ThinkSystem SD520 V4

The Lenovo ThinkSystem SD520 V4 is a one-socket server in a 2U4N multi-node form factor based on the Intel Xeon 6700-series processor. Combining the efficiency and density of blades with the value and simplicity of rack-based servers, the SD520 V4 delivers a cost-efficient scale-out platform that is thermally designed to deliver maximum performance in the smallest footprint. The solution consists of a 2U ThinkSystem D3 V2 Chassis containing up to four front-access SD520 V4 servers (nodes).

The SD520 V4 is designed for high density and scale-out workloads in various customer segments including cloud service providers (CSP) and telecommunication industry customers.

The following figure shows four ThinkSystem SD520 V4 servers installed in a D3 V2 Chassis.

The Lenovo ThinkSystem SD520 V4 server supports one processor from the Intel Xeon 6700-series with E-cores. Up to four SD520 V4 servers can be installed in the D3 V2 Chassis. Each server has its own fans to ensure proper cooling for installed components, and its own networking to ensure maximum performance.

The front-accessible design optimized for best-in-class thermal capabilities provides a dense, flexible solution with a low TCO. The half-wide server is designed for data centers that require high performance but are constrained by floor space.

The ThinkSystem D3 V2 Chassis is an efficient, 2U rack mount enclosure with no built-in networking or switching capabilities; therefore, it requires no enclosure-level management. Sensibly designed to provide shared, high-efficiency power for housed servers, the D3 V2 Chassis is designed to scale with your business needs.

Scalability and performance

The SD520 V4 server offers numerous features to boost performance, improve scalability, and reduce costs:

• Each SD520 V4 server supports one Intel Xeon 6700-series processor, 8 TruDDR5 DIMMs, a PCIe 5.0 x16 slot plus an OCP 3.0 slot for high-speed I/O, and six 2.5-inch hot-swap drive bays, all in a half-wide 1U form factor.
• Up to 4 SD520 V4 servers are installed in the D3 V2 Chassis, occupying only 2U of rack space. It is a highly dense and scalable offering.
• Supports one Intel Xeon 6700-series processor with Efficient-cores (E-cores)
• Up to 144 cores
• Core speeds of up to 2.4 GHz
• TDP ratings of up to 330 W
• Support for DDR5 memory DIMMs to maximize the performance of the memory subsystem:
• Up to 8 DIMMs each with its own memory channel to the processor (1 DIMM per channel)
• Memory operates at 6400 MHz
• Using 64GB RDIMMs, the server supports up to 512GB of system memory
• Planned support for Compute Express Link (CXL) memory DIMMs in an E3.S 2T form factor. With CXL 2.0 for next-generation workloads, you can reduce compute latency in the data center and lower TCO. CXL is a protocol that runs across the standard PCIe physical layer and can support both standard PCIe devices as well as CXL devices on the same link. (planned for 1Q/2025)
• Each SD520 V4 server supports six 2.5-inch hot-swap SSDs, either SAS, SATA, or NVMe. NVMe drives each have a PCIe 5.0 x4 interface which maximizes I/O performance in terms of throughput, bandwidth, and latency.
• Supports up to four M.2 drives for convenient operating system boot or OS-based storage functions. Buit-in RAID-1 redundancy on two drives. Optional RAID-1 redundancy on the other two drives using Intel VROC RAID.
• The server has a dedicated industry-standard OCP 3.0 slot, with a PCIe 5.0 x16 interface, supporting a variety of Ethernet network adapters. A simple-swap mechanism with a thumbscrew and pull-tab enables tool-less installation and removal of the adapter. The adapter supports shared BMC network sideband connectivity (NC-SI) to enable out-of-band systems management.
• One PCIe 5.0 x16 low profile half-length slot is supported, providing support for a variety of high-speed network and storage adapters.
• The server offers PCI Express 5.0 I/O expansion capabilities that doubles the theoretical maximum bandwidth of PCIe 4.0 (32GT/s in each direction for PCIe Gen 5, compared to 16 GT/s with PCIe Gen 4 and 8 GT/s with PCIe Gen 3). A PCIe 5.0 x16 slot provides 128 GB/s bandwidth, enough to support a dual-port 200GbE network connection.

