BladeCenter HS23E

The IBM® BladeCenter® HS23E is a versatile, dual-socket blade server running the Intel Xeon processor E5-2400 product family. The server offers performance for value with new levels of memory capacity, processor performance, and flexible configuration options. A standard 30 mm single-wide form factor protects your investments by providing compatibility with the IBM BladeCenter H, E, S, and HT chassis.

Suggested use: Collaboration/email, infrastructure, virtualization, databases, and office-in-a-box solutions.

The following figure shows the HS23E.


Figure 1. IBM BladeCenter HS23E
 

The IBM BladeCenter HS23E provides flexible configuration options coupled with value for performance and density to keep data centers operating optimally while maintaining energy efficiency. Its features include the latest Intel Xeon processor E5-2400 product family, choice of hot-swap HDDs and SSDs for tailored storage, and 12 DIMM slots supporting up to 192 GB of DDR3 memory. A cost-effective onboard software RAID solution offers affordable local storage redundancy. IBM Virtual Fabric capabilities offer support for up to 12 I/O ports on a single-wide blade with the choice of Ethernet, Fibre Channel, SAS, iSCSI, and FCoE connectivity.
 

The IBM BladeCenter HS23E is a performance for value blade server optimized for energy efficiency and density by offering flexible configuration options. Designed specifically for use in business critical and entry virtualization applications, the blade offers higher performance with 1600 MHz memory and optimal processor performance in a standard 30 mm form factor. The HS23E supports the latest Intel Xeon processor E5-2400 product family, two ports of 1 Gb Ethernet, high-capacity, high-throughput memory, and high speed I/O, including Virtual Fabric adapters for IBM BladeCenter. In addition, the HS23E is compatible with BladeCenter E, S, H, and HT chassis. (Some configurations may have limitations. See Table 5 for compatibility details.)

Scalability and performance

The HS23E offers numerous features to boost performance, improve scalability, and reduce costs:

• The Intel Xeon processor E5-2400 product family improves productivity by offering affordable dual-socket system performance with eight-core processors with up to 2.3 GHz core speeds, up to 20 MB of L3 cache, and one QPI interconnect link of up to 8 GTps.
• Up to two processors, 16 cores, and 32 threads maximize the concurrent execution of multithreaded applications.
• Intelligent and adaptive system performance with Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 allows processor cores to run at maximum speeds during peak workloads by temporarily going beyond processor thermal design power (TDP).
• Intel Hyper-Threading Technology boosts performance for multithreaded applications by enabling simultaneous multithreading within each processor core, up to two threads per core.
• Intel Virtualization Technology integrates hardware-level virtualization hooks that allow operating system vendors to better use the hardware for virtualization workloads.
• Intel Advanced Vector Extensions (AVT) improve floating point performance for compute-intensive technical and scientific applications.
• Up to 12 DDR3 ECC memory RDIMMs provide speeds up to 1600 MHz and a memory capacity of up to 192 GB. (See Table 7 for details.)
• The theoretical maximum memory bandwidth of the Intel Xeon processor E5-2400 product family is 38.4 GBps, which is 20% more than the previous generation of Intel Xeon 5600 processors.
• The use of solid-state drives (SSDs) instead of or along with traditional hard disk drives (HDDs) can improve I/O performance. An SSD can support up to 100 times more I/O operations per second (IOPS) than a typical HDD.
• The HS23E scales to 12 I/O ports on a single-wide blade with integrated Gigabit Ethernet and optional expansion cards, offering the choice of Ethernet, Fibre Channel, SAS, iSCSI, and FCoE connectivity.
• The server offers PCI Express 3.0 I/O expansion capabilities that improve the theoretical maximum bandwidth by almost 100% (8 GTps per link using 128b/130b encoding) compared to the previous generation of PCI Express 2.0 (5 GTps per link using 8b/10b encoding).
• With Intel Integrated I/O Technology, the PCI Express 3.0 controller is integrated into the Intel Xeon processor E5 family. This integration helps to reduce I/O latency and increase overall system performance.

Availability and serviceability

The HS23E provides many features to simplify serviceability and increase system uptime:

• Dual independent power and signal connectors to the BladeCenter chassis midplane provide fault tolerance to increase uptime.
• The HS23E offers Chipkill, memory mirroring, and memory rank sparing for redundancy in the event of a non-correctable memory failure to prevent unplanned outages.
• Tool-less cover removal provides easy access to upgrades and serviceable parts, such as processor, memory, and adapter cards.
• The server offers hot-swap drives supporting affordable software RAID 1 or optional hardware RAID redundancy for data protection and greater system uptime.
• The power source independent light path diagnostics panel and individual light path LEDs quickly lead the technician to failed (or failing) components. This panel simplifies servicing, speeds up problem resolution, and helps improve system availability.
• Predictive Failure Analysis (PFA) detects when system components (memory and hard disk drives) operate outside of standard thresholds and generates proactive alerts in advance of possible failure, therefore increasing uptime.
• Solid-state drives (SSDs) offer better reliability than traditional HDDs for greater uptime.
• A built-in Integrated Management Module II (IMM2) continuously monitors system parameters, triggers alerts, and performs recovery actions in case of failures to minimize downtime.
• Built-in diagnostics using Dynamic Systems Analysis (DSA) Preboot speeds up troubleshooting tasks to reduce service time.
• Three-year customer replaceable unit and on-site limited warranty, next business day 9x5. Optional service upgrades are available.

Manageability and security

Powerful systems management features simplify local and remote management of the HS23E:

• The HS23E includes an Integrated Management Module II (IMM2) to monitor server availability and perform remote management.
• An integrated industry-standard Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) enables improved setup, configuration, and updates, and simplifies error handling.
• Integrated Trusted Platform Module (TPM) V1.2 support enables advanced cryptographic functionality, such as digital signatures and remote attestation.
• Industry-standard AES NI support provides faster and stronger encryption.
• IBM Systems Director offers comprehensive systems management tools that help to increase up-time, reduce costs, and improve productivity through advanced server management capabilities.
• IBM Fabric Manager simplifies deployment of infrastructure connections by managing network and storage address assignments.
• IBM FastSetup simplifies, automates, and speeds up the deployment process from server power-up to production, making the BladeCenter system easier to manage, deploy, and maintain.
• Intel Execute Disable Bit functionality can help prevent certain classes of malicious buffer overflow attacks when combined with a supporting operating system.
• Intel Trusted Execution Technology provides enhanced security through hardware-based resistance to malicious software attacks, allowing an application to run in its own isolated space.

Energy efficiency

The HS23E offers the following energy-efficiency features to save energy, reduce operational costs, increase energy availability, and contribute to the green environment:

• The component-sharing design of the BladeCenter chassis provides ultimate power and cooling savings.
• Energy-efficient planar components help lower operational costs.
• The Intel Xeon processor E5-2400 product family offers better performance over the previous generation, while fitting into the same TDP limits.
• Intel Intelligent Power Capability powers individual processor elements on and off as needed, to reduce power draw.
• Low-voltage Intel Xeon processors draw less energy to satisfy demands of power and thermally constrained data centers and telecommunication environments.
• Low-voltage 1.35 V DDR3 memory RDIMMs consume 19% less energy than 1.5 V DDR3 RDIMMs.
• Solid-state drives (SSDs) consume as much as 80% less power than traditional 2.5-inch HDDs.
• The HS23E uses hexagonal ventilation holes, a part of IBM Calibrated Vectored Cooling™ technology. Hexagonal holes can be grouped more densely than round holes, providing more efficient airflow through the system.
• IBM Systems Director Active Energy Manager™ provides advanced power management features with actual real-time energy monitoring, reporting, and capping features.

The following figure shows the front view of the server, indicating key components.


Figure 2. Front view of the IBM BladeCenter HS23E

The following figure shows the top view of the server, indicating key components.


Figure 3. Top view of the IBM BladeCenter HS23E
 

The following table lists the standard specifications.

Table 1. Standard specifications

The IBM BladeCenter HS23E servers are shipped with the following items:

• Documentation CD containing Installation and User's Guide
• Registration Flyer
• Statement of Limited Warranty
• Important Notices

The following table lists standard models.

Table 2. Standard models

* x in the Machine Type Model (MTM) represents a region-specific letter (for example, the EMEA MTM is 8038B1G, and the US MTM is 8038B1U). Ask your local IBM representative for specifics.
† Processor detail: Processor quantity and model, number of cores, core speed, L3 cache, memory speed, TDP.
§ For models B1x, B3x, F1x, and F2x, the standard DIMMs are rated at 1333 MHz, but operate at up to 1066 MHz to match the processor memory speed. Actual memory speed maximums depend on several factors, as described in "Memory options".
 

The following table lists the Express models.

Table 3. Express models

† Processor detail: Processor quantity and model, number of cores, core speed, L3 cache, memory speed, TDP.
§ For model E2U, E4U and K1G, the standard DIMMs are rated at 1333 MHz, but operate at up to 1066 MHz to match the processor memory speed. Actual memory speed maximums depend on several factors, as described in "Memory options".
 

The HS23E is supported in the various BladeCenter chassis listed in the following table.
Table 4. Chassis support

* See Table 5 for details.

The number of HS23E servers supported in each chassis depends on the TDP of the processors used in the servers (Table 5). Table 5 uses the following conventions:

• A green cell means that the chassis can be filled with HS23E blade servers up to the maximum number of blade bays in the chassis (for example, 14 blades in the BladeCenter H).
• A yellow cell means that the maximum number of HS23E blades that the chassis can hold is fewer than the total available blade bays (for example, 12 in a BladeCenter E). Other bays in the chassis must remain empty. Consult the BladeCenter Interoperability Guide for specific details:
  http://ibm.com/support/entry/portal/docdisplay?lndocid=MIGR-5073016

Note: The HS23E is not supported in the BladeCenter E with power supplies smaller than 2000 W.

Table 5. Chassis support (detailed)

* Thermal Design Power.
** IBM BladeCenter H 2980W AC Power Modules, 68Y6601 (standard in 4Tx, optional with all other BC-H models).
† IBM BladeCenter H Enhanced Cooling Modules, 68Y6650 (standard in 4Tx, optional with all other BC-H models).
# Intel Xeon processors E5-2418L (50W), E5-2428L (60W), and E5-2448L (70W) are robust thermal profile processors used in HS23E.
§ Support shown is for non-NEBS environments.
 

The HS23E supports the processor options listed in the following table. The server supports up to two Intel Xeon processor E5-2400 product family processors, one Intel Xeon processor E5-1410, one Intel Pentium processor 1403, or one Intel Pentium processor 1407. This table shows which server models have each processor standard. If there is no corresponding where used model for a particular processor, then this processor is only available through Configure to Order (CTO) or special bid.

Table 6. Processor options

# Intel Xeon robust thermal profile processors.
* These processors support only single processor configurations.
 

IBM DDR3 memory is compatibility tested and tuned for optimal IBM System x® and BladeCenter performance and throughput. IBM memory specifications are integrated into the light path diagnostics panel for immediate system performance feedback and optimum system uptime. From a service and support standpoint, IBM memory automatically assumes the IBM system warranty, and IBM provides service and support worldwide.

The BladeCenter HS23E supports Very Low Profile (VLP) DDR3 memory RDIMMs. The server supports up to six DIMMs when one processor is installed and up to 12 DIMMs when two processors are installed. Each processor has three memory channels, and there are two DIMMs per channel.

The following rules apply when selecting the memory configuration:

• The server supports RDIMMs.
• Mixing 1.5 V and 1.35 V DIMMs in the server is supported. In such a case, all operate at 1.5 V.
• The maximum number of ranks supported per channel is eight.
• The maximum quantity of DIMMs that can be installed in a server depends on the number of processors (six DIMMs with one processor installed, 12 DIMMs with two processors installed).
• All DIMMs in all processor memory channels operate at the same speed, which is determined as the lowest value of:
  • Memory speed supported by specific processor
  • Lowest maximum operating speed for the selected memory configuration that depends on rated speed, as shown under the "Maximum operating speed" section in Table 7.

Table 7. Maximum memory speeds

* Maximum quantity supported is shown for two processors installed. When one processor installed, the maximum quantity supported is half of what is shown.

The following memory protection technologies are supported:

• ECC
• Chipkill (for x4-based memory DIMMs)
• Memory mirroring
• Memory rank sparing

Chipkill works only in independent channel mode (default operational mode) and supports only x4-based memory DIMMs.

If memory mirroring is used, then DIMMs must be installed in pairs (a minimum of one pair per each processor, a maximum of two pairs per processor), and both DIMMs in a pair must be identical in type and size. The effective memory available to the system is only half of that installed.

If memory rank sparing is used, then two single-rank or dual-rank DIMMs or at least one quad-rank DIMM must be installed per populated channel (the DIMMs do not need being identical). In rank sparing mode, one rank of a DIMM in each populated channel is reserved as spare memory. The size of a rank varies depending on the DIMMs installed.

Chipkill, memory mirroring, and memory rank sparing modes are mutually exclusive. Only one operational memory mode can be enabled on a server, and it is a system-wide setting.

Tables 8 lists memory options available for the HS23E server. DIMMs can be installed one at a time, but for performance reasons, install them in sets of three (one for each of the three memory channels).

Table 8. Memory options for the HS23E

The HS23E server has two hot-swap drive bays accessible from the front of the blade server. These bays are connected to the integrated ServeRAID C105 Controller supplying basic software RAID capabilities for SATA hard drives. An optional ServeRAID H1135 Controller with hardware RAID capabilities is required to support SAS HDDs, SATA SSDs, and external SAS-based storage attachments. The following table lists the RAID controllers used for the internal disk storage of the HS23E server.

Table 9. RAID controllers for internal storage

# The ServeRAID C105 is an onboard software RAID controller.

The ServeRAID C105 onboard controller has the following specifications:

• Supports up to two internal hot-swap SATA HDDs (SAS HDDs and SSDs are not supported)
• Support for RAID 0 and RAID 1 (non-RAID is not supported)
• 3 Gbps throughput per port
• Support for up to eight volumes
• Support for virtual drive sizes greater than 2 TB
• Fixed stripe unit size of 64 KB
• Support for MegaRAID Storage Manager management software

Important: ServeRAID C105 has no native (in-box) driver for Windows and Linux; the drivers must be downloaded separately. ServeRAID C105 is not supported by VMware, Hyper-V, Xen, and KVM hypervisors.

The ServeRAID H1135 Controller has the following specifications:

• Based on the LSI SAS2004 6 Gbps SAS 4-port controller
• Up to 6 Gbps throughput per port
• CIOv form factor
• PCIe 2.0 x4 host interface
• Two SAS ports routed internally to the two hot-swap drive bays
• Two SAS ports routed externally to the chassis I/O bays 3 and 4
• Support for SAS/SATA HDD and SSD drives
• Support for RAID 0, 1, 1E, and 10, and non-RAID
• Support for up to two RAID volumes
• Support for up to 10 drives in one RAID volume
• Support up to 14 volume drives, including up to two hot-spare drives
• Support for virtual drive sizes greater than 2 TB
• Fixed stripe size of 64 KB
• S.M.A.R.T. support
• Support for MegaRAID Storage Manager management software
• Supports connectivity to the EXP3000, EXP2512, and EXP2524 storage expansion enclosures
• Supports connectivity to the BladeCenter S disk storage modules (via SAS Connectivity Modules or SAS RAID Controller Modules), tape drives, and external storage systems
• Supports operations as a RAID controller for the internal drives and as an HBA for the external storage at the same time

Table 10 lists the hard drive options that are available for internal storage.

Table 10. Disk drive options for internal disk storage

Important: ServeRAID H1135 is required for solid-state drives or SAS hard drives.
 

The server does not support an internal tape drive. However, it can be attached to the external tape drives using SAS or Fibre Channel connectivity (see Table 25).
 

The server does not support an optical drive option. However, it does interface to the optical drive installed in the BladeCenter chassis media tray if one is installed there.
 

The HS23E server offers the following PCI Express 3.0 slots:

• CIOv expansion slot: PCIe 3.0 x8
• CFFh expansion slot: PCIe 3.0 x16

The CIOv I/O expansion connector provides I/O connections through the midplane of the chassis to modules located in bays 3 and 4 of a supported BladeCenter chassis. The CFFh I/O expansion connector provides I/O connections to high-speed switch modules that are located in bays 7, 8, 9, and 10 of a BladeCenter H or BladeCenter HT chassis, or to switch bay 2 in a BladeCenter S chassis.

The HS23E optionally supports the PCI Express Gen 2 Expansion Blade II listed in Table 11. The expansion blade provides the capability to attach selected PCI Express cards to the HS23E. This capability is ideal for many applications that require special telecommunications network interfaces or hardware acceleration using a PCI Express card. The expansion blade provides one full-height and full-length PCI Express 2.0 x16 (x8-wired) slot and one full-height and half-length PCI Express 2.0 x16 (x8-wired) slot with a maximum power usage of 75 watts for each slot. It integrates PCI Express card support capability into the BladeCenter architecture. Up to four expansion blades can be attached to an HS23E. Each expansion blade occupies a bay in the BladeCenter chassis.

Table 11. PCIe expansion blades

The HS23E server optionally supports GPU Expansion Blade II expansion units listed in Table 12. This capability is ideal for many applications written to take advantage of acceleration and visualization performance advantages that are offered in general-purpose computing on GPUs. This product ships integrated with one NVIDIA Tesla M2090, one NVIDIA Tesla M2075, or one NVIDIA Tesla M2070Q GPU. The stacking capability of the IBM BladeCenter GPU Expansion Blade II allows you to connect up to four of them to a single blade server. In addition, you can still use a CFFh I/O expansion card adapter by installing it in the top-most expansion blade. Each expansion blade occupies a bay in the BladeCenter chassis.

Table 12. GPU expansion blades

For more information, see the following IBM Redbooks Product Guide publications:

• IBM BladeCenter PCI Express Gen 2 Expansion Blade and PCI Express Gen 2 Expansion Blade II at:
  http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/abstracts/tips0783.html?Open
• IBM BladeCenter GPU Expansion Blade and GPU Expansion Blade II at:
  http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/abstracts/tips0798.html?Open

The HS23E offers two integrated Gigabit Ethernet ports with the onboard Broadcom BCM5718 controller. These ports are routed to the chassis I/O bays 1 and 2 in BladeCenter H, BladeCenter HT and BladeCenter E. On BladeCenter S, the two onboard ports are both routed to the chassis I/O bay 1.

The integrated dual-port NIC has the following features:

• Two Gigabit Ethernet ports with BCM5718 ASIC
• Full-duplex (FDX) capability
• IEEE 802.3x FDX flow control
• I/O virtualization support for VMware NetQueue and Microsoft VMQ
• Function Level Reset (FLR)
• IPv4/IPv6 offload:
  • TCP, IP, and UDP checksum offload
  • Large send offload (LSO)
  • TCP segmentation offload (TSO)
  • Receive side scaling (RSS)
  • Transmit-side scaling (TSS)
• IEEE 802.1Q VLAN tagging
• VLAN insertion and extraction
• Jumbo frames up to 9,600 bytes
• Load balancing and failover teaming support, including adapter fault tolerance (AFT), switch fault tolerance (SFT), adaptive load balancing (ALB), and IEEE 802.3ad
• Supports Serial over LAN (SoL) and concurrent KVM (cKVM)
• Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) support
• Wake On LAN support
• PCIe 2.0 x1 host interface
• Message Signal Interrupt (MSI-X) support

Table 13 lists additional supported network adapters and upgrades.

Table 13. Network adapters

# These adapters are only available through CTO or special bid.
† These options are refreshed offerings of the existing VFA II adapters (feature codes A1XG and A1XH). The new adapters support pNIC, vNIC1, and vNIC2 out-of-box, while the existing adapters require the firmware upgrade to support vNIC2 functionality (pNIC and vNIC1 is supported out-of-box).
* Withdrawn, not available for ordering.

For more information, see the list of IBM Redbooks Product Guides in the Ethernet adapters category:
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/portals/BladeCenter?Open&page=pg&cat=ethadapters
 

The following table lists storage HBAs supported by the HS23E server.

Table 14. Storage adapters

Part number	Feature code	Description	Slots supported	Maximum supported
Fibre Channel
46M6140	3598	Emulex 8Gb Fibre Channel Expansion Card (CIOv)	CIOv	1
00Y3270	A3JC	QLogic Enet and 8Gb FC Exp Card (CFFh) (replaces 44X1940)	CFFh	1
44X1940*	5485	QLogic Eth and 8Gb Fibre Channel Exp Card (CFFh)	CFFh	1
44X1945	1462	QLogic 8Gb Fibre Channel Expansion Card (CIOv)	CIOv	1
46M6065	3594	QLogic 4Gb Fibre Channel Expansion Card (CIOv)	CIOv	1
SAS
90Y4750	A1XJ	ServeRAID H1135 Controller (CIOv)	CIOv	1

* Withdrawn, not available for ordering.

For more information, see the list of IBM Redbooks Product Guides in the Fibre Channel adapters category:
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/portals/BladeCenter?Open&page=pg&cat=fcadapters
 

The HS23E server supports the High IOPS SSD adapters listed in Table 15. The adapters must be installed in an IBM BladeCenter PCI Express Gen 2 Expansion Blade II. Up to eight High IOPS adapters supported per one HS23E (two per PCI Express Gen 2 Expansion Blade II and up to four PCI Expansion Blades per HS23E).

Table 15. SSD adapters

For information about this adapter, see the IBM High IOPS MLC Adapters Product Guide:
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/abstracts/tips0907.html?Open
 

The server power is derived from the power supplies installed in the BladeCenter chassis. There are no server options regarding power supplies.
 

The server supports VMware ESXi installed on a USB memory key. The key is installed in a USB socket inside the server. The following table lists the virtualization options.

Table 16. Virtualization options

The server contains an IBM Integrated Management Module II (IMM2), which is based on the Renesas SH7757 chip, and interfaces with the advanced management module in the BladeCenter chassis. The combination of these provides advanced service-processor control, monitoring, and an alerting function. If an environmental condition exceeds a threshold or if a system component fails, LEDs on the system board are lit to help you diagnose the problem, the error is recorded in the event log, and you are alerted to the problem. A virtual presence capability comes standard for remote server management through the Advanced Management Module (AMM) in the BladeCenter chassis.

Remote server management is provided through industry-standard interfaces:

• Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) Version 3
• Systems Management Architecture for Server Hardware (SMASH)
• Web browser

The server also supports virtual media and remote control features, which provide the following functions:

• Remotely viewing video with graphics resolutions up to 1600x1200 at 75 Hz with up to 23 bits per pixel, regardless of the system state
• Remotely accessing the server using the keyboard and mouse from a remote client
• Mapping the CD or DVD drive, diskette drive, and USB flash drive on a remote client, and mapping ISO and diskette image files as virtual drives that are available for use by the server
• Capturing blue-screen errors

The server supports the following operating systems:

• Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2
• Microsoft Windows Server 2012
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Datacenter x64 Edition
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Enterprise x64 Edition
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Web x64 Edition
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 HPC Edition
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 Server Edition
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 Server x64 Edition
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Server with Xen x64 Edition
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Server x64 Edition
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Server Edition
• SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 11 for AMD64/EM64T
• SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 11 for x86
• SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 11 with Xen for AMD64/EM64T
• SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 10 for AMD64/EM64T
• VMware vSphere 5.5 (ESXi)
• VMware vSphere 5.1 (ESXi)
• VMware vSphere 5.0 (ESXi)
• VMware ESX 4.1
• VMware ESXi 4.1

Important: ServeRAID C105 is not supported by VMware. If local drive access is required for VMware, ServeRAID H1135 should be used.

For the latest information about the specific versions and service levels supported and any other prerequisites, see the IBM ServerProven® website at:
http://www.ibm.com/systems/info/x86servers/serverproven/compat/us/nos/ematrix.shtml

Dimensions and weight (approximate, for single-wide blade):

• Height: 245 mm (9.7 in.)
• Depth: 446 mm (17.6 in.)
• Width: 29 mm (1.14 in.)
• Maximum weight: 4.6 kg (10.2 lb)

Shipping dimensions and weight (approximate for a single-wide blade):

• Height: 330 mm (13.0 in.)
• Depth: 600 mm (23.5 in.)
• Width: 175 mm (6.8 in.)
• Weight: 5.2 kg (11.5 lb)

Supported environment:

• ASHRAE class A2
• Air temperature
  • Server on:
    • 10 - 35 °C (50 - 95 °F); altitude: 0 - 914 m (0 - 3,000 ft)
    • 10 - 32 °C (50 - 89.6 °F); altitude: 914 - 2133 m (3,000 - 7,000 ft)
  • Server off: 10 - 43 °C (50 - 109.4 °F)
  • Shipment: -40 - 60 °C (-40 - 140 °F)
• Humidity
  • Server on: 8 - 80%
  • Server off: 8 - 80%

The BladeCenter HS23 has a three-year on-site warranty with 9x5 next-business-day terms. IBM offers the warranty service upgrades through IBM ServicePac® offerings, which are described in this section. An IBM ServicePac offering is a series of prepackaged warranty maintenance upgrades and post-warranty maintenance agreements with a well-defined scope of services, including service hours, response time, term of service, and service agreement terms and conditions.

IBM ServicePac offerings are country-specific, that is, each country might have its own service types, service levels, response times, and terms and conditions. Not all covered types of a ServicePac offering might be available in a particular country. For more information about IBM ServicePac offerings available in your country, visit the IBM ServicePac Product Selector at:
https://www-304.ibm.com/sales/gss/download/spst/servicepac

Table 17 explains the warranty service definitions in more detail.

Table 17. Warranty service definitions

In general, these are the types of IBM ServicePac offerings:

• Warranty and maintenance service upgrades
  • One, two, three, four, or five years of 9x5 or 24x7 service coverage
  • On-site repair from the next business day to two or four hours
  • One or two years of warranty extension
• Remote technical support services
  • One or three years with 24x7 coverage (severity 1) or 9x5 next business day for all severities
  • Installation and startup support for System x servers
  • Remote technical support for System x servers
  • Software support - Support Line
    • Microsoft or Linux software
    • VMware
    • IBM Director

The server conforms to the following standards:

• FCC - Verified to comply with Part 15 of the FCC Rules, Class A
• Canada ICES-003, issue 4, Class A
• UL/IEC 60950-1
• CSA C22.2 No. 60950-1-03
• Japan VCCI, Class A
• Australia/New Zealand AS/NZS CISPR 22:2006, Class A
• IEC 60950-1(CB Certificate and CB Test Report)
• Taiwan BSMI CNS13438, Class A;
• Korea KN22, Class A; KN24
• Russia/GOST ME01, IEC-60950-1, GOST R 51318.22-99, GOST R 51318.24-99, GOST R 51317.3.2-2006, and GOST R 51317.3.3-99
• CE Mark (EN55022 Class A, EN60950-1, EN55024, EN61000-3-2, and EN61000-3-3)
• CISPR 22, Class A

The HS23E supports attachments to external storage expansion enclosures such as the EXP3000 series, using the ServeRAID H1135 Controller installed in the CIOv slot of the blade server (see the "Internal disk storage options" section for more information about ServeRAID H1135). HS23E can also be attached to supported external storage systems such as the DS3500 series, using the supported expansion cards listed in Table 14.

The external disk storage expansion enclosures listed in the following table are supported with HS23E.

Table 18. External storage expansion enclosures

SAS Connectivity Modules (one or two) must be installed into the chassis to support external disk storage expansion. The following table lists the SAS Connectivity Module.

Table 19. SAS Connectivity Modules

The external SAS cables listed in the following table are supported with external expansion enclosures connected to SAS Connectivity Modules.

Table 20. External SAS cables for external storage expansion enclosures

The following table lists the drives supported by the EXP3000 external expansion enclosures.

Table 21. Drive options for the EXP3000 external expansion enclosures

The following table lists the drives supported by EXP2512 external expansion enclosures.

Table 22. Drive options for the EXP2512 external expansion enclosures

Table 23 lists the hard disk drives supported by the EXP2524 external expansion enclosures.

Table 23. Drive options for the EXP2524 external expansion enclosures

* Although the maximum number of drives supported by EXP2524 is 24, the ServeRAID H1135 Controller supports up to 14 drives in a RAID configuration, including up to two hot-spare drives. The blade server hosts two internal drives, therefore limiting the number of drives in one EXP2524 to 12.
 

Table 24 lists the external storage systems that are supported by HS23E and that can be ordered through the System x sales channel. The HS23E blade might support other IBM disk systems that are not listed in this table. For further information, refer to the IBM System Storage® Interoperability Center at:
http://www.ibm.com/systems/support/storage/ssic

Table 24. External disk storage systems

For more information, see the list of IBM Redbooks Product Guides in the System Storage category:
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/portals/systemx?Open&page=pg&cat=externalstorage

The server supports the external backup options listed in Table 24. The HS23E blade may support other IBM tape backup systems that are not listed in this table. For further information, refer to the IBM System Storage Interoperability Center: http://www.ibm.com/systems/support/storage/ssic

Table 25. External backup options

* Note: The external tape drives listed can be ordered through the System x sales channel. The server might support other IBM tape drives that are not listed in this table. For further information, refer to IBM System Storage Interoperability Center .
† Note: These part numbers are the tape drives options for 35732UL and 35734UL.

