Skip to main content

DRAM DIMM installation order

Memory modules must be installed in a specific order based on the memory configuration that you implement on your server.

The following memory configurations are available:

For information about memory modes, see Memory configuration

  • Independent mode
    In independent memory mode, memory channels can be populated with DIMMs in any order and you can populate all channels for each processor in any order with no matching requirements. Independent memory mode provides the highest level of memory performance, but lacks failover protection. The DIMM installation order for independent memory mode varies based on the number of processors and memory modules installed in the server.
  • Memory mirroring mode
    Memory mirroring mode provides full memory redundancy while reducing the total system memory capacity in half. Memory channels are grouped in pairs with each channel receiving the same data. If a failure occurs, the memory controller switches from the DIMMs on the primary channel to the DIMMs on the backup channel. The DIMM installation order for memory mirroring varies based on the number of processors and DIMMs installed in the server.