Lenovo ThinkSystem SR650 V3 Server

The Lenovo ThinkSystem SR650 V3 is an ideal 2-socket 2U rack server for small businesses up to large enterprises that need industry-leading reliability, management, and security, as well as maximizing performance and flexibility for future growth. The SR650 V3 is based on the new 4th generation Intel Xeon Scalable processor family (formerly codenamed "Sapphire Rapids").

The SR650 V3 is designed to handle a wide range of workloads, such as databases, virtualization and cloud computing, virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), infrastructure security, systems management, enterprise applications, collaboration/email, streaming media, web, and HPC.

Figure 1. Lenovo ThinkSystem SR650 V3 with 2.5-inch front drive bays (3.5-inch drive configurations also available)

The SR650 V3 server has been designed to take advantage of the features of the 4th generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors, such as the full performance of 350W 60-core processors, support for 4800 MHz memory and PCIe Gen 5.0 support. The SR650 V3 is a very configuration-rich offering, supporting more than 30 different drive bay configurations in the front, middle and rear of the server and 5 different slot configurations at the rear of the server. This level of flexibility ensures that you can configure the server to meet the needs of your workload.

Combining performance and flexibility, the SR650 V3 server is a great choice for enterprises of all sizes. The server offers a broad selection of drive and slot configurations and offers numerous high performance features. Outstanding reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS) and high-efficiency design can improve your business environment and can help save operational costs.

Scalability and performance

The SR650 V3 offers numerous features to boost performance, improve scalability and reduce costs: 

• Supports one or two fourth-generation Intel Xeon Processor Scalable processors
  • Up to 60 cores and 120 threads
  • Core speeds of up to 3.7 GHz
  • TDP ratings of up to 350 W
• Support for DDR5 memory DIMMs to maximize the performance of the memory subsystem:
  • Up to 32 DDR5 memory DIMMs, 16 DIMMs per processor
  • 8 memory channels per processor (2 DIMMs per channel)
  • Supports 1 DIMM per channel operating at 4800 MHz
  • Supports 2 DIMMs per channel operating at 4400 MHz
  • Using 256GB 3DS RDIMMs, the server supports up to 8TB of system memory
• Supports the new Intel Optane Persistent Memory 300 Series for advanced in-memory database applications, dense-virtualization; up to 16 PMem Modules can be installed in conjunction with regular system memory.
• Supports up to eight single-width GPUs or three double-wide GPUs, for substantial processing power in a 2U system.
• The server is Compute Express Linsk (CXL) v1.1 Ready. With CXL 1.1 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.
• Supports up to 40x 2.5-inch hot-swap drive bays, by using combinations of front-accessible (up to 24 bays), mid bays (8 bays) and rear-accessible (8 bays).
• Supports 20x 3.5-inch drive bays for lower-cost high-capacity HDD storage. 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch drive bays can be mixed if desired.
• Supports 36x NVMe drives without oversubscription of PCIe lanes (1:1 connectivity). The use of NVMe drives maximizes drive I/O performance, in terms of throughput and latency.
• Supports 14x SATA drives using the onboard SATA controller (no additional adapter needed), enabling lower cost, high capacity storage solution for cold or archival storage workloads.

• Supports high-speed RAID controllers from Broadcom providing 12 Gb SAS connectivity to the drive backplanes. A variety of PCIe 3.0 and PCIe 4.0 RAID adapters are available.
• Supports up to two externally accessible 7mm hot-swap drives for operating system boot functions. Optional RAID with the use of Intel VROC.
• Supports M.2 drives for convenient operating system boot functions or data storage. Available M.2 adapters support either one M.2 drive or two M.2 drives. Optional RAID with the use of Intel VROC.
• Up to 12x PCIe slots (10x rear, 2x front), plus a slot dedicated to an OCP 3.0 adapter. 2.5-inch drive configurations also support an additional internal bay for a cabled RAID adapter or HBA.
• The server has a dedicated industry-standard OCP 3.0 small form factor (SFF) 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 to enable out-of-band systems management.
• 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 SR650 V3 provides 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. Note: ADDDC in not supported with 9x4 RDIMMs.
• The server offers hot-swap drives, supporting RAID redundancy for data protection and greater system uptime.
• Available M.2 adapters support RAID-1 (using Intel VROC) which can enable two SATA or two NVMe M.2 drives to be configured as a redundant pair.
• The server has up to two hot-swap redundant power supplies and up to six hot-swap redundant fans to provide availability for business-critical applications.
• Optional front-accessible slots and drives so that most major components and cables (except power) are located at the front of the server
• The light path diagnostics feature uses LEDs to lead the technician to failed (or failing) components, which simplifies servicing, speeds up problem resolution, and helps improve system availability.
• Solid-state drives (SSDs) offer more reliability and performance than traditional mechanical HDDs for greater uptime.
• Proactive Platform Alerts (including PFA and SMART alerts): Processors, voltage regulators, memory, internal storage (SAS/SATA HDDs and SSDs, NVMe SSDs, M.2 storage, flash storage adapters), fans, power supplies, RAID controllers, server ambient and subcomponent temperatures. Alerts can be surfaced through the XClarity Controller 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

