Author
Updated
17 Dec 2024Form Number
LP1729PDF size
69 pages, 4.9 MB- Introduction
- Did you know?
- Key features
- Comparing the SR950 V3 to the SR950
- Components and connectors
- System architecture
- Standard specifications
- Models
- Processors
- Memory options
- Internal storage
- Controllers for internal storage
- Internal drive options
- Internal backup units
- Optical drives
- I/O expansion
- Network adapters
- Fibre Channel host bus adapters
- SAS adapters for external storage
- Flash storage adapters
- GPU adapters
- Cooling
- Power supplies
- Systems management
- Security
- Rack installation
- Operating system support
- Physical and electrical specifications
- Operating environment
- Warranty upgrades and post-warranty support
- Services
- Lenovo TruScale
- Regulatory compliance
- External storage systems
- Fibre Channel SAN switches
- Uninterruptible power supply units
- Power distribution units
- Rack cabinets
- KVM console options
- Lenovo Financial Services
- Seller training courses
- Related publications and links
- Related product families
- Trademarks
Abstract
The Lenovo ThinkSystem SR950 V3 is an 8-socket 8U server that offers technology advances, including eight 4th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors, up to 32TB of 4800 MHz DDR5 memory, and PCIe 5.0 slots and drives.
This product guide provides essential pre-sales information to understand the SR950 V3 server, its key features and specifications, components and options, and configuration guidelines. This guide is intended for technical specialists, sales specialists, sales engineers, IT architects, and other IT professionals who want to learn more about the SR950 V3 and consider its use in IT solutions.
Change History
Changes in the December 17, 2024 update:
- Added the following RAID adapter - Controllers for internal storage section:
- ThinkSystem RAID 940-8i 8GB Flash PCIe Gen4 12Gb Adapter, 4Y37A09729
- Added the following OCP network adapter - Network adapters section:
- ThinkSystem Intel I350 1GbE RJ45 4-Port OCP Ethernet Adapter V2, 4XC7A88428
Introduction
The Lenovo ThinkSystem SR950 V3 is an 8-socket server that features an 8U rack design, with two 4U units cabled together for ease of installation. The server offers technology advances, including 4th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors, and scale-up capacity of up to 32TB of system memory, up to 14x PCIe slots (6x front, 8x rear), and up to 16x 2.5-inch or 16x E3.S EDSFF drive bays.
The ThinkSystem SR950 V3 is designed for the most demanding, mission-critical workloads, such as in-memory databases, large transactional databases, real-time analytics, ERP, CRM, and virtualized server workloads.
Figure 1. Lenovo ThinkSystem SR950 V3 (with the security bezel attached)
Did you know?
The Lenovo ThinkSystem SR950 V3 provides the ultimate in scale-up performance with eight 4th Gen Intel Xeon processors and 32TB of DDR5 memory. The capability of the in-memory processing power offered by the SR950 V3 is essential for mission critical database and SAP HANA installations.
Key features
The flexible ThinkSystem SR950 V3 server supports eight 4th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable Platinum processors. Built for mission-critical workloads like SAP HANA, databases, Big Data, business analytics, ERP & CRM, business logic, and virtualization. With the support of 8x 350W processors, up to 32TB of memory, and 14 PCIe slots, the SR950 V3 provides unmatched features and capabilities in a 8U rack-mount design.
Scalability and performance
The SR950 V3 offers numerous features to boost performance, improve scalability and reduce costs:
- Supports eight 4th Gen Intel Xeon Processor Scalable processors, up to 480 total cores and 960 total threads, to maximize the concurrent execution of multithreaded applications
- Supports Platinum processors in the Intel Xeon Processor Scalable Family. Processors supported:
- Up to 60 cores
- Core speeds of up to 2.9 GHz
- TDP ratings of up to 350W
- Support for embedded Intel accelerators:
- Up to 4x Intel QuickAssist Technology (QAT)
- Up to 4x Intel Dynamic Load Balancer (DLB)
- 4x Intel In-Memory Analytics Accelerator (IAA)
- 4x Intel Data Streaming Accelerator (DSA)
- Enhanced inter-processor communications with four UPI 2.0 connections between adjacent processors ensures increased CPU I/O throughput.
- Support for up to 128 TruDDR5 memory DIMMs operating at up to 4800 MHz means you have the fastest available memory subsystem and memory capacity of up to 32 TB with 128x 256 GB 3DS RDIMMs.
- Supports configurations of 2 DIMMs per channel to operate at the 4400 MHz rated speed of the memory DIMMs.
- Up to 16TB SAP HANA Appliance or 32TB SAP HANA TDI
- Up to 16x E3.S EDSFF hot-swap PCIe 5.0 NVMe drive bays, or up to 16x 2.5-inch drive bays supporting SAS or SATA SSDs. The E3.S NVMe drives maximize drive I/O performance in terms of throughput, bandwidth, and latency.
- The server has a dedicated industry-standard OCP 3.0 small form factor (SFF) slot, with a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface, supporting a variety of Ethernet network adapters. Simple-swap mechanism with thumbscrews and pull-tab enables tool-less installation and removal of the adapter. Supports shared BMC network sideband connectivity to enable out-of-band systems management.
- Up to 14 PCIe slots in addition to the OCP 3.0 Ethernet slot to maximize I/O capabilities.
- The server is Compute Express Link (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.
- High-speed RAID controllers provide 12 Gb SAS connectivity to the drive backplanes. Supports 8-port and 16-port adapters with cache up to 4GB.
- The server supports an one or two M.2 NVMe drives, with integrated RAID support, for convenient operating system boot functions.
- Supports Intel VROC (Virtual RAID on CPU) which enables basic RAID functionality on the onboard NVMe ports of the server, with no additional adapter needed. This feature enables RAID on NVMe drives without the need for a separate RAID controller.
Availability and serviceability
The SR950 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.
- The server offers hot-swap drives, supporting RAID redundancy for data protection and greater system uptime.
- Support for an M.2 adapter with integrated RAID-1 for enhanced data protection of boot drives
- The server has 12x hot-swap redundant power supplies supporting N+N redundancy, and 12x N+2 redundant simple-swap fans to provide availability for business-critical applications.
- 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.
- Solid-state drives (SSDs) offer more reliability than traditional mechanical HDDs for greater uptime.
- 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 collects and saves service data to USB key drive or remote CIFS share folder, for troubleshooting and to reduce service time.
- Auto restart in the event of a momentary loss of AC power (based on the 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 front USB 2.0 port, enables additional local systems management functions.
- 3-year or 1-year customer-replaceable unit and onsite limited warranty, 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 SR950 V3:
- Lenovo XClarity Controller 2 (XCC2) monitors server availability and performs remote management. XCC Platinum is standard, which enables remote KVM, the mounting of remote media files (ISO and IMG image files), boot capture, and power capping.
- 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.
- Root of Trust (RoT) module includes Platform Firmware Resiliency (PFR) and Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0, which further enhances key platform subsystem protections by detecting unauthorized firmware updates, recovering corrupted images to a known-safe image, and monitoring firmware to ensure it has not been compromised. Secures and authenticates system to prevent unauthorized access.
- Integrated Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 support enables advanced cryptographic methods, such as digital signatures and remote attestation.
- Supports Secure Boot to ensure only a digitally signed operating system can be used. Supported with HDDs and SSDs, as well as 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 SR950 V3 offers the following energy-efficiency features to save energy, reduce operational costs, and increase energy availability:
- Energy-efficient planar components help lower operational costs.
- High-efficiency power supplies with 80 PLUS Titanium certifications
- Intel Intelligent Power Capability turns individual processor elements on and off as needed to reduce power draw.
- Low-voltage 1.1 V DDR5 memory offers energy savings compared to 1.2 V DDR4 DIMMs.
- 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.
Comparing the SR950 V3 to the SR950
The ThinkSystem SR950 V3 improves on the previous generation SR950, as summarized in the following table.
Components and connectors
The following figure shows the front of the SR950 V3. The server is an 8U server comprised of two 4U chassis (primary and secondary) that are cabled together using 8x UPI cables and 2x sideband cables.
Figure 2. Front view of the ThinkSystem SR950 V3
The following figure shows the ports at the front of the in the lower (Primary) chassis.
The following figure shows the rear of the server.
Figure 4. Rear view of the ThinkSystem SR950 V3
Power supplies: The above image shows power supplies with C19 connectors, however the SR950 V3 currently only supports 1800W power supplies which have C13 connectors. See the Power supplies section for details.
In each chassis, the server is comprised of a main board (with two processors and 32 DIMM slots), a CPU board (also with two processors and 32 DIMM slots), and a power distribution board. Both the main board and CPU board get power from the power distrubution board, and the main board and CPU board are connected together via UPI cables at the front of the server.
Figure 5. View from the rear, showing the main board, CPU board and power distribution board in each 4U chassis
System architecture
The eight processors of the SR950 V3 are connected together using a mesh topology using 4 UPI links. The following figure shows the UPI connectivity between processors. Each processor is either directly connected or only 1 hop away to every other processor.
As shown, each processor has two UPI links to processors internal to the chassis, and two UPI links to processors in the other chassis.
Figure 7. UPI connectivity between processors
The next two figures show the architectural block diagram of the SR950 V3, showing the major components and their connections.
The following figure shows the primary chassis. The primary chassis contains the Intel Platform Controller Hub (PCH) used to connect the M.2 adapter plus all the front ports.
Figure 8. SR950 V3 block diagram - Primary chassis
The following figure shows the secondary chassis.
Standard specifications
The following table lists the standard specifications.
Components | Specification |
---|---|
Machine types | 7DC4 - 3-year warranty 7DC5 - 1-year warranty 7DC6 - SAP HANA configurations with 3-year warranty |
Form factor | 8U rack (two 4U chassis that are cabled together) |
Processor | 8x 4th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable Platinum processors (formerly codename "Sapphire Rapids" or SPR). Supports processors up to 60 cores, core speeds up to 2.9 GHz, and TDP ratings up to 350W. Four Intel Ultra Path Interconnect (UPI) links at 16 GT/s each. Eight processors are connected in a mesh topology. Support for up to four Intel embedded accelerators: QAT, DLB, IAA, and DSA. |
Chipset | Intel C741 "Emmitsburg" chipset, part of the platform codenamed "Eagle Stream" (EGS) |
Memory | Up to 128 DIMM slots (16 DIMMs per processor). Each processor has 8 memory channels, with 2 DIMMs per channel. Lenovo TruDDR5 RDIMMs and 3DS RDIMMs are supported. DIMMs operate at up to 4800 MHz at 1 DPC and 4400 MHz at 2 DPC. |
Persistent memory | No support. |
Memory maximums | Up to 32TB with 128x 256GB 3DS RDIMMs and eight processors (4.0TB per processor). |
Memory protection | ECC, SDDC (for x4-based memory DIMMs), ADDDC (for x4-based memory DIMMs), memory mirroring. |
Disk drive bays |
Up to 16x hot-swap drive bays:
Support for two M.2 NVMe drives using an M.2 adapter with integrated Marvell 88NR2241 NVMe RAID controller |
Maximum internal storage |
|
Storage controller |
|
Optical drive bays | No internal optical drive |
Tape drive bays | No internal backup drive |
Network interfaces | One dedicated OCP 3.0 SFF slot with PCIe 4.0 x16 host interface. Supports network adapters up to 25 GbE. One port can optionally be shared with the XClarity Controller (XCC) management processor for Wake-on-LAN and NC-SI support. |
PCI Expansion slots |
Up to 14 PCIe slots, plus one OCP 3.0 Gen4 slot. Slot are located on the primary and secondary chassis system boards.
