Lenovo System x

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System x
Roadrunner supercomputer HiRes.jpg
Roadrunner supercomputer x86 nodes
(IBM System x3755 servers)
Developer IBM (2006–2014)
Lenovo (2014–2017)
Type Server
Release date2006 (2006)
Discontinued2017 (2017)
CPU x86
Predecessor eServer xSeries
Successor Lenovo ThinkSystem
IBM NeXtScale
Related Lenovo ThinkServer

System x is a line of x86 servers produced by IBM, and later by Lenovo, as a sub-brand of IBM's System brand, alongside IBM Power Systems, IBM System z and IBM System Storage. In addition, IBM System x was the main component of the IBM System Cluster 1350 solution.

Contents

In January 2014, IBM announced the sale of its x86 server business to Lenovo for $2.3 billion, in a sale completed October 1, 2014. [1] [2]

History

Starting out with the PS/2 Server, then the IBM PC Server, rebranded Netfinity, then eServer xSeries and finally System x, these servers are distinguished by being based on off-the-shelf x86 CPUs; IBM positioned them as their "low end" or "entry" offering compared to their POWER and Mainframe products. Previously IBM servers based on AMD Opteron CPUs did not share the xSeries brand; instead they fell directly under the eServer umbrella. However, later[ when? ] AMD Opteron-based servers did fall under the System x brand.[ citation needed ]

Predecessors

IBM PS/2 Server

IBM PC Server

PC Server range

  • IBM PC Server 300, 1994 [3]
  • IBM PC Server 310 (PCI/ISA), 1996 [3]
  • IBM PC Server 315 (PCI/ISA), 1996 [3]
  • IBM PC Server 320 (PCI/EISA), 1996 [3]
  • IBM PC Server 325 (PCI/EISA), 1996 [3]
  • IBM PC Server 330 (PCI/EISA), 1997 [3]
  • IBM PC Server 500 (MCA), 1994 [4]
  • IBM PC Server 520 (PCI/EISA or PCI/MCA), 1995 [3] -1996 [5]
  • IBM PC Server 704 (PCI/EISA), 1996 [3]
  • IBM PC Server 720 (PCI/MCA), 1995 [6] -1996 [7]

Numbering scheme

  • 300 range for high-volume, entry level servers
  • 500 range for midrange
  • 700 range for high-end. [8]

IBM Netfinity

IBM Netfinity logo.svg
Logo of Netfinity

1998–2001 server line; Not to be confused with a software IBM product with a similar name, NetFinity (notice the capital F).

Netfinity range

  • IBM Netfinity 1000
  • IBM Netfinity 3000, 3500
  • IBM Netfinity 4000R, 4500R
  • IBM Netfinity 5000, 5100, 5500, 5500-M10, 5500-M20, 5600
  • IBM Netfinity 6000R
  • IBM Netfinity 7000, 7000-M10, 7100, 7600
  • IBM Netfinity 8500R

Numbering scheme

The numbering scheme started off similar to that of the IBM PC Servers, but additional ranges were added, like the entry-level 1000 model later on. Models ending with an R, are rack-mount.

KVM cabling scheme

Some Netfinity servers used IBM's C2T cabling scheme for Keyboard/Video/Mouse.

IBM eServer

IBM eServer logo.svg
eServer logo

IBM eServer range

IBM eServer was a marketing effort to put all of the diverse IBM server platforms under one header. The AS/400 became the IBM eServer iSeries, the RS/6000 became the IBM eServer pSeries, the S/390 mainframe became the IBM eServer zSeries and the Intel processor based IBM Netfinity servers became the IBM eServer xSeries.

A few exceptions were however made

Numbering scheme

For marketing reasons the AMD processor based e325, e326 and e326m and the BladeCenter which supports non-Intel processor products were not branded xSeries, but were instead placed directly under the eServer brand. The xSeries brand was limited to only Intel-based server products.

From a numbering perspective the AMD servers did fit into the xSeries range, under the similar x335 and x336 Intel processor products. These numbers were not re-used in the xSeries range to prevent confusion.

