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What your server offers

This section introduces features and technologies the server uses and provides.

  • Active Energy Manager

    The Active Energy Manager solution is an Systems Director plug-in that measures and reports server power consumption as it occurs. This enables you to monitor power consumption in correlation to specific software application programs and hardware configurations. You can obtain the measurement values through the systems-management interface and view them, using Systems Director. For more information, including the required levels of Systems Director and Active Energy Manager, see the Systems Director Information Center at the Systems Director information center or see the Systems Director website.

  • Dynamic System Analysis (DSA)

    The server comes with the Dynamic System Analysis (DSA) Preboot diagnostic program. DSA collects and analyzes system information to aid in diagnosing server problems, as well as offering a rich set of diagnostic tests of the major components of the server. DSA creates a DSA log, which is a chronologically ordered merge of the system-event log (as the IPMI event log), the integrated management module (IMM) event log (as the ASM event log), and the operating-system event logs. You can send the DSA log as a file to Lenovo Support or view the information as a text file or HTML file.

    Two editions of Dynamic System Analysis are available: DSA Portable and DSA Preboot. For more information about both editions, see DSA editions.

  • Features on Demand

    If a Features on Demand feature is integrated in the server or in an optional device that is installed in the server, you can purchase an activation key to activate the feature. For information about Features on Demand, see Lenovo Features on Demand website.

  • ServerGuide Setup and Installation CD

    The ServerGuide Setup and Installation CD, which you can download from the web, provides programs to help you set up the server and install a Windows operating system. The ServerGuide program detects installed optional hardware devices and provides the correct configuration programs and device drivers. For more information about the ServerGuide Setup and Installation CD, see Using the ServerGuide Setup and Installation CD.

  • Systems Director

    Systems Director is a platform-management foundation that streamlines the way you manage physical and virtual systems in a heterogeneous environment. By using industry standards, Systems Director supports multiple operating systems and virtualization technologies. For more information, see the Systems Director Information Center at the Systems Director information center and Systems Director.

  • Lenovo XClarity Administrator

    Lenovo XClarity Administrator is a centralized resource-management solution that enables administrators to deploy infrastructure faster and with less effort. The solution seamlessly integrates into System x, ThinkServer, and NeXtScale servers, as well as the Flex System converged infrastructure platform.

    Lenovo XClarity Administrator provides the following features:

    • Intuitive graphical user interface

    • Automated discovery and inventory

    • Firmware updates and compliance

    • Configuration patterns

    • Bare metal deployment

    • Security management

    • Upward integration

    • Representational state transfer (REST) application programming interfaces and Windows PowerShell

    • Simple network management protocol (SNMP), system log, and e-mail forwarding

    For more information, see Using Lenovo XClarity Administrator.

  • Integrated Management Module II (IMM2)

    The integrated management module II (IMM2) combines service processor functions, video controller, and remote presence and blue-screen capture features in a single chip. The IMM provides advanced service-processor control, monitoring, and alerting function. If an environmental condition exceeds a threshold or if a system component fails, the IMM lights LEDs to help you diagnose the problem, records the error in the IMM event log, and alerts you to the problem. Optionally, the IMM also provides a virtual presence capability for remote server management capabilities. The IMM provides remote server management through the following industry-standard interfaces:
    • Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) version 2.0
    • Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) version 3.0
    • Common Information Model (CIM)
    • Web browser

    Some of the features that are unique to the IMM are enhanced performance, higher-resolution remote video, expanded security options, and Feature on Demand enablement for hardware and firmware options.

    For additional information, see Using the integrated management module and the Integrated Management Module II Users Guide at the Integrated Management Module II User’s Guide .

  • Integrated network support

    The server comes with an integrated dual-port Intel Gigabit Ethernet controller, which supports connection to a 10 Mbps, 100 Mbps, or 1000 Mbps network. For more information, see Configuring the Ethernet controller.

  • Integrated Trusted Platform Module (TPM)

    This integrated security chip performs cryptographic functions and stores private and public secure keys. It provides the hardware support for the Trusted Computing Group (TCG) specification. You can download the software to support the TCG specification, when the software is available. You can enable TPM support through the Setup utility under the System Security menu option.

