Dell PowerEdge M610x User Manual

PowerEdge M610x

Technical Guide

PCIe expansion
capabilities in the
PowerEdge M610x
bring a new
dimension of
flexibility and
performance to
the Dell M-Series.

Dell

Dell, PowerEdge, EqualLogic, PowerVault, OpenManage, and ReadyRails are trademarks of Dell, Inc.
Citrix® and XenServer™ are trademarks of Citrix Systems, Inc. and/or one or more of its subsidiaries,
and may be registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries.
Intel, Xeon, and Speedstep are registered trademarks and MMX and Core are trademarks of Intel
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Company. Broadcom is a registered trademark and NetXtreme is a trademark of Broadcom
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trademark of Matrox Electronic Systems Ltd. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Server, BitLocker, and
Hyper-V are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States
and/or other countries. Mellanox is a registered trademark of Mellanox Technologies, Inc. and
ConnectX, InfiniBlast, InfiniBridge, InfiniHost, InfiniRISC, InfiniScale, and InfiniPCI are trademarks of
Mellanox Technologies, Inc. Novell is a registered trademarks of Novell, Inc., in the United States and
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Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. QLogic and PathScale are registered trademarks of
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the United States and/or other jurisdictions. vRanger, vFoglight, vConverter, Vizioncore vOptimizer,
and Vizioncore vEssentials are trademarks of Vizioncore Inc. Other trademarks and trade names may
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©Copyright 2010 Dell Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or translation of any part of this work
beyond that permitted by U.S. copyright laws without the written permission of Dell Inc. is unlawful
and strictly forbidden.

Revision 2 December 2010

Dell PowerEdge M610x Technical Guide ii

Dell

Table of Contents

1 Product Comparison ........................................................................................... 1

1.1 Overview .................................................................................................. 1

1.1.1 Unparalleled PowerEdge Flexibility ............................................................. 1

1.1.2 Uncompromised Performance .................................................................... 1

1.1.3 Simplified Systems Management ................................................................. 1

1.2 Product Comparison ..................................................................................... 2

2 New Technologies .............................................................................................. 4

2.1 Overview .................................................................................................. 4

3 System Information ............................................................................................ 5

3.1 Overview .................................................................................................. 5

4 Mechanical ...................................................................................................... 8

4.1 Chassis Description....................................................................................... 8

4.2 Dimensions and Weight .................................................................................. 8

4.3 Internal Module View .................................................................................... 9

4.4 Security .................................................................................................... 9

4.5 Cover Latch ............................................................................................... 9

4.6 TPM (Trusted Platform Module) ........................................................................ 9

4.7 Power Off Security ....................................................................................... 9

4.8 USB Key .................................................................................................. 10

4.9 Battery ................................................................................................... 10

4.10 Field Replaceable Units (FRU)........................................................................ 10

4.11 User Accessible Jumpers, Sockets, and Connectors ............................................... 10

5 Power, Thermal, Acoustic .................................................................................. 11

5.1 Power Supplies ......................................................................................... 11

5.2 Power Efficiency ....................................................................................... 11

5.3 Thermal Operating and Storage Specifications .................................................... 11

5.4 Acoustics ................................................................................................ 12

6 Processors ..................................................................................................... 14

6.1 Overview ................................................................................................ 14

6.2 Features ................................................................................................. 14

6.3 Supported Processors .................................................................................. 16

6.4 Processor Installation .................................................................................. 16

7 Memory ........................................................................................................ 17

7.1 Overview ................................................................................................ 17

7.2 DIMMs Supported ....................................................................................... 17

7.3 Memory Features ....................................................................................... 18

7.4 Memory Speed Limitations ............................................................................ 18

8 Chipset ........................................................................................................ 20

8.1 Overview ................................................................................................ 20

8.2 I/O Hub (IOH) ........................................................................................... 20

8.2.1 QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) .................................................................. 20

8.2.2 PCI Express ........................................................................................ 20

8.2.3 Direct Media Interface (DMI) ................................................................... 20

8.2.4 I/O Controller Hub 9 (ICH9)..................................................................... 20

8.2.5 PCI Express Mezzanine Connectors ............................................................ 21

9 BIOS ............................................................................................................ 22

9.1 Overview ................................................................................................ 22

9.2 Supported ACPI States ................................................................................. 22

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10 Embedded NICs/LAN on Motherboard (LOM) ............................................................. 23

10.1 Overview ................................................................................................ 23

10.2 Platform Networking LAN on Motherboard (LOM) Technology Overview ....................... 23

10.3 I/O Slots (I/O Mezzanine Card Options for M1000e) .............................................. 24

10.3.1 Overview .......................................................................................... 24

10.3.2 Options ............................................................................................ 24

10.3.3 PCIe Card Support ................................................................................ 24

10.3.4 NVIDIA Cards ...................................................................................... 24

10.3.5 Fusion-io Cards ................................................................................... 25

11 Storage ........................................................................................................ 26

11.1 Overview ................................................................................................ 26

11.2 Hard Disk Drive Carriers ............................................................................... 26

11.3 Empty Drive Bays ....................................................................................... 26

11.4 Diskless Configuration Support ....................................................................... 26

11.5 Hard Drive LED Indicators ............................................................................. 27

11.6 Optical Drives ........................................................................................... 27

11.7 RAID Cards .............................................................................................. 28

11.7.1 SATA Repeater .................................................................................... 28

11.7.2 PERC6/i ............................................................................................ 28

11.7.3 H200 ................................................................................................ 28

11.7.4 H700 and H800 .................................................................................... 28

11.8 LED Indicators .......................................................................................... 28

11.9 Optical Drives ........................................................................................... 28

12 Video (PCI Video) ............................................................................................ 29

13 Rack Information ............................................................................................. 30

14 Operating Systems ........................................................................................... 31

15 Virtualization ................................................................................................. 32

15.1 Resources................................................................................................ 32

15.2 Advanced Infrastructure Manager by Scalent ...................................................... 32

15.3 Vizioncore ............................................................................................... 32

16 Systems Management ........................................................................................ 34

16.1 Overview ................................................................................................ 34

16.2 Server Management .................................................................................... 34

16.3 Embedded Server Management ...................................................................... 35

16.4 Lifecycle Controller and Unified Server Configurator ............................................ 35

16.5 The iDRAC6 Enterprise ................................................................................ 36

16.6 Chassis Management Controller (CMC) .............................................................. 37

17 Peripherals .................................................................................................... 38

17.1 USB Peripherals ......................................................................................... 38

17.2 External Storage ........................................................................................ 38

Appendix A. Standards Compliance ........................................................................... 39