IBM eServer xSeries

A pair of a IBM rackmount x86 servers (System x3650 and eServer xSeries 346) IBM eServer xSeries (3650 and 346) (446137977).jpg
A pair of a IBM rackmount x86 servers (System x3650 and eServer xSeries 346)

While most servers used Intel x86 (IA32) processors, the x380, x382, x450 and x455 used the Intel Itanium (IA64) processor.

xSeries range
  • IBM eServer xSeries 100, 130, 135, 150
  • IBM eServer xSeries 200, 205, 206, 206m, 220, 225, 226, 230, 232, 235, 236, 240, 250, 255, 260
  • IBM eServer xSeries 300, 305, 306, 306m, 330, 335, 336, 340, 342, 345, 346, 350, 360, 365, 366, 370, 380, 382
  • IBM eServer xSeries 440, 445, 450, 455, 460
Numbering scheme
  • 100 series are entry-level tower servers
  • 200 series are tower servers
  • 300 series are rack-mount servers
  • 400 series are rack-mount scalable servers
KVM cabling scheme

Many xSeries servers used IBM's C2T cabling scheme for Keyboard/Video/Mouse.


System x

IBM System x range

The IBM System x3300 M4 with LED lighting IBM System x3300 M4.jpg
The IBM System x3300 M4 with LED lighting

Lenovo System x range

These systems are effectively the same as the previous IBM branded models, but with a Lenovo badge.

Lenovo also had its own ThinkServer family of Intel servers. This family is technically less advanced than System x. At the time of this writing, System x is being discontinued and replaced by the Lenovo ThinkSystem family of Intel servers.

Enterprise eX5 architecture

Enterprise X4 architecture

EX4 Chipset.png

Numbering scheme

2nd digit increments to show capability

3rd digit is a 0 for tower models, and 5 for rack-mount

4th digit is a 0 for Intel processors, and 5 for AMD Opteron.

Models with a T at the end are meant for Telco purposes.

IBM iDataPlex

System x iDataPlex
IBMPortableModularDataCenter3.jpg
An iDataPlex rack in a
Portable Modular Data Center
Developer IBM (2008–2014)
TypeHi-density blade server
Release date2008 (2008)
Discontinued2014 (2014)
CPU x86
Successor IBM NeXtScale
Related IBM Intelligent Cluster
IBM BladeCenter

IBM System x iDataPlex, introduced in 2008, was used by many TOP500 supercomputers (as part of IBM Intelligent Cluster), including SuperMUC, Yellowstone and Stampede. Other smaller installations included SciNet Consortium's General Purpose Cluster [9] [10] [11]

It is an unusual form-factor in that you have two columns of 19" rack servers side-by-side in a single rack. This rack, unlike traditional racks, however was very shallow which is where the space saving came from for large installations. As such it only supports specially designed shallow servers. It was typically deployed in combination with a Rear Door Heat Exchanger (RDHx) to cool the exhaust heat with water.

It was replaced with IBM NeXtScale in 2014.

Components

iDataPlex could be ordered as preconfigured rack tower (System x iDataPlex Rack with optional Rack management appliance), [12] or as independent nodes.

Rack

iDataPlex 100U rack [13] [14] — compact dual rack ((1200x600mm footprint — instead of standard 1280x1050 (2x 42U rack))

Chassis

  • System x iDataPlex 2U Flex chassis
  • System x iDataPlex 3U Flex chassis [15] — same as 2U with another coolers and additional storage.

Chassis also compatible with standard racks (with another rails).

Nodes

iDataPlex single compute node Server iDataPlex (8102471052).jpg
iDataPlex single compute node

1U blade servers.

