Lenovo ThinkAgile HX2320-E Appliance

Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Series appliances are designed to help you simplify IT infrastructure, reduce costs, and accelerate time to value. These hyperconverged appliances from Lenovo combine industry-leading hyperconvergence software from Nutanix with Lenovo enterprise platforms that feature Intel Xeon Processor Scalable family.

The ThinkAgile HX Series Express appliances are tailored specifically for various types of workloads for small and medium sized businesses. The HX Series Express appliances include leading edge Nutanix Xpress software to deliver a simplified, cost effective solution that helps lower total-cost-of-ownership and enables smaller organizations to focus less time on infrastructure management.

The ThinkAgile HX2320-E is a 1U rack-mount Express appliance that supports one or two processors, up to 512 GB of 2666 MHz TruDDR4 memory, 8x SAS/SATA SFF hot-swap drive bays with an extensive choice of SAS/SATA SSDs and HDDs, and flexible network connectivity options with 1/10 GbE RJ-45, 10 GbE SFP+, and 10/25 GbE SFP28 ports.

The HX2320-E appliance is shown in the following figure.

Figure 1. Lenovo ThinkAgile HX2320-E Appliance

The ThinkAgile HX Series appliances are built on industry-leading Lenovo ThinkSystem servers that feature enterprise-class reliability, management, and security.

The ThinkAgile HX Series appliances offer ThinkAgile Advantage Single Point of Support for quick 24/7 problem reporting and resolution.

The ThinkAgile HX Series appliances offer the following key features:

• Factory-integrated, pre-configured ready-to-go appliances built on proven and reliable Lenovo ThinkSystem servers that provide compute power for a variety of workloads and applications and powered by industry’s most feature-rich hyperconverged infrastructure software from Nutanix.
• Provide quick and convenient path to implement a hyperconverged solution powered by Nutanix with "one stop shop" and a single point of contact provided by Lenovo for purchasing, deploying, and supporting the solution.
• Meet various workload demands with cost-efficient hybrid or performance-optimized all-flash storage configurations.
• Deliver fully validated and integrated hardware and firmware that is certified with Nutanix software.
• Include Lenovo ThinkAgile Advantage Single Point of Support for quick 24/7 problem reporting and resolution.
• Offer Lenovo deployment services to get customers up and running quickly.

The Nutanix software running on the HX Series appliances deliver the following key features:

• A natively integrated solution for data protection and continuous availability at VM granularity that gives administrators an affordable range of options to meet the recovery point objectives (RPO) and recovery time objectives (RTO) for different applications.
• A fault resistant platform, with no single point of failure and no bottlenecks with shared-nothing architecture, where all data, metadata and services are distributed to all nodes within the cluster, that is built to detect, isolate and recover from failures anywhere in the system.
• An intuitive user-centric management experience to simplify every aspect of the IT infrastructure lifecycle and provide a single pane of glass to monitor and control Nutanix clusters, with simplified workflows and rich automation for common administrative tasks.
• Powerful security features, such as two-factor authentication, with a security development lifecycle that is integrated into product development to help customers meet the most stringent security requirements.

The following figure shows the front view of the HX2320-E appliance.

Figure 2. HX2320-E front view

The front of the HX2320-E appliance includes the following components:

• 8x SFF SAS/SATA hot-swap drive bays
• One VGA port
• One USB 2.0 port with XClarity Controller access
• One USB 3.0 port
• A Power button
• Status LEDs that display the status of the system

The following table lists the system specifications of the ThinkAgile HX2320-E appliance.

Factory-integrated models of the ThinkAgile HX Series appliances are configured by using the Lenovo Data Center Solution Configurator (DCSC):
http://dcsc.lenovo.com

During the configuration process, you are selecting one of the base Configure-to-Order (CTO) models first, and then you are adding components (processors, memory, drives, and network adapters) to the selected model according to the output from the Nutanix Sizer tool:
http://services.nutanix.com/

Note: You are required to engage a Lenovo representative in the project that includes the ThinkAgile HX Series appliances.

