System x3550 M2 at-a-glance guide

IBM System x3550

• Reduce cost with an energy-smart design that provides optimal quad-core computing performance per watt
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• Improve service with a highly flexible design that is easy to deploy, integrate and manage
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• Manage risk with resilient architectures and virtualized environments

Features

• Outstanding power-optimized performance which can double compute capability of previous generation 2-socket servers
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• Help lower operational costs with innovative energy- smart 1U design
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• Improve service with a highly scalable, flexible design that is easy to deploy, integrate, service and manage
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• Manage risk with resilient architectures and virtualized environments

x3550 M2 images

Front view

Rear view

• Provides high-density performance for space-constrained data centers

• Reduce cost with outstanding performance per-watt computing with power-efficient Intel Core™ Microarchitecture
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• Improves productivity through higher processing performance
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• Up to 1333 MHz front-side bus speeds information access within the system
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• Quad-core processing provides significant performance gains over dual core
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• Delivers ultimate processor performance with eight cores using optimized L2 cache
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• Maximize multi-threaded applications for faster concurrent execution
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• Large cache size yields more transaction processing
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• Lowers overall system power requirements

• Memory scalability ideal for compute-intensive, general business applications and virtualized environments
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• Match the high-performance speed of the Intel Xeon 5500 Series processors with new-generation, high-performance DDR-3 RDIMM memory, improving performance by transmitting 8 bits of data in one clock cycle
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• DDR-3 memory operates at 1.5 V power, which is 17% lower than previous generation memory thermal design
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• Ability to transfer I/O data at eight times the speed of the memory cell it contains, enabling faster bus speeds and higher peak throughput than previous generation memory
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• Memory mirroring provides customers the capability to increase system and application reliability by allowing the system to continue operating even if a memory DIMM fails
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• Interleaved memory to improve application performance

• Innovative, thin hypervisor architecture is operating system-independent and is designed to optimize virtualization performance
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• Integrated into server hardware to help provide compatible, pre-tested and optimized hardware configurations
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• Optimized for remote management tools and industry-standard protocols such as CIM

• Provides a range of affordable storage solutions to meet today’s storage needs and tomorrow’s expansion requirements
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• High-capacity, high-performance 2.5" hot-swap SAS HDDs are the most robust drive choice to power your enterprise servers and storage solutions
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• Support for optional 32 GB or 50 GB solid-state drives (SSDs), featuring no moving parts for improved reliability and performance

• Provides expandability choices and the opportunity to increase I/O bandwidth for performance and productivity
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• Choice of utilizing existing PCI-X adapters during the transition to the PCI-Express standard

• Standard PCI-Express allows customers to achieve faster interconnect speeds than PCI-X 133 MHz
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• Customers can choose a PCI-X riser card to support their PCI-X adapters. The PCI-X riser card can be ordered instead of the standard PCI-Express riser card

• Enhances system availability and data protection by supporting SAS hard disk drive RAID without using a PCI slot

• Take high availability to your HDDs without sacrificing performance with RAID-5
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• Deploy RAID-5 with a live hot spare when used with four 2.5" hot-swap SAS HDDs

• New hardware-based encryption protects sensitive customer data and helps avoid public exposure and loss of customers
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• Delivers higher performance versus software-based solutions such as MS BitLocker and is harder to “hack”
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• Four keys deliver various levels of security
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• OS independent, supporting SAS or SATA HDDs
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• Helps lower TCO by lessening cost of drive disposal

• IBM Director 6.1 is a comprehensive systems management platform that helps increase uptime, reduce costs and improve productivity via advanced server management capabilities
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• IBM Systems Director Active Energy Manager helps provide advanced power notification and control, monitor power consumption and achieve lower heat output and decreased cooling costs

• Helps maintain a healthy system by keeping internal components cool

• Improves system performance by offloading protocol processing from CPU to a separate engine or code
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• Standard feature at no additional charge

• Improve application efficiency with snoop filters to boost processor performance

• Increase system and application uptime by eliminating another potential point of failure with a second hot-swap power supply

• Allow the server to continue operating even with fan failure
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• Replacing fans is easy, without taking your server offline or out of the rack

• Gives information about a failing component without interrupting system operation
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• Expedites hardware repairs to dramatically reduce service time
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• Provides a lighted path to failing components inside the system

• Provides option for around-the-clock remote management capabilities
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• Increases server availability by continuously monitoring your system and notifying you of potential system failures or changes
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• Virtual Media Key for remote presence enablement (option)

• Provides increased network throughput and redundancy with efficient slot-saving integration
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• Optional NIC does not use PCI-Express slot

• Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 1.2 enables advanced cryptographic functionality such as digital signatures and remote attestation
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• CRTM for secure boot
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• MS BitLocker for full disk encryption

• Common across all next-generation servers, this new BIOS is easy to configure and deploy
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• Providing more funcationality than previous generation BIOS, it make servers more manageable by creating a common infrastructure for managing all machines
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• Server efficiency is improved by providing a faster boot and restart of OS

• Provides peace of mind for an extended period of time

• Assists with the installation of operating systems and drivers
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• Gets your server up and running faster
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• Simplifies installation and configuration of your IBM System x® servers