Introduction

The IBM® System x3500 M4 server provides outstanding performance for your business-critical applications. Its energy-efficient design supports more cores, memory, and data capacity in a scalable Tower or 5U Rack 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: infrastructure applications, collaboration/email, web, and virtualized desktops in a workgroup or distributed environments.

Figure 1 shows the IBM System x3500 M4.


Figure 1. The IBM System x3500 M4

Back to top

Did you know?

The x3500 M4 offers a flexible, scalable design and simple upgrade path to 32 HDDs, with up to eight PCIe 3.0 slots and up to 768 GB of memory. The Onboard Ethernet solution provides four standard integrated Gigabit 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.

Back to top

Key features

A high-performance dual-socket tower server, the IBM System x3500 M4, can deliver the scalability, reliable performance, and optimized efficiency for your business-critical applications. Start with the basics and upgrade as your business changes without jeopardizing existing investments. Virtualizing the PC infrastructure into one server can provide access to a powerful server with abundant storage space, while significantly reducing IT costs.


Scalability and performance

The x3500 M4 offers numerous features to boost performance, improve scalability, and reduce costs:

• The Intel Xeon processor E5-2600 product family improves productivity by offering superior system performance with 8-core processors and up to 2.9 GHz core speeds, up to 20 MB of L3 cache, and two QPI interconnect links of up to 8 GT/s.
• Up to two processors, 16 cores, and 32 threads maximize the concurrent execution of multi-threaded applications.
• Intelligent and adaptive system performance with Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 allows CPU cores to run at maximum speeds during peak workloads by temporary going beyond processor TDP.
• Intel Hyper-Threading Technology boosts performance for multi-threaded applications by enabling simultaneous multi-threading 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 (AVT) can significantly improve floating point performance for compute-intensive technical and scientific applications.
• Twenty-four Load Reduced DIMMs (LRDIMMs) of 1333 MHz DDR3 ECC memory provide speed, high availability, and a memory capacity of up to 768 GB.
• The theoretical maximum memory bandwidth of the Intel Xeon processor E5 family is 51.6 GBps, which is 60% more than in the previous generation of Intel Xeon processors.
• Up to 32 drive bays together with internal backup and optical drive at the same time provide a flexible and scalable all-in-one platform to meet increasing demands.
• The server has four integrated Gigabit Ethernet ports that double the network throughput compared with the previous generation of IBM System x® servers.
• The server offers PCI Express 3.0 I/O expansion capabilities that improve the theoretical maximum bandwidth by almost 100% (8 GT/s 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.

Availability and serviceability

The x3500 M4 provides many features to simplify serviceability and increase system uptime:

• The server offers Chipkill, 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 up to two redundant hot-swap power supplies and up to six simple swap N+N redundant fans 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.
• The Predictive Failure Analysis (PFA) detects when system components (for example, processors, memory, hard disk drives) operate outside of standard thresholds and generates pro-active alerts in advance of possible failure, therefore increasing uptime.
• Solid-state drives (SSDs) offer significantly better reliability than traditional mechanical HDDs for greater uptime.
• Built-in Integrated Management Module Version II (IMM2) continuously monitors system parameters, triggers alerts, and performs recovering actions in case of failures 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 x3500 M4:

• The server includes an Integrated Management Module II (IMM2) to monitor server availability and perform remote management.
• Integrated industry-standard Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) enables improved setup, configuration, and updates, and simplifies error handling.
• Integrated Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 1.2 support enables advanced cryptographic functionality, such as digital signatures and remote attestation.
• Industry-standard AES NI support for faster, stronger encryption.
• IBM Systems Director is included for proactive systems management. It offers comprehensive systems management tools that help to increase up-time, 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 x3500 M4 offers the following energy-efficiency features to save energy, reduce operational costs, increase energy availability, and contribute to the green environment:

• Energy-efficient planar components help lower operational costs.
• High-efficient 550 W, 750 W and 900 W power supplies with 80 PLUS Platinum certification.
• The Intel Xeon processor E5-2600 product family offers significantly better performance over the previous generation while fitting into the same thermal design power (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 demands of power and thermally constrained data centers and telecommunication environments.
• Low-voltage 1.35 V DDR3 memory RDIMMs consume 15% less energy than 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 IBM 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.

Back to top

Locations of key components and connectors

Figure 2 shows the front of the server.