Systems management features simplify local and remote management of the SR650 V3:

• The server includes XClarity Controller 2 (XCC2) to monitor server availability. Optional upgrade to XCC Platinum to provide remote control (keyboard video mouse) functions, support for the mounting of remote media files (ISO and IMG image files), boot capture, power capping and new XCC2 Platinum features. New XCC2 Platinum features include System Guard, new security modes including a CNSA-compliant mode, a FIPS 140-3-compliant mode and enhanced NIST 800-193 support, and a new Neighbor Group feature.
• 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 HDDs and SSDs, as well as 7mm 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.
• Additional physical security features are an available chassis intrusion switch and available lockable front bezel.

Energy efficiency

The SR650 V3 offers the following energy-efficiency features to save energy, reduce operational costs, and increase energy availability:

• The server supports an advanced direct-water cooling (DWC) capability with the Lenovo Neptune Processor DWC Module, where heat from the processors is removed from the rack and the data center using an open loop and coolant distribution units, resulting in lower energy costs
• Energy-efficient system board components help lower operational costs.
• High-efficiency power supplies with 80 PLUS Platinum and Titanium certifications
• Solid-state drives (SSDs) consume as much as 80% less power than traditional spinning 2.5-inch HDDs.
• The server uses hexagonal ventilation holes, which can be grouped more densely than round holes, providing more efficient airflow through the system and thus keeping your system cooler.
• Optional Lenovo XClarity Energy Manager provides advanced data center power notification, analysis, and policy-based management to help achieve lower heat output and reduced cooling needs.

The ThinkSystem SR650 V3 improves on the previous generation SR650 V2, as summarized in the following table.

For details on the front ports, including the optional front VGA port and optional external diagnostic port, see the Local management section.

The following figure shows the architectural block diagram of the SR650 V3, showing the major components and their connections.

Figure 6. SR650 V3 system architectural block diagram

The following table lists the standard specifications.

ThinkSystem SR650 V3 models can be configured by using the Lenovo Data Center Solution Configurator (DCSC).

Topics in this section:

• CTO models
• CTO models for Windows 10 and Windows 11
• CTO models for NVIDIA Bluefield SmartNIC DPUs
• Base feature codes
• Preconfigured models

CTO models

ThinkSystem SR650 V3 models can be configured by using the Lenovo Data Center Solution Configurator (DCSC).

Configure-to-order (CTO) models are used to create models with factory-integrated server customizations. For CTO models, two base CTO models are available for the SR650 V3 as listed in the following table, CTO1WW and CTOLWW:

• The CTO1WW base CTO model is for general business and is selectable by choosing General Purpose mode in DCSC.
• The CTOLWW base model is intended for High Performance Computing (HPC) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) configurations and solutions, including configurations for Lenovo Scalable Infrastructure (LeSI), and is enabled using either the HPC & AI LeSI Solutions mode or HPC & AI Hardware mode in DCSC. CTOLWW configurations can also be built using System x and Cluster Solutions Configurator (x-config).

Preconfigured server models may also be available for the SR650 V3, however these are region-specific; that is, each region may define their own server models, and not all server models are available in every region.

The following table lists the base CTO models of the ThinkSystem SR650 V3 server.

