IBM rack server strikes light on fault diagnosis

IBM ANNOUNCED the System x3650 back in June, as a business critical application server for workload consolidation. However, the System X3650 is an extremely scaleable and versatile machine that can meet a variety of requirements.

Every System x3650 model offers impressive scalability, including dual-processor support, up to 48GB of memory and six 3.5-inch or eight 2.5-inch high-performance hot-swap Serial-Attach SCSI (SAS) hard disk drives with hardware-based RAID-0/1/10 standard. Although the System x3650 is targeted towards medium to large enterprises with demanding applications in data-dense environments the server is extremely well rounded and provides simple integration for small businesses that do not have a lot of rack space.

Sporting the latest dual-core Intel? Xeon processors, the System x3650 incorporates all of Intel's Woodcrest features including a 1333MHz front-side bus (FSB), 64-bit extensions (EM64T), 4MB L2 cache and Hyper-Threading Technology. Supported processors include the 65W dual-core Xeon processor models 5110 or 5120 at 1.6 or 1.86GHz; 65W dual-core Xeon processor models 5130, 5140, or 5150 at 2.0, 2.33, or 2.66GHz; 80W dual-core Xeon processor model 5160 at 3.0GHz; 95W dual-core Xeon processor model 5050 at 3.0GHz; and 130W dual-core Xeon processor model 5060 at 3.2GHz.

Industry-standard fully buffered 667MHz memory with Chipkill ECC protection is included with the System x3650. The fully buffered memory in the x3650 provides up to triple the memory bandwidth (up to 21.3GBps) in four channels of PC2-5300 fully-buffered DIMMs.

Optional but mutually exclusive are online hot-spare memory or memory mirroring is also available. Hot-spare memory sets aside one pair of DIMMs as online spares in case one of the other DIMMs fails. Memory mirroring, much like hard drive mirroring, provides maximum memory availability by writing data concurrently to two channels. If a DIMM fails in the primary channel, it is instantly disabled and the mirrored memory is activated until the failing DIMM is replaced. All these features combined provide customers with the computing power for their business needs today as well as providing room to grow for future expansion.

Disk redundancy is provided through an integrated ServeRAID-8k-l which provides RAID-0/1/10 support at no extra charge without consuming a valuable adaptor slot. An optional IBM ServeRAID-8k SAS RAID controller adds 256MB of battery-backed cache to the onboard controller to provide three additional RAID levels, including RAID-1E/5/6.

Most small and medium businesses have been required in the past to have either a larger 3U or 4U rack chassis to accommodate an internal tape backup system. The 2U System x3650 server was designed with integrated internal half-high backup options in mind. IBM currently supports DDS5, DDS6, GoVault EZ drives connected to an internal S-ATA port.

The System x3650 includes two integrated Broadcom 5708 Gigabit Ethernet controllers. This controller, which is the part of the NetExtreme II family of C-NICs also like its predecessor has support for a TCP/IP offload engine (TOE), iSCSI, and Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) on a single-chip platform. Integration of the Broadcom 5708 Gigabit Ethernet controller allows the System x3650 to deliver storage networking, high-performance clustering, accelerated data networking and remote system management pass-through functions in a single, all-in-one answer.

Two high-resolution video ports powered by an ATI AMD Radeon RN50B SVGA video controller provide up to end users with a 1024x768 resolution, at a colour depth of 32 bits and 85Hz refresh rate. For simplified local systems management, one video port is located on the front of the unit, while another is at the back.

IBM provides tool less cover removal provides easy access to upgrades and serviceable parts. In addition the Remote Supervisor Adapter II SlimLine, ServeRAID-8k controller, hot-swap/redundant hard drives, fans and power supplies, as well as online hot-spare and mirrored memory, can be installed and removed without tools.

For expandability, the System x3650 sports multiple high-performance adapter slots (PCI-E x4 and optional PCI-X/133). Four 64-bit high-speed PCI-E adapter slots offer a potential future upgrade path as well as investment protection by supporting high-performance adapters, such as 10Gb Ethernet, Fibre Channel and InfiniBand cards, none of which will run in older 33MHz and 66MHz conventional PCI slots. As an alternative to meet system requirements, administrators can also configure a hybrid of two PCI-E and two legacy PCI-X/133 adaptor slots.

The System x3650 includes a Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) to monitor server availability in larger environments, perform Predictive Failure Analysis, and trigger IBM Director alerts. The Predictive Failure Analysis code monitors certain subsystems within the component and if the tolerances exceed a pre-determined range, an alert is automatically generated.

Typically the device will only send an alert once before the failure actually occurs.

IBM Director software supplied with all System x3650 will receive the alert and can process it in a variety of different ways. It can forward a warning message to a remote computer, a mobile telephone or a pager. It can also be programmed to execute a command on a remote computer. Integrated IPMI 2.0 support alerts IBM Director to anomalous environmental factors, such as voltage and thermal irregularities. The BMC also enables service personnel to use sophisticated diagnostic tools, such as light path diagnostics, to resolve problems quickly.

One of my favorite features on the newer IBM servers is light path diagnostics. Light path diagnostics lets a systems administrator quickly identify and locate a failed or failing system component. The front of the server has an LED indicator light to show possible component failures. With the press of a button on the front of the server an LED panel will pop out and drop down for easy viewing without the need to open the server cover. The light path diagnostics panel tells the user which component requires attention. Most major components have their own identifying LEDs including each of the eight memory modules, both CPUs, all adaptor slots, all fans, all power supplies, the voltage regulator module and the service processor all have their own. These LEDs provide technicians with a quick diagnosis without guesswork.

IBM has once again created a scaleable yet powerful system for businesses of all sizes and needs with the System x3650. Since reviewing the System x3650, I have already flawlessly deployed two units into client sites while exceeding performance needs and meeting budget constraints. Not only did the systems outperform the clients' expectations, they also have some of the newest server technologies to provide a stable upgrade path for the future. A baseline model IBM System x3650 starts at $1,975 and is available through IBM's website. ?