IBM Power System S824 (Model: 8286-42A)

The IBM Power System S824 (Machine Type / Model: 8286-42A) is a 2-socket 4U rack-mount server built on the IBM POWER8 processor architecture. Designed for enterprise database management, transactional workloads, business analytics, and server consolidation, the 8286-42A offers high I/O expansion, enterprise memory bandwidth, and redundant hardware reliability.

General Technical Specifications

Feature	Specification
Machine Type / Model	8286-42A
Marketing Name	IBM Power System S824
Form Factor	4U Rack-mount chassis
Processor Architecture	IBM POWER8
Processor Sockets	2 Sockets
Core Configurations	12, 16, 24, or 36 POWER8 Cores
Memory Slots	32 DDR3 Custom DIMM (CDIMM) Slots
Maximum RAM	Up to 2 TB (32 × 64 GB CDIMMs)
Memory Bandwidth	Up to 192 GB/s per socket (384 GB/s total peak)
PCIe Slots	Up to 11 PCIe Gen3 Slots (standard)
Internal Storage	Up to 18 SFF SAS/SSD bays or 8 SFF bays + 1.8-inch SSD slots
Power Supply	Redundant Hot-Plug (1400W / 1600W AC)

Processor Options & Feature Codes

The IBM 8286-42A supports dual-socket processor card configurations across multiple core counts and frequencies:

Processor Feature Code	Cores per System	Clock Speed	L2 / L3 / L4 Cache Structure
#EPXE	12-core (2 × 6-core)	3.89 GHz	512 KB L2 / 8 MB L3 per core + 16 MB L4 per CDIMM
#EPXF	16-core (2 × 8-core)	4.15 GHz	512 KB L2 / 8 MB L3 per core + 16 MB L4 per CDIMM
#EPXG	24-core (2 × 12-core)	3.52 GHz	512 KB L2 / 8 MB L3 per core + 16 MB L4 per CDIMM
#EPXH	24-core (2 × 12-core)	4.15 GHz	512 KB L2 / 8 MB L3 per core + 16 MB L4 per CDIMM
#EPXJ	36-core (2 × 18-core)	3.52 GHz	512 KB L2 / 8 MB L3 per core + 16 MB L4 per CDIMM

Memory Subsystem

• Architecture: Custom DIMM (CDIMM) architecture featuring integrated L4 cache buffer chips.

• Slot Count: 32 CDIMM slots total (16 slots per processor card socket).

• Module Capacities: 16 GB, 32 GB, and 64 GB 1600 MHz DDR3 CDIMMs.

• Capacity Limits: Minimum 16 GB; maximum 2 TB system memory.

• Reliability: Features Active Memory Mirroring, ECC, memory scrubbing, and Chipkill DDR3 protection.

Storage & Internal Drive Bays

The server supports several backplane options to match storage throughput requirements:

• Base Option (12 SFF Bays): 12 SFF-3 (Small Form Factor) SAS HDD/SSD drive bays with integrated SAS RAID controller.

• Expanded Option (18 SFF Bays): 18 SFF-3 SAS/SSD drive bays with dual RAID controllers, expanded write cache, and split-backplane capabilities for multi-LPAR environments.

• Hybrid Option (8 SFF + PCIe SSD): 8 SFF-3 drive bays combined with 1.8-inch PCIe SSD drive slots.

• Optical Storage: Integrated slimline SATA bay for a DVD-RAM drive.

PCIe Expansion & Network I/O

• Onboard PCIe Expansion: Up to 11 PCIe Gen3 slots (1× PCIe x16, 10× PCIe x8).

• External I/O Expansion: Supports PCIe Gen3 I/O Expansion Drawers (Feature #EMX0) via optical CXP adapters for adding up to 12 additional PCIe slots per drawer.

• I/O Connectivity Options:

  • Network: 1 GbE, 10 GbE SFP+, 10GBASE-T, 25 GbE, and 40 GbE adapters.

  • Storage Connectivity: 8 Gb, 16 Gb, and 32 Gb Fibre Channel (FC) HBAs, plus 12 Gb/s SAS HBAs.

Management & Virtualization

• Service Processor: Flexible Service Processor (FSP) for out-of-band monitoring, maintenance, and remote console functions.

• Virtualization Technology: Integrated PowerVM hypervisor supporting Micro-Partitioning (up to 10 micro-partitions per physical core), Dynamic LPAR (DLPAR), and Live Partition Mobility (LPM).

• System Control: Managed via Hardware Management Console (HMC) or Advanced System Management Interface (ASMI).

Physical & Environmental Specifications

• Dimensions:

  • Height: 173.2 mm (6.8 in) — 4U Rack Unit Space

  • Width: 483 mm (19.0 in) — Standard 19-inch rack enclosure

  • Depth: 755 mm (29.7 in)

• Weight: Approx. 43.1 kg (95 lbs) fully loaded.

• Power Supply Units: Dual hot-plug redundant 1400W / 1600W AC supplies (200V–240V AC).

Supported Operating Systems

• IBM AIX: AIX 6.1, AIX 7.1, AIX 7.2 or later.

• IBM i: IBM i 7.1 (Technology Refresh), IBM i 7.2, IBM i 7.3 or later.

• Linux: Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL 6.5 / 7.0+ for POWER), SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES 11 / 12+ for POWER), and Ubuntu Server for POWER.