8202-E4C: IBM Power 720 Express POWER7 Server

The 8202-E4C is the IBM Power 720 Express, a POWER7 server sold as a 4U rack-mount or as a tower. It takes one 3.0 GHz processor module with 4, 6 or 8 cores, ordered as feature #EPC5, #EPC6 or #EPC7, and each core brings 4 MB of L3 and 256 KB of L2 cache.

Memory sits in 16 DDR3 DIMM slots, eight in the base unit and eight more once the optional memory riser card is fitted, for a ceiling of 256 GB at 1066 MHz. Storage comes from an integrated SAS controller with RAID 0, 1 and 10 and a choice of two backplanes: one holds six 2.5-inch drives, the other eight 2.5-inch drives plus dual 175 MB write-cache RAID with RAID 5 and 6 and an external SAS port. Both carry a tape bay and a DVD bay.

The base system has five PCIe Gen2 x8 full-height slots, and a riser in the GX++ slot adds four low-profile slots for nine in all. Only the 6-core and 8-core configurations can use external I/O drawers, either two #5802/#5877 PCIe drawers or four #5796 PCI-X drawers. A 2-port 10/100/1000 Ethernet adapter in a PCIe x4 slot is standard, and the Integrated Virtual Ethernet adapter is not available on this model.

As a rack unit the 8202-E4C measures 440 mm wide, 610 mm deep and 173 mm high and weighs 48.7 kg; the tower version is 183 mm wide without the tip plate. IBM offers a direct upgrade from a Power 520 (8203-E4A) that keeps the serial number. IBM dates general availability to 21 October 2011, withdrawal from marketing on 7 October 2013 and the move to end-of-support services on 30 September 2019. The next generation is the 8205-E6D Power 740; see also the 8408-E8D Power 750 and the IBM Power7 server parts hub.