Appendix B. Regulatory Certifications........................................................................ 41

Appendix C. Additional Technical Specifications ........................................................... 42

Tables

Table 1. Product Comparisons ................................................................................. 2

Table 2. Product Features ...................................................................................... 5

Table 3. Operating and Storage Specifications ............................................................ 12

Table 4. Typical Configuration for Acoustical Performance Analysis ................................... 13

Table 5. Comparison of Processor Technology ............................................................ 15

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Table 6. Supported Processors ............................................................................... 16

Table 7. Maximum Supported Memory Frequencies ...................................................... 19

Table 8. Supported Video Modes ............................................................................ 29

Table 9. Unified Server Configurator Features and Description......................................... 35

Table 10. Features List for BMC, iDrac, and vFlash ........................................................ 36

Table 11. Standards Compliance and Specifications ....................................................... 39

Table 12. Technical Specifications ........................................................................... 42

Figures

Figure 1. PowerEdge M1000e ................................................................................... 8

Figure 2. Internal View .......................................................................................... 9

Figure 3. 2.5‖ HDD Carrier .................................................................................... 26

Dell PowerEdge M610x Technical Guide v

1 Product Comparison

1.1 Overview

With PCIe expansion options and a feature rich Chassis Management Controller, the Dell™
PowerEdge™ M610x allows you to efficiently run applications, consolidate your data center, and

simplify data management.

The PowerEdge M610x enables you to incorporate a vast array of PCIe-based products into the Blade
Chassis framework with enough power and cooling to efficiently deploy even the most feature-rich,
expansion-card-based solutions. With the addition of the PCIe expansion module, the PowerEdge
M610x blade server is an ideal solution for organizations that need maximum flexibility and
performance with high reliability. Maximized Gen2 PCIe expansion is finally realized within a blade.

1.1.1 Unparalleled PowerEdge Flexibility

The PowerEdge M610x PCIe expansion module includes two full-length x16 PCIe Gen2 slots with
supplemental power connectors that enable maximum wattage for one 300W dual-slot card or two
250W single-slot cards. These PCIe slots are capable of supporting everything from H-series external
RAID controllers to general-purpose computing-on-graphics processing units (GPGPU).

Now, a single M610x, equipped with a NVIDIA® Tesla™ GPGPU card, can perform over 400 Gigaflops of
double-precision computations for demanding, floating-point-intensive workloads. Communication
between the host system and the Tesla processors is maximized by providing x16 Gen2 PCIe
bandwidth while the efficient Dell M1000e chassis powers and cools the solution to its maximum
247W TDP (Thermal Design Power).

1.1.2 Uncompromised Performance

The PowerEdge M610x is an energy-efficient, optimized full-height two-socket server for
virtualization and database applications. Additional manageability features make it easy to use,
manage and deploy. As an ideal PCIe Host server, the M610x features the reliability of two 2.5‖ SAS
or SSD hot-swappable hard drives and the IO throughput of a dual-port embedded gigabit NIC and two
additional network daughtercards. Intel® Xeon® processors 5600 series, plus up to 192GBs of DDR3
memory, offer high performance with low power consumption for a variety of dense-environment
workloads. The Platinum level (+94%) powered and modularly cooled PCIe expansion module delivers
up to 8 Gigabytes per second of application throughput.

1.1.3 Simplified Systems Management

Spend more time on your business and less on maintaining your IT with embedded system
management features on the PowerEdge M610x and the Chassis Management Controller (CMC).
Simplified server and chassis management is achieved through automated discovery which automates
configuration of new hardware through a one-to-many relationship and enables pre-provisioning of
LAN/SAN resources.

In addition, one-to-many updating through the CMC and Virtual File Share simplifies the update
process for BIOS, firmware and drivers without additional software. Proactive management provides
immediate access to system status, issues and alerts through a single, easy-to-use interface that
includes one-click key functions to help quickly resolve issues.

Dell

M610x

M610

M710HD

M710

Description

Special purpose
Full-height 2S

General purpose Half­height 2S

General purpose
Half-height 2S

General purpose
Full-height 2S

Processor

2 Socket Intel® Xeon® Processor 5500 or 5600 Series

Front Side
Bus

Two Intel QuickPath Interconnect (QPI)

# Proc
Sockets

2

Max # Cores
per Socket

Up to 6

L2/L3 Cache

8MB (5500 Series) or 12MB (5600 Series)

Chipset

Intel 5500

Intel 5500

Intel 5520

Intel 5520

DIMMs

12 x DDR3 DIMMs
(800/1066/1333MHz)

12 x DDR3 DIMMs
(800/1066/1333MHz)

18 x DDR3 DIMMs
(800/1066/1333MHz)

18 x DDR3 DIMMs
(800/1066/1333MHz)

Min/Max RAM

1GB - 192GB (16GB
DIMMS)

1GB - 192GB (16GB
DIMMS)

1GB–192GB (16GB
DIMMS)

1GB - 192GB (16GB
DIMMS)

Form Factor

Full-Height Blade,
Dual
Socket/Expansion
module

Half-Height Blade,
Dual Socket

Half-Height Blade,
Dual socket

Full-Height Blade,
Dual Socket

HDD Bays
(2.5” only)

SAS: Hot-Pluggable 2

x 2.5‖
SATA: 1 x 2.5‖

SAS: Hot-Pluggable 2

x 2.5‖
SATA: 1 x 2.5‖

SAS: Hot-Pluggable 2

x 2.5‖
SSD SATA: 2 x 2.5‖

SAS: Hot-Pluggable 4

x 2.5‖
SSD SATA: 2 x 2.5‖

HDD Types

SAS/SSD

HDD
Controller

H200
H700
H800
SAS6E

H200
Non-RAID SATA (1

HDD only)
SAS6/iR
PERC6i with RAID

battery

Embedded H200

H200
SAS6/iR
PERC6i with RAID

battery

Optional HD
Controller

SAS6/iR
PERC6i with RAID
battery

SAS6/iR
PERC6i with RAID
battery

Embedded H200

SAS6/iR PERC6i with
RAID battery

Availability

Hot-plug hard drives
ECC memory
Single Device Data Correction (SDDC)
Supports memory demand and patrol

scrubbing
High-availability failover cluster support

1.2 Product Comparison

Table 1. Product Comparisons

Dell PowerEdge M610x Technical Guide 2

Dell

M610x

M610

M710HD

M710

Server
Management

Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller iDRAC6 Express/Enterprise (both standard) w/
IPMI 2.0 +vMedia/vKVM, and CMC (on the PowerEdge M1000e chassis)

