Product guide

Leadership enterprise server with significantly lower cost of ownership in a highly available and
expandable, rack-dense, 1U dual-socket server
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IBM Systems Director enables you to customize thresholds and monitor system components (for
things like temperature, voltage regulation, etc.) to help maximize uptime.
Key Options
IBM options for System x servers help you take your servers to a
higher level
You know can rely on System x options to supply a complete solution for your business needs.
Options help you create an optimized server system to meet your data protection, storage and
availability needs. Every IBM option is designed and tested for peak performance and flexibility,
helping to maximize your return on investment. The combination of System x servers and options
lets you keep your fingers on the pulse of your e-business.
Processors — The Intel Xeon processor provides high clock rates, two or four cores, 64-bit
extensions, a large cache and advanced features for availability and manageability. Large cache
size, combined with a fast 1333MHz or 1066MHz front-side bus, reduces memory latency and
facilitates the movement of data through the processor and I/O devices. (Note: System
performance depends not only on the number of processors in the server but also on the power
and functionality of each processor.) Adding a second processor may be a cost-effective way to
achieve significant performance improvements. A four-core processor should have twice as much
memory as a dual-core processor.
Memory — Memory is a significant factor in systems application performance. Adding more
memory to a System x server is one of the most effective ways to increase application
performance. For best performance in a server with a dual-core processor, there should be twice
as much memory available as for a single-core processor.
Hard Disk Drives — IBM hard disk drives help you improve the transaction and cost
performance of your System x servers. The choice of hard disk drives can be a critical aspect of
maximizing the I/O throughput of the system. SAS hard disk drives are available for the x3550
M2 with capacities of 500GB (2.5-inch) at 7,200 RPMs and 146.8GB (2.5-inch) at 15,000 RPMs.
2.5-inch SATA HDDs are available in capacities up to 500GB (2.5-inch) at 7,200 RPMs.
Solid-State Drives (SSDs) — IBM solid-state drives offer high performance and the ultimate in
reliability, with 3X the MTBF (mean time between failure) rate of enterprise HDDs. IBM SSDs. are
available in 50GB capacities. They can be used as a highly available boot drive, for storing disk
images, or for other uses that stress read performance.
Power Supply — The optional second power supply for the x3550 M2 enables redundancy for
hot-swap power. Its 92%-efficient design helps lower your energy bill for power and cooling.
Virtual Media Key — The x3550 M2 includes a plethora of systems management features built-
in; however, sometimes additional management capability is needed. In those situations, the
Virtual Media Key not only offers powerful new features, it does so without taking up a valuable
PCI-X or PCIe adapter slot, instead using a dedicated slot on the motherboard.
ServeRAID Controllers — System x servers using ServeRAID technology allow companies 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, DS6000, and DS8000 series,
as well as the N3000, N5000, 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 EXP3000 storage enclosure.
External SAN, iSCSI, and direct-attach storage is available using one of several IBM System
Storage and TotalStorage host bus adapters. Additionally, external LAN-attached tape storage is
available.