The following table lists the base CTO model of the ThinkAgile HX2320-E appliance.

The HX2320-E appliances ship with the following items:

• Electronic Publications Flyer
• Tool-less Slide Rail Kit with or without 1U CMA (depending on the rack installation option)
• Two customer-selected power cables

TopSeller models of the ThinkAgile HX Series appliances are pre-configured bundles that cannot be upgraded with additional options. TopSeller models are region-specific; that is, each region may define their own models, and not all models are available in every region.

Note: You are required to engage a Lenovo representative in the project that includes the ThinkAgile HX Series appliances.

The following table lists the TopSeller models of the HX2320-E appliances.

The HX2320-E TopSeller models ship with the following items:

• Electronic Publications Flyer
• Two 2.8 m IEC 320-C13 to C14 rack power cables
• Tool-less Slide Rail Kit with 1U Cable Management Arm (CMA)

The ThinkAgile HX2320-E appliance ships with one or two processors. The following table lists the processor options that are available for selection.

The ThinkAgile HX2320-E appliance supports Lenovo TruDDR4 memory. TruDDR4 memory uses the highest-quality components sourced from Tier 1 DRAM suppliers and only memory that meets strict requirements is selected. It is compatibility tested and tuned to maximize performance and reliability.

The HX2320-E supports up to 12 DIMMs with one processor and up to 16 DIMMs with two processors. The following rules apply when selecting the memory configuration:

• The appliances support RDIMMs.
• All DIMMs in the appliance must be of the same type and capacity.
• All DIMMs in the appliance operate at the same speed up to 2400 MHz, which is determined by the maximum memory speed supported by the specific processor.

  Note: Maximum memory speed can be achieved when Max performance mode is enabled in UEFI.

The following memory protection technologies are supported:

• ECC
• SDDC (for x4-based memory DIMMs)
• Patrol scrubbing
• Demand scrubbing

The ThinkAgile HX2320-E appliance provides 8x SAS/SATA SFF hot-swap drive bays for configurable storage capacity, and it contains two internal M.2 SATA non-hot-swap SSDs configured in a RAID-1 drive group for software preload.

The following tables list the drive selection options for the HX2320-E appliance.

The ThinkAgile HX2320-E appliances provide base two- or four-port 1/10 GbE RJ-45 or 10 GbE SFP+ network connectivity with the onboard Intel X722 NIC and a LOM card installed in the appliance. Two additional 1/10 GbE RJ-45, 10 GbE SFP+, or 25 GbE SFP28 expansion ports can be selected, if needed.

The following table lists the network adapter options that are available for selection.

The following table lists cables for the 1/10 GbE RJ-45 ports.

The following table lists transceivers and cables for the 10 GbE SFP+ ports.

The following table lists transceivers and cables for the 25 GbE SFP28 ports.

The HX2320-E appliances ship with two power supplies. The following table lists the power supply options that are available for selection.

The ThinkAgile HX2320-E appliances ship with two customer-configured power cords. The following table lists the rack power cables and line cords that are available for selection.

The HX2320-E appliances ship with a rail kit. The following table lists the rail kit options that are available for selection.

Configuration note: One of the rail kits is required for selection.

The following table summarizes the rail kit features and specifications.

* If a 0U PDU is used, the rack cabinet must be at least 1100 mm (43.31 in.) deep if no CMA is used, or at least 1200 mm (47.24 in.) deep if a CMA is used.
^ Measured when mounted on the rack, from the front surface of the front mounting flange to the rear most point of the rail.