Mezz Slots

2 x8 (PCI Gen 2);
Fabric B limited to a
small form factor
(SFF) mezzanine
card

2 x8 (PCI Gen 2);
Fabric B limited to a
small form factor
(SFF) mezzanine
card

2 x8 PCIe Mezzanine
Cards

1 x4 and 3 x 8 PCIe
Mezzanine Cards

IO slots

Two x16 PCIe Gen2
H800 / 6GB SAS
NVIDIA® M1060 and

M2050-204

NA

NA

NA

RAID

0,1

0,1

0,1

0,1,5

NIC/LOM

2-port Broadcom®
5709S 1Gb w/ TOE
plus optional iSCSI
Accelerator

2-port Broadcom®
5709S 1Gb w/ TOE
plus optional iSCSI
Accelerator

4 x 1GbE dual
Broadcom®
BCM5709S

4 x TOE with
optional iSCSI
offload

USB

2 external, 1
internal

2 external, 1
internal

2 x external USB 2.0
ports at front bezel

1 x internal USB port

3 x external USB 2.0
ports at front bezel

1 x internal USB port

SD Card

2: 1 for Persistent
Storage 1 for
Management

2: 1 for Persistent
Storage 1 for
Management

2 x internal SD slot
1 for Persistent

Storage
1 for Management
(can also be

configured as
redundant SD cards
for embedded
hypervisor)

1 x internal SD slot
1 for Persistent

Storage
1 for Management

TPM

Yes, except in China where TCM is the standard

Video

Matrox® G200eW integrated into iDRAC chip

Power
Supplies

See the PowerEdge M1000e Technical Guide.

Fans

See the PowerEdge M1000e Technical Guide.

Chassis

See the PowerEdge M1000e Technical Guide.

Dell PowerEdge M610x Technical Guide 3

Dell

2 New Technologies

2.1 Overview

The PowerEdge M610x offers you expandability. The M610x is a half-height blade (based on the M610
server technology) and PCIe card expansion module within a PowerEdge M1000e full-height blade
enclosure which provides the capability to use standard PCIe cards. Similar to the PowerEdge M610,
the PowerEdge M610x features:

 Dual quad- and six-core Intel Xeon processor 5500 and 5600 series
 Intel IOH (24D I/O Hub)
 Intel QuickPath Architecture
 DDR3 memory
 DIMM thermal sensors
 PCI Express Generation 2
 Internal SD Module
 iDRAC6 Express

The M610x incorporates the system board of the M610 plus a PCI module—two x16 PCIe slots. The
module’s 2nd Generation expansion slots can accommodate any standard full-length or full-height

PCIe card. Supplemental power connectors allow, for the first time in the PowerEdge family,
utilization of up to 2 x 250W or 1 x 350W PCIe cards (inclusive of GPGPUs1).

1

General-Purpose computation on Graphics Processing Units

Dell PowerEdge M610x Technical Guide 4

Dell

Feature

Technical Specifications

Processors

Intel® Xeon® processor 5500 and 5600 series quad and six-core
60W, 80W, and 95W TDP options

Chipset

Intel® 5520

Memory1

1GB/2GB/4GB/8GB/16GB 1066 and 1333MHz DDR3
12 DIMM Slots with support for up to 192GBs using RDIMMs

Drive Bays

Two 2.5‖ SAS/Solid State hot-swappable drives

Storage1

Internal Hot-Swappable Drives:

2.5‖ SAS (10K rpm): 146GB, 300GB, or 600GB

2.5‖ SAS (15K rpm): 73GB or 146GB

2.5‖ SATA (7.2k rpm): 80GB, 120GB, 160GB or 250GB, or 500GB

Solid State Drives (SSD): 100GB

Solid State Storage Cards:

Fusion-io® 160IDSS—160GB ioDrive PCIe solid state storage card
Fusion-io® 640IDSS—640GB ioDrive Duo PCIe solid state storage card

Maximum Internal Disk Storage:

Up to 1.2TB using two 2.5‖ 600GB hot-plug SAS hard drives

RAID Controller
Options

PERC H200 Modular RAID Controller (6Gb/s)
PERC H700 Modular RAID Controller (6Gb/s) with 512 MB battery-backed cache

I/O Mezzanine Card
Options

Fully populated mezzanine card slots and switch modules will yield 3 redundant I/O
fabrics per blade.

1Gb and 10Gb Ethernet:

Dual-Port Broadcom® Gb Ethernet w/ TOE (BCM-5709S)
Quad-Port Intel® Gb Ethernet
Quad-Port Broadcom® Gb Ethernet (BCM-5709S)
Dual-Port Intel® 10Gb Ethernet
Dual-Port Broadcom® 10Gb Ethernet (BCM-57711)

10Gb Enhanced Ethernet and Converged Network Adapters (CEE/DCB/FCoE):

Dual-Port Intel® 10Gb Enhanced Ethernet (FcoE Ready for Future Enablement)
Dual-Port Emulex® Converged Network Adapter (OCM10102-F-M) - Supports CEE/DCB

10GbE + FCoE
Dual-Port Qlogic® Converged Network Adapter (QME8142) - Supports CEE/DCB 10GbE

+ FCoE

3 System Information

3.1 Overview

Table 2. Product Features

Dell PowerEdge M610x Technical Guide 5

Dell

Fibre Channel:

Dual-Port QLogic® FC8 Fibre Channel Host Bus Adapter (HBA) (QME2572)
Dual-Port Emulex® FC8 Fibre Channel Host Bus Adapter (HBA) (LPe1205-M)

Infiniband:

Dual-Port Mellanox® ConnectX-2™ Dual Data Rate (DDR) and Quad Data Rate (QDR)
InfiniBand

Communications

Two embedded Broadcom® NetXtreme II™ 5709 Gigabit Ethernet NICs with failover
and load balancing.

TOE (TCP/IP Offload Engine) supported on Microsoft® Windows Server® 2003 SP1 or
higher with Scalable Networking Pack. iSCSI Offload supported on Windows Server®
2003 SP1 or higher, Red Hat® Enterprise Linux® 5, and SUSE® Linux® Enterprise Server

10. Scalable Networking Pack for Windows Server® 2003 is not required.
Boot from SAN (iSCSI and FC) supported
Optional add-in NICs: See I/O Mezzanine Card Options
Optional add-in HBAs: See I/O Mezzanine Card Options

PCIe Expansion Bay

Two 2nd-generation full-length x16 slots with supplemental power for either two
cards at 250 watt draws or one card at a 300watt draw.