See the I/O expansion options section for details. |
GPU support | No GPU support |
Ports |
Front: One VGA video port. 2x USB 3.2 G1 (5 Gb/s) port, 1x USB 2.0 port, one VGA video port, one DB-9 serial port, and one RJ-45 XClarity Controller (XCC) systems management port. The serial port can be shared with the XCC for serial redirection functions. The USB 2.0 port can be configured to support local systems management by using the XClarity Administrator mobile app on a mobile device connected via a USB cable. Rear: No ports Internal: Onboard dedicated slots for M.2 drives (for OS boot support, including hypervisor support). 1x USB 3.1 (5 Gb/s) port. |
Cooling |
24x simple-swap dual-rotor 60 mm fans (all standard). 12 fans installed in each 4U chassis, and are N+2 rotor redundant (which means that the server can tolerate two rotor failures in each of the two 4U chassis and continue full operation). One additional fan integrated in each of the power supplies. |
Power supply | 8x or 12x hot-swap redundant 1800W AC power supplies, depending on the configuration, with 4x or 6x installed in each chassis. Power supplies are 80 PLUS Titanium certified. Power supplies require 220V power (110V not supported). Power supplies are N+N redundant within each chassis. |
Video | Embedded video graphics with 16 MB memory with 2D hardware accelerator, integrated into the XClarity Controller. Maximum resolution is 1920x1200 32bpp at 60Hz. |
Hot-swap parts | Drives and power supplies. |
Systems management | Operator panel with status LEDs. Optional External Diagnostics Handset with LCD display. XClarity Controller 2 (XCC2) embedded management based on the ASPEED AST2600 baseboard management controller (BMC). Dedicated front Ethernet port for XCC2 remote access for management. Optional 2nd redundant XCC2 remote port supported, installs in a PCIe slot in the rear of the server. XClarity Administrator for centralized infrastructure management, XClarity Integrator plugins, and XClarity Energy Manager centralized server power management. XCC Platinum is included which enables remote control functions and other features. |
Security features | Chassis intrusion on the top cover and front UPI cable retainer of each chassis, Power-on password, administrator's password, Root of Trust module supporting TPM 2.0 and Platform Firmware Resiliency (PFR). |
Operating systems supported | Microsoft Windows, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, VMware ESXi. See the Operating system support section for specifics. |
Limited warranty | 3-year or 1-year (model dependent) customer-replaceable unit and onsite limited warranty with 9x5 next business day (NBD). |
Service and support | Optional service upgrades are available through Lenovo Services: 4-hour or 2-hour response time, 6-hour fix time, 1-year or 2-year warranty extension, software support for Lenovo hardware and some third-party applications. Actual offering may depend on the region where the server is installed and is subject to change. |
Dimensions | Width: 443 mm (17.4 in.), height: 175 mm (6.9 in.), depth: 973 mm (38.3 in.). See Physical and electrical specifications for details. |
Weight | 50 kg (110.23 lb) maximum per 4U chassis (100 kg total) |
The SR950 V3 servers are shipped with the following items:
- Documentation flyer
- Rail kit
Models
ThinkSystem SR950 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 types of base CTO models are available for the SR950 V3 as listed in the columns in the following table:
- General purpose base CTO models are for general business (non-HPC) and is selectable by choosing General Purpose mode in DCSC.
- AI and HPC base models are intended for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and High Performance Computing (HPC) configurations and solutions are enabled using the AI & HPC Hardware - ThinkSystem Hardware mode in DCSC. These configurations, along with Lenovo EveryScale Solutions, can also be built using System x and Cluster Solutions Configurator (x-config). Tip: Some HPC and AI models are not listed in DCSC and can only be configured in x-config.
Preconfigured server models may also be available for the SR950 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 SR950 V3 server.
Processors
The SR950 V3 supports eight Platinum level processors in the 4th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable Processor family. The server requires that all eight processors be installed.
Each processor is attached to 2U heatsink plus two satellite heatsinks as shown in the following figure.
Figure 10. Two of the eight processors in the SR950 V3
Topics in this section:
Processor options
All supported processors have the following characteristics:
- 8 DDR5 memory channels at 2 DIMMs per channel
- 4 UPI links between processors at 16 GT/s
- Up to 80 PCIe 5.0 I/O lanes
The following table lists the 4th Gen processors that are currently supported by the SR950 V3.
Configuration notes:
- 8 processors are required and all processors must be identical
Processor features
Processors supported by the SR950 V3 introduce new embedded accelerators to add even more processing capability:
- QuickAssist Technology (Intel QAT)
Help reduce system resource consumption by providing accelerated cryptography, key protection, and data compression with Intel QuickAssist Technology (Intel QAT). By offloading encryption and decryption, this built-in accelerator helps free up processor cores and helps systems serve a larger number of clients.
- 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.
- Intel Advanced Matrix Extensions (Intel AMX)
Intel Advanced Matrix Extensions (Intel AMX) is a built-in accelerator in all Silver, Gold, and Platinum processors that significantly improves deep learning training and inference. With Intel AMX, you can fine-tune deep learning models or train small to medium models in just minutes. Intel AMX offers discrete accelerator performance without added hardware and complexity.
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 SR950 V3.
† The maximum single-core frequency at with the processor is capable of operating
* L3 cache is 1.875 MB per core or larger. Processors with a larger L3 cache per core are marked with an *
UEFI operating modes
The SR950 V3 offers preset operating modes that affect energy consumption and performance. These modes are a collection of predefined low-level UEFI settings that simplify the task of tuning the server to suit your business and workload requirements.
The following table lists the feature codes that allow you to specify the mode you wish to preset in the factory for CTO orders.
UK and EU customers: For compliance with the ERP Lot9 regulation, you should select feature BFYE. For some systems, you may not be able to make a selection, in which case, it will be automatically derived by the configurator.
The preset modes for the SR950 V3 are as follows:
- Maximum Performance Mode (feature BFYB): Achieves maximum performance but with higher power consumption and lower energy efficiency.
- Minimal Power Mode (feature BFYC): Minimize the absolute power consumption of the system.
- Efficiency Favoring Power Savings Mode (feature BFYD): Maximize the performance/watt efficiency with a bias towards power savings. This is the favored mode for SPECpower benchmark testing, for example.
- Efficiency Favoring Performance Mode (feature BFYE): Maximize the performance/watt efficiency with a bias towards performance. This is the favored mode for Energy Star certification, for example.
For details about these preset modes, and all other performance and power efficiency UEFI settings offered in the SR950 V3, see the paper "Tuning UEFI Settings for Performance and Energy Efficiency on Intel Xeon Scalable Processor-Based ThinkSystem Servers", available from https://lenovopress.lenovo.com/lp1477.
Memory options
The SR950 V3 uses Lenovo TruDDR5 memory operating at up to 4800 MHz. The server supports up to 128 DIMMs with 8 processors. The processors have 8 memory channels and support 2 DIMMs per channel (DPC). The server supports up to 32TB of memory using 128x 256GB 3DS RDIMMs and eight processors. DIMMs operate at 4800 MHz at 1 DPC and 4400 MHz at 2 DPC.
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 SR950 V3.
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 SR950 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 two types of DIMMs: RDIMMs and 3DS RDIMMs; 9x4 RDIMMs, UDIMMs and LRDIMMs are not supported
- Mixing of DIMM types (RDIMMs with 3DS RDIMMs) is not supported
- 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 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 DIMMs with 16Gb and 24Gb DRAM is not supported; this means the 96GB DIMM (feature C0W7) cannot be mixed with any other DIMM
For best performance, consider the following:
- Ensure the memory installed is at least the same speed as the memory bus of the selected processor.
- Populate all 8 memory channels.
The following memory protection technologies are supported:
- ECC detection/correction
- Bounded Fault detection/correction
- SDDC (for 10x4-based memory DIMMs; look for "x4" in the DIMM description)
- ADDDC (for 10x4-based memory DIMMs, not supported with 9x4 DIMMs)
- Memory mirroring
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 implemented using ADDDC/ADC-SR/ADDDC-MR to provide DRAM-level sparing feature support.
Internal storage
The SR950 V3 supports up to 16x 2.5-inch SAS/SATA drive bays, or up to 16x E3.S EDSFF PCIe 5.0 NVMe drive bays. All drive bays are hot-swap and all front-accessible.
The server also supports two internal M.2 NVMe drives for OS boot functions. The M.2 drives are mounted on an M.2 adapter that is installed in the lower (primary) chassis.
In this section:
NVMe drive support
The SR950 V3 supports up to 16x E3.S NVMe drives to maximize storage performance, each with a direct connection to the processors. All connections are made using onboard connectors; no NVMe retimer adapters are needed or supported. There is no oversubscription: each x4 drive has a full x4 (four PCIe Gen4 lanes) connection to the processor.
Drive bays
All drive bays are located at the front of the server. Drive bays are configured using four 4-drive backplanes. The two available backplanes are:
- 4-bay 2.5-inch hot-swap SAS/SATA backplane
- 4-bay E3.S 1T EDSFF hot-swap PCIe 5.0 NVMe backplane
Tip: The SR950 V3 does not support 2.5-inch NVMe drive bays.
The locations of the drive bays is shown in the following two figures.
Figure 11. 2.5-inch drive bays (with the drive bay doors removed)
Figure 12. E3.S 1T EDSFF drive bays (with the drive bay doors removed)
Ordering information for the backplanes is listed in the following table.
Configuration rules:
- 1, 2, 3, or 4 drive backplanes are supported
- The two backplanes types can be mixed however only combinations of 1+2, 2+1 and 2+2 are supported (1+3 and 3+1 are not supported)
M.2 drives
The SR950 V3 supports one or two M.2 form-factor NVMe drives for use as an operating system boot solution or as additional storage.
The M.2 drives are installed on an M.2 adapter that is installed in the lower (primary) chassis. This adapter supports NVMe drives and supports RAID-1 and RAID-0 with an integrated Marvell 88NR2241 NVMe RAID Controller.
Note: The SR950 V3 also has four discrete onboard M.2 connectors, two in each chassis, however these connectors are reserved and are not supported.
The supported M.2 adapter is listed in the following table. For field upgrades see the M.2 field upgrades section below.
Part number |
Feature code |
Description | SATA drives |
NVMe drives |
RAID | Maximum supported |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
4Y37A09750 | B8P9 | ThinkSystem M.2 NVMe 2-Bay RAID Adapter | No | Yes (x1 lane) | Integrated | 1 |
The ThinkSystem M.2 NVMe 2-Bay RAID Adapter (4Y37A09750) has the following features:
- Supports one or two NVMe M.2 drives
- Support 42mm, 60mm, 80mm and 110mm drive form factors (2242, 2260, 2280 and 22110)
- RAID support via an onboard Marvell 88NR2241 NVMe RAID Controller
- With 1 drive, supports single-drive RAID-0
- With 2 drives, supports 2-drive RAID-0, 2-drive RAID-1, or two single-drive RAID-0 arrays
- PCIe 3.0 x2 host interface; PCIe 3.0 x1 connection to each drive
- Management and configuration support via UEFI and OS-based tools
- Supports monitoring and reporting of events and temperature through I2C
- Firmware update via Lenovo firmware update tools
M.2 field upgrades
For field upgrades, the SR950 V3 also requires an M.2 cable kit in addition to the M.2 adapter. Ordering information is listed in the following table.
