Configuration/Setup  Utility  program  in  the  User’s  Guide  on  the  IBM  System  x 
Documentation  CD  for  details  about  enabling  memory  mirroring. 
When  you  use  memory  mirroring,  you  must  install  two  pairs  of  DIMMs  at  a  time. 
The  four  DIMMs  in  each  group  must  be  identical.  See  Table  3  for  the  DIMM 
connectors  that  are  in  each  group. 
 
Table  3.  Memory  mirroring  DIMM  installation  sequence 
Group  DIMM  connectors 
1  1,  4,  7,  and  10 
2  2,  5,  8,  and  11 
3  3,  6,  9,  and  12
 
 
Table  4.  Memory  mirroring  DIMM  functions 
Group  Active  DIMMs  Mirroring  DIMMs 
1  1,  4  7,  10 
2  2,  5  8,  11 
3  3,  6  9,  12
 
Online-spare  memory 
The  server  supports  online-spare  memory.  This  feature  disables  the  failed  memory 
from  the  system  configuration  and  activates  an  online-spare  pair  of  DIMMs  to 
replace  the  failed  active  DIMM  pair. 
Online-spare  memory  reduces  the  amount  of  available  memory.  Before  you  can 
enable  this  feature,  you  must  install  up  to  two  additional  pairs  of  DIMMs.  The 
online-spare  DIMM  pairs  must  be  the  same  speed,  type,  and  the  same  size  as,  or 
larger  than,  the  largest  active  DIMM  pairs. 
Enable  online-spare  memory  through  the  Configuration/Setup  Utility  program.  The 
BIOS  code  assigns  the  online-spare  DIMM  pairs  according  to  your  DIMM 
configuration.  Online-sparing  is  enabled  on  a  memory  branch  basis;  the  BIOS  code 
does  not  enable  online-sparing  on  a  branch  that  cannot  support  online-sparing.  See 
the  illustration  on  page  13  for  the  memory  branch  structure.  DIMM  ranks  are 
online-spared  if  the  DIMMs  are  installed  according  to  the  rules  in  Table  5  on  page 
17  or  Table  6  on  page  17.
Note:
  POST  gives  a  warning  message  when  online-sparing  cannot  be  enabled  on 
both  branches.  However,  no  warning  message  is  given  when  online-sparing  is 
enabled  on  one  branch  and  disabled  on  the  other. 
Online-spare  configurations  are  supported  for  each  branch.  See  Table  5  on  page  17 
and  Table  6  on  page  17  for  the  online-spare  DIMM  connector  assignments. 
Important:  Table  5  on  page  17  shows  the  default  DIMM  online-spare  scheme.  If  the 
BIOS  code  level  is  version  1.04  or  later,  you  can  install  the  DIMMs  according  to  the 
scheme  shown  in  Table  6  on  page  17  instead. 
 
16  IBM  System  x3650  Type  7979:  Installation  Guide