Gigabyte S252-ZC0 Storage Server

Description

The Gigabyte S252-ZC0 Storage Server has an unusual design with the memory modules and processors situated at the back of the chassis and storage bays accessible from either side with 12x bays each. This system is designed to support applications in Big Data, Cloud Hosting, use as a Multimedia Server, a backup file server and software defined storage applications. It supports a large memory footprint and plenty of PCIe slots in back for network or HD controllers. Powering the system are 2x 80 PLUS Platinum 1300W power supply units (PSU).

Performance

Either 2nd or 3rd generation AMD EPYC processors are supported with each of the dual processors in charge of 8x DDR4 DIMM slots. CPUs are limited to a configurable thermal design point (cTDP) of 200W, which includes processors with 8x to 64x cores each. 3rd generation AMD EPYC CPUs offer a 25% increase in performance over 2nd generation CPUs.

Memory

16x memory module slots on the system board are divided between the dual processors. Each processors supports 8x memory channels granting a single memory channel to each memory module. Supported memory types include Registered DIMMs (RDIMM), Load-Reduced DIMMs (LRDIMM), and 3DS versions of each, which feature higher density DRAM chips on the modules for a larger memory footprint. At full capacity, using 256GB 3DS RDIMMs or LRDIMMs in all slots, the system can support up to 4TB of memory. Memory speeds of up to 3200MHz are supported using 7003 series AMD EPYC processors.

Storage

A 12x bay storage cage on the left and right side of the chassis provides 24x 3.5-inch SATA/SAS storage bays. The back of the chassis has 2x storage bays that can be outfitted with SAS, SATA or Gen4 NVMe storage devices to be used for additional caching to improve I/O performance. 2x SATA DOMs (Disk on Module) are supported and can be used to boot the system in a mirrored RAID. A SAS expander board provides 12Gb/s transfer speeds. A SAS storage card is required for support of SAS storage devices.

Expansion

There are 6x PCIe 4.0 x16 slots on the system board that can be used to support a number of expansion options. All slots are low profile and support a x16 PCIe bus. The Gigabyte S252-ZC0 Storage Server

Management

The system is compatible with a variety of software defined storage (SDS) platforms and applications. It has also been validated with other third-party SDS systems to speed up deployment. Gigabyte also provides free-of-charge applications like the Gigabyte Management Console and Gigabyte Server Management or GSM. The Gigabyte Management Console comes pre-installed on the server and enables management of a single server or a small cluster of servers offering support for standard IPMI specifications through an open, browser-based graphical interface. It also enables control and monitoring of Broadcom MegaRAID adapters. The Gigabyte Servers Management, GSM, suite of tools kicks it up a notch with support for multiple servers and large server clusters. It also provides more tools for managing cooling, power, and updates to the system, again through a standard browser interface. Individual servers managed by GSM will have the GSM agent installed to leverage the information provided by the Gigabyte Management Console. A mobile app is also available providing on the go and at chassis management of the system—the GSM mobile app.

Summary

With plenty of high-end features, the Gigabyte S252-ZC0 Storage Server can offer terabytes of storage easily managed through Gigabyte’s value-added management software. Featuring 3rd generation AMD EPYC processors, this system provides up to 4TB of storage plus NVMe drives in back to supplement I/O data caching. With 24x drives in a 2U chassis, this system is ideal for storage intensive, and software defined storage applications and offers a number of expansion options to get the most out of your investment.