IBM Power 720, Power 740 Overview

Front cover

IBM Power 720 and 740
Technical Overview and
Introduction

Features 8202-E4D and 8205-E6D servers based
on POWER7+ processor technology

Describes the support of 20
partitions per core

Explores leading performance
on entry servers

James Cruickshank

Sorin Hanganu

Volker Haug

Stephen Lutz

John T Schmidt

Marco Vallone

ibm.com/redbooks

Redpaper

International Technical Support Organization

IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and
Introduction

May 2013

REDP-4984-00

Note: Before using this information and the product it supports, read the information in “Notices” on
page vii.

First Edition (May 2013)

This edition applies to the IBM Power 720 (8202-E4D) and Power 740 (8205-E6D) Power Systems servers.

© Copyright International Business Machines Corporation 2013. All rights reserved.

Note to U.S. Government Users Restricted Rights -- Use, duplication or disclosure restricted by GSA ADP Schedule
Contract with IBM Corp.

Contents

Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii

Trademarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii

Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix

Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix

Now you can become a published author, too! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi

Comments welcome. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi

Stay connected to IBM Redbooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi

Chapter 1. General description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

1.1 Systems overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

1.1.1 The Power 720 server. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

1.1.2 The Power 740 server. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

1.2 Operating environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

1.3 Physical package . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

1.3.1 Tower model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

1.3.2 Rack-mount model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

1.4 System features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

1.4.1 Power 720 system features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

1.4.2 Power 740 system features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

1.4.3 Minimum features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

1.4.4 Power supply features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

1.4.5 Processor module features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

1.4.6 Memory features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

1.5 Disk and media features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

1.6 I/O drawers for Power 720 and Power 740 servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

1.6.1 12X I/O Drawer PCIe expansion units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

1.6.2 PCI-X DDR 12X Expansion Drawer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

1.6.3 I/O drawers and usable PCI slots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

1.6.4 EXP30 Ultra SSD I/O Drawer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

1.6.5 EXP24S SFF Gen2-bay drawer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

1.6.6 EXP12S SAS drawer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

1.7 Comparison between models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

1.8 Build to order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

1.9 IBM Edition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

1.9.1 Express Editions for IBM i . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

1.9.2 Express Editions for Power 720 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

1.10 IBM i Solution Editions for Power 720 and Power 740 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

1.11 IBM i for Business Intelligence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

1.12 Model upgrade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

1.12.1 Upgrade considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

1.12.2 Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

1.13 Server and virtualization management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

1.14 System racks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

1.14.1 IBM 7014 Model S25 rack. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

1.14.2 IBM 7014 Model T00 rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

1.14.3 IBM 7014 Model T42 rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

1.14.4 Feature code 0555 rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

1.14.5 Feature code 0551 rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2013. All rights reserved. iii

1.14.6 Feature code 0553 rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

1.14.7 The AC power distribution unit and rack content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

1.14.8 Rack-mounting rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

1.14.9 Useful rack additions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

1.14.10 OEM rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Chapter 2. Architecture and technical overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

2.1 The IBM POWER7+ processor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

2.1.1 POWER7+ processor overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

2.1.2 POWER7+ processor core . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

2.1.3 Simultaneous multithreading. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

2.1.4 Memory access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

2.1.5 On-chip L3 cache innovation and Intelligent Cache . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

2.1.6 POWER7+ processor and Intelligent Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

2.1.7 Comparison of the POWER7+, POWER7, and POWER6 processors . . . . . . . . . 50

2.2 POWER7+ processor modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

2.2.1 Modules and cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

2.2.2 Power 720 and Power 740 systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

2.3 Memory subsystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

2.3.1 Registered DIMM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

2.3.2 Memory placement rules. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

2.3.3 Memory bandwidth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

2.4 Capacity on Demand and Capacity Backup offering. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

2.5 System bus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

2.6 Internal I/O subsystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

2.6.1 Slot configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

2.6.2 System ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

2.7 PCI adapters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

2.7.1 PCIe Gen1 and Gen2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

2.7.2 PCIe adapter form factors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

2.7.3 LAN adapters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

2.7.4 Graphics accelerator adapters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

2.7.5 SCSI and SAS adapters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

2.7.6 PCIe RAID and SSD SAS Adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

2.7.7 iSCSI adapters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

2.7.8 Fibre Channel adapters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

2.7.9 Fibre Channel over Ethernet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

2.7.10 InfiniBand Host Channel adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

2.7.11 Asynchronous and USB adapters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

2.7.12 Cryptographic coprocessor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

2.8 Internal storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

2.8.1 RAID support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

2.8.2 External SAS port and split backplane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

2.8.3 Media bays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

2.9 External I/O subsystems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

2.9.1 PCI-DDR 12X expansion drawer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

2.9.2 12X I/O Drawer PCIe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

2.9.3 12X I/O Drawer PCIe configuration and cabling rules. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

2.10 External disk subsystems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

2.10.1 EXP30 Ultra SSD I/O drawer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

2.10.2 EXP24S SFF Gen2-bay drawer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

2.10.3 EXP12S SAS expansion drawer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

2.10.4 IBM System Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

iv IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

2.11 Hardware Management Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

2.11.1 HMC connectivity to the POWER7+ processor-based systems . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

2.11.2 High availability HMC configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

2.12 Operating system support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

2.12.1 IBM AIX operating system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

2.12.2 IBM i operating system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

2.12.3 Linux operating system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

2.12.4 Virtual I/O Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

2.12.5 Java versions that are supported . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

2.12.6 Boosting performance and productivity with IBM compilers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

2.13 Energy management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

2.13.1 IBM EnergyScale technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

2.13.2 Thermal power management device card. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

2.13.3 Energy consumption estimation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Chapter 3. Virtualization. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

3.1 POWER Hypervisor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

3.2 POWER processor modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

3.3 Active Memory Expansion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

3.4 PowerVM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

3.4.1 PowerVM editions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

3.4.2 Logical partitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

3.4.3 Multiple shared processor pools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

3.4.4 Virtual I/O Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

3.4.5 PowerVM Live Partition Mobility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

3.4.6 Active Memory Sharing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

3.4.7 Active Memory Deduplication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

3.4.8 Dynamic Platform Optimizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

3.4.9 Dynamic System Optimizer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

3.4.10 Operating system support for PowerVM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

3.4.11 Linux support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

3.5 System Planning Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

3.6 New PowerVM Version 2.2.2 features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150

Chapter 4. Continuous availability and manageability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

4.1 Reliability. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

4.1.1 Designed for reliability. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

4.1.2 Placement of components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

4.1.3 Redundant components and concurrent repair. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

4.2 Availability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

4.2.1 Partition availability priority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

4.2.2 General detection and deallocation of failing components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

4.2.3 Memory protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

4.2.4 Cache protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

4.2.5 Special Uncorrectable Error handling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158

4.2.6 PCI Enhanced Error Handling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

4.3 Serviceability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

4.3.1 Detecting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

4.3.2 Diagnosing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166

4.3.3 Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

4.3.4 Notifying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

4.3.5 Locating and servicing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

Contents v

4.4 Manageability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

4.4.1 Service user interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

4.4.2 IBM Power Systems firmware maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

4.4.3 Concurrent firmware update improvements with POWER7+ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180

4.4.4 Electronic Services and Electronic Service Agent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181

4.5 POWER7+ RAS features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182

4.6 Power-On Reset Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

4.7 Operating system support for RAS features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

Related publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187

IBM Redbooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187

Other publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188

Online resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

Help from IBM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

vi IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

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© Copyright IBM Corp. 2013. All rights reserved. vii

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viii IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

Preface

This IBM® Redpaper™ publication is a comprehensive guide covering the IBM Power 720
(8202-E4D) and Power 740 (8205-E6D) servers that support IBM AIX®, IBM i, and Linux
operating systems. The goal of this paper is to introduce the innovative Power 720 and
Power 740 offerings and their major functions:

򐂰 The IBM POWER7+™ processor is available at frequencies of 3.6 GHz, and 4.2 GHz.
򐂰 The larger IBM POWER7+ Level 3 cache provides greater bandwidth, capacity, and

򐂰 The 4-port 10/100/1000 Base-TX Ethernet PCI Express adapter is included in the base

򐂰 The integrated SAS/SATA controller for HDD, SSD, tape, and DVD supports built-in

򐂰 New IBM PowerVM® V2.2.2 features, such as 20 LPARs per core.
򐂰 The improved IBM Active Memory™ Expansion technology provides more usable memory

򐂰 IBM EnergyScale™ technology provides features such as power trending, power-saving,

򐂰 High-performance SSD drawer.

reliability.

configuration and installed in a PCIe Gen2 x4 slot.

hardware RAID 0, 1, and 10.

than is physically installed in the system.

capping of power, and thermal measurement.

Authors

Professionals who want to acquire a better understanding of IBM Power Systems™
products can benefit from reading this publication. The intended audience includes the
following roles:

򐂰 Clients
򐂰 Sales and marketing professionals
򐂰 Technical support professionals
򐂰 IBM Business Partners
򐂰 Independent software vendors

This paper complements the available set of IBM Power Systems documentation by providing
a desktop reference that offers a detailed technical description of the Power 720 and
Power 740 systems.

This paper does not replace the latest marketing materials and configuration tools. It is
intended as an additional source of information that, together with existing sources, can be
used to enhance your knowledge of IBM server solutions.

This paper was produced by a team of specialists from around the world working at the
International Technical Support Organization, Poughkeepsie Center.

James Cruickshank works on the Power Systems Client Technical Specialist team for IBM in
the UK. He holds an Honors degree in Mathematics from the University of Leeds. James has
over 11 years of experience working with IBM pSeries®, IBM System p®, and Power Systems
products and is a member of the EMEA Power Champions team. James supports customers
in the financial services sector in the UK.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2013. All rights reserved. ix

Sorin Hanganu is an Accredited Product Services professional. He has eight years of
experience working on Power Systems and IBM i products. He is an IBM Certified Solution
Expert for IBM Dynamic Infrastructure® and also an IBM Certified Systems Expert for Power
Systems, AIX, PowerVM virtualization, ITIL, and ITSM. Sorin works as a System Services
Representative for Power Systems in Bucharest, Romania.

Volker Haug is an Open Group Certified IT Specialist within IBM Germany, supporting Power
Systems clients and Business Partners as a Client Technical Specialist. He holds a diploma
degree in Business Management from the University of Applied Studies in Stuttgart. His
career includes more than 25 years of experience with Power Systems, AIX, and PowerVM
virtualization; he has written several Power Systems and PowerVM IBM Redbooks®
publications. Volker is an IBM POWER7® Champion and a member of the German Technical
Expert Council, an affiliate of the IBM Academy of Technology.

Stephen Lutz is a Certified Senior Technical Sales Professional for Power Systems, working
for IBM Germany. He holds a degree in Commercial Information Technology from the
University of Applied Science Karlsruhe, Germany. He is POWER7 champion and has 14
years experience in AIX, Linux, virtualization, and Power Systems and its predecessors,
providing pre-sales technical support to clients, Business Partners, and IBM sales
representatives all over Germany. Stephen is also an expert in IBM Systems Director, its
plug-ins, and IBM SmartCloud® Entry with a focus on Power Systems and AIX.

John T Schmidt is an Accredited IT Specialist for IBM and has 12 years of experience with
IBM and Power Systems. He has a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of
Missouri - Rolla, and an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis. In addition to
contributing to eight other Power Systems IBM Redpapers™ publications, in 2010, he
completed an assignment with the IBM Corporate Service Corps in Hyderabad, India. He is
working in the United States as a pre-sales Field Technical Sales Specialist for Power
Systems in Boston, MA.

Marco Vallone is a Certified IT Specialist at IBM, Italy. He joined IBM in 1989, starting in the
Power Systems production plant (Santa Palomba) as a Product Engineer, and then worked
for the ITS AIX support and delivery service center. For the last eight years of his career, he
has worked as IT Solution Architect in the ITS Solution Design Compentence Center of
Excellence in Rome, where he mainly designs infrastructure solutions on distributed
environments with a special focus on Power System solution.

The project that produced this publication was managed by:

Scott Vetter

Executive Project Manager, PMP

Thanks to the following people for their contributions to this project:

Larry L. Amy, Ron Arroyo, Hsien-I Chang, Carlo Costantini, Kirk Dietzman, Gary Elliott,
Michael S. Floyd, James Hermes, Pete Heyrman, John Hilburn, Roberto Huerta de la Torre,
Dan Hurlimann, Roxette Johnson, Sabine Jordan, Kevin Kehne, Robert Lowden, Jia Lei Ma,
Hilary Melville, Hans Mozes, Thoi Nguyen, Mark Olson, Robb Romans, Pat O’Rourke,
Jan Palmer, Velma Pavlasek, Dave Randall, Todd Rosedahl, Edelgard Schittko,
Hansjoerg Schneider, Jeff Stuecheli, Madeline Vega
IBM

Udo Sachs
SVA Germany

Tam ikia B arrow
International Technical Support Organization, Poughkeepsie Center

x IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

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length, and you can participate either in person or as a remote resident working from your
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Find out more about the residency program, browse the residency index, and apply online at:

ibm.com/redbooks/residencies.html

Comments welcome

Your comments are important to us!

We want our papers to be as helpful as possible. Send us your comments about this paper or
other IBM Redbooks publications in one of the following ways:

򐂰 Use the online Contact us review Redbooks form found at:

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򐂰 Send your comments in an email to:

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Preface xi

xii IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

Chapter 1. General description

1

The IBM Power 720 (8202-E4D) and IBM Power 740 (8205-E6D) servers use the latest
POWER7+ processor technology that delivers unprecedented performance, scalability,
reliability, and manageability for demanding commercial workloads. The Power 720 and
Power 740 servers provide enhancements that can be beneficial to customers who run
applications that drive high I/O or memory requirements.

Performance, availability, and flexibility of the Power 720 server can enable companies to
spend more time running their business by using a proven solution from thousands of ISVs
that support the AIX, IBM i, and Linux operating systems. The Power 720 server is a
high-performance, energy-efficient, reliable, and secure infrastructure and application server
in a dense form factor. As a high-performance infrastructure or application server, the
Power 720 contains innovative workload-optimizing technologies that maximize performance
based on client computing needs, and Intelligent Energy features that help maximize
performance and optimize energy efficiency, resulting in one of the most cost-efficient
solutions for UNIX, IBM i, and Linux deployments.

As a distributed application server, the IBM Power 720 offers capabilities to deliver
leading-edge application availability and enable more work to be processed with less
operational disruption for branch-office and in-store applications. As a consolidation server,
PowerVM Editions provide the flexibility to use leading-edge AIX, IBM i, Linux applications
and offer comprehensive virtualization technologies to aggregate and manage resources,
while helping to simplify and optimize your IT infrastructure and deliver one of the most
cost-efficient solutions for UNIX, IBM i, and Linux deployments.

The Power 740 offers the performance, capacity, and configuration flexibility to meet the most
demanding growth requirements, and combined with industrial-strength PowerVM
virtualization for AIX, IBM i, and Linux, it can fully use the capability of the system. These
capabilities can satisfy even the most demanding processing environments and can deliver
business advantages and higher client satisfaction.

The Power 740 is designed with innovative workload-optimizing and energy management
technologies to help clients get the most out of their systems (that is, running applications
rapidly and energy efficiently to conserve energy and reduce infrastructure costs). It is fueled
by outstanding performance of the POWER7+ processor, so applications can run faster with
fewer processors, resulting in lower per-core software licensing costs.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2013. All rights reserved. 1

1.1 Systems overview

You can find detailed information about the Power 720 and Power 740 systems within the
following sections.

1.1.1 The Power 720 server

The Power 720 offers a choice of a 4-core, 6-core, or 8-core configuration running at 3.6 GHz,
available in a 4U rack-mount or a tower form factor. The POWER7+ processor chip in this
server is a 64-bit, 4-core, 6-core, or 8-core module with 10 MB of L3 cache per core and
256 KB of L2 cache per core.

The Power 720 server supports a maximum of 16 DDR3 DIMM slots, with eight DIMM slots
included in the base configuration and eight DIMM slots available with an optional memory
riser card. A system with the optionally installed memory riser card has a maximum memory
of 512 GB.

The Power 720 system includes an integrated SAS controller, offering RAID 0, 1, and 10
support; two storage backplanes are available. The base configuration supports up to six
small form factor (SFF) SAS hard-disk drives (HDDs) or solid-state drives (SSDs), an SATA
DVD, and a half-high tape drive. A higher-function backplane is available as an option. This
supports up to eight SFF SAS HDDs or SSDs, an SATA DVD, a half-high tape drive, Dual
175 MB Write Cache RAID with RAID 5 and 6 support, and an external SAS port.

All HDDs or SSDs are hot-swap and front accessible. If the internal storage capacity is not
sufficient, additional disk I/O drawers can be attached to the system unit, providing large
storage capacity and multiple partition support.

The Power 720 includes five Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) Express (PCIe) Gen2
full-height profile slots for installing adapters in the system. Optionally, an additional riser card
with four PCIe Gen2 low-profile (LP) slots can be installed in a GX++ slot available on the
backplane. This option extends the number of slots to nine. The system also includes a PCIe
x4 Gen2 slot containing a PCIe2 4-Port 10/100/1000 Base-TX Ethernet adapter.

If additional PCIe slots are required, the Power 720 supports external I/O drawers in place of
the riser card, allowing for a maximum of two PCIe drawers (feature codes: FC 5802 and
FC 5877). This support increases the number of available slots by 20 to 25 PCIe slots in total.

Only the 6-core and 8-core systems support external I/O slots.

Unsupported: The Integrated Virtual Ethernet (IVE) adapter is not available for the
Power 720.

The Power 720 also implements Light Path diagnostics, which provides an obvious and
intuitive means to positively identify failing components. With Light Path diagnostics, system
engineers and administrators can more easily and quickly diagnose hardware problems.

An upgrade is available from an IBM POWER6® processor-based IBM Power 520 server
(8203-E4A) to the Power 720 (8202-E4D). A Power 520 (9408-M25) can be converted to a
Power 520 (8203-E4A) and then be upgraded to a Power 720 (8202-E4D). You can also
directly upgrade from a Power 520 (8203-E4A) to the Power 720 (8202-E4D), preserving the
existing serial number.

2 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

The Capacity Backup (CBU) designation, offered for the Power 720 system, can help meet
your requirements for a second system to use for backup, high availability, and disaster
recovery. It enables you to temporarily transfer IBM i processor license entitlements and IBM i
user license entitlements purchased for a primary machine to a secondary
CBU-designated system. Temporarily transferring these resources instead of purchasing
them for your secondary system might result in significant savings. Processor activations
cannot be transferred.

Figure 1-1 shows the Power 720 rack and tower models.

Figure 1-1 Power 720 rack and tower models

1.1.2 The Power 740 server

The IBM Power 740 server is a 4U rack-mount with two processor sockets that offer 6-core

4.2 GHz, 8-core 3.6 GHz, and 8-core 4.2 GHz processor options. The POWER7+ processor
chips in this server are 64-bit, 6-core, and 8-core modules with 10 MB of L3 cache per core
and 256 KB of L2 cache per core.

The Power 740 server supports a maximum of 32 DDR3 DIMM slots, with eight DIMM slots
included in the base configuration and 24 DIMM slots available with three optional memory
riser cards. A system with three optional memory riser cards installed has a maximum
memory of 1024 GB.

The Power 740 system includes an integrated SAS controller, offering RAID 0, 1, and 10
support, and two storage backplanes are available. The base configuration supports up to six
SFF SAS HDDs or SSDs, an SATA DVD, and a half-high tape drive. A higher-function
backplane is available as an option. This option supports up to eight SFF SAS HDDs or
SSDs, an SATA DVD, a half-high tape drive, Dual 175 MB Write Cache RAID with RAID 5 and
RAID 6 support, and an external SAS port.

All HDDs or SSDs are hot-swap and front accessible. If the internal storage capacity is not
sufficient, additional disk I/O drawers can be attached to the system unit, providing large
storage capacity and multiple partition support.

Chapter 1. General description 3

The Power 740 includes five PCI Express (PCIe) Gen2 full-height profile slots for installing
adapters in the system. Optionally, an additional riser card with four PCIe Gen2 low-profile
slots can be installed in a GX++ slot available on the backplane. This option extends the
number of slots to nine. The system also includes a PCIe x4 Gen2 slot containing a PCIe 2 or
4-Ports 10/100/1000 Base-TX Ethernet adapter.

If additional slots are required, the Power 740 supports external I/O drawers, allowing for a
maximum of four FC 5802 and FC 5877 PCIe drawers. This increases the number of
available slots by 40 to 45 PCIe slots in total. Note that the second processor card is
necessary to support four I/O drawers. With one processor card, only two I/O drawers can be
attached to the system.

.

Unavailable: The Integrated Virtual Ethernet (IVE) adapter is not available for the
Power 740.

The Power 740 also implements Light Path diagnostics, which provides an obvious and
intuitive means to positively identify failing components. With Light Path diagnostics, system
engineers and administrators can more easily and quickly diagnose hardware problems.

The Capacity Backup (CBU) designation, offered for the Power 740 system, can help meet
your requirements for a second system to use for backup, high availability, and disaster
recovery. It enables you to temporarily transfer IBM i processor license entitlements and IBM i
user license entitlements purchased for a primary machine to a secondary
CBU-designated system. Temporarily transferring these resources instead of purchasing
them for your secondary system might result in significant savings. Processor activations
cannot be transferred.

Figure 1-2 shows the Power 740 rack model.

Figure 1-2 Power 740 rack model

4 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

1.2 Operating environment

Table 1-1 lists the operating environment specifications for the servers.

Table 1-1 Operating environment for Power 720 and Power 740

Power 720 and Power 740 operating environment

Description Operating Non-operating

Power 720 Power 740 Power 720 Power 740

Temperature 5 - 35 degrees C (41 - 95 degrees F)

Recommended: 18 - 27 degrees C
(64 - 80 degrees F)

Relative
humidity

Maximum dew
point

Operating
voltage

Operating
frequency

Power
consumption

Power source
loading

Thermal output 3395 Btu/hour

Maximum
altitude

Noise level
reference point

8 - 80% 8 - 80%

28 degrees C (84 degrees F) 28 degrees C (84 degrees F)

100 - 127 VAC or
200 - 240 VAC

47 - 63 Hz N/A

995 Watts
maximum

1.015 kVa
maximum

maximum

3050 m
(10,000 ft)

Tower system:

:

5.6 bels
(operating)

5.5 bels (idle)
Rack system:

5.6 bels
(operating)

5.5 bels (idle)

200 - 240 V AC N/A

1630 Watts
maximum

1.664 kVa
maximum

5562 Btu/hour
maximum

Rack system:

6.0 bels
(operating)

5.9 bels (idle)

5 - 45 degrees C (41 to 113 degrees F)

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Note: The maximum measured value is expected from a fully populated server under an
intensive workload. The maximum measured value also accounts for component tolerance
and operating conditions that are not ideal. Power consumption and heat load vary greatly
by server configuration and utilization. Use the IBM Systems Energy Estimator to obtain a
heat output estimate based on a specific configuration:

http://www-912.ibm.com/see/EnergyEstimator

Chapter 1. General description 5

1.3 Physical package

The Power 720 is available in both rack-mount and tower form factors. The Power 740 is
available in rack-mount form factor only. The major physical attributes for each are discussed
in the following sections.

