IBM BladeCenter HS23 User manual

IBM BladeCenter HS23 1
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IBM BladeCenter HS23
IBM Redbooks Product Guide
The IBM® BladeCenter® HS23 is a next-generation two-socket blade server running the Intel® Xeon®
processor E5-2600 product family. With its industry-leading RAS features, energy efficiency, outstanding
performance, flexible and scalable I/O, and complete systems management, HS23 offers a robust
platform optimized for your mission-critical applications. Standard 30 mm single-wide form-factor protects
your investments by providing compatibility with the IBM BladeCenter H, E, S, and HT chassis.
Suggested use: versatile platform to run a broad range of workloads, including infrastructure,
virtualization, and enterprise applications.
Figure 1 shows the HS23.
Figure 1. IBM BladeCenter HS23
Did you know?
IBM BladeCenter HS23 is the first BladeCenter server that offers four integrated LAN ports: dual-port
Gigabit Ethernet and dual-port 10Gb Ethernet with IBM Virtual Fabric capability. With Emulex 10GbE
Virtual Fabric Adapter II for HS23 CFFh expansion card, HS23 scales up to 14 virtual NICs (vNICs) per
single-wide blade server for a total of 18 I/O ports with the choice of Ethernet, Fibre Channel, SAS, iSCSI,
and FCoE connectivity.

IBM BladeCenter HS23 2
Key features
The IBM BladeCenter HS23 gives you the networking capacity that you need to manage your data center.
The new Virtual Fabric capable integrated 10 GbE offers extreme speed, and the HS23 is designed with
highly scalable I/O to give you a total of up to four 10 Gb physical ports that can be divided into up to 14
virtual ports, as well as the ability to run multiple I/O protocols (FCoE/iSCSI). Sixteen DIMM slots
supporting up to 256 GB of DDR3 memory allow you to fit more and larger virtual machines per blade. In
addition, the HS23 is backward-compatible with all BladeCenter chassis, including the original
BladeCenter E. (Some configurations might have restrictions. See Table 5 for compatibility details.)
Availability and serviceability
The BladeCenter HS23 provides many features to simplify serviceability and increase system uptime:
Dual independent power and signal connectors to the BladeCenter chassis midplane provide fault

tolerance to increase uptime.
The HS23 offers memory mirroring and memory rank sparing for redundancy in the event of a

non-correctable memory failure.
Tool-less cover removal provides easy access to upgrades and serviceable parts, such as CPU,

memory, and adapter cards.
The server offers hot-swap drives supporting integrated RAID 1 redundancy for data protection and

greater system uptime.
The power source independent light path diagnostics panel and individual light path LEDs quickly

lead the technician to failed (or failing) components. This simplifies servicing, speeds up problem
resolution, and helps improve system availability.
The Predictive Failure Analysis (PFA) detects when system components (processors, memory, and

hard disk drives) operate outside of standard thresholds and generates pro-active alerts in advance of
possible failure, therefore increasing uptime.
Solid-state drives (SSDs) offer significantly better reliability than traditional mechanical HDDs for

greater uptime.
Built-in Integrated Management Module II (IMM2) continuously monitors system parameters, triggers

alerts, and performs recovering actions in case of failures to minimize downtime.
Built-in diagnostics using Dynamic Systems Analysis (DSA) Preboot speeds up troubleshooting tasks

to reduce service time.
Three-year customer replaceable unit and onsite limited warranty, next business day 9x 5. Optional

service upgrades are available.
Scalability and performance
The BladeCenter HS23 offers numerous features to boost performance, improve scalability, and reduce
costs:
The Intel Xeon processor E5-2600 product family improves productivity by offering superior system

performance with up to 8-core processors and up to 3.0 GHz core speeds depending on the CPU's
number of cores, up to 20 MB of L3 cache, and QPI interconnect links of up to 8 GT/s.
Up to two processors, 16 cores, and 32 threads maximize the concurrent execution of multi-threaded

applications.
Intelligent and adaptive system performance with Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 allows CPU cores

to run at maximum speeds during peak workloads by temporarily going beyond processor TDP.

IBM BladeCenter HS23 3
Intel Hyper-Threading Technology boosts performance for multi-threaded applications by enabling

simultaneous multi-threading within each processor core, up to two threads per core.
Intel Virtualization Technology integrates hardware-level virtualization hooks that allow operating

system vendors to better utilize the hardware for virtualization workloads.
Intel Advanced Vector Extensions (AVT) significantly improve floating point performance for

compute-intensive technical and scientific applications compared with Intel Xeon 5600 series
processors.
Up to 16 DDR3 ECC memory RDIMMs provide speeds up to 1600 MHz and a memory capacity of up

to 256 GB. (See Table 7 for details.)
The theoretical maximum memory bandwidth of the Intel Xeon processor E5 family is 51.6 GBps,

which is 60% more than in the previous generation of Intel Xeon processors.
The use of solid-state drives (SSDs) instead of or along with traditional spinning drives (HDDs) can

significantly improve I/O performance. An SSD can support up to 100 times more I/O operations per
second (IOPS) than a typical HDD.
The HS23 scales to 18 I/O ports on a single-wide blade with integrated Gigabit Ethernet and 10 Gb

Ethernet ports and optional expansion cards, offering the choice of Ethernet, Fibre Channel, SAS,
iSCSI, and FCoE connectivity.
The HS23 offers PCI Express 3.0 I/O expansion capabilities that improve the theoretical maximum

bandwidth by 60% (8 GT/s per link), compared with the previous generation of PCI Express 2.0.
With Intel Integrated I/O Technology, the PCI Express 3.0 controller is integrated into the Intel Xeon

processor E5 family. This helps to dramatically reduce I/O latency and increase overall system
performance.
Manageability and security
Powerful systems management features simplify local and remote management of the HS23:
The HS23 includes an Integrated Management Module II (IMM2) to monitor server availability and

perform remote management.
Integrated industry-standard Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) enables improved setup,

configuration, and updates, and simplifies error handling.
Integrated Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 1.2 support enables advanced cryptographic functionality,

such as digital signatures and remote attestation.
Industry-standard AES NI support for faster, stronger encryption.