CTO models for Windows 10 and Windows 11

The SR650 V3 can run Windows 10 and Windows 11, however only a subset of adapters and drives can be installed. For ease of configuration, the following Base CTO models have been announced to assist building a configuration that can be used with the client operating systems. For more information, see the Windows 10 and Windows 11 section.

CTO models for NVIDIA Bluefield SmartNIC DPUs

The SR650 V3 supports the new VMware vSphere Distributed Services Engine (DSE) using the NVIDIA Bluefield SmartNIC Data Processing Unit (DPU). This solution improves the performance of VMware vSphere by offloading tasks from server CPUs to the DPU thereby making data center applications more efficient.

For more information, see the DPU adapter section.

Base feature codes

Models of the SR650 V3 are defined based on whether the server has 2.5-inch drive bays at the front (called the 2.5-inch chassis) or whether it has 3.5-inch drive bays at the front (called the 3.5-inch chassis). For models, the feature codes for these chassis bases are as listed in the following table.

Preconfigured models

The following tables list the available preconfigured models, grouped by region.

• Models for Asia Pacific region
• Models for Australia and New Zealand
• Models for Brazil
• Models for China
• Models for EMEA region
• Models for India
• Models for Japan
• Models for Latin American countries (except Brazil)

Refer to the Specifications section for information about standard features of the server.

The SR650 V3 supports processors in the 4th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable Processor family. The server supports one or two processors.

Topics in this section:

• Processor options
• Processor features
• Intel On Demand feature licensing
• One-processor configurations
• Thermal requirements for processors
• Lenovo Neptune Processor DWC Module - Open-loop liquid cooling
• UEFI operating modes

Configuration notes:

• Processor options include a heatsink but do not include a system fan

• Intel Dynamic Load Balancer (Intel DLB)

  Improve the system performance related to handling network data on multi-core Intel Xeon Scalable processors. Intel Dynamic Load Balancer (Intel DLB) enables the efficient distribution of network processing across multiple CPU cores/threads and dynamically distributes network data across multiple CPU cores for processing as the system load varies. Intel DLB also restores the order of networking data packets processed simultaneously on CPU cores.

• Intel Data Streaming Accelerator (Intel DSA)

  Drive high performance for storage, networking, and data-intensive workloads by improving streaming data movement and transformation operations. Intel Data Streaming Accelerator (Intel DSA) is designed to offload the most common data movement tasks that cause overhead in data center-scale deployments. Intel DSA helps speed up data movement across the CPU, memory, and caches, as well as all attached memory, storage, and network devices.

• Intel In-Memory Analytics Accelerator (Intel IAA)

  Run database and analytics workloads faster, with potentially greater power efficiency. Intel In-Memory Analytics Accelerator (Intel IAA) increases query throughput and decreases the memory footprint for in-memory database and big data analytics workloads. Intel IAA is ideal for in-memory databases, open source databases and data stores like RocksDB, Redis, Cassandra, and MySQL.

The processors also support a separate and encrypted memory space, known as the SGX Enclave, for use by Intel Software Guard Extensions (SGX). The size of the SGX Enclave supported varies by processor model. Intel SGX offers hardware-based memory encryption that isolates specific application code and data in memory. It allows user-level code to allocate private regions of memory (enclaves) which are designed to be protected from processes running at higher privilege levels.

The following table summarizes the key features of all supported 4th Gen processors in the SR650 V3.

Intel On Demand feature licensing

Intel On Demand is a licensing offering from Lenovo for certain 4th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors that implements software-defined silicon (SDSi) features. The licenses allow customers to activate the embedded accelerators and to increase the SGX Enclave size in specific processor models as their workload and business needs change.

The available upgrades are the following:

• Up to 4x QuickAssist Technology (Intel QAT) accelerators
• Up to 4x Intel Dynamic Load Balancer (Intel DLB) accelerators
• Up to 4x Intel Data Streaming Accelerator (Intel DSA) accelerators
• Up to 4x Intel In-Memory Analytics Accelerator (Intel IAA) accelerators
• 512GB SGX Enclave, an encrypted memory space for use by Intel Software Guard Extensions (SGX)

See the Processor features section for a brief description of each accelerator and the SGX Enclave.

The following table lists the ordering information for the licenses. Accelerator licenses are bundled together based on the suitable workloads each would benefit with the additional accelerators.