Figure 2. Front view of the IBM System x3500 M4

Figure 3 shows the rear of the server.


Figure 3. Rear view of the IBM System x3500 M4

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


Figure 4. Inside view of the IBM System x3500 M4

Back to top

Standard specifications

The following table lists the standard specifications.

Table 1. Standard specifications

The x3500 M4 servers are shipped with the following items:

• Statement of Limited Warranty
• Important Notices
• Registration flyer
• Documentation CD that contains the Installation and User's Guide
• IBM Systems Director 6.3 Base for x86 DVD-ROM
• One 2.8 m C13 line cord (country-specific)

Note: EMEA models do not contain line cord. It must be purchased separately.

Back to top

Standard models

The following table lists the standard models.

Table 2. Standard models

Refer to the Specifications section for information about standard features of the server.

Back to top

Express models

The following table lists the express models.

Table 3. Express models

† Processor detail: Processor quantity and model, number of cores, core speed, L3 cache, memory speed, power consumption.
(f) The ServeRAID M5110 RAID controller in this model includes flash-backed cache. The cache size is 512 MB or 1 GB, as indicated.
(b) The ServeRAID M5110 RAID controller in this model includes battery-backed cache. The cache size is 512 MB or 1 GB, as indicated.

Back to top

Processor options

The x3500 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.

Table 4. Processor options

Back to top

Memory options

The IBM System x3500 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:

• The server supports UDIMMs, RDIMMs, and LRDIMMs.
• Mixing different types of memory (UDIMMs, RDIMMs, and LRDIMMs) is not supported.
• Mixing 1.5 V and 1.35 V DIMMs in the same server is supported. In such a case all DIMMs operate at 1.5 V.
• The maximum number of ranks per 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 a server depends on the number of CPUs, DIMM type, rank, and operating voltage, as shown in the "Max. qty supported" row in Table 5.
• All DIMMs in the server operate at the same speed, which is determined as the lowest value of:
  • Memory speed supported by specific CPU
  • Lowest maximum operating speed for the selected memory configuration that depends on rated speed, operating voltage, and quantity of DIMMs per channel, as shown in the "Max. operating speed" section in Table 5

Table 5. Maximum memory speeds

DIMM type DIMM specification

UDIMM

RDIMM

LRDIMM

Rank

Dual rank

Single rank

Dual rank

Quad rank

Quad rank

Rated speed

1333 MHz

1333 MHz

1600 MHz

1333 MHz

1600 MHz

1066 MHz

1333 MHz

Rated voltage

1.35 V

1.35 V

1.5 V

1.35 V

1.5 V

1.35 V

1.35 V

Operating voltage

1.35 V

1.5 V

1.35 V

1.5 V

1.5 V

1.35 V

1.5 V

1.5 V

1.35 V

1.5 V

1.35 V

1.5 V

Max. qty supported*

16

16

16

24

24

16

24

24

16

16

24

24

Max. DIMM capacity

4 GB

4 GB

4 GB

4 GB

4 GB

16 GB

16 GB

16 GB

16 GB

16 GB

32 GB

32 GB

Max. memory capacity

64 GB

64 GB

64 GB

96 GB

96 GB

256 GB

384 GB

384 GB

256 GB

256 GB

768 GB

768 GB

Max. memory at rated speed

64 GB

64 GB

64 GB

64 GB

64 GB

256 GB

256 GB

256 GB

NS**

128 GB

256 GB

512 GB

Max. operating speed_

1 DIMM per channel

1333 MHz

1333 MHz

1333 MHz

1333 MHz

1600 MHz

1333 MHz

1333 MHz

1600 MHz

800 MHz

1066 MHz

1333 MHz

1333 MHz

2 DIMMs per channel

1333 MHz

1333 MHz

1333 MHz

1333 MHz

1600 MHz

1333 MHz

1333 MHz

1600 MHz

800 MHz

800 MHz

1066 MHz

1333 MHz

3 DIMMs per channel

NS**

NS**

NS**

1066 MHz

1066 MHz

NS**

1066 MHz

1066 MHz

NS**

NS**

1066 MHz

1066 MHz

* The maximum quantity supported is shown for two processors installed. When one processor installed the maximum quantity supported is a half of that shown.
** NS = Not supported.

