IBM 72332SU, 72336SU, x3950 M2 Brochure & Specs

Scalable server delivers a unique, innovative design with extreme
performance

IBM System x3950 M2

Highlights

■

Scalable solution delivers

outstanding performance for

realising business demands

with an easy pay-as-you-grow

design

■

Balanced design provides

additional memory, processing

power and input/output (I/O)

on demand

■

Consistent, reliable

performance delivers advanced

data protection to help manage

your risk.

Engineered with the needs of

enterprise organisations in mind, the

IBM x3950 M2 provides a scalable,

efficient and highly reliable solution.

This fourth generation X-Architecture

enterprise server combines 64-bit

performance in a balanced design. The

x3950 M2 can help organisations meet

business demands with confidence and

since many organisations require

servers that expand as business grows,

the x3950 M2 provides the flexibility to

run more applications on the same

piece of hardware. These features

deliver an optimised solution for large

database enterprise application and

virtualization services.

Manage growth, complexity with enhanced

scalability

The x3950 M2 provides an

uncomplicated, cost-effective and

highly flexible solution. With the ability

to scale up to a maximum of 96 cores

using Intel

®

six-core processors, while

maintaining balanced performance

between processors, memory and I/O,

the x3950 M2 can easily accommodate

business expansion and the resulting

need for additional application space.

Unique flexibility of the configurations

allows the system to populate a

minimum of two central processing

units (CPUs) per chassis for additional

access to memory and I/O that

addresses an organisation’s specific

application requirements. This flexibility

allows for the creation of a 12-core,

32-Dual Inline Memory Module (DIMM)

server utilising only two processor

sockets for processor licensing-

constrained applications and can be

scaled to a 48-core, 128-DIMM server

utilising only eight processors.

The system’s optimised design

improves software features and

hardware functionality. Deploying multi-

chassis configurations is now simpler

and easier, helping organisations

reduce the time it takes to deploy a

new chassis, or boot a system. The

x3950 M2 accommodates easier

firmware upgrades and can help make

updates easier and more efficient.

Cable management is simplified by

reducing the number of systems

management network cables required.

This is achieved by incorporating in-

band management within the scalability

cable. Reduced cabling helps

customers to manage growth and

complexity more efficiently.

Innovation for business advantage

The x3950 M2 offers more power

combined with superior performance.

As business expands and organisations

try to keep pace with faster, more

intense data demands, the need for a

powerful system becomes more

important. The x3950 M2 helps provide

reliable performance for high-end tasks

while protecting IT investments. Now in

its fourth generation, the system:

●

Introduces the first Intel Xeon

®

processor-based 8-socket system to
achieve the 1,000,000 transactions
per minute milestone for x86-64
systems and surpass it by more than
20 percent

1

●

Accelerates TPC-C performance
with up to 40 percent improvement
over the Intel 7300 processor series­based platform

1

●

Provides up to 1.5 times better
8-socket TPC-H performance over
the Intel 7300 processor series­based platform for faster business
decision analysis

1

●

Features in more than
100 cumulative #1 benchmarks,
including a #1 8-socket benchmark

2

●

Enables customers to get the
performance they desire, with
unique near-linear performance
improvement when doubling the
processors and memory.

Manage risk with proven reliability

Organisations depend on their

database systems to function reliably to

protect and process critical data. The

x3950 M2 is built on IBM eX4

technology that can deliver consistent,

high-end performance and advanced

features to meet the needs of

enterprise customers at a low entry

price point. With its efficient design, the

x3950 M2 can help run an increased

number of applications on one server,

with a higher threshold for protecting

data. Also, the system’s enhanced

memory subsystems work together to

minimise bottlenecks, promoting fast,

efficient and balanced functionality.

Designed for mission-critical availability,

the x3950 M2 offers advanced Active

Memory features, including:

●

Memory ProteXion to help prevent
data loss. An advanced design
provides a deeper level of
redundancy that corrects single­chip errors to help keep the memory
up and running longer without
risking data integrity

●

IBM Chipkill memory to help
correct multiple, single-bit errors
using off-the-shelf DIMMs

●

Memory Mirroring with hot-swap
and hot-add support to help protect
data through the ability to write
simultaneously to independent
redundant memory cards

3

●

Advanced Buffer eXecution (ABX)
provides on-board technology to
help resist chip failure and improve
availability and reliability, while
delivering reduced power
consumption.