IBM 79784AU, 79787AU, 7978C3U, 7978G5U, 7978G6U Product Manual
...
A highly available and expandable, rack-dense, 1U dual-socket SMP server, for application
Price/Performance
serving in Web environments
Product Guide
March 2008
Product Overview
CONTENTS
Product Overview
Selling Features
Key Features
Key Options
x3550 Images
x3550 Specifications
The Bottom Line
For More Information
Legal Information
IBM S
ystem x3550
Outstanding performance and manageability in only 1U
Suggested Uses: Medium-to-large businesses requiring a general-purpose server in spaceconstrained data centers, and Scientific/Technical computing customers who require cluster
nodes.
Your challenge is to do more with less—serve more Web pages, handle more secure
connections, support more e-mail users—all while reducing costs and saving space. The dual-
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socket IBM® System x3550, incorporating IBM X-Architecture™ features, meets that challenge.
It supports the latest quad- and dual-core Intel® Xeon™ processors (including 50W low-voltage
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quad-core Xeon processors), designed with up to a leading-edge 1333MHz front-side bus (FSB),
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64-bit extensions (EM64T), and either 6MB or 4MB (dual-core) or 8MB or 12MB (quad-core) of
L2 cache, to help provide you with the computing power you need to match your business needs
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and growth. In addition, the x3550 uses industry-standard fully buffered 667MHz memory with
Chipkill™ ECC (Error Checking and Correcting) protection—for high performance and reliability.
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For even higher levels of availability, the x3550 also offers a choice of optional online hot-spare
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memory or memory mirroring. Dual integrated high-speed Gigabit Ethernet controllers with TOE
(TCP Offload Engine) and Jumbo Frame support are standard, as are high-performance adapter
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slots (PCI-E x8 and optional PCI-X/133).
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All models offer impressive scalability, including dual-processor support, up to 32GB of memory
and a choice of high-performance hard disk drives with an internal storage capacity of 600GB
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(two 3.5-inch hot-swap Serial-Attached SCSI), 587.2GB (four 2.5-inch hot-swap SAS) or
2TB (two 3.5-inch simple-swap Serial ATA II). The integrated SAS controller provides
hardware-based RAID-0/1/10 standard for SAS drives. (SATA models offer firmware-based RAID
0/1 support standard.) Additional RAID support is available via the optional IBM ServeRAID™
family of SAS and SATA controllers. The ultradense 1U form factor allows businesses to increase
their computing power and spread their workload without outgrowing their current data center. Up
to 42 of these 1U servers can be installed in a single 42U rack, for a total of up to 84 processors,
offering tremendous deployment flexibility. Optional Advanced Connectivity Technology (ACT)
interconnect cabling reduces cable clutter and cost and minimizes installation time when
interconnecting many rack-mounted servers.
Standard in the x3550 is an integrated Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) that enables
the user to manage and control the server easily—both locally and remotely. This high level of
manageability is designed to keep costs down and the system up—even when network usage
increases. The drop-down light path diagnostics panel enables quick servicing of the system if
a problem develops. These advanced features help maximize network availability by increasing
uptime, as do simple-swap SATA HDDs; hot-swap/redundant SAS HDDs, power and fans;
Active Memory™; integrated RAID; temperature-controlled fans with Calibrated Vectored
Cooling™; IPMI 2.0 support, including highly secure remote power control and Serial over
LAN; as well as text-console redirect over LAN.
With the inclusion of unique IBM service and support features such as the BMC, light path
diagnostics, IBM Director, IBM Systems Director Active Energy Manager for x86 (formerly
known as PowerExecutive), IBM ServerGuide™ and support for the optional slotless Remote
Supervisor Adapter II SlimLine, the x3550 is designed for superior uptime.
If you need highly manageable, dual-socket/multi-core computing power in a rack-dense
package, the x3550 is the ideal system.