Licenses can be activated in the factory (CTO orders) using feature codes, or as field upgrades using the option part numbers. With the field upgrades, they allow customers to only activate the accelerators or to increase the SGX Enclave size when their applications can best take advantage of them.

Intel On Demand is licensed on individual processors. For servers with two processors, customers will need a license for each processor and the licenses of the two processors must match. If customers add a second processor as a field upgrade, then you must ensure that the Intel On Demand licenses match the first processor.

Each license enables a certain quantity of embedded accelerators - the total number of accelerators available after activation is listed in the table. For example, Intel On Demand Communications & Storage Suite 4 (4L47A89451), once applied to the server, will result in a total of 4x QAT, 4x DLB and 4x DSA accelerators to be enabled the processor. The number of IAA accelerators is unchanged in this example.

The following table lists the 4th Gen processors that support Intel on Demand. The table shows the default accelerators and default SGX Enclave size, and it shows (with green highlight) what the total new accelerators and SGX Enclave would be once the Intel On Demand features have been activated.

Configuration rules:

• Not all processors support Intel On Demand upgrades - see the table for those that do not support Intel On Demand
• Upgrades can be performed in the factory (feature codes) or in the field (part numbers) but not both, and only one time
• Upgrades cannot be removed once activated
• SGX Enclave upgrades are independent of the accelerator upgrades; install either or both as desired
• For processors that support more than one upgrade, all upgrades must be performed at the same time
• Only one of each type of upgrade can be applied to a processor (eg 2x BX9A is not supported; 4x BX9B is not supported)
• The number of accelerators listed for each upgrade is the number of accelerators that will be active one the upgrade is complete (ie the total number, not the number to be added)
• If a server has two processors, then two feature codes must be selected, one for each processor. The upgrades on the two processors must be identical.
• If a one-processor server with Intel On Demand features activated on it has a 2nd processor added as a field upgrade, the 2nd processor must also have the same features activated by purchasing the appropriate part numbers.

One-processor configurations

The SR650 V3 can be used with only one processor installed. Most core functions of the server (including the XClarity Controller) are connected to processor 1 as shown in the System architecture section.

Thermal requirements for processors

For thermal requirements for processors, see the Thermal Rules section in the Information Center for the SR650 V3:
https://pubs.lenovo.com/sr650-v3/thermal_rules

Lenovo Neptune Processor DWC Module - Open-loop liquid cooling

The SR650 V3 also supports advanced direct-water cooling (DWC) capability with the Lenovo Neptune Processor DWC Module. This module implements a liquid cooling solution where heat from the processors is removed from the rack and the data center using an open loop and coolant distrubution units. The liquid used in the loop is a mixture of water and ethylene glycol (EGW).

With the Neptune Processor DWC Module, all heat generated by the processors is removed from the server using water. This means that the server fans and data center air conditioning units only need to remove the heat generated by the other components. This results in lower air conditioning costs and it enables the use of slower fans which results in lower overall power consumption.

Typical power saving of 23% (up to 9.9KW per rack) are possible, based on 18x SR650 V3 servers in a rack (DC level PUE weighted) at 30°C ambient temperature. Power savings are configuration dependent.

The following figure shows the Lenovo Neptune Processor DWC Module.

Figure 7. Lenovo Neptune Processor DWC Module

The Neptune Processor DWC Module also includes a leak detection module which can detect a leakage of more than 0.5ml (about 10 drops) along the length of the tube and then issue an event to the XClarity Controller. XCC will then post an error to the System Event Log and enable further actions. Once the liquid evaporates, a further event is issue to XCC.

The Neptune Processor DWC Module is only available in CTO orders, not as a field upgrade. Ordering information is listed in the following table.

The SR650 V3 uses Lenovo TruDDR5 memory operating at up to 4800 MHz. The server supports up to 32 DIMMs with 2 processors. The processors have 8 memory channels and support 2 DIMMs per channel (DPC). The server supports up to 8TB of memory using 32x 256GB 3DS RDIMMs and two processors.

DIMMs operate at up to 4800 MHz at 1 DPC and up to 4400 MHz at 2 DPC, depending on the memory bus speed of the processor selected. See the Processor features section for specifics.