1.3.1 Tower model

The Power 720 can be configured as tower models by selecting the features in Table 1-2.

Table 1-2 Features for selecting tower models

Cover set Power 720 (8202-E4D)

IBM Tower Cover Set FC 7567

OEM Tower Cover Set FC 7568

Table 1-3 shows the physical dimensions of the tower models.

Table 1-3 Physical dimensions of the Power 720 tower chassis

Dimension Power 720 (8202-E4D)

Width without tip plate 183 mm (7.2 in)

Width with tip plate 328.5 mm (12.9 in)

Depth 688 mm (27.1 in)

Height 541 mm (21.3 in)

Weight without tip plate 53.7 kg (118.1 lb)

Weight with tip plate 57.2 kg (125.8 lb)

1.3.2 Rack-mount model

The Power 720 and Power 740 can be configured as 4U (4 EIA) rack-mount models by
selecting the features shown in Table 1-4.

Table 1-4 Features for selecting rack-mount models

Cover set Power 720

IBM Rack-mount Drawer Bezel and Hardware FC 7134 FC 7131

OEM Rack-mount Drawer Bezel and Hardware FC 7135 FC 7132

(8202-E4D)

Power 740
(8205-E6D)

6 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

Table 1-5 shows the physical dimensions of the rack-mount models.

External
SAS Port

5 x PCIe x8 Gen2 slots

GX++ Slot 1
(shared with PCIe
expansion feature)

System
Ports

SPCN
Por ts

HMC
Por ts

Optional
4 x PCIe x8 Gen2 slots

USB
Ports

Slot 2

GX++

4-port

1 Gb

Ethernet

or

Table 1-5 Physical dimensions of the Power 720 and Power 740 rack-mount chassis

Dimension Power 720 (8202-E4D) Power 740 (8205-E6D)

Width 440 mm (17.3 ) 440 mm (17.3 in)

Depth 610 mm (24.0 in) 610 mm (24.0 in)

Height 173 mm (6.81 in) 173 mm (6.81 in)

Weight 48.7 kg (107.4 lb) 48.7 kg (107.4 lb)

Figure 1-3 shows the rear view of a Power 740 with the optional PCIe expansion.

Figure 1-3 Rear view of a rack-mount Power 740 server

1.4 System features

The system chassis contains one processor module (Power 720) or up to two processor
modules (Power 740). Each POWER7+ processor module is either 4-core, 6-core, or 8-core
for the Power 720, and 6-core or 8-core for the Power 740. Each of the POWER7+ processor
chips in the server has a 64-bit architecture, up to 2 MB of L2 cache (256 KB per core) and up
to 80 MB of L3 cache (10 MB per core).

Chapter 1. General description 7

1.4.1 Power 720 system features

The standard features are as follows:

򐂰 Tower or rack-mount (4U) chassis
򐂰 Configuration of 4-core, 6-core, or 8-core, with one 3.6 GHz processor module
򐂰 Up to 512 GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 ECC memory
򐂰 An integrated SAS controller, offering RAID 0, 1, and 10 support
򐂰 Choice of two disk/media backplanes:

– Six 2.5-inch HDD/SSD/Media backplane with one tape drive bay and one DVD bay
– Eight 2.5-inch HDD/SSD/Media backplane with one tape drive bay, one DVD bay, Dual

175 MB Write Cache RAID with RAID 5 and 6 support, and one external SAS port

򐂰 A PCIe x4 Gen2 slot containing PCIe2 4-Port 10/100/1000 Base-TX Ethernet adapter
򐂰 A maximum of nine PCIe Gen2 slots:

– Five PCIe x8 full-height short card slots
– Optional four PCIe x8 low-profile short card slots

򐂰 One GX++ slot
򐂰 Integrated:

– Service processor
– EnergyScale technology
– Hot-swap and redundant cooling
– Three USB ports and two system ports
– Two HMC ports and two SPCN ports

򐂰 Optional redundant, 1925 Watt AC hot-swap power supplies

1.4.2 Power 740 system features

The standard features are as follows:

򐂰 Tower (4U) chassis
򐂰 Processors:

– Configuration of 6-core or 12-core, with one or two 4.2 GHz 6-core processor modules
– Configuration of 8-core or 16-core, with one or two 8-core processor modules that are

running at 3.6 GHz or 4.2 GHz.

򐂰 Up to 1024 GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 ECC memory
򐂰 An integrated SAS controller, offering RAID 0, 1, and 10 support
򐂰 Choice of two disk/media backplanes:

– Six 2.5-inch HDD/SSD/Media backplanes with one tape drive bay and one DVD bay
– Eight 2.5-inch HDD/SSD/Media backplanes with one tape drive bay, one DVD bay,

Dual 175 MB Write Cache RAID with RAID 5 and 6 support, and one external SAS port

򐂰 A PCIe x4 Gen2 slot containing a PCIe2 4-Port 10/100/1000 Base-TX Ethernet adapter
򐂰 A maximum of nine PCIe Gen2 slots:

– Five PCIe x8 full-height short card slots
– Optional four PCIe x8 low-profile short card slots

8 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

򐂰 Two GX++ slots
򐂰 Integrated:

– Service processor
– EnergyScale technology
– Hot-swap and redundant cooling
– Three USB ports and two system ports
– Two HMC ports and two SPCN ports

򐂰 Redundant, 1925 watt AC hot-swap power supplies

1.4.3 Minimum features

Each system has a minimum feature set to be valid.

The minimum initial order must include a processor, processor activations, memory, a
power supply, a power cord (two power supplies and two power cords for the Power 740), one
HDD/SSD, a storage backplane, an operating system indicator, a cover set indicator and a
Language Group Specify.

If IBM i is the primary operating system (FC 2145), the initial order must also include one
additional HDD/SSD, a Mirrored System Disk Level Specify Code, and a System Console on
HMC Indicator. A DVD-RAM on every order is installed by default but may be deselected.

Note: No internal HDD or SSD is required if FC 0837 (Boot from SAN) is selected. A Fibre
Channel or Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) adapter must be ordered if FC 0837 is
selected.

1.4.4 Power supply features

One 1925 watt AC power supply (FC 5532) is required for the Power 720. A second power
supply is optional. Two 1925 Watt A/C power supplies are required for the Power 740. The
second power supply provides redundant power for enhanced system availability. To provide
full redundancy, the two power supplies must be connected to separate power distribution
units (PDUs).

The server continues to function with one working power supply. A failed power supply can be
hot-swapped but must remain in the system until the replacement power supply is available
for exchange.

1.4.5 Processor module features

Each processor module in the system houses a single POWER7+ processor chip. The
processor is either 4-core (Power 720 only), 6-core, or 8-core. The Power 720 supports one
processor module. The Power 740 supports a second processor module that must be
identical to the first.

The number of processor activation code features must be equal to the number of installed
processor cores.

Chapter 1. General description 9

Table 1-6 lists the available processor features for the Power 720.

Table 1-6 Processor features for the Power 720

Feature code Processor module description

EPCK 4-core 3.6 GHz POWER7+ processor module

EPCL (CCIN 54B0) 6-core 3.6 GHz POWER7+ processor module

EPCM 8-core 3.6 GHz POWER7+ processor module

The Power 740 requires that one or two processor modules be installed. If two
processor modules are installed, they must be identical. Table 1-7 lists the available
processor features.

Table 1-7 Processor features for the Power 740

Feature code Processor module description

EPCP 6-core 4.2 GHz POWER7+ processor module

EPCQ 8-core 3.6 GHz POWER7+ processor module

EPCR 8-core 4.2 GHz POWER7+ processor module

1.4.6 Memory features

In POWER7+ processor-based systems, DDR3 memory is used for throughout. The
POWER7+ DDR3 memory uses a memory architecture to provide greater bandwidth and
capacity. This enables operating at a higher data rate for larger memory configurations.

Memory in the Power 720 and 740 systems is installed into memory riser cards. One memory
riser card is included in the base system. The base memory riser card is not listed as a
feature code in the configurator. Additional memory riser cards, feature FC EM01, can be
installed up to a maximum of two per processor module. Each memory riser card provides
eight DDR3 DIMM slots. DIMMs are available in capacities of 4 GB, 8 GB, 16 GB, and 32 GB
at 1066 MHz and are installed in pairs.

Table 1-8 lists available memory features on the systems.

Table 1-8 Summary of memory features

Feature code Feature capacity Access rate DIMMs

EM08 8GB 1066MHz 2x4GB DIMMs

EM4B (CCIN 31FA) 16GB 1066MHz 2x8GB DIMMs

a

EM4C

a

EM4D

a. A Power 720 system with 4-core processor module feature FC EPCK cannot be ordered with

the 32 GB memory feature FC EM4C or 64 GB memory feature FC EM4D.

32 GB 1066 MHz 2 x 16 GB DIMMs

64 GB 1066 MHz 2 x 32 GB DIMMs

For performance optimization, install memory evenly across all memory riser cards in the
system. Balancing memory across the installed memory riser cards allows memory access
in a consistent manner and typically results in the best possible performance for your
configuration. However, balancing memory fairly evenly across multiple memory riser
cards, compared to balancing memory exactly evenly typically has a small difference in
performance.

10 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

1.5 Disk and media features

The Power 720 and Power 740 systems feature an integrated SAS controller, offering
RAID 0, 1, and 10 support with two storage backplane options:

򐂰 The FC 5618 option supports up to six SFF SAS HDDs or SSDs, a SATA DVD, and a

half-high tape drive for either a tape drive or USB removable disk. This feature does not
provide RAID 5, RAID 6, a write cache, or an external SAS port. Split backplane
functionality (3x3) is supported with the additional FC EJ02.

Remember:

򐂰 No additional PCIe SAS adapter is required for split-backplane functionality.
򐂰 FC 5618 is not supported with IBM i.

򐂰 The FC EJ01 option is a higher-function backplane that supports up to eight SFF SAS

HDDs or SSDs, a SATA DVD, a half-high tape drive for either a tape drive or USB
removable disk, Dual 175 MB Write Cache RAID, and one external SAS port. The
FC EJ01 supports RAID 5 and RAID 6; no split backplane is available for this feature.

All HDDs/SSDs are hot-swap and front accessible.

Table 1-9 shows the available storage configurations for the Power 720 and Power 740.

Table 1-9 Available storage configurations for Power 720 and Power 740

Feature code Split

backplane

JBOD RAID 0, 1,

and 10

RAID 5 and 6External

SAS port

5618 No Yes Yes No No

5618 and EJ02 Yes Yes Yes No No

EJ01 No No Yes Yes Yes

Table 1-10 shows the available disk drive feature codes for the installation a Power 720 and
Power 740 server.

Table 1-10 Disk drive feature code description

Feature code Description OS support

1917 146 GB 15K RPM SAS SFF-2 Disk Drive AIX, Linux

1886 146 GB 15K RPM SFF SAS Disk Drive AIX, Linux

1775 177 GB SFF-1 SSD with eMLC AIX, Linux

1793 177 GB SFF-2 SSD with eMLC AIX, Linux

1995 177 GB SSD Module with eMLC AIX, Linux

1925 300 GB 10K RPM SAS SFF-2 Disk Drive AIX, Linux

1953 300 GB 10K RPM SAS SFF-2 Disk Drive AIX, Linux

1885 300 GB 10K RPM SFF SAS Disk Drive AIX, Linux

1880 300 GB 15K RPM SFF SAS Disk Drive AIX, Linux

ES0A 387 GB SFF-1 SSD with eMLC AIX, Linux

ES0C 387 GB SFF-2 SSD eMLC AIX, Linux

Chapter 1. General description 11

Feature code Description OS support

1790 600 GB 10K RPM SAS SFF Disk Drive AIX, Linux

1964 600 GB 10K RPM SAS SFF-2 Disk Drive AIX, Linux

1790 600 GB 10K RPM SAS SFF Disk Drive AIX, Linux

1751 900 GB 10K RPM SAS SFF Disk Drive AIX, Linux

1752 900 GB 10K RPM SAS SFF-2 Disk Drive AIX, Linux

1888 139.5 GB 15K RPM SFF SAS Disk Drive IBM i

1947 139 GB 15K RPM SAS SFF-2 Disk Drive IBM i

1787 177 GB SFF-1 SSD with eMLC IBM i

1794 177 GB SFF-2 SSD with eMLC IBM i

1996 177 GB SSD Module with eMLC IBM i

1956 283 GB 10K RPM SAS SFF-2 Disk Drive IBM i

1911 283 GB 10K RPM SFF SAS Disk Drive IBM i

1879 283 GB 15K RPM SAS SFF Disk Drive IBM i

1948 283 GB 15K RPM SAS SFF-2 Disk Drive IBM i

ES0B 387 GB SFF-1 SSD eMLC IBM i

ES0D 387 GB SFF-2 SSD eMLC IBM i

1916 571 GB 10K RPM SAS SFF Disk Drive IBM i

1962 571 GB 10K RPM SAS SFF-2 Disk Drive IBM i

1909 69 GB SFF SAS SSD IBM i

1737 856 GB 10K RPM SAS SFF Disk Drive IBM i

1738 856 GB 10K RPM SAS SFF-2 Disk Drive IBM i

Table 1-11 shows the available disk drive feature codes for the installation in an I/O enclosure
external to a Power 720 and Power 740 server.

Table 1-11 Disk drive used in I/O drawer feature code description

Feature code Description OS support

3586 69 GB 3.5" SAS SSD AIX, Linux

3647 146 GB 15K RPM SAS Disk Drive AIX, Linux

3648 300 GB 15K RPM SAS Disk Drive AIX, Linux

3649 450 GB 15K RPM SAS Disk Drive AIX, Linux

3587 69 GB 3.5" SAS SSD IBM i

3677 139.5 GB 15K RPM SAS Disk Drive IBM i

3678 283.7 GB 15K RPM SAS Disk Drive IBM i

3658 428 GB 15K RPM SAS Disk Drive IBM i

12 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

Certain adapters are available for order in large quantities. Table 1-12 lists the Gen2 disk
drives in a quantity of 150.

Table 1-12 Available disk drives in quantity of 150

Feature code Description

1817 Quantity 150 of FC 1962 (571 GB 10K RPM SAS SFF-2 Disk Drive)

1818 Quantity 150 of FC 1964 (600 GB 10K RPM SAS SFF-2 Disk Drive)

1844 Quantity 150 of FC 1956 (283 GB 10K RPM SAS SFF-2 Disk Drive)

1866 Quantity 150 of FC 1917 (146 GB 15K RPM SAS SFF-2 Disk Drive)

1868 Quantity 150 of FC 1947 (139 GB 15K RPM SAS SFF-2 Disk Drive)

1869 Quantity 150 of FC 1925 (300 GB 10K RPM SAS SFF-2 Disk Drive)

1887 Quantity 150 of FC 1793 (177 GB SFF-2 SSD with eMLC)

1927 Quantity 150 of FC 1948 (283 GB 15K RPM SAS SFF-2 Disk Drive)

1929 Quantity 150 of FC 1953 (300 GB 10K RPM SAS SFF-2 Disk Drive)

1958 Quantity 150 of FC 1794 (177 GB SFF-2 SSD with eMLC)

EQ0C Quantity 150 of FC ES0C (387 GB SAS SFF-2 SSD)

EQ0D Quantity 150 of FC ES0D (387 GB SAS SFF-2 SSD)

EQ38 Quantity 150 of FC 1738 (856 GB SFF-2 disk)

EQ52 Quantity 150 of FC 1752 (900 GB SFF-2 disk)

Chapter 1. General description 13

Additional considerations for SAS-bay-based SSDs (FC 1775, FC 1787, FC 1793,
FC 1794, FC 1890, FC 1909, FC 3586, and FC 3587):

򐂰 SFF features FC ES0A, FC ES0B, FC 1775, FC 1787, FC 1793, FC 1794, FC 1890,

and FC 1909 are supported in the Power 720 and Power 740 system unit.

򐂰 The 3.5-inch feature codes FC 3586 and FC 3587 are not supported in the Power 720

and Power 740 system unit.

򐂰 SSDs and HDDs are not allowed to mirror each other.
򐂰 SSDs are not supported by feature codes FC 5278, FC 5900, FC 5901, FC 5902, and

FC 5912.

򐂰 When an SSD is placed in higher-function backplane (FC EJ01), no EXP12S

Expansion Drawer (FC 5886) or EXP24S SFF Gen2-bay Drawer (FC 5887) is
supported to connect to the external SAS port of the system.

򐂰 When an SSD is placed in a EXP12S Expansion Drawer (FC 5886) or EXP24S SFF

Gen2-bay Drawer (FC 5887), the drawer is not allowed to connect to external SAS port
of the system.

򐂰 A maximum of eight SSDs per EXP12S Expansion Drawer (FC 5886) is allowed. No

mixing of SSDs and HDDs is allowed in the EXP12S Expansion Drawer (FC 5886). A
maximum of one FC 5886 EXP12S drawer containing SSDs that are attached to a
single controller or pair of controllers is allowed. A EXP12S Expansion Drawer
(FC 5886) containing SSD drives cannot be connected to other FC 5886s. An FC 5886
that contains SSD drives cannot be attached to the external SAS port on the Power 720
or Power 740.

򐂰 In a Power 720 or Power 740 with a split backplane (3 x 3), SSDs and HDDs can be

placed in either “split,” but no mixing of SSDs and HDDs within a split is allowed. IBM i
does not support split backplane.

򐂰 In a Power 720 or Power 740 without a split backplane, SSDs and HDDs may be mixed

in any combination. However, they cannot be in the same RAID array.

򐂰 HDD/SSD Data Protection: If IBM i (FC 2145) is selected, one of the following items is

required:

– Disk mirroring (default), which requires feature code FC 0040, FC 0043, or FC 0308
– SAN boot (FC 0837)
– RAID, which requires feature code FC 5630
– Mixed Data Protection (FC 0296)

If you need more disks than are available with the internal disk bays, you can attach additional
external disk subsystems.

SCSI disks are not supported in the Power 720 and Power 740 disk bays. However, if you
want to use SCSI disks, you can attach existing SCSI disk subsystems.

For more detailed information about the available external disk subsystems, see 2.9,
“External I/O subsystems” on page 79.

The Power 720 and Power 740 have a slim media bay that can contain an optional DVD-RAM
(FC 5762) and a half-high bay that can contain a tape drive or removable disk drive.

14 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

Table 1-13 lists the available media device feature codes for Power 720 and 740.

Table 1-13 Media device feature code description for Power 720 and 740

Feature code Description

1103 USB Internal Docking Station for Removable Disk Drive

1104 USB External Docking Station for Removable Disk Drive

5619 80/160 GB DAT160 Tape-SAS

5638 1.5 TB/3.0 TB LTO-5 Tape-SAS

5746 800 GB/1.6 TB LTO4 Tape-SAS

5762 SATA Slimline DVD-RAM Drive

Additional considerations for tape drives and USB disk drives:
򐂰 If tape device FC 5619, FC 5638, or FC 5746 is installed in the half-high media bay,

FC 3656 must be also selected.

򐂰 A half-high tape feature and a FC 1103 Removable USB Disk Drive Docking Station are

mutually exclusive. One or the other can be in the half-high bay in the system but not
both. As for the tape drive, the FC 3656 is not required with FC 1103.

1.6 I/O drawers for Power 720 and Power 740 servers

The Power 720 and Power 740 servers support the following 12X attached I/O drawers,
providing extensive capability to expand the overall server capacity and connectivity:

򐂰 The 12X I/O PCIe Drawer, SFF disk (FC 5802) provides 10 PCIe slots and 18 SFF SAS

disk slots.

򐂰 The 12X I/O PCIe Drawer, no disk (FC 5877) provides 10 PCIe slots.
򐂰 The PCI-X DDR 12X Expansion Drawer (FC 5796) provides six PCI-X slots (supported but

not orderable).

򐂰 The 7314-G30 drawer provides six PCI-X slots (supported but not orderable).

Three disk-only I/O drawers are also supported, providing large storage capacity and multiple
partition support:

򐂰 The EXP30 Ultra SSD I/O Drawer (FC EDR1) holds up to 30 SSD drives.
򐂰 The EXP24S SFF Gen2-bay drawer (FC 5887) holds SAS hard disk drives.
򐂰 The EXP12S SAS drawer (FC 5886) holds a 3.5-inch SAS disk or SSD.
򐂰 The 7031-D24 holds a 3.5-inch SCSI disk (supported but not orderable).

The Power 720 provides one GX++ slot, offering one connection loop. The Power 740 has
one GX++ slot if one processor module is installed, and two GX++ slots when two processor
modules are installed. Therefore, the Power 740 provides one or two connection loops.

Chapter 1. General description 15

1.6.1 12X I/O Drawer PCIe expansion units

The 12X I/O Drawer PCIe, SFF disk (FC 5802) and 12X I/O Drawer PCIe, no disk (FC 5877)
expansion units are 19-inch, rack-mountable, I/O expansion drawers that are designed to be
attached to the system using 12x double date rate (DDR) cables. The expansion units can
accommodate 10 generation 3 blind swap cassettes. These cassettes can be installed and
removed without removing the drawer from the rack.

Figure 1-4 shows the front view of the FC 5802 12X I/O drawer.

Figure 1-4 The front view of the FC 5802 I/O drawer

The FC 5802 I/O drawer has the following attributes:

򐂰 Eighteen SAS hot-swap SFF disk bays
򐂰 Ten PCIe based I/O adapter slots (blind swap)
򐂰 Redundant hot-swappable power and cooling units

The FC 5877 drawer is the same as FC 5802 except that it does not support any disk bays.

A maximum of two FC 5802 or FC 5877 drawers can be placed on the same 12X loop. The
FC 5877 I/O drawer can be on the same loop as the FC 5802 I/O drawer. A FC 5877 drawer
cannot be upgraded to a FC 5802 drawer.

Note: Mixing FC 5802 or FC 5877 and FC 5796 on the same loop is not supported. Mixing
FC 5802 and FC 5877 on the same loop is supported with a total maximum of two drawers
per loop.

1.6.2 PCI-X DDR 12X Expansion Drawer

The PCI-X DDR 12X Expansion Drawer (FC 5796) and 7314-G30 are a 4-EIA unit tall drawer
and mounts in a 19-inch rack. FC 5796 takes up half the width of the 4 EIA rack space and
requires the use of a FC 7314 drawer mounting enclosure. The 4-EIA tall enclosure can hold
up to two FC 5796 drawers mounted side by side in the enclosure. A maximum of four
FC 5796 drawers can be placed on the same 12X loop.