IBM Systems Director is included for proactive systems management. It offers comprehensive

systems management tools that help to increase up-time, reduce costs, and improve productivity
through advanced server management capabilities.
Open Fabric Manager simplifies deployment of infrastructure connections by managing network and

storage address assignments.
IBM FastSetup simplifies, automates, and speeds up the deployment process from server power-up

to production, making BladeCenter easier to manage, deploy, and maintain.
Intel Execute Disable Bit functionality can help prevent certain classes of malicious buffer overflow

attacks when combined with a supporting operating system.
Intel Trusted Execution Technology provides enhanced security through hardware-based resistance

to malicious software attacks, allowing an application to run in its own isolated space protected from
all other software running on a system.

IBM BladeCenter HS23 4
Energy efficiency
The HS23 offers the following energy-efficiency features to save energy, reduce operational costs,
increase energy availability, and contribute to the green environment:
Component-sharing design of the BladeCenter chassis provides ultimate power and cooling savings.

The Intel Xeon processor E5-2600 product family offers significantly better performance over the

previous generation while fitting into the same thermal design power (TDP) limits.
Intel Intelligent Power Capability powers individual processor elements on and off as needed, to

reduce power draw.
Low-voltage Intel Xeon processors draw less energy to satisfy demands of power and thermally

constrained data centers and telecommunication environments.
Low-voltage 1.35 V DDR3 memory RDIMMs consume 15% less energy than 1.5 V DDR3 RDIMMs.

Solid state drives (SSDs) consume as much as 80% less power than traditional spinning 2.5-inch

HDDs.
The HS23 uses hexagonal ventilation holes, a part of IBM Calibrated Vectored Cooling™ technology.

Hexagonal holes can be grouped more densely than round holes, providing more efficient airflow
through the system.
IBM Systems Director Active Energy Manager™ provides advanced power management features with

actual real-time energy monitoring, reporting, and capping features.
Locations of key components and connectors
Figure 2 shows the front view of the server, indicating key components.
Figure 2. Front view of the IBM BladeCenter HS23

IBM BladeCenter HS23 5
Figure 3 shows the top view of the server, indicating key components.
Figure 3. Top view of the IBM BladeCenter HS23
Figure 4 shows the bottom view of the IBM BladeCenter HS23 (contains light path diagnostics panel).
Figure 4. Bottom view of the IBM BladeCenter HS23 (shows light path diagnostics panel)

IBM BladeCenter HS23 6
Standard specifications
Table 1 lists the standard specifications.
Table 1. Standard specifications (part 1)
Components Specifications
Form factor Single-wide (30 mm) blade server.
Chassis support BladeCenter H, BladeCenter HT, BladeCenter S, BladeCenter E. (Some configurations might
have restrictions. See Table 5 for compatibility details.)
Processor Up to two Intel Xeon processor E5-2600 product family CPUs with eight-core (up to 2.7 GHz) or
six-core (up to 2.9 GHz) or quad-core (up to 2.4 GHz) or dual-core (up to 3.0 GHz). Two QPI links
up to 8.0 GT/s each. Up to 1600 MHz memory speed. Up to 20 MB L3 cache.
Chipset Intel C600.
Memory Up to 16 DDR3 DIMM sockets (8 DIMMs per processor) using Very Low Profile (VLP) DIMMs.
Support for up to 1600 MHz memory speed depending on the processor. Four memory channels
per processor (2 DIMMs per channel).
Memory
maximums
Up to 256 GB with 16x 16 GB RDIMMs and two processors.
Memory
protection
ECC, memory mirroring, and memory sparing.
Disk drive bays Two 2.5" hot-swap SAS/SATA drive bays supporting SAS, SATA, and SSD drives.
Maximum
internal storage
Up to 1.8 TB with 900 GB 2.5" SAS HDDs, or up to 2 TB with 1 TB 2.5" NL SAS HDDs, or up to 2
TB with 1 TB 2.5" SATA HDDs, or up to 512 GB with 256 GB 2.5" SATA SSDs. Intermix of SAS
and SATA HDDs and SSDs is supported.
RAID support RAID 0, 1, 1E, and 10 with integrated LSI SAS2004 controller.
Network
interfaces
Two Gigabit Ethernet ports and two 10 Gb Ethernet ports with integrated Emulex BladeEngine 3
(BE3) controller.
PCI Expansion
slots
One CIOv slot (PCIe 3.0 x8) and one CFFh slot (PCIe 3.0 x16). Two addtional PCIe 2.0 x8
standard form factor slots (slot 1 is full-height full-length, slot 2 is full-height half-length) with the
optional PCI Express Gen 2 Expansion Blade II. One HS23 supports up to four PCIe expansion
blades (8 slots). Up to four optional GPU expansion blades with either NVIDIA Tesla M2090,
M2075, or M2070Q graphics processing units.
Ports One internal USB port (for embedded hypervisor).
Hot-swap
components
Hard drives.
Systems
management
UEFI, IBM Integrated Management Module II (IMM2) with Renesas SH7757 controller, Predictive
Failure Analysis, light path diagnostics, Automatic Server Restart, IBM Systems Director, and IBM
Systems Director Active Energy Manager, IBM ServerGuide.
Security
features
Power-on password, administrator's password, Trusted Platform Module (TPM 1.2).