The following memory protection technologies are supported:

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

Chipkill works only in independent channel mode (default operational mode) and supports only x4-based memory DIMMs.

If memory mirroring is used, then DIMMs must be installed in pairs (minimum of one pair per 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.

Note: Chipkill, memory mirroring, and memory rank sparing modes are mutually exclusive. Only one operational memory mode can be enabled on a server, and it is a system-wide setting.

The following table lists memory options available for the x3500 M4 server.

Table 6. Memory options

Back to top

Internal disk storage options

The IBM System x3500 M4 server supports the following internal storage configurations:

• 8x 3.5" Simple Swap SATA hard drive bays (only available in CTO)
• 8x 3.5" hot-swap SAS/SATA hard drive bays
• 8x 3.5" hot-swap SAS/SATA drive bays + 8x 2.5" Slim-SFF SAS/SATA hot-swap drive bays (only available in CTO, requires two RAID controllers)
• 8x 2.5" Slim-SFF SAS/SATA hot-swap hard drive bays
• 16x 2.5" Slim-SFF SAS/SATA hot-swap hard drive bays
• 24x 2.5" Slim-SFF SAS/SATA hot-swap hard drive bays
• 32x 2.5" Slim-SFF SAS/SATA hot-swap hard drive bays

Figure 5 shows these configurations.


Figure 5. Internal drive configurations


Backplanes

Standard models of x3500 M4 ship with eight (all models except C4x) 2.5" Slim-SFF SAS/SATA hot-swap drive bays. Model C4x ships with eight 3.5" SAS/SATA hot-swap hard drive bays. The following table shows internal storage expansion options available for the x3500 M4 server.

Table 7. Internal storage expansion options

These options have the following descriptions:

• 94Y5978 upgrades models with eight hot-swap 2.5" drive bays to 16 hot-swap 2.5" drive bays or models with 16 hot-swap 2.5" drive bays to 24 hot-swap 2.5" drive bays. This option includes a SAS expander card that is mounted on an HDD backplane, and does not consume a PCIe slot.
• 81Y7010 upgrades models with 24 hot-swap 2.5" drive bays to 32 hot-swap 2.5" drive bays. This option does not include an SAS expander.

As shown in Figure 5, each configuration supports an optical drive and a tape drive. All standard configurations ship with DVD-ROM optical drive. For configure-to-order (CTO) configurations, you can add a tape drive instead of an optical drive if so desired.

Configurations 4, 5, and 6 shown in Figure 5 can be implemented with one or two RAID controllers (M1115 or M5110). Configuration 2 requires two RAID controllers.


RAID controllers

The following table lists the RAID controllers and additional options used for internal disk storage of the x3500 M4 server.

Table 8. Controllers for internal storage

* One M1100 or M5100 Series FoD software license is required per server.
** The ServeRAID M5100 Series Battery Kit (81Y4508) is only supported with ServeRAID M5100 Series 512MB Cache/RAID 5 Upgrade (81Y4484).
† The ServeRAID M5100 Series RAID 6 Upgrade (81Y4546) requires RAID 5 Upgrade.

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
• 6 Gbps throughput per port
• PCIe 3.0 x8 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 or 1 GB flash-backed cache
• 6 Gbps throughput per port
• PCIe 3.0 x8 3 host interface
• Based on the LSI SAS2208 6 Gbps ROC controller

The IBM 6Gb Performance Optimized HBA has the following specifications:

• Eight internal 6 Gbps SAS/SATA ports
• Two x4 mini-SAS internal connectors (SFF-8087)
• Supports up to 290,000 I/Os per second
• Supports solid-state drives only (no support for hard drives)
• RAID levels: None
• 6 Gbps throughput per port
• PCIe 2.0 x8 host interface
• Based on the LSI SAS2008 6 Gbps controller

For more information, see the list of IBM Redbooks Product Guides in the RAID adapters category:
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/portals/systemx?Open&page=pg&cat=raid

Internal disk drive options

The following table lists hard drive options for internal disk storage of the x3500 M4 server.

Table 9. Disk drive options for internal disk storage

Back to top

Internal backup units

The server supports the internal tape drive options listed in the following table.

Table 10. Internal tape drives

* Note: With standard models, installation of a second tape drive requires removal of DVD-ROM.

