Planning and Installing the IBM eServer X3 Architecture Servers

The IBM eServer X3 Architecture servers are the new third-generation Enterprise X-Architecture servers from IBM. The xSeries 366 was announced in February 2005, the xSeries 460 was announced in May, and the xSeries 260 was announced in August. These X3 Architecture servers are ideal for random commercial workloads with high processor and memory bandwidth requirements.

Although aimed at different client sets, they share common components and options. The x460 is targeted at clients who need to implement a large single image “scale-up” configuration of up to 32 processors and 512 GB of RAM. The x366 is targeted at the high-performance environment where rack space is a premium. The x260 is for clients who need high performance but also require large amounts of internal disk storage.

This IBM Redbooks publication provides a detailed technical description of the three servers and explains how to plan, install, configure, and manage these high-performance servers running 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows Server 2003, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, and VMware ESX Server.

Chapter 1. Technical overview
Chapter 2. Positioning
Chapter 3. Hardware planning
Chapter 4. Operating system installation
Chapter 5. Management

Related product families

Product families related to this document are the following:

• 4-Socket Rack Servers
• Mission Critical Servers