Controllers for internal storage
The SR950 V3 supports offers a variety of controller options for internal drives:
- For 2.5-inch drives: RAID adapters and HBAs for SAS/SATA drives
- For E3.S drives: Onboard NVMe ports (RAID support provided using Intel VROC NVMe RAID)
The onboard NVMe support has the following features:
- Controller integrated into the Intel processor
- Supports up to 16 NVMe drives
- Each drive has PCIe Gen5 x4 host interface
- Supports RAID using Intel VROC
The following table lists the controllers and adapters used for the internal 2.5-inch drive bays of the SR950 V3 server.
* P slots are in the primary (lower) chassis; S slots are in the secondary (upper) chassis
Configuration notes:
- A supercap is required for each RAID 940 adapter and is installed in a dedicated area in the CPU board air baffle. No additional mounting components are required.
- For field upgrades, the RAID 9xx adapter part numbers include both the supercap and the supercap cable.
Intel VROC onboard RAID
Intel VROC (Virtual RAID on CPU) is a feature of the Intel processor that enables Integrated RAID support.
There are two separate functions of VROC in the SR950 V3:
- Intel VROC SATA RAID, formerly known as Intel RSTe
- Intel VROC NVMe RAID
VROC SATA RAID (RSTe) is available and supported with all SATA drives. It offers a 6 Gb/s connection to each drive and on the SR950 V3 implements RAID levels 0, 1, 5, and 10. RAID 1 is limited to 2 drives per array, and RAID 10 is limited to 4 drives per array. Hot-spare functionality is also supported.
VROC NVMe RAID offers RAID support for any NVMe drives directly connected to the ports on the server's system board or via adapters such as NVMe retimers or NVMe switch adapters. On the SR950 V3, RAID levels implemented are based on the VROC feature selected as indicated in the following table. RAID 1 is limited to 2 drives per array, and RAID 10 is limited to 4 drives per array. Hot-spare functionality is also supported.
Performance tip: For best performance with VROC NVMe RAID, the drives in an array should all be connected to the same processor. Spanning processors is possible however performance will be unpredictable and should be evaluated based on your workload.
The SR950 V3 supports the VROC NVMe RAID offerings listed in the following table.
Tip: These feature codes and part numbers are only for VROC RAID using NVMe drives, not SATA drives
Configuration notes:
- If a feature code is ordered in a CTO build, the VROC functionality is enabled in the factory. For field upgrades, order a part number and it will be fulfilled as a Feature on Demand (FoD) license which can then be activated via the XCC management processor user interface.
Virtualization support: Virtualization support for Intel VROC is as follows:
- VROC SATA RAID (RSTe): VROC SATA RAID is supported with Windows, RHEL and SLES, however it is not supported by virtualization hypervisors such as ESXi, KVM, Xen, and Hyper-V. Virtualization is only supported on the onboard SATA ports in AHCI (non-RAID) mode.
- VROC (VMD) NVMe RAID: VROC (VMD) NVMe RAID is supported by ESXi, KVM, Xen, and Hyper-V. ESXi support is limited to RAID 1 only; other RAID levels are not supported. Windows and Linux OSes support VROC RAID NVMe, both for host boot functions and for guest OS function, and RAID-0, 1, 5, and 10 are supported. On ESXi, VROC is supported with both boot and data drives.
For specifications about the RAID adapters and HBAs supported by the SR950 V3, see the ThinkSystem RAID Adapter and HBA Comparison, available from:
https://lenovopress.com/lp1288-lenovo-thinksystem-raid-adapter-and-hba-reference#sr960-v3-support=SR950%2520V3
For details about these adapters, see the relevant product guide:
- SAS HBAs: https://lenovopress.com/servers/options/hba
- RAID adapters: https://lenovopress.com/servers/options/raid
Internal drive options
The following tables list the drive options for internal storage of the server.
2.5-inch hot-swap drives:
EDSFF hot-swap drives:
M.2 drives:
M.2 drive support: The use of M.2 drives requires an additional adapter as described in the M.2 drives subsection.
SED support: The tables include a column to indicate which drives support SED encryption. The encryption functionality can be disabled if needed. Note: Not all SED-enabled drives have "SED" in the description.
Internal backup units
The server does not support any internal backup units, such as tape drives or RDX drives.
I/O expansion
The SR950 V3 supports up to 14 PCIe slots plus one OCP 3.0 slot:
- 6x Front FHHL PCIe 5.0 x16 slots, all standard
- Up to 8x Rear FHHL PCIe 4.0 x16 slots, all optional
- One rear OCP slot with PCIe 4.0 x16 interface, optional
Topics in this section:
Slots and risers
The following figures show the location of the PCIe slots at the front of the server. All slots are FHHL PCIe 5.0 x16 slots. All front slots are standard and located on the system board in each chassis.
Figure 13. Slots in the front of the SR950 V3
The following figures show the location of the PCIe slots at the rear of the server. All regular slots are FHHL PCIe 4.0 x16 slots. The OCP 3.0 slot is PCIe 4.0 x16. The OCP adapter is optional and is installed in a cage that is cabled to the processor board. The rear PCIe slots are optional and are located on four 2-slot risers.
Riser ordering information
Slots at the rear of the server are implemented with the use of four riser cards, each with two PCIe slots. The riser cards supported are listed in the following table. All riser slots are PCIe 4.0 x16 with a physical x16 connector.
Part number | Feature code | Description | Quantity supported |
---|---|---|---|
4XC7A90109 | BV2P | ThinkSystem SR950 V3 x16/x16 Gen4 Riser Option Kit | 0 - 4 |
Configuration rules:
- All riser cards are optional
- Riser cards are installed in the following order: (P7 & P8), (P5 & P6), (S7 & S8), (S5 & S6)
- When the 2nd XCC Management port is installed, slot P5 is no longer available. See the Remote management section for details.
OCP adapter cage
The user of an OCP adapter requires an OCP adapter cage. Ordering information is in the following table.
Network adapters
The server has a dedicated OCP 3.0 SFF slot with PCIe 4.0 x16 host interface.
Note: The use of the OCP adapter requires the OCP cage be installed. See the I/O expansion section for information.
The following table lists the supported OCP adapters. One port can optionally be shared with the XCC management processor for Wake-on-LAN and NC-SI support.
The following table lists additional supported network adapters that can be installed in the regular PCIe slots.
For details about these adapters, see the relevant product guide:
- Ethernet adapters: https://lenovopress.com/servers/options/ethernet
- InfiniBand adapters: https://lenovopress.com/servers/options/infiniband
Fibre Channel host bus adapters
The following table lists the Fibre Channel HBAs supported by the server.
For more information, see the list of Lenovo Press Product Guides in the Host bus adapters category:
https://lenovopress.com/servers/options/hba
Cooling
The server has 24x simple-swap dual-rotor 60 mm fans, 12x fans in each 4U chassis, and all are standard. Fans are N+2 rotor redundant, which means that the server can tolerate two rotor failures in each of the two 4U chassis and continue full operation.
Each power supply also includes an integrated fan.
In each chassis, the 12 front fans are installed in a 4U-high unit as shown in the following figure. The 12 fans are installed in six modules in vertical bays, each of which comprise of 2 fans.
Figure 15. SR950 V3 cooling fan modules in each chassis
The following table lists the CTO ordering information for the fan modules.
Power supplies
The server supports 8x or 12x hot-swap redundant 1800W AC power supplies (80 PLUS Titanium certification), 6x in each 4U chassis. When 8x are installed, they are installed in the upper 4 power supply bays in each chassis. See Figure 4 for locations.
Power supplies require 220V power (110V not supported). Power supplies are N+N redundant within each chassis.
Tip: Use Lenovo Capacity Planner to determine exactly what power your server needs:
https://datacentersupport.lenovo.com/us/en/products/solutions-and-software/software/lenovo-capacity-planner/solutions/ht504651
Configuration notes:
- Power supply options do not include a line cord. For server configurations, the inclusion of a power cord is model dependent. Configure-to-order models can be configured without a power cord if desired.
Power supply LEDs
The supported hot-swap power supplies have the following LEDs:
- Power input LED:
- Green: The power supply is connected to the AC power source
- Off: The power supply is disconnected from the AC power source or a power problem has occurred
- Power output LED:
- Green: The server is on and the power supply is working normally
- Off: The server is powered off, or the power supply is not working properly
- Power supply error LED:
- Off: The power supply is working normally
- Yellow: The power supply has failed
Note: The SR950 V3 does not support Zero-output mode (also known as Standby mode) with power supplies.
Power cords
Line cords and rack power cables with C13 connectors can be ordered as listed in the following table.
Systems management
The SR950 V3 contains an integrated service processor, XClarity Controller 2 (XCC), which provides advanced control, monitoring, and alerting functions. The XCC2 is based on the AST2600 baseboard management controller (BMC) using a dual-core ARM Cortex A7 32-bit RISC service processor running at 1.2 GHz.
Topics in this section:
System I/O Board
The SR950 V3 implements a separate System I/O Board that connects to the Processor Board via an Interposer board. The location of the System I/O Board is shown in the Components and connectors section. The System I/O Board contains all the connectors visible at the front of the server as shown in the following figure.
The board also has the following components:
- XClarity Controller 2, implemented using the ASPEED AST2600 baseboard management controller (BMC).
- Root of Trust (RoT) module - a daughter card that implements Platform Firmware Resiliency (PFR) hardware Root of Trust (RoT) which enables the server to be NIST SP800-193 compliant. For more details about PFR, see the Security section.
- Connector to enable an additional redundant Ethernet connection to the XCC2 controller. The connector is used in conjunction with the ThinkSystem V3 Management NIC Adapter Kit (4XC7A85319). For details, see the Remote management section.
- Internal USB port - to allow the booting of an operating system from a USB key. The VMware ESXi preloads use this port for example. Preloads are described in the Operating system support section.
- MicroSD card port to enable the use of a MicroSD card for additional storage for use with the XCC2 controller. XCC2 can use the storage as a Remote Disc on Card (RDOC) device (up to 4GB of storage). It can also be used to store firmware updates (including N-1 firmware history) for ease of deployment.
Tip: Without a MicroSD card installed, the XCC2 controller will have 100MB of available RDOC storage.
Ordering information for the supported USB drive and Micro SD card are listed in the following table.
Local management
The server offers a front operator panel with key LED status indicators, as shown in the following figure.
Tip: The Network LED only shows network activity of an installed OCP network adapter.
Light path diagnostics
The server offers light path diagnostics. If an environmental condition exceeds a threshold or if a system component fails, XCC lights LEDs inside the server to help you diagnose the problem and find the failing part. The server has fault LEDs next to the following components:
- Each memory DIMM
- Each drive bay
- Each power supply
External Diagnostics Handset
The SR950 V3 has a port to connect an External Diagnostics Handset as described in the preceding section. The handset has a magnet on the back of it to allow you to easily mount it on a convenient place on any rack cabinet.
Figure 18. External Diagnostics Handset
Ordering information for the External Diagnostics Handset with is listed in the following table.
Part number | Feature code | Description |
---|---|---|
4TA7A64874 | BEUX | ThinkSystem External Diagnostics Handset |
Information tab
The front of the server also houses an information pull-out tab (also known as the network access tag). See Figure 2 for the location. A label on the tab shows the network information (MAC address and other data) to remotely access XClarity Controller.
System status with XClarity Mobile
The XClarity Mobile app includes a tethering function where you can connect your Android or iOS device to the server via USB to see the status of the server.
