Lenovo-ThinkSystem SN550

Description

The Lenovo ThinkSystem SN550 is an enterprise-class blade-style compute node designed to provide high compute density, scalability, and efficient centralized management within a Lenovo Flex System Enterprise Chassis.

Its two-socket architecture, extensive memory capacity, flexible storage, and high-speed I/O options make it suitable for demanding data-center environments where performance and density are important.

Intel Xeon Scalable Processing

The SN550 supports up to two Intel Xeon Processor Scalable family CPUs. Depending on the generation and selected configuration, supported processors include Xeon Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum models.

The dual-processor architecture provides substantial multi-core processing capability for:

Virtualization
Databases
Enterprise applications
ERP systems
Cloud infrastructure
Web applications
High-performance computing
Collaboration and email
Media and streaming workloads

High-Capacity DDR4 Memory

The SN550 provides 24 DIMM slots and supports enterprise DDR4 ECC memory.

Depending on processor generation and memory technology, the platform supports RDIMM, LRDIMM, 3DS RDIMM, and Intel Optane DC Persistent Memory configurations. Lenovo specifies up to 6.9TB using DC Persistent Memory on supported configurations.

The second-generation SN550 platform can support up to 3TB using 128GB DIMMs, with support for Intel Optane DC Persistent Memory.

High memory capacity makes the SN550 particularly suitable for:

Large virtualization clusters
In-memory databases
Analytics
HPC
Large enterprise applications
Memory-intensive workloads

Flexible Internal Storage

The SN550 supports up to two 2.5-inch hot-swap drive bays. Depending on the model, these bays can support:

SAS HDDs
SATA HDDs
SAS SSDs
SATA SSDs
NVMe SSDs

The platform can also support an optional M.2 storage solution, including mirrored M.2 boot configurations on supported models.

RAID and Storage Protection

The SN550 supports storage configurations using Lenovo RAID controllers.

Supported controller options include:

Lenovo ThinkSystem RAID 530-4i
Lenovo ThinkSystem RAID 930-4i-2GB

The exact RAID levels and capabilities depend on the installed controller and drive configuration.

High-Speed Networking

The SN550 can provide integrated high-speed Ethernet connectivity. Lenovo documentation lists an embedded Intel X722 10Gb Ethernet adapter on applicable models.

Additional networking options can provide:

1Gb Ethernet
10Gb Ethernet
Up to 40Gb Ethernet
Fibre Channel
InfiniBand

This makes the compute node suitable for high-performance storage networks, virtualization clusters, and data-intensive applications.

Flexible I/O Expansion

The SN550 provides up to two I/O adapter positions, depending on processor configuration and model.

Expansion options can include:

Ethernet adapters
Fibre Channel adapters
InfiniBand adapters
Storage connectivity
High-speed networking hardware

The compute node uses PCIe-based I/O architecture to provide high-bandwidth connectivity to supported adapters.

Lenovo XClarity Management

The SN550 includes a dedicated Lenovo XClarity Controller (XCC) for system monitoring and management.

Management capabilities include:

Hardware health monitoring
Predictive failure alerts
Remote management
Diagnostics
Automatic server restart
Light-path diagnostics
System configuration

Lenovo XClarity Administrator can also be used for centralized management of supported Lenovo infrastructure.

Compact Compute-Node Design

The SN550 is designed as a standard-width Flex System compute node rather than a conventional standalone rack server.

Its approximate dimensions are:

Height: 55.5 mm / 2.2 in
Width: 215.5 mm / 8.5 in
Depth: 492.7 mm / 19.4 in

The node is installed into a compatible Flex System Enterprise Chassis, where power, cooling, networking, and management infrastructure are centrally provided.

Supported Operating Systems

Depending on configuration, Lenovo supports operating systems and hypervisors including:

Microsoft Windows Server
Red Hat Enterprise Linux
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
Ubuntu Server
VMware ESXi

Ideal Applications

The Lenovo ThinkSystem SN550 is ideal for:

Enterprise virtualization
VMware environments
Microsoft Hyper-V
Database servers
Cloud infrastructure
ERP applications
High-performance computing
Data analytics
Enterprise application hosting
Web infrastructure
Private cloud
Software-defined infrastructure

Key Specifications

Feature	Specification
Product	Lenovo ThinkSystem SN550
Type	Flex System Compute Node
Chassis	Lenovo Flex System Enterprise Chassis
Processor	Intel Xeon Scalable
CPU Sockets	Up to 2
Memory	DDR4 ECC
DIMM Slots	24
Maximum Memory	Up to 6.9TB with supported DCPMM configuration
Internal Storage	Up to 2 × 2.5″ drives
Drive Types	SAS / SATA / NVMe
M.2 Storage	Supported on selected configurations
RAID	ThinkSystem RAID controllers
Networking	1GbE / 10GbE / up to 40GbE options
Fibre Channel	Supported via expansion
InfiniBand	Supported via expansion
I/O Expansion	Up to 2 adapters, configuration dependent
Management	Lenovo XClarity Controller
Operating Systems	Windows Server / Linux / VMware ESXi
Primary Use	Virtualization / Database / Enterprise / HPC

Configuration Note

The SN550 was produced in multiple processor generations and configurations, so specifications such as CPU model, memory technology, maximum capacity, storage interface, RAID controller, and networking can vary.

The original SN550 supports first- and second-generation Intel Xeon Scalable processor configurations, while the SN550 V2 uses third-generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors and PCIe 4.0.