Lenovo has announced its next-generation enterprise-class server portfolio, the ThinkServer RD550 and RD650 as well as the ThinkServer TD350, which are designed to provide flexibility and reliability for traditional and software-defined data center environments.
Lenovo has announced its next-generation enterprise-class server portfolio, the ThinkServer RD550 and RD650 as well as the ThinkServer TD350, which are designed to provide flexibility and reliability for traditional and software-defined data center environments.
The RD550 and RD650 are built with space-optimized drive trays, chassis, and system boards and provides clients with higher storage density and more I/O connectivity within standard 1U and 2U form factors. The RD550 can house up to 12 drive bays and up to 26.4TB of internal storage, making it ideal for line-of-business applications and compute-intensive workloads, while the 2U RD650 supports up to 26 drive bays and up to 74.4TB of internal capacity for storage-heavy applications, including databases, data analytics clusters, and video streaming. Both rack servers are available with hybrid chassis configurations, allowing users to configure the servers in 2.5- and 3.5-inch combinations for tiered storage environments. Two enterprise-class M.2 SSDs can be added for secure booting as well as SD card options for hypervisor booting.
ThinkServer RD550
The ThinkServer RD550 and RD650 also feature Lenovo’s new AnyFabric, AnyBay, and AnyRAID technologies. With AnyFabric, the RD550 can support many different combinations of I/O technologies, including up to four 10Gb Ethernet ports and four Fibre Channel ports, which leaves three PCIe slots available for other uses. In addition, the RD550 has the ability to support an extensive amount of network bandwidth in a single 1U server. Lenovo’s AnyBay allows for multiple storage types in the same drive bay including SAS and SATA HDDs to front-accessible PCIe SSDs. With ThinkServer AnyRAID adapters, users have advanced data protection and performance-enhancing features available to them without having to use any PCIe slots.
ThinkServer RD650
The RD550 and RD650 are equipped with next-generation Intel Xeon E5-2600 v3 series processors with up to 18 cores each. They also can support up to 768GB of DDR4 memory, which results in an increase in bandwidth of up to 50 percent and a 50 percent increase in power efficiency over last-gen DDR3 memory. Some of the standard, built-in reliability features of the two servers include ECC memory, hot-swappable HDD and SSD capability, as well as redundant power and cooling.
The TD350 is a 4U server that focuses on performance, scalability and expandability into a tower form factor and can be equipped with up to two Intel Xeon E5-2600 v3 series processors. It almost triples the memory capacity and doubles the storage capacity of the previous-generation server with up to 512GB of DDR4 memory and 90TB of internal storage capacity with either 2.5- or 3.5-inch drive configuration options in a condensed 4U package. Additionally, due to its large storage capacity and a lower cost than rack infrastructure, Lenovo indicates that the TD350 is an ideal solution for small- to mid-sized businesses running workloads such as business analytics, large database and collaborative applications.
ThinkServer TD350
The TD350 offers two enterprise-class M.2 SSDs for secure booting as internal options, comes equipped with a lockable front bezel to protect important business data from physical intrusion, and 95 percent of all parts are tool-less for simple expansion. Additionally, the TD350 provides acoustic performance that allows the server to operate very quietly.
The RD550, RD650, and TD350 use a dynamic environmental thermal design, allowing all three servers to run at 45 degrees Celsius/113 degrees Fahrenheit (ASHRAE A4) continuously with no impact on reliability. This is ideal for customers looking to run servers in harsher environments or to lower cooling expenses. All three servers are also equipped with 80 PLUS Titanium or Platinum-rated power supplies, which offers 11 percent more performance efficiency than the Gold standard.
Lenovo's ThinkServer systems offer clients access to a suite of new, intuitive lifecycle tools that help to improve seamless management, including server-embedded tools for configuration and deployment, energy management, and power planning. Partner packs for Microsoft and VMware are also available. These allow clients to manage and monitor their ThinkServer environment from VMware vCenter or Microsoft System Center Operations Manager. In addition, Lenovo Services give customers a good level of protection to help keep their businesses up and running. Optional upgraded services are also available.
Pricing and Availability
The TD350, RD550 and RD650 will be available on September 9 starting at $1,629, $1,829 and $1,929, respectively.