Selling Features
The x3550 offers numerous features to boost performance and reduce product and operating
costs:
• Up to two quad- or dual-core Xeon processors, high-end 1333MHz or 1066MHz front side
Please see the Legal Information section for important notices and information.
bus and 4MB to 12MB (processor-specific) of integrated Level 2 cache per processor, offer
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A highly available and expandable, rack-dense, 1U dual-socket SMP server, for application
serving in Web environments
superior performance capable of tackling the toughest jobs. 64-bit extensions provide the
flexibility to run 32-bit and 64-bit applications concurrently.
• Low-voltage processors draw less energy and produce less waste heat than high-voltage
processors, thus helping to reduce data center energy costs. Some dual-core Xeon
processors use only 65W. This is half the wattage consumed by older 130W processors. The
50W and 80W quad-core processors are even more economical, consuming only 12.5W and
20W (respectively) per core, vs. 32.5W per core for the 65W dual-core processors.
• Ultra-fast fully buffered 667MHz PC2-5300 DDR II ECC memory with Chipkill1 protection
provides speed and high availability.
• Two high-speed PCI-E adapter slots offer 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.
• Integrated ServeRAID-8k-l provides RAID-0/1/10 support at no extra charge and without
consuming a valuable adapter slot. RAID-0 offers improved disk performance via data striping;
RAID-1 offers disk mirroring for high availability, and RAID-10 combines the benefits of speed
and availability. The x3550 is upgradeable to full RAID-0/1/10/1E/5/6 support, using the
optional ServeRAID-8k card. It also offers higher performance, due to the 256MB battery-
backed onboard cache.
• Up to two 3.5-inch or four 2.5-inch (depending on the model) hot-swap SAS hard disk
drives offer high-performance with high availability. The SAS controller provides full-duplex (2
x 300MBps) data transfers for SAS drives. For lower cost and high capacity, other models
support up to two simple-swap Serial ATA drives. The SATA II drives offer performance
nearly equal to that of Ultra320 SCSI (300MBps half-duplex vs. 320MBps half-duplex,
respectively). Alternatively, 2.5-inch drives consume approximately half the power of 3.5-inch
drives.
• The integrated dual Gigabit Ethernet controllers with IPMI 2.0 support provide high-speed
network communications. Jumbo Frames offer higher efficiency transfers for large data
packets.
• The TCP Offload Engine (TOE) feature offers higher performance for TCP/IP traffic, with less
overhead on the system processor.
• A high degree of device integration—including SAS or SATA, RAID, dual Gigabit Ethernet,
systems management and video controllers—lowers costs and frees up valuable adapter
slots.
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All models require Chipkill-enabled DIMMs (provided standard) for Chipkill protection.
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Data transfer rates may be less than the maximum possible.
Flexibility
The x3550 has the ability to grow with your application requirements, thanks to
• A choice of quad-core or dual-core processors with 1.6 to 3.16GHz clock rates, 1333MHz or
1066MHz FSB, and 50W to 120W maximum power draw.
• Up to 32GB of high-speed fully-buffered DDR2 system memory.
• Two available high-performance PCI-E adapter slots in all models. Optionally, if desired, the
riser card containing one of the PCI-E slots can be exchanged for a riser containing a PCIX/133 adapter slot.
• Installing the slotless ServeRAID-8k option upgrades the integrated ServeRAID-8k-l
controller with 256MB of low-cost, battery-backed cache to enable even higher-performance
hardware RAID support, and allows the x3550 to offer six RAID levels: RAID-0, 1, 10, 1E, 5
and 6. The optional MegaRAID 8480 controller supports up to four IBM System Storage™
EXP3000 expansion units containing up to 48 SAS HDDs and 14.4TB of external storage.
• The six USB 2.0 ports are up to 40X faster2 than older USB 1.1 ports. This provides speedy
access to external HDDs (non-arrayed), optical drives, tape drives, and other USB devices.
Two ports are on the front of the unit and four are on the back.
• A choice of up to two internal 3.5-inch hot-swap SAS or simple-swap SATA II HDDs or four
2.5-inch hot-swap SAS HDDs (depending on the model) offer a variety of storage options.
