LENOVO ThinkStation S30 workstation Configuration guide
Below you will find brief information for workstation ThinkStation S30. This document contains detailed configuration guidelines for the ThinkStation S30 workstation, designed for use with Avid Media Composer 6.x, Symphony 6.x, and NewsCutter 10.x software. It covers essential aspects such as operating system compatibility, hardware specifications, memory configurations, and recommended settings for optimal performance.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Avid Configuration Guidelines
LENOVO ThinkStation S30 Six-Core CPU Workstation
Media Composer 6.x Symphony 6.x NewsCutter 10.x and later
Page 1 of 20 Dave Pimm
– Avid Technology – September 20th, 2012
Rev A - Initial Public Release
1.) LENOVO S30 AVID Qualified System Specification:
S30 / AVID Qualified Operating System:
Microsoft® Windows 7 Professional 64-bit Edition with Service Pack 1
S30 Hardware Configuration
Supported CPU
Single Intel® 6-Core Xeon® E5-1650 Processor @ 3.2GHz 12MB cache / 1600MHz memory
Supported Video Card
NVIDIA Quadro 2000 1GB PCI-e video board
System Disk Drive - 1TB (minimum recommended) SATA-II 3Gb/s 7200RPM
Standard AVID memory configuration: 8GB (4 x 2GB) DDR3 1600 ECC memory
–
(Requires four 2GB DIMMs, DIMM sizes cannot be mixed sizes )
2GB memory modules must be installed in the following memory slots:
DIMM1, DIMM2, DIMM3, DIMM4
Optional 16GB memory configuration:
Optional AVID memory configuration: 16GB (8 x 2GB) DDR3 1600 ECC memory
–
(Requires eight 2GB DIMMs, DIMM sizes cannot be mixed sizes )
2GB memory modules must be installed in the following memory slots:
DIMM1, DIMM2, DIMM3, DIMM4, DIMM5, DIMM6, DIMM7, DIMM8
Optional AVID memory configuration: 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3 1600 ECC memory
–
(Requires four 4GB DIMMs, DIMM sizes cannot be mixed sizes )
4GB memory modules must be installed in the following memory slots:
DIMM1, DIMM2, DIMM3, DIMM4
Memory configuration constraints
-
No other memory configurations are formally supported in AVID environments. Only the 8GB (4 x 2GB), and 16GB (8 x 2GB or 4 x 4GB) configurations are supported. Un-balanced memory configurations which mix and match memory module sizes and locations will result in a poor performing, non-optimal operating environment.
2.) Qualified Operating Systems, Avid Client Editing Applications, Hardware and Shared-Storage support for the LENOVO S30:
-
Media Composer / Symphony 6.x , NewsCutter 10.x or later
-
Supported: Only Microsoft® Windows 7 Professional 64-bit Edition with SP1 (SP1 required)
-
Not Supported
– Any version of Microsoft® Windows XP or Vista
-
Not Supported - Microsoft® Windows 7
– any 32-bit version, or any version of Home, Ultimate or
Enterprise editions.
Note regarding Service packs:
As of this writing Service Pack 1 is the current Service Pack release for Win7. SP1 is required for Media
Composer 6.x, Symphony 6.x and NewsCutter 10.x. As future Service Packs are released Avid will evaluate and announce formal support when testing is completed.