IBM BladeCenter HS23 7
Table 1. Standard specifications (part 2)
Components Specification
Video Matrox G200eR2 video core with 16 MB video memory integrated into the IMM2. Maximum
resolution is 1600x1200 at 75 Hz with 16 M colors (32 bits per pixel).
Operating
systems
supported
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 and 2008, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 and 6 (x64), SUSE
Linux Enterprise Server 10 and 11 (for AMD64/EM64T), VMware vSphere 5.
Limited warranty 3-year customer-replaceable unit and onsite limited warranty with 9x5/next business day
response time.
Service and
support
Optional service upgrades are available through IBM ServicePacs®: 4-hour or 2-hour response
time, 8-hour fix time, 1-year or 2-year warranty extension, remote technical support for IBM
hardware and selected IBM and third-party (Microsoft, Linux, VMware) software.
Dimensions Height: 245 mm (9.7 in), width: 29 mm (1.14 in), depth: 446 mm (17.6 in).
Weight Maximum configuration (single-wide blade): 5.4 kg (12 lb).
The IBM BladeCenter HS23 servers are shipped with the following items:
Documentation CD

Registration Flyer

Statement of Limited Warranty

Important Notices

Technical Note Flyer

Standard models
Table 2 lists standard models.
Table 2. Standard models (part 1)
Model* Intel Xeon processor**
(2 max)
Memory
(std / max)
RAID
controller
Drive
bays
(used /
max)
Disk
drives
Standard
Ethernet
I/O slots
(used /
max)
7875-A1x 1x Xeon E5-2603 4C 1.8GHz
10MB 1066MHz 80 W
1x 4 GB /
256 GB
Integrated
SAS/SATA
0 / 2 Optional 2x 1Gb# 0 / 2
7875-A2x 1x Xeon E5-2609 4C 2.4GHz
10MB 1066MHz 80 W
4x 4 GB /
256 GB
Integrated
SAS/SATA
0 / 2 Optional 2x 1Gb# 0 / 2
7875-B1x 1x Xeon E5-2620 6C 2.0GHz
15MB 1333MHz 95W
4x 4 GB /
256 GB
Integrated
SAS/SATA
0 / 2 Optional 2x 1Gb
2x 10Gb
0 / 2
7875-B2x 1x Xeon E5-2640 6C 2.5GHz
15MB 1333MHz 95W
4x 4 GB /
256 GB
Integrated
SAS/SATA
0 / 2 Optional 2x 1Gb
2x 10Gb
0 / 2
7875-B3x 1x Xeon E5-2630 6C 2.3GHz
15MB 1333MHz 95W
4x 4 GB /
256 GB
Integrated
SAS/SATA
0 / 2 Optional 2x 1Gb
2x 10Gb
0 / 2
7875-C1x 1x Xeon E5-2650 8C 2.0GHz
20MB 1600MHz 95W
4x 4 GB /
256 GB
Integrated
SAS/SATA
0 / 2 Optional 2x 1Gb
2x 10Gb
0 / 2
7875-C2x 1x Xeon E5-2660 8C 2.2GHz
20MB 1600MHz 95W
4x 4 GB /
256 GB
Integrated
SAS/SATA
0 / 2 Optional 2x 1Gb
2x 10Gb
0 / 2

IBM BladeCenter HS23 8
Table 2. Standard models (part 2)
Model* Intel Xeon processor**
(2 max)
Memory
(std / max)
RAID
controller
Drive
bays
(used /
max)
Disk
drives
Standard
Ethernet
I/O slots
(used /
max)
7875-C3x 1x Xeon E5-2665 8C 2.4GHz
20MB 1600MHz 115W
4x 4 GB /
256 GB
Integrated
SAS/SATA
0 / 2 Optional 2x 1Gb
2x 10Gb
0 / 2
7875-C4x 1x Xeon E5-2670 8C 2.6GHz
20MB 1600MHz 115W
4x 4 GB /
256 GB
Integrated
SAS/SATA
0 / 2 Optional 2x 1Gb
2x 10Gb
0 / 2
7875-C5x 1x Xeon E5-2680 8C 2.7GHz
20MB 1600MHz 130W
4x 4 GB /
256 GB
Integrated
SAS/SATA
0 / 2 Optional 2x 1Gb
2x 10Gb
0 / 2
7875-D1x 1x Xeon E5-2650L 8C 1.8GHz
20MB 1600MHz 70W
4x 4 GB /
256 GB
Integrated
SAS/SATA
0 / 2 Optional 2x 1Gb
2x 10Gb
0 / 2
7875-F1x 1x Xeon E5-2648L 8C 1.8GHz
20MB 1600MHz 70W
4x 4GB /
256 GB
Integrated
SAS/SATA
0 / 2 Optional 2x 1Gb
2x 10Gb
0 / 2
7875-G1x†§ 1x Xeon E5-2630 6C 2.3GHz
15MB 1333MHz 95W
4x 4GB /
256 GB
Integrated
SAS/SATA
0 / 2 Optional 2x 1Gb
4x 10Gb
1 / 2
7875-G2x†§ 1x Xeon E5-2670 8C 2.6GHz
20MB 1600MHz 115W
4x 4 GB /
256 GB
Integrated
SAS/SATA
0 / 2 Optional 2x 1Gb
4x 10Gb
1 / 2
7875-91x§‡ 2x Xeon E5-2620 6C 2.0GHz
15MB 1333MHz 95W
16x 8GB /
256 GB
Integrated
SAS/SATA
0 / 2 Optional 2x 1Gb
2x 10Gb
0 / 2
7875-92x§‡ 2x Xeon E5-2650 8C 2.0GHz
20MB 1600MHz 95W
16x 8GB /
256 GB
Integrated
SAS/SATA
0 / 2 Optional 2x 1Gb
2x 10Gb
0 / 2
* x in the Machine Type Model (MTM) represents a country-specific letter (for example, the EMEA MTM is 7875A1G,
and the US MTM is 7875A1U). Ask your local IBM representative for specifics.
** Processor detail: Model, cores, core speed, L3 cache, memory speed, power.
# Supports 10Gb with the addition of the 10 Gb Interposer Card for IBM BladeCenter HS23, 94Y8550.
† These models ship standard with Emulex 10GbE VFA Advanced II for IBM BladeCenter HS23, 90Y9332.
§ These models ship standard with IBM Virtual Fabric Advanced Software Upgrade (LOM), 90Y9310.
‡ These models ship standard with IBM USB Memory Key for VMWare ESXi 5.0, 41Y8300.
Express models
Table 3 lists Express models.
Table 3. Express models
Model* Intel Xeon processor**
(2 max)
Memory
(std / max)
RAID
controller
Drive
bays
(used /
max)
Disk
drives
Standard
Ethernet
I/O slots
(used /
max)
7875-E1x 2x Xeon E5-2620 6C 2.0GHz
15MB 1333MHz 95W
8x 4 GB /
256 GB
Integrated
SAS/SATA
0 / 2 Optional 2x 1Gb
2x 10Gb
0 / 2
7875-E2x 2x Xeon E5-2630 6C 2.3GHz
15MB 1333MHz 95W
8x 8 GB /
256 GB
Integrated
SAS/SATA
0 / 2 Optional 2x 1Gb
2x 10Gb
0 / 2
7875-E3x 2x Xeon E5-2670 8C 2.6GHz
20MB 1600MHz 115W
8x 8 GB /
256 GB
Integrated
SAS/SATA
0 / 2 Optional 2x 1Gb
2x 10Gb
0 / 2
* x in the MTM represents a country-specific letter (for example, the EMEA MTM is 86774TG, and the US MTM is
86774TU). Ask your local IBM representative for specifics.
** Processor detail: Model, cores, core speed, L3 cache, memory speed, power.