USB tape drives are attached to the internal USB connector. SAS tape drives require SAS HBA (sold separately). See Table 13 for list of available SAS HBAs.

For more information, see the list of IBM Redbooks Product Guides in the Backup units category:
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/portals/systemx?Open&page=pg&cat=tape

Back to top

Optical drives

The server supports the optical drive options listed in the following table.

Table 11. Optical drives

* This option is only available via CTO or is already installed in standard models.

The two half-high drives in the table can be installed in any open 5.25" drive bay (Figure 5).

Half-High SATA DVD-ROM supports the following media and speeds for reading:

• CD-ROM 48X
• CD-DA (DAE) 40X
• CD-R 48X
• CD-RW 40X
• DVD-ROM (single layer) 16X
• DVD-ROM (dual layer) 12X
• DVD-R (4.7 GB) 16X
• DVD-R DL 12X
• DVD+R 16X
• DVD+R DL 12X
• DVD-RW (4.7 GB) 12X
• DVD+RW 12X
• DVD-RAM (4.7/9.4 GB) 6X

Half-High SATA multiburner supports the same media and speeds for reading as HH DVD-ROM. In addition, this drive supports the following media and speeds for writing:

• CD-R 24X
• CD-RW 4X
• High Speed CD-RW 10X
• Ultra Speed CD-RW 16X
• DVD-R 8X
• DVD-R DL 8X
• DVD+R 8X
• DVD+R DL 8X
• DVD-RW 6X
• DVD+RW 8X
• DVD-RAM 3X

Back to top

I/O expansion options

The server supports up to eight PCIe slots: six slots (1 to 6) when one CPU is installed or eight slots when two CPUs are installed. These are the slot form factors:

• Slot 1: PCIe x8 (x4 wired); full-height, half-length (supports optional PCI-X interposer card)
• Slot 2: PCIe x8; full-height, half-length
• Slot 3: PCIe x8; full-height, full-length
• Slot 4: PCIe x8 (x4 wired); full-height, full-length
• Slot 5: PCIe x16; full-height, full-length
• Slot 6: PCIe x8 (x4 wired); full-height, full-length
• Slot 7: PCIe x16; full-height, full-length (requires second processor)
• Slot 8: PCIe x16; full-height, full-length (requires second processor)

All PCIe slots are PCI Express 3.0 slots except Slot 1, which is a PCI Express 2.0 slot. Slot 1 can be converted to a PCI-X slot with the PCI-X Conversion Kit, which is described in the following table.

Table 12. PCI riser card options

Back to top

Network adapters

x3500 M4 has four integrated Gigabit Ethernet ports. Integrated NICs have the following features:

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

The following table lists additional supported network adapters.

Table 13. Network adapters

# Emulex Dual Port 10GbE SFP+ Integrated VFA III is only available through CTO or Special Bid (SBB 95Y3768)
** Converged Network Adapters require SFP+ optical transceivers or DAC cables that must be purchased separately.

For more information, see the list of IBM Redbooks Product Guides in the Networking adapters category:
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/portals/systemx?Open&page=pg&cat=networkadapters

Back to top

Storage host bus adapters

The following table lists storage HBAs supported by the x3500 M4 server.

Table 14. Storage adapters

For more information, see the list of IBM Redbooks Product Guides in the Host bus adapters category:
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/portals/systemx?Open&page=pg&cat=hba

Back to top

PCIe SSD adapters

Currently, the server does not support High IOPS SSD adapters.

Back to top

GPU adapters

The x3500 M4 server supports graphics processing units (GPUs) listed in the following table. Up to two GPUs are supported depending on the number of processors installed in a server (one GPU in slot 5 with one processor installed, or two GPUs in slot 5 and slot 7 with two processors installed).

Table 15. GPU adapters

* If NVIDIA Quadro 6000 is installed in a PCIe slot, the next PCIe slot can not be used (if adapter is installed in slot 5, slot 6 can not be used; if adapter is installed in slot 7, slot 8 can not be used).

The use of a GPU adapter requires installation of one or two 900 W power supplies. 550 W or 750 W power supplies are not supported.

Back to top

Power supplies and redundant cooling

The server supports up to two redundant power supplies. Standard models come with one or two power supplies (model dependent). The server also comes standard with either two (for models with one processor installed) or three (for models with two processors installed) simple swap cooling fans. Optional upgrade is available to provide N+N cooling redundancy. The following table lists the power supplies and redundant cooling upgrade option.

