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Lenovo System x3850 X6 and x3950 X6
Quick Start Guide
Abstract
The Lenovo® System x3850 X6 and x3950 X6 servers are new four-socket and eight-socket
servers that deliver fast application performance thanks to an innovative scalable design and
new storage technology that is designed to optimize overall solution performance. These
servers are based on the highly scalable Intel Xeon processor E7-4800 v2 and E7-8800 v2
product families and are the first servers designed and optimized for eXFlash™
memory-channel storage, the latest in ultra-low latency flash storage technology.
This quick start guide addresses the preferred practices for setting up the x3850 X6 and
x3950 X6 servers. It provides all of the information necessary to unpack a system and be up
and running in the minimal amount of time. The paper provides insightful information from
experts in the field and in development and covers the system architecture and major
subsystems such as memory, I/O, power and cooling. The paper also offers a pre-installation
checklist and tips on troubleshooting. This paper is intended for pre-sales and post-sales
technical support professionals.
Contents
Introducing the x3850 X5 and x3950 X6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Memory subsystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
I/O subsystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Power subsystem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Cooling subsystem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Pre-installation checklist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Troubleshooting tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Related publications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
John R. Encizo
Timothy M. Wiwel
Loc X. Nguyen
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