IBM BladeCenter HS23 9
Chassis support
The HS23 is supported in the various BladeCenter chassis listed in Table 4.
Table 4. Chassis support
Description BC-E
(8677)
BC-T BC-S
(8886)
BC-H
(8852)
BC-HT AC
(8750)
BC-HT DC
(8740)
HS23 with 115W or 130W CPUs No No Full Some limits* Full Full
HS23 with up to 95W CPUs Some limits* No Full Some limits* Full Full
* See Table 5 for details.
The number of HS23 servers supported in each chassis depends on the thermal design power of the
processors used in the servers (Table 5). Table 5 uses the following conventions:
A green cell means that the chassis can be filled with HS23 blade servers up to the maximum number

of blade bays in the chassis (for example, 14 blades in the BladeCenter H).
A yellow cell means that the maximum number of HS23 blades that the chassis can hold is fewer than

the total available blade bays (for example, 12 in a BladeCenter E). Other bays in the chassis must
remain empty. Consult the BladeCenter Interoperability Guide for specific details:
http://ibm.com/support/entry/portal/docdisplay?lndocid=MIGR-5073016
Note: The HS23 is not supported in the BladeCenter E with power supplies smaller than 2000 W.
Table 5. Chassis support (detailed)
Maximum number of HS23 servers supported in each chassis
BC-E with AMM
(8677) (14 bays)
BC-H (models other than 4Tx)
(14 bays)
BC-H
(-4Tx)
(14 bays)
2900W supplies 2980W supplies** 2980W
CPU
TDP*
2000 W
power
supplies
2320 W
power
supplies
BC-S
(8886)
(6
bays)
Standard
blowers
Enhanced
blowers†
Standard
blowers
Enhanced
blowers†
Enhanced
blowers†
BC-HT
AC§
(8750)
(12
bays)
BC-HT
DC§
(8740)
(12 bays)
Intel Xeon processors
130W None‡ None‡ 6None‡ 14 None‡ 14 14 12 12
115W None‡ None‡ 6None‡ 14 None‡ 14 14 12 12
95W None‡ None‡ 6None‡ 14 None‡ 14 14 12 12
80W 6+7 14 6 14 14 14 14 14 12 12
70W None‡ None‡ 6None‡ 14 None‡ 14 14 12 12
60W None‡ None‡ 6None‡ 14 None‡ 14 14 12 12
Intel Xeon Embedded processors #
95W 5+7 14 6 14 14 14 14 14 12 12
70W 14 14 6 14 14 14 14 14 12 12
* Thermal Design Power.
** IBM BladeCenter H 2980W AC Power Modules, 68Y6601 (standard in 4Tx, optional with all other BC-H models).
† IBM BladeCenter H Enhanced Cooling Modules, 68Y6650 (standard in 4Tx, optional with all other BC-H models).
‡ Not supported.
# Intel Xeon E5-2648L (70 W) and E5-2658 (95 W) are embedded processors used in HS23.
§ Support shown is for non-NEBS environments.

IBM BladeCenter HS23 10
Processor options
The HS23 supports the processor options listed in Table 6. The server supports one or two processors.
Table 6 also shows which server models have each processor standard. If no corresponding
where used
model for a particular processor is listed, then this processor is available only through Configure to Order
(CTO).
Table 6. Processor options
Part
number
Intel Xeon processor description Models
where used
81Y9292 Intel Xeon Processor E5-2603 4C 1.8GHz 10MB 1066MHz 80 W A1x
81Y9294 Intel Xeon Processor E5-2609 4C 2.4GHz 10MB 1066MHz 80 W A2x
81Y9295 Intel Xeon Processor E5-2620 6C 2.0GHz 15MB 1333MHz 95W B1x, 91x, E1x
94Y8572 Intel Xeon Processor E5-2630 6C 2.3GHz 15MB 1333MHz 95W B3x, E2x, G1x
81Y9304 Intel Xeon Processor E5-2630L 6C 2.0GHz 15MB 1333MHz 60W -
94Y8570 Intel Xeon Processor E5-2637 2C 3.0GHz 5MB 1600MHz 80W -
94Y8571 Intel Xeon Processor E5-2640 6C 2.5GHz 15MB 1333MHz 95W B2x
94Y8562* Intel Xeon Processor E5-2648L 8C 1.8GHz 20MB 1600MHz 70W F1x
81Y9298 Intel Xeon Processor E5-2650 8C 2.0GHz 20MB 1600MHz 95W C1x, 92x
81Y9305 Intel Xeon Processor E5-2650L 8C 1.8GHz 20MB 1600MHz 70W D1xy
94Y8565* Intel Xeon Processor E5-2658 8C 2.1GHz 20MB 1600MHz 95W -
81Y9299 Intel Xeon Processor E5-2660 8C 2.2GHz 20MB 1600MHz 95W C2x
94Y8671 Intel Xeon Processor E5-2665 8C 2.4GHz 20MB 1600MHz 115W C3x
81Y9302 Intel Xeon Processor E5-2667 6C 2.9GHz 15MB 1600MHz 130W -
94Y8589 Intel Xeon Processor E5-2670 8C 2.6GHz 20MB 1600MHz 115W C4x, E3x, G2x
81Y9300 Intel Xeon Processor E5-2680 8C 2.7GHz 20MB 1600MHz 130W C5x
* Note: Intel Xeon Embedded processors.