Table 16. Power supplies

Certain rules apply to the selection of power supply, these rules are listed in Table 17. Table 17 uses the following conventions:

• A grey cell means that the server can be filled with drives, GPUs, processors and DIMMs up to the maximum number according to server specifications.
• A yellow cell means that the maximum number of drives, GPUs, processors or DIMMs that the server can hold is fewer than the total number listed in server specifications.

Table 17. Configuration rules based on power supply used (PSU = power supply unit, NS = no support)

* PSU redundancy

An AC power supply ships standard without a line cord, it must be purchased separately. The redundant cooling kit contains three simple swap fans.

Back to top

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.

Table 18. Virtualization options

Back to top

Remote management

The server contains IBM 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 IMM2 lights LEDs to help you diagnose the problem, records the error in the event log, and alerts you to the problem. Optionally, the IMM2 also provides a virtual presence capability for remote server management capabilities.

The IMM2 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 IMM Advanced Upgrade (software feature) 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 color depths, 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.

Table 19. Remote management option

Back to top

Supported operating systems

The server supports the following operating systems:

• 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
• Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2008 Premium Edition
• Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2008 Standard Edition
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Server 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
• SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 10 for AMD64/EM64T
• SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 10 for x86
• 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
• VMware ESX 4.1
• VMware ESXi 4.1
• VMware vSphere 5

See the IBM ServerProven® website for the latest information about the specific versions and service levels supported and any other prerequisites:
http://www.ibm.com/systems/info/x86servers/serverproven/compat/us/nos/matrix.shtml

Back to top

Physical and electrical specifications

Dimensions and weight (approximate):

Tower:

• Width: 218 mm (8.6 in)
• Depth: 750 mm (29.5 in)
• Height: 440 mm (17.3 in)
• Weight:
  • Minimum configuration: 25.0 kg (55.1 lb)
  • Maximum configuration: 39.8 kg (87.7 lb)

Rack (using the Tower-to-Rack Conversion Kit, 81Y7006):

• Width: 424 mm (16.7 in)
• Depth: 702 mm (27.6 in)
• Height: 218 mm (8.5 in)
• Weight:
  • 24.5 kg (53.9 lb) (minimum configuration)
  • 39.3 kg (86.6 lb) (maximum configuration)

Supported environment:

• Air temperature
  • Server on: 10 - 35 °C (50 to 95 °F); altitude: 0 - 915 m (3,000 ft)
  • Server on: 10 - 32 °C (50 - 90 °F); altitude: 915 m (3,000 ft) - 2,134 m (7,000 ft)
  • Server on: 10 - 28 °C (50 - 83 °F); altitude: 2,134 m (7,000 ft) - 3,050 m (10,000 ft)
  • Server off (with standby power): 5 - 45 °C (41.0 - 113 °F)
  • Shipping: -40 - 60 °C (-40 - 140 °F)

• Humidity
  • Server on: 20 - 80% , Max. Dew Point 21 °C, Max. rate of change 5 °C/hr
  • Server off: 8 - 80%, Max. Dew Point 27 °C

• Electrical
  • Models with 900 W power supplies:
    • 100 to 127 (nominal) V ac; 50 Hz or 60 Hz; 11 A
    • 200 to 240 (nominal) V ac; 50 Hz or 60 Hz; 5.5 A
    • Input kilovolt-amperes (kVA) (approximately):
      • Minimum configuration: 0.6 kVA
      • Maximum configuration: 1.1 kVA
  • 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: 0.6 kVA
      • Maximum configuration: 0.9 kVA

• BTU output
  • Minimum configuration: 2013 Btu/hr (590 watts)
  • Maximum configuration: 3610 Btu/hr (1056 watts)

Back to top

Warranty options

The IBM System x3500 M4 has a 3-year onsite warranty with 9x5/next business day terms. IBM offers the warranty service upgrades through IBM ServicePacs, discussed in this section. The IBM ServicePac is a series of prepackaged 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.

IBM ServicePac offerings are country-specific. That is, each country might have its own service types, service levels, response times, and terms and conditions. Not all covered types of ServicePacs might be available in a particular country. For more information about IBM ServicePac offerings available in your country visit the IBM ServicePac Product Selector at:

https://www-304.ibm.com/sales/gss/download/spst/servicepac

The following table explains warranty service definitions in more detail.