Availability and serviceability

The SD520 V4 server and the D3 V2 Chassis provide many features to simplify serviceability and increase system uptime:

• Designed to run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
• The server offers Single Device Data Correction (SDDC, also known as Chipkill), Adaptive Double-Device Data Correction (ADDDC, also known as Redundant Bit Steering or RBS), and memory mirroring for redundancy in the event of a non-correctable memory failure.
• The server offers hot-swap drives, supporting RAID-1 redundancy (using Intel VROC) for data protection and greater system uptime.
• Two of the four M.2 drives, are mounted on an M.2 adapter with built-in RAID-1 support. The other two M.2 drives are mounted in an onboard connector with RAID-1 support using Intel VROC.
• The D3 V2 Chassis supports three hot-swap power supplies which are N+1 redundant to provide availability for business-critical applications.
• Toolless access to upgrades and serviceable parts, such as fans, adapters, CPUs, and memory.
• Proactive Platform Alerts (including PFA and SMART alerts): Processors, voltage regulators, memory, internal storage (E3.S SSDs and M.2 storage ), fans, power supplies, and server ambient and sub-component temperatures. Alerts can be surfaced through the XClarity Controller (XCC) to managers such as Lenovo XClarity Administrator, VMware vCenter, and Microsoft System Center. These proactive alerts let you take appropriate actions in advance of possible failure, thereby increasing server uptime and application availability.
• The built-in XClarity Controller continuously monitors system parameters, triggers alerts, and performs recovery actions in case of failures to minimize downtime.
• Built-in diagnostics in UEFI, using Lenovo XClarity Provisioning Manager, speed up troubleshooting tasks to reduce service time.
• Lenovo XClarity Provisioning Manager supports diagnostics and can save service data to a USB key drive or remote CIFS share folder for troubleshooting and reduce service time.
• Auto restart in the event of a momentary loss of AC power (based on power policy setting in the XClarity Controller service processor)
• Offers a diagnostics port on the front of the server to allow you to attach an external diagnostics handset for enhanced systems management capabilities.
• Support for the XClarity Administrator Mobile app running on a supported smartphone or tablet and connected to the server through the service-enabled USB port, enables additional local systems management functions.
• Three-year or one-year customer-replaceable unit and onsite limited warranty (varies by geography), 9 x 5 next business day. Optional service upgrades are available.

Manageability and security

Powerful systems management features simplify local and remote management of the SD520 V4:

• The server includes XClarity Controller 3 (XCC3) to monitor server availability. Optional upgrade to XCC3 Premier to provide remote control (keyboard video mouse) functions, support for the mounting of remote media files (ISO and IMG image files), boot capture and power capping. XCC3 Premier also offers additional features such as Neighbor Groups, System Guard, a CNSA-compliant security mode, a FIPS 140-3-compliant mode, and enhanced NIST 800-193 support.
• Dedicated Ethernet port at the rear of the server for remote management (BMC management).
• Lenovo XClarity Administrator offers comprehensive hardware management tools that help to increase uptime, reduce costs and improve productivity through advanced server management capabilities.
• UEFI-based Lenovo XClarity Provisioning Manager, accessible from F1 during boot, provides system inventory information, graphical UEFI Setup, platform update function, RAID Setup wizard, operating system installation function, and diagnostic functions.
• Support for Lenovo XClarity Energy Manager, which captures real-time power and temperature data from the server and provides automated controls to lower energy costs.
• An integrated industry-standard Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) enables improved setup, configuration, and updates, and simplifies error handling.
• Support for industry standard management protocols, IPMI 2.0, SNMP 3.0, Redfish REST API, serial console via IPMI
• An integrated hardware Trusted Platform Module (TPM) supporting TPM 2.0 enables advanced cryptographic functionality, such as digital signatures and remote attestation.
• Administrator and power-on passwords help protect from unauthorized access to the server.
• Supports Secure Boot to ensure only a digitally signed operating system can be used. Supported with the E3.S and M.2 drives.
• Industry-standard Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) NI support for faster, stronger encryption.
• Intel Execute Disable Bit functionality can prevent certain classes of malicious buffer overflow attacks when combined with a supported 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.

Energy efficiency

The SD520 V4 and the D3 V2 Chassis offer the following energy efficiency features to save energy, reduce operational costs, increase energy availability, and contribute to a green environment:

• ASHRAE A2 compliance for certain configurations to enable operation in 35°C datacenters
• Energy-efficient planar components help lower operational costs.
• High-efficiency power supplies with 80 PLUS Titanium certifications.
• Next Generation Lenovo Neptune™ Thermal Transfer Module for efficient air cooling of the CPUs.
• Intel Intelligent Power Capability powers individual processor elements on and off as needed to reduce power draw.
• Optional Lenovo XClarity Energy Manager provide advanced data center power notification, analysis, and policy-based management to help achieve lower heat output and reduced cooling needs