16 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

Figure 1-5 shows the front view of the PCI-X DDR 12X Expansion Drawer.

Figure 1-5 PCI-X DDR 12X Expansion Drawer (FC 5796) and 7314-G30 front view

The I/O drawer has the following attributes:

򐂰 One or two FC 5796 drawers are held by the 4 EIA unit rack-mount enclosure (FC 7314).
򐂰 Six PCI-X DDR slots, 64-bit, 3.3 V, 266 MHz that use blind swap cassettes.
򐂰 Redundant hot-swappable power and cooling units.

The 7314-G30 drawer is equivalent to the FC 5796 I/O drawer described before. It provides
the same six PCI-X DDR slots per unit and has the same configuration rules and
considerations as the FC 5796 drawer.

Notes:
򐂰 Mixing FC 5802 or FC 5877 and FC 5796 on the same loop is not supported. Mixing

FC 5796 and the 7314-G30 on the same loop is supported with a maximum of four
drawers total per loop.

򐂰 IBM i does not support the 7314-G30 I/O drawer.

1.6.3 I/O drawers and usable PCI slots

The various I/O drawer model types can be intermixed on a single server within the
appropriate I/O loop. Depending on the system configuration, the maximum number of I/O
drawers supported can vary.

Table 1-14 summarizes the maximum number of supported I/O drawers and the total number
of available PCI slots when expansion consists of a single drawer type.

Table 1-14 Maximum number of I/O drawers supported and total number of PCI slots

Server Number of

processor
cards

Power 720 One 4 2 24 5 0 25

Power 740 One 4 2 24 5 0 25

Power 740 Two 8 4 48 5 0 25

Maximum
FC 5796
drawers

Maximum
FC 5802 and
FC 5877
drawers

Total number of slots

FC 5796 FC 5802 and

FC 5877

PCI-X PCIe PCI-X PCIe

Chapter 1. General description 17

Table 1-15 summarizes the maximum number of disk-only I/O drawers supported.

Table 1-15 Maximum number of disk-only I/O drawers supported

Server Processor

cards

Power 720 One 28 14 4

Power 740 One 28 14 4

Power 740 Two 28 14 8

Unsupported: The 4-core Power 720+ does not support the attachment of 12X I/O
drawers or the attachment of disk drawers such as the FC 5886 EXP12S SAS drawer,
FC 5887 EXP24S SFF Gen2-bay drawer, FC 5786 Totalstorage EXP24 disk drawer, or
FC 5787 Totalstorage EXP24 disk tower.

1.6.4 EXP30 Ultra SSD I/O Drawer

The enhanced EXP30 Ultra SSD I/O Drawer (FC EDR1) provides the Power 720 and
Power 740 up to 30 solid-state drives (SSD) in only 1U of rack space without any PCIe slots.
The drawer provides up to 480,000 IOPS and up to 11.6 TB of capacity for AIX or Linux
clients. Plus up to 48 additional hard disk drives (HDDs) can be directly attached to the Ultra
Drawer (still without using any PCIe slots) providing up to 43.2 TB additional capacity in only
4U additional rack space for AIX clients. This ultra-dense SSD option is similar to the Ultra
Drawer (FC 5888), which remains available to B and C models of Power 720, and Power 740.

Max FC 5886
drawers

Max FC 5887
drawers

Max FC 7314-G30
drawers

The EXP30 attaches to the Power 720 or Power 740 server with a GX++ adapter, FC EJ03.
Figure 1-6 show the EXP30 Ultra SSD I/O Drawer.

Figure 1-6 EXP30 Ultra SSD I/O Drawer

D-models: The previous EXP30 drawer (FC 5888) is not supported on the D-models of the
Power 720 and Power 740 servers.

1.6.5 EXP24S SFF Gen2-bay drawer

The EXP24S SFF Gen2-bay drawer (FC 5887) is an expansion drawer that supports up to
twenty-four 2.5-inch hot-swap SFF SAS HDDs on POWER6, POWER7, and POWER7+
servers in 2U of 19-inch rack space. The EXP24S bays are controlled by SAS
adapters/controllers attached to the I/O drawer by SAS X or Y cables.

18 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

The SFF bays of the EXP24S are different from the SFF bays of the POWER7 and
POWER7+ system units or 12X PCIe I/O drawers (FC 5802 and FC 5803). The EXP24S uses
Gen2 or SFF-2 SAS drives that physically do not fit in the Gen1 or SFF-1 bays of the
POWER7 and POWER7+ system unit or 12X PCIe I/O Drawers. The EXP24S includes
redundant A/C power supplies and two power cords.

Figure 1-7 shows the EXP24S Gen2-bay drawer.

Figure 1-7 EXP24S SFF Gen2-bay drawer (FC 5887)

1.6.6 EXP12S SAS drawer

The EXP12S SAS drawer (FC 5886) is a 2 EIA drawer and mounts in a 19-inch rack. The
drawer can hold either SAS disk drives or SSD. The EXP12S SAS drawer has twelve 3.5-inch
SAS disk bays with redundant data paths to each bay. The SAS disk drives or SSDs
contained in the EXP12S are controlled by one or two PCIe or PCI-X SAS adapters
connected to the EXP12S with SAS cables.

FC 5886 can also be directly attached to the SAS port on the rear of the Power 720 and
Power 740, providing a low-cost disk storage solution. When used this way, the imbedded
SAS controllers in the system unit drive the disk drives in EXP12S. A second unit cannot be
cascaded to a FC 5886 attached in this way.

Figure 1-8 shows the EXP12S SAS drawer.

Figure 1-8 EXP12S SAS drawer (FC 5886)

Chapter 1. General description 19

1.7 Comparison between models

Table 1-16 compares the Power 720 and Power 740 models.

Table 1-16 Comparison between models

Characteristic Power 720 (8202-E4D) Power 740 (8205-E6D)

POWER7+ architecture

Planar

DDR3 memory DIMMs

Disk bays Up to six or eight SFF or SSD

PCIe Gen2 expansion slots Five x8 FH (Base)

Integrated SAS Standard: RAID 0, 1, & 10

Integrated ports Three USB, two serial, two HMC

Ethernet 4-Port 10/100/1000 Mbps

Media bays One slimline and one half-height

I/O drawers Maximum of two:

SSD storage drawer

4-core 3.612 GHz
6-core 3.612 GHz
8 core 3.612 GHz

Single Socket Dual Socket

4 / 8 / 16 / 32 GB

4GB to 512GB

One x4 FH (Base) / Ethernet adapter

Four x8 LP (optional)

Optional: RAID 5 & 6

FC 5802 and FC 5877

Maximum of one EXP30 Maximum of two EXP30

1 or 2 x 6-core 4.284 GHz
1 or 2 x 8-core 3.612 GHz
1 or 2 x 8-core 4.228 GHz

Single Socket option

4 / 8 / 16 / 32 GB

4GB to 1TB

Maximum of four

FC 5802 and FC 5877

Virtualization management IVM or HMC

Redundant cooling Standard Standard

Redundant power Optional Standard

EnergyScale TPMD

Warranty Three years

20 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

On both systems, each processor core has access to 256 KB of L2 cache and 10 MB of L3
cache. Each processor on a single-chip module (SCM) connects to eight DDR3 memory
DIMM slots; a total of 16 DIMM slots per SCM. Each memory module is a 1066 MHz DIMM,
and is delivered in pairs. Memory features contain two memory DIMMs per feature code;
features range from 4 GB to 32 GB per feature code. See Table 1-17.

Table 1-17 Summary of processor core counts, core frequencies, and L3 cache sizes

System Cores per

Power 720 4 3.612 40 MB 8

Power 740 6 4.284 60 MB 12

Power 740 8 3.612 80 MB 16

Power 740 8 4.228 80 MB 16

a. The total L3 cache available on the POWER7+ SCM, maintaining 10 MB per processor core

1.8 Build to order

You can perform a build-to-order or a la carte configuration by using the IBM configurator
for e-business (e-config), where you specify each configuration feature that you want on
the system.

Preferably, begin with one of the available starting configurations, such as the IBM Edition.
These configurations are available at initial system-order time with a starting configuration
that is ready to run as is.

1.9 IBM Edition

POWER7+ SCM

Frequency
(GHz)

L3 cache per

a

SCM

System maximum
(cores)

IBM Edition is available only as an initial order. If you order an IBM Edition as defined here,
you can qualify for half the initial configuration’s processor core activations at no additional
charge.

The total memory (based on the number of cores) and the quantity and size of disk, SSD
drives, Fibre Channel adapters, or Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) adapters shipped
with the server are the only features that determine if you are entitled to a processor
activation at no additional charge.

With an IBM Edition for a Power 720, processor activations for the processor card options are
as follows:

򐂰 3.6 GHz 4-core processor module (FC EPCK) with 2 x FC EPDK (chargeable) and

2 x FC EPEK (no-charge)

򐂰 3.6 GHz 6-core processor module (FC EPCL) with 3 x FC EPDL (chargeable) and

3 x FC EPEL (no-charge)

򐂰 3.6 GHz 8-core processor module (FC EPCM) with 4 x FC EPDM (chargeable) and

4 x FC EPEM (no-charge)

Chapter 1. General description 21

With an IBM Edition for the Power 740, processor activations for the processor card options
are as follows:

򐂰 One or two 4.2 GHz 6-core processor modules (FC EPCP) with 3 x FC EPDP

(chargeable) and 3 x FC EPEP (no-charge) for each processor module.

򐂰 One or two 3.6 GHz 8-core processor modules (FC EPCQ) with 4 x FC EPDQ

(chargeable) and 4 x FC EPEQ (no-charge) for each processor module.

򐂰 One or two 4.2 GHz 8-core processor modules (FC EPCR) with 4 x FC EPDR

(chargeable) and 4 x FC EPER (no-charge) for each processor module.

The Power 740 (8205-E6D) contains either one or two processor modules. IBM Edition is
available on the Power 740 with either one or two processor modules.

When you purchase an IBM Edition, you must purchase an AIX or IBM i operating system
license, or you may choose to purchase the system with or without a Linux operating system.
The AIX, IBM i, or Linux operating system is processed with a feature code on one of the
following systems:

򐂰 AIX 6.1, or AIX 7.1
򐂰 IBM i 6.1.1 or IBM i 7.1
򐂰 SUSE Linux Enterprise Server or Red Hat Enterprise Linux

If you choose AIX 6.1 or AIX 7.1 for your primary operating system, you can also order
IBM i 6.1.1 or IBM i 7.1 and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server or Red Hat Enterprise Linux. The
converse is true if you choose an IBM i or Linux subscription as your primary OS.

These sample configurations can be changed as needed and still qualify for processor
entitlements at no additional charge. However, selection of total memory, HDD, SSD, Fibre
Channel, or FCoE adapter quantities that are smaller than the totals defined as the minimum
amounts disqualifies the order as an IBM Edition, and the no-charge processor activations
are then removed.

Consider the following minimum definitions for IBM Edition:
򐂰 For Power 720, a minimum of 2 GB of memory per core is needed to qualify for the

IBM Edition. There can be different valid memory configurations that meet the
minimum requirement.

򐂰 For the Power 740, a minimum of 4 GB of memory per core is needed to qualify for the

IBM Edition. For example, a 6-core minimum is 24 GB, and an 8-core minimum is 32 GB.
Different valid memory configurations meet the minimum requirement

Additionally, a minimum of two HDD, two SSD, two Fibre Channel adapters, or two Fibre
Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) adapters is required. You must meet only one of the following
disk, SSD, Fibre Channel, or FCoE criteria. Partial criteria cannot be combined.

򐂰 Two SAS HDDs; any capacity drives located in the system unit, FC 5802, FC 5886, or

FC 5887 expansion drawers qualify.

򐂰 Two SAS SSDs; any capacity drives located in the system unit, FC EDR1, FC 5802,

FC 5886, FC 5887 expansion drawers qualify.

򐂰 Two SSD Modules with eMLC (FC 1995 or FC 1996); modules located in the system unit

with FC 2053 or FC 2054, or in FC 5802 or FC 5887 DASD drawer with FC 2055 qualify.

򐂰 Two Fibre Channel adapters; either PCI-X or PCIe adapters located in the system unit or

12X-attached I/O drawer qualify.

򐂰 Two Fibre Channel over Ethernet adapters, located in the system unit or PCIe

12X-attached I/O drawer qualify.

22 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

1.9.1 Express Editions for IBM i

Express Editions for IBM i enable initial ease of ordering and feature a lower price than if you
ordered them a la carte or build-to-order. Taking advantage of the edition is the only way you
can use no-charge features for processor activations and IBM i user license entitlements. The
Express Editions are available only during the initial system order and cannot be ordered after
your system is shipped.

The IBM configurator offers these easy-to-order Express Editions that include no-charge
activations or no-charge IBM i user entitlements. You can modify the Express Edition
configurations to match your exact requirements for your initial shipment, increasing or
decreasing the configuration. If you create a configuration that falls below any of the defined
minimums, the IBM configurator replaces the no-charge features with equivalent function
regular charge features.

1.9.2 Express Editions for Power 720

To configure a Power 720 4-core Power 720 Express Edition (FC 0777) and use the
no-charge features on your initial order, you must order the following components:

򐂰 3.6 GHz 4-core processor module (FC EPCK).
򐂰 IBM i Primary Operating System Indicator (FC 2145).
򐂰 8 GB minimum memory: 1 x 8 GB (FC EM08, 2 x 4 GB DIMMs).

Unsupported: Memory features FC EM4C and FC EM4D are not supported with the
4-core processor module.

򐂰 Minimum of two HDDs, or two SSDs drives, or two Fibre Channel adapters, or two FCoE

adapters. You must meet only one of these disk, SSD, FC, or FCoE criteria. Partial criteria
cannot be combined.

If the requirements are met, the following items are included:

򐂰 Two no-charge activations (2 x FC EPEK)
򐂰 Five IBM i user entitlements (no-charge)
򐂰 One IBM i Access Family license with unlimited users (5770-XW1 or 5761-XW1)
򐂰 Reduced price on 5733-SOA and 5770-WDS or 5761-WDS

For the 4-core Entry Edition (FC 0777), a suggested starting configuration is as follows:

򐂰 One 4-core 3.6 GHz processor module (FC EPCK)
򐂰 One 8 GB memory feature (FC EM08)
򐂰 Two 139.5 GB SAS SFF 15,000 rpm disk drives (FC 1888)
򐂰 One PCIe2 4-Port 1 Gb Ethernet adapter (FC 5899)
򐂰 One storage backplane with external SAS port (FC EJ01)
򐂰 One SATA DVD-RAM (FC 5771)
򐂰 One 1.5 TB / 3.0 TB LTO-5 SAS tape drive (FC 5638)
򐂰 Two 1925 Watt AC power supplies (2 x FC 5532)
򐂰 Two power cords (2 x FC 6xxx)
򐂰 Two processor activations (2 x FC EPDK)
򐂰 Two processor activations (2 x FC EPEK) (no additional charge)
򐂰 IBM Tower cover set (FC 7567) or IBM Rack-mount Bezel and Hardware (FC 7134)
򐂰 IBM i Primary Operating System Indicator (FC 2145)
򐂰 PowerVM Express Edition (FC 5225), or later
򐂰 Five IBM i user entitlements (no additional charge) (57xx-SSC)
򐂰 One IBM i Access Family license with unlimited users (57xx-XW1)

Chapter 1. General description 23

To use the no-charge features on your initial order of 6-core and 8-core Power 720 Express
Editions (FC 0779), you must order the following features:

򐂰 3.6 GHz 6-core processor module (FC EPCL) or 3.6 GHz 8-core processor module

(FC EPCM).

򐂰 IBM i Primary Operating System Indicator (FC 2145).
򐂰 16 GB minimum memory: 2 x 8 GB (2 x 4 GB DIMMs) (FC EM08), or 1 x 16 GB (2 x 8 GB

DIMMs) (FC EM4B), or 1 x 32 GB (2 x 16 GB DIMMs) (FC EM4C),or 1 x 64 GB (2 x 32 GB
DIMMs) (FC EM4D).

򐂰 Minimum of two HDD, or two SSD drives, or two Fibre Channel adapters, or two FCoE

adapters. You only need to meet one of these disk, SSD, FC, or FCoE criteria. Partial
criteria cannot be combined.

If the requirements are met, the following items are included:
򐂰 Three no-charge activations (3 x FC EPEL) with feature FC EPCL or four no-charge

activations (4 x FC EPEM) with feature FC EPCM

򐂰 Thirty IBM i user entitlements (charged)
򐂰 One IBM i Access Family license with unlimited users (57xx-XW1)
򐂰 Reduced price on 57xx-WDS and 5733-SOA

For the 6-core or 8-core Entry Edition (FC 0779) a suggested starting configuration is as
follows:

򐂰 One 6-core 3.6 GHz (FC EPCL) or one 8-core 3.6 GHz (FC EPCM) processor card
򐂰 Two 8 GB memory features (2 x FC EM08)
򐂰 Two 139.5 GB SAS SFF 15K RPM disk drives (FC 1888)
򐂰 One PCIe2 4-Port 1 Gb Ethernet Adapter (FC 5899)
򐂰 One storage backplane with external SAS port (FC EJ01)
򐂰 One SATA DVD-RAM (FC 5771)
򐂰 One 1.5 TB / 3.0 TB LTO-5 SAS tape drive (FC 5638)
򐂰 Two 1925 Watt AC power supplies (2 x FC 5532)
򐂰 Two power cords (2 x FC 6xxx)
򐂰 Three FC EPDL or four FC EPDM processor activations
򐂰 Three FC EPEL or four FC EPEM no-charge processor activations
򐂰 IBM Tower cover set (FC 7567) or IBM Rack-mount Bezel and Hardware (FC 7134)
򐂰 IBM i Primary Operating System Indicator (FC 2145)
򐂰 PowerVM Express Edition (FC 5225), or later
򐂰 Thirty IBM i user entitlements (charged) (57xx-SSC)
򐂰 One IBM i Access Family license with unlimited users (57xx-XW1)
򐂰 Reduced price on 57xx-WDS and 5733-SOA

Note: The Power 740 does not have an Express Edition for the IBM i feature code.

1.10 IBM i Solution Editions for Power 720 and Power 740

The IBM i Solution Editions for Power 720 and Power 740 are designed to help you take
advantage of the combined experience and expertise of IBM and independent software
vendors (ISVs) in building business value with your IT investments. A qualifying purchase of
software, maintenance, services, or training for a participating ISV solution is required when
purchasing an IBM i Solution Editions.

24 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

The Power 720 IBM i Solution Editions FC 4928 supports the 4-core configuration and feature
code FC 4927 supports both 6-core and 8-core configurations. The Power 720 Solution
Editions includes no-charge features resulting in a lower initial list price for qualifying clients.
Also included is an IBM Service voucher to help speed implementation of the ISV solution.

The Power 740 IBM i Solution Editions (FC 4929) supports 6-core to 16-core configurations.
The Power 740 Solution Editions includes no-charge features resulting in a lower initial list
price for qualifying clients. Also included is an IBM Service voucher to help speed
implementation of the ISV solution.

For a list of participating ISVs, a registration form, and additional details, visit the Solution
Editions website:

http://www.ibm.com/systems/power/hardware/solutioneditions/ibmi/index.html

To be eligible to purchase a Solution Editions order, the following requirements apply:
򐂰 The offering must include new or upgrade software licenses or software maintenance from

the ISV for the qualifying IBM server. Services and training for the qualifying server can
also be provided.

򐂰 Proof of purchase of the solution with a participating ISV must be provided to IBM on

request. The proof must be dated within 90 days before or after the date of order of the
qualifying server.

1.11 IBM i for Business Intelligence

Business Intelligence (BI) remains top priority of mid-market companies, but budgets, staff,
and skills to support enterprise BI solutions are small in comparison to enterprise accounts.

Table 1-18 lists the three new orderable options for IBM i for Business Intelligence solutions.

Table 1-18 List of available hardware features for IBM i for Business Intelligence

Feature Feature code

FC 4934 IBM i for BI - Small configuration

FC 4935 IBM i for BI - Medium configuration

FC 4936 IBM i for BI - Large configuration

Unavailable: IBM i for Business Intelligence solution is not available for the Power 740.

1.12 Model upgrade

A model upgrade from a Power 520 to the Power 720, preserving the existing serial number,
is available. You can upgrade the 2-core or 4-core Power 520 (8203-E4A) with IBM POWER6
or POWER6+™ processors to the 6-core or 8-core IBM Power 720 (8202-E4D) with
POWER7+ processors. For upgrades from POWER6 or POWER6+ processor-based
systems, IBM will install new system enclosures to replace the existing enclosures. You return
the existing replaced enclosures to IBM.

Chapter 1. General description 25

Note: The model upgrade is from a system (8203-E4A) with a one-year warranty to a
system (8202-E4D) with a three-year warranty.

However, like the B or C model Power 720 same-serial-number upgrades of existing
POWER6 feature codes or model numbers converted to POWER7 feature codes retain the
one-year warranty. Likewise, new or additional features that are ordered with the POWER6
to POWER7 upgrade have a one-year warranty. New or additional features that are
ordered after the POWER6 processor-based Power 520 is upgraded to a POWER7 or
POWER7+ processor-based Power 720 have a three-year warranty.

1.12.1 Upgrade considerations

Feature conversions are set up for the IBM POWER6 and IBM POWER6+ processors to
POWER7+ processors.

Table 1-19 shows the supported conversions for the processors.

Table 1-19 Processor conversions

Power 520 Power 720

FC 5634 2-core 4.2 GHz processor card FC EPCL 6-core 3.6 GHz POWER7+ processor module

FC 5577 2-core 4.7 GHz processor card FC EPCL 6-core 3.6 GHz POWER7+ processor module

FC 5635 4-core 4.2 GHz processor card FC EPCL 6-core 3.6 GHz POWER7+ processor module

FC 5587 4-core 4.7 GHz processor card FC EPCL 6-core 3.6 GHz POWER7+ processor module

FC 5634 2-core 4.2 GHz processor card FC EPCM 8-core 3.6 GHz POWER7+ processor module

FC 5577 2-core 4.7 GHz processor card FC EPCM 8-core 3.6 GHz POWER7+ processor module

FC 5635 4-core 4.2 GHz processor card FC EPCM 8-core 3.6 GHz POWER7+ processor module

FC 5587 4-core 4.7 GHz processor card FC EPCM 8-core 3.6 GHz POWER7+ processor module

1.12.2 Features

The following features, present on the current system, can be moved to the new system:

򐂰 All PCIe adapters with cables
򐂰 All line cords, keyboards, and displays
򐂰 PowerVM Express, Standard, or Enterprise Editions (FC 5225, FC 5227, and FC 5228)
򐂰 I/O drawers (FC 5796, FC 5802, FC 5877, FC 5886, and FC 5887)
򐂰 Racks (FC 0551, FC 0553, and FC 0555)
򐂰 Rack doors (FC 6068, FC 6069, FC 6248, and FC 6249)
򐂰 Rack trim kits (FC 6246 and 6247)
򐂰 SATA DVD-ROM (FC 5743)
򐂰 SATA DVD-RAM (FC 5762)

The Power 720 can support the following 12X drawers and disk-only drawers:

򐂰 FC 5802 and FC 5877 PCIe 12X I/O drawers
򐂰 FC 5796 and 7413-G30 PCI-X (12X) I/O Drawer
򐂰 FC EDR1 EXP30 Ultra SSD Drawer
򐂰 FC 5887 EXP24S DASD Drawer
򐂰 FC 5886 EXP12S SAS Disk Drawer

26 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

Note: In the Power 720 system unit SAS bays, only the SAS SFF hard disks or SFF SSDs
are supported internally. Any 3.5-inch HDD or SSD can be attached to the Power 720 but
must be located in a EXP12S drawer (FC 5886).