Page 2 of 20 Dave Pimm
– Avid Technology – September 20th, 2012
Rev A - Initial Public Release
3.) Qualified O.S., Hardware and shared storage supported:
Nitris DX / Mojo DX
3 rd
Party Qualified Hardware
Unity ISIS 1Gb Ethernet Client
Unity ISIS Hi-res (10 Gbit) client
Qualified Operating System
Service Pack
1394 Adrenaline DNA
1394 Mojo-SDI DNA
1394 Mojo-Analog DNA
Qualified / Supported
Yes
See release notes and Avid website for information regarding supported 3 rd
party hardware (vendor qualified)
ISIS 5000 / 7000 V4.0
ISIS 5000 / 7000 V4.0
Win 7 Pro 64-bit
SP1
– Required
N/A Not Supported
N/A Not Supported
N/A Not Supported
Page 3 of 20 Dave Pimm
– Avid Technology – September 20th, 2012
Rev A - Initial Public Release
AVID qualified HBA
Atto R680
LSI 9200-8e SAS controller
Intel PRO 1000 PT
Intel i350-T2
– Dual Gb NIC
Intel PRO 1000 PF - ISIS
Myricom
10G-PCIE-8B-S
Avid HIB, DX Interface HBA
Vendor qualified 3 rd
party hardware interface
**
AVID qualified HBA info
AVID Part Number
Slot
Location
Not stocked by AVID #2
7030-30036-01
7030-20139-01
Not stocked by AVID
Not stocked by AVID
7030-30041-01
Active: 7030-30048-01
Active: 7030-20084-01
Passive: 7030-30021-01
Not stocked by AVID
#2
#3
#3
#3
#3
#5
#5
Function
Local SAS Storage Support
–
Avid VideoRAID ST (5-bay)
Xtore StudioRAID 5Ti (5-bay)
Local SAS Storage Support
–
Xtore StudioRAID 16Re (16-bay) chassis
Xtore StudioRAID 5Te (5-bay) chassis
Shared Storage: Unity ISIS Copper Gb-Ethernet
Dual Gb ISIS Connectivity
Shared Storage: Unity ISIS Copper Gb-Ethernet
Dual Gb ISIS Connectivity
Shared Storage: Unity ISIS Optical Gb-Ethernet
Shared Storage: Unity ISIS 10Gb-Ethernet for
Hi-Res client
(ISIS 5000 / 7000)
Avid DX Hardware Interface HBA
Vendor qualified 3 rd
party hardware interface.
See release notes and Avid website for information regarding supported 3 rd
party hardware
**
Avid DX Interface HBA Support Note: (See reference pictures on page 6 of this guide ).
All 3 versions of the DX interface HBA are supported on the S30 with Media Composer / Symphony 6.x and
NewsCutter 10.x
1) Active DX interface HBA 7030-30048-01
2) Active DX interface HBA 7030-20084-01
3) Passive DX interface HBA 7030-30021-01
Page 4 of 20 Dave Pimm
– Avid Technology – September 20th, 2012
Rev A - Initial Public Release
4.) Slot Configuration:
Slot #
1
4
3
2
Electrical x16 PCI-E Gen 3
(225Watts) x4 PCI-E Gen 3
X16 PCI-E Gen 3
PCI-E 32bit /33MHz
Mechanical x16
Slot Configuration Information
X16
Graphics Card:
Nvidia Quadro 2000
Local SAS Storage Controllers:
Atto R680
LSI 9200-8e
X16
Shared Storage Controllers required for ISIS 5000 / 7000:
Intel PRO 1000 PT
Intel PRO 1000 PF
Intel i350-T2
Myricom
10G-PCIE-8B-S
PCI 32/33
Not recommended for use
Shares the same PCI bus as the embedded 1394a controller
Will cause bus contention with embedded 1394a
5 x4 PCI-E Gen 2 X4
Avid HIB, DX Interface HBA
Active: 7030-30048-01 & 7030-20084-01
OR
Vendor
Qualified 3 rd
Party Hardware PCI-e Interface
Do not use for ISIS. Not qualified and is not functional with ISIS 5000 / 7000.
Embedded Intel
82579LM
Gb NIC
PCI-E x1
Gen 1
6.) Utilization of the S30 embedded (on-board) 1394 ports for Camera / Deck / Disk Drive support
Media Composer / Symphony 6.0 and NewsCutter 10 do not support Avid 1394 hardware such as Adrenaline and
1394 Mojo-SDI. This simplifies utilization of the S30 embedded 1394 ports. The embedded 1394 ports can and should be used
for all 1394 Camera / Deck / Disk Drive connectivity for all configurations running Media Composer / Symphony 6.0 and
NewsCutter 10.