GPGPU Options:

NVIDIA® Tesla™ M1060–240 core, double­width PCIe card with 4GB of memory

NVIDIA® Tesla™ M2050/M2070–448 Core,
double-width PCIe card with 3/6GB of
ECC memory

SAS/PERC Options:

Dell™ H800 PERC–Dual-port 6Gb/s SAS
RAID controller with up to 512MB cache

Dell™ SAS6E HBA–Dual-port 6Gb/s SAS
HBA

Solid State Storage Options:

Fusion-io® 160IDSS—160GB ioDrive PCIe
solid state storage card

Fusion-io® 640IDSS—640GB ioDrive Duo
PCIe solid state storage card

Operating Systems

Microsoft® Windows® Essential Business Server 2008
Microsoft® Windows Server® 2008 SP2, x86/x64 (x64 includes Hyper-V™ )
Microsoft® Windows Server® 2008 R2, x64 (includes Hyper-V™ v2)
Microsoft® Windows® HPC Server 2008
Novell® SUSE® Linux® Enterprise Server
Red Hat® Enterprise Linux®
Sun® Solaris™
For more information on the specific versions and additions, visit

http://www.dell.com/OSsupport.

Virtualization OS
Support

Microsoft® Windows Server® 2008, with Hyper-V™
VMware® vSphere™ Version 4.0 (including ESX v4.0/ ESXi™ v4.0)
Optional Embedded Hypervisors:
Citrix® XenServer™
Microsoft® Windows Server® 2008, with Hyper-V™
VMware® ESXi™ 4.1

Dell PowerEdge M610x Technical Guide 6

Dell

Management Options

Dell™ OpenManage™ software tools
Dell Management Console
Integration with 3rd party management solutions via the Dell Certified Partner

Program
Altiris™ Deployment Solution for Dell Blade Servers
Designed to help reduce deployment time from hours to minutes
Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller (iDRAC)
Out-of-Band alerting, status, inventory, and troubleshooting via Secure Web GUI /

CLI (telnet/SSH)
Console Redirection
vMedia (virtual media)—Map optical or hard drives to the blade from remote

workstations over a network
vKVM (virtual KVM) out-of-band remote console redirection—supports Java or ActiveX

plug-ins
IPMI 2.0 support

Power Supply

Supplied by Dell™ PowerEdge™ M1000e Blade Chassis

Video

Integrated Matrox® G200 w/ 8MB memory

Systems Management

BMC, IPMI2.0 compliant
Dell™ OpenManage™ featuring Dell Management Console
Unified Server Configurator
Lifecycle Controller
iDRAC6 Enterprise with optional vFlash

1

GB means 1 billion bytes and TB equals 1 trillion bytes; actual capacity varies with preloaded material and

operating environment and will be less.

Dell PowerEdge M610x Technical Guide 7

Dell

4 Mechanical

4.1 Chassis Description

The PowerEdge M610x is a full-height blade server that requires an M1000e chassis to operate.

Figure 1. PowerEdge M1000e

The M610x server occupies 2 slots in the M1000e rack chassis for a maximum of 8 blades in one
M1000e chassis. It can be mixed with other existing Dell blades and is designed to mix with possible
future half- and full-height double-wide blades. Some highlights are:

 Two full-size standard PCI-E x16
 Front Cable Access provided for add-in cards
 Support for RAID
 Support for persistent storage (internal USB connector and two external SD card slots)

Refer to the PowerEdge M1000e Technical Guide for information on fans, power and power supply,
racks, security, and other chassis information.

4.2 Dimensions and Weight

The PowerEdge M610x dimensions and weight are as follows:

 Height: 38.5cm (15.2in)
 Width: 5cm (2in)
 Depth: 48.6cm (19.2in)
 Weight (Maximum Configuration): 11.1kg (24.5lb)

Dell PowerEdge M610x Technical Guide 8

Dell

4.3 Internal Module View

A view of the internal module is shown in Figure 2. See the Opening and Closing the Blade section in
the Installing Blade Components chapter of the Dell PowerEdge Modular Systems Hardware Owner’s
Manual for more information.

Figure 2. Internal View

4.4 Security

The M610x offers a configurable client IP address range for clients connecting to iDRAC6. For
additional information regarding the PowerEdge M610x security features, see the Dell PowerEdge
Modular Systems Hardware Owner’s Manual.

4.5 Cover Latch

The blade module includes a latch for the cover. See the Opening and Closing the Blade section in
the Installing Blade Components chapter in the Dell PowerEdge Modular Systems Hardware Owner’s
Manual for more information.

4.6 TPM (Trusted Platform Module)

The TPM is used to generate/store keys, protect/authenticate passwords, and create/store digital
certificates. TPM can also be used to enable the BitLocker™ hard drive encryption feature in Windows
Server 2008. TPM is enabled through a BIOS option and uses HMAC-SHA1-160 for binding. TCM is
available in China.

4.7 Power Off Security

Through the BIOS, the front blade server USB ports and power button can be disabled so as to not
allow any control of the system from the front of the blade. The enclosure video can also be
restricted.

Dell PowerEdge M610x Technical Guide 9

Dell

The BIOS System Setup program’s system security screen allows administrators to set the system
password, control TPM activation and reporting, clear the TPM’s memory, and disable the power

button and USB ports.

4.8 USB Key

The M610x provides an internal USB connector for a USB flash memory key. The USB memory key can
be used as a boot device, security key, or mass storage device.

4.9 Battery

A replaceable coin cell CR2032 3V battery is mounted on the planar to provide backup power for the
Real-Time Clock and CMOS RAM on the ICH9 chip

4.10 Field Replaceable Units (FRU)

The planar contains a serial EEPROM to contain FRU information including Dell part number, part
revision level, and serial number

4.11 User Accessible Jumpers, Sockets, and Connectors

For information, see the System Board Information chapter in the Dell PowerEdge Modular Systems
Hardware Owner’s Manual.

Dell PowerEdge M610x Technical Guide 10

Dell

5 Power, Thermal, Acoustic

5.1 Power Supplies

See the PowerEdge M1000e Technical Guide for information on power supplies and power supply
specifications.