IBM BladeCenter HS23 11
Memory options
IBM DDR3 memory is compatibility tested and tuned for optimal IBM System x® and BladeCenter
performance and throughput. IBM memory specifications are integrated into the light path diagnostics for
immediate system performance feedback and optimum system uptime. From a service and support
standpoint, IBM memory automatically assumes the IBM system warranty, and IBM provides service and
support worldwide.
The BladeCenter HS23 supports Very Low Profile (VLP) DDR3 memory RDIMMs. The server supports up
to eight DIMMs when one processor is installed and up to 16 DIMMs when two processors are installed.
Each processor has four memory channels, and there are two DIMMs per channel. The following rules
apply when selecting the memory configuration:
Mixing 1.5 V and 1.35 V DIMMs in the same server is supported. In such a case all DIMMs operate at

1.5 V.
The maximum number of ranks supported per channel is eight.

The maximum quantity of DIMMs that can be installed in the server depends on the number of CPUs,

DIMM rank, and operating voltage, as shown in the "Max. qty supported" row in Table 7.
All DIMMs in all CPU memory channels operate at the same speed, which is determined as the

lowest value of:
Memory speed supported by specific CPU

Lowest maximum operating speed for the selected memory configuration that depends on rated

speed, as shown under the "Max. operating speed" section in Table 7.
Table 7. Maximum memory speeds
DIMM type
DIMM specification
RDIMM
Rank Single rank Dual rank
Rated speed 1333 MHz 1600 MHz 1333 MHz 1600 MHz
Rated voltage 1.35 V 1.5 V 1.35 V 1.5 V
Operating voltage 1.35 V 1.5 V 1.5 V 1.35 V 1.5 V 1.5 V
Max. qty supported* 16 16 16 16 16 16
Max. DIMM capacity 4 GB 4 GB 4 GB 16 GB 16 GB 8 GB
Max. memory capacity 64 GB 64 GB 64 GB 256 GB 256 GB 128 GB
Max. operating speed (MHz)
_
____
_
_
____
_
_
____
_
_
_____
_
_
_____
_
_
_____
_
1 DIMM per channel 1333 1333 1600 1333 1333 1600
2 DIMMs per channel 1333 1333 1600 1333 1333 1600
* The maximum quantity supported is shown for two processors installed. When one processor is installed the
maximum quantity supported is a half of that shown.
The following memory protection technologies are supported:
ECC

Memory mirroring

Memory sparing (rank sparing)

If memory mirroring is used, then DIMMs must be installed in pairs (minimum of one pair per CPU), and
both DIMMs in a pair must be identical in type and size. The effective memory available to the system is
only half of that installed.

IBM BladeCenter HS23 12
If memory sparing (rank sparing) is used, then DIMMs population order is the same as that for
independent channel mode (the DIMMs can be installed without matching sizes). In rank sparing mode,
one rank of a DIMM in each populated channel is reserved as spare memory. The size of a rank varies
depending on the DIMMs installed.
Tables 8 lists memory options available for the HS23 server. DIMMs can be installed one at a time, but for
performance reasons, install them in sets of four (one for each of the four memory channels).
Table 8. Memory options for the HS23
Part
number
Description Max qty
support
ed
Models
where used
1333 MHz DIMMs
46C0563 4 GB (1x 4 GB, 1Rx4, 1.35 V) PC3L-10600 CL9 ECC DDR3 1333
MHz VLP
16 -
46C0564 4 GB (1x 4 GB, 2Rx8, 1.35 V) PC3L-10600 CL9 ECC DDR3 1333
MHz VLP
16 A1x, A2x, B1x, B2x,
B3x, D1x, E1x, F1x,
G1x
46C0568 8 GB (1x 8 GB, 2Rx4, 1.35 V) PC3-10600 CL9 ECC DDR3 1333
MHz VLP
16 91x, E2x
46C0599 16 GB (1x 16 GB, 2Rx4, 1.35 V) PC3L-10600 CL9 ECC DDR3
1333 MHz VLP
16 -
1600 MHz DIMMs
90Y3147 4 GB (2Gb, 1Rx4, 1.5 V) PC3-12800 CL11 ECC DDR3 1600 MHz
VLP RDIMM
16 -
90Y3148 4 GB (2Gb, 2Rx8, 1.5 V) PC3-12800 CL11 ECC DDR3 1600 MHz
VLP RDIMM
16 C1x, C2x, C3x, C4x,
C5x, G2x
90Y3149 8 GB (2Gb, 2Rx4, 1.5 V) PC3-12800 CL11 ECC DDR3 1600 MHz
VLP RDIMM
16 92x, E3x
Internal disk storage options
The HS23 server has two hot-swap drive bays accessible from the front of the blade server. These bays
are connected to the integrated 4-port LSI SAS2004 6 Gbps SAS/SATA RAID-on-Chip (ROC) controller.
The integrated LSI SAS2004 ROC has the following features:
Four-port controller with 6 Gbps throughput per port