Lenovo TruDDR5 memory uses the highest quality components that are sourced from Tier 1 DRAM suppliers and only memory that meets the strict requirements of Lenovo is selected. It is compatibility tested and tuned to maximize performance and reliability. From a service and support standpoint, Lenovo TruDDR5 memory automatically assumes the system warranty, and Lenovo provides service and support worldwide.

The following table lists the 4800 MHz memory options that are currently supported by the SR650 V3.

9x4 RDIMMs (also known as EC4 RDIMMs) are a new lower-cost DDR5 memory option supported in ThinkSystem V3 servers. 9x4 DIMMs offer the same performance as standard RDIMMs (known as 10x4 or EC8 modules), however they support lower fault-tolerance characteristics. Standard RDIMMs and 3DS RDIMMs support two 40-bit subchannels (that is, a total of 80 bits), whereas 9x4 RDIMMs support two 36-bit subchannels (a total of 72 bits). The extra bits in the subchannels allow standard RDIMMs and 3DS RDIMMs to support Single Device Data Correction (SDDC), however 9x4 RDIMMs do not support SDDC. Note, however, that all DDR5 DIMMs, including 9x4 RDIMMs, support Bounded Fault correction, which enables the server to correct most common types of DRAM failures.

For more information on DDR5 memory, see the Lenovo Press paper, Introduction to DDR5 Memory, available from https://lenovopress.com/lp1618.

The following rules apply when selecting the memory configuration:

• The SR650 V3 only supports quantities of 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, or 16 DIMMs per processor; other quantities not supported
• DIMMs operate at up to 4800 MHz at 1 DIMM per channel and up to 4400 MHz at 2 DIMMs per channel
• The server supports three types of DIMMs: 9x4 RDIMMs, RDIMMs, and 3DS RDIMMs; UDIMMs and LRDIMMs are not supported
• Mixing of DIMM types is not supported (9x4 DIMMs with 10x4 RDIMMs, 9x4 DIMMs with 3DS RDIMMs, 10x4 RDIMMs with 3DS RDIMMs)
• The mixing of 128GB 3DS RDIMMs and 256GB 3DS RDIMMs is supported, however all DIMM slots must be populated evenly: 8x 128GB DIMMs and 8x 256GB DIMMs per processor
• Mixing x4 and x8 DIMMs is not supported
• Mixing of DIMM rank counts is supported. Follow the required installation order installing the DIMMs with the higher rank counts first.
• Mixing of DIMM capacities is supported, however only two different capacities are supported across all channels of the processor. Follow the required installation order installing the larger DIMMs first.

• Mixing of 256GB 3DS RDIMMs (features BZPM and BNF8) is not supported
• The use of the 128GB 3D RDIMM feature BY8F has the following requirements for thermal reasons:
  • If the front drive bays are 12x 3.5-inch, then middle and rear drive bays are not supported
  • Additional ambient temperature requirements - see https://pubs.lenovo.com/sr650-v3/thermal_rules for information

For best performance, consider the following:

See the Lenovo Press article "RAS Features of the Lenovo ThinkSystem Intel Servers" for more information about memory RAS features: https://lenovopress.lenovo.com/lp1711-ras-features-of-the-lenovo-thinksystem-intel-servers

If memory channel mirroring is used, then DIMMs must be installed in pairs (minimum of one pair per processor), and both DIMMs in the pair must be identical in type and size. 50% of the installed capacity is available to the operating system. Memory rank sparing is not supported.

The SR650 V3 has three drive bay zones and supports up to 20x 3.5-inch or 40x 2.5-inch hot-swap drive bays or a combination of drive bays, depending on the selected chassis and backplane configuration. The server also supports configurations without any drive bays if desired.

All drives are hot-swap and are accessible from the front, from the rear, or from drive bays that are located in the middle of the server (accessible when you remove the top cover of the server).

The server also supports one or two M.2 drives, installed in an M.2 adapter internal to the server.

In this section:

• NVMe drive support
• Front drive bays
• Mid drive bays
• Rear drive bays
• Storage configurations
• Field upgrades
• RAID flash power module (supercap) support
• 7mm drives
• M.2 drives
• SED encryption key management with ISKLM

NVMe drive support

The SR650 V3 supports NVMe drives to maximize storage performance.

