Neha Patil (Editor)

ThinkServer

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The ThinkServer product line began with the TS100 from Lenovo. The server was developed under agreement with IBM, by which Lenovo would produce single-socket and dual-socket servers based on IBM’s xSeries technology. An additional feature of the server design was a support package aimed at small businesses. The focus of this support package was to provide small businesses with software tools to ease the process of server management and reduce dependence on IT support. The tools developed for this support package included:

Contents

  • EasyStartup – meant to simplify the initial server configuration
  • EasyUpdate – for download and installation of hardware and firmware updates
  • EasyManage – to monitor the performance of multiple servers from a single console
  • Lenovo’s ThinkServer naming conventions reflect whether the server is a tower server or a rack server. ‘T’ is used to indicate tower servers, while ‘R’ is used for rack servers. Similarly, 'S' indicates single socket, while 'D' indicates dual-socket.

    2013

    In September 2013, Lenovo announced the TS140 and the TS440 replacing the TS130 and TS430.

    TS140

    Added USB 3.0, additional SATA port with RAID 5/10 and made significantly quieter.

    2012

    In November 2012, Lenovo's new Enterprise Product Group launched the TD330, featuring up to 192GB of memory and supporting up to 16 processor cores. It is built around Xeon E5-2400 processors from Intel and is available in energy-saving models compliant with Energy Star standards.

    2011

    Lenovo launched the ThinkServer models TS130 and TS430 in June 2011.

    TS130

    The TS130 was a ThinkServer model launched by Lenovo in 2011 primarily for small businesses. This server was intended to replace Lenovo’s 2010 entry-level offering, the TS200v. The server was equipped with Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials along with Intel Active Management Technology (AMT) 7.0. The TS130 was summarized by Andrew Jeffries, worldwide product manager for ThinkServer, as ”The TS130 offers a wonderful first-server solution to anyone that has a tiny IT staff or has no IT staff but needs a true server solution”.

    Detailed specifications of the server are as follows:

  • Processor: Options for:
  • Intel Xeon E3-1200 series
  • Intel Core i3
  • Intel Pentium
  • Intel Celeron
  • RAM: up to 16GB ECC
  • Chipset: Intel 206 series
  • Bays: two 3.5 inch
  • Operating system:
  • Windows Server 2008 R2 (Enterprise, Foundations, Standard Edition)
  • Windows Small Business Server 2011 (Essentials, Standard, Premium Add-On)
  • Management:
  • Intel Advanced Management Technology (AMT) 7.0 with remote KVM
  • Intel Standard Manageability
  • TS430

    Techpowerup, quoting Lenovo's press release, stated, “The all-new, highly scalable ThinkServer TS430 sets a new standard in its class with options for an enormous 16 TB of hot swap storage capacity, powerful SAS RAID data protection and redundant power choices for peace of mind. It suits demanding environments requiring high capacity, high performance and 24x7 uptime.” The press release also indicated that the TS430 was “rack-able” and offered features like hard disk drive access from the front of the server, as well as the ThinkServer Management Module with iKVM.

    The TS430 was announced in June 2011 by Lenovo with the following specifications:

  • Processor:
  • Up to Intel Xeon E3-1280
  • Up to Intel Core G850
  • RAM: up to 32GB ECC
  • Storage: up to 16TB hot swap
  • Weight: 25 kg
  • Form factor: tower
  • Operating system:
  • Windows Server 2008 R2 (Foundations, Standard Edition)
  • Windows Small Business Server 2011 (Essentials, Standard, Premium Add-On)
  • SLES 11.1
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.0
  • VMWare ESX/ESXi 4.0, 4.1
  • Manageability:
  • IMM on shared Ethernet port
  • KVM with the ThinkServer Management Module
  • IPMI 2.0 or SOL
  • Trusted Platform Module
  • 2010

    Lenovo released ThinkServer TD200, TD200x, TS200v, TD230, RD220, RD230, and RD240 in 2010.

    TD200

    The TD200 server offered the following specifications:

  • Processor: 1.86 GHz Intel Xeon E5502 (quad core)
  • Chipset: Intel 5520
  • RAM: up to 96GB DDR3 SDRAM ECC
  • Bays:
  • Four simple swap front accessible 5.25 inch
  • Four 3.5 inch
  • TD200x

    The TD200x server offered higher specifications as compared to the TD200. Detailed specifications of the server are as follows:

  • Processor: 2.4 GHz Intel Xeon E5530 (Quad core)
  • Chipset: Intel 5520
  • RAM: up to 128GB DDR3 SDRAM ECC
  • Bays
  • Three front accessible 2.5 inch
  • Eight 5.25 inch hot swap
  • Operating system:
  • Windows Server 2008 (Standard and Enterprise)
  • Windows Small Business Server 2008 (Premium and Standard)
  • Windows Essential Business Server 2008 (Premium and Standard)
  • Windows Small Business Server 2003 (Premium and Standard)
  • Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 10 32/64 bit
  • TS200v

    The TS200v was described by PCMag as a good choice for small businesses. While the server offered adequate performance, the review indicated that the use of Windows Server 2008 R2 foundation required the use of a knowledgeable Windows technician to set up and configure the server.