Table 20. Warranty service definitions

In general, the types of IBM ServicePacs are as follows:

• Warranty and maintenance service upgrades
  • One, 2, 3, 4, or 5 years of 9x5 or 24x7 service coverage
  • Onsite repair from next business day to 4 or 2 hours
  • One or 2 years of warranty extension
• Remote technical support services
  • One or three years with 24x7 coverage (severity 1) or 9x5/next business day for all severities
  • Installation and startup support for System x servers
  • Remote technical support for System x servers
  • Software support - Support Line
    • Microsoft or Linux software
    • VMware
    • IBM Director

Back to top

Regulatory compliance

The server conforms to the following standards:

• 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. 60950-1-07
• NOM-019
• Argentina IEC60950-1
• Japan VCCI, Class A
• Australia/New Zealand AS/NZS CISPR 22:2006, Class A
• IEC-60950-1 (CB Certificate and CB Test Report)
• Taiwan BSMI CNS13438, Class A; CNS14336-1
• China CCC (GB4943-2001), GB9254-2008 class A, GB17625.1-2003
• Korea KN22, Class A; KN24
• CE Mark (EN55022 Class A, EN60950-1, EN55024, EN61000-3-2, and EN61000-3-3)
• CISPR 22, Class A
• TUV-GS EN60950-1 /IEC60950-1,EK1-ITB2000)
• Russia/GOST ME01, IEC-60950-1, GOST R 51318.22-99, GOST R 51318.24-99, GOST R 51317.3.2-99, GOST R 51317.3.3-99
• IEC 60950-1 (CB Certificate and CB Test Report)

Back to top

External disk storage expansion

The server supports attachment to external storage expansion enclosures, such as the EXP2500 series, by using the ServeRAID M5120 SAS/SATA Controller. The server can also be attached to supported external storage systems, such as the IBM System Storage® DS3500 series, using the supported HBAs listed in Table 14.

The following table provides the ordering part numbers for the ServeRAID M5120 SAS/SATA Controller.

Table 21. Ordering part numbers and feature codes

* The maximum number of remotely mounted battery/supercap units must not exceed 3 for all controllers installed in a server. This may further limit the maximum number of M5120 controllers supported.
** One M5100 Series FoD software license is required per server.

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

• Eight external 6 Gbps SAS/SATA ports
• 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 or 1 GB flash-backed cache (cache)
• 6 Gbps throughput per port
• PCIe 3.0 x8 host interface
• Based on the LSI SAS2208 6 Gbps ROC controller
• Supports connectivity to the EXP2512 and EXP2524 storage expansion enclosures

For more information, see the IBM Redbooks® Product Guide ServeRAID M5120 SAS/SATA Controller for IBM System x at:
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/abstracts/tips0858.html?Open

The ServeRAID M5120 SAS/SATA Controller supports connectivity to the IBM System Storage external expansion enclosures listed in the following table. Up to nine expansion enclosures can be daisy-chained per one M5120 external port. For better performance, distribute expansion enclosures evenly across both M5120 ports.

Table 22. IBM System Storage external expansion enclosures

The external SAS cables listed in the following table support connectivity between external expansion enclosures and the ServeRAID M5120 SAS/SATA Controller.

Table 23. External SAS cables for external storage expansion enclosures

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

Table 24. Drive options for EXP2512 external expansion enclosures

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

Table 25. Drive options for EXP2524 external expansion enclosures

Back to top

External disk storage systems

The following table lists the external storage systems that are supported by the server and can be ordered through the System x sales channel. The server might support other IBM disk systems that are not listed in this table. Refer to IBM System Storage® Interoperation Center for further information.

Table 26. External disk storage systems

For more information, see the list of IBM Redbooks Product Guides in the System Storage category:
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/portals/systemx?Open&page=pg&cat=externalstorage

Back to top

External backup units

The server supports the external backup attachment options listed in Table 27.

Table 27. External backup options

† These part numbers are the tape drives options for 35732UL and 35734UL.

Note: The external tape drives listed can be ordered through the System x sales channel. The server might support other IBM tape drives that are not listed in this table. Refer to IBM System Storage Interoperation Center for further information.