PCIe x4 Gen 2 host interface

Two SAS ports routed internally to the two hot-swap drive bays

Two ports can be routed externally to the chassis I/O bays 3 and 4 with SAS Connectivity Card (CIOv)

Supports RAID levels 0 (Integrated Striping), 1 (Integrated Mirroring), 10 (Integrated Mirroring and

Striping), and 1E (Integrated Mirroring Enhanced)
Supports up to 14 drives (up to 12 integrated RAID drives and up to two hot-spare drives) for

integrated RAID configurations
Supports up to 10 integrated RAID drives per integrated volume

Supports up to two integrated volumes

Supports volumes greater than 2 TB for RAID 0, 10, and 1E


IBM BladeCenter HS23 13
Supports SAS and SATA HDDs and SSDs

Supports connectivity to the EXP2500 series and EXP3000 storage expansion enclosures

Support connectivity to the tape drives and external storage systems

Table 9 lists the hard drive options that are available for internal storage.
Table 9. Disk drive options for internal disk storage
Part number Description Maximum quantity supported
SAS HDDs
90Y8926 IBM 146GB 15K 6Gbps SAS 2.5" SFF G2HS HDD 2
90Y8877 IBM 300GB 10K 6Gbps SAS 2.5" SFF G2HS HDD 2
81Y9670 IBM 300GB 15K 6Gbps SAS 2.5" Slim-HS HDD 2
90Y8872 IBM 600GB 10K 6Gbps SAS 2.5" SFF G2HS HDD 2
81Y9650 IBM 900GB 10K 6Gbps SAS 2.5" Slim-HS HDD 2
NL SAS HDDs
90Y8953 IBM 500GB 7.2K 6Gbps NL SAS 2.5" SFF G2HS HDD 2
81Y9690 IBM 1TB 7.2K 6Gbps NL SAS 2.5'' SFF Slim-HS HDD 2
SATA HDDs
81Y9722 IBM 250GB 7.2K 6Gbps SATA 2.5'' SFF Slim-HS HDD 2
81Y9726 IBM 500GB 7.2K 6Gbps SATA 2.5'' SFF Slim-HS HDD 2
81Y9730 IBM 1TB 7.2K 6Gbps SATA 2.5'' SFF Slim-HS HDD 2
SATA SSDs
43W7718 IBM 200GB SATA 2.5'' SFF Slim-HS SSD 2
90Y8648 IBM 128GB SATA 2.5'' SFF HS SSD 2
90Y8643 IBM 256GB SATA 2.5'' SFF HS SSD 2
Internal tape drives
The server does not support an internal tape drive. However, it can be attached to external tape drives
using SAS or Fibre Channel connectivity (Table 25).
Optical drives
The server does not support an optical drive option. However, it does interface to the optical drive installed
in the BladeCenter chassis media tray if one is installed there.

IBM BladeCenter HS23 14
I/O expansion options
The HS23 server offers the following PCI Express 3.0 slots:
CIOv expansion slot: PCIe 3.0 x8

CFFh expansion slot: PCIe 3.0 x16

The CIOv I/O expansion connector provides I/O connections through the midplane of the chassis to
modules located in bays 3 and 4 of a supported BladeCenter chassis. The CFFh I/O expansion connector
provides I/O connections to high-speed switch modules that are located in bays 7, 8, 9, and 10 of a
BladeCenter H or BladeCenter HT chassis, or to switch bay 2 in a BladeCenter S chassis.
The HS23 optionally supports the PCI Express Gen 2 Expansion Blade II. The expansion blade provides
the capability to attach selected PCI Express cards to the HS23. This capability is ideal for many
applications that require special telecommunications network interfaces or hardware acceleration using a
PCI Express card (Table 10).
The expansion blade provides one full-height and full-length PCI Express x16 (x8-wired) Gen 2 slot and
one full-height and half-length PCI Express x16 (x8-wired) Gen 2 slot with a maximum power usage of 75
watts for each slot. It integrates PCI Express card support capability into the BladeCenter architecture. Up
to four expansion blades can be attached to an HS23. Each expansion blade occupies a bay in the
BladeCenter chassis.
Table 10. PCIe expansion blades
Part number Description Maximum quantity
supported
68Y7484 IBM BladeCenter PCI Express Gen 2 Expansion Blade II 4
The HS23 server optionally supports GPU Expansion Blade expansion units. This capability is ideal for
many applications written to take advantage of acceleration and visualization performance advantages
that are offered in general-purpose computing on GPUs. This product ships integrated with one NVIDIA
Tesla M2090, one NVIDIA Tesla M2075, or one NVIDIA Tesla M2070Q GPU.
The stacking capability of the IBM BladeCenter GPU Expansion Blade II allows you to connect up to four
of them to a single blade server. In addition, you can still use a CFFh I/O expansion card adapter by
installing it in the top-most expansion blade.
Table 11 lists the ordering information for the IBM BladeCenter GPU Expansion Blade II variants.
Table 11. GPU expansion blades
Part number Description Maximum quantity
supported
00D6881 IBM BladeCenter GPU Expansion Blade II with NVIDIA Tesla M2090 4
68Y7478 IBM BladeCenter GPU Expansion Blade II with NVIDIA Tesla M2075 4
68Y7479 IBM BladeCenter GPU Expansion Blade II with NVIDIA Tesla M2070Q 4

IBM BladeCenter HS23 15
Network adapters
The HS23 offers two integrated Gigabit Ethernet ports and two integrated 10 Gb Ethernet ports with the
integrated Emulex BladeEngine 3 (BE3) controller. Two Gigabit Ethernet ports are routed to the chassis
I/O bays 1 and 2, and two 10 Gb Ethernet ports are routed to the chassis I/O bays 7 and 9 using either
10Gb LOM Interposer Card or Emulex Virtual Fabric Adapter II for HS23.
The integrated BE3 4-port NIC has the following features:
Two Gigabit Ethernet ports and two 10 Gb Ethernet ports (1 Gb and 10 Gb auto-negotiation).

