Lenovo ThinkSystem SR250 Server

Description

Despite the small proportions of the Lenovo ThinkSystem SR250 server, it has the qualifications to handle a wide range of business applications. This flexible 1U rack server can squeeze in up 10x SFF drive bays across its front panel and allow hard disks to be mixed and matched with high-performance NVMe SSDs for speed and resiliency. All internal components are supported by a single processor from the Intel Xeon E-2200 series.

Performance

A single processor from the Intel Xeon E-2200 series processors helps the ThinkSystem SR250 server deliver enterprise-grade performance. The E-2200 CPU provides up to 6 cores, a TDP of up to 80W, and memory speeds of up to 2666 MHz. The processor also supports up to 32GB UDIMMs, but a smaller capacity with other CPU options. Although the server supports Intel Xeon E CPUs, processors from the Coffee Lake-S Refresh such as the Intel Core i3, Pentium Gold, and Celeron G families can also be installed. To power the system, a fixed 300W Gold PSU is supported, but more power can be added such as 2x redundant hot swap 450W Platinum AC power supplies, which are required to support the single NVIDIA GPU.

Memory

The Intel Xeon E series CPU supports two memory channels with two DIMMs per channel, for a total of 4x DIMM sockets, which sit to one side of the chassis. The SR250 server offers up to 128GB of Lenovo’s TruDDR4 ECC memory, but when other types of processors are installed, only 64GB of memory can be deployed with speeds less than 2666MHz. It’s important to note that any other type of RAM other than TruDDR4 modules will void the warranty.

Storage

Under the lockable front bezel, the server supports up to 10x 2.5-inch hot-swap SAS/SATA drives, with 2x of them capable of being converted to NVMe SSDs for better performance since they’re connected to the PCIe bus instead of through a SAS/SATA controller. Adding to these flexible configurations, the server also supports 4x 3.5-inch bays that can be simple or hot-swappable. Instead of using a drive bay on the front panel, a single 2242/2280 M.2 SATA SSD slot on the motherboard is available to boot the system or store the OS.

Expansion

The Lenovo SR250 rack server supports 3x PCIe expansion slots, with 2x external and one internal for a RAID card. PCIe slot 2 can be used to install a GPU adapter for the NVIDIA Quadro P620 2GB PCIe Active GPU. Furthermore, there are two 1 GbE data network ports on the rear next to a 1 GbE port for the Lenovo XClarity controller.

Management

Despite being a single-socket server, the ThinkSystem SR250 hosts enterprise and management features, including Lenovo's XClarity management controller. One of the two USB ports on the front panel can be used to manage the system at-chassis. Users can roll up a crash cart and connect a mobile phone or tablet to manage the system remotely through XClarity.

Summary

The Lenovo ThinkSystem SR250 is a flexible 1U single-socket rack server for SMBs or edge applications that has the power to handle applications such as virtualization, web services, basic cloud, and data analytics. With the variety of Intel processors that are compatible with the motherboard, this machine offers SFF and LFF drive bays with SAS, SATA, and NVMe support. The short-depth chassis packs GPU support, 128GB of TruDDR4 memory, and Lenovo’s own management controller, XClarity.