The 3.5-inch SAS models provide a maximum of 600GB of internal hot-swap storage. The
2.5-inch SAS models support up to 587.2GB of hot-swap SAS storage. The 3.5-inch SATA
models provide a maximum of 2TB of internal simple-swap storage.
• Alternatively, iSCSI or Fibre Channel-attached storage can be attached using IBM System
Storage or TotalStorage® servers.
Please see the Legal Information section for important notices and information.
2
A highly available and expandable, rack-dense, 1U dual-socket SMP server, for application
Availability and Serviceability
serving in Web environments
Manageability
Powerful systems management features simplify local and remote management of the x3550:
• The x3550 includes a Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) to monitor server
availability, perform Predictive Failure Analysis, etc., and trigger IBM Director alerts. The BMC
enables service personnel to use sophisticated diagnostic tools, such as light path
diagnostics, to resolve problems quickly.
• Integrated IPMI 2.0 support alerts IBM Director to anomalous environmental factors, such as
voltage and thermal conditions. It also supports highly secure remote power control using
data encryption.
• IBM Systems Director Active Energy Manager for x86, an IBM-exclusive, is designed to
take advantage of new system power management features, by providing power monitoring
and power capping features.
• Text Console Redirection support allows the administrator to remotely view x3550 text
messages over Serial or LAN.
• IBM Director is included for proactive systems management and works with both the blade’s
internal BMC and the chassis’ management module. IBM Director comes with a portfolio of
tools, including Management Processor Assistant, Rack Manager, RAID Manager, Update
Assistant and Software Distribution. In addition, IBM Director offers extended systems
management tools for additional server management and increased availability. When a
problem is encountered, IBM Director can issue administrator alerts via e-mail, pager, and
other methods.
• An optional Remote Supervisor Adapter II SlimLine provides additional systems
management capabilities, including Web-based out-of-band control; virtual floppy and optical
drive support; Windows “blue screen” error capture; LDAP and SSL support; and remote
redirection of PCI video, text, keyboard and mouse. And it does all this without consuming a
valuable adapter slot.
The x3550 provides many features to simplify serviceability and increase system uptime:
• x3550 servers use Chipkill-enabled fully buffered memory DIMMs. Chipkill memory is up to
16X better than standard ECC memory at correcting memory errors. This can help reduce
downtime caused by memory errors. Fully buffered DIMMs provide additional availability
features, including CRC (cyclic redundancy check) monitoring.
• The x3550 offers selectable online hot-spare memory and memory mirroring for
redundancy in the event of a noncorrectable memory failure
• Toolless cover removal provides easy access to upgrades and serviceable parts. Similarly,
the Remote Supervisor Adapter II SlimLine and the ServeRAID-8k controller can be
installed and replaced without tools. This means less time (and therefore less money) spent
servicing the x3550. Similarly, hot-swap/redundant HDDs, fans and power supplies, as
well as online hot-spare and mirrored memory, mean greater system uptime while these
components are being serviced.
• New toolless slides ship with the server, together with a Cable Management Arm (CMA),
that allows the rack server to easily slide into place
• IBM Thermal Diagnostics allows the administrator to evaluate thermal data on the server
without taking the hardware offline. This can provide greater server uptime.
• The drop-down 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 network availability.
• Integrated RAID-1 disk mirroring and RAID-10 striped mirrored arrays standard enable
the server to keep operating in the event of a failure to any one drive.
• IPMI 2.0 supports highly secure remote system power control using data encryption. This
allows an administrator to restart a server without having to visit it in person, saving travel time
and getting the server back up and running quickly and securely. It also adds new features to
those provided by IPMI 1.5, including VLAN support, Serial over LAN, enhanced
authentication and encryption algorithms (RMCP+, SHA-1, AES) and a firmware firewall.
• Temperature-controlled fans adjust to compensate for changing thermal characteristics. At
the lower speeds they draw less power and suffer less wear. Equally important in a crowded
data center, temperature-controlled fans produce less ambient noise in the data center than if
Please see the Legal Information section for important notices and information.
