IBM Power 720 8202-E4D POWER7+

IBM Power 720 Express (Type 8202-E4D) Technical Specifications

The IBM Power 720 Express (8202-E4D) is a 1-socket, 4U rack-mount or tower server designed for enterprise branch offices, database workloads, and transaction processing. Utilizing 64-bit POWER7+ processors manufactured on a 28nm process, the E4D model delivers higher clock speeds, larger embedded L3 cache, and dedicated hardware encryption/compression accelerators compared to the earlier POWER7-based E4C model.

System Summary & Architecture Specifications

Specification Category	Configuration / Feature Details
Machine Type / Model	IBM Power Systems 8202-E4D
Processor Architecture	64-bit IBM POWER7+ Processor Modules
Form Factor	4U Rack-mount enclosure or Standalone Deskside Tower
Processor Sockets	1 Socket
Core Configurations	4-core @ 3.6 GHz, 6-core @ 3.6 GHz, or 8-core @ 3.6 GHz
Cache Architecture	L1: 32KB I / 32KB D per core L2: 250KB per core L3: 10MB eDRAM per core (up to 80MB total)
Memory Architecture	DDR3 ECC Registered Memory (1066 MHz / 1333 MHz)
Max Memory Capacity	Up to 512 GB DDR3 (32x DDR3 DIMM slots across dual memory risers)
Internal Drive Bays	Up to 6x or 8x SFF (2.5″) SAS HDD/SSD bays (or optional 18 SFF bays)
Media Bays	1x Slimline DVD-RAM bay; 1x Half-high tape drive bay
Virtualization Support	PowerVM Express, Standard, or Enterprise Edition

Detailed Subsystem Architecture

1. Processor & On-Chip Acceleration

• Process Technology: 28nm CMOS process with integrated dual memory controllers and hardware coprocessors.

• Available Processor Features:

  • 4-core 3.6 GHz POWER7+ (Feature Code #EPC1)

  • 6-core 3.6 GHz POWER7+ (Feature Code #EPC2)

  • 8-core 3.6 GHz POWER7+ (Feature Code #EPC3)

• Integrated Hardware Engines:

  • On-chip AES encryption engine for high-speed cryptographic operations.

  • Active Memory Expansion (AME) hardware compression co-engine.

2. Memory Subsystem

• DIMM Support: DDR3 SDRAM RDIMMs with ECC and Active Memory Maintenance (Chipkill protection).

• Expansion Risers: Up to 2 memory riser cards (each housing 16 DIMM slots).

• DIMM Capacities: 4 GB, 8 GB, and 16 GB 1066/1333 MHz feature memory modules.

• Maximum RAM: 512 GB system capacity.

• Active Memory Expansion (AME): In-memory compression allows effective memory capacity to expand up to 100% (e.g., up to 1 TB virtual address space).

3. I/O & Expansion Slots

• System Board Slots (PCIe Gen2):

  • Up to 5x PCIe Gen2 x8 low-profile or full-height expansion slots.

  • 1x GX++ slot for 12X I/O loop expansion adapters or PCIe Gen2 Host Adapters.

• Integrated Multifunction Networking Options:

  • Quad-port 1 GbE RJ45 Card (#5260 / #5899)

  • Dual-port 10 GbE SFP+ + Dual-port 1 GbE RJ45 Card (#5279 / #5808)

• External Storage Expansion:

  • EXP24S SFF SAS Expansion Drawer (#5887) via SAS PCIe RAID controllers.

  • 12X I/O Expansion Drawers (#5802 / #5877) providing additional PCIe slots and drive bays.

4. Storage Controller & Drive Options

• Drive Interface: Integrated Dual 6 Gbps SAS controllers on the system planar.

• Backplane Variants:

  • Standard Backplane: 6 or 8 SFF 2.5″ drive bays with split-backplane options.

  • Expanded Backplane: 18 SFF 2.5″ drive bays with 175 MB write-cache RAID (supporting RAID 0, 1, 10, 5, 6, 50, 60).

• Supported Media: 10K/15K RPM SFF SAS HDDs and Enterprise SAS Solid State Drives (SSDs).

5. Operating System Compatibility

• IBM AIX: AIX 6.1 (TL8 or later), AIX 7.1 (TL2 or later), AIX 5.3 (supported in compatibility mode).

• IBM i: IBM i 7.1 (TR5 or later), IBM i 6.1.1.

• Linux: Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL 6.3 or later), SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES 11 SP2 or later).

6. Physical, Electrical & Power Specifications

• Chassis Dimensions (4U Rack):

  • Height: 173 mm (6.8 in)

  • Width: 483 mm (19.0 in)

  • Depth: 662 mm (26.0 in)

  • Weight: ~38.6 kg (85 lbs) fully populated.

• Power Subsystem: Dual hot-plug, redundant 950W / 1056W AC power supplies (100–240V AC operating voltage range).

• Energy Management: IBM EnergyScale architecture (Dynamic Power Saver, Thermal Measurement, Power Capping).