DIMM ranks

To understand and configure memory protection modes properly, an understanding of DIMM rank is helpful. Some DIMM configuration requirements are based on these classifications.

A single-rank DIMM has one set of memory chips that is accessed while writing to or reading from the memory. A dual-rank DIMM is similar to having two single-rank DIMMs on the same module, with only one rank accessible at a time. A quad-rank DIMM is, effectively, two dual-rank DIMMs on the same module. Only one rank is accessible at a time. The server memory control subsystem selects the proper rank within the DIMM when writing to or reading from the DIMM.

Dual- and quad-rank DIMMs provide the greatest capacity with the existing memory technology. For example, if current DRAM technology supports 8 GB single-rank DIMMs, a dual-rank DIMM would be 16 GB, and a quad-rank DIMM would be 32 GB, and an octal-rank LRDIMM would be 64 GB.

LRDIMMs are labeled as quad- and octal-rank DIMMs. There are four and eight ranks of DRAM on the DIMM, but the LRDIMM buffer creates an abstraction that allows the DIMM to appear as a logical dual-rank DIMM to the system. This is called Rank Multiplication. The LRDIMM buffer also isolates the electrical loading of the DRAM from the system to allow for faster operation. These two changes allow the system to support up to three LRDIMMs per memory channel, providing for greater memory capacity and higher memory operating speed compared to quad-rank RDIMMs.