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A highly available and expandable, rack-dense, 1U dual-socket SMP server, for application
serving in Web environments
they were constantly running at full speed.
• The three-year (parts and labor) limited onsite warranty
and greater investment protection than a one-year warranty does.
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helps afford you peace of mind
Key Features
High-Performance Xeon Processors
The x3550 supports up to two high-performance Intel Xeon processors, allowing you to upgrade
to a second processor as your business needs require. The x3550 offers a choice of processor
clock rates, FSB speeds and energy efficiency, including:
• 120W quad-core Xeon processor models X5450 or X5460 at 3.0, 3.16Ghz respectively with
64-bit extensions, a 1333MHz FSB, and 12MB of L2 processor cache (2 x 6MB)
• 50W quad-core Xeon processor model L5420 at 2.5GHz, with 64-bit extensions, ultralow
power draw (12.5W per core), a 1333MHz FSB, and 12MB of L2 processor cache (2 x 6MB)
• 80W quad-core Xeon processor models E5405, E5420, E5430, E5440 at 2.0, 2.5, 2.66,
2.8GHz (respectively), with 64-bit extensions, a 1333MHz FSB, and 12MB of L2 processor
cache (2 x 6MB)
• 50W quad-core Xeon processor models L5310 or L5320 at 1.6 or 1.86GHz (respectively),
with 64-bit extensions, ultralow power draw (12.5W per core), a 1066MHz FSB, and 8MB of
L2 processor cache (2 x 4MB)
• 65W dual-core Xeon processor model E5205 at 1.86GHz, with 64-bit extensions, low power
draw, a 1066MHz FSB, and 6MB of shared L2 processor cache
• 80W dual-core Xeon processor model 5160 at 3.0GHz, with 64-bit extensions, reduced power
draw, a 1333MHz FSB, and 4MB of shared L2 processor cache
• 65W dual-core Xeon processor model 5140 at 2.33GHz, with 64-bit extensions, low power
draw, a 1333MHz FSB, and 4MB of shared L2 processor cache
• 65W dual-core Xeon processor model 5110 at 1.6GHz, with 64-bit extensions, low power
draw, a 1066MHz FSB, and 4MB of shared L2 processor cache
Dual-core Xeon processors contain two complete processor cores; quad-core processors,
similarly, contain four cores. Some processors contain one unified cache shared by all cores,
while other processors have multiple independent caches (one per pair of cores). The shared
cache is dynamically allocated between the cores as needed. The multiple cores appear to
software as multiple physical processors. The dual-core processors offer considerably higher
performance than a same-speed Xeon processor with a single core. Likewise, quad-core
processors offer considerably higher performance than a same-speed Xeon processor with dual
cores.
Intel Extended Memory 64 Technology (EM64T) 64-bit extensions allow the Xeon processor to
use large memory addressing when running with a 64-bit operating system. This in turn lets
individual software processes directly access more than 4GB of RAM, which was the limit of 32bit addressing. This can result in much higher performance for certain kinds of programs, such as
database management and CAD. Additional registers and instructions (SSE3) can further boost
performance for applications written to use them. Contact your software provider to determine
their software support for EM64T.
The 1066MHz FSB (which connects memory to the processor) boasts a peak rate of 8.53GBps,
or up to one-third higher throughput at the same processor clock speed than an 800MHz FSB
(6.4GBps) used in older systems. The 1333MHz FSB offers a peak rate of 10.67GBps, or up to
two-thirds higher throughput at the same processor clock speed than an 800MHz FSB. This may
result in much higher data transfer rates.
Intelligent Power Capability powers individual processor elements on and off as needed, to
reduce power draw.
Execute Disable Bit functionality can help prevent certain classes of malicious buffer overflow
attacks when combined with a supporting operating system.
