An affordable single-socket, quad-core server with high performance
and data protection for small, medium, and large businesses
Please see the Legal Information section for important notices and information.
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• 7,200 RPMs — 160 or 500GB (4TB)
Notes: Enterprise-class 500GB or higher SATA drives offer increased reliability compared to
lower-capacity SATA drives. Simple-swap SATA drives are not hot-swappable (the system
must first be powered off); however, no tools or jumpers are required for installation and
removal, allowing for faster, simpler servicing than fixed drives. Hot-swap SAS drives use
the Converged Tray for interchangeability with other IBM System x
®
systems.
If you need more storage space, terabyte capacities are possible with external direct-attach,
NAS, and SAN solutions.
Drive Bays
Some x3200 M3 models (3.5-inch HDD models) contain 7 drive bays, while others (2.5-inch
HDD models for CTO, via special bid) provide 11 drive bays. All models offer two 5.25-inch
bays, one 3.5-inch floppy drive bay, and either four 3.5-inch HDD bays or eight 2.5-inch
HDD bays (via CTO). Some models support up to four hot-swap SAS/SATA or simple-
swap SATA drives; other models support up to four simple-swap SATA drives.
An optical drive with a SATA interface ships standard in one 5.25-inch bay. The other 5.25-
inch bay supports one of several backup options: a half-high tape drive, a DVD-ROM drive,
or an RDX Removable Hard Disk Storage System. An internal USB port is provided
standard for use with a tape drive or USB key with embedded hypervisor. An external
USB floppy drive may be used, if needed.
Hot-swap and simple-swap drives may be inserted or removed through the front of the
server. Hot-swap drives do not require powering off the system. Simple-swap SATA drives
do require powering off the system first; however, no tools or jumpers are required for
installation and removal, allowing for faster, simpler servicing than fixed drives.
For still more storage, a direct-attach, iSCSI, or SAN external expansion option can be
added, using an optional controller.
Disk/Tape Controllers
Hot-swap x3200 M3 models include an integrated x4 PCIe ServeRAID-BR10il V2
SAS/SATA Controller that offers hardware RAID-0/1/1E support in a dedicated x8 PCIe
slot. The controller supports up to four 3.5-inch or eight 2.5-inch internal SAS LVD (low-
voltage differential) hot-swap drives, and provides data transfer speeds of up to 6Gbps
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in
each direction (full-duplex) for SAS drives. The serial design of the SAS bus allows
maximum performance to be maintained as additional drives are added. This controller also
supports up to four Serial ATA (SATA) drives at 6Gbps half-duplex.
Simple-swap models include a SATA controller, integrated into the Intel chipset. The
controller, supports up to four internal simple-swap LVD SATA II drives at 6Gbps (half-
duplex) throughput. A dedicated SATA port is available for use with an internal tape drive.
Optional ServeRAID adapters offer additional capabilities and performance.
The 6Gbps (x8 PCIe) ServeRAID-M1015 SAS/SATA controller supports RAID-0/1/10 (no
cache) for up to 16 drives. The ServeRAID M1000 Series Advance Feature Key adds
RAID-5 and SED support.
The 6Gbps (x8 PCIe) ServeRAID-M5014 SAS/SATA controller offers enhanced
performance with 256MB of cache memory, and supports RAID-0/1/10/5/50 for up to 16
drives.
The 6Gbps (x8 PCIe) ServeRAID-M5015 SAS/SATA controller offers enhanced
performance with 512MB of cache memory and battery backup, and supports RAID-
0/1/10/5/50 for up to 16 drives.
The ServeRAID M5000 Series Advance Feature Key adds RAID-6/60 with SED support to
the M5014 and M5015. The ServeRAID M5000 Series Battery Key adds battery backup
support to the M5014.
The 6Gbps ServeRAID-M5025 is similar to the ServeRAID-M5015, but adds support for up
to 9 external System Storage EXP3000 expansion units).
All models provide a dedicated internal USB port for a USB key with embedded hypervisor.
Internal Backup
The x3200 M3 supports several internal SAS/SATA- or USB-attached half-high backup
options. Supported technologies include:
• IBM 36/72GB DDS-5 (SATA)
• IBM DDS-6 (USB)
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Data transfer rates depend on many factors and are often less than the maximum possible.