Lenovo ThinkSystem SR860 Server

Description

The Lenovo ThinkSystem SR860 server comes with all of the advanced features and capabilities of the SR850 server, plus support for four full-height, single-width GPUs or two double-wide GPUs. Featuring a built-in Lenovo XClarity Controller to manage the system, the server can support up to four processors and 48 DIMMs, as well as mix and match storage and enterprise-grade systems administration. The machine is built to power through a wide range of workloads, all in a 4U form factor.

Performance

First and second-generation Gold and Platinum level processors in the Intel Xeon Scalable family are supported on the Lenovo SR860 server, but more features are available with the 14nm, 2nd Gen CPU. In fact, 2nd generation CPUs deliver a 36% total performance gain over the first generation. It can scale from two to four powerful Intel Xeon CPUs through a CPU mezzanine tray, easily installed by the customer. This enables a quick and easy "pay as you grow" upgrade for adding processors and memory. The 4-socket system features 28 cores and 56 threads per processor, for a total of 112 cores and 224 threads between all CPUs. Each processor also supports a TDP rating of up to 205W with core speeds clocking in at 3.8GHz. The CPUs are connected via Intel’s Ultra Path Interconnect (UPI) links at 10.4 GT/s. When two processors are installed, they are linked together via a single UPI link. With four processors deployed, a ring topology is used to connect them via two UPI linkages, one to each neighboring processor in the ring.

Memory

Each Intel CPU supports 6x DDR4 memory channels with 12x memory module slots. The CPUs also support 48x PCIe 3.0 I/O lanes for a total of 192 PCIe lanes in a 4-processor configuration. When all DIMM slots are populated using 3DS registered DIMM modules, the system can support up to 6TB of memory running at 2933MHz. With Persistent Memory in AppDirect mode, up to 15TB of memory is supported when 24x Intel DC Persistent memory modules and 24x 3DS RDIMMs are installed. Intel Optane DC Persistent Memory is a modern, flexible memory tier built exclusively for data center workloads that provide an unprecedented mix of high capacity, low cost, and durability. This technology has a significant impact on real-world data center operations with restart times reduced from minutes to seconds.

Storage

The ThinkSystem SR860 has space up front for 16x 2.5-inch drive bays. 8x of those bays can be configured as AnyBay to accommodate SAS, SATA or NVMe storage devices in the same bay. This eliminates the need for bays dedicated to HDDs/SSDs or U.2 NVMe drives. By eliminating PCIe switch adapters and bypassing the SAS bus, four direct motherboard connections each support 2x U.2 NVMe storage devices to deliver ultra-fast read and writes, plus lower prices. In addition to the drive bays on the front of the chassis, an M.2 adapter can be installed towards the rear of the platform. The M.2 adapter supports 1x drive or 2x drives in mirror mode for redundancy. M.2 drives provide rapid OS boot that’s faster and more secure than USB or SD cards. This is a flexible and scalable server to meet the needs of any growing business as demands increase.

Expansion

Under the hood, the Lenovo SR860 server supports up to 2x double-wide, high-performance GPUs, with one in each optional x16 slot riser. The ThinkSystem offers space for dual NVIDIA Tesla V100 32GB PCIe passive graphics cards with up to 300W each. If a single GPU is installed, an 1100W power supply or larger must be installed, meanwhile a 1600W power supply or larger must be installed if 2x GPUs are used. These GPUs are each mounted on x16 risers, which must be ordered separately. There are a total of up to 13x PCIe slots accessible through the rear of the chassis. This includes 11x general-purpose PCIe 3.0 slots, plus a slot dedicated to the LOM adapter and another for the M.2 adapter.

Management

To reduce downtime, Lenovo’s built-in XClarity Controller (XCC) continuously checks system parameters, sends alerts, and conducts recovery steps in the event of failures. The server features a USB 2.0 port on the front panel that supports XClarity Mobile on any iOS or Android device. In addition, the rear of the chassis sports a dedicated ethernet port for XCC remote management. In case a component fails, each has an LED to instantly identify which needs to be replaced for faster serviceability and reduced downtime.

Summary

As a 4-socket, 4U form factor system, the Lenovo ThinkSystem SR860 supports 1st or 2nd generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors with up to 28 cores each. These CPUs power up to 2x high-performance GPUs, 48x DIMMs, and 16x 2.5” storage devices. Built for virtualization, dense computing, and scientific applications, the flexible system is able to keep pace with data growth in any industry.