Full-duplex (FDX) capability.

10 Gb ports operate in either a virtual NIC (vNIC) or physical NIC (pNIC) mode:

vNIC mode: Up to six vNICs (up to three vNICs per one 10 Gb port)

Virtual Fabric mode or Switch Independent operational mode.

Virtual port bandwidth allocation in 100 Mbps increments.

Up to two vNICs can be configured as an iSCSI or FCoE vNICs (one per port) with optional

Advanced Upgrade (90Y9310).
pNIC mode: dual-port 1/10 Gb Ethernet adapter

IPv4/IPv6 offload:

TCP, UDP checksum offload

Large send offload (LSO)

Large receive offload (LRO)

Receive side scaling (RSS)

IPv4 TCP Chimney Offload.

IEEE 802.1Q VLAN tagging.

VLAN insertion and extraction.

Jumbo frames up to 9000 bytes.

Load balancing and failover teaming support, including adapter fault tolerance (AFT), switch fault

tolerance (SFT), adaptive load balancing (ALB), and IEEE 802.3ad.
Enhanced Ethernet (draft) support:

Enhanced Transmission Selection (ETS) (P802.1Qaz)

Priority-based Flow Control (PFC) (P802.1Qbb)

Data Center Bridging eXchange Protocol (DCBX) (P802.1Qaz)

Supports Serial over LAN (SoL) and concurrent KVM (cKVM).

Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) support .

Wake On LAN support.

PCIe x8 Gen 2 host interface.

Message Signal Interrupt (MSI-X) support.


IBM BladeCenter HS23 16
Table 12 lists additional supported network adapters and upgrades.
Table 12. Network adapters
Part
number
Description Slots
supported
Maximum
supported
Virtual Fabric Adapters and Upgrades
81Y3133 Broadcom 2-port 10Gb Virtual Fabric Adapter CFFh 1
90Y9310 IBM Virtual Fabric Advanced Software Upgrade (LOM) (License only) 1
81Y3120 Emulex 10GbE Virtual Fabric Adapter II for HS23 CFFh† 1
90Y9350 Virtual Fabric Advanced FOD Upgrade (License only) 1
90Y9332 Emulex 10GbE Virtual Fabric Adapter Advanced II for HS23 CFFh† 1
Converged Network Adapters
81Y1650 Brocade 2 port 10GbE Converged Network Adapter (CFFh) CFFh 1
42C1830 QLogic 2-pt 10Gb Converged Network Adapter (CFFh) CFFh 1
10 Gb Ethernet
94Y8550 10Gb LOM Interposer Card Dedicated
connector*
1
46M6168 Broadcom 10Gb Gen2 2-port Ethernet Expansion Card (CFFh) CFFh 1
46M6164 Broadcom 10Gb Gen2 4-port Ethernet Expansion Card (CFFh) CFFh 1
42C1810 Intel 10Gb 2-port Ethernet Expansion Card CFFh CFFh 1
90Y3570 Mellanox 2-port 10Gb Enet Expansion Card (CFFh) CFFh 1
1 Gb Ethernet
44W4479 2/4 Port Ethernet Expansion Card (CFFh) CFFh 1
44W4475 Ethernet Expansion Card (CIOv) CIOv 1
InfiniBand
46M6001 2-port 40Gb InfiniBand Expansion Card (CFFh) CFFh 1
† With Emulex Virtual Fabrics Adapters II for HS23 installed in a blade server, two 10 Gb Ethernet ports on the
adapter itself are routed to the chassis I/O bays 8 and 10 (unlike other CFFh cards), and two 10 Gb Ethernet ports
integrated on a blade itself are routed to the chassis I/O bays 7 and 9.
* While the 10Gb LOM Interposer card does not consume a CFFh slot, you have to remove it if you plan to install a
CFFh expansion card.

IBM BladeCenter HS23 17
Storage host bus adapters
Table 13 lists storage HBAs supported by the HS23 server.
Table 13. Storage adapters
Part
number
Description Slots
supported
Max quantity
supported
Fibre Channel
46M6140 Emulex 8Gb Fibre Channel Expansion Card (CIOv) CIOv 1
44X1940 QLogic Eth and 8Gb Fibre Channel Exp Card (CFFh) CFFh 1
44X1945 Qlogic 8Gb Fibre Channel Expansion Card (CIOv) CIOv 1
46M6065 QLogic 4Gb Fibre Channel Expansion Card (CIOv) CIOv 1
SAS
43W4068 SAS Connectivity Card (CIOv) CIOv 1
PCIe SSD adapters
The HS23 server supports the High IOPS SSD adapters listed in Table 14. The adapters must be installed
in an IBM BladeCenter PCI Express Gen 2 Expansion Blade II.
Table 14. SSD adapters
Part number Description Slots
supported
Max
quantity
46M0878 IBM 320GB High IOPS SD Class SSD PCIe
Adapter
PCI Express Gen 2 Expansion Blade II
(68Y7484)
2
For information about this adapter, see the IBM High IOPS SSD PCIe Adapters at-a-glance guide:
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/abstracts/tips0729.html?Open
Power supplies
Server power is derived from the power supplies installed in the BladeCenter chassis. There are no server
options regarding power supplies.
Integrated virtualization
The server supports VMware ESXi installed on a USB memory key. The key is installed in a USB socket
inside the server. Table 15 lists the virtualization options.
Table 15. Virtualization options
Part number Description Max quantity supported
41Y8298 IBM Blank USB Memory Key for VMWare ESXi Downloads 1
41Y8300 IBM USB Memory Key for VMWare ESXi 5.0 1

