled with other warranty upgrades and extensions.

Remote Technical Support Services (RTS)

RTS provides comprehensive technical call center support for covered servers, storage, operating systems, and applications. Providing a single source for support of hardware and software issues, RTS can reduce problem resolution time, decreasing the cost to address technical problems and increasing uptime. Offerings are available for Windows, Linux, IBM Systems Director, VMware, Microsoft business applications, and Lenovo System x storage devices, and IBM OEM storage devices.

Regulatory compliance

The server conforms to the following standards:

• Energy Star 2.0
• FCC - Verified to comply with Part 15 of the FCC Rules, Class A
• Canada ICES-003, issue 4, Class A
• UL/IEC 60950-1
• CSA C22.2 No. 60950-1
• NOM-019
• Argentina IEC60950-1
• Japan VCCI, Class A
• Australia/New Zealand AS/NZS CISPR 22, Class A
• IEC 60950-1(CB Certificate and CB Test Report)
• China CCC (GB4943), GB9254 Class A, GB17625.1
• Taiwan BSMI CNS13438, Class A; CNS14336-1
• Korea KN22, Class A; KN24
• Russia/GOST ME01, IEC-60950-1, GOST R 51318.22, GOST R 51318.24, GOST R 51317.3.2, GOST R 51317.3.3
• IEC 60950-1 (CB Certificate and CB Test Report)
• CE Mark (EN55022 Class A, EN60950-1, EN55024, EN61000-3-2, EN61000-3-3)
• CISPR 22, Class A
• TUV-GS (EN60950-1 /IEC60950-1,EK1-ITB2000)
• RoHS (Directive 2011/65/E)

External disk storage expansion

The server supports attachment to external storage expansion enclosures, such as the EXP2500 series, by using either the ServeRAID M5120 (6 Gbps) or M5225 (12 Gbps) SAS/SATA Controller.

* The ServeRAID M5100 Series Battery Kit (81Y4508) is only supported with ServeRAID M5100 Series 512MB Cache/RAID 5 Upgrade (81Y4484).
† This FoD upgrade requires a cache memory upgrade.
** The ServeRAID M5120 SAS/SATA Controller requires the x3550 M4 Thermal Solution Kit, 00Y7117 or the second processor (with additional system fans).

The ServeRAID M5120 SAS/SATA Controller has the following specifications:

• Eight external 6 Gbps SAS/SATA portscool
• Two external x4 mini-SAS connectors (SFF-8088)
• Supports RAID levels 0, 1, and 10
• Supports RAID levels 5 and 50 with optional M5100 Series RAID 5 upgrades
• Supports RAID 6 and 60 with the optional M5100 Series RAID 6 Upgrade
• Supports 512 MB battery-backed cache or 512 MB, 1 GB, or 2 GB flash-backed cache
• Up to 6 Gbps throughput per port
• PCIe x8 Gen 3 host interface
• Based on the LSI SAS2208 6 Gbps ROC controller
• Supports connectivity to the EXP2512 and EXP2524 storage expansion enclosures

The ServeRAID M5225 SAS/SATA Controller has the following specifications:

• Eight external 12 Gbps SAS/SATA ports
• Supports 12, 6, and 3 Gbps SAS and 6 and 3 Gbps SATA data transfer rates
• Two external x4 mini-SAS HD connectors (SFF-8644)
• Supports 2 GB flash-backed cache (standard)
• Supports RAID levels 0, 1, 5, 10, and 50 (standard)
• Supports RAID 6 and 60 with the optional M5200 Series RAID 6 Upgrade
• Supports optional M5200 Series Performance Accelerator and SSD Caching upgrades
• PCIe x8 Gen 3 host interface
• Based on the LSI SAS3108 12 Gbps ROC controller
• Supports connectivity to the EXP2512 and EXP2524 storage expansion enclosures

For more information, see the following Lenovo Press Product Guides:

• ServeRAID M5120 SAS/SATA Controller
  http://lenovopress.com/tips0858
• ServeRAID M5225-2GB SAS/SATA Controller
  http://lenovopress.com/tips1258

The controllers support connectivity to the external expansion enclosures listed in the following table. Up to nine expansion enclosures can be daisy-chained per one external controller port. For better performance, distribute expansion enclosures evenly across both ports of a controller.

The external SAS cables listed in the following table support connectivity between external expansion enclosures and the controller.

The following table lists the drives supported by EXP2512 external expansion enclosures.

The following table lists the hard disk drives supported by EXP2524 external expansion enclosures.

External disk storage systems

The following table lists the external storage systems that are offered by Lenovo that can be used in x3550 M4 solutions.

For more information, see the list of Product Guides in the following categories:

• Lenovo Storage
  https://lenovopress.com/storage/san/lenovo
• IBM Storage
  https://lenovopress.com/storage/san/ibm

External backup units

The following table lists the external backup options that are offered by Lenovo that can be used in x3550 M4 solutions.

For more information, see the list of Product Guides in the Backup units category:
http://lenovopress.com/systemx/tape

Top-of-rack Ethernet switches

The following table lists the top-of-rack Ethernet switches that are offered by Lenovo that can be used in x3550 M4 solutions.

For more information, see the list of Product Guides in the Top-of-rack switches category:
http://lenovopress.com/systemx/tor

Uninterruptible power supply units

The following table lists the uninterruptible power supply (UPS) units that are offered by Lenovo that can be used in x3550 M4 solutions.

For more information, see the list of Product Guides in the Power infrastructure category:
http://lenovopress.com/systemx/power

Power distribution units

The following table lists the power distribution units (PDUs) that are offered by Lenovo that can be used in x3550 M4 solutions.

For more information, see the list of Product Guides in the Power infrastructure category:
http://lenovopress.com/systemx/power

Rack cabinets

The following table lists the rack cabinets that are offered by Lenovo that can be used in x3550 M4 solutions.

For more information, see the list of Product Guides in the Rack cabinets and options category:
http://lenovopress.com/systemx/rack

Rack options

The server supports the rack console switches and monitor kits listed in the following table.

For more information, see the list of Product Guides in the Rack cabinets and options category:
http://lenovopress.com/systemx/rack