7.) Various Configuration Details:
A.) D/X hardware configs
–
All 3 versions of the DX interface HBA are supported with the Media Composer / Symphony 6.x and NewsCutter 10.x
1) Active DX interface HBA 7030-30048-01
2) Active DX interface HBA 7030-20084-01
3) Passive DX interface HBA 7030-30021-01
Page 5 of 20 Dave Pimm
– Avid Technology – September 20th, 2012
Rev A - Initial Public Release
Active DX interface HBA 7030-30048-01 Active DX interface HBA 7030-20084-01
Passive DX interface HBA (7030-30021-01)
B.) Qualified Avid system BIOS version(s): (As of this writing):
Failure to update the S30 to an “Avid qualified BIOS” and set the BIOS settings per the instructions below may result in non-optimal operation of the AVID software and hardware.
- Minimum BIOS ver A0KT39A
Page 6 of 20 Dave Pimm
– Avid Technology – September 20th, 2012
Rev A - Initial Public Release
C.) Required system BIOS settings for AVID environments:
Hyper-Threading Setting:
Please Note: CPU Hyper-threading should be enabled in all configurations per the chart below. It is currently enabled by default by LENOVO for shipping S30
’s
Software Version
Media Composer v6.x
Symphony v6.x
NewsCutter v10.x
Hyper-Threading Setting
Dual 6-core CPU
Enabled (Mandatory)
Dual 8-core CPU
Enabled (Mandatory)
S30 Required system BIOS changes:
1. Verify CPU Processors are set to Hyper-Threading
–
Set per chart above.
2. Set Runtime Power Management - Disable
3. Set Idle Power Savings - Normal
S30 Optional system BIOS change:
1. Set Intel Turbo Mode
**
–
Disable
**
Only required if connecting USB audio I/O devices. This setting will eliminate any audio
“motor-boating” or audio “popping” which may be experienced with USB audio I/O devices.
Set S30 Required system BIOS changes:
- During boot up press F1 at the LENOVO splash screen to invoke Set Up.
- Select the Advanced tab
- Select CPU config <Enter>
- Select Hyper-Threading
- Verify setting is Enable
If Hyper-Threading is set for Disable then it must be changed to Enable
- Hi F10 to save the Hyper-Threading setting
- Select the CPU Power Management Configuration tab
- Select Intel Dynamic Power Technology
Page 7 of 20 Dave Pimm
– Avid Technology – September 20th, 2012
Rev A - Initial Public Release
- Default setting is Energy Efficient
Change this setting from Energy Efficient to Disable
- Hi F10 to save the Runtime Power Management and Idle Power Savings settings
- Press F10 twice to Save
- Save Changes and Exit
- System will Reboot
Set S30 Optional system BIOS setting:
**
Only required if connecting USB audio I/O devices.
- Select the Power tab
- Select OS Power Management <Enter>
- Select Intel Turbo Mode
- Default setting is Enable
Change this setting from Enable to Disable
- Press F10 twice to Save
- Save Changes and Exit
D.) Nvidia Qualified Driver:
Nvidia qualified drivers
AVID Software
Media Composer / Symphony
NewsCutter
Version(s)
6.0 and later
10.0 and later
Nvidia GPU
Quadro 2000
Nvidia Driver Required
275.89
After installation of the AVID software the supported Nvidia driver can be found in the following directory:
Program Files / Avid / Utilities / Nvidia
Set optimized Nvidia driver settings for Avid editing environments:
Page 8 of 20 Dave Pimm
– Avid Technology – September 20th, 2012
Rev A - Initial Public Release
1. See picture below
2. Right-Click on the desktop and select Nvidia Control Panel
3.