5.2 Power Efficiency

One of the main features of blade servers is enhanced power efficiency. The M610x achieves higher
power efficiency by implementing the following features:

• User-configurable power options through the M1000e Chassis Management Controller (CMC)

(see the M1000e documentation online at support.dell.com for further details)

• Improved power budgeting

• Voltage Regulator (VR) efficiency improvements

• CPU VR dynamic phase shedding

• Switching regulators instead of linear regulators

• Closed loop thermal throttling

• Use of DDR3 memory (lower voltage compared to DDR2)

• Memory VR static phase shedding

• BIOS Power/Performance options page

• Active Power Controller (BIOS-based CPU P-state manager)

• Ability to throttle memory

• Ability to disable a CPU core

• Ability to turn off embedded NICs or PCIe lanes when not being used

• Energy Smart components at the M1000e chassis level to selectively enable more computing

performance with less power consumption.

5.3 Thermal Operating and Storage Specifications

The M610x thermal solution includes:

 Optimized airflow impedance for individual blade and chassis level airflow balancing
 Custom air baffling directs airflow through the components to maintain proper cooling
 Custom designed heat sinks maintain CPU, DIMM, and board-level chip temperatures within

thermal design targets

 Separate airflow cooling path for the two full-length x16 PCIe Gen2 slots.
 Support for dual slot NVIDIA
 Highly Optimized Fan Control Algorithm

o Base fan speeds are a function of hardware configuration and ambient temperature to

minimize airflow for a given environment.

o Component algorithms: CPU PID, DIMMs, HW Configuration, IOH, GPU, and External

Ambient.

o The highest fan speed request from the above algorithms is used to set the

appropriate fan speed for the blade.

o Ambient and HW Configuration sets the minimum – other algorithms increase fan speed

to maintain proper cooling.

Dell PowerEdge M610x Technical Guide 11

®

GPU cards up to 250W.

Dell

Temperature

Operating

10o to 35o C (50o to 95o F) with a maximum temperature gradation of
10o C per hour

Note: For altitudes above 2950 feet, the maximum operating
temperature is derated 1oF/500ft

Storage

-40o to 65oC (-40o to 149oF) with a maximum temperature gradation
of 20oC per hour

Relative Humidity

Operating

20% to 80% (noncondensing) with a maximum humidity gradation of
10% per hour

Storage

5% to 95% (noncondensing) with a maximum humidity gradation of
10% per hour

Maximum Vibration

Operating

0.26 Grms at 5-350 Hz in operational orientations

Storage

1.54 Grms at 10-250 Hz in all orientations

Maximum Shock

Operating

Half sine shock in all operational orientations of 31 G +/- 5% with a
pulse duration of 2.6 ms +/- 10%

Storage

Half sine shock on all six sides of 71 G +/- 5% with a pulse duration
of 2 ms +/- 10%

Altitude

Operating

-15.2m to 3048 m (-50 to 10,000 ft)
Note: For altitudes above 2950 ft, the maximum temperature is

derated 1o F/550 ft

Storage

-16 to 10,600 m (-50 to 35,000 ft)

Thermal specifications for the PowerEdge M610x are detailed in Table 3 along with other important
operating and storage information.

Table 3. Operating and Storage Specifications

5.4 Acoustics

 Adherence to Dell’s high sound quality standards. Sound quality is different from

sound power level and sound pressure level in that it describes how humans respond
to annoyances in sound, like whistles, hums, etc. One of the sound quality metrics in
the Dell specification is prominence ratio of a tone.

 Acoustical Performance of Typical Configuration. When installed in the M1000e

blade chassis, typical configuration2 of M610x blade results in the following idle

2

Typical configuration means projected average quantity, type, capacity, speed, etc., of components. Configuration for which

data reported is listed in the following table.

Dell PowerEdge M610x Technical Guide 12

Dell

Chassis

Description

Quantity

Blade

M610x

4

Slots populated

1, 2, 3, 4

Power supply

2360-W

6

Blanks

8 System Fans

M1000e fan

9

Blade Internals

Description

Quantity

CPU

Intel E5620 80W

2

DIMM

4 GB Dual Rank

12

Mezz Cards

Dual port GbE FC

2

HDD

SAS 2.5‖ 146 GB, 15 krpm

2

acoustical performance in 23±2° C ambient: LwA-UL3 = 8.2 bels and no prominent
tones4.

Table 4. Typical Configuration for Acoustical Performance Analysis

3

LwA – UL is the upper limit sound power level (LwA) calculated per section 4.4.2 of ISO 9296 (1988) and measured in

accordance to ISO 7779 (1999).

4

Prominent tone: Criteria of D.5 and D.8 of ECMA-74 9th ed. (2005) are followed to determine if discrete tones are prominent.

The system is placed in a rack with its bottom at 75 cm from the floor. The acoustical transducer is at front bystander position,
ref ISO7779 (1999) Section 8.6.2.

Dell PowerEdge M610x Technical Guide 13

Dell

6 Processors

6.1 Overview

The Intel Xeon processor 5500 and 5600 series are designed specifically for servers and workstation
applications. These processors feature quad-core processing to maximize performance and
performance/watt for data center infrastructures and highly dense deployments. They feature Intel
Core™ micro-architecture and Intel 64 architecture for flexibility in 64-bit and 32-bit applications and
operating systems and use a 1366-contact Flip-Chip Land Grid Array (FC-LGA) package that plugs into
a surface-mount socket. The M610x provides support for up to two processors.

6.2 Features

Key features of the Intel Xeon processor 5500 series include:

• Up to four cores per processor

• Two point-to-point QuickPath Interconnect links at 6.4 GT/s

• 45 nm process technology

• No termination required for non-populated CPUs (must populate CPU socket 1 first)

• Integrated QuickPath DDR3 memory controller

• 64-byte cache line size

• RISC/CISC hybrid architecture

• Compatible with existing x86 code base

• MMX™ support

• Execute Disable Bit

• Intel Wide Dynamic Execution

 Executes up to four instructions per clock cycle

• Simultaneous Multi-Threading (SMT) capability

• Support for CPU Turbo Mode (on certain SKUs)

 Increases CPU frequency if operating below thermal, power and current limits

• Streaming SIMD (Single Instruction, Multiple Data) Extensions 2, 3, and 4

• Intel

• Intel

• Enhanced Intel

®

64 Technology

®

VT-x and VT-d Technology for virtualization support

®

SpeedStep® Technology

• Demand-based switching for active CPU power management as well as support for ACPI P-

States, C-States and T-States

The Intel Xeon processor 5600 series encompasses all the features of the 5500 series along with:

• New top BIN processors at 130W TDP

• Support for DDR3L, 1.35v DIMMs for even lower system power

• Support for memory sparing

• AES-NI (hardware encryption assist) for more efficient encryption for uses such as online

transactions SSL.

