Product guide

A cost-optimized storage-rich alternative to traditional enterprise 2U dual-socket servers
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Disk Controllers
The x3630 M3 hot-swap models include either a ServeRAID-M1015, ServeRAID-M5014, or
ServeRAID-M5015 controller standard (model-specific). They can be upgraded to other
ServeRAID controllers. The supported ServeRAID controllers include:
• The 6Gbps (x8 PCIe) ServeRAID-M1015 SAS/SATA controller supports RAID-0/1/10 (no
cache) for up to 16 drives. The IBM ServeRAID M1000 Series Advance Feature Key adds
RAID-5/50 with self-encrypting drive (SED) support.
• The 6Gbps (x8 PCIe) ServeRAID-M5014 SAS/SATA controller offers enhanced performance
with 256MB of cache memory (with optional battery backup), and supports RAID-0/1/10/5/50.
• The 6Gbps (x8 PCIe) ServeRAID-M5015 SAS/SATA controller offers enhanced performance
with 512MB of cache memory and battery backup included, and supports RAID-0/1/10/5/50.
• The IBM ServeRAID M5000 Series Advance Feature Key adds RAID-6/60 with SED support
to the ServeRAID-M5014 and M5015. The IBM ServeRAID M5000 Series Battery Key adds
battery backup support to the M5014.
Additional external SAS/SATA disk storage, as well as tape backup, is available via one of
several supported controllers.
Drive Bays
The x3630 M3 supports up to 14 or 28 hot-swap drive bays in all (model-specific). Standard
models include either 12 3.5-inch or 24 2.5-inch drive bays. The hot-swap bays support a
combination of SATA and SAS HDDs. If more capacity is needed, an optional 3.5-inch or 2.5-inch
hot-swap cage assembly can be installed for an additional 2 3.5-inch or 4 2.5-inch drive bays
(model-specific). Hot-swap drives may be inserted or removed through the front of the server
without powering off the system.
For additional storage, a direct-attach, NAS or SAN external expansion option can be added,
using an optional controller.
No floppy, tape, or optical drive is supplied with any model; an external USB floppy or optical
drive may be used, if needed.
Flexible Internal Storage
The x3630 M3 offers flexibility with up to either 14 3.5-inch or 28 2.5-inch HDD bays (model-
specific), supporting high-performance/high-capacity drives that provide high density/high
reliability and allow you to scale up as your business grows.
3.5-inch Hot-Swap SAS
• 7,200 RPMs — 1 or 2TB (28TB maximum capacity, with 14 bays)
• 15,000 RPMs — 300, 450, or 600GB (8.4TB, with 14 bays)
3.5-inch Hot-Swap SATA
• 7,200 RPMs — 250 or 500GB, 1 or 2TB (28TB, with 14 bays)
• 15,000 RPMs — 250, or 500GB (7TB, with 14 bays)
2.5-inch Hot-Swap SAS
• 7,200 RPMs — 500GB (14TB, with 28 bays)
• 10,000 RPMs — 146.8, 300, 600GB (16.8TB, with 28 bays)
• 15,000 RPMs — 146.8GB (4.1TB, with 28 bays)
2.5-inch Hot-Swap SATA
• 7,200 RPMs — 160, 500GB (14TB, with 28 bays)
The hot-swap drives use the Converged Tray for interchangeability with other IBM System x
®
systems. If you need more storage space, terabyte capacities are possible with external IBM
System Storage direct-attach, NAS and SAN offerings.
High-Performance Adapter Slots
The x3630 M3 provides two
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PCIe (PCI Express) Gen 2 I/O slots for long-term investment
protection. PCI Express Gen 2 is the next-generation of high-performance, low-latency, serial I/O
bus. Each slot is capable of supporting Gen 1 or Gen 2 adapters:
• One x16/x8 (x16 physical/x8 electrical) full-height, half-length (8GBps)
• One x8/x8 (x8 physical/x8 electrical) full-height, half-length (8GBps) — reserved for the
ServeRAID controller