IBM BladeCenter HS23 18
Remote management
The server contains an IBM Integrated Management Module II (IMM2), which is based on the Renesas
SH7757 chip, and interfaces with the advanced management module in the BladeCenter chassis. The
combination of these provides advanced service-processor control, monitoring, and an alerting function. If
an environmental condition exceeds a threshold or if a system component fails, LEDs on the system
board are lit to help you diagnose the problem, the error is recorded in the event log, and you are alerted
to the problem. A virtual presence capability comes standard for remote server management.
Remote server management is provided through industry-standard interfaces:
Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) Version 2.0

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) Version 3

Common Information Model (CIM)

Web browser

The server also supports virtual media and remote control features, which provide the following functions:
Remotely viewing video with graphics resolutions up to 1600x1200 at 75 Hz with up to 23 bits per

pixel, regardless of the system state
Remotely accessing the server using the keyboard and mouse from a remote client

Mapping the CD or DVD drive, diskette drive, and USB flash drive on a remote client, and mapping

ISO and diskette image files as virtual drives that are available for use by the server
Uploading a diskette image to the IMM2 memory and mapping it to the server as a virtual drive

Capturing blue-screen errors

Supported operating systems
The server supports the following operating systems:
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2

Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Datacenter x86 Edition

Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Datacenter x64 Edition

Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Enterprise x86 Edition

Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Enterprise x64 Edition

Microsoft Windows Server 2008 HPC Edition

Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Standard x86 Edition

Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Standard x64 Edition

Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Web x86 Edition

Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Web x64 Edition

Windows Small Business Server 2008 Premium Edition

Windows Small Business Server 2008 Standard Edition

SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 10 for AMD64/EM64T

SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 11 for AMD64/EM64T

SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 11 with Xen for AMD64/EM64T

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Server x64 Edition

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Server with Xen x64 Edition

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 Server Edition

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 Server x64 Edition

VMware vSphere 5

See the IBM ServerProven® website for the latest information about the specific versions and service
levels supported and any other prerequisites:
http://www.ibm.com/systems/info/x86servers/serverproven/compat/us/nos/matrix.shtml

IBM BladeCenter HS23 19
Physical specifications
Dimensions and weight (approximate, for single-wide blade):
Height: 245 mm (9.7 in)

Depth: 446 mm (17.6 in)

Width: 29 mm (1.14 in)

Maximum weight: 5.4 kg (12 lb)

Shipping dimensions and weight (approximate, for single-wide blade):
Height: 330 mm (13.0 in)

Depth: 600 mm (23.5 in)

Width: 165 mm (6.5 in)

Weight: 4.2 kg (9.4 lb)

Supported environment:
Air temperature

Server on:

10 to 35 °C (50 to 95 °F); altitude: 0 to 914 m (0 to 3,000 ft)

10 to 32 °C (50 to 89.6 °F); altitude: 914 to 2133 m (3,000 to 7,000 ft)

Server off: 10 to 43 °C (50 to 109.4 °F)

Shipment: -40 to +60 °C (-40 to 140 °F)

Humidity

Server on: 8 to 80%

Server off: 8 to 80%

Warranty options
The BladeCenter HS23 has a three-year on-site warranty with 9x5 next-business-day terms. IBM offers
the warranty service upgrades through IBM ServicePac®, discussed in this section. The IBM ServicePac
is a series of prepackaged warranty maintenance upgrades and post-warranty maintenance agreements
with a well-defined scope of services, including service hours, response time, term of service, and service
agreement terms and conditions.
IBM ServicePac offerings are country-specific, that is, each country might have its own service types,
service levels, response times, and terms and conditions. Not all covered types of ServicePac might be
available in a particular country. For more information about IBM ServicePac offerings available in your
country visit the IBM ServicePac Product Selector at
https://www-304.ibm.com/sales/gss/download/spst/servicepac.

IBM BladeCenter HS23 20
Table 16 explains warranty service definitions in more detail.
Table 16. Warranty service definitions
Term Description
IBM on-site
repair (IOR)
A service technician will come to the server's location for equipment repair.
24x7x2 hour A service technician is scheduled to arrive at your customer’s location within two hours after remote
problem determination is completed. We provide 24-hour service, every day, including IBM holidays.
24x7x4 hour A service technician is scheduled to arrive at your customer’s location within four hours after remote
problem determination is completed. We provide 24-hour service, every day, including IBM holidays.
9x5x4 hour A service technician is scheduled to arrive at your customer’s location within four business hours
after remote problem determination is completed. We provide service from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in
the customer's local time zone, Monday through Friday, excluding IBM holidays. If after 1:00 p.m. it
is determined that on-site service is required, the customer can expect the service technician to
arrive the morning of the following business day. For noncritical service requests, a service
technician will arrive by the end of the following business day.
9x5 next
business day
A service technician is scheduled to arrive at your customer’s location on the business day after we
receive your call, following remote problem determination. We provide service from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00
p.m. in the customer's local time zone, Monday through Friday, excluding IBM holidays.
In general, these are the types of IBM ServicePacs:
Warranty and maintenance service upgrades

One, two, three, four, or five years of 9x5 or 24x7 service coverage

On-site repair from the next business day to four or two hours

One or two years of warranty extension

Remote technical support services

One or three years with 24x7 coverage (severity 1) or 9-5 next business day for all severities

Installation and startup support for System x servers

Remote technical support for System x servers

Software support - Support Line

Microsoft or Linux software

VMWare

IBM Director

Regulatory compliance
The server conforms to the following standards:
FCC - Verified to comply with Part 15 of the FCC Rules, Class A

Canada ICES-003, issue 4, Class A

UL/IEC 60950-1

CSA C22.2 No. 60950-1-03

Japan VCCI, Class A

Australia/New Zealand AS/NZS CISPR 22:2006, Class A

IEC 60950-1(CB Certificate and CB Test Report)

Taiwan BSMI CNS13438, Class A

Korea KN22, Class A; KN24

Russia/GOST ME01, IEC-60950-1, GOST R 51318.22-99, GOST R 51318.24-99, GOST R

51317.3.2-2006, GOST R 51317.3.3-99
IEC 60950-1 (CB Certificate and CB Test Report)