1.13 Server and virtualization management

If you want to implement partitions, a Hardware Management Console (HMC) or the
Integrated Virtualization Manager (IVM) is required to manage the Power 720 and Power 740
servers. Multiple POWER6 and POWER7 processor-based servers can be supported by a
single HMC.

One OS: If you do not use an HMC or IVM, the Power 720 and Power 740 runs in full
system partition mode, meaning that a single partition owns all the server resources and
only one operating system can be installed.

If an HMC is used to manage the Power 720 and Power 740, the HMC must be a rack-mount
CR3, or later, or a deskside C05 or later.

In 2012, IBM announced an HMC model machine type 7042-CR7. Hardware features on the
CR7 model include a second disk drive (FC 1998) for RAID 1 data mirroring, and the option of
a redundant power supply. At the time of writing, the latest version of HMC code was
V7R7.7.0 (SP1). This code level also includes the new LPAR function support, which allows
the HMC to manage more LPARs per processor core. A core can now be partitioned in up to
20 LPARs (0.05 of a core).

Several HMC models are supported to manage POWER7+ processor-based systems. Model
7042-CR7 is the only HMC available for ordering at the time of writing, but you can also use
one of the withdrawn models listed in Table 1-20.

Table 1-20 HMC models supporting POWER7+ processor technology-based servers

Type-model Availability Description

7310-C05 Withdrawn IBM 7310 Model C05 Desktop Hardware Management Console

7310-C06 Withdrawn IBM 7310 Model C06 Deskside Hardware Management Console

7042-C06 Withdrawn IBM 7042 Model C06 Deskside Hardware Management Console

7042-C07 Withdrawn IBM 7042 Model C07 Deskside Hardware Management Console

7042-C08 Withdrawn IBM 7042 Model C08 Deskside Hardware Management Console

7310-CR3 Withdrawn IBM 7310 Model CR3 Rack-Mounted Hardware Management Console

7042-CR4 Withdrawn IBM 7042 Model CR4 Rack-Mounted Hardware Management Console

7042-CR5 Withdrawn IBM 7042 Model CR5 Rack-Mounted Hardware Management Console

7042-CR6 Withdrawn IBM 7042 Model CR6 Rack mounted Hardware Management Console

7042-CR7 Available IBM 7042 Model CR7 Rack mounted Hardware Management Console

The IBM Power 720 and IBM Power 740 servers require HMC V7R7.7.0 Service Pack 1.

Chapter 1. General description 27

The HMC V7R7.7.0 (SP1) contains the following features:

򐂰 Support for managing IBM Power 720 and Power 740
򐂰 Support for PowerVM functions such as new HMC GUI interface for VIOS install
򐂰 Improved transition from IVM to HMC management
򐂰 Support for 802.1 Qbg on virtual Ethernet adapters
򐂰 Ability to update the user's password in Kerberos from the HMC for clients utilizing remote

HMC

Latest HMC: You can download or order the latest HMC code from Fix Central:

http://www-933.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/

Existing HMC models 7310 can be upgraded to Licensed Machine Code Version 7 to support
environments that can include IBM POWER5, IBM POWER5+, POWER6, POWER6+, and
POWER7 processor-based servers. Licensed Machine Code Version 6 (FC 0961) is not
available for the 7042 HMC models.

When IBM Systems Director is used to manage an HMC, or if the HMC manages more than
254 partitions, the HMC must have a minimum of 3 GB RAM and must be a rack-mount CR3
model, or later, or deskside C06 or later.

1.14 System racks

The Power 720 and Power 740 and their I/O drawers are designed to mount in the 25U
7014-S25 (FC 0555), 36U 7014-T00 (FC 0551), or 42U 7014-T42 (FC 0553) rack. These
racks are built to the 19-inch EIA standard.

Order information: A new Power 720 or Power 740 server can be ordered with the
appropriate 7014 rack model. The racks are available as features of the Power 720 and
Power 740 only when an additional I/O drawer for an existing system (MES order) is
ordered. The rack feature code must be used if IBM manufacturing must integrate the
newly ordered I/O drawer in a 19-inch rack before shipping the MES order.

If a system is to be installed in a rack or cabinet that is not from IBM, ensure that the rack
meets the requirements that are described in 1.14.10, “OEM rack” on page 39.

Responsibility: The client is responsible to ensure that the installation of the drawer in the
preferred rack or cabinet results in a configuration that is stable, serviceable, safe, and
compatible with the drawer requirements for power, cooling, cable management, weight,
and rail security.

1.14.1 IBM 7014 Model S25 rack

The 1.3-meter (49-inch) Model S25 rack has the following features:

򐂰 Twenty-five EIA units
򐂰 Weights:

– Base empty rack: 100.2 kg (221 lb.)
– Maximum load limit: 567.5 kg (1250 lb.)

28 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

The S25 racks do not have vertical mounting space that will accommodate FC 7188 PDUs.
All PDUs that are required for application in these racks must be installed horizontally in the
rear of the rack. Each horizontally mounted PDU occupies 1U of space in the rack, and
therefore reduces the space available for mounting servers and other components.

1.14.2 IBM 7014 Model T00 rack

The 1.8-meter (71-inch) model T00 is compatible with past and present IBM Power Systems
servers. The features of the T00 rack are as follows:

򐂰 Has 36U (EIA units) of usable space.
򐂰 Has optional removable side panels.
򐂰 Has optional side-to-side mounting hardware for joining multiple racks.
򐂰 Has increased power distribution and weight capacity.
򐂰 Supports both AC and DC configurations.
򐂰 Up to four power distribution units (PDUs) can be mounted in the PDU bays (see

Figure 1-10 on page 32), but others can fit inside the rack. For more information, see

1.14.7, “The AC power distribution unit and rack content” on page 31.

򐂰 For the T00 rack, three door options are available:

– Front Door for 1.8 m Rack (FC 6068)

This attractive black full height rack door is steel, with a perforated flat front surface.
The perforation pattern extends from the bottom to the top of the door to enhance
ventilation and provide some visibility into the rack.

OEM front door: This door is also available as an OEM front door (FC 6101).

– 1.8 m Rack Acoustic Door (FC 6248)

This front and rear rack door is designed to reduce acoustic sound levels in a general
business environment.

– 1.8 m Rack Trim Kit (FC 6263)

If no front door is used in the rack, this decorative trim kit is for the front.

򐂰 Ruggedized Rack Feature

For enhanced rigidity and stability of the rack, the optional Ruggedized Rack Feature
(FC 6080) provides additional hardware that reinforces the rack and anchors it to the floor.
This hardware is designed primarily for use in locations where earthquakes are a concern.
The feature includes a large steel brace or truss that bolts into the rear of the rack.

It is hinged on the left side so it can swing out of the way for easy access to the rack
drawers when necessary. The Ruggedized Rack Feature also includes hardware for
bolting the rack to a concrete floor or a similar surface, and bolt-in steel filler panels for any
unoccupied spaces in the rack.

򐂰 Weights are as follows:

– T00 base empty rack: 244 kg (535 lb).
– T00 full rack: 816 kg (1795 lb).
– Maximum Weight of Drawers is 572 kg (1260 lb).
– Maximum Weight of Drawers in a zone 4 earthquake environment is 490 kg (1080 lb),

which equates to 13.6 kg (30 lb) per EIA.

Chapter 1. General description 29

Important: If additional weight is added to the top of the rack, for example add feature

Trim kit

(no front door)

FC 6272

Plain front door

FC 6069

Acoustic doors
(front and rear)

FC 6249

Optional
front door
FC ERG7

780 logo

front door

FC 6250

code 6117, the 490 kg (1080 lb) must be reduced by the weight of the addition. As an
example, feature code 6117 weighs approximately 45 kg (100 lb) so the new maximum
weight of drawers that the rack can support in a zone 4 earthquake environment is 445 kg
(980 lb). In the zone 4 earthquake environment, configure the rack by starting with the
heavier drawers at the bottom of the rack.

1.14.3 IBM 7014 Model T42 rack

The 2.0-meter (79.3-inch) Model T42 addresses the client requirement for a tall enclosure to
house the maximum amount of equipment in the smallest possible floor space. The following
features are for the model T42 rack (which differ from the model T00):

򐂰 The T42 rack has 42U (EIA units) of usable space (6U of additional space).
򐂰 The model T42 supports AC power only.
򐂰 Weights are as follows:

– T42 base empty rack: 261 kg (575 lb)
– T42 full rack: 930 kg (2045 lb)

The T42 rack has various door options that are available, as shown in Figure 1-9.

Figure 1-9 Door options for the T42 rack

These door options are described in the following list:

򐂰 The 2.0 m Rack Trim Kit (FC 6272) is used, if no front door is used in the rack.
򐂰 The Front Door for a 2.0 m Rack (FC 6069) is made of steel, with a perforated flat front

surface. The perforation pattern extends from the bottom to the top of the door to enhance
ventilation and provide some visibility into the rack. This door is non-acoustic and has a
depth of about 25 mm (1 in).

OEM front door: This door is also available as an OEM front door (FC 6084).

򐂰 The 2.0 m Rack Acoustic Door feature (FC 6249) consists of a front and rear door to

reduce noise by about 6 dB(A). It has a depth of about 191 mm (7.5 in).

30 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

򐂰 The High-End Appearance Front Door (FC 6250) provides a front rack door with a

field-installed Power 780 logo and is designed to be used when the rack contains a
Power 780 system. The door is not acoustic. Its depth is approximately 90 mm (3.5 in).

High end: For the High-End Appearance Front Door (FC 6250), use the High-End
Appearance Side Covers (FC 6238) to make the rack appear as though it is a high-end
server (but in a 19-inch rack format instead of a 24-inch rack).

򐂰 The FC ERG7 provides an attractive black full height rack door. The door is steel, with a

perforated flat front surface. The perforation pattern extends from the bottom to the top of
the door to enhance ventilation and provide some visibility into the rack. The door is not
acoustic. Its depth is approximately 134 mm (5.3 in).

Rear Door Heat Exchanger

To lead away more heat, a special door, the Rear Door Heat Exchanger (FC 6858), is
available. This door replaces the standard rear door on the rack. Copper tubes are attached
to the rear door to circulate chilled water that is provided by the customer. The chilled water
removes heat from the exhaust air being blown through the servers and attachments mounted
in the rack. The water lines in the door attach to the customer-supplied secondary water loop
by using industry standard quick couplings.

See details about planning for the installation of the IBM Rear Door Heat Exchanger:

http://pic.dhe.ibm.com/infocenter/powersys/v3r1m5/index.jsp?topic=/iphad_p5/iphade
xchangeroverview.html

1.14.4 Feature code 0555 rack

The 1.3-meter rack (FC 0555) is a 25 EIA unit rack. The rack that is delivered as FC 0555 is
the same rack that is delivered when you order the 7014-S25 rack. The included features can
vary. The FC 0555 is supported, but it is no longer orderable.

1.14.5 Feature code 0551 rack

The 1.8-meter rack (FC 0551) is a 36 EIA unit rack. The rack that is delivered as FC 0551 is
the same rack that is delivered when you order the 7014-T00 rack. The included features can
vary. Certain features that are delivered as part of the 7014-T00 must be ordered separately
with the FC 0551.

1.14.6 Feature code 0553 rack

The 2.0-meter rack (FC 0553) is a 42 EIA unit rack. The rack that is delivered as FC 0553 is
the same rack that is delivered when you order the 7014-T42 or B42 rack. The included
features can vary. Some features that are delivered as part of the 7014-T42 or B42 must be
ordered separately with the FC 0553.

1.14.7 The AC power distribution unit and rack content

For rack models T00 and T42, 12-outlet PDUs are available: the AC power distribution units
FC 9188 and FC 7188, and the AC Intelligent PDU+ FC 5889 and FC 7109.

Chapter 1. General description 31

The Intelligent PDU+ (FC 5889 and FC 7109) is identical to FC 9188 and FC 7188 PDUs but

Rack Rear View

43

21

Circuit breaker reset

Status LED

is equipped with one Ethernet port, one console serial port, and one RS232 serial port for
power monitoring.

The PDUs have 12 client-usable IEC 320-C13 outlets: six groups of two outlets that are fed by
six circuit breakers. Each outlet is rated up to 10 amps, but each group of two outlets is fed
from one 15-amp circuit breaker.

Four PDUs can be mounted vertically in the back of the T00 and T42 racks. See Figure 1-10
for the placement of the four vertically mounted PDUs. In the rear of the rack, two additional
PDUs can be installed horizontally in the T00 rack and three in the T42 rack. The four vertical
mounting locations will be filled first in the T00 and T42 racks. Mounting PDUs horizontally
consumes 1U per PDU and reduces the space that is available for other rack components.
When mounting PDUs horizontally, the best approach is to use fillers in the EIA units that are
occupied by these PDUs to facilitate proper air flow and ventilation in the rack.

Figure 1-10 PDU placement and PDU view

The PDU receives power through the UTG0247 power line connector. Each PDU requires
one PDU-to-wall power cord. Various power cord features are available for various countries
and applications by varying the PDU-to-wall power cord, which must be ordered separately.

32 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

Each power cord provides unique design characteristics for the specific power requirements.
To match new power requirements and save previous investments, these power cords can be
requested with an initial order of the rack or with a later upgrade of the rack features.

Table 1-21 lists the available wall power cord options for the PDU and iPDU features, which
must be ordered separately.

Table 1-21 Wall power cord options for the PDU and iPDU features

Feature
code

6653 IEC 309,

6489 IEC309

6654 NEMA L6-30 200-208, 240 1 24 Amps US, Canada, LA, Japan

6655 RS 3750DP

6656 IEC 309,

6657 PDL 230-240 1 24 Amps Australia, New Zealand

6658 Korean plug 220 1 24 Amps North and South Korea

6492 IEC 309,

6491 IEC 309,

Wall plug Rated voltage

(V ac)

230 3 16 Amps Internationally available

3P+N+G, 16A

230 3 24 Amps EMEA

3P+N+G, 32A

200-208, 240 1 24 Amps US, Canada, LA, Japan

(watertight)

230 1 24 Amps EMEA

P+N+G, 32A

200-208, 240 1 48 Amps US, Canada, LA, Japan

2P+G, 60A

230 1 48 Amps EMEA

P+N+G, 63A

Phase Rated

amperage

Geography

Notes: Ensure that the appropriate power cord feature is configured to support the power

that is being supplied. Based on the power cord that is used, the PDU can supply from

4.8 kVA to 19.2 kVA. The power of all the drawers plugged into the PDU must not exceed
the power cord limitation.

The Universal PDUs are compatible with previous models.

To better enable electrical redundancy, each server has two power supplies that must be
connected to separate PDUs, which are not included in the base order.

Redundant power supplies: The second power supply for the Power 720 server is
optional and not included in the base order.

For maximum availability, the best way is to connect power cords from the same system to
two separate PDUs in the rack, and to connect each PDU to independent power sources.

For detailed power requirements and power cord details, see “Planning for power” at the IBM
Power Systems Hardware information center:

http://pic.dhe.ibm.com/infocenter/powersys/v3r1m5/topic/p7had/p7hadrpower.htm

Chapter 1. General description 33

1.14.8 Rack-mounting rules

Consider the following primary rules when you mount the system into a rack:
򐂰 The system is designed to be placed at any location in the rack. For rack stability, start

filling a rack from the bottom.

򐂰 Any remaining space in the rack can be used to install other systems or peripherals, if the

maximum permissible weight of the rack is not exceeded and the installation rules for
these devices are followed.

򐂰 Before placing the system into the service position, be sure to follow the rack

manufacturer’s safety instructions regarding rack stability.

1.14.9 Useful rack additions

This section highlights several solutions for IBM Power Systems rack-based systems.

IBM System Storage 7214 Tape and DVD Enclosure

The IBM System Storage® 7214 Tape and DVD Enclosure (Model 1U2) is designed to mount
in one EIA unit of a standard IBM Power Systems 19-inch rack. The enclosure can be
configured with one or two tape drives, or one or two Slim DVD-RAM or DVD-ROM drives in
the right-side bay.

Table 1-22 shows the supported tape or DVD drives for IBM Power servers in the 7214-1U2.

Table 1-22 Supported feature codes for 7214-1U2

Feature code Description Status

1400 DAT72 36 GB Tape Drive Available

1401 DAT160 80 GB Tape Drive Available

1402 DAT320 160 GB SAS Tape Drive Withdrawn

1420 DVD-RAM SAS Optical Drive Available

1421 DVD-ROM Optical Drive Withdrawn

1423 DVD-ROM Optical Drive Available

1404 LTO Ultrium 4 Half-High 800 GB Tape Drive Available

Unavailable: The IBM System Storage 7214-1U2 Tape and DVD Enclosure is no longer
orderable. Although the drawer is supported to be attached to a Power 720 or Power 740
server.

IBM System Storage 7216 Multi-Media Enclosure

The IBM System Storage 7216 Multi-Media Enclosure (Model 1U2) is designed to attach to
the Power 720 and the Power 740 through a USB port on the server or through a PCIe SAS
adapter. The 7216 has two bays to accommodate external tape, removable disk drive, or
DVD-RAM drive options.

34 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

Table 1-23 lists the supported tape, RDX, or DVD drives for IBM Power Systems servers in
the 7216-1U2.

Table 1-23 Supported feature codes for 7216-1U2

Feature code Description Status

5619 DAT160 80 GB SAS Tape Drive Available

EU16 DAT160 80 GB USB Tape Drive Available

1402 DAT320 160 GB SAS Tape Drive Withdrawn

5673 DAT320 160 GB USB Tape Drive Withdrawn

1420 DVD-RAM SAS Optical Drive Withdrawn

8247 LTO Ultrium 5 Half-High 1.5 TB SAS Tape Drive Withdrawn

1103 RDX Removable Disk Drive Docking Station Withdrawn

Unavailable: The IBM System Storage 7214-1U2 Tape and DVD Enclosure is no longer
orderable. Although the drawer is supported to be attached to a Power 720 or Power 740
server.

To attach a 7216 Multi-Media Enclosure to the Power 720 and Power 740, consider the
following cabling procedures:

򐂰 Attachment by an SAS adapter

A PCIe Dual-x4 SAS adapter (FC 5901) or a PCIe LP Dual-x4-Port SAS Adapter 3 Gb
(FC 5278) must be installed in the Power 720 and Power 740 server to attach to a 7216
Model 1U2 Multi-Media Storage Enclosure. Attaching a 7216 to a Power 720 and
Power 740 through the integrated SAS adapter is not supported.

For each SAS tape drive and DVD-RAM drive feature that is installed in the 7216, the
appropriate external SAS cable will be included.

An optional Quad External SAS cable is available by specifying (FC 5544) with each 7216
order. The Quad External Cable allows up to four 7216 SAS tape or DVD-RAM features to
attach to a single System SAS adapter.

Up to two 7216 storage enclosure SAS features can be attached per PCIe Dual-x4 SAS
adapter (FC 5901) or the PCIe LP Dual-x4-Port SAS Adapter 3 Gb (FC 5278).

򐂰 Attachment by a USB adapter

The Removable RDX HDD Docking Station features on 7216 only support the USB cable
that is provided as part of the feature code. Additional USB hubs, add-on USB cables, or
USB cable extenders are not supported.

For each RDX Docking Station feature installed in the 7216, the appropriate external USB
cable will be included. The 7216 RDX Docking Station feature can be connected to the
external, integrated USB ports on the Power 720 and Power 740 or to the USB ports on
4-Port USB PCI Express Adapter (FC 2728).

The 7216 DAT320 USB tape drive or RDX Docking Station features can be connected to
the external, integrated USB ports on the Power 720 and Power 740.

Chapter 1. General description 35

The two drive slots of the 7216 enclosure can hold the following drive combinations:

򐂰 One tape drive (DAT160 SAS or LTO Ultrium 5 Half-High SAS) with second bay empty
򐂰 Two tape drives (DAT160 SAS or LTO Ultrium 5 Half-High SAS) in any combination
򐂰 One tape drive (DAT160 SAS or LTO Ultrium 5 Half-High SAS) and one DVD-RAM SAS

drive sled with one or two DVD-RAM SAS drives

򐂰 Up to four DVD-RAM drives
򐂰 One tape drive (DAT160 SAS or LTO Ultrium 5 Half-High SAS) in one bay, and one RDX

Removable HDD Docking Station in the other drive bay

򐂰 One RDX Removable HDD Docking Station and one DVD-RAM SAS drive sled with one

or two DVD-RAM SAS drives in the bay on the right

򐂰 Two RDX Removable HDD Docking Stations

Figure 1-11 shows the 7216 Multi-Media Enclosure.

Figure 1-11

The 7216 Multi-Media Enclosure

In general, the 7216-1U2 is supported by the AIX, IBM i, and Linux operating systems. IBM i,
from Version 7.1, now fully supports the internal 5.25 inch RDX SATA removable HDD
docking station, including boot support (no VIOS support). This support provides a fast,
robust, high-performance alternative to tape backup/restore devices.

IBM System Storage 7226 Model 1U3 Multi-Media Enclosure

IBM System Storage 7226 Model 1U3 Multi-Media Enclosure can accommodate up to two
tape drives, two RDX removable disk drive docking stations, or up to four DVD-RAM drives.
The 7226 offers SAS, USB, and FC electronic interface drive options.

The 7226 Storage Enclosure delivers external tape, removable disk drive, and DVD-RAM
drive options that allow data transfer within similar system archival storage and retrieval
technologies installed in existing IT facilities. The 7226 offers an expansive list of drive feature
options.

36 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

Table 1-24 lists the supported options for IBM Power servers in the 7226-1U3.