The ThinkAgile HX Series Express appliances support the following software components:

• Hypervisor
• Nutanix Acropolis
• Nutanix Prism
• vCenter Server (ESXi-based environments)

Note: For the information on appliance firmware levels, hypervisor versions, and software versions that have been tested for interoperability, refer to the Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Series Best Recipes:
http://datacentersupport.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/ht505413

Hypervisor

The ThinkAgile HX2320-E supports the following hypervisors that are factory-preinstalled on the 2x 128 GB M.2 SSDs configured in a RAID-1 drive group:

• Nutanix Acropolis Hypervisor (AHV) (Bundled with AOS; default factory preload)
• VMware ESXi 6.0 Update 3 (Optional factory preload)
• VMware ESXi 6.5 Update 1 (Optional factory preload)
• VMware ESXi 6.5 Update 2 (Field upgrade only)
• VMware ESXi 6.7 Update 1 (Field upgrade only)

The following table lists the hypervisor available for selection.

Nutanix Acropolis

The ThinkAgile HX Series Express appliances ship with Nutanix Xpress Software edition, which offers a rich set of features for cluster of up to four nodes.

Configuration notes:

• The HX2320-E appliance can be deployed as a single-node cluster (AOS 5.5 or later), a dual-node cluster (AOS 5.6 or later), or as a cluster of 3 or 4 nodes (AOS 5.1.3 or later).
• Dual-node clusters require a witness VM located outside of the cluster.
• The following Nutanix software features are not supported on single- and dual-node clusters:
  • Cluster expansion
  • Deduplication
  • Synchronous replication
  • Metro availability

The following table lists features that are available in the Nutanix Xpress software edition.

Nutanix Prism

Nutanix Prism gives administrators an easy way to manage virtual environments running on Acropolis, and it simplifies and streamlines common workflows for hypervisor and virtual machine lifecycle management.

Nutanix Prism Starter is a part of the Nutanix Xpress Software edition preloaded on the appliances, and it provides ability to configure, manage, and monitor a Nutanix cluster and centralized management of multiple local and remote Nutanix clusters.

Nutanix Prism offers the following features:

• Single point of control
  • Accelerates enterprise-wide deployment
  • Manages capacity centrally
  • Adds nodes in minutes
  • Supports non-disruptive software upgrades with zero downtime
  • Integrates with REST APIs and PowerShell
• Monitoring and alerting
  • Tracks infrastructure utilization (storage, processor, memory)
  • Centrally monitors multiple clusters across multiple sites
  • Monitors per-VM performance and resource usage
  • Checks system health
  • Generates alerts and notifications
• Integrated data protection
  • Offers customizable RPO/RTO and retention policies
  • Supports configurable per-VM replication (1:1, 1:many and many:1)
  • Provides efficient VM recovery
  • Deploys affordable DR and backup to the cloud
• Diagnostics and troubleshooting
  • Provides time-based historical views of VM activity
  • Performs proactive alert analysis
  • Correlates alerts and events to quickly diagnose issues
  • Generates actionable alerts and reduces resolution times

The ThinkAgile HX Series appliances support the following systems management tools:

• Lenovo XClarity Controller
• Light path diagnostics
• Lenovo XClarity Administrator and XClarity Pro
• Lenovo XClarity Integrator for Nutanix
• Lenovo XClarity Energy Manager

Lenovo XClarity Controller

The ThinkAgile HX appliances contain Lenovo XClarity Controller (XCC) Enterprise, which provides advanced service-processor control, monitoring, and alerting functions.

XClarity Controller Enterprise offers the following capabilities for the HX Series appliances:

• Gathering and viewing system information and inventory
• Monitoring system status and health
• Alerting and notifications
• Event logging
• Syslog alerting
• Configuring security
• Updating system firmware
• Real-time power usage monitoring
• Displaying graphics for real-time and historical power usage data and temperature
• Capping power usage
• Remotely controlling power (Power on, Power off, Restart)

Virtual Operator Panel provides quick access to system status, firmware, network, health, and alerts information. With proper authentication, it also allows to configure systems management and network settings and to control system power (Power on, Power off, Restart). The Virtual Operator Panel can be accessed from the XClarity Mobile App running on the Android or iOS mobile device that is connected to the front USB port with XClarity Controller access (See Components and connectors).