  • System x iDataPlex dx320 — 20? [16]
  • System x iDataPlex dx340 — 20??
  • System x iDataPlex dx360 M1 — 2008,
  • System x iDataPlex dx360 M2 — 2009, [17]
  • System x iDataPlex dx360 M3 — 201?,
  • System x iDataPlex dx360 M4 — 2013, [18] [19]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AMD</span> American multinational semiconductor company

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) is an American multinational corporation and semiconductor company based in Santa Clara, California, that develops computer processors and related technologies for business and consumer markets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Industry Standard Architecture</span> Internal expansion bus in early PC compatibles

Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) is the 16-bit internal bus of IBM PC/AT and similar computers based on the Intel 80286 and its immediate successors during the 1980s. The bus was (largely) backward compatible with the 8-bit bus of the 8088-based IBM PC, including the IBM PC/XT as well as IBM PC compatibles.

i486 Successor to the Intel 386

The Intel 486, officially named i486 and also known as 80486, is a microprocessor. It is a higher-performance follow-up to the Intel 386. The i486 was introduced in 1989. It represents the fourth generation of binary compatible CPUs following the 8086 of 1978, the Intel 80286 of 1982, and 1985's i386.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IBM PC compatible</span> Computers similar to the IBM PC and its derivatives

IBM PC compatible computers are similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT, all from computer giant IBM, that are able to use the same software and expansion cards. Such computers were referred to as PC clones, IBM clones or IBM PC clones. The term "IBM PC compatible" is now a historical description only, since IBM no longer sells personal computers after it sold its personal computer division in 2005 to Chinese technology company Lenovo. The designation "PC", as used in much of personal computer history, has not meant "personal computer" generally, but rather an x86 computer capable of running the same software that a contemporary IBM PC could. The term was initially in contrast to the variety of home computer systems available in the early 1980s, such as the Apple II, TRS-80, and Commodore 64. Later, the term was primarily used in contrast to Apple's Macintosh computers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Micro Channel architecture</span>

Micro Channel architecture, or the Micro Channel bus, is a proprietary 16- or 32-bit parallel computer bus introduced by IBM in 1987 which was used on PS/2 and other computers until the mid-1990s. Its name is commonly abbreviated as "MCA", although not by IBM. In IBM products, it superseded the ISA bus and was itself subsequently superseded by the PCI bus architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wintel</span> Partnership between Microsoft Windows and Intel

Wintel is the partnership of Microsoft Windows and Intel producing personal computers using Intel x86-compatible processors running Microsoft Windows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ThinkPad</span> Business laptops and tablets series by Lenovo

ThinkPad is a line of business-oriented laptop computers and tablets, the early models of which were designed, developed and marketed by International Business Machines (IBM) starting in 1992. IBM sold its PC business, including laptops to Lenovo in 2005, and since 2007, all new ThinkPad models have been branded Lenovo instead. The Chinese manufacturer further developed the line, and is still selling new models in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chipset</span> Electronic component to manage data flow of a CPU

In a computer system, a chipset is a set of electronic components on one or more integrated circuits that manages the data flow between the processor, memory and peripherals. The chipset is usually found on the motherboard of computers. Chipsets are usually designed to work with a specific family of microprocessors. Because it controls communications between the processor and external devices, the chipset plays a crucial role in determining performance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blade server</span> Server computer that uses less energy and space than a conventional server

A blade server is a stripped-down server computer with a modular design optimized to minimize the use of physical space and energy. Blade servers have many components removed to save space, minimize power consumption and other considerations, while still having all the functional components to be considered a computer. Unlike a rack-mount server, a blade server fits inside a blade enclosure, which can hold multiple blade servers, providing services such as power, cooling, networking, various interconnects and management. Together, blades and the blade enclosure form a blade system, which may itself be rack-mounted. Different blade providers have differing principles regarding what to include in the blade itself, and in the blade system as a whole.

x86 virtualization is the use of hardware-assisted virtualization capabilities on an x86/x86-64 CPU.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IBM eServer</span>

IBM eServer was a family of computer servers from IBM. Announced in 2000, it combined the various IBM server brands under one brand. The various sub-brands were at the same time rebranded from:

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sun Fire</span> Server series by Sun Microsystems

Sun Fire is a series of server computers introduced in 2001 by Sun Microsystems. The Sun Fire branding coincided with the introduction of the UltraSPARC III processor, superseding the UltraSPARC II-based Sun Enterprise series. In 2003, Sun broadened the Sun Fire brand, introducing Sun Fire servers using the Intel Xeon processor. In 2004, these early Intel Xeon models were superseded by models powered by AMD Opteron processors. Also in 2004, Sun introduced Sun Fire servers powered by the UltraSPARC IV dual-core processor. In 2007, Sun again introduced Intel Xeon Sun Fire servers, while continuing to offer the AMD Opteron versions as well.

The Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) is a series of integrated graphics processors introduced in 2004 by Intel, replacing the earlier Intel Extreme Graphics series and being succeeded by the Intel HD and Iris Graphics series.

The IBM Intelligent Cluster was a cluster solution for x86-based high-performance computing composed primarily of IBM components, integrated with network switches from various vendors and optional high-performance InfiniBand interconnects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Papermaster</span> American business executive (born 1961)

Mark D. Papermaster is an American business executive who is the chief technology officer (CTO) and executive vice president for technology and engineering at Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). On January 25, 2019 he was promoted to AMD's Executive Vice President. Papermaster previously worked at IBM from 1982 to 2008, where he was closely involved in the development of PowerPC technology and was two years as vice president of IBM's blade server division. Papermaster's decision to move from IBM to Apple Inc. in 2008 became central to a court case considering the validity and scope of an employee non-compete clause in the technology industry. He became senior vice president of devices hardware engineering at Apple in 2009, with oversight for devices such as the iPhone. In 2010 he left Apple and joined Cisco Systems as a VP of the company's silicon engineering development. Papermaster joined AMD on October 24, 2011, assuming oversight for all of AMD's technology teams and the creation of all of AMD's products, and AMD's corporate technical direction.

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ThinkSystem is a family of Intel servers from Lenovo. ThinkSystem products are designed to work with existing infrastructure and adapt to workloads. They are designed to provide performance, simplicity, capacity, security, and high availability for medium to large businesses. The ThinkSystem product line began with the TS100 from Lenovo.

References

  1. "IBM sells its x86 server business to Lenovo for $2.3 billion". CNET. 2014-01-23. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  2. Chanthadavong, Aimee. "Lenovo finalises acquisition of IBM's x86 server business". ZDNet. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 http://www.ibmfiles.com/ibmfiles/pcserver/pc_servers_listing.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  4. "IBM PC SERVER 500 AND RELATED OPTIONS". www-01.ibm.com. 1994-10-17. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
  5. "IBM PC SERVER 520 – NEW 166MHZ SMP MODELS AND FEATURE ENHANCEMENTS". www-01.ibm.com. 1996-06-18. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
  6. http://www.ibmfiles.com/ibmfiles/pcserver/720/users_reference.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  7. http://www.tpc.org/results/individual_results/withdrawn_tpcc-es/ibm.pcserver720.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  8. "IBM PC Server Selection Guide" (PDF). ps-2.kev009.com. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  9. "Toronto team completes Canada's most powerful supercomputer". CBC News. June 18, 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-18.
  10. Hall, Joseph (June 18, 2009). "U of T supercomputer probes origins of the universe". The Star. Retrieved 2009-06-18.
  11. "University of Toronto's Supercomputer Goes Online Thursday". All Headline News. June 18, 2009. Archived from the original on 2009-06-24. Retrieved 2009-06-18.
  12. "IBM System x iDataPlex – Next-generation data center solution from System x". www-01.ibm.com. 2008-04-23. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
  13. "Lenovo iDataPlex Documentation". idataplex.lenovofiles.com. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  14. "System x iDataPlex dx360 M4 Product Guide (withdrawn product) > Lenovo Press". lenovopress.com. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  15. "Implementing an IBM System x iDataPlex Solution" (PDF). www-2000.ibm.com. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  16. "Implementing an IBM System x iDataPlex Solution" (PDF). www-2000.ibm.com. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  17. "IBM EMEA Announcement Letter". www-01.ibm.com. 2009-09-08. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
  18. "System x iDataPlex dx360 M4 Product Guide (withdrawn product) > Lenovo Press". lenovopress.com. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
  19. "IBM System x iDataPlex dx360 M4 server offers increased performance with the latest Intel Xeon processors". www-01.ibm.com. 2013-01-15. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
Preceded by
eServer xSeries
2000
System x
2007
Lenovo System x
2014–2017
Succeeded by