Select the “Desktop” menu selection in the control panel menu bar.
4.
Enable “Desktop -> Video Editing Mode
5. Select Manage 3D Settings
6.
Select “Global Settings” Tab
7.
Under the “Global Settings” tab select “Base Profile”:
Page 9 of 20 Dave Pimm
– Avid Technology – September 20th, 2012
Rev A - Initial Public Release
8.
Scroll down and locate the “Power Management Mode” feature. The default setting is “Adaptive”
9.
For the “Power management mode” feature, select “Prefer maximum performance” as shown in the picture below.
10.
Depress the “Apply” button.
Page 10 of 20 Dave Pimm
– Avid Technology – September 20th, 2012
Rev A - Initial Public Release
11. Scroll down and locate the
“Multi-display/mixed-GPU acceleration” feature. See picture below. The setting should be set to
“Multiple display performance mode”. If not set properly, select Multiple display performance mode and depress the “Apply” button. (The other settings are “Single display performance mode” and “Compatibility performance mode”. These settings are not recommended for
Avid editing environments).
Make the following additional setting for
“3D App-Video Editing”
12.
Stay in the “Manage 3D Settings” area
13.
Select “Global Settings” Tab
Page 11 of 20 Dave Pimm
– Avid Technology – September 20th, 2012
Rev A - Initial Public Release
14. Under
“Global Settings” tab select “3D App-Video Editing” setting as shown in picture below:
15.
Depress the “Apply” button
16. Nvidia driver optimization settings for Avid environments are complete.
E.) Nvidia Quadro GPU monitor connectivity:
Page 12 of 20 Dave Pimm
– Avid Technology – September 20th, 2012
Rev A - Initial Public Release
The Nvidia Quadro 2000 graphics card has a single DVI port and two Display-Port ports
(Important: Display-ports are not HDMI ports; at first glance they do look very similar to HDMI ports)
( Please Note: Only two of the three video ports can simultaneously be used. Connecting to all three video ports at the same time will result in non-functioning video output from the Nvidia GPU video card.)
For dual monitor connectivity:
1. Use the DVI port and one Display-Port (Display-Port connection can be native display-port to monitor via display-port connection, or use the display-port-to-DVI-adapter supplied with the system to connect to a native
DVI monitor).
2. Or use two Display-Ports (Requires monitors with native display-port connections, two display-port to DVI adapters are not recommended when using dual display-port connections).
DVI Port
Display Ports
F.) Serial Port Deck Control:
Serial Port Deck Control:
The LENOVO S30 workstation does not have an embedded serial port. Serial port deck control can be established via two methods (both of which have been qualified by Avid and will maintain frame accuracy in Avid environments)
Page 13 of 20 Dave Pimm
– Avid Technology – September 20th, 2012
Rev A - Initial Public Release
1. Addenda model
RS-USB / 4 direct USB-to-RS422 serial adapter. This is a simple device which connects directly from a
USB port of the S30 directly to the RS422 port of a deck.
http://www.addenda.com/addenda-elect/products/rsUSB4.php
2. Combination of a Keyspan (Tripp-Lite) Model USA-19HS USB-to-serial-port adapter with Addenda Rosetta
Stone model RS
– 2/8 RS232-to-RS422 converter
- Keyspan (Tripp-Lite) Model USA-19HS (AVID P/N 7080-20013-01) http://www.tripplite.com/en/products/model.cfm?txtSeriesID=518&EID=13384&txtModelID=3914
- Addenda Rosetta Stone (or equivalent) model RS
– 2/8 RS232-to-RS422 converter (AVID P/N
7070-00507-01) http://www.addenda.com/addenda-elect/products/rs28.php
To connect the Keyspan 19HS / Addenda RS -2/8 combination:
- Install the Keyspan 19HS driver before plugging the device into a Z USB port.
- Once the Keyspan 19HS driver is installed then plug the Keyspan 19HS into a S30 USB port.