• Up to 36 NVMe drives in a 2.5-inch drive configuration, without oversubscription (that is, each x4 drive has a dedicated x4 (4 lanes) connection to the processor, either direct to the processor or via a retimer adapter)
  • Up to 24 installed in front bays
  • Up to 28 installed in the front and rear bays
  • Up to 32 installed in front and mid bays
  • Up to 36 installed in front, mid and rear bays
• Up to 8 NVMe drives in a 3.5-inch drive configuration, without oversubscription
  • All installed in mid bays

The specifics of these configurations are covered in the Storage configurations section. The tables in those sections indicate the number of NVMe drives in each configuration.

In addition, the SR650 V3 supports two 7mm NVMe drives for use as boot drives. These two drives optionally support RAID via Intel VROC.

The specific combinations that are supported in the SR650 V3 are shown in the following figures. The feature codes listed are the backplane feature codes when ordering CTO and correspond to the feature codes listed in the table below the figure. Note that NVMe and AnyBay backplanes may be available either PCIe Gen4 (G4) or PCIe Gen5 (G5) as listed in the figures.

Figure 9. SR650 V3 front drive bay configurations - 3.5-inch drive bays

Figure 10. SR650 V3 front drive bay configurations - 2.5-inch drive bays, all the same drive type

Figure 11. SR650 V3 front drive bay configurations - 2.5-inch drive bays, combinations

Figure 12. SR650 V3 front drive bay configurations - 2.5-inch drive bays with front PCIe slots

The backplanes used to provide these drive bays are listed in the following table.

The use of front drive bays has the following configuration rules:

• The SR650 V3 also supports configurations without any drive bays, allowing for drive bay upgrades as described in the field upgrades section.
• Most backplanes require connections to controllers that provides enough ports to connect each drive (eg 8 ports for an 8-bay backplane). The only exceptions to that are the backplanes with built-in SAS expanders - these backplanes require a fewer number of controller ports to connect to the front drives, and also include a connection to up to 4x rear drive bays. Connections to mid-chassis backplanes or to 8x rear drive bays require additional controller ports. Supported connections are as follows:
  • For the ThinkSystem 2U 12x3.5" SAS/SATA with Rear 4-Bay Expander Backplane, feature BQ2S:
    • 12x3.5" front drives only: requires a single 8i controller
    • 12x3.5” + 4x3.5” (Rear): requires a single 8i controller, 8i to front+rear
    • 12x3.5” + 4x3.5” (Mid): requires 16i controller - 8i to front, 8i to middle
    • 12x3.5” + 4x3.5” (Mid) + 4x3.5” (Rear): requires 16i controller, 8i to front+rear, 8i to middle
  • For the ThinkSystem 2U 24x2.5" SAS/SATA with Rear 4-Bay Expander Backplane, feature BQ2T:
    • 24x2.5” front drives only: requires a single 8i controller
    • 24x2.5” + 4x2.5” (Rear): requires a single 8i controller, 8i to front+rear
    • 24x2.5” + 8x2.5” (Mid): requires 16i controller - 8i to front, 8i to middle
    • 24x2.5” + 8x2.5” (Mid) + 8x2.5” (Rear): requires 32i controller - 8i to front, 8i to middle, 8i to rear

  For specifics configurations, see the Storage configurations section.

• If you are building a server configuration that includes the ThinkSystem 2U 24x2.5" SAS/SATA with Rear 4-Bay Expander Backplane (feature BQ2T) and the order also includes a rack cabinet, then you can configure at most 6 drives to be installed in the factory. The remaining drives must be ordered separately using the option part numbers for the drives. This requirement does not apply if the order does not include a rack cabinet. The requirement is due to the shock/vibration limits of the 24x 2.5-inch backplane.
• If 3.5-inch front drive bays are used, an internal (CFF) RAID adapter or HBA is not supported as the adapter and bays occupy the same physical space
• Any 8x 2.5-inch and 16x 2.5-inch drive configuration (SAS/SATA, AnyBay, or NVMe) can optionally be configured for use with the Integrated Diagnostics Panel as described in the Local management section. 3.5-inch drive configurations do not support the Integrated Diagnostics Panel. With the Integrated Diagnostics Display, 8-bay configurations can be upgrade to 16 bays, however 16-bay configurations cannot be upgrade to 24 bays.