The steps to connect the mobile device are as follows:
- Enable USB Management on the server, by holding down the ID button for 3 seconds (or pressing the dedicated USB management button if one is present)
- Connect the mobile device via a USB cable to the server's USB port with the management symbol
- In iOS or Android settings, enable Personal Hotspot or USB Tethering
- Launch the Lenovo XClarity Mobile app
Once connected you can see the following information:
- Server status including error logs (read only, no login required)
- Server management functions (XClarity login credentials required)
Remote management
The server offers a dedicated RJ45 port at the front of the server for remote management via the XClarity Controller management processor. The port supports 10/100/1000 Mbps speeds.
Remote server management is provided through industry-standard interfaces:
- Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) Version 2.0
- Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) Version 3 (no SET commands; no SNMP v1)
- Common Information Model (CIM-XML)
- Representational State Transfer (REST) support
- Redfish support (DMTF compliant)
- Web browser - HTML 5-based browser interface (Java and ActiveX not required) using a responsive design (content optimized for device being used - laptop, tablet, phone) with NLS support
The SR950 V3 also supports an additional redundant Ethernet connection to the XCC2 controller. The adapter installs in slot P5 at the rear of the server - see the I/O expansion section for the location of the slot.
Tip: The ThinkSystem SR950 V3 Rear Management NIC Adapter Kit is mounted on a PCIe bracket and installed in slot P5, however it does not connect to the PCIe slot and a riser is not needed.
Ordering information is listed in the following table.
Part number | Feature code | Description | Max qty |
---|---|---|---|
4XC7A90108 | BV2D | ThinkSystem SR950 V3 Rear Management NIC Adapter Kit | 1 |
The use of this adapter allows concurrent remote access using both the connection on the adapter and the onboard RJ45 remote management port provided by the server. The adapter and onboard port have separate IP addresses.
Configuration rules:
- The adapter is only supported in PCIe slot P5
IPMI via the Ethernet port (IPMI over LAN) is supported, however it is disabled by default. For CTO orders you can specify whether you want to the feature enabled or disabled in the factory, using the feature codes listed in the following table.
XCC2 Platinum
In the SR950 V3, XCC2 has the Platinum level of features built into the server. Compared to the XCC functions of ThinkSystem V2 and earlier systems, Platinum offers the same features as Enterprise and Advanced levels in ThinkSystem V2, plus additional features.
DCSC tip: Even though XCC2 Platinum is a standard feature of the SR950 V3, it does not appear in the list of feature codes for the configuration in DCSC.
XCC2 Platinum includes the following Enterprise and Advanced functions:
- Remotely viewing video with graphics resolutions up to 1600x1200 at 75 Hz with up to 23 bits per pixel, regardless of the system state
- Remotely accessing the server using the keyboard and mouse from a remote client
- International keyboard mapping support
- Syslog alerting
- Redirecting serial console via SSH
- Component replacement log (Maintenance History log)
- Access restriction (IP address blocking)
- Lenovo SED security key management
- Displaying graphics for real-time and historical power usage data and temperature
- Boot video capture and crash video capture
- Virtual console collaboration - Ability for up to 6 remote users to be log into the remote session simultaneously
- Remote console Java client
- Mapping the ISO and image files located on the local client as virtual drives for use by the server
- Mounting the remote ISO and image files via HTTPS, SFTP, CIFS, and NFS
- Power capping
- System utilization data and graphic view
- Single sign on with Lenovo XClarity Administrator
- Update firmware from a repository
- License for XClarity Energy Manager
XCC2 Platinum also includes the following features that are new to XCC2:
- System Guard - Monitor hardware inventory for unexpected component changes, and simply log the event or prevent booting
- Enterprise Strict Security mode - Enforces CNSA 1.0 level security
- Neighbor Group - Enables administrators to manage and synchronize configurations and firmware level across multiple servers
With XCC2 Platinum, for CTO orders, you can request that System Guard be enabled in the factory and the first configuration snapshot be recorded. To add this to an order, select feature code listed in the following table. The selection is made in the Security tab of the DCSC configurator.
Feature code | Description |
---|---|
BUT2 | Install System Guard |
For more information about System Guard, see https://pubs.lenovo.com/xcc2/NN1ia_c_systemguard
Lenovo XClarity Provisioning Manager
Lenovo XClarity Provisioning Manager (LXPM) is a UEFI-based application embedded in ThinkSystem servers and accessible via the F1 key during system boot.
LXPM provides the following functions:
- Graphical UEFI Setup
- System inventory information and VPD update
- System firmware updates (UEFI and XCC)
- RAID setup wizard
- OS installation wizard (including unattended OS installation)
- Diagnostics functions
Lenovo XClarity Administrator
Lenovo XClarity Administrator is a centralized resource management solution designed to reduce complexity, speed response, and enhance the availability of Lenovo systems and solutions. It provides agent-free hardware management for ThinkSystem servers, in addition to ThinkServer, System x, and Flex System servers. The administration dashboard is based on HTML 5 and allows fast location of resources so tasks can be run quickly.
Because Lenovo XClarity Administrator does not require any agent software to be installed on the managed endpoints, there are no CPU cycles spent on agent execution, and no memory is used, which means that up to 1GB of RAM and 1 - 2% CPU usage is saved, compared to a typical managed system where an agent is required.
Lenovo XClarity Administrator is an optional software component for the SR950 V3. The software can be downloaded and used at no charge to discover and monitor the SR950 V3 and to manage firmware upgrades.
If software support is required for Lenovo XClarity Administrator, or premium features such as configuration management and operating system deployment are required, Lenovo XClarity Pro software subscription should be ordered. Lenovo XClarity Pro is licensed on a per managed system basis, that is, each managed Lenovo system requires a license.
The following table lists the Lenovo XClarity software license options.
Lenovo XClarity Administrator offers the following standard features that are available at no charge:
- Auto-discovery and monitoring of Lenovo systems
- Firmware updates and compliance enforcement
- External alerts and notifications via SNMP traps, syslog remote logging, and e-mail
- Secure connections to managed endpoints
- NIST 800-131A or FIPS 140-2 compliant cryptographic standards between the management solution and managed endpoints
- Integration into existing higher-level management systems such as cloud automation and orchestration tools through REST APIs, providing extensive external visibility and control over hardware resources
- An intuitive, easy-to-use GUI
- Scripting with Windows PowerShell, providing command-line visibility and control over hardware resources
Lenovo XClarity Administrator offers the following premium features that require an optional Pro license:
- Pattern-based configuration management that allows to define configurations once and apply repeatedly without errors when deploying new servers or redeploying existing servers without disrupting the fabric
- Bare-metal deployment of operating systems and hypervisors to streamline infrastructure provisioning
For more information, refer to the Lenovo XClarity Administrator Product Guide:
http://lenovopress.com/tips1200
Lenovo XClarity Integrators
Lenovo also offers software plug-in modules, Lenovo XClarity Integrators, to manage physical infrastructure from leading external virtualization management software tools including those from Microsoft and VMware.
These integrators are offered at no charge, however if software support is required, a Lenovo XClarity Pro software subscription license should be ordered.
Lenovo XClarity Integrators offer the following additional features:
- Ability to discover, manage, and monitor Lenovo server hardware from VMware vCenter or Microsoft System Center
- Deployment of firmware updates and configuration patterns to Lenovo x86 rack servers and Flex System from the virtualization management tool
- Non-disruptive server maintenance in clustered environments that reduces workload downtime by dynamically migrating workloads from affected hosts during rolling server updates or reboots
- Greater service level uptime and assurance in clustered environments during unplanned hardware events by dynamically triggering workload migration from impacted hosts when impending hardware failures are predicted
For more information about all the available Lenovo XClarity Integrators, see the Lenovo XClarity Administrator Product Guide: https://lenovopress.com/tips1200-lenovo-xclarity-administrator
Lenovo XClarity Essentials
Lenovo offers the following XClarity Essentials software tools that can help you set up, use, and maintain the server at no additional cost:
- Lenovo Essentials OneCLI
OneCLI is a collection of server management tools that uses a command line interface program to manage firmware, hardware, and operating systems. It provides functions to collect full system health information (including health status), configure system settings, and update system firmware and drivers.
- Lenovo Essentials UpdateXpress
The UpdateXpress tool is a standalone GUI application for firmware and device driver updates that enables you to maintain your server firmware and device drivers up-to-date and help you avoid unnecessary server outages. The tool acquires and deploys individual updates and UpdateXpress System Packs (UXSPs) which are integration-tested bundles.
- Lenovo Essentials Bootable Media Creator
The Bootable Media Creator (BOMC) tool is used to create bootable media for offline firmware update.
For more information and downloads, visit the Lenovo XClarity Essentials web page:
http://support.lenovo.com/us/en/documents/LNVO-center
Lenovo XClarity Energy Manager
Lenovo XClarity Energy Manager (LXEM) is a power and temperature management solution for data centers. It is an agent-free, web-based console that enables you to monitor and manage power consumption and temperature in your data center through the management console. It enables server density and data center capacity to be increased through the use of power capping.
LXEM is a licensed product. A single-node LXEM license is included with the XClarity Controller Platinum version. Because the Platinum version of XCC is standard in the SR950 V3, a license for XClarity Energy Manager is included.
For more information about XClarity Energy Manager, see the following resources:
- Lenovo Support page:
https://datacentersupport.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/lnvo-lxem - User Guide for XClarity Energy Manager:
https://pubs.lenovo.com/lxem/
Lenovo Capacity Planner
Lenovo Capacity Planner is a power consumption evaluation tool that enhances data center planning by enabling IT administrators and pre-sales professionals to understand various power characteristics of racks, servers, and other devices. Capacity Planner can dynamically calculate the power consumption, current, British Thermal Unit (BTU), and volt-ampere (VA) rating at the rack level, improving the planning efficiency for large scale deployments.
For more information, refer to the Capacity Planner web page:
http://datacentersupport.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/lnvo-lcp
Security
Topics in this section:
Security features
The SR950 V3 server offers the following electronic security features:
- Secure Boot function of the Intel Xeon processor
- Support for Platform Firmware Resiliency (PFR) hardware Root of Trust (RoT) - see the Platform Firmware Resiliency section
- Firmware signature processes compliant with FIPS and NIST requirements
- Administrator and power-on password
- Integrated Trusted Platform Module (TPM) supporting TPM 2.0
- Self-encrypting drives (SEDs) with support for enterprise key managers - see the SED encryption key management section
The server is NIST SP 800-147B compliant.
The SR950 V3 server also includes the following physical security features:
- Chassis top cover intrusion switch
- Chassis front intrusion switch
- Front security bezel
The following table lists the ordering information for the security features for the server.
Platform Firmware Resiliency - Lenovo ThinkShield
Lenovo's ThinkShield Security is a transparent and comprehensive approach to security that extends to all dimensions of our data center products: from development, to supply chain, and through the entire product lifecycle.
The ThinkSystem SR950 V3 includes Platform Firmware Resiliency (PFR) hardware Root of Trust (RoT) which enables the system to be NIST SP800-193 compliant. This offering further enhances key platform subsystem protections against unauthorized firmware updates and corruption, to restore firmware to an integral state, and to closely monitor firmware for possible compromise from cyber-attacks.