    Additional specifications for the server are given below:

  • Operating System: Windows Server 2008 R2
  • Storage: 250 GB (maximum)
  • RAID Level: RAID 0, RAID 1
  • Management tools:
  • Intel Active Management Technology
  • Intel Remote PC Assistance Technology
  • TD230

    The TD230 was a tower server released by Lenovo in 2010 with the following specifications:

  • Processor: 2.4 GHz Intel Xeon E5620 (quad core)
  • Chipset: Intel 5500
  • RAM: up to 32GB DDR3 SDRAM ECC
  • Bays:
  • Two front accessible 5.25 inch
  • Four hot swap 3.5 inch
  • Operating system:
  • Genuine Windows Server 2008 (Standard and Enterprise Edition R2)
  • Genuine Windows Server Small Business Server 2008 (Standard and Premium) (SP2)
  • Novell SuSE 11
  • Red Hat RHEL 5
  • Manageability:
  • iBMc
  • Web Remote Management
  • RD220

    Also released in 2010, the RD220 was a rack-mountable server, described by COMPUTERWORLD as “The Lenovo ThinkServer RD220 is a good middle of the road server with good build quality, redundancy and solid disk performance although there are better servers in this class in terms of overall features for your dollar.”

    The RD220 server offered the following specifications:

  • Processor: Intel Xeon 5500 series
  • Chipset: Intel 5520
  • RAM: 1GB, 2GB or 4GB Advanced ECC Memory DDR3 R-DIMMs (16 memory slots)
  • Operating system:
  • Windows Server 2008 (Standard and Enterprise)
  • Windows Small Business Server 2008 (Premium and Standard)
  • Windows Essential Business Server 2008 (Premium and Standard)
  • Windows Small Business Server 2003 (Premium and Standard)
  • Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 10 32/64 bit
  • Manageability:
  • IMM Standard
  • EasyManage
  • IMM Premium
  • Onboard virtualization connector
  • RD230

    The RD230 was a rack-mountable server released by Lenovo in 2010 with the following specifications:

  • Processor:
  • Intel Xeon 5500 series
  • Intel Xeon 5600 series
  • Chipset: Intel 5500
  • RAM: up to 64GB DDR3 SDRAM ECC
  • Bays:
  • One front accessible 5.25 inch
  • Four hot swap 3.5 inch
  • Operating systems:
  • Genuine Windows Server 2008 Standard edition R2
  • Genuine Windows Server 2008 enterprise edition R2
  • Genuine Windows Server Small Business Server 2008 Standard (SP2)
  • Genuine Windows Server Small Business Server 2008 Premium (SP2)
  • Novell SUSe 11
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
  • VMware vSphere 4.0
  • Manageability:
  • Web enabled iBMC
  • iKvM Management
  • RD240

    Like the RD230, the RD240 was also a rack-mountable server, released by Lenovo in 2010 with the following specifications:

  • Processor: 2.26 GHz Intel Xeon E5607 (quad core)
  • Chipset: Intel 5500
  • RAM: up to 64GB DDR3 SDRAM ECC
  • Bays:
  • One front accessible 5.25 inch
  • Eight hot swap 3.5 inch
  • Operating systems:
  • Genuine Windows Server 2008 (Standard and Enterprise Edition R2)
  • Genuine Windows Server Small Business Server 2008 (Standard and Premium Edition) (SP2)
  • Novell SUSE 11
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux
  • Manageability:
  • Web Enabled iBMC
  • iKVM
  • Remote Management
  • 2009

    The ThinkServer models released in 2009 by Lenovo were the TD100, TD100x, RS110, RD120, RD210, TS200, and TD200.

