IBM PureFlex System and IBM Flex System Products and Technology

150 IBM PureFlex System and IBM Flex System Products and Technology

For more information about the Intel Xeon E5-2600 series processors, see:

http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/processors/xeon/xeon-processor-5000-sequenc

e.html

5.2.6 Memory

The x240 has 12 DIMM sockets per processor (24 DIMMs in total) running at either 800,

1066, 1333, or 1600 MHz. It supports 2 GB, 4 GB, 8 GB, 16 GB, and 32 GB memory

modules, as listed in Table 5-10 on page 154.

The x240 with the Intel Xeon E5-2600 series processors can support up to 768 GB of

memory in total when using 32 GB LRDIMMs with both processors installed. The x240 uses

double data rate type 3 (DDR3) LP DIMMs. You can use registered DIMMs (RDIMMs),

unbuffered DIMMs (UDIMMs) or load-reduced DIMMs (LRDIMMs). However, the mixing of

the different memory DIMM types is not supported.

The E5-2600 series processor has four memory channels, and each memory channel can

have up to three DIMMs. Figure 5-8 shows the E5-2600 series and the four memory

channels.

Figure 5-8 The Intel Xeon E5-2600 series processor and the four memory channels

Memory subsystem overview

Table 5-8 summarizes some of the characteristics of the x240 memory subsystem. Details on

all these characteristics are explained in detail in the following sections.

Table 5-8 Memory subsystem characteristics of the x240

81Y5189 A1CZ Intel Xeon Processor E5-2667 6C 2.9 GHz 15 MB Cache 1600 MHz 130 W Q2x

81Y9418 A1SX Intel Xeon Processor E5-2670 8C 2.6 GHz 20 MB Cache 1600 MHz 115 W J1x

81Y5188 A1D9 Intel Xeon Processor E5-2680 8C 2.7 GHz 20 MB Cache 1600 MHz 130 W M1x, M2x

49Y8116 A2ER Intel Xeon Processor E5-2690 8C 2.9 GHz 20 MB Cache 1600 MHz 135 W R2x

Part number Feature Description Where used

Memory subsystem characteristic IBM Flex System x240 Compute Node

Number of memory channels per

processor

4

Supported DIMM voltages Low voltage (1.35V)

Standard voltage (1.5V)

Intel Xeon

E5-2600

processor

DIMM 10

DIMM 11

DIMM 3

DIMM 2

Channel 1 Channel 3

DIMM 1 DIMM 12

DIMM 9

DIMM 8

DIMM 4

DIMM 5

Channel 0

Channel 2

DIMM 6 DIMM 7

151

Maximum number of DIMMs per

channel (DPC)

3 (using 1.5V DIMMs)

2 (using 1.35V DIMMs)

DIMM slot maximum One processor: 12

Two processor: 24

Mixing of memory types (RDIMMS,

UDIMMS, LRDIMMs)

Not supported in any configuration

Mixing of memory speeds Supported; lowest common speed for all installed DIMMs

Mixing of DIMM voltage ratings Supported; all 1.35V will run at 1.5V

Registered DIMM (RDIMM) modules

Supported memory sizes 16, 8, 4, and 2 GB

Supported memory speeds 1600, 1333, 1066, and 800 MHz

Maximum system capacity 384 GB (24 x 16 GB)

Maximum memory speed 1.35V @ 2DPC: 1333 MHz

1.5V @ 2DPC: 1600 MHz

1.5V @ 3DPC: 1066 MHz

Maximum ranks per channel

(any memory voltage)

8

Maximum number of DIMMs One processor: 12

Two processor: 24

Unbuffered DIMM (UDIMM) modules

Supported memory sizes 4 GB

Supported memory speeds 1333 MHz

Maximum system capacity 64 GB (16 x 4 GB)

Maximum memory speed 1.35V @ 2DPC: 1333 MHz

1.5V @ 2DPC: 1333 MHz

1.35V or 1.5V @ 3DPC: Not supported

Maximum ranks per channel

(any memory voltage)

8

Maximum number of DIMMs One processor: 8

Two processor: 16

Load-reduced (LRDIMM) modules

Supported sizes 32 and 16 GB

Maximum capacity 768 GB (24 x 32 GB)

Supported speeds 1333 and 1066 MHz

Maximum memory speed 1.35V @ 2DPC: 1066 MHz

1.5V @ 2DPC: 1333 MHz

1.35V or 1.5V @ 3DPC: 1066 MHz

Maximum ranks per channel

(any memory voltage)

8

a

Memory subsystem characteristic IBM Flex System x240 Compute Node

152 IBM PureFlex System and IBM Flex System Products and Technology

Figure 5-9 shows the location of the 24 memory DIMM sockets on the x240 system board and

other components.

Figure 5-9 DIMM layout on the x240 system board

Table 5-9 lists which DIMM connectors belong to which processor memory channel.

Table 5-9 The DIMM connectors for each processor memory channel

Maximum number of DIMMs One processor: 12

Two processor: 24

a. Due to reduced electrical loading, a 4R (four-rank) LRDIMM has the equivalent load of a

two-rank RDIMM. This reduced load allows the x240 to support three 4R LRDIMMs per channel

(instead of two as with UDIMMs and RDIMMs). For more information, see “Memory types” on

page 153.

Tip: When an unsupported memory configuration is detected, the IMM illuminates the

“DIMM mismatch” light path error LED and the system will not boot. Examples of a DIMM

mismatch error are:

򐂰 Mixing of RDIMMs, UDIMMs, or LRDIMMs in the system

򐂰 Not adhering to the DIMM population rules

In some cases, the error log points to the DIMM slots that are mismatched.

Memory subsystem characteristic IBM Flex System x240 Compute Node

DIMMs 13-18 DIMMs 1-6

Microprocessor 1

I/O expansion 1

LOM connector

(some models only)

I/O expansion 2

DIMMs 19-24 DIMMs 7-12

Microprocessor 2

Processor Memory channel DIMM connector

Processor 1

Channel 0 4, 5, and 6

Channel 1 1, 2, and 3

Channel 2 7, 8, and 9

Channel 3 10, 11, and 12