Lenovo 2U server sports 12 CPU cores and tons of storage
We tested the Lenovo ThinkServer RD630 in our network operations center cabinet at nFrame in Carmel, Ind., and found that it fits the bill if you’re looking for a powerful, versatile 1/2U server.
The biggest limitation, we found, is that the standard sample we were sent has just two or three (depending on configuration options chosen) Gigabit Ethernet ports, which may limit its usefulness in high-traffic environments unless optional Ethernet cards are installed.
10 things we love/hate about Lenovo ThinkServer
The basic kit includes the server, rack rails, power cord, and DVDs with software and guides. The rack rails looked a little flimsy, but surprisingly they installed in seconds, snap snap, repeat. The instructions said to use two people to attach the server, but one of us, the gutsy one, lifted the RD630 perilously onto the extended rails, went snap snap, repeat, and the 2U server unit was attached, and ready to slam back into the cabinet.
There were the usual dual power supply connections. Warnings also state to keep the temperature under 35C/95F, but the nFrame NOC can chill a quart of milk for months. There were three Ethernet jacks to connect, one of which can be used for the ThinkServer management components. We fired it up, and wondered if there should be a warning for excess noise. The ThinkServer, like HPs and the old Apple Xserver we use, would be at home at an international airport. Like the HP, however, you can turn down the fans if you’re so disposed. The Apple sounds like it’s been on the runway for several years now, waiting patiently to take off.
Options and Considerations
The ThinkServer comes with two DVDs, one RAID Configuration Tool, and the other Documentation. There’s room on the face of the RD630 for a DVD drive and our unit came with one; finding a DVD drive is unusual in 1U and 2U servers so we were happy with having one for boot options. We could also use Intel’s PxE Boot to bring up the server, but having a DVD drive was a joy.
On the RD630’s front face are eight slots for 2.5-inch SATA or SAS drives. We liked the VGA jacks on the front and back, but there are only three Gigabit Ethernet jacks, and one of these is likely to be used for management backplane access leaving just two Gigabit Ethernet connections for the server and any VM guests or web processes on the machine. We’d like to see more– and even 10G Ethernet jacks. There’s plenty of musculature in the Lenovo RD630 and it’s a shame to be weakly connected.
However, those desiring more or faster (think 10G Ethernet) connectivity have the ability to use up to five PCI Express card slots on the two risers built inside the server. However, be aware that the PCI Express bus will throttle lots of network cards because of its own bus speed limitations. Were we to order additional Ethernet cards, we’d ask for a TCP Offload Engine Card (TOE) or otherwise intelligent Ethernet cards that have onboard processors so as not to slow down first the PCI bus, but also to prevent constant processor interruptions.
Then there are the stunning six USB connections on the RD630. Some might consider this overkill, but when jostling external flash/conventional drives, a keyboard, and mouse sitting on a crash cart in a freezing NOC, more jacks are better. The RD630 can be easily connected front and backside to the aforementioned crash cart.
Software and Hosting
The ThinkServers include an app that controls the RAID controller, which is based on a PCI-bus to controller disk management. Lenovo sent us SAS drives, but also supported are SATA II, as well as several varieties of SSD drives, and certain advanced SSD features (like CacheCAID).
Options are also included for enabling STP (Serial Tunneling Protocol), SMP (Serial Management Protocol), and provisions for other SATA 2 and SAS device communications. MegaRAID unconfigured devices can be optionally powered down until they’re configured.
The MegaRAID utility is similar to that seen on Dell, IBM, and other servers, and explains setup, RAID types, implications of choices, and how the RAID controller can be accessed, and drives evaluated — out of band of the host operating system or hypervisor installed on the RD630 — through the RD630’s management channel. The manual for the software is almost 300 pages long, and is thorough in its explanations regarding the life cycle of storage in or connected to the RD630.
It’s possible to configure the RAID array in any number of ways from RAID 0 to “60”, but we chose RAID 6. The ThinkServer software can then be used to prep the array for varying operating systems. We chose to install VMware, then we wiped that and tried Windows Server 2012, wiped that, and in a fit of boredom, installed Canonical’s Ubuntu Server 12.04 base, then some additional VMs.
The reason for the pleasant boredom is that the Intel Reference chipset is a known quantity, so hardware probing during operating systems initial installation reveals a very generic chipset, and one that allows the operating systems routines to choose the right device drivers the first time. This might be one of the main reasons we’d choose this server: no hardware surprises for driver choice routines.
As we expected, with 12 CPU cores, the RD630 is very fast. It uses two Intel’s Xeon 2620 95watt, six-core CPUs. Power consumption is moderate, and power settings are comparatively limited in BIOS configurations.
An additional problem, not one that’s Lenovo or Intel’s fault is that most hypervisors, including Hyper-V and ESXi, will thwart hosted VM settings, and so the CPUs will run at full clock speed, and therefore, unbridled in power consumption depending on workload. Most hypervisors, we’ve found, will maximize power consumption.
Documentation holes
The otherwise outstanding documentation, a huge PDF file, is found on the Documentation DVD. The DVD is meant to be played on Windows systems, but we found its HTML origin and successfully navigated with other operating systems. The PDF file, however, has gaping holes in it, and so we suggest potential RD630 admins download a copy from the Lenovo site. The holes amount to missing pages, often dozens of them in a row. The online version, however, is complete, and also has enough information regarding configuring storage that people with moderate hardware experience should have little difficulty in getting a basic system setup with reasonable default options.
As noted, we thought the rails hardware was flimsy, but the server was running merrily along with several pulls to get to the chassis for examinations. The server chassis is reasonable, and jacks aren’t difficult to get to — especially the few and sparse Ethernet jacks. We would have liked to have seen more — and perhaps 10G Ethernet jacks as well. It’s a fast server, and can breathe hard, but it’s not super-connected via its Ethernet ports.
How We Tested the Lenovo ThinkServer
The Lenovo RD630 ThinkServer was unpacked and installed into our cabinet at nFrame, an MSP in Carmel, Ind. We attached its rails, slammed it into the rack (gently), connected its AC and Ethernet, and started testing. The RD630 was tested with VMware 5.1, Windows 2012 Hyper-V3, and several versions of Linux, as described. We pulled the unit to take it apart, timing how long it took to get to key components, like processors, disks, and memory. We found no obstructions or unreasonably tight fits for the major components or their installation/removal using standard tools. The supplied documentation is explicit regarding troubleshooting, installation of components, and especially of the unit’s MegaRAID storage controller. The supplied documents were found to have missing pages, but an online version worked satisfactorily.
Henderson is principal researcher for ExtremeLabs, of Bloomington, Ind. He can be reached at kitchen-sink@extremelabs.com.