Light path diagnostics

The HX2320-E appliances include basic light path diagnostics, which provides the system LEDs on the front of the appliance (see Components and connectors) and the LEDs near the monitored components (for example, the DIMM error LEDs on the system board).

Lenovo XClarity Administrator is an optional software component for the ThinkAgile HX Series appliances which can be used to manage firmware upgrades outside of the Nutanix Prism software.

For more information, refer to the Lenovo XClarity Administrator Product Guide:
http://lenovopress.com/tips1200

In addition, Lenovo XClarity Administrator offers the Lenovo XClarity Integrator for Nutanix software plug-in module for the HX Series appliances at no charge.

Lenovo XClarity Integrator for Nutanix

Lenovo XClarity Energy Manager license is included in the XClarity Controller Enterprise upgrade.

For more information, refer to the Lenovo XClarity Energy Manager web page:
http://datacentersupport.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/lnvo-lxem

The ThinkAgile HX2320-E appliances have the following dimensions and weight (approximate):

• Height: 43 mm (1.7 in.)
• Width: 434 mm (17.1 in.)
• Depth: 715 mm (28.1 in.)
• Weight (maximum): 18.8 kg (41.4 lb)

The HX Series appliances comply with ASHRAE class A2 specifications. The HX2320-E appliances also complies with ASHRAE class A3 and class A4 specifications. The appliance performance might be impacted when the operating temperature is outside the ASHRAE A2 specifications. 

The HX Series appliances are supported in the following environment:

• Air temperature:
  • Operating:
    • ASHRAE Class A4: 5 °C - 45 °C (41 °F - 113 °F); for altitudes above 900 m (2,953 ft), decrease the maximum ambient temperature by 1 °C for every 125-m (410-ft) increase in altitude
    • ASHRAE Class A3: 5 °C - 40 °C (41 °F - 104 °F); for altitudes above 900 m (2,953 ft), decrease the maximum ambient temperature by 1 °C for every 175-m (574-ft) increase in altitude
    • ASHRAE Class A2: 10 °C - 35 °C (50 °F - 95 °F); for altitudes above 900 m (2,953 ft), decrease the maximum ambient temperature by 1 °C for every 300-m (984-ft) increase in altitude
  • Non-operating: 5 °C - 45 °C (41 °F - 113 °F)
  • Storage: -40 °C - +60 °C (-40 °F - 140 °F)
• Maximum altitude: 3,050 m (10,000 ft)
• Humidity:
  • Operating:
    • ASHRAE Class A4: 8% - 90% (non-condensing); maximum dew point: 24 °C (75 °F)
    • ASHRAE Class A3: 8% - 85% (non-condensing); maximum dew point: 24 °C (75 °F)
    • ASHRAE Class A2: 8% - 80% (non-condensing); maximum dew point: 21 °C (70 °F)
  • Storage: 8% - 90% (non-condensing)
• Electrical:
  • 100 - 127 (nominal) V AC; 50 Hz / 60 Hz (except 750 W Titanium power supplies)
  • 200 - 240 (nominal) V AC; 50 Hz / 60 Hz
  • 180 - 300 V DC (supported in China only)
• Acoustics (maximum configuration, operating): 6.5 bels
• Vibration:
  • Operating: 0.21 G rms at 5 Hz to 500 Hz for 15 minutes across 3 axes
  • Non-operating: 1.04 G rms at 2 Hz to 200 Hz for 15 minutes across 6 surfaces
• Shock:
  • Operating: 15 G for 3 milliseconds in each direction (positive and negative X, Y, and Z axes)
  • Non-operating:
    • 12 kg - 22 kg: 50 G for 152 in./sec velocity change across 6 surfaces
    • 23 kg - 31 kg: 35 G for 152 in./sec velocity change across 6 surfaces

