SERVER: IBM X3850M2

Specifications:

Brand: IBM, Model: X3850M2, Processor: 04 x 2.66GHz Six Cores, HDD: 2x600GB, Memory: 256GB, LAN Card 2x 10GB FC, 2x8GB FC, Form
Factor: 4U

Description:

Outstanding performance, superior
mainframe-like reliability, and fault-tolerant memory characteristics
IBM®
has been designing and implementing
chipsets under the X-Architecture™ name since 2001. eX4 technology represents the fourth
generation of products based on the same design principle IBM began with in
1997: to offer systems that are expandable, offer “big iron” reliability, availability,
and serviceability (RAS) features, with extremely competitive price/performance
on an Intel® Xeon® MP processor-based system.
The eX4 technology is primarily
designed around three major workloads. These workloads are database servers,
server consolidation using virtualization services, and Enterprise Resource Planning
(application and database) servers. If you are adopting industry-standard Xeon
EM64T servers for running business critical applications, the systems that run
these applications need the type of technology designed into IBM’s eX4 technology
systems. The eX4 chipset represents a $100M+ investment in designing a flagship
offering that can harness the power of 4-socket-and-up 64-bit x86 (x64) Xeon MP
processors. The eX4 design includes two 4U 4-socket rack-optimized chassis (x3850
M2 and x3950 M2) with the ability to scale up to 16 sockets and up to 64 cores. In fact, you can start with a single-node x3850 M2 chassis, and by adding a ScaleXpander
Option Kit, you can turn it into an x3950 M2, ready to expand into a multi-node
configuration providing more flexibility in deploying your scalable solution
than ever before.
The x3850 M2 now offers selected models
integrated with VMware ESXi 3.5 preloaded  on an IBM 4GB USB 2.0 Flash Key. It operates
in a diskless configuration, offers a smaller memory footprint, extremely high
performance, and stronger security, making getting a system up and running in a
virtualized environment faster and easier than ever before. IBM X-Architecture pioneered X pand On Demand™ (“pay as you grow”) scalability,
which allows chassis to be simply cabled together to form larger scale-up
systems. This unique capability allows IBM to sell a large SMP (symmetric
multiprocessing) system at entry price points. Other Intel OEMs can’t match
this capability. If they offer a 16-socket product at all, they require you to start
out with a 16-socket chassis, whether you’ll ever grow into it or not With XpandOnDemand,
you can start small, with a 4- or 8-socket configuration, and later expand as your
needs change, without requiring you to buy more than you need up-front or throw
away parts later as you expand.
IBM’s eX4 technology-based systems
are the ideal solution for scale-up database-serving applications on Microsoft® Windows® with Microsoft SQL Server® or IBM DB2®, as well as Linux® with Oracle 9i RAC and 10g, or IBM
DB2. Database hosting demands ultimate server reliability features, and once
installed, they grow and grow. The eX4 design offers two strong selling arguments
against the competition: lower initial purchase price, and potentially much
lower long-term TCO.
Another strong application area for
the eX4-based systems is enterprise server consolidation activities. Larger
servers have more processor, memory and I/O resources, which make maximum use
of any applicable virtual machine software licensing fees and deliver superior system
utilization levels. The name of the game in consolidation activities is to
deploy the fewest new servers possible and help IT staff manage more images
with the same or fewer overall people.
One of the fastest growing
application areas for eX4-based systems is ERP workloads, including SAP and
Oracle. eX4-based systems can offer considerable savings over UNIX deployments,
using our certified solution stacks on either Windows or Linux.
The 4-socket eX4 servers are
designed to protect your data with high performance, high reliability, and high
availability. They support the latest quad-and dual-core Intel® Xeon™
MP processors, designed with
high-performance quad 1066MHz front-side buses (FSB), 64-bit extensions (EM64T),
and either 8MB (dual-core) or 4MB, 6MB, or 8MB (quad-core) of L2 cache, to help
provide you with the computing power you need to match your business needs and
growth. In addition, the x3850 M2 and x3950 M2 use industry-standard DDR II memory.