Table 1-24 Supported feature codes for 7226-1U3

Feature code Description Status

5619 DAT160 SAS Tape Drive Available

EU16 DAT160 USB Tape Drive Available

1420 DVD-RAM SAS Optical Drive Available

5762 DVD-RAM USB Optical Drive Available

8248 LTO Ultrium 5 Half High Fibre Drive Available

8247 LTO Ultrium 5 Half High SAS Drive Available

8348 LTO Ultrium 6 Half High Fibre Drive Available

EU11 LTO Ultrium 6 Half High SAS Drive Available

1103 RDX 2.0 Removable Disk Docking Station Withdrawn

EU03 RDX 3.0 Removable Disk Docking Station Available

The options are as follows:
򐂰 DAT160 (80 GB) Tape Drives: With SAS or USB interface options and a data transfer rate

of up to 24 MBps, the DAT160 drive is read-write compatible with DAT160, DAT72, and
DDS4 data cartridges.

򐂰 LTO Ultrium 5 Half-High 1.5 TB SAS and FC Tape Drive: With a data transfer rate up to

280 MBps, the LTO Ultrium 5 drive is read-write compatible with LTO Ultrium 5 and LTO
Ultrium 4 data cartridges, and read-only compatible with Ultrium 3 data cartridges. Using
data compression, a LTO-5 cartridge is capable to store up to 3 TB of data.

򐂰 LTO Ultrium 6 Half-High 2.5 TB SAS and FC Tape Drive: With a data transfer rate up to

160 MBps, the LTO Ultrium 6 drive is read-write compatible with LTO Ultrium 5 and LTO
Ultrium 4 data cartridges. Using data compression, a LTO-6 cartridge is capable to store
up to 6.25 TB of data.

򐂰 DVD-RAM: The 9.4 GB SAS Slim Optical Drive with SAS and USB interface option is

compatible with most standard DVD disks.

򐂰 RDX removable disk drives: The RDX USB docking station is compatible with most RDX

removable disk drive cartridges when used in the same operating system. The 7226 offers
the following RDX removable drive capacity options:

– 320 GB (FC EU08)
– 500 GB (FC 1107)
–1.0TB (FC EU01)
–1.5TB (FC EU15)

Removable RDX drives are in a rugged cartridge that inserts in an RDX Removable (USB)
disk docking station (FC 1103 or FC EU03). RDX drives are compatible with docking stations
that are installed internally in IBM POWER6, POWER6+, POWER7, and POWER7+ servers.

Media that are used in the 7226 DAT160 SAS and USB tape drive features are compatible
with DAT160 tape drives that are installed internally in IBM POWER6, POWER6+, POWER7,
and POWER7+ servers, and in IBM BladeCenter® systems.

Chapter 1. General description 37

Media that are used in LTO Ultrium 5 Half-High 1.5 TB tape drives are compatible with Half
High LTO5 tape drives installed in the IBM TS2250 and TS2350 external tape drives, IBM
LTO5 tape libraries, and Half High LTO5 tape drives installed internally in IBM POWER6,
POWER6+, POWER7, and POWER7+ servers.

Figure 1-12 shows the 7226 Multi-Media Enclosure.

Figure 1-12 FC 7226 Multi-Media Enclosure

The 7226 offers customer-replaceable unit (CRU) maintenance service to help make
installation or replacement of new drives efficient. Other 7226 components are also designed
for CRU maintenance.

The IBM System Storage 7226 Multi-Media Enclosure is compatible with most IBM POWER6,
POWER6+, POWER7, and POWER7+ systems, and also with the IBM BladeCenter models
(PS700, PS701, PS702, PS703, and PS704) that offer current levels for the AIX, IBM i, and
Linux operating systems.

Support: The IBM i operating system does not support 7226 USB devices.

For a complete list of host software versions and release levels that support the 7226, see the
following System Storage Interoperation Center (SSIC) website:

http://www.ibm.com/systems/support/storage/config/ssic/index.jsp

Flat panel display options

The IBM 7316 Model TF3 is a rack-mountable flat panel console kit consisting of a 17-inch

337.9 mm x 270.3 mm flat panel color monitor, rack keyboard tray, IBM Travel Keyboard,
support for IBM Keyboard/Video/Mouse (KVM) switches, and language support. The IBM
7316-TF3 Flat Panel Console Kit offers these features:

򐂰 Slim, sleek, lightweight monitor design that occupies only 1U (1.75 inches) in a 19-inch

standard rack

򐂰 A 17-inch, flat panel TFT monitor with truly accurate images and virtually no distortion
򐂰 Ability to mount the IBM Travel Keyboard in the 7316-TF3 rack keyboard tray
򐂰 Support for IBM KVM switches that provide control of as many as 128 servers, and

support of both USB and PS/2 server-side keyboard and mouse connections

38 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

1.14.10 OEM rack

571mm (22.50 in.)

Drawer Rail
Mounting
Flanges

Back, No Door

494mm (19.45 in.)

Front, No Door

203mm (8.0 in.)

719mm (28.31 in.)

51mm (2.01 in.)

451mm (17.76 in.)

494mm (19.45 in.)

The system can be installed in a suitable OEM rack, if the rack conforms to the EIA-310-D
standard for 19-inch racks. This standard is published by the Electrical Industries Alliance.
For details, see the IBM Power Systems Hardware information center:

http://pic.dhe.ibm.com/infocenter/powersys/v3r1m5/index.jsp?topic=/iphad_p5/iphado
emrack.htm

The following two key points are mentioned in the information center:
򐂰 The front-rack opening must be 451 mm wide ± 0.75 mm (17.75 in. ± 0.03 in.), and the

rail-mounting holes must be 465 mm ± 0.8 mm (18.3 in. ± 0.03 in.) apart on center
(horizontal width between the vertical columns of holes on the two front-mounting flanges
and on the two rear-mounting flanges). Figure 1-13 shows a top view of the specification
dimensions.

Figure 1-13 Top view of rack specification dimensions (that are not IBM)

Chapter 1. General description 39

򐂰 The vertical distance between the mounting holes must consist of sets of three holes

Hole Diameter =

7.1 +/- 0.1mm
Rack Mounting Holes Center-to-Center

Rack Front Opening

450 +/- 0.75mm

465 +/- 0.8mm

EIA Hole Spacing

6.75mm min

15.9mm

15.9mm

12.7mm

15.9mm

15.9mm

12.7mm

6.75mm min

15.9mm

15.9mm

12.7mm

15.9mm

15.9mm

12.7mm

Top Front of Rack

Top Front of Rack

spaced (from bottom to top) 15.9 mm (0.625 in.), 15.9 mm (0.625 in.), and 12.67 mm
(0.5 in.) on center, making each three-hole set of vertical hole spacing 44.45 mm (1.75 in.)
apart on center. Rail-mounting holes must be 7.1 mm ± 0.1 mm (0.28 in. ± 0.004 in.) in
diameter. Figure 1-14 shows the top front specification dimensions.

Figure 1-14 Rack specification dimensions, top front view

40 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

Chapter 2. Architecture and technical

2

overview

This chapter describes the overall system architecture for the IBM Power 720 and Power 740,
represented by Figure 2-1 on page 42 and Figure 2-2 on page 43. The bandwidth numbers
that are provided throughout the section are theoretical maximums values that are used
for reference.

The speeds shown are at an individual component level. Multiple components and application
implementation are key to achieving the best performance.

Always perform sizing at the application workload environment level and evaluate
performance by using real-world performance measurements and production workloads.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2013. All rights reserved. 41

Figure 2-1 shows the logical system diagram for the Power 720.

POWER7+ Chip 1

4-6-8 cores

P7-IOC

Buffer Buffer

DIMM #1

DIMM #3

DIMM #6

DIMM #8

Memory Card #1 Memory Card #2

PCIe Gen2 x8 (Short, LP) – SLOT #1

PCIe Gen2 x8 (Short, LP) – SLOT #2

PCIe Gen2 x8 (Short, LP) – SLOT #3

PCIe Gen2 x8 (Short, LP) – SLOT #4

GX++ SLOT #1

PCIe Gen2 x8 (FH /HL) SLOT #2

PCIe Gen2 x8 (FH /HL) SLOT #3

PCIe Gen2 x8 (FH /HL) SLOT #4

PCIe Gen2 x8 (FH /HL) SLOT #5

PCIe Gen2 x8 (FH /HL) SLOT #1

P7-IOC

(Optional

Expansion)

Optional PCIe Gen2 Riser

PCIe Gen2 x4 (FH /HL) SLOT #6

DIMM #5

DIMM #7

DIMM #2

DIMM #4

Buffer Buffer

DIMM #1

DIMM #3

DIMM #6

DIMM #8

DIMM #5

DIMM #7

DIMM #2

DIMM #4

TPMD

Memory Controller

SAS

Controller

RAIDs 0,1,10

Optional RAID 5 & 6

Expansion Card

DASD & Media Backplane

HDD1

HDD2

HDD3

HDD4

HDD5

HDD6

DVD

USB #1
USB #2
USB #3
USB #4

USB

Controller

2 System Ports

2 HMC Ports

2 SPCN Ports

VPD Chip

Service Processor

PCIe

Switch

19.7 GB/s

19.7 GB/s

68.2 GB/s

Figure 2-1 IBM Power 720 logical system diagram

42 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

Figure 2-2 shows the logical system diagram for the Power 740.

POWER7+ Chip 2

6 or 8 cores

POWER7+ Chip 1

6 or 8 cores

P7-IOC

Buffer Buffer

DIMM #1

DIMM #3

DIMM #6

DIMM #8

Memory Card #1 Memory Card #2

Memory Card #3 Memory Card #4

PCIe Gen2 x8 (Short, LP) – SLOT #1

PCIe Gen2 x8 (Short, LP) – SLOT #2

PCIe Gen2 x8 (Short, LP) – SLOT #3

PCIe Gen2 x8 (Short, LP) – SLOT #4

GX++ SLOT #1

GX++ SLOT #2

PCIe Gen2 x8 (FH /HL) SLOT #2

PCIe Gen2 x8 (FH /HL) SLOT #3

PCIe Gen2 x8 (FH /HL) SLOT #4

PCIe Gen2 x8 (FH /HL) SLOT #5

PCIe Gen2 x8 (FH /HL) SLOT #1

P7-IOC

(Optional

Expansion)

Optional PCIe Gen2 Riser

PCIe Gen2 x4 (FH /HL) SLOT #6

DIMM #5

DIMM #7

DIMM #2

DIMM #4

Buffer Buffer

DIMM #1

DIMM #3

DIMM #6

DIMM #8

DIMM #5

DIMM #7

DIMM #2

DIMM #4

Buffer BufferBuffer Buffer

DIMM #1

DIMM #3

DIMM #6

DIMM #8

DIMM #5

DIMM #7

DIMM #2

DIMM #4

DIMM #1

DIMM #3

DIMM #6

DIMM #8

DIMM #5

DIMM #7

DIMM #2

DIMM #4

TPMD

Memory Controller

Memory Controller

SAS

Controller

RAIDs 0,1,10

Optional RAID 5 & 6

Expansion Card

DASD & Media Backplane

HDD1

HDD2

HDD3

HDD4

HDD5

HDD6

DVD

USB #1
USB #2
USB #3
USB #4

USB

Controller

2 System Ports

2 HMC Ports

2 SPCN Ports

VPD Chip

Service Processor

PCIe

Switch

68.2 GB/s

68.2 GB/s

19.7 GB/s

19.7 GB/s

19.7 GB/s

Figure 2-2 IBM Power 740 logical system diagram

Chapter 2. Architecture and technical overview 43

2.1 The IBM POWER7+ processor

The IBM POWER7+ processor represents a leap forward in technology achievement and
associated computing capability. The multi-core architecture of the POWER7+ processor is
matched with innovation across a wide range of related technologies to deliver leading
throughput, efficiency, scalability, and reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS).

Although the processor is an important component in delivering outstanding servers, many
elements and facilities must be balanced on a server to deliver maximum throughput. As with
previous generations of systems, based on IBM POWER® processors, the design philosophy
for POWER7+ processor-based systems is one of system-wide balance in which the
POWER7+ processor plays an important role.

IBM uses innovative technologies to achieve required levels of throughput and bandwidth.
Areas of innovation for the POWER7+ processor and POWER7+ processor-based systems
include (but are not limited to) the following items:

򐂰 On-chip L3 cache implemented in embedded dynamic random access memory (eDRAM)
򐂰 Cache hierarchy and component innovation
򐂰 Advances in memory subsystem
򐂰 Advances in off-chip signaling
򐂰 Advances in I/O card throughput and latency
򐂰 Advances in RAS features such as power-on reset and L3 cache dynamic column repair

The superscalar POWER7+ processor design also provides a variety of other capabilities:

򐂰 Binary compatibility with the prior generation of POWER processors
򐂰 Support for PowerVM virtualization capabilities, including PowerVM Live Partition Mobility

to and from POWER6, POWER6+, and POWER7 processor-based systems

44 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

Figure 2-3 shows the POWER7+ processor die layout, with the major areas identified:

򐂰 Processor cores
򐂰 L2 cache
򐂰 L3 cache and chip interconnection
򐂰 Simultaneous multiprocessing links
򐂰 Memory controllers.
򐂰 I/O links

Figure 2-3 POWER7+ processor die with key areas indicated

2.1.1 POWER7+ processor overview

The POWER7+ processor chip is fabricated with IBM 32 nm Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI)
technology that use copper interconnects, and implements an on-chip L3 cache that use
eDRAM.

The POWER7+ processor chip is 567 mm
to eight processor cores are on the chip, each with 12 execution units, 256 KB of L2 cache
per core, and up to 80 MB of shared on-chip L3 cache per chip.

For memory access, the POWER7+ processor includes a double data rate 3 (DDR3) memory
controller with four memory channels.

2

and has 2.1 billion components (transistors). Up

Chapter 2. Architecture and technical overview 45

Table 2-1 summarizes the technology characteristics of the POWER7+ processor.

Table 2-1 Summary of POWER7+ processor technology

Technology POWER7+ processor

Die size 567 mm

Fabrication technology 򐂰 32 nm lithography

Processor cores 3, 4, 6, or 8

Maximum execution threads core/chip 4/32

Maximum L2 cache core/chip 256 KB/2 MB

Maximum On-chip L3 cache core/chip 10 MB/80 MB

DDR3 memory controllers 1

SMP design-point 32 sockets with IBM POWER7+ processors

Compatibility With prior generation of POWER processor

2.1.2 POWER7+ processor core

2

򐂰 Copper interconnect
򐂰 Silicon-on-Insulator
򐂰 eDRAM

Each POWER7+ processor core implements aggressive out-of-order (OoO) instruction
execution to drive high efficiency in the use of available execution paths. The POWER7+
processor has an Instruction Sequence Unit that is capable of dispatching up to six
instructions per cycle to a set of queues. Up to eight instructions per cycle can be issued to
the instruction execution units. The POWER7+ processor has a set of 12 execution units:

򐂰 Two fixed point units
򐂰 Two load store units
򐂰 Four double precision floating point units
򐂰 One vector unit
򐂰 One branch unit
򐂰 One condition register unit
򐂰 One decimal floating point unit

The following caches are tightly coupled to each POWER7+ processor core:

򐂰 Instruction cache: 32 KB
򐂰 Data cache: 32 KB
򐂰 L2 cache: 256 KB, implemented in fast SRAM

46 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

2.1.3 Simultaneous multithreading

2004 2-way SMT

FX0
FX1
FP0
FP1
LS0
LS1
BRX
CRL

FX0
FX1
FP0
FP1
LS0
LS1
BRX
CRL

1995 Single thread out of order

FX0
FX1
FP0
FP1
LS0
LS1
BRX
CRL

1997 Hardware multi-thread

FX0
FX1
FP0
FP1
LS0
LS1
BRX
CRL

2010 4-way SMT

Thread 1 ExecutingThread 0 Executing
Thread 3 ExecutingThread 2 Executing

No Thread Executing

Multi-threading evolution

POWER7+ processors support SMT1, SMT2, and SMT4 modes to enable up to four
instruction threads to execute simultaneously in each POWER7+ processor core. The
processor supports the following instruction thread execution modes:

򐂰 SMT1: Single instruction execution thread per core
򐂰 SMT2: Two instruction execution threads per core
򐂰 SMT4: Four instruction execution threads per core

SMT4 mode enables the POWER7+ processor to maximize the throughput of the processor
core by offering an increase in processor-core efficiency. SMT4 mode is the latest step in an
evolution of multithreading technologies introduced by IBM.

Figure 2-4 shows the evolution of simultaneous multithreading in the industry.

Figure 2-4 Evolution of simultaneous multithreading

The various SMT modes offered by the POWER7+ processor allow flexibility, enabling users
to select the threading technology that meets an aggregation of objectives such as
performance, throughput, energy use, and workload enablement.

Intelligent Threads

The POWER7+ processor features Intelligent Threads that can vary based on the workload
demand. The system automatically selects (or the system administrator can manually select)
whether a workload benefits from dedicating as much capability as possible to a single thread
of work, or whether the workload benefits more from having capability spread across two or
four threads of work. With more threads, the POWER7+ processor can deliver more total
capacity as more tasks are accomplished in parallel. With fewer threads, those workloads that
need fast individual tasks can get the performance that they need for maximum benefit.

Chapter 2. Architecture and technical overview 47

2.1.4 Memory access

Buffer

Port A

Port B

DDR3 RDIMM Slot 7

DDR3 RDIMM Slot 8

DDR3 RDIMM Slot 1

DDR3 RDIMM Slot 2

Buffer

Port A

Port B

DDR3 RDIMM Slot 5

DDR3 RDIMM Slot 6

DDR3 RDIMM Slot 3

DDR3 RDIMM Slot 4

Buffer

Port A

Port B

DDR3 RDIMM Slot 5

DDR3 RDIMM Slot 6

DDR3 RDIMM Slot 3

DDR3 RDIMM Slot 4

Buffer

Port A

Port B

DDR3 RDIMM Slot 7

DDR3 RDIMM Slot 8

DDR3 RDIMM Slot 1

DDR3 RDIMM Slot 2

P3-Cn-C7

P3-Cn-C8

P3-Cn-C1

P3-Cn-C2

P3-Cn-C5

P3-Cn-C6

P3-Cn-C3

P3-Cn-C4

P3-Cn-C7

P3-Cn-C8

P3-Cn-C1

P3-Cn-C2

P3-Cn-C5

P3-Cn-C6

P3-Cn-C3

P3-Cn-C4

POWER7+

SCM

Memory

Channel D

Memory

Channel C

Memory

Channel B

Memory

Channel A

Each POWER7+ processor chips has one memory controller which uses four memory
channels. Each memory channel operates at 1066 MHz connects to four DIMMs.

In the Power 720 server, each channel can address up to 128 GB. Thus the Power 720 is
capable of addressing up to 512 GB of total memory.

In the Power 740 server, each channel can address up to 128 GB. Thus the Power 740 is
capable of addressing up to 1024 GB of total memory.

Figure 2-5 is a simple overview of the POWER7+ processor memory access structure in the
Power 720 and Power 740.

2.1.5 On-chip L3 cache innovation and Intelligent Cache

48 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

Figure 2-5 Overview of POWER7+ memory access structure

A breakthrough in material engineering and microprocessor fabrication enabled IBM to
implement the L3 cache in eDRAM and place it on the POWER7+ processor die. L3 cache is
critical to a balanced design, as is the ability to provide good signaling between the L3 cache
and other elements of the hierarchy, such as the L2 cache or SMP interconnect.

The on-chip L3 cache is organized into separate areas with differing latency characteristics.

Core Core Core Core

Core

L2 Cache

Core

L2 Cache

Core

L2 Cache

Core

L2 Cache

Mem Ctrl Mem Ctrl

L3 Cache and Chip Interconnect

Local SMP Links

Local SMP Links

Local SMP Links

Remote SMP + I/O Links

Remote SMP + I/O Links

Remote SMP + I/O Links

Fast local L3

Cache Region

Fast local L3

Cache Region

Fast local L3

Cache Region

Fast local L3

Cache Region

L2 Cache L2 Cache L2 Cache L2 Cache

Fast local L3

Cache Region

Fast local L3

Cache Region

Fast local L3

Cache Region

Fast local L3

Cache Region

Each processor core is associated with a fast local region of L3 cache (FLR-L3) but also has
access to other L3 cache regions as shared L3 cache. Additionally, each core can negotiate
to use the FLR-L3 cache associated with another core, depending on reference patterns.
Data can also be cloned to be stored in more than one core’s FLR-L3 cache, again depending
on reference patterns. This
to optimize the access to L3 cache lines and minimize overall cache latencies.

Figure 2-6 shows the FLR-L3 cache regions for each of the cores on the POWER7+
processor die.

Intelligent Cache management enables the POWER7+ processor

Figure 2-6 Fast local regions of L3 cache on the POWER7+ processor

The innovation of using eDRAM on the POWER7+ processor die is significant for
several reasons:

򐂰 Latency improvement

A six-to-one latency improvement occurs by moving the L3 cache on-chip compared to L3
accesses on an external (on-ceramic) ASIC.

򐂰 Bandwidth improvement

A 2x bandwidth improvement occurs with on-chip interconnect. Frequency and bus sizes
are increased to and from each core.

򐂰 No off-chip driver or receivers

Removing drivers or receivers from the L3 access path lowers interface requirements,
conserves energy, and lowers latency.

Chapter 2. Architecture and technical overview 49

򐂰 Small physical footprint

The performance of eDRAM when implemented on-chip is similar to conventional SRAM
but requires far less physical space. IBM on-chip eDRAM uses only one-third of the
components used in conventional SRAM, which has a minimum of six transistors to
implement a 1-bit memory cell.

򐂰 Low energy consumption

The on-chip eDRAM uses only 20% of the standby power of SRAM.

2.1.6 POWER7+ processor and Intelligent Energy

Energy consumption is an important area of focus for the design of the POWER7+ processor,
which includes Intelligent Energy features that help to dynamically optimize energy usage and
performance so that the best possible balance is maintained. Intelligent Energy features, such
as EnergyScale, work with IBM Systems Director Active Energy Manager™ to dynamically
optimize processor speed based on thermal conditions and system utilization.

2.1.7 Comparison of the POWER7+, POWER7, and POWER6 processors

Table 2-2 shows comparable characteristics between the generations of POWER7+,
POWER7, and POWER6 processors.

Table 2-2 Comparison of technology for the POWER7+ processor and the prior generations

Characteristics POWER7+ POWER7 POWER6

Technology

Die size

Maximum cores

Maximum SMT
threads per core

Maximum frequency

L2 Cache

L3 Cache

Memory support

I/O bus

Enhanced cache
mode (TurboCore)

a. Only supported on the Power 795.