- The Keyspan 19HS will now show up in device driver.
- Using a serial cable, connect the 9-pin serial port of the Keyspan 19HS USB adapter to the port of the
Addenda marked RS232 from PC
- Using a 2 nd
serial port cable connect the port of the Addenda marked “RS422 to VTR” to the deck control serial port of the deck.
G.) O.S. setting recommendations for optimum performance with Avid Editing applications:
The following links provide O.S. setting suggestions for ensuring optimum performance when working with your Avid editing application with a Windows operating system.
- Optimizations for Video Editors - Windows 7 http://avid.custkb.com/avid/app/selfservice/search.jsp?DocId=390339
Page 14 of 20 Dave Pimm
– Avid Technology – September 20th, 2012
Rev A - Initial Public Release
H.) Set
Windows “Visual Effects” for “best performance”:
1. Right-Click on My Computer / Computer
2. Select Properties
3. The screen below will be displayed:
4. On the left side of the screen above, locate and select
“Advanced system settings”
5. The System properties window will be displayed. (Picture below).
Page 15 of 20 Dave Pimm
– Avid Technology – September 20th, 2012
Rev A - Initial Public Release
6.
Under the “Advanced” tab depress the “Settings...” button for performance.
7.
The “performance Options” window will be displayed. (Picture below).
Page 16 of 20 Dave Pimm
– Avid Technology – September 20th, 2012
Rev A - Initial Public Release
8.
Under the “Visual Effects” tab select the “Adjust for best performance” selection. (Picture below).
9.
Depress the “Apply” button
10. Reboot Windows
11. Required Windows visual performance settings for Avid environments are now complete.
I.) Intel NIC Port(s) for ISIS 5000 / 7000 connectivity:
Required for Gb ISIS connectivity:
Intel PRO 1000 Dual Gb HBA or Intel i350-T2 Dual Gb NIC HBA
Page 17 of 20 Dave Pimm
– Avid Technology – September 20th, 2012
Rev A - Initial Public Release
For proper operation and connectivity of any Intel NIC port used with ISIS the settings below are required.
Example below is for the Intel PRO 1000 PT.
1. For the performance settings, change the following parameters:
- Receive Buffers to 1024
- Transmit Buffers to 1024
2. Disable the windows firewall.
To set the Intel NIC Receive / Transmit buffers:
Go to device manager and select each instance of the network adapter device which will be used for ISIS connectivity.
Select performance options and then select Properties.
Set Receive Buffers to 1024 Set Transmit Buffers to 1024
Page 18 of 20 Dave Pimm
– Avid Technology – September 20th, 2012
Rev A - Initial Public Release
Perform this for each instance of every Intel NIC port which will be used for ISIS connectivity.
J.)
Disable the windows firewal l:
Navigate to Control Panel / Windows Firewall -- Select Turn Windows Firewall on or off
Page 19 of 20 Dave Pimm
– Avid Technology – September 20th, 2012
Rev A - Initial Public Release
Select Turn off windows firewall in both network locations, OK to save
Revision Update
Revision Date
A Sept 20 th
, 2012
Name
Dave Pimm
Update
Initial release of the S30 configuration guide for support of
Media Composer 6.x, Symphony 6.x and NewsCutter 10.x
Page 20 of 20 Dave Pimm
– Avid Technology – September 20th, 2012
Rev A - Initial Public Release

Public link updated
The public link to your chat has been updated.
Advertisement
Key features
- Supports Media Composer 6.x, Symphony 6.x, NewsCutter 10.x
- Six-core CPU workstation
- Windows 7 Professional 64-bit Edition with SP1
- Intel Xeon E5-1650 Processor
- Nvidia Quadro 2000 1GB PCI-e video board
- Unity ISIS shared storage support
- Avid DX hardware interface
- Serial port deck control
- Optimized Nvidia driver settings
- Windows visual effects settings