• Intel TXT (Trusted Execution Technology) provides hardware assisted protection against

emerging software attacks

Dell PowerEdge M610x Technical Guide 14

Dell

Intel® Xeon® Processor

5400 Series

5500 Series

5600 Series

# Cores

4 4 6

Last Level Cache

2 x 6 MB shared

8 MB shared

12 MB shared

FSB (MHz) / Link Frequency
(GT/s)

1333 MHz

Up to 6.4 GT/s

Up to 6.4 GT/s

Max TDP

120W

130W for WS
95W for Server

130W for WS and
Server

Max Frequency

>3 GHz

>3 GHz

>3 GHz

Memory Controller

Separate in
chipset

Integrated 3-channel
DDR3

Integrated 3­channel DDR3

Process Technology

45nm

45nm

32nm

Intel® Trusted Execution
Technology

No

No

Yes

Intel® Advanced Encryption
Security- New Instructions

No

No

Yes

Intel® Virtualization
Technology

Yes

Yes

Yes

Intel® 64

Yes

Yes

Yes

Intel® Hyper-Threading
Technology

No

Yes

Yes

Socket

LGA 771

LGA1366

LGA1366

o Dell BIOS enablement in the future will include a test and development BIOS at

launch, and a full production BIOS in Q4 of 2010

Table 5. Comparison of Processor Technology

Dell PowerEdge M610x Technical Guide 15

Dell

Model

Speed

TDP

Power

Cache

Cores

Usage
Type

Max
Memory
Speed

QPI Link
Speed

Turbo
Mode
Enabled

Hyper­threading

X5680

3.33GHz

95W

12M 6 Advanced

1333MHz

6.4GT/s

Yes

Yes

X5667

3.06GHz

95W

12M 4 Advanced

1333MHz

6.4GT/s

Yes

Yes

X5670

2.93GHz

95W

12M 6 Advanced

1333MHz

6.4GT/s

Yes

Yes

X5660

2.80GHz

95W

12M 6 Advanced

1333MHz

6.4GT/s

Yes

Yes

X5650

2.66GHz

95W

12M 6 Advanced

1333MHz

6.4GT/s

Yes

Yes

E5640

2.66GHz

80W

12M 4 Standard

1066MHz

5.86GT/s

Yes

Yes

L5640

2.26GHz

60W

12M 6 Low

Voltage

1066MHz

5.86GT/s

Yes

Yes

E5630

2.53GHz

80W

12M 4 Standard

1066MHz

5.86GT/s

Yes

Yes

E5620

2.4GHz

80W

12M 4 Standard

1066MHz

5.86GT/s

Yes

Yes

L5609

1.86GHz

40W

12M 4 Low

Voltage

1066MHz

4.8GT/s
No

No

X5560

2.80GHz

95W

8M 4 Advanced

1333MHz

6.4GT/s

Yes

Yes

E5530

2.40GHz

80W

8M 4 Standard

1066MHz

5.86GT/s

Yes

Yes

L5520

2.26GHz

60W

8M 4 Standard

LV

1066MHz

5.86GT/s
Yes

Yes

E5507

2.13GHz

80W

4M 4 Basic

800MHz

4.8GT/s

No

No

E5506

2.13GHz

60W

4M 4 Basic LV

800MHz

4.8GT/s

No

No

E5503

2.0GHz

80W

4M 2 Basic

800MHz

4.8GT/s

No

No

6.3 Supported Processors

Supported processors are detailed in Table 6.

Table 6. Supported Processors

6.4 Processor Installation

See the Processors section in the Installing Blade Components chapter in the Dell PowerEdge Modular
Systems Hardware Owner’s Manual.

Dell PowerEdge M610x Technical Guide 16

Dell

7 Memory

7.1 Overview

The M610xD utilizes DDR3 memory providing a high-performance, high-speed memory interface
capable of low latency response and high throughput. The M610x supports Registered ECC DDR3
DIMMs (RDIMM) as well as the low-voltage RDIMMs and Unbuffered ECC DDR3 DIMMs (UDIMM).

The DDR3 memory interface consists of three channels, with up to two RDIMMs or UDIMMs per
channel for single/dual rank and up to two RDIMMs per channel for quad rank. The interface uses 2
GB, 4 GB, or 8 GB RDIMMs. 1 GB or 2 GB UDIMMs are also supported. The memory mode is dependent
on how the memory is populated in the system:

 Three channels per CPU populated identically

o Typically, the system will be set to run in Memory Optimized (Independent Channel) mode in

this configuration. This mode offers the most DIMM population flexibility and system memory
capacity, but offers the least number of RAS (reliability, availability, and serviceability)
features.

o All three channels must be populated identically.
o Memory sparing is not supported on the M610x with 5500 series processors.

 The first two channels per CPU populated identically with the third channel unused

o Typically, two channels operate in Advanced ECC (Lockstep) mode with each other by having

the cache line split across both channels. This mode provides improved RAS features (SDDC
support for x8-based memory).

o For Memory Mirroring, two channels operate as mirrors of each other—write functions go to

both channels and read functions alternate between the two channels.

 One channel per CPU populated (This is a simple Memory Optimized mode. No mirroring or

sparing is supported.)

The M610x memory interface supports memory demand and patrol scrubbing, single-bit correction,
and multi-bit error detection. Correction of a x4 or x8 device failure is also possible with SDDC in the
Advanced ECC mode. Additionally, correction of a x4 device failure is possible in the Memory
Optimized mode.

7.2 DIMMs Supported

The following memory requirements apply to the M610x:

 If DIMMs of different speeds are mixed, all channels operate at the fastest common

frequency.

 RDIMMs and UDIMMs cannot be mixed.
 If memory mirroring is enabled, identical DIMMs must be installed in the same slots across

both channels. The third channel of each processor is unavailable for memory mirroring.

 The first DIMM slot in each channel is color-coded with white ejection tabs for ease of

installation.

 The M610x memory system supports up to 12 DIMMs. DIMMs must be installed in each channel

starting with the DIMM farthest from the processor. Population order will be identified by the
silkscreen designator and the System Information Label (SIL) located on the chassis cover.