32 nm 45 nm 65 nm

567 mm

882

4 threads 4 threads 2 threads

4.3 GHz 4.25 GHz 5.0 GHz

256 KB per core 256 KB per core 4 MB per core

10 MB of FLR-L3 cache
per core with each core
having access to the full
80 MB of L3 cache,
on-chip eDRAM

DDR3 DDR3 DDR2

Two GX++ Two GX++ One GX++

No Yes

2

567 mm

4MB or 8MB of FLR-L3
cache per core with
each core having
access to the full 32 MB
of L3 cache, on-chip
eDRAM

2

a

341 mm

32 MB off-chip eDRAM
ASIC

No

2

50 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

2.2 POWER7+ processor modules

Memory riser cards

POWER7+

processor modules

The Power 720 and Power 740 server chassis house POWER7+ processor single chip
modules (SCMs). Each SCM can access eight DDR3 memory DIMM slots.

The Power 720 server houses one processor module offering 4-core 3.6 GHz, 6-core

3.6 GHz, or 8-core 3.6 GHz configurations.

The Power 740 server houses one or two processor modules. Each processor module can be
a 6-core 4.2 GHz or an 8-core 3.6 GHz or 4.2 GHz. All of the installed processors must be
activated, unless they are factory deconfigured using FC 2319.

Note: All POWER7+ processors in the system must be the same frequency and have
the same number of processor cores. POWER7+ processor types cannot be mixed within
a system.

2.2.1 Modules and cards

Figure 2-7 shows the system planar highlighting the POWER7 processor modules and the
memory riser cards.

Figure 2-7 Power 740 planar with processor modules and memory riser cards highlighted

Chapter 2. Architecture and technical overview 51

2.2.2 Power 720 and Power 740 systems

Power 720 and Power 740 systems support POWER7+ processors with various core-counts.
Table 2-3 summarizes the POWER7 processor options for the Power 720 system.

Table 2-3 Summary of POWER7+ processor options for the Power 720 system

Feature
code

Cores per
POWER7
processor

Frequency
(GHz)

Processor activation Min/Maxa

cores per
system

Min/Maxa
processor
module

EPCK 4 3.6 The 4-core 3.6 GHz requires

that four processor activation
codes are ordered, available as
4 x FC EPDK or 2 x FC EPDK
and 2 x FC EPEK.

EPCL 6 3.6 The 6-core 3.6 GHz requires

that six processor activation
codes be ordered, available as
6 x FC EPDL or 3 x FC EPDL
and 3 x FC EPEL.

EPE7 8 3.6 The 8-core 3.6 GHz requires

that eight processor activation
codes be ordered, available as
8 x FC EPDM or 4 x FC EPDM
and 4 x FC EPEM.

a. Minimum and maximum

4/4 1/1

6/6 1/1

8/8 1/1

Table 2-4 summarizes the POWER7+ processor options for the Power 740 system.

Table 2-4 Summary of POWER+7 processor options for the Power 740 system

Feature Cores per

POWER7
processor

Frequency
(GHz)

Processor activation Min/Max

cores per
system

Min/Max
processor
module

EPCP 6 4.2 The 6-core 4.2 GHz requires

that six processor activation
codes are ordered, available as
4 x FC EPDP or 2 x FC EPDP
and 2 x FC EPEP.

EPCQ 8 3.6 The 8-core 3.6 GHz requires

that six processor activation
codes are ordered, available as
8 x FC EPDQ or 4 x FC EPDQ
and 4 x FC EPEQ.

EPCR 8 4.2 The 8-core 4.2 GHz requires

that eight processor activation
codes are ordered, available as
8 x FC EPDR or 4 x FC EPDR
and 4 x FC EPER.

52 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

6/12 1/2

8/16 1/2

8/16 1/2

2.3 Memory subsystem

The Power 720 is a one-socket system that supports a single POWER7+ processor module.
The server supports a maximum of 16 DDR3 DIMM slots, with eight DIMM slots included in
the base configuration and eight DIMM slots available with an optional memory riser card.
Memory features (two memory DIMMs per feature) supported are 8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB, and
64 GB running at speeds of 1066 MHz. A system with the installed optional memory riser
card has a maximum memory of 512 GB.

The Power 740 is a two-socket system supporting up to two POWER7+ processor modules.
The server supports a maximum of 32 DDR3 DIMM slots, with eight DIMM slots included in
the base configuration and 24 DIMM slots available with three optional memory riser cards.
Memory features (two memory DIMMs per feature) supported are 8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB, and
64 GB run at speeds of 1066 MHz. A system with three installed optional memory riser cards
has a maximum memory of 1024 GB.

2.3.1 Registered DIMM

Industry standard DDR3 Registered DIMM (RDIMM) technology is used to increase reliability,
speed, and density of memory subsystems by putting a register between the DIMM modules
and the memory controller. This register is also referred to as a buffer.

2.3.2 Memory placement rules

The following memory options can be ordered:

򐂰 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) Memory DIMMs, 1066 MHz (FC EM08)
򐂰 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) Memory DIMMs, 1066 MHz (FC EM4B, CCIN 31FA)
򐂰 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) Memory DIMMs, 1066 MHz (FC EM4C)
򐂰 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) Memory DIMMs, 1066 MHz (FC EM4D)

A minimum of 8 GB memory is required for a Power 720 system or a Power 740 system using
one processor card. Table 2-5 lists the maximum memory that is supported on the Power 720.

Table 2-5 Power 720 maximum memory

Processor cores One memory riser card Two memory riser cards

4-core 64 GB 64 GB

6-core
8-core

Note: A Power 720 system with the 4-core processor module (FC EPCK) does not support the 32 GB
(FC EM4C) and 64 GB (FC EM4D) memory features.

256 GB 512 GB

Chapter 2. Architecture and technical overview 53

Table 2-6 shows the maximum memory that is supported on the Power 740.

POWER7+

SCM

MC0
Channel D

MC0
Channel C

MC0
Channel B

MC0
Channel A

MC: Memory Controller
BC: Memory Buffer

Memory Card #2

DDR3 RDIMM Slot 2

DDR3 RDIMM Slot 1

DDR3 RDIMM Slot 8

DDR3 RDIMM Slot 7

BC-B

DDR3 RDIMM Slot 4

DDR3 RDIMM Slot 3

DDR3 RDIMM Slot 6

DDR3 RDIMM Slot 5

BC-A

Memory Card #1

DDR3 RDIMM Slot 4

DDR3 RDIMM Slot 3

DDR3 RDIMM Slot 6

DDR3 RDIMM Slot 5

BC-A

DDR3 RDIMM Slot 2

DDR3 RDIMM Slot 1

DDR3 RDIMM Slot 8

DDR3 RDIMM Slot 7

BC-B

Table 2-6 Power 740 maximum memory

Processor
cores

1 x 4-core
1 x 6-core
1 x 8-core

2 x 4-core
2 x 6-core
2 x 8-core

One memory
riser card

256 GB 512 GB Not available Not available

256 GB 512 GB 768 GB 1024 GB

Two memory
riser cards

Three memory
riser cards

Four memory
riser cards

Figure 2-8 shows the logical memory DIMM topology for the POWER7 processor card.

Figure 2-8 Memory DIMM topology for the Power 720 or Power 740

54 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

Figure 2-9 shows memory location codes and how the memory riser cards are divided in

Memory Riser Card

Quad A

Quad B

Buffer B

Slot #1 – P1-Cn-C1
Slot #2 – P1-Cn-C2

Slot #3 – P1-Cn-C3
Slot #4 – P1-Cn-C4

Slot #5 – P1-Cn-C7
Slot #6 – P1-Cn-C8

Slot #7 – P1-Cn-C9
Slot #8 – P1-Cn-C10

Buffer A

quads, each quad being attached to a memory buffer.

Figure 2-9 Memory Riser Card for Power 720 and Power 740 Systems

The memory-placement rules are as follows:
򐂰 The base machine contains one memory riser card with eight DIMM sockets. Memory

features occupy two memory DIMM sockets.

򐂰 One additional memory riser card feature (1 x FC EM01, CCIN 2C1C) with an additional

eight DIMM sockets is available when one processor module is installed in the system. For
the Power 740, three optional memory riser card features (3 x FC EM01, CCIN 2C1C) with
an additional eight DIMM sockets per feature are available when two processor modules
are installed in the system.

򐂰 Each DIMM within a DIMM quad must be equivalent. However, Quad B DIMMs can be

different from the Quad A DIMMs. A quad does not have to be filled before putting another
pair of DIMMs into another quad.

򐂰 Mixing features FC EM08, FC EM4B, FC EM4C, or FC EM4D is supported on the same

memory riser card while there is only one type of memory DIMM in the same quad.

Generally, the best way is to install memory evenly across all memory riser cards in the
system. Balancing memory across the installed memory riser cards allows memory access in
a consistent manner and typically results in the best possible performance for your
configuration. However, balancing memory fairly evenly across multiple memory riser cards,
compared to balancing memory exactly evenly, typically has a small performance difference.

Be sure to account for any plans for future memory upgrades when you are deciding which
memory feature size to use at the time of initial system order.

Chapter 2. Architecture and technical overview 55

Figure 2-10 through Figure 2-14 on page 59 show the various installation orders of the

Pair 2

Pair 4

Pair 2

Pair 4

Pair 3

Pair 1

Pair 3

Pair 1

POWER7+

P1-C11

Memory Card #1  P1-C18

P1-C18-C1

P1-C18-C2

P1-C18-C3

P1-C18-C4

P1-C18-C7

P1-C18-C8

P1-C18-C9

P1-C18-C10

DIMMs that use one, two, three or four memory riser cards.

Figure 2-10 Memory DIMM installation sequence for one processor with two riser cards

56 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

Figure 2-11 Memory DIMM installation sequence for one processor with two riser cards

Pair 3

Pair 7

Pair 3

Pair 7

Pair 5

Pair 1

Pair 5

Pair 1

Memory Card #2  P1-C17

Pair 4

Pair 8

Pair 4

Pair 8

Pair 6

Pair 2

Pair 6

Pair 2

POWER7+

P1-C11

P1-C17-C1

P1-C17-C2

P1-C17-C3

P1-C17-C4

P1-C17-C7

P1-C17-C8

P1-C17-C9

P1-C17-C10

Memory Card #1  P1-C18

P1-C18-C1

P1-C18-C2

P1-C18-C3

P1-C18-C4

P1-C18-C7

P1-C18-C8

P1-C18-C9

P1-C18-C10

Chapter 2. Architecture and technical overview 57

Figure 2-12 Memory DIMM installation sequence for two processors with two riser cards

POWER7+

P1-C10

Pair 3

Pair 7

Pair 3

Pair 7

Pair 5

Pair 1

Pair 5

Pair 1

POWER7+

P1-C11

Memory Card #1  P1-C18

P1-C18-C1

P1-C18-C2

P1-C18-C3

P1-C18-C4

P1-C18-C7

P1-C18-C8

P1-C18-C9

P1-C18-C10

Pair 4

Pair 8

Pair 4

Pair 8

Pair 6

Pair 2

Pair 6

Pair 2

Memory Card #3  P1-C16

P1-C16-C1

P1-C16-C2

P1-C16-C3

P1-C16-C4

P1-C16-C7

P1-C16-C8

P1-C16-C9

P1-C16-C10

POWER7+

P1-C10

Pair 4

Pair 10

Pair 4

Pair 10

Pair 7

Pair 1

Pair 7

Pair 1

Memory Card #2  P1-C17

Pair 6

Pair 12

Pair 6

Pair 12

Pair 9

Pair 3

Pair 9

Pair 3

POWER7+

P1-C11

P1-C17-C1

P1-C17-C2

P1-C17-C3

P1-C17-C4

P1-C17-C7

P1-C17-C8

P1-C17-C9

P1-C17-C10

Memory Card #1  P1-C18

P1-C18-C1

P1-C18-C2

P1-C18-C3

P1-C18-C4

P1-C18-C7

P1-C18-C8

P1-C18-C9

P1-C18-C10

Pair 5

Pair 11

Pair 5

Pair 11

Pair 8

Pair 2

Pair 8

Pair 2

Memory Card #3  P1-C16

P1-C16-C1

P1-C16-C2

P1-C16-C3

P1-C16-C4

P1-C16-C7

P1-C16-C8

P1-C16-C9

P1-C16-C10

Figure 2-13 Memory DIMM installation sequence for two processors with three riser cards

58 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

Figure 2-14 Memory DIMM installation sequence for two processors with four riser cards

POWER7+

P1-C10

Pair 5

Pair 13

Pair 5

Pair 13

Pair 9

Pair 1

Pair 9

Pair 1

Memory Card #2  P1-C17

Pair 7

Pair 15

Pair 7

Pair 15

Pair 11

Pair 3

Pair 11

Pair 3

POWER7+

P1-C11

P1-C17-C1

P1-C17-C2

P1-C17-C3

P1-C17-C4

P1-C17-C7

P1-C17-C8

P1-C17-C9

P1-C17-C10

Memory Card #1  P1-C18

P1-C18-C1

P1-C18-C2

P1-C18-C3

P1-C18-C4

P1-C18-C7

P1-C18-C8

P1-C18-C9

P1-C18-C10

Pair 6

Pair 14

Pair 6

Pair 14

Pair 10

Pair 2

Pair 10

Pair 2

Memory Card #4  P1-C15

Pair 8

Pair 16

Pair 8

Pair 16

Pair 12

Pair 4

Pair 12

Pair 4

P1-C15-C1

P1-C15-C2

P1-C15-C3

P1-C1-C4

P1-C15-C7

P1-C15-C8

P1-C15-C9

P1-C15-C10

Memory Card #3  P1-C16

P1-C16-C1

P1-C16-C2

P1-C16-C3

P1-C16-C4

P1-C16-C7

P1-C16-C8

P1-C16-C9

P1-C16-C10

2.3.3 Memory bandwidth

The POWER7+ processor has exceptional cache, memory, and interconnect bandwidths.
Table 2-7 shows the maximum bandwidth estimates for the Power 720 and Power 740
systems.

Table 2-7 Power 720 and Power 740 processor and memory bandwidth estimates

Memory Power 720 Power 740

L1 (data) cache 173.376 GBps 205.632 GBps

L2 cache 173.376 GBps 205.632 GBps

L3 cache 115.584 GBps 137.088 GBps

System memory 68.224 GBps 68.224 GBps (one socket)

3.612 GHz processor card 4.284 GHz processor card

136.448 GBps (dual sockets)

Chapter 2. Architecture and technical overview 59

The bandwidth figures for the caches are calculated as follows:
򐂰 L1 cache: In one clock cycle, two 16-byte load operation and one 16-byte store operation

can be accomplished. By using a 4.284 GHz processor card, the formula is as follows:

(2 * 16 B + 1 * 16 B) * 4.284 GHz = 205.632 GBps

򐂰 L2 cache: In one clock cycle, one 32-byte load operation and one 16-byte store operation

can be accomplished. By using a 4.284 GHz processor card, the formula is as follows:

(1 * 32 B + 1 * 16 B) * 4.284 GHz = 205.632 GBps

򐂰 L3 cache: One 32-byte load operation and one 32-byte store operation can be

accomplished at half clock speed. By using a 4.284 GHz processor card the formula is as
follows:

(1 * 32 B + 1 * 32 B) * (4.284 GHz / 2) = 137.088 GBps

򐂰 Memory: The Power 720 and Power 740 system use one memory controller of the

POWER7+ processor. The memory controller is connected to a buffer chip that uses four
ports with 8 bytes. Each buffer chip connects to four DIMMs that are running at 1066 MHz,
with two DIMMs being active at a given point in time. See Figure 2-8 on page 54 for
reference. The bandwidth formula is calculated as follows:

1 memory controller * 4 ports * 8 bytes * 2 DIMMs * 1066 MHz = 68.224 GBps

2.4 Capacity on Demand and Capacity Backup offering

The only available Capacity on Demand feature for Power 720 and Power 740 systems is
Capacity Backup (CBU) for IBM i. For Power 720 and Power 740 systems used with AIX or
Linux, Capacity on Demand is not supported.

IBM i only: Capacity Backup Offering applies to IBM i only.

The Power 720 and Power 740 systems CBU designation can help meet your requirements
for a second system to use for backup, high availability, and disaster recovery. It enables you
to temporarily transfer IBM i processor license entitlements and 5250 Enterprise Enablement
entitlements purchased for a primary machine to a secondary CBU-designated system.
Temporarily transferring these resources instead of purchasing them for your secondary
system can result in significant savings. Processor activations cannot be transferred.

The CBU Specify FC 0444 is available only as part of a new server purchase. Certain system
prerequisites must be met, and system registration and approval are required before the CBU
Specify feature can be applied on a new server.

For information about registration and other details, see the following site:

http://www.ibm.com/systems/power/hardware/cbu

60 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

2.5 System bus

This section provides additional information about the internal buses.

The Power 720 and Power 740 systems have internal I/O connectivity through PCIe slots, and
also external connectivity through InfiniBand adapters.

The internal I/O subsystem on the Power 720 and Power 740 is connected to the GX bus on a
POWER7+ processor in the system. This bus runs at 2.5 GHz and provides 20 GBps of I/O
connectivity to the PCIe slots, integrated Ethernet adapter ports, SAS internal adapters, and
USB ports.

Additionally, the POWER7+ processor chip that is installed on the Power 720 and each of the
processor chips on the Power 740 provide a GX++ bus, which is used to optionally connect to
a 12x GX++ adapter. Each bus runs at 2.5 GHz and provides 20 GBps bandwidth.

One GX++ slot is available on the Power 720 and two GX++ slots are available on the
Power 740. The GX++ Dual-Port 12x Channel Attach Adapter (FC EJ04) can be installed in
either GX++ slot. The first GX++ slot can also be used by the optional PCIe Gen2 Adapter
Riser Card (FC 5685) to add four short, 8x, PICe Gen2 low-profile slots.

Remember: The GX++ slots are not hot-pluggable.

Table 2-8 lists the I/O bandwidth configuration of Power 720 and Power 740 processors.

Table 2-8 I/O bandwidth

I/O I/O Bandwidth (maximum theoretical)

GX++ Bus from the first
SCM to the IO chip

GX++ Bus (slot 1) 10 GBps simplex

GX++ Bus (slot 2) - 10 GBps simplex

Total I/O bandwidth 20 GBps simplex

2.6 Internal I/O subsystem

The internal I/O subsystem resides on the system planar that supports the PCIe slot. PCIe
slots on the Power 720 and Power 740 are not hot pluggable. However, PCIe and PCI-X slots
on the I/O drawers are hot-pluggable.

All PCIe slots support Enhanced Error Handling (EEH). PCI EEH-enabled adapters respond
to a special data packet, generated from the affected PCIe slot hardware, by calling system
firmware, which examines the affected bus, allows the device driver to reset it, and continues
without a system reboot. For Linux, EEH support extends to the majority of frequently used
devices, although various third-party PCI devices might not provide native EEH support.

Power 720 Power 740

10 GBps simplex
20 GBps duplex

20 GBps duplex

40 GBps duplex

10 GBps simplex
20 GBps duplex

10 GBps simplex
20 GBps duplex

20 GBps duplex

30 GBps simplex
60 GBps duplex

Chapter 2. Architecture and technical overview 61

An optional PCIe Adapter Riser Card (FC 5685) adds four short, 8x PCIe Gen2 low-profile
slots and is installed in a GX++ slot 1. All PCIe slots are EEH, but they are not hot-pluggable.

2.6.1 Slot configuration

Table 2-9 describes the slot configuration of the Power 720 and Power 740.

Table 2-9 Slot configuration of a Power 720 and Power 740

Slot
number

Slot 1 PCIe Gen2 x8 P1-C2 P7IOC PCIe PHB5 Full height, short

Slot 2 PCIe Gen2 x8 P1-C3 P7IOC PCIe PHB4 Full height, short

Slot 3 PCIe Gen2 x8 P1-C4 P7IOC PCIe PHB3 Full height, short

Slot 4 PCIe Gen2 x8 P1-C5 P7IOC PCIe PHB2 Full height, short

Slot 5 PCIe Gen2 x8 P1-C6 P7IOC PCIe PHB1 Full height, short

Slot 6 PCIe Gen2 x4 P1-C7 P7IOC multiplexer PCIe PHB0 Full height, short

Slot 7 PCIe Gen2 x8 P1-C1-C1 P7IOC PCIe PHB1 Low profile, short

Slot 8 PCIe Gen2 x8 P1-C1-C2 P7IOC PCIe PHB4 Low profile, short

Slot 9 PCIe Gen2 x8 P1-C1-C3 P7IOC PCIe PHB2 Low profile, short

Description Location

code

PCI Host Bridge (PHB) Maximum

card size

Slot 10 PCIe Gen2 x8 P1-C1-C4 P7IOC PCIe PHB3 Low profile, short

Remember: Full-height PCIe adapters and low-profile PCIe adapters are not
interchangeable. Even if the card was designed with low-profile dimensions, the tailstock at
the end of the adapter is specific to either low-profile or full-height PCIe slots.

2.6.2 System ports

The system planar has two serial ports that are called system ports. When an HMC is
connected to the server, the integrated system ports of the server are rendered
non-functional. In this case, you must install an asynchronous adapter, which is described in
Table 2-20 on page 74, for serial port usage:

򐂰 Integrated system ports are not supported under AIX or Linux when the HMC ports are

connected to an HMC. Either the HMC ports or the integrated system ports can be used,
but not both.

򐂰 The integrated system ports are supported for modem and asynchronous terminal

connections. Any other application using serial ports requires a serial port adapter
to be installed in a PCI slot. The integrated system ports do not support IBM
PowerHA® configurations.

򐂰 Configuration of the two integrated system ports, including basic port settings (baud rate,

and so on), modem selection, call-home and call-in policy, can be performed with the
Advanced Systems Management Interface (ASMI).

62 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

Remember: The integrated console/modem port usage just described is for systems
configured as a single, system-wide partition. When it is configured with multiple partitions,
the integrated console/modem ports are disabled because the TTY console and call-home
functions are performed with the HMC.

2.7 PCI adapters

This section covers the types and functionalities of the PCI cards supported with the IBM
Power 720 and Power 740 systems.

2.7.1 PCIe Gen1 and Gen2

Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) uses a serial interface and allows for
point-to-point interconnections between devices (using a directly wired interface between
these connection points). A single PCIe serial link is a dual-simplex connection that uses two
pairs of wires, one pair for transmit and one pair for receive, and can transmit only one bit per
cycle. These two pairs of wires are called a
such configurations, the connection is labeled as x1, x2, x8, x12, x16, or x32, where the
number is effectively the number of lanes.

Two generations of PCIe interface are supported in Power 720 and Power 740 models:

lane. A PCIe link can consist of multiple lanes. In

򐂰 Gen1: Capable of transmitting at the extremely high speed of 2.5 Gbps, which gives a

capability of a peak bandwidth of 2 GBps simplex on an x8 interface

򐂰 Gen2: Double the speed of the Gen1 interface, which gives a capability of a peak

bandwidth of 4 GBps simplex on an x8 interface

PCIe Gen1 slots support Gen1 adapter cards and also most of the Gen2 adapters. In this
case, where a Gen2 adapter is used in a Gen1 slot, the adapter operates at PCIe Gen1
speed. PCIe Gen2 slots support both Gen1 and Gen2 adapters. In this case, where a Gen1
card is installed into a Gen2 slot, it operates at PCIe Gen1 speed with a slight performance
enhancement. When a Gen2 adapter is installed into a Gen2 slot, it operates at the full PCIe
Gen2 speed.