  • Large data-storage capacity and hot-swap capability

    The hot-swap server models support a maximum of eight 2.5-inch or three 3.5-inch hot-swap Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) hard disk drives or hot-swap Serial ATA (SATA) hard disk drives. The simple-swap server models support a maximum of three 3.5-inch simple-swap SATA hard disk drives.

    With the hot-swap feature, you can add, remove, or replace hard disk drives without turning off the server.

  • Large system-memory capacity

    The server can support up to 768 GB of system memory. The server provides 24 dual inline memory module (DIMM) connectors. The server memory controller supports error correcting code (ECC) for PC3-8500 (DDR3-1066), PC3-10600 (DDR3-1333), PC3-12800 (DDR3-1600), or PC3-14900 (DDR3-1866), DDR3 (third-generation double-data-rate), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM) DIMMs.

  • Light path diagnostics

    Light path diagnostics provides LEDs to help you diagnose problems. For more information about light path diagnostics and the LEDs, see Light path diagnostics and Light path diagnostics LEDs.

  • Mobile access to Service Information website

    The server provides a QR code on the system service label, which is on the cover of the server, that you can scan using a QR code reader and scanner with a mobile device to get quick access to the Service Information website. The Service Information website provides additional information for parts installation and replacement videos, and error codes for server support. For the QR code, see QR code information on page The Lenovo System x3550 M4 server.

  • Multi-core processing

    The server supports up to two multi-core microprocessors. The server comes with a minimum of one microprocessor.

  • PCI adapter capabilities

    The server has two PCI interface slots (one supports low-profile cards, and one supports half-length, full-height cards). Slot 2 can support PCI Express or PCI-X adapters through an optional PCI riser card. See Replacing an adapter for detailed information.

  • Redundant connection

    The addition of the optional Ethernet adapter provides failover capability to a redundant Ethernet connection with the applicable application installed. If a problem occurs with the primary Ethernet connection and the optional Ethernet adapter is installed on the server, all Ethernet traffic that is associated with the primary connection is automatically switched to the optional redundant Ethernet adapter connection. If the applicable device drivers are installed, this switching occurs without data loss and without user intervention.

  • Redundant cooling and optional power capabilities

    The server supports a maximum of two 550-watt or 750-watt hot-swap power supplies and six dual-motor hot-swap fans, which provide redundancy and hot-swap capability for a typical configuration. The redundant cooling by the fans in the server enables continued operation if one of the fans fails. The server comes with the minimum of one 550-watt or 750-watt hot-swap power supply and four fans.

    You must install the fourth and sixth fans when you install the second microprocessor in the server. You can order the second optional power supply for power redundancy.

    Note
    You cannot mix 550-watt and 750-watt power supplies in the server.

  • ServeRAID support

    The ServeRAID adapter provides hardware redundant array of independent disks (RAID) support to create configurations. The standard RAID adapter provides RAID levels 0, 1, and 10. An optional RAID adapter is available for purchase.

  • Systems-management capabilities

    The server comes with an integrated management module II (IMM2). When the IMM is used with the systems-management software that comes with the server, you can manage the functions of the server locally and remotely. The IMM also provides system monitoring, event recording, and network alert capability. The systems-management connector on the rear of the server is dedicated to the IMM. The dedicated systems-management connector provides additional security by physically separating the management network traffic from the production network. You can use the Setup utility to configure the server to use a dedicated systems-management network or a shared network.

  • UEFI-compliant server firmware

    System x Server Firmware (server firmware) offers several features, including Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) 2.1 compliance; Active Energy Manager technology; enhanced reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS) capabilities; and basic input/output system (BIOS) compatibility support. UEFI replaces the BIOS and defines a standard interface between the operating system, platform firmware, and external devices. UEFI-compliant System x servers are capable of booting UEFI-compliant operating systems, BIOS-based operating systems, and BIOS-based adapters as well as UEFI-compliant adapters.
    Note
    The server does not support DOS (Disk Operating System).

  • VMware ESXi embedded hypervisor

    An optional USB flash device with VMware ESXi embedded hypervisor software is available for purchase. Hypervisor is virtualization software that enables multiple operating systems to run on a host system at the same time. The USB embedded hypervisor flash device can be installed in the internal USB connector on the system board. For more information about using the embedded hypervisor, see Using the embedded hypervisor.