Dell PowerEdge M610x Technical Guide 17

Dell

7.3 Memory Features

Key features of the M610x memory system include:

 Registered (RDIMM) and Unbuffered (UDIMM) ECC DDR3 technology
 Each channel carries 64 data and eight ECC bits
 Support for up to 96GB of RDIMM memory (with twelve 8 GB RDIMMs)
 Support for up to 24 GB of UDIMM memory (with twelve 2 GB UDIMMs)
 Support for 1066/1333 MHz single and dual rank DIMMs
 Support for 1066 MHz quad rank DIMMs
 Single DIMM configuration only with DIMM in socket A1
 ODT support (On Die Termination)
 Clock gating (CKE) to conserve power when DIMMs are not accessed (DIMMs enter a low-

power self-refresh mode)

2

 I

C access to SPD EEPROM for access to RDIMM thermal sensors

 Single Bit Error Correction
 SDDC (Single Device Data Correction – x4 or x8 devices)
 Support for Closed Loop Thermal Management on RDIMMs and UDIMMs
 Multi Bit Error Detection
 Support for Memory Optimized Mode
 Support for Advanced ECC mode
 Support for Memory Mirroring

Memory sparing is not supported on 5500 series processors. It is supported on systems using 5600
series processors. While 800MHz DIMMs are not supported, the installation of two quad-rank 1066MHz
DIMMs will operate at 800MHz.

7.4 Memory Speed Limitations

The memory frequency is determined by a variety of inputs:

 Speed of the DIMMs
 Speed supported by the CPU
 Configuration of the DIMMs

For quad-rank DIMMs mixed with single- or dual-rank DIMMs, the quad-rank (QR) DIMM needs to be in
the slot with the white ejection tabs (the first DIMM slot in each channel). There is no requirement
for the order of single-rank (SR) and dual-rank (DR) DIMMs.

Table 7 shows the memory populations and the maximum frequency achievable for that
configuration.

Dell PowerEdge M610x Technical Guide 18

Dell

DIMM Type

DIMM 0

DIMM 1

# of DIMMs

800

1066

1333

UDIMM

SR — 1

  

DR — 1

  

SR

SR

2

  

SR

DR

2

  

DR

DR

2

  

RDIMM

SR — 1

  

DR — 1

  

QR — 1

  

SR

SR

2

  

SR

DR

2

  

DR

DR

2

  

QR

SR

2

  

QR

DR

2

  

QR

QR

2

  

Table 7. Maximum Supported Memory Frequencies

Dell PowerEdge M610x Technical Guide 19

Dell

8 Chipset

8.1 Overview

The M610x system board incorporates the Intel 5500 chipset for I/O and processor interfacing which
was designed to support Intel Xeon Processor 5500 and 5600 Series, QuickPath Interconnect, DDR3
memory technology, and PCI Express Generation 2. The chipset consists of the I/O Hub (IOH) and
Intel I/O Controller Hub 9 (ICH9).

8.2 I/O Hub (IOH)

The M610x system board uses the Intel 5520 chipset 24D IOH to provide a link between the
processor(s) and I/O components. The main components of the IOH consist of two full-width
QuickPath Interconnect links (one to each processor), 24 lanes of PCI Express Gen2, a x4 Direct Media
Interface (DMI), and an integrated IOxAPIC.

8.2.1 QuickPath Interconnect (QPI)

The QuickPath Interconnect architecture consists of serial point-to-point interconnects for the
processors and the IOH. The M610x has a total of three QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) links: one link
connecting the processors and links connecting both processors with the IOH. Each link consists of 20
lanes (full-width) in each direction with a link speed of 6.4 GT/s. An additional lane is reserved for a
forwarded clock. Data is sent over the QPI links as packets.

The QuickPath architecture implemented in the IOH and CPUs features four layers. The Physical layer
consists of the actual connection between components. It supports Polarity Inversion and Lane
Reversal for optimizing component placement and routing. The Link layer is responsible for flow
control and the reliable transmission of data. The Routing layer is responsible for the routing of QPI
data packets. Finally, the Protocol layer is responsible for high-level protocol communications,
including the implementation of a MESIF (Modify, Exclusive, Shared, Invalid, Forward) cache
coherence protocol.

8.2.2 PCI Express

PCI Express is a serial point-to-point interconnect for I/O devices. PCIe Generation 2 doubles the
signaling bit rate of Generation 1 from 2.5 Gb/s to 5 Gb/s. Each of the PCIe Gen2 ports are
backward-compatible with Gen1 transfer rates.

The IOH 24D has 24 PCI Express lanes. The lanes are partitioned as two x2 ports and combined as a x4
PCI Express Gen2 port for the LOM1. The next port is a x4 PCI Express Gen2 port for LOM2 and the
remaining x4 ports are combined as two x8 PCI Express Gen2 ports for the mezzanine cards. These
last two x8 Gen2 ports are the entities that provide communication for the M610x functionality.

8.2.3 Direct Media Interface (DMI)

The DMI connects the IOH with the Intel I/O Controller Hub 9 (ICH9). The DMI is equivalent to a x4
PCIe Gen1 link with a transfer rate of 1 GB/s in each direction.

8.2.4 I/O Controller Hub 9 (ICH9)

ICH9 is a highly integrated I/O controller, supporting the following functions:

 Six x1 PCI Express Gen1 ports, with the capability of combining ports 1-4 as a x4 link (The x4 link

is routed to the storage controller card connector.)

 PCI Bus 32-bit Interface Rev 2.3 running at 33 MHz

Dell PowerEdge M610x Technical Guide 20

Dell

 Serial ATA (SATA) ports with transfer rates up to 300 MB/s
 Six UHCI and two EHCI (high-speed 2.0) USB host controllers, with up to 12 USB ports (The M610x

provides four of these ports for internal and external use.)

 Power management interface (ACPI 3.0b compliant)
 Platform Environmental Control Interface (PECI)
 I/O interrupt controller
 SMBus 2.0 controller
 Low Pin Count (LPC) interface to Trusted Platform Module (TPM), and SPI-VU
 Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) support for up to two devices (The M610x BIOS is connected to

the ICH9 using SPI.)

8.2.5 PCI Express Mezzanine Connectors

The Planar Mezzanine connectors provide connection to the Mezzanine I/F Card.