Mid drive bays

The SR650 V3 supports hot-swap drives installed in the middle of the server chassis. The drive bays are accessible by removing the top lid of the server and levering the mid drive chassis up at the front.

The following configurations are supported:

• 4x 3.5-inch hot-swap SAS/SATA drive bays
• 8x 2.5-inch hot-swap SAS/SATA drive bays
• 8x 2.5-inch hot-swap NVMe drive bays

The drive bays in the open position are shown in the following figure.

Figure 13. Mid-chassis drive bays

The backplanes used to provide these drive bays are listed in the following table.

‡ 2.5-inch drive backplanes for the mid-chassis area must be installed in pairs. NVMe and SAS/SATA cannot be mixed.

The use of drive bays in the mid-chassis area has the following configuration rules:

• All processors are supported. Higher TDP processors will require the performance heatsinks.
• Full-length adapter cards are not supported
• GPUs (including low profile GPUs such as the NVIDIA A2) are not supported
• The use of mid drive bays requires Riser 1 be installed, since power for the mid bay backplanes comes from Riser 1

The use of rear drive bays has the following configuration rules:

• The use of rear bays restricts the number of slots and the choice of risers that are supported. See the I/O expansion section for details.
• The use of rear drive bays may require that Riser 1 or Riser 2 be installed, since power for the rear backplane comes from that riser.
• Configurations with 4x 2.5-inch rear drive bays are not supported with 7mm drive bays, as they use the same power connector

The following tables summarize the storage configurations for the SR650 V3. For details, including processor requirements, M.2 and 7mm support, and controller selections, see each of the Details tables.

Overview - 3.5-inch front drives

The following table summarizes the configurations that use 3.5-inch front drive bays.

Click to jump down to the details of the 3.5-inch front drive configurations.

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Overview - 2.5-inch front drives supporting rear slots (no front PCIe slots)

The following table summarizes the configurations that use 2.5-inch front drives supporting rear slots (no front PCIe slots).

Click to jump down to the details of the 2.5-inch front drive configurations.

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Overview - 2.5-inch front drives supporting 12 PCIe slots (front & rear)

The following table summarizes the configurations that use 2.5-inch front drives supporting 12 PCIe slots (front & rear). Such a configuration supports up to 16x 2.5-inch drive bays + PCIe slots at the front of the server.

Click to jump down to the details of the 2.5-inch front drive configurations.

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Details - 3.5-inch front bays

The following table details the configurations that use 3.5-inch front drive bays.

Click to go to the overview of the 3.5-inch front drive configurations.

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In the table:

• M.2 + VROC (SATA) means the M.2 SATA/x4 NVMe adapter (4Y37A79663) with SATA drives. RAID is optional, provided using VROC.
• M.2 + VROC (NVMe) means the M.2 SATA/x4 NVMe adapter (4Y37A79663) with NVMe drives. RAID is optional, provided using VROC.
• M.2 + RAID adapter means the M.2 SATA/x4 NVMe adapter (4Y37A79663) with either a RAID 5350-8i adapter (supporting SATA drives) or a RAID 540-8i (supporting NVMe drives). Adapter installs in a rear PCIe slot.
• M.2 RAID (NVMe) means the M.2 RAID NVMe adapter (B8P9) with NVMe drives. SATA drives not supported. RAID-0 and RAID-1 are supported with the integrated Marvell RAID controller.
• 7mm + VROC (SATA) means the 7mm SATA/NVMe kit (BU0N) with SATA drives. RAID is optional, provided using VROC.
• 7mm + VROC (NVMe) means the 7mm SATA/NVMe kit (BU0N) with NVMe drives. RAID is optional, provided using VROC.
• 7mm + RAID adapter means the 7mm SATA/NVMe kit (BU0N) with either a RAID 5350-8i adapter (supporting SATA drives) or a RAID 540-8i (supporting NVMe drives). Adapter installs in a rear PCIe slot.
• 7mm RAID (NVMe) means the 7mm NVMe RAID kit (B8P3) with NVMe drives. SATA drives not supported. RAID-0 and RAID-1 are supported with the integrated Marvell RAID controller.