The ThinkAgile HX Series appliances conform to the following regulations:

• United States FCC Part 15, Class A
• Canada ICES-003/NMB-03, Class A
• UL/CSA 60950-1
• Mexico NOM-019
• Argentina IEC60950-1
• Japan VCCI, Class A
• Australia/New Zealand AS/NZS CISPR 22, Class A
• China CCC GB4943.1, GB9254 Class A, GB17625.1
• Taiwan BSMI CNS13438, Class A; CNS14336-1
• Korea KN22, Class A; KN24
• Russia/GOST ME01; IEC-60950-1; GOST R 51318.22, 51318.24, 51317.3.2, and 51317.3.3
• IEC 60950-1 (CB Certificate and CB Test Report)
• Europe CE Mark (EN55022 Class A, EN60950-1, EN55024, EN61000-3-2, EN61000-3-3)
• CISPR 22, Class A
• Germany TUV-GS (EN60950-1 /IEC60950-1,EK1-ITB2000)
• Reduction of Hazardous Substances (ROHS)
• Energy Star 2.1

The ThinkAgile HX Series appliances can be configured with a three-year or five-year hardware warranty and software support with 24x7 call center support and various levels of coverage with a well-defined scope of services, including service hours, response time, term of service, and service agreement terms and conditions.

The Lenovo local support centers perform problem determination and resolution for hardware-related issues and escalate to Nutanix, on behalf of the customer, for software-related problem determination. Nutanix will contact the customer and will own the software-related problem resolution until closure.

Some regions might have different warranty terms and conditions than the standard warranty. This is due to local business practices or laws in the specific region. Local service teams can assist in explaining region-specific terms when needed. Examples of region-specific warranty terms are second or longer business day parts delivery or parts-only base warranty.

If warranty terms and conditions include onsite labor for repair or replacement of parts, Lenovo will dispatch a service technician to the customer site to perform the replacement. Onsite labor under base warranty is limited to labor for replacement of parts that have been determined to be field-replaceable units (FRUs). Parts that are determined to be customer-replaceable units (CRUs) do not include onsite labor under base warranty.

If warranty terms include parts-only base warranty, Lenovo is responsible for delivering only replacement parts that are under base warranty (including FRUs) that will be sent to a requested location for self-service. Parts-only service does not include a service technician being dispatched onsite. Parts must be changed at customer’s own cost and labor and defective parts must be returned following the instructions supplied with the spares parts.

Lenovo warranty service coverage levels are region-specific. Not all warranty service levels are available in every region. For information about Lenovo warranty services that are available in your region, refer to the following resources:

The following Lenovo warranty service levels are available for the ThinkAgile HX Series appliances:

• 3 or 5 years of warranty service coverage
  • Base warranty: 9x5 Next Business Day response with parts delivered
  • Foundation Service: 9x5 service coverage with next business day onsite response
  • Essential Service: 24x7 service coverage with 4-hour onsite response or 24-hour committed repair (available only in select regions)
  • Advanced Service: 24x7 service coverage with 2-hour onsite response or 6-hour committed repair (available only in select regions)
• Premier Support

  Premier Support service offers direct access to Lenovo’s most advanced technicians for faster troubleshooting with single point of contact for end-to-end problem resolution and collaborative third-party software support.

• YourDrive YourData

  Lenovo’s YourDrive YourData service (where applicable) is a multi-drive retention offering that ensures your data is always under your control, regardless of the number of drives that are installed in your Lenovo system. In the unlikely event of a drive failure, you retain possession of your drive while Lenovo replaces the failed drive part. Your data stays safely on your premises, in your hands. The YourDrive YourData service can be purchased in convenient bundles with Foundation, Essential, or Advanced Service upgrades and extensions.