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For terms and conditions or copies of the IBM Statement of Limited Warranty, call 800-772-2227 in the U.S. In Canada call 800-
426-2255. Telephone support may be subject to additional charges. For warranties including onsite labor, a technician is sent after
IBM attempts to resolve the problem remotely. International warranty service is available in any country in which this product is
sold.
Please see the Legal Information section for important notices and information.
4
A highly available and expandable, rack-dense, 1U dual-socket SMP server, for application
serving in Web environments
DDR II ECC Fully Buffered Memory with Chipkill Protection
The x3550 supports up to 32GB of memory in 8 DIMM sockets. Some models include two
512MB DIMMs standard, while others ship with two 1GB DIMMs. The x3550 uses PC2-5300
fully-buffered double data rate II (DDR II) memory (operating at 667MHz) for faster access, and
provides Active Memory features, including advanced Chipkill memory protection, for up to 16X
better error correction than standard ECC memory.
The fully buffered memory in the x3550 provides up to triple the memory bandwidth (up to
21.3GBps in four channels of PC2-5300 fully-buffered DIMMs vs. a maximum of 6.4GBps in two
channels of unbuffered PC2-3200 memory and up to double the system memory capacity (8
DIMMs x 4GB) of the predecessor x336 server (8 DIMMs x 2GB). By performing reads and writes
simultaneously, it eliminates the previous memory read-to-write blocking latency. In addition, it
also offers innovative data reliability and security features to help improve data integrity, including
enhanced CRC protection, data retry on error detect and buffer registers for improved fault
isolation.
For increased availability, the x3550 offers two additional (but mutually exclusive) levels of IBM
Active Memory protection: online memory mirroring, and online hot-spare memory.
Memory mirroring works much like disk mirroring. The total memory is divided into two channels.
Data is written concurrently to both channels. If a DIMM fails in one of the DIMMs in the primary
channel, it is instantly disabled and the mirrored (backup) memory in the other channel becomes
active (primary) until the failing DIMM is replaced. Mirroring can be accomplished with multiples
of four DIMMs (one pair per memory channel). Up to 16GB (four 4GB DIMMS) of memory is
available for use with mirroring enabled. (Note: Due to the double writes to memory, performance
is affected.)
When online hot-spare memory is enabled, using single and/or dual-rank DIMMs one rank is set
aside per branch as online spares in case one of the other ranks fails. The spare rank must have
capacity at least that of the largest active rank. Up to 24GB (using 8 single-rank 4GB DIMMs) or
28GB (using 8 dual-rank 4GB DIMMs) of memory is available when the hot-spare feature is
active. (The lowest-numbered rank of those with the highest capacity in each branch is used for
the hot-spares.)
Either of these features requires operating system support.
When multiples of four DIMMs (4 or 8) are installed, the x3550 operates in four-way interleaved
mode, for higher performance. When only two DIMMs are used, the system defaults to two-way
interleaved mode.
DIMMs must be installed in pairs. Memory is available in kits consisting of two 512MB, 1GB, 2GB
or 4GB DIMMs.
Drive Bays
The x3550 contains either two or four drive bays in all, depending on the model. Some models
offer two 3.5-inch bays that support hot-swap SAS or simple-swap SATA II drives. This
enables up to two slimline (1.0") drives to be installed, totaling up to 600GB (SAS) or 2TB
(SATA).
Other models feature four 2.5-inch bays that support hot-swap SAS drives totaling up to
587.2GB.
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Variable read rate. Actual playback speed varies and is often less than the maximum possible.
Please see the Legal Information section for important notices and information.
Hot-swap drives may be inserted or removed through the front of the server without powering off
the system. Simple-swap drives can be inserted or removed through the front of the server as
well; however, the system power must first be turned off.
For additional storage, a direct-attach, NAS or SAN external expansion option can be added,
using an optional controller.
A 24X/24X/24X/8X4 speed (ultraslim, 0.5”) CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo drive with an IDE interface
ships standard in all x3550 servers. No diskette drive is supplied with any model; an external
USB floppy drive may be used, if needed.