PFR operates upon the following server components:
- UEFI image – the low-level server firmware that connects the operating system to the server hardware
- XCC image – the management “engine” software that controls and reports on the server status separate from the server operating system
- FPGA image – the code that runs the server’s lowest level hardware controller on the motherboard
The Lenovo Platform Root of Trust Hardware performs the following three main functions:
- Detection – Measures the firmware and updates for authenticity
- Recovery – Recovers a corrupted image to a known-safe image
- Protection – Monitors the system to ensure the known-good firmware is not maliciously written
These enhanced protection capabilities are implemented using a dedicated, discrete security processor whose implementation has been rigorously validated by leading third-party security firms. Security evaluation results and design details are available for customer review – providing unprecedented transparency and assurance.
The SR950 V3 includes support for Secure Boot, a UEFI firmware security feature developed by the UEFI Consortium that ensures only immutable and signed software are loaded during the boot time. The use of Secure Boot helps prevent malicious code from being loaded and helps prevent attacks, such as the installation of rootkits. Lenovo offers the capability to enable secure boot in the factory, to ensure end-to-end protection.
The following table lists the relevant feature code(s).
Part number | Feature code | Description | Purpose |
---|---|---|---|
CTO only | BPKQ | TPM 2.0 with Secure Boot | Configure the system in the factory with Secure Boot enabled. |
Intel Transparent Supply Chain
Add a layer of protection in your data center and have peace of mind that the server hardware you bring into it is safe authentic and with documented, testable, and provable origin.
Lenovo has one of the world’s best supply chains, as ranked by Gartner Group, backed by extensive and mature supply chain security programs that exceed industry norms and US Government standards. Now we are the first Tier 1 manufacturer to offer Intel® Transparent Supply Chain in partnership with Intel, offering you an unprecedented degree of supply chain transparency and assurance.
To enable Intel Transparent Supply Chain for the Intel-based servers in your order, add the following feature code in the DCSC configurator, under the Security tab.
Feature code | Description |
---|---|
BB0P | Intel Transparent Supply Chain |
For more information on this offering, see the paper Introduction to Intel Transparent Supply Chain on Lenovo ThinkSystem Servers, available from https://lenovopress.com/lp1434-introduction-to-intel-transparent-supply-chain-on-thinksystem-servers.
Security standards
The SR950 V3 supports the following security standards and capabilities:
- Industry Standard Security Capabilities
- Intel CPU Enablement
- AES-NI (Advanced Encryption Standard New Instructions)
- CBnT (Converged Boot Guard and Trusted Execution Technology)
- CET (Control flow Enforcement Technology)
- Hardware-based side channel attack resilience enhancements
- MKTME/TME (Multi-Key Total Memory Encryption)
- SGX (Software Guard eXtensions)
- SGX-TEM (Trusted Environment Mode)
- TDX (Trust Domain Extensions)
- TXT (Trusted eXecution Technology)
- VT (Virtualization Technology)
- XD (eXecute Disable)
- Microsoft Windows Security Enablement
- Credential Guard
- Device Guard
- Host Guardian Service
- TCG (Trusted Computing Group) TPM (Trusted Platform Module) 2.0
- UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) Forum Secure Boot
- Intel CPU Enablement
- Hardware Root of Trust and Security
- Independent security subsystem providing platform-wide NIST SP800-193 compliant Platform Firmware Resilience (PFR)
- Management domain RoT supplemented by the Secure Boot features of XCC
- Platform Security
- Boot and run-time firmware integrity monitoring with rollback to known-good firmware (e.g., “self-healing”)
- Non-volatile storage bus security monitoring and filtering
- Resilient firmware implementation, such as to detect and defeat unauthorized flash writes or SMM (System Management Mode) memory incursions
- Patented IPMI KCS channel privileged access authorization (USPTO Patent# 11,256,810)
- Host and management domain authorization, including integration with CyberArk for enterprise password management
- KMIP (Key Management Interoperability Protocol) compliant, including support for IBM SKLM and Thales KeySecure
- Reduced “out of box” attack surface
- Configurable network services
- FIPS 140-3 (in progress) validated cryptography for XCC
- CNSA Suite 1.0 Quantum-resistant cryptography for XCC
- Lenovo System Guard
For more information on platform security, see the paper “How to Harden the Security of your ThinkSystem Server and Management Applications” available from https://lenovopress.com/lp1260-how-to-harden-the-security-of-your-thinksystem-server.
- Standards Compliance and/or Support
- NIST SP800-131A rev 2 “Transitioning the Use of Cryptographic Algorithms and Key Lengths”
- NIST SP800-147B “BIOS Protection Guidelines for Servers”
- NIST SP800-193 “Platform Firmware Resiliency Guidelines”
- ISO/IEC 11889 “Trusted Platform Module Library”
- Common Criteria TCG Protection Profile for “PC Client Specific TPM 2.0”
- European Union Commission Regulation 2019/424 (“ErP Lot 9”) “Ecodesign Requirements for Servers and Data Storage Products” Secure Data Deletion
- Optional FIPS 140-2 validated Self-Encrypting Disks (SEDs) with external KMIP-based key management
- Product and Supply Chain Security
- Suppliers validated through Lenovo’s Trusted Supplier Program
- Developed in accordance with Lenovo’s Secure Development Lifecycle (LSDL)
- Continuous firmware security validation through automated testing, including static code analysis, dynamic network and web vulnerability testing, software composition analysis, and subsystem-specific testing, such as UEFI security configuration validation
- Ongoing security reviews by US-based security experts, with attestation letters available from our third-party security partners
- Digitally signed firmware, stored and built on US-based infrastructure and signed on US-based Hardware Security Modules (HSMs)
- Manufacturing transparency via Intel Transparent Supply Chain (for details, see https://lenovopress.com/lp1434-introduction-to-intel-transparent-supply-chain-on-lenovo-thinksystem-servers)
- TAA (Trade Agreements Act) compliant manufacturing, by default in Mexico for North American markets with additional US and EU manufacturing options
- US 2019 NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act) Section 889 compliant
Rack installation
The following table lists the rack installation options that are available for the server.
Option | Feature Code | Description |
---|---|---|
None* | BV25 | ThinkSystem SR950 V3 Rail Kit |
4XF7A90112 | BXK1 | ThinkSystem SR950 V3 Cable Management Arm |
* The Rail Kit is included with all systems
The following table summarizes the rail kit features and specifications.
* For 0U PDU support, the rack must be at least 1100 mm (43.31 in.) deep without the CMA, or at least 1200 mm (47.24 in.) deep if the CMA is used.
*** Measured when mounted on the rack, from the front surface of the front mounting flange to the rear most point of the rail.
For additional information, see the document Rail and supported rack specifications for ThinkSystem servers, available from:
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/resources/data-center-solutions/brochures/thinksystem-rail-support-matrix/
Operating system support
The server supports the following operating systems:
- Microsoft Windows Server 2022
- Microsoft Windows Server 2025
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.0
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.1
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.2
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.4
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.5
- SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4
- SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP5
- SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6
- SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 Xen SP4
- SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 Xen SP5
- Ubuntu 24.04 LTS 64-bit
- VMware ESXi 8.0 U2
- VMware ESXi 8.0 U3
For a complete list of supported, certified and tested operating systems, plus additional details and links to relevant web sites, see the Operating System Interoperability Guide: https://lenovopress.lenovo.com/osig#servers=sr950-v3-7dc5-7dc4-7dc6
For configure-to-order configurations, the SR950 V3 can be preloaded with VMware ESXi. Ordering information is listed in the following table.
Configuration rule:
- An ESXi preload cannot be selected if the configuration includes an NVIDIA GPU (ESXi preload cannot include the NVIDIA driver)
You can download supported VMware vSphere hypervisor images from the following web page and install it using the instructions provided:
https://vmware.lenovo.com/content/custom_iso/
Physical and electrical specifications
The SR950 V3 occupies 8U of rack space and is comprised of two 4U chassis. Each chassis has the following overall physical dimensions, excluding components that extend outside the standard chassis, such as EIA flanges, front security bezel (if any), and power supply handles:
- Width: 443 mm (17.4 inches)
- Height: 175 mm (6.9 inches) (each of the two 4U chassis)
- Depth: 973 mm (38.3 inches)
The following table lists the detailed dimensions. See the figure below for the definition of each dimension.
The shipping (cardboard packaging) dimensions of the SR950 V3 are as follows:
- Width: 600 mm (23.6 inches)
- Height: 587 mm (23.1 inches)
- Depth: 1200 mm (47.2 inches)
The SR950 V3 ships in two separate boxes, one for each 4U enclosure. The above dimensions are for each shipping box.
The server has the following weight:
- Maximum weight: 50 kg (110.23 lb) maximum per 4U chassis (100 kg total)
Electrical specifications for AC input power supplies:
- Input voltage:
- 200 to 240 (nominal) Vac, 50 Hz or 60 Hz
- 180 to 300 Vdc (China only)
- Inlet current: See the following table.
Operating environment
The SR950 V3 server complies with ASHRAE Class A2 specifications with most configurations, and depending on the hardware configuration, also complies with ASHRAE Class A3 and A4 specifications. System performance may be impacted when operating temperature is outside ASHRAE A2 specification.
Depending on the hardware configuration, the SR950 V3 server also complies with ASHRAE Class H1 specification. System performance may be impacted when operating temperature is outside ASHRAE H1 specification.
Topics in this section:
Temperature and humidity
The server is supported in the following environment:
- Air temperature:
- Operating
- ASHRAE Class A2: 10°C to 35°C (50°F to 95°F); the maximum ambient temperature decreases by 1°C for every 300 m (984 ft) increase in altitude above 900 m (2,953 ft).
- ASHRAE Class A3: 5°C to 40°C (41°F to 104°F); the maximum ambient temperature decreases by 1°C for every 175 m (574 ft) increase in altitude above 900 m (2,953 ft).
- ASHRAE Class A4: 5°C to 45°C (41°F to 113°F); the maximum ambient temperature decreases by 1°C for every 125 m (410 ft) increase in altitude above 900 m (2,953 ft).
- ASHRAE Class H1: 5 °C to 25 °C (41 °F to 77 °F); Decrease the maximum ambient temperature by 1°C for every 500 m (1640 ft) increase in altitude above 900 m (2,953 ft).
- Server off: 5°C to 45°C (41°F to 113°F)
- Shipment/storage: -40°C to 60°C (-40°F to 140°F)
- Operating
- Maximum altitude: 3,050 m (10,000 ft)
- Relative Humidity (non-condensing):
- Operating
- ASHRAE Class A2: 8% to 80%; maximum dew point: 21°C (70°F)
- ASHRAE Class A3: 8% to 85%; maximum dew point: 24°C (75°F)
- ASHRAE Class A4: 8% to 90%; maximum dew point: 24°C (75°F)
- ASHRAE Class H1: 8% to 80%; Maximum dew point: 17°C (63°F)
- Shipment/storage: 8% to 90%
- Operating
Acoustical noise emissions
The server has the following acoustic noise emissions declaration:
- Sound power level (LWAd)
- Idling: 7.3 Bel
- Operating: 7.9 Bel
- Sound pressure level (LpAm):
- Idling: 57.3 dBA
- Operating: 61.9 dBA
Notes:
- These sound levels were measured in controlled acoustical environments according to procedures specified by ISO7779 and are reported in accordance with ISO 9296.
- Government regulations (such as those prescribed by OSHA or European Community Directives) may govern noise level exposure in the workplace and may apply to you and your server installation. The actual sound pressure levels in your installation depend upon a variety of factors, including the number of racks in the installation; the size, materials, and configuration of the room; the noise levels from other equipment; the room ambient temperature, and employee's location in relation to the equipment. Further, compliance with such government regulations depends on a variety of additional factors, including the duration of employees' exposure and whether employees wear hearing protection. Lenovo recommends that you consult with qualified experts in this field to determine whether you are in compliance with the applicable regulations.
Shock and vibration
The server has the following vibration and shock limits:
- Vibration:
- Operating: 0.21 G rms at 5 Hz to 500 Hz for 15 minutes across 3 axes
- Non-operating: 1.04 G rms at 2 Hz to 200 Hz for 15 minutes across 6 surfaces
- Shock:
- Operating: 15 G for 3 milliseconds in each direction (positive and negative X, Y, and Z axes)
- Non-operating:
- 23 kg - 31 kg: 35 G for 152 in./sec velocity change across 6 surfaces
- 32 kg - 68 kg: 35 G for 136 in./sec velocity change across 6 surfaces
Particulate contamination
Airborne particulates (including metal flakes or particles) and reactive gases acting alone or in combination with other environmental factors such as humidity or temperature might damage the system that might cause the system to malfunction or stop working altogether.
The following specifications indicate the limits of particulates that the system can tolerate:
- Reactive gases:
- The copper reactivity level shall be less than 200 Angstroms per month (Å/month)
- The silver reactivity level shall be less than 200 Å/month
- Airborne particulates:
- The room air should be continuously filtered with MERV 8 filters.
- Air entering a data center should be filtered with MERV 11 or preferably MERV 13 filters.
- The deliquescent relative humidity of the particulate contamination should be more than 60% RH
- Environment must be free of zinc whiskers
For additional information, see the Specifications section of the documentation for the server, available from the Lenovo Documents site, https://pubs.lenovo.com/
Warranty upgrades and post-warranty support
The SR950 V3 has a 1-year or 3-year warranty based on the machine type of the system:
- 7DC5 - 1-year warranty
- 7DC4 - 3-year warranty
- 7DC6 - SAP HANA configurations with 3-year warranty
Our global network of regional support centers offers consistent, local-language support enabling you to vary response times and level of service to match the criticality of your support needs:
- Standard Next Business Day – Best choice for non-essential systems requiring simple maintenance.
- Premier Next Business Day – Best choice for essential systems requiring technical expertise from senior-level Lenovo engineers.
- Premier 24x7 4-Hour Response – Best choice for systems where maximum uptime is critical.
- Premier Enhanced Storage Support 24x7 4-Hour Response – Best choice for storage systems where maximum uptime is critical.
For more information, consult the brochure Lenovo Operational Support Services for Data Centers Services.
Services
Lenovo Data Center Services empower you at every stage of your IT lifecycle. From expert advisory and strategic planning to seamless deployment and ongoing support, we ensure your infrastructure is built for success. Our comprehensive services accelerate time to value, minimize downtime, and free your IT staff to focus on driving innovation and business growth.
Note: Some service options may not be available in all markets or regions. For more information, go to https://lenovolocator.com/. For information about Lenovo service upgrade offerings that are available in your region, contact your local Lenovo sales representative or business partner.
In this section:
- Lenovo Advisory Services
- Lenovo Plan & Design Services
- Lenovo Deployment, Migration, and Configuration Services
- Lenovo Support Services
- Lenovo Managed Services
- Lenovo Sustainability Services
Lenovo Advisory Services
Lenovo Advisory Services simplify the planning process, enabling customers to build future-proofed strategies in as little as six weeks. Consultants provide guidance on projects including VM migration, storage, backup and recovery, and cost management to accelerate time to value, improve cost efficiency, and build a flexibly scalable foundation.
- Assessment Services
An Assessment helps solve your IT challenges through an onsite, multi-day session with a Lenovo technology expert. We perform a tools-based assessment which provides a comprehensive and thorough review of a company's environment and technology systems. In addition to the technology based functional requirements, the consultant also discusses and records the non-functional business requirements, challenges, and constraints. Assessments help organizations like yours, no matter how large or small, get a better return on your IT investment and overcome challenges in the ever-changing technology landscape.
- Design Services
Professional Services consultants perform infrastructure design and implementation planning to support your strategy. The high-level architectures provided by the assessment service are turned into low level designs and wiring diagrams, which are reviewed and approved prior to implementation. The implementation plan will demonstrate an outcome-based proposal to provide business capabilities through infrastructure with a risk-mitigated project plan.
Lenovo Plan & Design Services
Unlock faster time to market with our tailored, strategic design workshops to align solution approaches with your business goals and technical requirements. Leverage our deep solution expertise and end-to-end delivery partnership to meet your goals efficiently and effectively.
Lenovo Deployment, Migration, and Configuration Services
Optimize your IT operations by shifting labor-intensive functions to Lenovo's skilled technicians for seamless on-site or remote deployment, configuration, and migration. Enjoy peace of mind, faster time to value, and comprehensive knowledge sharing with your IT staff, backed by our best-practice methodology.
- Deployment Services for Storage and ThinkAgile
A comprehensive range of remote and onsite options tailored specifically for your business needs to ensure your storage and ThinkAgile hardware are fully operational from the start.
- Hardware Installation Services
A full-range, comprehensive setup for your hardware, including unpacking, inspecting, and positioning components to ensure your equipment is operational and error-free for the most seamless and efficient installation experience, so you can quickly benefit from your investments.
- DM/DG File Migration Services
Take the burden of file migration from your IT’s shoulders. Our experts will align your requirements and business objectives to the migration plans while coordinating with your team to plan and safely execute the data migration to your storage platforms.
- DM/DG/DE Health Check Services
Our experts perform proactive checks of your Firmware and system health to ensure your machines are operating at peak and optimal efficiency to maximize up-time, avoid system failures, ensure the security of IT solutions and simplify maintenance.
- Factory Integrated Services
A suite of value-added offerings provided during the manufacturing phase of a server or storage system that reduces time to value. These services aim at improving your hardware deployment experience and enhance the quality of a standard configuration before it arrives at your facility.
Lenovo Support Services
In addition to response time options for hardware parts, repairs, and labor, Lenovo offers a wide array of additional support services to ensure your business is positioned for success and longevity. Our goal is to reduce your capital outlays, mitigate your IT risks, and accelerate your time to productivity.
- Premier Support for Data Centers
Your direct line to the solution that promises the best, most comprehensive level of support to help you fully unlock the potential of your data center.
- Premier Enhanced Storage Support (PESS)
Gain all the benefits of Premier Support for Data Centers, adding dedicated storage specialists and resources to elevate your storage support experience to the next level.
- Committed Service Repair (CSR)
Our commitment to ensuring the fastest, most seamless resolution times for mission-critical systems that require immediate attention to ensure minimal downtime and risk for your business. This service is only available for machines under the Premier 4-Hour Response SLA.
- Multivendor Support Services (MVS)
Your single point of accountability for resolution support across vast range of leading Server, Storage, and Networking OEMs, allowing you to manage all your supported infrastructure devices seamlessly from a single source.
- Keep Your Drive (KYD)
Protect sensitive data and maintain compliance with corporate retention and disposal policies to ensure your data is always under your control, regardless of the number of drives that are installed in your Lenovo server.
- Technical Account Manager (TAM)
Your single point of contact to expedite service requests, provide status updates, and furnish reports to track incidents over time, ensuring smooth operations and optimized performance as your business grows.
- Enterprise Software Support (ESS)
Gain comprehensive, single-source, and global support for a wide range of server operating systems and Microsoft server applications.
For more information, consult the brochure Lenovo Operational Support Services for Data Centers.
Lenovo Managed Services
Achieve peak efficiency, high security, and minimal disruption with Lenovo's always-on Managed Services. Our real-time monitoring, 24x7 incident response, and problem resolution ensure your infrastructure operates seamlessly. With quarterly health checks for ongoing optimization and innovation, Lenovo's remote active monitoring boosts end-user experience and productivity by keeping your data center's hardware performing at its best.
Lenovo Managed Services provides continuous 24x7 remote monitoring (plus 24x7 call center availability) and proactive management of your data center using state-of-the-art tools, systems, and practices by a team of highly skilled and experienced Lenovo services professionals.
Quarterly reviews check error logs, verify firmware & OS device driver levels, and software as needed. We’ll also maintain records of latest patches, critical updates, and firmware levels, to ensure you systems are providing business value through optimized performance.
Lenovo Sustainability Services
- Asset Recovery Services
Lenovo Asset Recovery Services (ARS) provides a secure, seamless solution for managing end-of-life IT assets, ensuring data is safely sanitized while contributing to a more circular IT lifecycle. By maximizing the reuse or responsible recycling of devices, ARS helps businesses meet sustainability goals while recovering potential value from their retired equipment. For more information, see the Asset Recovery Services offering page.
- CO2 Offset Services
Lenovo’s CO2 Offset Services offer a simple and transparent way for businesses to take tangible action on their IT footprint. By integrating CO2 offsets directly into device purchases, customers can easily support verified climate projects and track their contributions, making meaningful progress toward their sustainability goals without added complexity.
- Lenovo Certified Refurbished
Lenovo Certified Refurbished offers a cost-effective way to support IT circularity without compromising on quality and performance. Each device undergoes rigorous testing and certification, ensuring reliable performance and extending its lifecycle. With Lenovo’s trusted certification, you gain peace of mind while making a more sustainable IT choice.
Lenovo TruScale
Lenovo TruScale XaaS is your set of flexible IT services that makes everything easier. Streamline IT procurement, simplify infrastructure and device management, and pay only for what you use – so your business is free to grow and go anywhere.
Lenovo TruScale is the unified solution that gives you simplified access to:
- The industry’s broadest portfolio – from pocket to cloud – all delivered as a service
- A single-contract framework for full visibility and accountability
- The global scale to rapidly and securely build teams from anywhere
- Flexible fixed and metered pay-as-you-go models with minimal upfront cost
- The growth-driving combination of hardware, software, infrastructure, and solutions – all from one single provider with one point of accountability.
For information about Lenovo TruScale offerings that are available in your region, contact your local Lenovo sales representative or business partner.
Regulatory compliance
The SR950 V3 conforms to the following standards:
- ANSI/UL 62368-1
- IEC 62368-1 (CB Certificate and CB Test Report)
- CSA C22.2 No. 62368-1
- Argentina IEC 60950-1
- Mexico NOM-019
- India BIS 13252 (Part 1)
- Germany GS
- TUV-GS (EN62368-1, and EK1-ITB2000)
- Brazil INMETRO
- South Africa NRCS LOA
- Ukraine UkrCEPRO
- Morocco CMIM Certification (CM)
- Russia, Belorussia and Kazakhstan, TP EAC 037/2016 (for RoHS)
- Russia, Belorussia and Kazakhstan, EAC: TP TC 004/2011 (for Safety); TP TC 020/2011 (for EMC)
- CE, UKCA Mark (EN55032 Class A, EN62368-1, EN55024, EN55035, EN61000-3-2, EN61000-3-3, (EU) 2019/424, and EN IEC 63000 (RoHS))
- FCC - Verified to comply with Part 15 of the FCC Rules, Class A
- Canada ICES-003, issue 7, Class A
- CISPR 32, Class A, CISPR 35
- Korea KN32, Class A, KN35
- Japan VCCI, Class A
- Taiwan BSMI CNS15936, Class A; CNS15598-1; Section 5 of CNS15663
- Australia/New Zealand AS/NZS CISPR 32, Class A; AS/NZS 62368.1
- SGS, VOC Emission
- China CELP certificate, HJ 2507-2011
- China ISCCC, GB40050-2021
External storage systems
Lenovo offers the ThinkSystem DE Series and ThinkSystem DM Series external storage systems for high-performance storage. See the DE Series and DM Series product guides for specific controller models, expansion enclosures and configuration options:
- ThinkSystem DE Series Storage
https://lenovopress.com/storage/thinksystem/de-series#rt=product-guide - ThinkSystem DM Series Storage
https://lenovopress.com/storage/thinksystem/dm-series#rt=product-guide - ThinkSystem DG Series Storage
https://lenovopress.com/storage/thinksystem/dg-series#rt=product-guide
Fibre Channel SAN switches
Lenovo offers the ThinkSystem DB Series of Fibre Channel SAN switches for high-performance storage expansion. See the DB Series product guides for models and configuration options:
- ThinkSystem DB Series SAN Switches:
https://lenovopress.com/storage/switches/rack#rt=product-guide
Uninterruptible power supply units
The following table lists the uninterruptible power supply (UPS) units that are offered by Lenovo.
† Only available in China and the Asia Pacific market.
For more information, see the list of Product Guides in the UPS category:
https://lenovopress.com/servers/options/ups
Power distribution units
The following table lists the power distribution units (PDUs) that are offered by Lenovo.
For more information, see the Lenovo Press documents in the PDU category:
https://lenovopress.com/servers/options/pdu
Rack cabinets
The following table lists the supported rack cabinets.
For specifications about these racks, see the Lenovo Rack Cabinet Reference, available from:
https://lenovopress.com/lp1287-lenovo-rack-cabinet-reference
For more information, see the list of Product Guides in the Rack cabinets category:
https://lenovopress.com/servers/options/racks
KVM console options
The following table lists the supported KVM consoles.
The following table lists the keyboards supported with the 1U 18.5" Standard Console (now withdrawn).
Note: These keyboards are not supported with the ThinkSystem 18.5" LCD Console.
The following table lists the available KVM switches and the options that are supported with them.
For more information, see the list of Product Guides in the KVM Switches and Consoles category:
http://lenovopress.com/servers/options/kvm
Lenovo Financial Services
Why wait to obtain the technology you need now? No payments for 90 days and predictable, low monthly payments make it easy to budget for your Lenovo solution.
- Flexible
Our in-depth knowledge of the products, services and various market segments allows us to offer greater flexibility in structures, documentation and end of lease options.
- 100% Solution Financing
Financing your entire solution including hardware, software, and services, ensures more predictability in your project planning with fixed, manageable payments and low monthly payments.
- Device as a Service (DaaS)
Leverage latest technology to advance your business. Customized solutions aligned to your needs. Flexibility to add equipment to support growth. Protect your technology with Lenovo's Premier Support service.
- 24/7 Asset management
Manage your financed solutions with electronic access to your lease documents, payment histories, invoices and asset information.
- Fair Market Value (FMV) and $1 Purchase Option Leases
Maximize your purchasing power with our lowest cost option. An FMV lease offers lower monthly payments than loans or lease-to-own financing. Think of an FMV lease as a rental. You have the flexibility at the end of the lease term to return the equipment, continue leasing it, or purchase it for the fair market value. In a $1 Out Purchase Option lease, you own the equipment. It is a good option when you are confident you will use the equipment for an extended period beyond the finance term. Both lease types have merits depending on your needs. We can help you determine which option will best meet your technological and budgetary goals.
Ask your Lenovo Financial Services representative about this promotion and how to submit a credit application. For the majority of credit applicants, we have enough information to deliver an instant decision and send a notification within minutes.
Seller training courses
The following sales training courses are offered for employees and partners (login required). Courses are listed in date order.
-
ThinkSystem Rack and Tower Introduction for ISO Client Managers
2024-12-10 | 20 minutes | Employees Only
DetailsThinkSystem Rack and Tower Introduction for ISO Client ManagersIn this course, you will learn about Lenovo’s Data Center Portfolio, its ThinkSystem Family and the key features of the Rack and Tower servers. It will equip you with foundational knowledge which you can then expand upon by participating in the facilitated session of the curriculum.
Published: 2024-12-10
Course Objectives:
• By the end of this course, you should be able to:
• Identify Lenovo’s main data center brands.
• Describe the key components of the ThinkSystem Family servers.
• Differentiate between the Rack and Tower servers of the ThinkSystem Family.
• Understand the value Rack and Tower servers can provide to customers.
Length: 20 minutesStart the training:
Employee link: Grow@Lenovo -
Lenovo Data Center Technical Sales Certification Exam Study Guide
2024-11-27 | 10 minutes | Employees and Partners
DetailsLenovo Data Center Technical Sales Certification Exam Study GuideThis guide includes information to help candidates prepare and register for the Data Center Technical Sales practice and certification exams.
Published: 2024-11-27
Length: 10 minutesStart the training:
Employee link: Grow@Lenovo
Partner link: Lenovo Partner Learning -
Lenovo Data Center Sales Certification Exam Study Guide
2024-11-27 | 10 minutes | Employees and Partners
DetailsLenovo Data Center Sales Certification Exam Study GuideThis guide includes information to help candidates prepare and register for the Data Center Sales practice and certification exams.
Published: 2024-11-27
Length: 10 minutesStart the training:
Employee link: Grow@Lenovo
Partner link: Lenovo Partner Learning -
Partner Technical Webinar - Server Update with Mark Bica
2024-11-26 | 60 minutes | Employees and Partners
DetailsPartner Technical Webinar - Server Update with Mark Bicain this 60-minute replay, Mark Bica, Lenovo Product Manager gave an update on the server portfolio. Mark presented on the new V4 Intel servers with Xeon 6 CPUs. He reviewed where the new AMD 5th Gen EPYC CPUs will be used in our servers. He followed with a review of the GPU dense servers including SR680, SR680a, SR575 and SR780a. Mark concluded with a review of the SC777 and SC750 that were introduced at TechWorld.
Published: 2024-11-26
Length: 60 minutesStart the training:
Employee link: Grow@Lenovo
Partner link: Lenovo Partner Learning -
Partner Technical Webinar - LenovoPress updates and LPH Demo
2024-11-13 | 60 minutes | Employees and Partners
DetailsPartner Technical Webinar - LenovoPress updates and LPH Demoin this 60-minute replay, we had 3 topics. First, David Watts, Lenovo Sr Manager LenovoPress, gave an update on LenovoPress and improvements to finding Seller Training Courses (both partner and Lenovo). Next, Ryan Tuttle, Lenovo LETS Solution Architect, gave a demo of Lenovo Partner Hub (LPH) including how to find replays of Partner Webinars in LPL. Finally, Joe Murphy, Lenovo Sr Manager of LETS NA, gave a quick update on the new Stackable Warranty Options in DCSC.
Published: 2024-11-13
Length: 60 minutesStart the training:
Employee link: Grow@Lenovo
Partner link: Lenovo Partner Learning -
Virtual Facilitated Session - ThinkSystem Rack and Tower Primer for ISO Client Managers
2024-10-31 | 90 minutes | Employees Only
DetailsVirtual Facilitated Session - ThinkSystem Rack and Tower Primer for ISO Client ManagersIn this Virtual Instructor-Led Training Session, ISO Client Managers will be able to build on the knowledge gained in Module 1 (eLearning) of the ThinkSystem Rack and Tower Server Primer for ISO Client Managers curriculum.
Published: 2024-10-31
<p>
<span style="color:red; font-weight:bold;"> IMPORTANT! </span> <span style="font-weight:bold;"> Module 1 (eLearning) must be completed to be eligible to participate in this session. Please note that places are subject to availability. If you are selected, you will receive the invite to this session via email. </span>
</p>
Length: 90 minutesStart the training:
Employee link: Grow@Lenovo -
Partner Technical Webinar - OneIQ
2024-07-15 | 60 minutes | Employees and Partners
DetailsPartner Technical Webinar - OneIQIn this 60-minute replay, Peter Grant, Field CTO for OneIQ, reviewed and demo’d the capabilities of OneIQ including collecting data and analyzing. Additionally, Peter and the team discussed how specific partners (those with NA Channel SA coverage) will get direct access to OneIQ and other partners can get access to OneIQ via Distribution or the NA LETS team.
Published: 2024-07-15
Length: 60 minutesStart the training:
Employee link: Grow@Lenovo
Partner link: Lenovo Partner Learning -
SAP Webinar for Lenovo Sellers: Lenovo Portfolio Update for SAP Landscapes
2024-06-04 | 60 minutes | Employees Only
DetailsSAP Webinar for Lenovo Sellers: Lenovo Portfolio Update for SAP LandscapesJoin Mark Kelly, Advisory IT Architect with the Lenovo Global SAP Center of Competence as he discusses:
Published: 2024-06-04
• Challenges in the SAP environment
• Lenovo On-premise Solutions for SAP
• Lenovo support resources for SAP solutions
Length: 60 minutesStart the training:
Employee link: Grow@Lenovo -
Lenovo Data Center Product Portfolio
2024-05-29 | 20 minutes | Employees and Partners
DetailsLenovo Data Center Product PortfolioThis course introduces the Lenovo data center portfolio, and covers servers, storage, storage networking, and software-defined infrastructure products. After completing this course about Lenovo data center products, you will be able to identify product types within each data center family, describe Lenovo innovations that this product family or category uses, and recognize when a specific product should be selected.
Published: 2024-05-29
Length: 20 minutesStart the training:
Employee link: Grow@Lenovo
Partner link: Lenovo Partner Learning -
VTT Cloud Architecture: NVIDIA Using Cloud for GPUs and AI
2024-05-22 | 60 minutes | Employees Only
DetailsVTT Cloud Architecture: NVIDIA Using Cloud for GPUs and AIJoin JD Dupont, NVIDIA Head of Americas Sales, Lenovo partnership and Veer Mehta, NVIDIA Solution Architect on an interactive discussion about cloud to edge, designing cloud Solutions with NVIDIA GPUs and minimizing private\hybrid cloud OPEX with GPUs. Discover how you can use what is done at big public cloud providers for your customers. We will also walk through use cases and see a demo you can use to help your customers.
Published: 2024-05-22
Length: 60 minutesStart the training:
Employee link: Grow@Lenovo -
Partner Technical Webinar - ISG Portfolio Update
2024-04-15 | 60 minutes | Employees and Partners
DetailsPartner Technical Webinar - ISG Portfolio UpdateIn this 60-minute replay, Mark Bica, NA ISG Server Product Manager reviewed the Lenovo ISG portfolio. He covered new editions such as the SR680a \ SR685a, dense servers, and options that are strategic for any workload.
Published: 2024-04-15
Length: 60 minutesStart the training:
Employee link: Grow@Lenovo
Partner link: Lenovo Partner Learning -
Partner Technical Webinar - StorMagic
2024-03-19 | 60 minutes | Employees and Partners
DetailsPartner Technical Webinar - StorMagicMarch 08, 2024 – In this 60-minute replay, Stuart Campbell and Wes Ganeko of StorMagic joined us and provided an overview of StorMagic on Lenovo. They also demonstrated the interface while sharing some interesting use cases.
Published: 2024-03-19
Length: 60 minutesStart the training:
Employee link: Grow@Lenovo
Partner link: Lenovo Partner Learning -
Family Portfolio: Storage Controller Options
2024-01-23 | 25 minutes | Employees and Partners
DetailsFamily Portfolio: Storage Controller OptionsThis course covers the storage controller options available for use in Lenovo servers. The classes of storage controller are discussed, along with a discussion of where they are used, and which to choose.
Published: 2024-01-23
After completing this course, you will be able to:
• Describe the classes of storage controllers
• Discuss where each controller class is used
• Describe the available options in each controller class
Length: 25 minutesStart the training:
Employee link: Grow@Lenovo
Partner link: Lenovo Partner Learning -
Lenovo-Intel Sustainable Solutions QH
2024-01-22 | 10 minutes | Employees and Partners
DetailsLenovo-Intel Sustainable Solutions QHThis Quick Hit explains how Lenovo and Intel are committed to sustainability, and introduces the Lenovo-Intel joint sustainability campaign. You will learn how to use this campaign to show customers what that level of commitment entails, how to use the campaign's unsolicited proposal approach, and how to use the campaign as a conversation starter which may lead to increased sales.
Published: 2024-01-22
Length: 10 minutesStart the training:
Employee link: Grow@Lenovo
Partner link: Lenovo Partner Learning -
FY24Q3 Intel Servers Update
2023-12-11 | 15 minutes | Employees and Partners
DetailsFY24Q3 Intel Servers UpdateThis update is designed to help you discuss the features and customer benefits of Lenovo servers that use the 5th Gen Intel® Xeon® processors. Lenovo has also introduced a new server, the ThinkSystem SD650-N V3, which expands the supercomputer server family. Reasons to call your customer and talk about refreshing their infrastructure are also included as a guideline.
Published: 2023-12-11
Length: 15 minutesStart the training:
Employee link: Grow@Lenovo
Partner link: Lenovo Partner Learning -
Partner Technical Webinar - Data Center Limits and ISG TAA Compliance
2023-05-16 | 60 minutes | Employees and Partners
DetailsPartner Technical Webinar - Data Center Limits and ISG TAA ComplianceIn this 60-minute replay, we had two topics. First Vinod Kamath, Lenovo Distinguished Engineer for Data Center Cooling presented on the Systems Configuration and Data Center Ambient Limits. Second, Shama Patari, Lenovo Trade Council, and Glenn Johnson, Lenovo Principal Engineer for Supply Chain presented on ISG TAA Compliance.
Published: 2023-05-16
Length: 60 minutesStart the training:
Employee link: Grow@Lenovo
Partner link: Lenovo Partner Learning -
Introduction to the Intel Xeon Scalable Gen4 Processors
2022-12-30 | 10 minutes | Employees and Partners
DetailsIntroduction to the Intel Xeon Scalable Gen4 ProcessorsWhen you complete this course, you should be able to define the Gen4 Intel Xeon Scalable processors and the four tiers used in the family. You should also be able to discuss the new features of the Gen4 processors and the family value proposition.
Published: 2022-12-30
Length: 10 minutesStart the training:
Employee link: Grow@Lenovo
Partner link: Lenovo Partner Learning -
Lenovo Infrastructure Solutions Launch
2022-09-16 | 8 minutes | Employees and Partners
DetailsLenovo Infrastructure Solutions LaunchThis Quick Hit introduces a wealth of new products, solutions, and services announced as part of the Lenovo ThinkSystem 30th Anniversary celebration.
Published: 2022-09-16
Length: 8 minutesStart the training:
Employee link: Grow@Lenovo
Partner link: Lenovo Partner Learning -
Lenovo Sustainable Computing
2022-09-16 | 4 minutes | Employees and Partners
DetailsLenovo Sustainable ComputingThis Quick Hit describes the Lenovo sustainable computing program, and the many ways in which Lenovo strives to respect and protect the environment.
Published: 2022-09-16
Length: 4 minutesStart the training:
Employee link: Grow@Lenovo
Partner link: Lenovo Partner Learning -
Introduction to DDR5 Memory
2022-08-23 | 10 minutes | Employees and Partners
DetailsIntroduction to DDR5 MemoryThis course introduces DDR5 memory, describes new features of this memory generation, and discusses the advantages to customers of this new memory generation.
Published: 2022-08-23
Length: 10 minutesStart the training:
Employee link: Grow@Lenovo
Partner link: Lenovo Partner Learning
1-10 of 20 courses.
Related publications and links
For more information, see these resources:
- Product web page for the ThinkSystem SR950 V3:
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/mission-critical/len21ts0023 - Datasheet for the SR950 V3
https://lenovopress.lenovo.com/DS0169 - ThinkSystem SR950 V3 drivers and support
http://datacentersupport.lenovo.com/products/servers/thinksystem/sr950-v3/7dc4/downloads - Lenovo ThinkSystem SR950 V3 product publications:
http://thinksystem.lenovofiles.com/help/index.jsp- SR950 V3 User Guide
- SR950 V3 Hardware Maintenance Guide
- Rail Installation Guide
- Cable Management Arm Installation Guide
- Messages and Codes Reference
- UEFI Manual for ThinkSystem
- ServerProven hardware compatibility:
https://serverproven.lenovo.com/
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The following terms are trademarks of Lenovo in the United States, other countries, or both:
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ThinkAgile®
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ThinkShield®
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The following terms are trademarks of other companies:
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SPECpower® is a trademark of the Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC).
Other company, product, or service names may be trademarks or service marks of others.
Configure and Buy
Full Change History
Changes in the December 17, 2024 update:
- Added the following RAID adapter - Controllers for internal storage section:
- ThinkSystem RAID 940-8i 8GB Flash PCIe Gen4 12Gb Adapter, 4Y37A09729
- Added the following OCP network adapter - Network adapters section:
- ThinkSystem Intel I350 1GbE RJ45 4-Port OCP Ethernet Adapter V2, 4XC7A88428
Changes in the November 26, 2024 update:
- Added the following E3.S SSDs - Internal drive options section:
- ThinkSystem E3.S PM9D3a 1.92TB Read Intensive NVMe PCIe 5.0 x4 HS SSD, 4XB7A93078
- ThinkSystem E3.S PM9D3a 3.84TB Read Intensive NVMe PCIe 5.0 x4 HS SSD, 4XB7A93079
- ThinkSystem E3.S PM9D3a 7.68TB Read Intensive NVMe PCIe 5.0 x4 HS SSD, 4XB7A93080
- ThinkSystem E3.S PM9D3a 15.36TB Read Intensive NVMe PCIe 5.0 x4 HS SSD, 4XB7A93081
- Added the following drive bay filler option - Internal storage section:
- ThinkSystem 2.5" 1x1 HDD Filler by 8 units, 4XH7A99569
Changes in the November 18, 2024 update:
- Added buttons to easily open a 360° view of the server and the full 3D Tour of the server - Introduction section
Changes in the October 29, 2024 update:
- Added the following PCIe adapter - Network adapters section:
- ThinkSystem Broadcom 5719 1GbE RJ45 4-Port PCIe Ethernet Adapter, 7ZT7A00484
- Added the following ESXi preload - Operating system support section:
- VMware ESXi 8.0 U3 (Factory Installed), BZ97
- Added the following VROC offering - Intel VROC onboard RAID section:
- Intel VROC RAID1 Only, 4L47A92670
Changes in the May 27, 2024 update:
- The maximum number of Fibre Channel adapters that can be installed is 14 - Fibre Channel host bus adapters section
- The dedicated RJ45 port for remote XCC management is at the front of the server, not the rear; optional 2nd XCC port can be installed in a slot in the rear of the server - Standard specifications section
Changes in the March 22, 2024:
- The following VMware ESXi preloads have been withdrawn as not supported - Operating system support section:
- VMware ESXi 7.0 U3 (Factory Installed), BMEY
- VMware ESXi 8.0 U1 (Factory Installed), BQ8S
Changes in the February 27, 2024:
- The following adapters are currently not supported:
- ThinkSystem NVIDIA ConnectX-7 NDR OSFP400 1-Port PCIe Gen5 x16 InfiniBand Adapter, 4XC7A80289
- ThinkSystem NVIDIA ConnectX-7 NDR200/200GbE QSFP112 2-port PCIe Gen5 x16 Adapter, 4XC7A81883
- ThinkSystem Emulex LPe36002 64Gb 2-port PCIe Fibre Channel Adapter, 4XC7A77485
Changes in the January 29, 2024:
- Clarified that the fans are simple-swap, not hot-swap
Changes in the January 24, 2024:
- The following network adapter has been removed as not supported - Network adapters section:
- ThinkSystem NVIDIA ConnectX-7 NDR OSFP400 1-Port PCIe Gen5 x16 InfiniBand Adapter (SharedIO) DWC, 4XC7A86670
Changes in the January 9, 2024:
- Added support for the following memory DIMMs - Memory options section
- ThinkSystem SR950 V3 32GB TruDDR5 4800MHz (1Rx4) 10x4 RDIMM, 4X77A94004
- ThinkSystem SR950 V3 64GB TruDDR5 4800MHz (2Rx4) 10x4 RDIMM, 4X77A94006
- Removed support for the following memory DIMMs - Memory options section
- ThinkSystem 32GB TruDDR5 4800MHz (1Rx4) 10x4 RDIMM, 4X77A77030
- ThinkSystem 64GB TruDDR5 4800MHz (2Rx4) 10x4 RDIMM, 4X77A77032
- Added the following drive - Internal drive options section:
- ThinkSystem M.2 PM9A3 960GB Read Intensive NVMe PCIe 4.0 x4 NHS SSD, 4XB7A90102
Changes in the November 28, 2023:
- Added a note that Figure 4 shows power supplies with C19 connectors, however the SR950 V3 currently only supports 1800W power supplies which have C13 connectors - Components and connectors section
- New listing of available Seller Training Courses for Lenovo sellers and business partners that are related to the SR950 V3 - Seller training courses section
Changes in the November 21, 2023 update:
- Added the following memory DIMMs - Memory options section
- ThinkSystem 256GB TruDDR5 4800MHz (8Rx4) 3DS RDIMM-A v1, BZPM
- ThinkSystem 128GB TruDDR5 4800MHz (4Rx4) 3DS RDIMM v1, BY8F
- ThinkSystem 96GB TruDDR5 4800MHz (2Rx4) RDIMM, 4X77A87034
Changes in the October 25, 2023 update:
- Updated the noise emissions data - Acoustical noise emissions section
- Updated the weight - Physical and electrical specifications section
Changes in the October 3, 2023 update:
- New VMware ESXi preload - Operating system support section:
- VMware ESXi 8.0 U2 (Factory Installed), BYC7
Changes in the September 19, 2023 update:
- Added the following M.2 cable kit - M.2 drives section:
- ThinkSystem SR950 V3 M.2 NVMe Cable Option Kit, 4XH7A91520
- Added the security bezel - Security section:
- ThinkSystem SR950 V3 Security Bezel, SBB7A79740
- Added the following VMware ESXi preload choices - Operating system support section (planned for September 26):
- VMware ESXi 7.0 U3 (Factory Installed), BMEY
- VMware ESXi 8.0 U1 (Factory Installed), BQ8S
Changes in the September 5, 2023 update:
- Added the following M.2 drive - Internal drive options section:
- ThinkSystem M.2 7450 PRO 480GB Read Intensive NVMe PCIe 4.0 x4 NHS SSD, 4XB7A82636
Changes in the August 24, 2023 update:
- Added the front security bezel (planned for September 2023) - Security section
Changes in the July 13, 2023 update:
- Added Acoustical noise emissions - Operating environment section
First published (announced): July 11, 2023
Course Detail
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