The Power 720 and Power 740 system enclosure is equipped with five PCIe x8 Gen2
full-height slots. A sixth PCIe x4 slot is dedicated to the PCIe Ethernet card that is standard
with the base system. An optional PCIe Gen2 expansion feature is also available that
provides an additional four PCIe x8 low-profile slots.

All adapters support Extended Error Handling (EEH). PCIe adapters use a different type of
slot than PCI and PCI-X adapters. If you attempt to force an adapter into the wrong type of
slot, you might damage the adapter or the slot.

Chapter 2. Architecture and technical overview 63

Remember:

򐂰 The PCIe2 4-port 1 Gb Ethernet adapter (FC 5899) is the only PCIe adapter that is

allowed at the P1-C7 PCIe x4 slot in the Power 720 and Power 740 servers. Other
supported PCIe adapters on the Power 720 and Power 740 are not supported in the
P1-C7 slot.

򐂰 If a GX++ adapter, such as the FC EJ03 or FC EJ04 is installed at the GX++ slot 2

(P1-C8), the PCIe2 LP 4-port 1 Gb Ethernet adapter (FC 5260) must be installed in any
of the available PCIe x8 Gen2 slots.

򐂰 IBM i IOP adapters are not supported in the Power 720 and Power 740 systems.

2.7.2 PCIe adapter form factors

IBM POWER7 and POWER7+ processor-based servers are able to support two form factors
of PCIe adapters:

򐂰 PCIe low-profile (LP) cards, which are used with the Power 710 and Power 730 PCIe slots.

Low-profile adapters are also used in the PCIe riser card slots of the Power 720 and
Power 740 servers.

򐂰 PCIe full-height and full-high cards, which are plugged into the following server slots:

– Power 720 and Power 740 (Within the base system, five PCIe half-length slots

are supported.)
–Power750
–Power755
–Power760
–Power770
–Power780
–Power795
– PCIe slots of external I/O drawers, such as FC 5802 and FC 5877

Low-profile PCIe adapter cards are supported only in low-profile PCIe slots; full-height cards
are supported only in full-height slots.

64 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

Figure 2-15 shows the PCIe adapter form factors.

Low Profile PCIe Slots

 Power 710 / 730
 Power 720 / 740

- PCIe riser card

Low Profile Full Height Full High

Full High PCIe Slots

 Power 720 / 740 / 750 / 760 / 770 / 780 / 795
 12X PCIe I/O Drawer

- FC 5802 / FC 5877 for 19-inch rack

- FC 5803 / FC 5873 for 24-inch rack

Figure 2-15 PCIe adapter form factors

Many of the full-height card features are available in low-profile format. For example, the
FC 5273 8 Gb dual-port Fibre Channel adapter is the low-profile adapter equivalent of the
FC 5735 adapter full height. They have equivalent functional characteristics.

Table 2-10 is a list of low-profile adapter cards and their equivalents in full height.

Table 2-10 Equivalent adapter cards

Low profile Adapter description Full height

Feature
code

2053 57CD PCIe RAID and SSD SAS adapter 3 Gb 2054 or

5269 5269 PCIe POWER GXT145 Graphics Accelerator 5748 5748

5270 2B3B 10 Gb FCoE PCIe Dual Port adapter 5708 2B3B

5271 5271 4-Port 10/100/1000 Base-TX PCI Express adapter 5717 5271

5272 5272 10 Gigabit Ethernet-CX4 PCI Express adapter 5732 5732

5273 577D 8 Gigabit PCI Express Dual Port Fibre Channel adapter 5735 577D

5274 5768 2-Port Gigabit Ethernet-SX PCI Express adapter 5768 5768

5275 5275 10 Gb ENet Fibre RNIC PCIe 8x adapter 5769 5275

5276 5774 4 Gigabit PCI Express Dual Port Fibre Channel adapter 5774 5774

5277 57D2 4-Port Sync EIA-232 PCIe adapter 5785 57D2

5278 57B3 SAS Controller PCIe 8x adapter 5901 57B3

5280 2B44 PCIe2 LP 4-Port 10 Gb Ethernet &1 Gb Ethernet

CCIN Feature

SR&RJ45 adapter

CCIN

code

57CD

2055

5744 2B44

EN0B 577F PCIe2 16 Gb 2-Port Fibre Channel adapter EN0A 577F

EN0J 2B93 PCIe2 4-Port (10 Gb FCOE & 1 Gb Ethernet)

EN0H 2B93

SR & RJ45 adapter

Chapter 2. Architecture and technical overview 65

Before adding or rearranging adapters, you can use the System Planning Tool to validate the
new adapter configuration. See the IBM System Planning Tool website:

http://www.ibm.com/systems/support/tools/systemplanningtool/

If you are installing a new feature, ensure that you have the required software to support the
new feature, and determine whether any existing update prerequisites are available to install.
Use the IBM Prerequisite website:

https://www-912.ibm.com/e_dir/eServerPreReq.nsf

The following sections discuss the supported adapters and provide tables of orderable feature
numbers. The tables indicate operating system support (AIX, IBM i, and Linux) for each of the
adapters.

2.7.3 LAN adapters

Table 2-11 shows the local area network (LAN) adapters that are available for use with
Power 720 and Power 740 systems. The adapters are supported in the base system PCIe
slots, or in I/O enclosures that can be attached to the system using a 12X technology loop.
Cells marked N/A indicate bulk ordering codes and custom card identification number (CCIN)
is not applicable. A blank CCIN indicates CCIN not available.

IBM i: For the IBM i operating system, Table 2-11 on page 66 shows the native support of
the card. All Ethernet cards can be supported by IBM i through the VIOS server.

Table 2-11 Available LAN adapters

Feature
code

5260 576F PCIe2 LP 4-port 1 Gb Ethernet

5271 5271 PCIe LP 4-Port 10/100/1000 Base-TX

5272 5272 PCIe LP 10 Gb Ethernet CX4 1-port

5274 5768 PCIe LP 2-Port 1 Gb Ethernet SX

5275 5275 PCIe LP 10 Gb Ethernet SR 1-port

5279 2B43 PCIe2 LP 4-Port 10 Gb Ethernet &

5280 2B44 PCIe2 LP 4-Port 10 Gb Ethernet &

5284 5287 PCIe LP 2-Port 10 Gb Ethernet TX

5286 5288

CCIN Adapter description Slot Size OS support

adapter

Ethernet adapter

adapter

adapter

adapter

1 Gb Ethernet SFP+ Copper & RJ45

1 Gb Ethernet SR & RJ45 adapter

adapter

PCIe2 LP 2-Port 10 Gb E
Copper adapter

thernet

SFP+

PCIe Low profile,

short

PCIe Low profile,

short

PCIe Low profile,

Short

PCIe Low profile,

short

PCIe Low profile,

short

PCIe Low profile Linux

PCIe Low profile, Linux

PCIe Low profile,

short

PCIe Low profile,

short

AIX, IBM i,
Linux

AIX, Linux

AIX, Linux

AIX, IBM i,
Linux

AIX, Linux

AIX, Linux

AIX, Linux

5287 5287 PCIe2 2-port 10 Gb Ethernet SR

66 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

adapter

PCIe Full height,

short

AIX, Linux

Feature
code

CCIN Adapter description Slot Size OS support

5288 5288 PCIe2 2-Port 10 Gb Ethernet SFP+

Copper adapter

5706 5706 IBM 2-Port 10/100/1000 Base-TX

Ethernet PCI-X adapter

5717 5271 4-Port 10/100/1000 Base-TX PCI

Express adapter

5732 5732 10 Gigabit Ethernet-CX4 PCI Express

adapter

5740 4-Port 10/100/1000 Base-TX PCI-X

adapter

5744 2B44 PCIe2 4-Port 10 Gb Ethernet &1 Gb

Ethernet SR & RJ45 adapter

5745 2B43 PCIe2 4-Port 10 Gb Ethernet & 1 Gb

Ethernet SFP+ Copper & RJ45
adapter

5767 5767 2-Port 10/100/1000 Base-TX Ethernet

PCI Express adapter

5768 5768 2-Port Gigabit Ethernet-SX PCI

Express adapter

5769 5769 10 Gigabit Ethernet-SR PCI Express

adapter

PCIe Full height,

AIX, Linux

short

PCI-X Full height,

short

PCIe Full height,

AIX, IBM i,
Linux

AIX, Linux

short

PCIe Full height,

AIX, Linux

short

PCI-X Full height,

AIX, Linux

short

PCIe Full height Linux

PCIe Full height Linux

PCIe Full height,

short

PCIe Full height,

short

PCIe Full height,

AIX, IBM i,
Linux

AIX, IBM i,
Linux

AIX, Linux

short

5772 576E 10 Gigabit Ethernet-LR PCI Express

adapter

PCIe Full height,

short

AIX, IBM i,
Linux

5899 576F PCIe2 4-port 1 Gb Ethernet adapter PCIe Full height AIX, IBM i,

Linux

EC27 EC27 PCIe2 LP 2-Port 10 Gb Ethernet

PCIe Low profile AIX, Linux

RoCE SFP+ adapter

EC28 EC27 PCIe2 2-Port 10 Gb Ethernet RoCE

PCIe Full height AIX, Linux

SFP+ adapter

EC29 EC29 PCIe2 LP 2-Port 10 Gb Ethernet

PCIe Low profile AIX, Linux

RoCE SR adapter

EC30 EC29 PCIe2 2-Port 10 Gb Ethernet RoCE

PCIe Full height AIX, Linux

SR adapter

EN0H 2B93 PCIe2 4-port (10 Gb FCoE & 1 Gb

Ethernet) SR & RJ45

EN0J 2B93 PCIe2 LP 4-port (10 Gb FCoE & 1 Gb

Ethernet) SR & RJ45

PCIe Full height AIX, IBM i,

Linux

PCIe Low profile AIX, IBM i,

Linux

Chapter 2. Architecture and technical overview 67

2.7.4 Graphics accelerator adapters

Table 2-12 lists the available graphics accelerator adapters. They can be configured to
operate in either 8-bit or 24-bit color modes. These adapters support both analog and digital
monitors, and they are not hot-pluggable.

Table 2-12 Available graphics accelerator adapters

Feature
code

CCIN Adapter description Slot Size OS support

5269 5269 PCIe LP POWER GXT145

5748 5748 POWER GXT145 PCI Express

2.7.5 SCSI and SAS adapters

To connect to external SCSI or SAS devices, the adapters listed in Table 2-13 are available.

Table 2-13 Available SCSI and SAS adapters

Feature
code

5278 57B3 PCIe LP 2-x4-port SAS adapter 3 GbPCIe Low profile,

5736 571A PCI-X DDR Dual Channel Ultra320

b

5805

a

5900

CCIN Adapter description Slot Size OS support

574E PCIe 380 MB Cache Dual - x4 3 Gb

572A PCI-X DDR Dual -x4 SAS adapter PCI-X Full height,

Graphics Accelerator

Graphics Accelerator

SCSI adapter

SAS RAID adapter

PCIe Low profile,

short

PCIe Full height,

short

short

PCI-X Full height AIX, IBM i,

PCIe Full height,

short

short

AIX, Linux

AIX, Linux

AIX, IBM i,
Linux

Linux

AIX, IBM i,
Linux

AIX, Linux

5901 57B3 PCIe Dual-x4 SAS adapter PCIe Full height,

5902 PCI-X DDR Dual - x4 3 Gb SAS

RAID adapter

5908 575C PCI-X DDR 1.5 GB Cache SAS

RAID adapter (BSC)

5912 572A PCI-X DDR Dual - x4 SAS adapter PCI-X Full height,

b

5913

ESA1 57B4 PCIe2 RAID SAS adapter Dual-port

ESA2 57B4 PCIe2 LP RAID SAS adapter

a. Supported, but no longer orderable.
b. A pair of adapters is required to provide mirrored write cache data and adapter redundancy.

57B5 PCIe2 1.8 GB Cache RAID SAS

adapter Tri-port 6 Gb

6Gb

Dual-port 6 Gb

68 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

AIX, IBM i,

short

PCI-X Full height AIX, Linux

PCI-X Full height,

short

short

PCIe Full height,

short

PCIe Full height AIX, IBM i,

PCIe Low profile AIX, IBM i,

Linux

AIX, IBM i,
Linux

AIX, IBM i,
Linux

AIX, IBM i,
Linux

Linux

Linux

For detailed information about SAS cabling of external storage, see the IBM Power Systems
Hardware information center:

http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/powersys/v3r1m5/index.jsp

Table 2-14 compares features of parallel SCSI and SAS.

Table 2-14 Comparison parallel SCSI to SAS

Feature Parallel SCSI SAS

Architecture Parallel, all devices connected to

shared bus

Performance 320 MBps (Ultra320 SCSI),

performance degrades as devices
added to shared bus

Scalability 15 drives Over 16,000 drives

Compatibility Incompatible with all other drive

interfaces

Max. cable length 12 meters total (must sum lengths of

all cables used on bus)

Cable from factor Multitude of conductors adds bulk,

cost

Hot pluggability Yes Yes

Device identification Manually set, user must ensure no

ID number conflicts on bus

Termination Manually set, user must ensure

proper installation and functionality
of terminators

Serial, point-to-point, discrete signal
paths

3 Gbps, roadmap to 12 Gbps,
performance maintained as more
devices added

Compatible with Serial ATA (SATA)

8 meters per discrete connection,
total domain cabling hundreds of
meters

Compact connectors and cabling
save space, cost

Worldwide unique ID set at time of
manufacture

Discrete signal paths enable device
to include termination by default

2.7.6 PCIe RAID and SSD SAS Adapter

A new SSD option for selected POWER7 and POWER7+ processor-based servers offers a
significant price-for-performance improvement for many client SSD configurations. The new
SSD option is packaged differently from those currently available with Power Systems. The
new PCIe RAID and SSD SAS adapter has up to four 177 GB SSD modules, plugged directly
onto the adapter, saving the need for the SAS bays and cabling that are associated with the
current SSD offering. The new PCIe-based SSD offering can save up to 70% of the list price,
and reduce up to 65% of the footprint, compared to disk enclosure based SSD, assuming
equivalent capacity. This benefit is dependant on the configuration required.

Chapter 2. Architecture and technical overview 69

Figure 2-16 shows the double-wide adapter and SSD modules.

SAS

Cntrl

177 GB

SSD

177 GB

SSD

177 GB

SSD

177 GB

SSD

Figure 2-16 The PCIe RAID and SSD SAS Adapter and 177 GB SSD modules

To connect to external SCSI or SAS devices, the adapters listed in Table 2-15 are available.

Table 2-15 Available PCIe RAID and SSD SAS adapters

Feature
code

2053

2054 57CD PCIe RAID and SSD SAS

2055

a. Supported only in the rack-mount configuration. VIOS attachment requires Version 2.2

b. Supported only in a FC 5802 and FC 5877 PCIe I/O drawer. Not supported in the Power 720

CCIN Adapter description Slot Size OS support

a

57CD PCIe LP RAID and SSD

SAS adapter 3 Gb

3Gb

b

57CD PCIe RAID and SSD SAS

adapter 3 Gb with Blind
Swap Cassette

or later.

and Power 740 system unit. If used with the VIOS, Version 2.2 or later of VIOS is required.

PCIe Low profile,

double wide, short

PCIe Double wide, short AIX, IBM i,

PCIe Full height inside a

blind swap cassette
(BSC),
double wide, short

AIX, IBM i,
Linux

Linux

AIX, IBM i,
Linux

Note: For a Power 720 tower configuration, placing PCIe-based SSDs in a FC 5802 and
FC 5877 PCIe I/O drawer is possible.

The 177 GB SSD Module with enterprise multi-level cell (eMLC) uses a new enterprise-class
MLC flash technology, which provides enhanced durability, capacity, and performance. One,
two, or four modules can be plugged onto a PCIe RAID and SSD SAS adapter, providing up
to 708 GB of SSD capacity on one PCIe adapter.

Because the SSD modules are mounted on the adapter, to service either the adapter or one
of the modules, the entire adapter must be removed from the system. Although the adapter
can be hot-plugged when installed in a FC 5802 or FC 5877 I/O drawer, removing the adapter
also removes all SSD modules. So, to be able to hot plug the adapter and maintain data
availability, two adapters must be installed and the data mirrored across the adapters.

Under AIX and Linux, the 177 GB modules can be reformatted as JBOD disks, providing
200 GB of available disk space. This way removes RAID error correcting information, so it is
best to mirror the data using operating system tools to prevent data loss in case of failure.

70 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

2.7.7 iSCSI adapters

The iSCSI adapters in Power Systems provide the advantage of increased bandwidth through
hardware support of the iSCSI protocol. The 1 Gigabit iSCSI TOE (TCP/IP Offload Engine)
PCI-X adapters support hardware encapsulation of SCSI commands and data into TCP, and
transports them over the Ethernet by using IP packets. The adapter operates as an iSCSI
TOE. This offload function eliminates host protocol processing and reduces CPU interrupts.
The adapter uses a small form factor LC type fiber optic connector or a copper RJ45
connector. Table 2-16 lists the orderable iSCSI adapter.

Table 2-16 Available iSCSI adapter

Feature
code

CCIN Adapter description Slot Size OS

support

5713 573B 1 Gigabit iSCSI TOE PCI-X on Copper Media

adapter

2.7.8 Fibre Channel adapters

The systems support direct or SAN connection to devices using Fibre Channel adapters.
Table 2-17 provides a summary of the available Fibre Channel adapters. All of these adapters
except FC 5735 have LC connectors. If you are attaching a device or switch with an SC type
fibre connector, an LC-SC 50 Micron Fiber Converter Cable (FC 2456) or an LC-SC 62.5
Micron Fiber Converter Cable (FC 2459) is required.

Table 2-17 Available Fibre Channel adapters

Feature
code

5273 PCIe LP 8 Gb 2-Port Fibre

5276 PCIe LP 4 Gb 2-Port Fibre

a

5729

5735 577D 8 Gigabit PCI Express Dual

CCIN Adapter description Slot Size OS support

2B53 PCIe2 8 Gb 4-port Fibre

Channel adapter

Channel adapter

Channel adapter

Port Fibre Channel adapter

PCI-X Full

height,
short

PCIe Low profile,

short

PCIe Low profile,

short

PCIe Full height,

short

PCIe Full height,

short

AIX,
IBM i,
Linux

AIX, IBM i,
Linux

AIX, IBM i,
Linux

AIX, Linux

AIX, IBM i,
Linux

b

5749 576B 4 Gbps Fibre Channel (2-Port)

5759 1910

5759

5774 5774 4 Gigabit PCI Express Dual

EN0Y EN0Y PCIe2 LP 8 Gb 4-port Fibre

adapter

4 Gb Dual-Port Fibre Channel
PCI-X 2.0 DDR adapter

Port Fibre Channel adapter

Channel Adapter

Chapter 2. Architecture and technical overview 71

PCI-X Full height,

short

PCI-X Full height,

short

PCIe Full height,

short

PCIe Low profile AIX, IBM i,

IBM i

AIX, Linux

AIX, IBM i,
Linux

Linux

Feature

Ethernet
and Fibre
Channel
Cables

Ethernet

Cable

Fibre Channel

Cable

FC Switch

Ethernet Switch

CEC or I/O Drawer

Ethernet

CEC or I/O Drawer

FC

Rack

Fibre Channel (FC)

Device or FC Switch

Ethernet
Cables

Ethernet

Cable

Fibre Channel

Cable

FCoE Switch

CEC or I/O Drawer

Rack

Fibre Channel (FC)

Device or FC Switch

FCoE

Ethernet Device/

Switch

Ethernet Device/

Switch or FCoE

Device/Switch

code

CCIN Adapter description Slot Size OS support

EN0A 577F PCIe2 16 Gb 2-port Fibre

Channel adapter

EN0B 577F PCIe2 LP 16 Gb 2-port Fibre

Channel adapter

a. A Gen2 PCIe slot is required to provide the bandwidth for all four ports to operate at full speed.
b. Use within IBM i it is not supported. Instead, use it with the Virtual I/O server.

Note: The usage of NPIV through the Virtual I/O server requires a NPIV-capable Fibre
Channel adapter such as the FC 5729, FC 5735, FC 5273, FC EN0A, and FC EN0B.

2.7.9 Fibre Channel over Ethernet

Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) allows for the convergence of Fibre Channel and
Ethernet traffic onto a single adapter and converged fabric.

Figure 2-17 compares existing Fibre Channel and network connections and FCoE
connections.

PCIe Full height AIX, IBM i,

Linux

PCIe Low profile AIX, IBM i,

Linux

Figure 2-17 Comparison between existing Fibre Channel and network connection and FCoE connection

Table 2-18 lists available Fibre Channel over Ethernet adapters. They are high-performance
Converged Network Adapters (CNA) using SR optics. Each port can provide Network
Interface Card (NIC) traffic and Fibre Channel functions simultaneously.

Table 2-18 Available FCoE adapters

Feature
code

5708 2B3B 10 Gb FCoE PCIe Dual Port

5270 2B3B PCIe LP 10 Gb FCoE 2-port

CCIN Adapter description Slot Size OS support

72 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

adapter

adapter

PCIe Full height,

PCIe Low profile,

short

short

AIX, Linux

AIX, Linux

For more information about FCoE, see An Introduction to Fibre Channel over Ethernet, and
Fibre Channel over Convergence Enhanced Ethernet, REDP-4493.

2.7.10 InfiniBand Host Channel adapter

The InfiniBand Architecture (IBA) is an industry-standard architecture for server I/O and
inter-server communication. It was developed by the InfiniBand Trade Association (IBTA) to
provide the levels of reliability, availability, performance, and scalability necessary for present
and future server systems with levels significantly better than can be achieved using
bus-oriented I/O structures.

InfiniBand (IB) is an open set of interconnect standards and specifications. The main IB
specification has been published by the InfiniBand Trade Association and is available at:

http://www.infinibandta.org/

InfiniBand is based on a switched fabric architecture of serial point-to-point links, where these
IB links can be connected to either host channel adapters (HCAs), used primarily in servers,
or target channel adapters (TCAs), used primarily in storage subsystems.

The InfiniBand physical connection consists of multiple byte lanes. Each individual byte lane
is a four-wire, 2.5, 5.0, or 10.0 Gbps bidirectional connection. Combinations of link width and
byte-lane speed allow for overall link speeds from 2.5 Gbps to 120 Gbps. The architecture
defines a layered hardware protocol and a software layer to manage initialization and the
communication between devices. Each link can support multiple transport services for
reliability and multiple prioritized virtual communication channels.