    TD100

    The TD100 was released by Lenovo in 2010 with the following specifications:

  • Processor: Intel Xeon E5400 series
  • Chipset: Intel 5000
  • RAM: Up to 32GB 667 MHz DDR2 FBDIMM
  • Operating system:
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2008 (Standard and Premium Edition)
  • Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 (Standard and Premium Editions)
  • Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
  • Manageability:
  • ThinkServer EasyStartup (for server startup and configuration)
  • ThinkServer EasyUpdate (for firmware updates)
  • ThinkServer EasyManage (for hardware monitoring and alerts)
  • PC-Doctor Diagnostics
  • IPMI 2.0
  • TD100x

    The TD100x was also released in 2009 with the following specifications:

  • Processor: Intel Xeon processors 5000 series
  • Chipset: Intel 5000P chipset
  • RAM: 48GB of maximum memory (12 slots of 667 MHz DDR2 with Advanced ECC FBDIMM)
  • Operating system:
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003 (Standard and Premium Editions)
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2008 (Standard and Premium Editions)
  • Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 (Standard and Premium Editions)
  • Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
  • Manageability:
  • ThinkServer EasyStartup (for server startup and configuration)
  • ThinkServer EasyUpdate (for firmware updates)
  • ThinkServer EasyManage (for hardware monitoring and alerts)
  • PC-Doctor Diagnostics
  • IPMI 2.0
  • RS110

    The RS110 server was summed up by PCPro as being “a low-cost general purpose rack server with a good spec and a support package that will appeal to small business.” The server was reported to resemble IBM’s servers and incorporating the same level of build quality.

    The server’s front panel offered two 3.5 inch drive bays. The hard disks were mounted in removable carriers, despite the fact that the server only supported cold swap. A single socket server, the processor on offer was the 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor. An intense cooling system was incorporated, with a large heatsink and an array of pipes, with three small fans addressing cooling needs. Despite the presence of three fans, the server’s noise levels were low. Power utilization was also low, with the server drawing 65W when idle and 94W at peak performance.

    RD120

    The RD120 server was described by PCPro as “a good-value 2U rack server with a decent spec, plenty of room to upgrade, and a support package.” The RD120 server was described as being “essentially an IBM System x3650” with “classy build quality”.

    The server supported up to six 3.5 inch SATA or SAS hot swap hard disk drives. Upgrades to the server included conversion options to eight 2.5 inch hard disk drives or four 3.5 inch hard disk drives with an internal tape drive with external storage arrays. Power consumption was recorded as being 45W on standby, 203W with the OS on idle, and 289W with the processor’s capabilities tested intensively.

    RD210

    The RD210 server was released by Lenovo in 2009. It was summarized by a reviewer of ZDNet as “Lenovo's RD210 makes perfect sense if you're a small business that just needs a grunty all-purpose 1RU server.”

    Detailed specifications of the server are as follows:

  • Processor: Intel Xeon 5500 Series
  • Chipset: Intel 5520 chipset
  • RAM: 1GB, 2GB or 4GB Advanced ECC Memory DDR3 R-DIMMs (16 memory slots)
  • Operating system:
  • Windows Server 2008 (Standard and Enterprise)
  • Windows Small Business Server 2008 (Premium and Standard)
  • Windows Essential Business Server 2008 (Premium and Standard)
  • Windows Small Business Server 2003 (Premium and Standard)
  • Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 10 32/64 bit
  • Manageability:
  • Built in IMM
  • EasyManage
  • IMM Premium
  • Onboard virtualization connector
  • TS200

    The TS200 was announced by Lenovo in September 2009, along with the RS210. It was a tower server with the following specifications:

  • Processor: 2.66 GHz Intel Xeon X3450
  • Chipset: Intel 3420
  • RAM: up to 32GB DDR3 SDRAM ECC
  • Optical drive: DVD reader/writer
  • Bays: four 3.5 inch hot swap hard drives
  • Operating system:
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2008 (Standard and Enterprise R2 edition)
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2008 SBS Standard
  • Microsoft Windows Foundations R2
  • Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 11 with Xen hypervisor
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.3
  • VMware ESX Server 4.0 & 4.0i
  • Manageability:
  • IMM with IPMI 2.0
  • Hardware key for remote presence
  • Trusted Platform Module 1.2
  • RS210

    The RS210 was announced by Lenovo in September 2009, along with the TS200. It was a rack server with specifications similar to those of the TS200. The processor, chipset, and RAM were the same. However, the four available hot swap bays were designed for 2.5 inch hard disk drives.

    2008

    The ThinkServer model released in 2008 by Lenovo was the TS100.

    TS100

    The TS100 was described by PCPro as having rock-solid build quality. It was described as being very similar to IBM’s X3200 M2 pedestal server. The front of the server offered room for two 5.25 inch bays, beneath which was a hot swap bay with the capacity to support four hard disk drives. The server’s side panel could be locked, while the bay cover could not be secured. The hard disk bay was equipped with its own fan assembly, in spite of the 12 cm fan at the chassis’ rear. Despite the presence of multiple fans, the TS100 was described as being very quiet after startup.

    References

    ThinkServer Wikipedia