In 2008, the IBM® System i® and IBM System p® platforms unified the value of their servers into a single, powerful lineup of servers based on industry-leading POWER6™ processor technology with support for the IBM AIX® , IBM i (formerly known as i5/OS® ), and Linux® operating systems. This new, single portfolio of IBM Power Systems™ servers offers industry-leading technology, continued IBM innovation, and the flexibility to deploy the operating system that your business requires—all in the small and medium business environment.

The Power 570 and Power 595 models announced in April 2008 were announced as fully converged and unified at that time. The Power 520 and Power 550 models announced in January 2008 and the announcements in April 2008 brought these models very close to complete convergence. The October 2008 announcements, together with system firmware made available in November 2008, brought full unification for the Power 520 and Power 550 systems.

This IBM Redbooks® publication covers the POWER6 520 and 550 unified models 8203-E4A and 8204-E8A as of May 2009. It is intended for professionals who want to acquire a better understanding of IBM Power Systems products, including:

- Clients

- Sales and marketing professionals

- Technical support professionals

- IBM Business Partners

This book provides a large set of features, including hardware-focused processor, memory, and I/O support feature descriptions supported by the POWER6 Power 520 and Power 550 servers consolidated into a single document.

Chapter 1. Introduction to the IBM Power 520 and Power 550 servers

Chapter 2. IBM Power 520 (MTM 8203-E4A)

Chapter 3. IBM Power 550 (MTM 8204-E8A)

Chapter 4. Adapter feature descriptions and related information

Chapter 5. EXP24 Disk Enclosures

Chapter 6. EXP 12S SAS Disk Enclosure

Chapter 7. PCIe 12X I/O Drawer (#5802)

Chapter 8. Integrated Virtual Ethernet

Chapter 9. Feature Code to CCIN cross-reference

Chapter 10. IBM System i schematics for supported expansion units and towers

Chapter 11. Tape and optical storage attachment summary

Chapter 12. RIO-2, 12X, SPCN, line cord, SAS, and communication cables for Power 520 and Power 550 systems

Appendix A. IBM AIX operating system and release level summary

Appendix B. IBM i operating system and licensed program release level summary

Appendix C. RAID history and definitions summary

Appendix D. Solid state disk (SSD) drives

Appendix E. Upgrades to Power 520 and 550

Appendix F. PowerVM and Management Edition for AIX

Appendix G. IBM i user license entitlement summary

Appendix H. IBM I/O adapters that require an IOP summary

Appendix I. Processor feature numbers, system performance, and IBM i QPRCFEAT system value

Appendix J. POWER6 reliability, availability, and serviceability summary