IBM offers the GX++ 12X DDR Adapter (FC EJ04) that plugs into the system backplane
(GX++ slot). One GX++ slot is available on the Power 720. One or two GX++ slots are
available on the Power 740, if used with one or two processor cards. Detailed information can
be found in 2.5, “System bus” on page 61.

By attaching a 12X to 4X converter cable (FC 1828, FC 1841, or FC 1842) to FC EJ04, a
supported IB switch can be attached. AIX, IBM i, and Linux operating systems are supported.

A new PCIe Gen2 LP 2-Port 4X InfiniBand quad data rates (QDR) 40 Gb adapter (FC 5283)
is available. The PCIe Gen2 low-profile adapter provides two high-speed 4X InfiniBand
connections for IP over IB usage in the Power 720 and Power 740. On the Power 720 and
Power 740, this adapter is supported in PCIe Gen2 slots. The following types of QDR IB
cables are provided for attachment to the QDR adapter and its Quad Small Form-Factor
Pluggable (QSFP) connectors:

򐂰 Copper cables provide 1-meter, 3-meter, and 5-meter lengths (FC 3287, FC 3288, and

FC 3289).

򐂰 Optical cables provide 10-meter and 30-meter lengths (FC 3290 and FC 3293). These are

QSFP/QSFP cables that also attach to QSFP ports on the switch.

The FC 5283 QDR adapter attaches to the QLogic QDR switches. These switches can be
ordered from IBM by using the following machine type and model numbering:

򐂰 7874-036 is a QLogic 12200 36-port, 40 Gbps InfiniBand Switch that cost-effectively links

workgroup resources into a cluster.

򐂰 7874-072 is a QLogic 12800-040 72-port, 40 Gbps InfiniBand switch that links resources

using a scalable, low-latency fabric, supporting up to four 18-port QDR Leaf Modules.

򐂰 7874-324 is a QLogic 12800-180 324-port 40 Gbps InfiniBand switch designed to maintain

larger clusters, supporting up to eighteen 18-port QDR Leaf Modules.

Chapter 2. Architecture and technical overview 73

Note: The FC 5283 adapter has two 40 Gb ports, and a PCIe Gen2 slot has the bandwidth
to support one port. This means that the benefit of two ports will be for redundancy rather
than additional performance.

Table 2-19 lists the available InfiniBand adapters.

Table 2-19 Available InfiniBand adapters

Feature
code

5283 58E2 PCIe2 LP 2-Port 4X IB QDR adapter

5285 58E2 2-Port 4X IB QDR adapter 40 Gb PCIe Full height AIX, Linux

EJ04 2BDA GX++ Dual-port 12x Channel Attach

CCIN Adapter description Slot Size OS support

40 Gb

adapter

For more information about InfiniBand, see HPC Clusters Using InfiniBand on IBM Power
Systems Servers, SG24-7767.

2.7.11 Asynchronous and USB adapters

Asynchronous PCIe adapters provide connection of asynchronous EIA-232 or RS-422
devices. If you have a cluster configuration or high-availability configuration and plan to
connect the IBM Power Systems by using a serial connection, use the features listed
in Table 2-20.

Table 2-20 Available asynchronous adapters

Feature
code

2728 57D1 4-Port USB PCIe adapter PCIe Full height AIX, Linux

CCIN Adapter description Slot Size OS support

PCIe Low profile,

short

GX++ N/A AIX, Linux

AIX, Linux

5277 57D2 PCIe LP 4-Port Async EIA-232

adapter

5289 57D4 Port Async EIA-232 PCIe adapter PCIe Full height,

5290 57D4 PCIe LP 2-Port Async EIA-232

adapter

5785 57D2 4 Port Async EIA-232 PCIe adapter PCIe Full height,

2.7.12 Cryptographic coprocessor

The cryptographic coprocessor cards provide both cryptographic coprocessor and
cryptographic accelerator functions in a single card.

The IBM PCIe cryptographic coprocessor adapter has the following features:

򐂰 Integrated Dual processors that operate in parallel for higher reliability
򐂰 Supports IBM Common Cryptographic Architecture or PKCS#11 standard
򐂰 Ability to configure adapter as coprocessor or accelerator

74 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

PCIe Low profile,

short

short

PCIe Low profile,

short

short

AIX, Linux

AIX, Linux

AIX, Linux

AIX, Linux

򐂰 Support for smart card applications using Europay, MasterCard and Visa
򐂰 Cryptographic key generation and random number generation
򐂰 PIN processing: generation, verification, translation
򐂰 Encrypt/Decrypt using AES and DES keys

See the following site for the latest firmware and software updates:

http://www.ibm.com/security/cryptocards/

Table 2-21 lists the cryptographic adapters that are available for the server.

Table 2-21 Available cryptographic adapters

Feature
code

4807 4765 PCIe Crypto Coprocessor no

4808 4765 PCIe Crypto Coprocessor

CCIN Adapter description Slot Size OS

2.8 Internal storage

The Power 720 and Power 740 servers use an integrated SAS and SATA controller connected
through a PCIe bus to the P7IOC chip (Figure 2-18 on page 76). The SAS and SATA
controller used in the server’s system unit has two sets of four SAS and SATA channels,
which give Power 720 and Power 740 the combined total of eight SAS busses. Each channel
can support either SAS or SATA operation. The SAS controller is connected to a direct
attached storage device (DASD) backplane and supports three or six small form factor (SFF)
disk drive bays depending on the backplane option.

One of the following options must be selected as the backplane:
򐂰 FC 5618 provides a backplane that supports up to six SFF SAS HDDs/SSDs, a SATA

DVD, and a half-high tape drive for either a tape drive or USB removable disk. This feature
does not provide RAID 5, RAID 6, a write cache, or an external SAS port. Split backplane
functionality (3x3) is supported with the additional feature FC EJ02.

support

PCIe Full height AIX, IBM i

BSC 4765-001

PCIe Full height AIX, IBM i

Gen3 BSC 4765-001

Remember:

򐂰 No additional PCIe SAS adapter is required for split backplane functionality.
򐂰 FC 5618 is not supported with IBM i.

򐂰 Feature FC EJ01 is a higher-function backplane that supports up to eight SFF SAS

HDDs/SSDs, a SATA DVD, a half-high tape drive for either a tape drive or USB removable
disk, Dual 175 MB Write Cache RAID, and one external SAS port. FC EJ01 supports
RAID 5 and RAID 6. No split backplane is available for this feature.

Remember: FC EJ01 is required by IBM i to natively use the internal storage (HDDs or
SSDs, and media) and the system SAS port.

Chapter 2. Architecture and technical overview 75

Figure 2-18 details an internal topology overview for the FC 5618 backplane.

Disk #6

Disk #5

Disk #4

Disk #3

Disk #2

Disk #1

Slim DVD

Tape Drive

Integrated

SAS Adapter

P7IOC

Disk #6

Disk #5

Disk #4

Disk #3

Disk #2

Disk #1

Slim DVD

Tape Drive

Integrated

SAS Adapter

SAS

Port

Exp.

P7IOC

Integrated

SAS Adapter

SAS
Port
Exp.

SAS External Port

BACKUP BATTERY

BACKUP BATTERY

Disk #8

Disk #7

Figure 2-18 Internal topology overview for FC 5618 DASD backplane

Figure 2-19 shows an internal topology overview for the FC EJ01 backplane.

Figure 2-19 FC EJ01 DASD backplane - Internal topology overview

76 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

2.8.1 RAID support

There are multiple protection options for HDD/SSD drives in the Power 720 and Power 740
systems, whether they are contained in the SAS SFF bays in the system unit, in a 12X
attached I/O drawer, or drives in disk-only I/O drawers. Although protecting drives is always
recommended, AIX and Linux users can, at their own risk, choose to keep some or all drives
unprotected, and IBM supports these configurations. IBM i configuration rules differ in this
regard, and IBM supports IBM i partition configurations only when HDD/SSD drives are
protected.

Drive protection

HDD/SSD drive protection can be provided by AIX, IBM i, and Linux software or by the
HDD/SSD hardware controllers. Mirroring of drives is provided by AIX, IBM i, and Linux
software. In addition, AIX/Linux supports controllers providing RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, or 10. IBM i
integrated storage management already provides striping. IBM i also supports controllers
providing RAID 5 or 6. To further augment HDD/SSD protection, hot spare capability can be
used for protected drives. Specific hot spare prerequisites apply.

An integrated SAS controller offering RAID 0, 1, and 10 support is provided in the Power 720
and Power 740 system unit. It can be optionally augmented by RAID 5 and RAID 6 capability
when storage backplane FC EJ01 is added to the configuration. In addition to these
protection options, mirroring of drives by the operating system is supported. AIX or Linux
supports all of these options. IBM i does not use unprotected disks, and uses embedded
functions instead of RAID 10. IBM i does use the RAID 5 or RAID 6 function of the integrated
controllers.

Table 2-22 lists the RAID support by the backplane.

Table 2-22 RAID configurations for the Power 720 and Power 740

Feature code Split

backplane

5618 No Yes Yes No No

5618 and EJ02 Yes Yes Yes No No

EJ01 No No Yes Yes Yes

JBOD RAID 0, 1,

and 10

RAID 5 and 6External

SAS Port

AIX and Linux can use disk drives formatted with 512-byte blocks when being mirrored by the
operating system. These disk drives must be reformatted to 528-byte sectors when used in
RAID arrays. Although a small percentage of the drive's capacity is lost, additional data
protection such as ECC and bad block detection is gained in this reformatting. For example, a
300 GB disk drive, when reformatted, provides around 283 GB. IBM i always uses drives
formatted to 528 bytes. Solid-state drives (SSDs) are always formatted with 528 byte sectors.

Power 720 and Power 740 support a dual write cache RAID feature that consists of an
auxiliary write cache for the RAID card and the optional RAID enablement.

Chapter 2. Architecture and technical overview 77

Supported RAID functions

Base hardware supports RAID 0, 1, and 10. When additional features are configured,
Power 720 and Power 740 support hardware RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, and 10:

򐂰 RAID 0 provides striping for performance, but does not offer any fault tolerance.

The failure of a single drive results in the loss of all data on the array. This version
increases I/O bandwidth by simultaneously accessing multiple data paths.

򐂰 RAID 1 mirrors the contents of the disks. The contents of each disk in the array are

identical to that of every other disk in the array. This version provides data resilience in the
case of a drive failure.

򐂰 RAID 5 uses block-level data striping with distributed parity.

RAID 5 stripes both data and parity information across three or more drives. Fault
tolerance is maintained by ensuring that the parity information for any given block of data
is placed on a drive that is separate from those that are used to store the data itself. This
version provides data resiliency in the case of a single drive failing in a RAID 5 array.

򐂰 RAID 6 uses block-level data striping with dual distributed parity.

RAID 6 is the same as RAID 5 except that it uses a second level of independently
calculated and distributed parity information for additional fault tolerance. RAID 6
configuration requires N+2 drives to accommodate the additional parity data, which makes
it less cost effective than RAID 5 for equivalent storage capacity. This version provides
data resiliency in the case of one or two drives failing in a RAID 6 array.

򐂰 RAID 10 is also known as a striped set of mirrored arrays.

It is a combination of RAID 0 and RAID 1. A RAID 0 stripe set of the data is created across
a two disk array for performance benefits. A duplicate of the first stripe set is then mirrored
on another 2-disk array for fault tolerance. This version provides data resiliency in the case
of a single drive failure and may provide resiliency for multiple drive failures.

2.8.2 External SAS port and split backplane

This section describes the external SAS port and split backplane features.

External SAS port feature

The Power 720 and Power 740 DASD backplane (FC EJ01) offers an external SAS port:

򐂰 The SAS port connector is located next to the GX++ slot 2 on the rear bulkhead.
򐂰 The external SAS port can be used to connect external SAS devices (FC 5886 or

FC 5887), the IBM System Storage 7214 Tape and DVD Enclosure Express (Model 1U2),
or the IBM System Storage 7216 Multi-Media Enclosure (Model 1U2).

Note: Only one SAS drawer is supported from the external SAS port. Additional SAS
drawers can be supported by SAS adapters. SSDs are not supported on the SAS drawer
connected to the external port.

Split DASD backplane feature

The Power 720 and Power 740 DASD backplane (FC 5618) supports split drive bay
(FC EJ02). If FC EJ02 is configured, then the six small form factors (SFFs) slots are split into
a pair of three drive bay groups (3x3).

78 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

Note: In a Power 720 and Power 740 with a split backplane, SSDs and HDDs can be

Disk #6

Disk #5

Disk #4

Disk #3

Disk #2

Disk #1

Slim DVD

Tape Drive

Integrated

SAS Adapter

P7IOC

Integrated

SAS Adapter

placed in a set of three disks, but no mixing of SSDs and HDDs within a split configuration
is allowed. IBM i does not support split backplane.

Figure 2-20 details the split backplane.

Figure 2-20 Internal topology overview for FC 5618 backplane with split backplane feature FC EJ02

2.8.3 Media bays

The Power 720 and Power 740 each offer a slim media bay to support a slim SATA DVD
device. Direct dock and hot-plug of the DVD media device are supported. In addition a
half-high bay is available to support an optional SAS tape drive or removable disk drive.

The DVD drive and media device do not have an independent SAS adapter and so cannot be
assigned to an LPAR independently of the HDD/SSDs in the system.

2.9 External I/O subsystems

This section describes the external 12X I/O subsystems that can be attached to the
Power 720 and Power 740, listed as follows:

򐂰 PCI-DDR 12X Expansion Drawer (FC 5796)
򐂰 12X I/O Drawer PCIe, small form factor (SFF) disk (FC 5802)
򐂰 12X I/O Drawer PCIe, No Disk (FC 5877)

Each processor module feeds one GX++ adapter slot. On the Power 720, there is one GX++
slot available, and on the Power 740, there can be one or two, depending on whether one or
two processor modules are installed.

Chapter 2. Architecture and technical overview 79

Table 2-23 provides an overview of the capabilities of the supported I/O drawers.

Table 2-23 I/O drawer capabilities

Feature
code

5796 None 6 PCI-X GX++ Dual-port 12x Channel

5802 18 SAS hot-swap disk drive bays 10 PCIe GX++ Dual-port 12x Channel

5877 None 10 PCIe GX++ Dual-port 12x Channel

Disk drive bays PCI slots Requirements for

Note: The attachment of external I/O drawers is not supported on the 4-core Power 720.

2.9.1 PCI-DDR 12X expansion drawer

The PCI-DDR 12X expansion drawer (FC 5796) is a 4U (EIA units) drawer and mounts in a
19-inch rack. FC 5796 is 224 mm (8.8 in.) wide and takes up half the width of the 4U (EIA
units) rack space. The 4U enclosure can hold up to two FC 5796 drawers mounted
side-by-side in the enclosure. The drawer is 800 mm (31.5 in.) deep and can weigh up to
20 kg (44 lb).

The PCI-DDR 12X expansion drawer has six 64-bit, 3.3 V, PCI-X DDR slots running at
266 MHz that use blind swap cassettes and support hot-plugging of adapter cards. The
drawer includes redundant hot-plug power and cooling.

Power 720 and Power 740

Attach (FC EJ04)

Attach (FC EJ04)

Attach (FC EJ04)

Two interface adapters are available for use in the FC 5796 drawer:

򐂰 Dual-Port 12X Channel Attach Adapter Long Run (FC 6457)
򐂰 Dual-Port 12X Channel Attach Adapter Short Run (FC 6446)

The adapter selection is based on how close the host system or the next I/O drawer in the
loop is physically located. FC 5796 attaches to a host system unit with a 12X adapter in a
GX++ slot through SDR or DDR cables (or both SDR and DDR cables). A maximum of four
FC 5796 drawers can be placed on the same 12X loop. Mixing FC 5802 or FC 5877 and
FC 5796 on the same loop is not supported.

A minimum configuration of two 12X cables (either SDR or DDR), two AC power cables, and
two SPCN cables is required to ensure proper redundancy.

80 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

Figure 2-21 shows the back view of the expansion unit.

P1-C8-T3

P1-C1

P1-C2

P1-C3 P1-C4

P1-C5

E1

P1-C6

E2

12X Port 1

(P1-C7-T2)

SPCN 0

(P1-C8-T1)

SPCN 1

(P1-C8-T2)

12X Port 0

(P1-C7-T1)

C

1

C

2

C

3

C
4

C

5

C

6

Figure 2-21 PCI-X DDR 12X expansion drawer rear side

Tip: The PCI-DDR 12X expansion drawer (FC 5796) is supported, but no longer orderable.

2.9.2 12X I/O Drawer PCIe

The 12X I/O Drawer PCIe, SFF disk (FC 5802) is a 19-inch I/O and storage drawer. It
provides a 4U (EIA units) drawer containing 10 PCIe-based I/O adapter slots and 18 SAS
hot-swap small form factor (SFF) disk bays, which can be used for either disk drives or SSD
drives. Using 900 GB disk drives, each I/O drawer provides up to 16.2 TB of storage. The
adapter slots within the I/O drawer use Gen3 blind swap cassettes and support hot-plugging
of adapter cards. The 12X I/O Drawer PCIe, No Disk (FC 5877) is the same as FC 5802
except that it does not support any disk bays.

A maximum of two 12X I/O Drawer PCIe, SFF disk drawers can be placed on the same 12X
loop. Within the same loop FC 5877 and FC 5802 can be mixed. An upgrade from a diskless
FC 5877 to FC 5802 with disk bays is not available.

Chapter 2. Architecture and technical overview 81

A minimum configuration of two 12X DDR cables, two AC power cables, and two SPCN

Disk drives Service card Port cards

Power cables

cables is required to ensure proper redundancy. The drawer attaches to the system unit with a
12X adapter in a GX++ slot through 12X DDR cables that are available in the following cable
lengths:

򐂰 0.6 meters 12X DDR Cable (FC 1861)
򐂰 1.5 meters 12X DDR Cable (FC 1862)
򐂰 3.0 meters 12X DDR Cable (FC 1865)
򐂰 8.0 meters 12X DDR Cable (FC 1864)

Tip: The 12X SDR cables are not supported.

The physical dimensions of the drawer measure 444.5 mm (17.5 in.) wide by 177.8 mm
(7.0 in.) high by 711.2 mm (28.0 in.) deep for use in a 19-inch rack.

Figure 2-22 shows the front view of the 12X I/O Drawer PCIe (FC 5802).

Figure 2-22 Front view of the 12X I/O Drawer PCIe

82 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

Figure 2-23 shows the rear view of the 12X I/O Drawer PCIe (FC 5802).

10 PCIe cards X2 SAS connectors

12X connectors Mode switch

SPCN connectors

Figure 2-23

Rear view of the 12X I/O Drawer PCIe

2.9.3 12X I/O Drawer PCIe configuration and cabling rules

The following section gives you detailed information about the disk drive configuration, 12X
loop, and SPCN cabling rules.

Configuring the disk drive subsystem of the FC 5802 drawer

The 12X I/O Drawer PCIe, SFF disk drawer (FC 5802) can hold up 18 disk drives. The disks
in this enclosure can be organized in various configurations depending on the operating
system used, the type of SAS adapter card, and the position of the mode switch.

Each disk bay set can be attached to its own controller or adapter. Feature PCIe 12X I/O
drawer has four SAS connections to drive bays. It connects to PCIe SAS adapters or
controllers on the host systems.

Disk drive bays in the 12X I/O drawer PCIe can be configured as one, two, or four sets. This
way allows for partitioning of disk bays. Disk bay partitioning configuration can be done with
the physical mode switch on the I/O drawer.

Remember: A mode change, using the physical mode switch, requires the drawer to be
powered off and then on.

Chapter 2. Architecture and technical overview 83

Figure 2-24 indicates the mode switch in the rear view of the FC 5802 I/O Drawer and shows

MODE

SWITCH

1
2
4

FC 5802 12X I/O Drawer

AIX/Linux

 One set: 18 bays
 Two sets: 9 + 9 bays
 Four sets: 5 + 4 + 5 + 4 bays

IBM i

 Two sets: 9 + 9 bays

PCIe 12X I/O Drawer  SFF Drive Bays

P3-D1

P3-D2

P3-D3

P3-D4

P3-D5

P3-D6

P3-D7

P3-C1

P3-C2

P3-D8

P3-D9

P3-D10

P3-D11

P3-C3

P3-C4

P3-D12

P3-D13

P3-D14

P3-D15

P3-D16

P3-D17

P3-D18

E1

E2

ARECW500-0

the configuration rules of disk bay partitioning in the PCIe 12X I/O drawer. There is no specific
feature code for mode switch setting.

Figure 2-24 Disk bay partitioning configuration in 12X I/O Drawer PCI (FC 5802)

Tools and CSP: The IBM System Planning Tool supports disk bay partitioning. Also, the
IBM configuration tool accepts this configuration from IBM System Planning Tool and
passes it through IBM manufacturing using the Customer Specified Placement (CSP)
option.

Figure 2-25 and Figure 2-26 on page 85 provide the location codes for the front and rear
views of the FC 5802 I/O drawer.

Figure 2-25 FC 5802 I/O drawer from view location codes

84 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction

P1-C1

P1-C2

P1-C3

P1-C4

P1-T2

P1-C5

P1-C6

P1-C7

P1-C8

P1-C9

P1-C10

P4-T5

P2-T1

P2-T2

P2-T3

ARECW501-0

P4-T1

P4-T2

P4-T3

P4-T4

P1-T1

Figure 2-26 FC 5802 I/O drawer rear view location codes

Table 2-24 lists the SAS ports associated to the disk bays with the mode selector switch 4.
Other mode selection options are also available.

Table 2-24 SAS connection mappings

Location code Mappings Number of bays

P4-T1 P3-D1 to P3-D5 5 bays

P4-T2 P3-D6 to P3-D9 4 bays

P4-T3 P3-D10 to P3-D14 5 bays

P4-T4 P3-D15 to P3-D18 4 bays

For more detailed information about cabling and other switch modes, see the Power Systems
enclosures and expansion units documentation:

http://pic.dhe.ibm.com/infocenter/powersys/v3r1m5/topic/ipham/ipham.pdf

Chapter 2. Architecture and technical overview 85

General rules for 12X IO Drawer configuration

PCIe

720

+
+

One I/O-Drawer

PCIe

720

+
+

Two I/O-Drawers

PCIe

PCI-X

720

+
+

One I/O-Drawer

PCI-X

720

+
+

Four I/O-Drawers

PCI-X

PCI-X

PCI-X

If you have two processor cards, spread the I/O drawers across two busses for better
performance. Figure 2-27 shows configuration examples to attach 12X I/O Drawers to a
Power 720. Other options are also available.

Figure 2-27 12X I/O Drawer configuration for a Power 720 with one GX++ slot

86 IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction