NeXtScale nx360 M4

NeXtScale System is a new dense HPC offering, based on our experience with iDataPlex® and BladeCenter® along with a tight focus on emerging and future client requirements. The NeXtScale n1200 enclosure and NeXtScale nx360 M4 server are designed to optimize density and performance within typical data center infrastructure limits. The 6U NeXtScale n1200 enclosure fits in a standard 19-inch rack and up to twelve nx360 M4 servers can be installed into the enclosure. With more computing power per watt and the latest Intel Xeon processors, you can reduce costs while maintaining speed and availability.

Suggested use: Technical computing, grid deployments, analytics workloads, and large-scale cloud and virtualization infrastructures

The following figure shows twelve NeXtScale nx360 M4 servers that are installed in an NeXtScale n1200 enclosure.

Figure 1. Twelve NeXtScale nx360 M4 servers that are installed in an NeXtScale n1200 enclosure

NeXtScale System is built with industry-standard components to create flexible configurations of servers, chassis, and networking switches that integrate easily in a standard 19-inch rack. It is a general-purpose platform that provides flexibility to clients for creating unique and differentiated solutions using off-the-shelf components. Front-access cabling enables you to quickly and easily make changes in networking, power connections, and storage.

Introducing NeXtScale System, which is a new generation Intelligent Cluster™ platform that follows on from the highly successful iDataPlex offering.

Designed with industry-standard, off-the-shelf components, NeXtScale System is a general-purpose platform that is designed to give customers a flexible IT infrastructure. The offering initially will be available with compute-intensive systems, but the design allows for a mix-and-match approach, with I/O-rich, storage-rich, and GPU-rich offerings possible. Customized solutions can be configured to provide an application-appropriate platform with a choice of servers, networking switches, adapters, and racks.

This modular system is designed to scale and grow with data center needs to protect and maximize IT investments. Because it is optimized for standard racks, users can easily mix high-density NeXtScale server offerings and non-NeXtScale components within the same rack. NeXtScale System also provides tremendous time to value by enabling users to set up and start it in a shorter period.

The NeXtScale nx360 M4 server provides a dense, flexible solution with a low total cost of ownership (TCO). The half-wide, dual-socket NeXtScale nx360 M4 server is designed for data centers that require high performance but are constrained by floor space. By taking up less physical space in the data center, the NeXtScale server enhances density, and it supports the Intel Xeon E5-2600 v2 series up to 130 W and 12-core processors, thus providing more performance per server. The nx360 M4 compute node contains only essential components in the base architecture to provide a cost-optimized platform.

The nx360 M4 also supports additional expansion options in the form of trays that attach to the top of the server. The Storage Native Expansion Tray can be added to the nx360 M4 to form a storage-dense server supporting up to 32 TB of local storage. The PCIe Native Expansion Tray can be added to the nx360 M4 to form a powerful compute engine, supporting two GPU or coprocessor adapters.

The NeXtScale n1200 Enclosure is an efficient, 6U, 12-node chassis with no built-in networking or switching capabilities, and therefore requires no chassis-level management. Sensibly designed to provide shared, high-efficiency power and cooling for housed servers, the n1200 enclosure is designed to scale with your business needs.

Adding compute capability, or later storage or acceleration capability, is as simple as adding specific nodes to the chassis. Because each node is independent and self-sufficient, there is no contention for resources among nodes within the enclosure. A typical rack holds only 42 1U systems, but this chassis doubles the density (up to 84 compute nodes within the same footprint).

Scalability and performance

The NeXtScale System and the NeXtScale nx360 M4 server offer numerous features to boost performance, improve scalability, and reduce costs:

• Up to 12 compute nodes, each with two of the latest Xeon processors, eight DIMMs, and two PCIe slots, in 6U of rack space. It is a highly dense, scalable, and price-optimized offering.
• The Intel Xeon processor E5-2600 v2 product family improves productivity by offering superior system performance with 12-core processors and up to 3.0 GHz core speeds, up to 25 MB of L3 cache, and QPI interconnect links of up to 8 GTps.
• Two processors, up to 24 cores, and 48 threads maximize the concurrent execution of multi-threaded applications.
• Intelligent and adaptive system performance with Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 allows CPU 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 multi-threaded applications by enabling simultaneous multi-threading 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 (AVX) improve floating-point performance for compute-intensive technical and scientific applications.
• Eight DIMMs of registered 1866 MHz DDR3 ECC memory provide speed, high availability, and a memory capacity of up to 256 GB.
• Support for additional local storage with the use of the Storage Native Expansion Tray. When using 4 TB HDDs, you can create an ultra-dense storage server with up to 32 TB of total disk capacity within 1U of comparable rack density. The nx360 M4 with the Storage Native Expansion Tray offers a perfect solution for today’s data-intensive workloads.
• Boosts performance with PCIe Native Expansion Tray by offering support for two high-powered GPUs or Intel Xeon Phi coprocessors within a single node .
• The use of solid-state drives (SSDs) instead of or 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.
• PCI Express 3.0 I/O expansion capabilities improve the theoretical maximum bandwidth by 60% (8 GTps per link) compared with the previous generation of PCI Express 2.0.
• There is support for 10 Gb Ethernet and FDR mezzanine cards that offer network performance without consuming a PCIe slot.
• With Intel Integrated I/O Technology, the PCI Express 3.0 controller is integrated into the Intel Xeon processor E5 family, which reduces I/O latency and increases overall system performance.

Manageability and security

Powerful systems management features simplify local and remote management of the nx360 M4:

• The server 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) 1.2 support enables advanced cryptographic functionality, such as digital signatures and remote attestation.
• Intel Execute Disable Bit functionality can 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 the application to run in its own isolated space that is protected from all other software running on a system.

Energy efficiency

NeXtScale System offers the following energy efficiency features to save energy, reduce operational costs, increase energy availability, and contribute to a green environment:

• Support for S3 standy power states in the processor
• The nx360 M4 is Energy Star 2.0 compliant. Energy Star is the trusted, US government-backed symbol for energy efficiency, with the goal of helping customers save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices. For the Power and Performance Data Sheet, see http://ibm.com/systems/x/hardware/energy-star
• Shared 80 Plus Platinum power supplies ensure energy efficiency.
• Large 80 mm fans maximize air flow efficiencies.
• The Intel Xeon processor E5-2600 v2 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.
• SSDs consume as much as 80% less power than traditional 2.5-inch HDDs.
• The server uses hexagonal ventilation holes in the front and rear of the casing, which can be grouped more densely than round holes, providing more efficient airflow through the system.
• There are power monitoring and power capping capabilities through the Power and Fan Management Module in the chassis

Availability and serviceability

NeXtScale System and the nx360 M4 server provide many features to simplify serviceability and increase system uptime:

• The NeXtScale n1200 chassis supports N+N and N+1 power policies for its six power supplies, which means greater system uptime.
• All components can be removed from the front of the rack by sliding out the trays or the chassis for easy, quick servicing.
• Toolless cover removal provides easy access to upgrades and serviceable parts, such as HDDs and memory.
• The nx360 M4 offers memory mirroring for redundancy if there is a non-correctable memory failure.
• Optional RAID arrays enable the server to keep operating if there is a failure of any one drive.
• SSDs offer better reliability than traditional mechanical HDDs for greater uptime.
• Predictive Failure Analysis (PFA) detects when system components (processors, memory, and hard disk drives) operate outside of standard thresholds and generates proactive alerts in advance of possible failure, therefore increasing uptime.
• The built-in Integrated Management Module II (IMM2) continuously monitors system parameters, triggers alerts, and performs recovering actions in case of failures to minimize downtime.
• The IMM2 offers optional remote management capability to enable remote keyboard, video, and mouse (KVM) control of the server.
• There is a three-year customer replaceable unit and onsite limited warranty, with next business day 9x5. Optional service upgrades are available.

The following figure shows the front of the nx360 M4 server.

Figure 2. Front view of NeXtScale nx360 M4

The following figure shows the locations of key components inside the server.

Figure 3. Inside view of the NeXtScale nx360 M4

The compute nodes are installed in the NeXtScale n1200 enclosure, as shown in the following figure.

Figure 4. Front view of the NeXtScale n1200 enclosure

The rear of the enclosure contains the power supplies, fans, and the Fan and Power Controller, as shown in the following figure.

Figure 5. Rear view of the NeXtScale n1200 enclosure

The following table lists the standard specifications of the NeXtScale nx360 M4 compute node and NeXtScale n1200 enclosure.

The nx360 M4 servers are shipped with the following items:

• Statement of Limited Warranty
• Important Notices
• Documentation CD that contains the Installation and Service Guide

The following table lists the standard models.

Table 2. Standard models

† Processor detail: Processor quantity and model, cores, core speed, L3 cache, memory speed, and power consumption.

For information about the standard features of the server, see the "Standard specifications" section.

The NeXtScale nx360 M4 is supported in the NeXtScale n1200 Enclosure. The number of servers supported in each chassis depends on the thermal design power (TDP) value of the processors used in the servers (Table 5), the number and capacity of power supplies installed (1300 W or 900 W) and the AC input voltage (100-127V or 200-240V). The following tables use the following conventions:

• A green cell means that the chassis can be filled with servers up to the maximum number supported in the chassis (ie 12 servers without GPU Trays installed, 6 servers with GPU Trays installed).
• A yellow cell means that the maximum number of servers that the chassis can hold is fewer than the total available bays. Other bays in the chassis must remain empty.

Notes on the tables:

• OVS (Oversubscription) of the power system allows for more efficient use of the available system power. By using oversubscription, users can make the most of the extra power from the redundant power supplies when the power supplies are in healthy condition.
• Oversubscription and Power supply redundancy options are set via one of the available user interfaces to the Fan and Power Controller in the chassis.
• Use the Power Configurator to determine an accurate power model for your configuration: http://ibm.com/systems/bladecenter/resources/powerconfig.html
• Some cells indicate two numbers (for example “5 + 1”). This indicates support for a mixture of servers with and without the GPU Tray:
  • First number: Number of servers with a GPU Tray attached and two GPUs installed
  • Second number: Number of servers without a GPU Tray attached.
  
  For example, “5 + 1” means Supported combination is 5 servers with the GPU Tray attached (consuming 10 bays in the chassis), plus 1 server without a GPU Tray attached (1 bay). In such a configuration 11 bays are consumed and the 1 remaining server bay in the chassis must remain empty.
• The tables are as follows:
  • Table 3 - 1300 W power supplies, 200-240V AC input, no GPU Trays
  • Table 4 - 1300 W power supplies, 200-240V AC input, GPU Trays with 130 W GPUs
  • Table 5 - 1300 W power supplies, 200-240V AC input, GPU Trays with 225 W GPUs
  • Table 6 - 1300 W power supplies, 200-240V AC input, GPU Trays with 235 W GPUs
  • Table 7 - 1300 W power supplies, 200-240V AC input, GPU Trays with 300 W GPUs
  • Table 8 - 900 W power supplies, 200-240V AC input, no GPU Trays
  • Table 9 - 900 W power supplies, 100-127V AC input, no GPU Trays
• See the GPU and coprocessor adapters section for information on the power consumption of each supported GPU or coprocessor.

Table 3. Number of compute nodes supported (200-240 V AC Input, with 6 x 1300 W PSUs)

Table 5. Number of compute nodes supported each with two 225 W GPUs installed (200-240 V AC Input, with 6 x 1300 W PSUs)

Table 7. Number of compute nodes supported each with two 300 W GPUs installed (200-240 V AC Input, with 6 x 1300 W PSUs)

Table 9. Number of compute nodes supported (100-127 V AC Input, with 6 x 900 W PSUs)

The standard n1200 Enclosure models are listed in the following table.

Table 10. Standard enclosure models

The chassis ships with these items:

• Rail kit (88Y6763)
• Four detachable chassis lift handles
• One Console breakout cable (also known as a KVM Dongle)
• A Torx-8 (T8) screwdriver for use with components such as drive cages, mounted on the rear of the chassis
• One AC power cord for each power supply installed, 1.5m 10A, IEC320 C14 to C13 (part number 39Y7937)

The n1200 provides a shared high-efficiency power supply and fans. Like BladeCenter and Flex System™, the NeXtScale System compute nodes connect to a midplane, but this connection is for power and control only; the midplane does not provide any I/O connectivity.

The nx360 M4 supports the processor options that are listed in the following table.

* The first feature code corresponds to the first processor; the second feature code corresponds to the second processor.
** Processor detail: Model, core speed, cores, L3 cache, memory speed, and TDP power.

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

The NeXtScale nx360 M4 supports DDR3 memory. The server supports up to four DIMMs when one processor is installed and up to eight DIMMs when two processors are installed. Each processor has four memory channels, and there is one DIMM per memory channel (1 DPC). RDIMM, UDIMM and LRDIMM are supported, but the mixing of these different types is not supported.

The following table lists the memory options that are available for the nx360 M4 server.

In the nx360 M4, the maximum memory speed of a configuration is the lower of the following two values:

• The memory speed of the processor (See Table 4 above)
• The memory speed of the DIMM (See Table 5 below)

The server supports both 1.5 V and 1.35 V DIMMs. Mixing 1.5 V and 1.35 V DIMMs in the same server is supported. In such a case, all DIMMs operate at 1.5 V.

The following memory protection technologies are supported:

• ECC
• Memory mirroring

The following table shows the maximum memory speeds that are achievable. The table also shows the maximum memory capacity at any speed that is supported by the DIMM and the maximum memory capacity at the rated DIMM speed.

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

The NeXtScale Storage Native Expansion Tray is a half-wide 1U expansion tray that attaches to the nx360 M4 to provide seven extra 3.5-inch simple-swap SATA drives. The tray allows the configuration of storage-rich nx360 M4 compute nodes.

Note: The Storage Native Expansion Tray and the PCIe Native Expansion Tray cannot be connected to the same compute node.

The following figure shows the storage tray attached to an nx360 M4

Figure 6. NeXtScale Storage Native Expansion Tray attached to an nx360 M4 compute node

Ordering information is listed in the following table.

The following figure shows the NeXtScale Storage Native Expansion Tray with the cover removed showing seven 3.5-inch drives installed.

Figure 7. NeXtScale Storage Native Expansion Tray

The NeXtScale nx360 M4 server supports one of the following drives internally in the server:

• One 3.5-inch simple-swap SATA drive
• Two 2.5-inch simple-swap HDDs or SSDs
• Four 1.8-inch simple-swap SSDs

In addition, the nx360 M4 supports seven additional 3.5-inch drive bays if the NeXtScale Storage Native Expansion Tray is attached. The Storage Native Expansion Tray can be used with any of the above three internal drive configurations to provide the following bay combinations:

• Eight 3.5-inch simple-swap SATA drives
• Seven 3.5-inch simple-swap SATA drives and two 2.5-inch simple-swap SATA HDDs
• Seven 3.5-inch simple-swap SATA drives and four 1.8-inch simple-swap SSDs

Drive cages for the drives internal to the nx360 M4 are as listed in the following table. Drives used in the Storage Native Expansion Tray do not need a cage.

Table 15. Drive cages for the drive bay in the nx360 M4

The following figure shows the three variations (the two 3.5-inch cages look similar).

Figure 8. Drive bay options

There are two 3.5-inch drive cages - the last two rows of the above table. If the Storage Native Expansion Tray is attached to the nx360 M4, then the use of the RAID cage (feature A4GE, option 00Y8615) allows you to configure a RAID array that spans all 8 drives - the 7 in the storage tray and the 1 drive internal to the nx360 M4. Such a configuration would be connected either to a ServeRAID M1115 adapter or N2115 SAS HBA.

If the 3.5-inch HDD cage (feature A41J) is used, then a RAID array can only be formed with the 7 drives in the storage tray. In such a configuration, the drives in the storage tray are connected either to a ServeRAID M1115 adapter or N2115 SAS HBA, and the single drive in the nx360 M4 is connected to the ServeRAID C100.

The following table lists the RAID controllers and SAS HBA that are used for internal disk storage of the nx360 M4 server. These are alternatives to the onboard SATA controller and one may be required depending on the storage configuration.

Table 16. Drive controllers for internal storage

* Windows and Linux only. No support for VMware, Hyper-V, or Xen

The following table lists the adapters that are supported for each drive configuration.

Table 17. Drive type and RAID adapter support

* With the addition of the NeXtScale Storage Native Expansion Tray
** The two controllers must be: (1) either onboard SATA or ServeRAID C100 for internal drive(s), and (2) N2115 or ServeRAID M115 for drives in the storage tray
† Requires the 3.5-inch RAID cage (feature A4GE, option 00Y8615)

Using the ServeRAID C100 with 1.8-inch SSDs

The on-board ServeRAID C100 SATA controller provides four channels, two at 3 Gbps and two at 6 Gbps. These connect to the four 1.8-inch drive bays in the nx360 M4. When installing only two 1.8-inch drives, install them in the top two drive bays to maximize performance, since the top two bays are the ones operating at 6 Gbps.

When four 1.8-inch SS SATA SSD drives are installed, the two located at the top of the cage will operate at 6 Gbps while the two at the bottom will operate at 3 Gbps. An array involving drives at different speeds, will perform at the lowest speed. For example, a paired array between top drives will operate at 6 Gbps but, a paired array between a top drive and a bottom, will operate at 3 Gbps.

If you are using the ServeRAID M1115 controller and you have a 3.5-inch drive in the internal bay of the nx360 M4, and you wish to be able to form a RAID array with all 8 drives (1 in the server and 7 in the storage tray), then you must use the 3.5-inch RAID cage for the internal drive (feature A4GE, option 00Y8615), replacing the standard 3.5-inch HDD cage if already installed in the server. The 3.5-inch RAID cage includes a backplane that allows the internal drive to be connected to the drives in the storage tray.

If you do not use the 3.5-inch RAID cage or you are using 2.5-inch or 1.8-inch drives in the nx360 M4, then the internal drives will be connected to a separate controller than the drives in the storage tray and you will not be able to form a RAID array spanning both internal drives and drives in the storage tray. The internal drives are connected to the ServeRAID C100 controller as indicated in the above table.

Note: It is not a supported combination to have the Storage Native Expansion Tray with 7 drives along with two 2.5-inch SAS drives installed in the nx360 M4. This is because the ServeRAID C100 (which would be required to drive the two internal drives) does not support SAS drives. The use of 2.5-inch SATA drives are supported however.

Controller specifications

The ServeRAID H1110 adapter has the following specifications:

• Four internal 6 Gbps SAS/SATA ports.
• One x4 mini-SAS internal connector (SFF-8087).
• 6 Gbps throughput per port.
• Based on LSI SAS2004 6 Gbps RAID on Chip (ROC) controller.
• PCIe 2.0 x4 host interface.
• Supports RAID 0, 1, 1E, and 10.
• SAS and SATA drives are supported, but the mixing of SAS and SATA in the same integrated volume is not supported.
• Supports up to two integrated volumes.
• Supports up to two global hot-spare drives.
• Supports drive sizes greater than 2 TB for RAID 0, 1E, and 10 (not RAID 1).
• Fixed stripe size of 64 KB.

The ServeRAID M1115 adapter has the following specifications:

• Eight internal 6 Gbps SAS/SATA ports
• Two x4 mini-SAS internal connectors (SFF-8087)
• Supports RAID levels 0, 1, and 10
• Supports RAID levels 5 and 50 with optional M1100 Series RAID 5 upgrade, 81Y4542
• 6 Gbps throughput per port
• PCIe 3.0 x8 host interface
• Based on the LSI SAS2008 6 Gbps ROC controller

The N2115 SAS/SATA HBA has the following features and specifications:

• LSI SAS2308 6 Gbps I/O controller
• PCI low profile, half-length - MD2 form factor
• PCI Express 3.0 x8 host interface
• Eight internal 6 Gbps SAS/SATA ports (support for 6, 3, or 1.5 Gbps speeds)
• Up to 6 Gbps throughput per port
• Two internal x4 Mini-SAS connectors (SFF-8087)
• Non-RAID (JBOD mode) support for SAS and SATA HDDs and SSDs (RAID not supported)
• Optimized for SSD performance
• High-performance IOPS LSI Fusion-MPT architecture
• Advanced power management support
• Support for SSP, SMP, STP, and SATA protocols
• End-to-End CRC with Advanced Error Reporting
• T-10 Protection Model for early detection of and recovery from data corruption
• Spread Spectrum Clocking for EMI reductions

The ServeRAID C100 is an integrated SATA controller with software RAID capabilities. It is a cost-effective way to provide reliability, performance, and fault-tolerant disk subsystem management to help safeguard your valuable data and enhance availability.

The ServeRAID C100 has the following specifications:

• Supports RAID levels 0, 1, and 10
• Onboard SATA controller with software RAID capabilities
• Supports SATA HDDs and SATA SSDs
• Offers two 6 Gbps SATA ports and two 3 Gbps SATA ports
• Support for up to two virtual drives
• Support for virtual drive sizes greater than 2 TB
• Fixed stripe unit size of 64 KB
• Support for MegaRAID Storage Manager management software

Note: The ServeRAID C100 is supported by Windows and Linux only. Depending on the operating system version, drivers might need to be downloaded separately. There is no support for VMware, Hyper-V, or Xen. The C100 supports SATA drives but does not support SAS drives.

For more information, see the list of Lenovo Press Product Guides in the RAID adapters category:
http://lenovopress.com/systemx/raid

The following table lists hard disk drive options for the internal disk storage of the nx360 M4 server.

Rules for mixing drive types:

• Mixing HDDs: Simple-swap SATA HDDs and simple-swap SAS HDDs can be intermixed in the system, but cannot be intermixed in the same RAID array.
• Mixing HDDs and SSDs: Both simple-swap SATA HDDs and simple-swap SAS HDDs can be intermixed with SSDs in the system. SAS or SATA HDDs cannot be configured with SSDs within the same RAID array.

* 1 drive supported without the Storage Native Expansion Tray. 8 drives supported with the Storage Native Expansion Tray.

For information about SSDs, see the Lenovo Press Product Guides in the Internal Storage category, available from:
http://lenovopress.com/systemx/internalstorage

The server does not support internal tape drive options.

The server does not support internal optical drive options. Instead, use an external USB drive. See http://support.lenovo.com/en/documents/pd011281 for options.

The NeXtScale PCIe Native Expansion Tray is a half-wide 1U expansion tray that attaches to the nx360 M4 to provide two full-height full-length double-width PCIe 3.0 x16 slots. The tray is designed to support two GPU adapters or coprocessors.

Note: The PCIe Native Expansion Tray and the Storage Native Expansion Tray cannot be connected to the same compute node.

The following figure shows the PCIe Native Expansion Tray attached to an nx360 M4 (shown with the top cover removed). The figure shows two NVIDIA GPUs installed.

Figure 9. NeXtScale PCIe Native Expansion Tray attached to an nx360 M4 compute node

Ordering information is listed in the following table.

Table 19. Ordering information

When the PCIe Native Expansion Tray is used, it is connected to the compute node via two riser cards, each providing a PCIe x16 connector to the GPUs or coprocessors installed in the tray.

• 2-slot PCIe 3.0 x24 riser card installed in the front riser slot (riser slot 1 - see Figure 3). This riser card replaces the standard 1-slot riser used to connect standard PCIe cards internal to the compute node. The 2-slot riser card offers these connection:
  • PCIe 3.0 x8 slot for the slot internal to the compute node
  • PCIe 3.0 x16 slots for the front adapter in the PCIe Native Expansion Tray
• 1-slot PCIe 3.0 x16 riser card installed in the rear riser slot (riser slot 2 - see Figure 3). This riser is used to connect the rear adapter in the PCIe Native Expansion Tray.

Only GPUs and coprocessors are supported in the PCIe Native Expansion Tray and only those listed in the following section. The PCIe Native Expansion Tray also includes the auxiliary power connectors and cables for each adapter slot necessary for each supported GPU and coprocessor.

The nx360 M4 supports GPU adapters and coprocessors when the NeXtScale PCIe Native Expansion Tray is attached, as described in "NeXtScale PCIe Native Expansion Tray" The following table lists the supported adapters.

The operating systems supported by each GPU and coprocessor adapter is listed in the "Supported operating systems" section.

Configuration rules are as follows:

• The use of GPUs or coprocessors require the use of the NeXtScale PCIe Native Expansion Tray
• One or two GPUs or coprocessors can be installed
• If two GPU adapters or coprocessors are installed, they must be identical
• 1300W power supplies are required in the chassis
• 200-240 Vac utility power is required - 100-127 Vac is not supported

Table 20. GPU adapters and coprocessors

The nx360 M4 offers two Gigabit Ethernet ports with the following features:

• Intel I350 Gb Ethernet controller
• IEEE 802.3 Ethernet interface for 1000BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, and 10BASE-T applications (802.3, 802.3u, and 802.3ab)
• IPv6 Offloads: Checksum and LSO
• Wake on LAN support
• Virtualization: I/OAT, VMDq (8 queues per port), and SR-IOV (PCI SIG compliant)
• 16 TX & 16 RX queues per port
• Supports MSI-X
• Supports SGMII, SCTP, NC-SI
• Supports IEEE 1588 (TimeSynch) per packet
• Supports Energy Efficient Ethernet

The nx360 M4 server also supports an additional mezzanine card with a dedicated PCIe x8 slot at the front of the server, as shown in Figure 2. The supported adapters are listed in the following table.

The following table lists additional supported network adapters in the standard full-height half-length PCIe slot.

* Available only via CTO or special bid.

For more information, see the list of Lenovo Press Product Guides in the Network adapters category:
http://lenovopress.com/systemx/networkadapters

The following table lists the storage HBAs that are supported by the nx360 M4 server.

Table 23. Storage adapters

For more information, see the list of Lenovo Press Product Guides in the Host Bus Adapters category:
http://lenovopress.com/systemx/hba

The server does not support High IOPS SSD adapters.

The NeXtScale n1200 enclosure supports up to six redundant hot-plug power supplies, providing N+N or N+1 redundancy Power policies with no redundancy is also supported. These High Efficiency (HE) Platinum AC power supplies are 80 PLUS Platinum certified to allow for the best efficiency values of your data center. The following table lists the supported power supply option.

Table 24. Power supplies

The power supply options have the following features:

• Supports N+N or N+1 Power Redundancy, or Non-redundant power configurations to support higher density
• Power management controller and configured through the Fan and Power Controller
• Integrated 2500 RPM fan
• 80 PLUS Platinum certified
• Built-in overload and surge protection

900W power supply specifications:

• Supports dual-range voltage: 100 - 240 V
• 100 - 127 (nominal) V AC; 50 or 60 Hz; 6.8 A (maximum)
• 200 - 240 (nominal) V AC; 50 or 60 Hz; 5.0 A (maximum)

1300W power supply specifications:

• Supports high-range voltage only: 200 - 240 V
• 200 - 240 (nominal) V AC; 50 or 60 Hz; 6.9 A (maximum)

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

Customized VMware vSphere images can be downloaded from:
http://ibm.com/systems/x/os/vmware/

Table 25. Virtualization options

The nx360 M4 provides local console access through the KVM connector on the front of the server. A console breakout cable is used with this connector which provides a VGA port, two USB ports and a DB9 serial port. The cable is shown in the following figure.

Figure 10. Console breakout cable

One console breakout cable is shipped with the NeXtScale n1200 enclosure. Additional cables can be ordered per the following table.

Table 26. Console breakout cable

Tip: This is the same cable that is used with Flex System, but has a different part number because of the included materials.

To aid with problem determination, the server includes light path diagnostics, which is a set of LEDs on the front of the server and inside the server that show you which component is failing. The LEDs are shown in the following figure.

Figure 11. Power button and system LEDs

When an error occurs, the system error LED lights up. Review the logs through the web interface of the IMMv2 (see the "Remote server management" section). If needed, power off the server and remove it from the enclosure. Then, press and hold the power button to activate the system board LEDs. The LED next to the failed component lights up.

The server contains Integrated Management Module II (IMM2), which provides advanced service-processor control, monitoring, and an alerting function. If an environmental condition exceeds a threshold or if a system component fails, the IMM2 lights LEDs to help you diagnose the problem, records the error in the event log, and alerts you to the problem. The server includes IMM2 Basic and can be upgraded to IMM2 Standard and IMM2 Advanced with FoD licenses; however, you might need to upgrade the system firmware to the latest levels (at least level 28n) to support these upgrades.

IMM2 Basic has the following features:

• Industry-standard interfaces and protocols
• Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) Version 2.0
• Common Information Model (CIM)
• Advanced Predictive Failure Analysis (PFA) support
• Continuous health monitoring
• Shared Ethernet connection
• Domain Name System (DNS) server support
• Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) support
• Embedded Dynamic System Analysis (DSA)
• LAN over USB for in-band communications to the IMM
• Serial over LAN
• Remote power control
• Server console serial redirection

IMM2 Standard (as enabled using the Feature on Demand software license key using part number 90Y3900) has the following features in addition to the IMM2 Basic features:

• Remote access through a secure web console
• Access to server vital product data (VPD)
• Automatic notification and alerts
• Continuous health monitoring and control
• Email alerts
• Syslog logging support
• Enhanced user authority levels
• Event logs that are time stamped, saved on the IMM, and that can be attached to email alerts
• OS watchdogs
• Remote configuration through Advanced Settings Utility (ASU)
• Remote firmware updating
• User authentication using a secure connection to a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) server

IMM2 Advanced (as enabled using the Feature on Demand software license key using part number 90Y3901) adds the following features on top of those of IMM Standard:

• Remotely viewing video with graphics resolutions up to 1600x1200 at 75 Hz with up to 23 bits per pixel color depths, 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
• Uploading a diskette image to the IMM memory and mapping it to the server as a virtual drive

The blue-screen capture feature captures the video display contents before the IMM restarts the server when the IMM detects an operating-system hang condition. A system administrator can use the blue-screen capture to assist in determining the cause of the hang condition.

The following table lists the remote management options.

Note: The IMM2 Advanced upgrade requires the IMM2 Standard upgrade.

Table 27. Remote management options

The nx360 M4 provides a dedicated Ethernet port that allows connection to the IMM2. It is a port to access the IMM2 separately from the onboard two-port 1 Gb Ethernet controller. Alternatively, the first 1 Gb Ethernet port from the onboard controller can be configured in Shared mode in order to allow access to the IMM2. With Shared mode enabled, the dedicated IMM port is disabled.

The NeXtScale n1200 Enclosure offers a remote management capability through the Fan and Power Controller, which is at the back of the enclosure.

Figure 12. Fan and Power Controller

The Fan and Power Controller has one external RJ45 port which provides a 10/100 Mbps Ethernet connection for browser-based remote control.

The port provide the following interfaces:

• An HTTP (web browser) interface for remote management
• An IPMI interface to the IMM in each server
• An IPMI interface to higher managers, such as xCAT

The module provides the following functions:

• Power supply redundancy and over-subscription configuration
• Power capping/saving configuration
• Power restore policy
• Acoustic mode setting
• Configuration/log export to USB (a USB port is provided inside the module; see the diagram in Figure 8.)
• IMM remote reset or Server remote reseat (AC cycle)
• Status monitor: Power consumption, node status, power supply status, fan status
• Network configuration

The FPC also includes a USB key housed in side the unit. The USB key stores the event log for the FPC plus power, cooling and network configuration data.

The server supports the following operating systems:

• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 HPC Edition
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2
• Microsoft Windows Server 2012
• Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Server x64 Edition
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 Server x64 Edition
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
• SUSE Enterprise Linux Server (SLES) 12
• SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 11 for AMD64/EM64T
• SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 with XEN
• VMware vSphere 5.0 (ESXi)
• VMware vSphere 5.1 (ESXi)
• VMware vSphere 5.5 (ESXi)

For the latest information about the specific versions and service levels that are supported and any other prerequisites, see the Operating System Interoperability Guide:
http://lenovopress.com/osig

The following table lists the operating system support for GPUs and coprocessors.

Table 28. Operating system support for GPU and coprocessor adapters

Operating system
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 (SP1)	Y	Y	Y	Y*	Y*	Y	Y
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 HPC Edition	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	N
Microsoft Windows Server 2012	Y	Y	Y	Y*	Y*	Y	Y
Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2	Y	Y	Y	Y*	Y*	Y	Y
SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 11 for AMD64/EM64T (SP3)	Y	Y	Y	N	N	Y	Y
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Server x64 Edition (U10)	Y*	Y*	Y*	N	N	N	N
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 Server x64 Edition (U5)	Y	Y	Y	N	N	Y	Y
VMware vSphere (ESXi) 5.0 (U3)	N	N	N	N	N	N	N
VMware vSphere (ESXi) 5.1 (U2)	N	N	N	Y	Y	N	N
VMware vSphere (ESXi) 5.5	N	N	N	Y	Y	N	N

* Support is planned

NeXtScale nx360 M4 dimensions:

• Width: 216 mm (8.5 in.)
• Height: 41 mm (1.6 in.)
• Depth: 659 mm (25.9 in.)
• Maximum weight: 6.05 kg (13.31 lb)

NeXtScale n1200 enclosure dimensions:

• Width: 447 mm (17.6 in.)
• Height: 263 mm (10.4 in.)
• Depth: 915 mm (36 in.)
• Fully configured (stand-alone): 112 kg (247 lb), empty chassis 28 kg (62 lb)

Supported environment

The NeXtScale nx360 M4 compute node complies with ASHRAE class A3 specifications.

• Power on:
  • Temperature: 5 °C - 40 °C (41 °F - 104 °F)
  • Humidity, non-condensing: -12 °C dew point (10.4 °F) and 8% - 85% relative humidity
  • Maximum dew point: 24 °C (75 °F)
  • Maximum altitude: 3048 m (10,000 ft)
  • Maximum rate of temperature change: 5 °C/hr (41 °F/hr)

• Power off:
  • Temperature: 5 °C to 45 °C (41 °F to 113 °F)
  • Relative humidity: 8% - 85%
  • Maximum dew point: 27 °C (80.6 °F)

• Storage (non-operating):
  • Temperature: 1 °C to 60 °C (33.8 °F to 140 °F)
  • Altitude: 3050 m (10,006 ft)
  • Relative humidity: 5% - 80%
  • Maximum dew point: 29 °C (84.2 °F)

• Shipment (non-operating):
  • Temperature: -40 °C to 60 °C (-40 °F to 140 °F)
  • Altitude: 10,700 m (35,105 ft)
  • Relative humidity: 5% - 100%
  • Maximum dew point: 29 °C (84.2 °F)

Electrical requirements

• 100 - 127 (nominal) V AC; 50 Hz or 60 Hz; 6.8 A
• 200 - 240 (nominal) V AC; 50 Hz or 60 Hz; 5.0 A
• Input kilovolt-amperes (kVA) (approximately):
  • Minimum configuration: 0.1 kVA
  • Maximum configuration: 6.0 kVA

BTU output

• Minimum configuration: 341 Btu/hr (100 watts)
• Maximum configuration: 20,471 Btu/hr (6,000 watts)

Noise level

• 7.0 bels (idle)

The server conforms to the following international standards:

• Energy Star 2.0
• FCC - Verified to comply with Part 15 of the FCC Rules, Class A
• Canada ICES-003, issue 5, Class A
• UL/IEC 60950-1
• CSA C22.2 No. 60950-1
• NOM-019
• Argentina IEC60950-1
• Japan VCCI, Class A
• IEC 60950-1 (CB Certificate and CB Test Report)
• China CCC GB4943.1, GB9254, Class A, and GB17625.1
• Taiwan BSMI CNS13438, Class A; CNS14336-1
• Australia/New Zealand AS/NZS CISPR 22, Class A; AS/NZS 60950.1
• Korea KN22, Class A, KN24
• Russia/GOST ME01, IEC-60950-1, GOST R 51318.22, and GOST R 51318.24,
• GOST R 51317.3.2, GOST R 51317.3.3
• IEC 60950-1 (CB Certificate and CB Test Report)
• CE Mark (EN55022 Class A, EN60950-1, EN55024, and EN61000-3-2,
• EN61000-3-3)
• CISPR 22, Class A
• TUV-GS (EN60950-1/IEC 60950-1, and EK1-ITB2000)

The system has a three-year warranty with 24x7 standard call center support and 9x5 Next Business Day onsite coverage. Also available are Lenovo Services 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.

The following table explains warranty service definitions in more detail.

The following Lenovo warranty service upgrades are available:

• Warranty and maintenance service upgrades:
  • Three, four, or five years of 9x5 or 24x7 service coverage
  • Onsite response from next business day to 2 or 4 hours
  • Committed repair service
  • Warranty extension of up to 5 years
  • Post warranty extensions
• Committed Repair Service

  Committed Repair Services enhances the level of Warranty Service Upgrade or Post Warranty/Maintenance Service offering associated with the selected systems. Offerings vary and are available in select countries.

  • Priority handling to meet defined time frames to restore the failing machine to good working condition
  • Committed repair service levels are measured within the following coverage hours:
    • 24x7x6: Service performed 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, within 6 hours
    • 24x7x8: Service performed 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, within 8 hours
    • 24x7x24: Service performed 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, within 24 hours
• Hard Disk Drive Retention

  Lenovo’s Hard Disk Drive Retention (HDDR) service is a multi-drive hard drive retention offering that ensures your data is always under your control, regardless of the number of hard drives that are installed in your Lenovo server. In the unlikely event of a hard drive failure, you retain possession of your hard drive while Lenovo replaces the failed drive part. Your data stays safely on your premises, in your hands. The Hard Drive Retention service can be purchased in convenient bundles with our warranty upgrades and extensions.

• Microcode Support

  Keeping microcode current helps prevent hardware failures and security exposure. There are two levels of service: analysis of the installed base and analysis and update where required. Offerings vary by region and can be bundled with other warranty upgrades and extensions.

• Remote Technical Support Services (RTS)

  RTS provides comprehensive technical call center support for covered servers, storage, operating systems, and applications. Providing a single source for support of hardware and software issues, RTS can reduce problem resolution time, decreasing the cost to address technical problems and increasing uptime. Offerings are available for Windows, Linux, IBM Systems Director, VMware, Microsoft business applications, and Lenovo System x storage devices, and IBM OEM storage devices.

The NeXtScale n1200 enclosure is supported in the following racks:

• 42U 1100 mm Enterprise V2 Deep Dynamic Rack
• 42U 1100 mm Dynamic Enterprise V2 Expansion Rack

For more information, see the list of Lenovo Press Product Guides in the Rack cabinets and options category:
http://lenovopress.com/systemx/rack

The following table lists the supported KVM consoles, keyboards, and KVM switches.

For more information, see the list of Product Guides in the KVM Switches and Consoles category:
http://lenovopress.com/servers/options/kvm

The server supports attachment to external storage expansion enclosures, such as the EXP2500 series, by using either the ServeRAID M5120 (6 Gbps) or M5225 (12 Gbps) SAS/SATA Controller.

Table 31. RAID controller and features for external locally attached storage

* Use of any of the FoD upgrades for the M5120 requires one of the hardware upgrades - 81Y4487 or 81Y4559

The ServeRAID M5120 SAS/SATA Controller has the following specifications:

• Eight external 6 Gbps SAS/SATA ports
• Up to 6 Gbps throughput per port
• Two external x4 mini-SAS connectors (SFF-8088)
• Supports RAID 0, 1, and 10
• Supports RAID 5 and 50 with optional M5100 Series RAID 5 upgrades
• Supports RAID 6 and 60 with the optional M5100 Series RAID 6 upgrade
• Supports 512 MB battery-backed cache or 512 MB or 1 GB flash-backed cache (cache)
• PCIe 3.0 x8 host interface
• Based on the LSI SAS2208 6 Gbps ROC controller
• Supports connectivity to the EXP2512 and EXP2524 storage expansion enclosures

For more information, see the Lenovo Press Product Guide ServeRAID M5120 SAS/SATA Controller for System x, TIPS0858:
http://lenovopress.com/tips0858

The ServeRAID M5225 SAS/SATA Controller has the following specifications:

• Eight external 12 Gbps SAS/SATA ports
• Supports 12, 6, and 3 Gbps SAS and 6 and 3 Gbps SATA data transfer rates
• Two external x4 mini-SAS HD connectors (SFF-8644)
• Supports 2 GB flash-backed cache (standard)
• Supports RAID levels 0, 1, 5, 10, and 50 (standard)
• Supports RAID 6 and 60 with the optional M5200 Series RAID 6 Upgrade
• Supports optional M5200 Series Performance Accelerator and SSD Caching upgrades
• PCIe x8 Gen 3 host interface
• Based on the LSI SAS3108 12 Gbps ROC controller
• Supports connectivity to the EXP2512 and EXP2524 storage expansion enclosures

The controllers supports connectivity to the external expansion enclosures that are listed in the following table. Up to nine expansion enclosures can be daisy-chained per one adapter port. For better performance, distribute expansion enclosures evenly across both adapter ports.

Table 32. External expansion enclosures

The external SAS cables listed in the following table support connectivity between external expansion enclosures and the controller.

Table 33. External SAS cables for external storage expansion enclosures

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

Table 34. Drive options for EXP2512 external expansion enclosures

The following table lists the hard disk drives that are supported by EXP2524 external expansion enclosures.

Table 35. Drive options for EXP2524 external expansion enclosures

Lenovo offers the ThinkSystem DE Series and ThinkSystem DM Series external storage systems for high-performance storage. See the DE Series and DM Series product guides for specific controller models, expansion enclosures and configuration options:

• ThinkSystem DE Series Storage
  https://lenovopress.com/storage/thinksystem/de-series#rt=product-guide
• ThinkSystem DM Series Storage
  https://lenovopress.com/storage/thinksystem/dm-series#rt=product-guide
• ThinkSystem DG Series Storage
  https://lenovopress.com/storage/thinksystem/dg-series#rt=product-guide

The following table lists the external backup options that are offered by Lenovo.

For more information, see the list of Product Guides in the Backup units category:
https://lenovopress.com/servers/options/backup

The following table lists the uninterruptible power supply (UPS) units that are offered by Lenovo.

† Only available in China and the Asia Pacific market.

For more information, see the list of Product Guides in the UPS category:
https://lenovopress.com/servers/options/ups

The following table lists the power distribution units (PDUs) that are offered by Lenovo.

For more information, see the Lenovo Press documents in the PDU category:
https://lenovopress.com/servers/options/pdu

Lenovo Financial Services reinforces Lenovo’s commitment to deliver pioneering products and services that are recognized for their quality, excellence, and trustworthiness. Lenovo Financial Services offers financing solutions and services that complement your technology solution anywhere in the world.

We are dedicated to delivering a positive finance experience for customers like you who want to maximize your purchase power by obtaining the technology you need today, protect against technology obsolescence, and preserve your capital for other uses.

We work with businesses, non-profit organizations, governments and educational institutions to finance their entire technology solution. We focus on making it easy to do business with us. Our highly experienced team of finance professionals operates in a work culture that emphasizes the importance of providing outstanding customer service. Our systems, processes and flexible policies support our goal of providing customers with a positive experience.

We finance your entire solution. Unlike others, we allow you to bundle everything you need from hardware and software to service contracts, installation costs, training fees, and sales tax. If you decide weeks or months later to add to your solution, we can consolidate everything into a single invoice.

Our Premier Client services provide large accounts with special handling services to ensure these complex transactions are serviced properly. As a premier client, you have a dedicated finance specialist who manages your account through its life, from first invoice through asset return or purchase. This specialist develops an in-depth understanding of your invoice and payment requirements. For you, this dedication provides a high-quality, easy, and positive financing experience.

For more information, see these resources:

• NeXtScale System home page
  http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/systems/servers/high-density/nextscale-m5/
• NeXtScale Information Center:
  http://pic.dhe.ibm.com/infocenter/nxtscale/documentation/index.jsp
• NeXtScale nx360 M4 Installation and Service Guide
  http://ibm.com/support/entry/portal/docdisplay?lndocid=migr-5093697
• NeXtScale n1200 Enclosure Installation and Service Guide
  http://ibm.com/support/entry/portal/docdisplay?lndocid=migr-5093698
• ServerProven hardware compatibility page for the nx360 M4
  http://www.lenovo.com/us/en/serverproven/scaleout.shtml
• U.S. Announcement Letter for NeXtScale PCIe Native Expansion Tray
  http://ibm.com/common/ssi/cgi-bin/ssialias?infotype=dd&subtype=ca&&htmlfid=897/ENUS114-063
• U.S. Announcement Letter for NeXtScale Storage Native Expansion Tray
  http://ibm.com/common/ssi/cgi-bin/ssialias?infotype=dd&subtype=ca&&htmlfid=897/ENUS113-219
• U.S. Announcement Letter for NeXtScale System
  http://ibm.com/common/ssi/cgi-bin/ssialias?infotype=dd&subtype=ca&&htmlfid=897/ENUS113-146