For service definitions, region-specific details, and service limitations, please refer to the following documents:

• Lenovo Statement of Limited Warranty for Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG) Servers and System Storage
  http://pcsupport.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/ht503310
• Lenovo Data Center Services Agreement
  http://support.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/ht116628

The ThinkAgile HX Series appliances include a three-year or five-year software support and subscription (matches the duration of the selected hardware warranty period) that entitles you to submit service requests to troubleshoot Nutanix software issues and receive code updates, including fixes, patches, and new software releases.

The Lenovo local support centers perform problem determination and resolution for hardware-related issues and escalate to Nutanix, on behalf of the customer, for software-related problem determination. Nutanix will contact the customer and will own the software-related problem resolution until closure.

Software support that is provided by Nutanix includes 24x7 phone and web coverage with the following target response times (priorities are assigned by Nutanix based on the impact on productivity):

• Priority 1 (Emergency: Productivity halted): Within 30 minutes.
• Priority 2 (Critical: Significant impact on productivity): Within 2 hours.
• Priority 3 (Normal: Minimal impact on productivity): Within 4 hours.
• Priority 4 (Low: General requests for information): Within next two business days.

For more information, refer to the Lenovo Support Plan – ThinkAgile HX and Lenovo Converged HX Series:
http://datacentersupport.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/ht505404

The following Lenovo Professional Services are available for the ThinkAgile HX Series solutions to get customers up and running quickly:

• Nutanix deployment services - Base
  • Conducting remote preparation and planning
  • Verifying firmware versions and performing firmware updates, if needed
  • Installing and configuring hypervisor and Nutanix controller VM
  • Creating Nutanix cluster
  • Configuring storage
  • Configuring administrative features
• Nutanix deployment services - Advanced
  • Configuring VMware vCenter Server and vSphere cluster (ESXi-based environments)
  • Configuring Nutanix container and Acropolis (AHV) cluster (AHV-based environments)
  • Transferring knowledge
• Nutanix deployment services - Advanced with XClarity
  • Nutanix deployment services - Advanced
  • Installing Lenovo XClarity
  • Installing system updates
  • Setting up XClarity Pro for upward integration

For more information, refer to the Data Center Deployment Services web page:
http://www.lenovo.com/us/en/data-center/services/deployment

The following table lists the Ethernet LAN switches that are offered by Lenovo that can be used with the ThinkAgile HX Series appliances.

For more information, see the list of Product Guides in the Top-of-rack Switches category:
http://lenovopress.com/servers/options/switches#rt=product-guide

The following table lists the rack cabinets that are offered by Lenovo that can be used with the ThinkAgile HX Series appliances.

For more information, see the list of Product Guides in the Rack Cabinets category:
http://lenovopress.com/servers/options/racks#rt=product-guide

The following table lists the power distribution units (PDUs) that are offered by Lenovo that can be used with the ThinkAgile HX Series appliances.

For more information, see the list of Product Guides in the Power Distribution Units category:
http://lenovopress.com/servers/options/pdu#rt=product-guide

The following table list the uninterruptible power supply (UPS) units that are currently offered by Lenovo that can be used with the ThinkAgile HX Series appliances.

For more information, see the list of Product Guides in the Uninterruptible Power Supply Units category:
http://lenovopress.com/servers/options/ups#rt=product-guide

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 your region specific offers please ask your Lenovo sales representative or your technology provider about the use of Lenovo Financial Services. For more information, see the following Lenovo website:
http://www.lenovofs.com

For more information, see these resources:

• Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Series
  http://www3.lenovo.com/us/en/p/WMD00000326
• Lenovo Data Center Solution Configurator (DCSC):
  http://dcsc.lenovo.com
• Nutanix documentation
  http://portal.nutanix.com/#/page/docs
• Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Series Best Recipes
  http://datacentersupport.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/ht505413
• Lenovo Data Center Support
  http://datacentersupport.lenovo.com
• Lenovo Converged HX Series TCO Calculator
  http://lenovo-hx.esgcalculator.com
• Lenovo Hyperconverged Decision Tool
  http://www.lenovo.com/hxdecisiontool