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IBM BladeCenter HX5

IBM BladeCenter S Big benefits for the small office

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Highlights

  • Provide optimal performance for your demanding virtualization and database applications
  • Reduce qualification time by standardizing on same system for two- and four-socket server needs
  • Scale memory without adding CPUs or software licenses
  • Get faster time to value by deploying workload-optimized systems

Maximize memory

Going beyond the industry standards with unique innovations from fifth-generation IBM® X-Architecture® technology (eX5), the new IBM BladeCenter® HX5 enables unprecedented performance and utilization in a blade form factor for database and virtualization. With enhanced MAX5 scalability, the HX5 blade offers memory capacity of up to 640 GB—in a double-wide blade. The result is optimal server utilization with more virtual machines per system and larger and faster databases.

Minimize cost

With MAX5, HX5 offers the most memory of any server in its class. Reduce software license costs by expanding memory capacity with MAX5 without purchasing additional processors.

Easy to own, manage and upgrade with pay-as-you-grow expansion, the HX5 blade server helps protect your investments over the long term. Capabilities such as advanced light path diagnostics, error handling and around-the-clock remote access management help simplify systems management and minimize downtime. Automatic node failover and QPI faildown help promote greater system uptime. In addition, an energy-smart design and IBM Systems Director Active Energy Manager™ help lower power consumption and costs.


Product features

  • Built on the latest IBM X-Architecture technology with fifth-generation eX5 innovation
  • Modular design, enabling standardization on same platform for 2- and 4-socket server needs to deliver faster time to value
  • Greater memory capacity, enabling more or larger VMs per server
  • Enhanced computing capacity facilitates more transactions per minute in a blade
  • Optional memory expansion separates memory capacity from processors, enabling full utilization of license-constrained, memory-rich applications
  • High-density, high-utilization computing allows superior price performance as well as performance per watt
  • Flexible node partitioning and pay-as-you-grow expansion offer great investment protection
  • Mainframe-inspired reliability and automatic node failover for optimal system uptime
  • Remote management from a single graphical console with IBM Systems Director

Hardware summary

  • Flexible systems that can be independently scaled for processor and memory
  • Compute capacity of up to 20 processor cores in little more than .5U space
  • Up to two Intel® Xeon® E7-4800 or E7-2800 series processors. Scalable to four processors in a double-wide form factor
  • Up to 256 GB of memory with 16 VLP DDR3 DIMMs per single-wide 2-socket node; up to 512 GB in double-wide 4-socket configuration
  • Scalable MAX5 memory expansion module for up to 640 GB capacity in a double-wide form factor
  • Supports 95 W, 105 W and 130 W CPU skews in 2-socket and 4-socket configurations
  • Partition a 4-processor blade to two 2-processor blades without physical reconfiguration
  • 1 CFFh slot (high-speed PCIe daughter card and 1 CIOv slot [standard PCIe daughter card]) per 2-socket node
  • Optional embedded hypervisor
  • Support for up to two 1.8" solid-state drives per 2-socket node
  • Integrated Virtual Fabric adapter in select models
  • HX5 4-socket configuration:
    • You can order an HX5 4-socket configuration via the "Build your own" section

Feature Benefits
Fifth generation of IBM® X-Architecture® technology
  • The broadest portfolio of systems optimized for your most demanding workloads
  • Flexible portfolio and systems to implement what you need
  • Maximized memory bandwidth and capacity for unprecedented performance
  • Optimized for enterprise workloads for faster time to value
  • Easy to acquire, own and manage
  • OnForever™ reliability using high-end technology for maximum availability
Up to 40 processor cores with a 4-processor blade in a 1.25U equivalent space
  • High-density computing capacity with maximum performance and productivity at reduced cost per workload
  • Performance per watt enables energy-efficiency advantage
  • Greater number of database transactions per minute
MAX5 memory module
  • Ability to add 24 memory DIMMs without additional processors or software license costs
  • Additional DIMM slots to mix and match smaller, cheaper DIMMs to help reduce system costs
  • Maximum memory bandwidth and capacity for unprecedented performance
  • Leadership virtualization performance
  • Large memory footprint for reduced I/O requirement, significantly reducing total system TPC-C costs
Up to 640 GB maximum memory capacity
  • Allows optimum utilization for memory-rich applications
  • Fits more VMs per blade to keep costs down
Flexible systems that can independently scale for processor and memory
  • Ability to get up and running faster by standardizing on a single platform for 2- and 4-socket server needs
  • Faster time to value using a single scalable system
  • Adds capacity on demand as your requirements change
  • Helps eliminate headroom costs at time of purchase
Flexible logical node partitioning
  • No-touch partitioning of a 4-socket blade to two 2-socket blades without any physical system reconfiguration
  • 2-in-1 systems let you run scale-out applications by day on a 2-processor system and scale-up jobs by night on a 4-processor system
  • Turn off underutilized nodes for power savings
  • Flexible partitions to accommodate workload and licensing requirements
  • Server infrastructure that can change with your road map
  • Runs Windows® and Linux® on the same box without virtualization software costs or overhead
Virtualization support
  • Optional embedded hypervisor USB key
Automatic node failure
  • Greater uptime of multinode configurations without administrative intervention
Predictive Failure Analysis
  • Helps minimize interruptions from planned and unplanned downtime
Machine check architecture
  • Enables faster recovery with more efficient error checking and correction
Trusted platform module (TPM)
  • Integrated hardware chip enabling advanced security features
Light path diagnostics standard
  • Provides a lighted path to the failing component inside the system
  • Helps expedite hardware repairs to reduce service time
Dual and redundant power and I/O connection
  • No single point of failure, resulting in increased uptime
IBM Systems Director Active Energy Manager™
  • Comprehensive systems management tools
  • Allows continuous real-time monitoring, measuring and management of power consumption

Form factor/height Singlewide (30 mm) – double-wide (60 mm)
Processor (max) Intel® Xeon® E7-4800 and E7-2800 processors; 6/8/10 cores, up to 2.67 GHz
Up to 2 processors per single-wide HX5; scalable to 4 processors
Number of processors (std/max) 1/2 (scalable to 4)
Cache (max) Up to 30 MB per processor (10 core)
Memory (max) 16 DDR-3 VLP DIMM slots, capacity up to 256 GB, per single-wide HX5 (scalable up to 640 GB max, at speeds up to 1067 MHz, via 40 DIMM slots, using a MAX5 expansion blade)
Expansion slots 1 CIOv slot (standard PCIe daughter card) and 1 CFFh slot (high-speed PCIe daughter card) for total of 8 ports of I/O to each blade, including 4 ports of high-speed I/O
Scalable up to 16 ports of I/O in 4-socket, double-wide form factor
Disk bays (total/hot swap) 2 non-hot-swap bays supporting solid-state drives per single-wide HX5
Maximum internal storage Up to 100 GB of solid-state storage per single-wide HX5 (with 50 GB SSDs)
Network interface Broadcom 5709S onboard NIC with dual Gigabit Ethernet ports with TOE
RAID support Optional RAID-0, -1, -1E
Systems management Integrated systems management processor
Operating systems supported Microsoft® Windows®, Red Hat Linux®, SUSE Linux, VMware
Limited warranty 3-year customer replaceable unit and on-site limited warranty

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