For more information, see the list of IBM Redbooks Product Guides in the Backup units category:
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/portals/systemx?Open&page=pg&cat=tape
 

IBM Global Financing can help you obtain the IT solution you need while preserving funding for other strategic investments and optimizing cash flow. Our Fair Market Value (FMV) lease helps ensure that you have the latest IBM technology, and with our mid-lease upgrade capability, you can increase the capacity of the system with little to no change in monthly payments. At the end of the lease, take advantage of our flexible end-of-lease options to fit your changing business needs. IBM Global Financing has the breadth and depth of offerings, longevity, proven success, and global reach to help you develop a robust financing and asset management strategy that provides you the opportunity to use new technologies and turn your ambitious vision into a tangible solution.

Here are some other reasons why working with us makes solid financial sense:

• Expand your purchasing power: Affordable monthly payments allow you to change the technology acquisition discussion from “what can I afford right now” to “what solution is really right for my business.” IBM Global Financing allows you to expand your purchasing power to get you the right solution.
• Accelerate your project’s cash flow break-even point: Acquire your IBM technology today and begin to realize its benefits now. An FMV lease can help you get the solution you need now, with low monthly payments that better align up-front costs with the anticipated return on investment (ROI) from the technology.
• Easy to acquire with affordable rates: We offer one-stop shopping for a total IT solution, so you can acquire IBM hardware, software, services and the financing you need from one IT provider.

Plus, we provide simple, easy-to-understand contracts and quick approvals. As the world’s largest IT financing provider, with an asset base of US$35.8 billion and over 125,000 customers, IBM Global Financing offers highly competitive rates that promote low total cost of ownership (TCO) and low monthly payments.

IBM Global Financing operates in more than 50 countries. Go to http://ibm.com/financing for financing options in your country and to contact a local financing specialist.

IBM Global Financing offerings are provided through IBM Credit LLC in the United States and other IBM subsidiaries and divisions worldwide to qualified commercial and government clients. Rates and availability subject to client’s credit rating, financing terms, offering type, equipment and product type and options, and may vary by country. Non-hardware items must be one-time, nonrecurring charges and are financed by means of loans. Other restrictions may apply. Rates and offerings are subject to change, extension or withdrawal without notice and may not be available in all countries. Contact your local IBM Global Financing representative for additional detail.

For more information, see the following resources:

• IBM US Announcement Letter:
  http://ibm.com/common/ssi/cgi-bin/ssialias?infotype=dd&subtype=ca&&htmlfid=897/ENUS112-083
• IBM BladeCenter HS23E product page:
  http://ibm.com/systems/bladecenter/hardware/servers/hs23e
• IBM BladeCenter Information Center:
  http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/bladectr/documentation
• IBM BladeCenter HS23E Installation and User's Guide:
  http://ibm.com/support
• IBM BladeCenter HS23E Problem Determination and Service Guide:
  http://ibm.com/support
• ServerProven hardware compatibility page for the HS23E:
  http://ibm.com/systems/info/x86servers/serverproven/compat/us/blade/8038.html
• ServerProven compatibility page for operating system support:
  http://ibm.com/systems/info/x86servers/serverproven/compat/us/nos/ematrix.shtml
• BladeCenter Interoperability Guide:
  http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/big
• IBM Redbooks® Product Guides for IBM BladeCenter servers and options:
  http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/portals/bladecenter?Open&page=pgbycat
• Configuration and Option Guide:
  http://www.ibm.com/systems/xbc/cog/
• xREF - IBM System x Reference Sheets:
  http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/xref
• IBM System x Support Portal:
  http://ibm.com/support/entry/portal/
  http://ibm.com/support/entry/portal/Downloads/Hardware/Systems/BladeCenter/BladeCenter_HS23E
• IBM System Storage Interoperability Center:
  http://www.ibm.com/systems/support/storage/ssic