External USB tape drives are connected to the external USB ports on the server. External SAS or Fibre Channel tape drives require respective HBA (sold separately, see Table 14).

See the IBM ServerProven website for the latest information about the specific versions and service levels supported and any other prerequisites:
http://www.ibm.com/systems/info/x86servers/serverproven/compat/us/nos/matrix.shtml

For more information, see the list of IBM Redbooks Product Guides in the Backup units category:
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/portals/systemx?Open&page=pg&cat=tape

Back to top

Top-of-rack Ethernet switches

The server supports the top-of-rack Ethernet switches from IBM System Networking listed in the following table.

Table 28. IBM System Networking: Top-of-rack switches

For more information, see the list of IBM Redbooks Product Guides in the Top-of-rack switches category:
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/portals/systemx?Open&page=pg&cat=tor

Back to top

Uninterruptible power supply units

The server supports attachments to the uninterruptible power supply (UPS) units listed in the following table.

Table 29. Uninterruptible power supply units

For more information, see the list of IBM Redbooks Product Guides in the Power infrastructure category:
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/portals/systemx?Open&page=pg&cat=power

Back to top

Power distribution units

The server supports attachments to the power distribution units (PDUs) listed in the following table.

Table 30. Power distribution units

For more information, see the list of IBM Redbooks Product Guides in the Power infrastructure category:
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/portals/systemx?Open&page=pg&cat=power

Back to top

Rack cabinets

The x3500 M4 server can be installed in the rack with the Tower to Rack Conversion Kit (81Y7006). The server supports the rack cabinets listed in the following table.

Table 31. Rack cabinets and Tower to Rack Conversion Kits

For more information, see the list of IBM Redbooks Product Guides in the Rack cabinets and options category:
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/portals/systemx?Open&page=pg&cat=rack

Figure 6 shows the server installed in the Tower to Rack Conversion Kit.


Figure 6. The IBM System x3500 M4 with the Tower to Rack Conversion Kit

Back to top

Rack options

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

Table 32. Rack options

For more information, see the list of IBM Redbooks Product Guides in the Rack cabinets and options category:
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/portals/systemx?Open&page=pg&cat=rack

Back to top

IBM Global Financing

IBM Global Financing can help you obtain the IT solution you need while preserving funding for other strategic investments and optimizing cash flow. Our Fair Market Value (FMV) lease helps ensure that you have the latest IBM technology and with our mid-lease upgrade capability, you can increase the capacity of the system with little to no change in monthly payments. At the end of the lease, take advantage of our flexible end-of-lease options to fit your changing business needs. IBM Global Financing has the breadth and depth of offerings, longevity, proven success and global reach to help you develop a robust financing and asset management strategy that provides you the opportunity to leverage new technologies and turn your ambitious vision into a tangible solution.

Here are some other reasons why working with us makes solid financial sense:

• Expand your purchasing power—Affordable monthly payments allow you to change the technology acquisition discussion from “what can I afford right now” to “what solution is really right for my business.” IBM Global Financing allows you to expand your purchase power to get you the right solution.
• Accelerate your project’s cash flow break-even point—Acquire your IBM technology today and begin to realize its benefits now. An FMV lease can help you get the solution you need now, with low monthly payments that better align upfront costs with the anticipated return on investment from the technology.
• Easy to acquire with affordable rates—We offer one-stop shopping for a total IT solution, so you can acquire IBM hardware, software, services and the financing you need—from one IT provider.

Plus, we provide simple, easy-to-understand contracts and quick approvals. As the world’s largest IT financing provider, with an asset base of US$35.8 billion and over 125,000 customers, IBM Global Financing offers highly competitive rates that promote low total cost of ownership and low monthly payments.

IBM Global Financing operates in more than 50 countries. Go to http://ibm.com/financing for financing options in your country and to contact a local financing specialist.

IBM Global Financing offerings are provided through IBM Credit LLC in the United States and other IBM subsidiaries and divisions worldwide to qualified commercial and government clients. Rates and availability subject to client’s credit rating, financing terms, offering type, equipment and product type and options, and may vary by country. Non-hardware items must be one-time, non-recurring charges and are financed by means of loans. Other restrictions may apply. Rates and offerings are subject to change, extension or withdrawal without notice and may not be available in all countries. Please contact your local IBM Global Financing representative for additional detail.