IBM BladeCenter HX5

Highlights

• Provide optimal performance for your demanding virtualization and database applications
• Reduce qualification time by standardizing on same system for two- and four-socket server needs
• Scale memory without adding CPUs or software licenses
• Get faster time to value by deploying workload-optimized systems

Maximize memory

Going beyond the industry standards with unique innovations from fifth-generation IBM® X-Architecture® technology (eX5), the new IBM BladeCenter® HX5 enables unprecedented performance and utilization in a blade form factor for database and virtualization. With enhanced MAX5 scalability, the HX5 blade offers memory capacity of up to 640 GB—in a double-wide blade. The result is optimal server utilization with more virtual machines per system and larger and faster databases.

Minimize cost

With MAX5, HX5 offers the most memory of any server in its class. Reduce software license costs by expanding memory capacity with MAX5 without purchasing additional processors.
Easy to own, manage and upgrade with pay-as-you-grow expansion, the HX5 blade server helps protect your investments over the long term. Capabilities such as advanced light path diagnostics, error handling and around-the-clock remote access management help simplify systems management and minimize downtime. Automatic node failover and QPI faildown help promote greater system uptime. In addition, an energy-smart design and IBM Systems Director Active Energy Manager™ help lower power consumption and costs.

Product features

• Built on the latest IBM X-Architecture technology with fifth-generation eX5 innovation
• Modular design, enabling standardization on same platform for 2- and 4-socket server needs to deliver faster time to value
• Greater memory capacity, enabling more or larger VMs per server
• Enhanced computing capacity facilitates more transactions per minute in a blade
• Optional memory expansion separates memory capacity from processors, enabling full utilization of license-constrained, memory-rich applications
• High-density, high-utilization computing allows superior price performance as well as performance per watt
• Flexible node partitioning and pay-as-you-grow expansion offer great investment protection
• Mainframe-inspired reliability and automatic node failover for optimal system uptime
• Remote management from a single graphical console with IBM Systems Director

Hardware summary

• Flexible systems that can be independently scaled for processor and memory
• Compute capacity of up to 20 processor cores in little more than .5U space
• Up to two Intel® Xeon® E7-4800 or E7-2800 series processors. Scalable to four processors in a double-wide form factor
• Up to 256 GB of memory with 16 VLP DDR3 DIMMs per single-wide 2-socket node; up to 512 GB in double-wide 4-socket configuration
• Scalable MAX5 memory expansion module for up to 640 GB capacity in a double-wide form factor
• Supports 95 W, 105 W and 130 W CPU skews in 2-socket and 4-socket configurations
• Partition a 4-processor blade to two 2-processor blades without physical reconfiguration
• 1 CFFh slot (high-speed PCIe daughter card and 1 CIOv slot [standard PCIe daughter card]) per 2-socket node
• Optional embedded hypervisor
• Support for up to two 1.8" solid-state drives per 2-socket node
• Integrated Virtual Fabric adapter in select models
• HX5 4-socket configuration:
  • You can order an HX5 4-socket configuration via the “Build your own” section
  
  http://www-03.ibm.com/systems/bladecenter/hardware/servers/hx5/index.html