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A highly available and expandable, rack-dense, 1U dual-socket SMP server, for application
serving in Web environments
Disk Controllers
All SAS-equipped x3550 models include an integrated Adaptec AIC9580W Serial-Attach SCSI
(SAS) controller. This controller supports up to four internal SAS LVD (low-voltage differential)
drives. SATA models have a separate SATA controller, which supports up to two internal SATA
drives.
The integrated ServeRAID-8k-l controller offers hardware RAID-0/1/10 support and 32MB of fast
PC2-4200 DDR2 cache for the SAS drives. The ServeRAID-8k option adds three additional
RAID levels, RAID-1E, 5 and 6, along with 256MB of cache memory for higher performance, and
battery backup, without consuming a valuable adapter slot.
The SAS controller provides data transfer speeds of up to 300MB per second5 in each direction
(full-duplex) across the SAS bus, for an aggregate speed of 600MBps, nearly double that of
Ultra320 SCSI’s 320MBps (half-duplex) bandwidth. The serial design of the SAS bus allows
maximum performance to be maintained as additional drives are added.
The SATA controller integrated in the SATA models supports up to two internal SATA II drives,
with maximum data transfer rates of up to 300MB (half-duplex) per second. This is throughput is
similar to that of Ultra320 SCSI (320MBps, half-duplex). The SATA models also include firmware
support for RAID-0/1. The system can be upgraded to hardware-based RAID-0/1/10/1E/5/6 for
higher performance, using the same IBM ServeRAID-8k SAS/SATA controller as the hot-swap
server models.
For external storage, the MegaRAID 8480 controller enables connection to up to four IBM
System Storage EXP3000 SAS expansion units (48 HDDs total). It provides RAID-0/1/10/5/50
support and 256MB of onboard cache.
Additional external storage is available using one of several supported direct-attach, iSCSI or
SAN controllers.
Large HDD Storage Capacity
The x3550 offers a choice of disk storage, supporting up to two (3.5-inch) or four (2.5-inch) hot-
swap high-performance SAS drives, or two (3.5-inch) simple-swap SATA drives:
3.5-inch SAS
• 15,000 RPMs — 73.4, 146.8 or 300GB (600GB maximum)
2.5-inch SAS
• 10,000 RPMs — 73.4 or 146.8GB (587.2GB)
• 15,000 RPMs — 73.4GB (293.6GB)
3.5-inch SATA
• 7,200 RPMs — 160, 250, 500, 750GB or 1TB (2.0TB)
2-5-inch drives not only require less space than 3.5-inch drives, they weigh less, consume half
the power, produce less noise, seek faster, and offer increased reliability.
Simple-swap SATA drives are not hot-swappable (the system must first be powered off);
however, no tools or jumpers are required for installation and removal, allowing for faster, simpler
servicing than fixed drives. The hot-swap SAS drives use the Converged Tray for
interchangeability with other IBM System x™ systems. If you need more storage space, terabyte
capacities are possible with external direct-attach, NAS and SAN solutions.
High-Performance Adapter Slots
The x3550 provides two x8 (“by 8”) 4GBps PCI-E (PCI Express) adapters standard. Each is
capable of supporting x1/x4/x8 adapters at full speed. Both slots are half-length/full-height. If
desired, the riser card containing slot 2 may optionally be replaced with one that provides one
half-length/full-height (1GBps) 133MHz PCI-X slot instead.
PCI-Express is a high-performance, low-latency, next-generation serial I/O bus that is rapidly
replacing the older parallel PCI and PCI-X buses. A x8 PCI-E adapter offers approximately four
times the maximum throughput of a 133MHz PCI-X adapter6. (A x1 adapter offers throughput
similar to a 66MHz PCI-X slot.)
Because the SAS, ServeRAID-8k and 8k-l, dual Gigabit Ethernet, systems management and
video controllers are integrated onto the system board, the two adapter slots are both available,
which offers a wide degree of latitude in expansion options.
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Data transfer rates depend on many factors and are often less than the maximum possible.
Please see the Legal Information section for important notices and information.
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