Dell PowerEdge M610x Technical Guide 21

Dell

9 BIOS

9.1 Overview

The M610x BIOS is based on the Dell BIOS core, and supports the following features:

 Intel Xeon processor 5500 and 5600 series 2S support
 Simultaneous Multi-Threading (SMT) support
 CPU Turbo Mode support
 PCI 2.3 compliant
 Plug and play 1.0a compliant
 MP (Multiprocessor) 1.4 compliant
 Boot from hard drive, optical drive, iSCSI drive, USB key, and SD card
 ACPI support
 Direct Media Interface (DMI) support
 PXE, ISCSI, and WOL support for on-board NIC
 Memory mirroring
 SETUP access through F2 key at end of POST
 USB 2.0 (USB boot code is 1.1 compliant)
 F1/F2 error logging in CMOS
 Virtual KVM, CD, and floppy support
 Unified Server Configurator (UEFI 2.1) support
 Power management support including DBS, Power Inventory and multiple Power Profiles

9.2 Supported ACPI States

The M610x supports the standard Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) states.
To learn more see http://www.acpi.info/.

Dell PowerEdge M610x Technical Guide 22

Dell

10 Embedded NICs/LAN on Motherboard (LOM)

10.1 Overview

Two embedded Broadcom® 5709S dual-port LAN controllers are on the M610x planar as independent
Gigabit Ethernet interface devices. The following information details the features of the LAN
devices:

• x4 PCI Express Gen2 capable interface

• The M610 operates this controller at Gen1 speed

• Integrated MAC and PHY

• 3072x18 Byte context memory

• 64 KB receive buffer

• TOE (TCP Offload Engine)

• NC-SI (Network Controller-Sideband Interface) connection for manageability

• Wake-On-LAN (WOL)

• PXE 2.0 remote boot

• iSCSI boot

• IPv4 and IPv6 support

• Bare metal deployment support

• ISCSI offload accelerator: used for offloading ISCSI traffic as an ISCSI accelerator/HBA –

Optionally enabled through a hardware key

The embedded NICs are not sharable with iDRAC since the blade iDRAC has a dedicated 100Mbps link
(Fabric D).

10.2 Platform Networking LAN on Motherboard (LOM) Technology

Overview

The PowerEdge M610x has two Ethernet ports because they include two built-in dual-port 1GbE
converged networking (CNIC) LOMs based on Broadcom 5709 controllers. The M610x supports multiple
functions over a unified fabric to help manage Ethernet, iSCSI and remote management traffic on
each port simultaneously.

Enterprise networks that use multiple protocols and multiple network fabrics benefit from the
Broadcom C-NICs LOMs’ ability to combine network traffic, storage, and clustering over a single
Ethernet fabric by boosting server CPU processing performance and memory utilization while
alleviating I/O bottlenecks.

Each BCM5709S LOM provides dual 10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet functions, an IEEE802.3­compliant media access controller (MAC), and a UTP copper physical layer transceiver solution for
high-performance network applications. It enables simultaneous convergence of all networked
communications possible in a server, such as data network (LAN), storage network (e.g., block, iSCSI,
or file [e.g., CIFS/NFS]), and clustering (e.g., High-Performance Computing [HPC]).

Dell PowerEdge M610x Technical Guide 23

Dell

10.3 I/O Slots (I/O Mezzanine Card Options for M1000e)

10.3.1 Overview

The M610X contains four PCIe Gen2 mezzanine slots. Installation of mezzanine cards requires an
M1000e I/O Module (IOM) of the same fabric technology to be installed in the corresponding fabric
slot of the mezzanine to support data flow through that fabric/slot

10.3.2 Options

Available options for slots include:

Available options for slots include:

 Broadcom
 Broadcom
 Intel
 Broadcom
 Intel
 QLogic
 Emulex
 QLogic
 Emulex
 Mellanox
 Mellanox

®

Dual-Port 5709

®

®

®

Quad-Port 5709

ET Quad-Port 82576

®

Dual-Port 57711

Ethernet X520 10GbE x/k

®

CNA QME8142

®

CNA OCM10102FM

®

QME2572 (FC8)

®

LPe1205 (FC8)

®

ConnectX™-2 DDR IB (SFF)

®

ConnectX™-2 QDR IB (SFF)

10.3.3 PCIe Card Support

The following cards are supported:

• Dell cards

– H800 controller
– 6GB SAS controller

• Fusion-io

®

cards (drop in the box)

– 160GB SLC
– 640GB MLC

• NVIDIA

®

cards (cards installed, drivers available on NVIDIA site)

– M1060 (takes up both slots)
– M2050-204 (takes up both slots)

10.3.4 NVIDIA Cards

GPGPU stands for General-Purpose computation on Graphics Processing Units. Graphics Processing
Units (GPUs) are high-performance many-core processors that can be used to accelerate a wide range
of applications

The NVIDIA® Tesla™ M10 and 20-series are designed for high-performance computing. General
Purpose acceleration provides performance boosts for many applications in energy exploration,
science, and financial services and is commonly found in a high-performance computing (HPC)
environment.

Dell PowerEdge M610x Technical Guide 24

Dell

10.3.5 Fusion-io Cards

Fusion-io’s family of products is based on a new solid state technology that increases bandwidth and
application performance, reduces latency, and simplifies IT infrastructure. Fusion-io products:

• Integrate with servers at the system bus and kernel level, creating a new Flash memory tier

• Accelerate applications, improves response times, and boosts efficiency

• Reduce storage latencies and eliminates I/O bottlenecks

• Deliver the performance of thousands of disk drives in a single server

Dell PowerEdge M610x Technical Guide 25

Dell

11 Storage

11.1 Overview

All enterprise-class 2.5‖ storage drives sold by Dell are qualified, including those that offer Self
Encrypting Drive functionality as well as the 6Gb SAS drives. All storage drives used with the PERC
H700 must be purchased from Dell.

11.2 Hard Disk Drive Carriers

The M610x supports the 11G 2.5‖ hard drive carrier. See Figure 3.

Figure 3. 2.5” HDD Carrier

11.3 Empty Drive Bays

For the slots that are not occupied by drives, a carrier blank is provided to maintain proper cooling,
maintain a uniform appearance to the unit, and provide EMI shielding.

11.4 Diskless Configuration Support

The system supports diskless configuration with no storage controller (H200/PERC 7i) installed in the
system. A 2.5‖ HDD backplane is installed in this configuration.

Dell PowerEdge M610x Technical Guide 26

Dell

11.5 Hard Drive LED Indicators

Each disk drive carrier has two LED indicators visible from the front of the system. One is a
green LED for disk activity and the other is a bicolor (Green/Amber) LED for status
information. The activity LED is driven by the disk drive during normal operation. The bicolor
LED is controlled by the SEP device on the backplane. Both LEDs are used to indicate certain
conditions under direction of a storage controller.

11.6 Optical Drives

Optical drives are optional in all M610x systems and connect to the blade through the front
USB interface. The following internal slim-line drives are available on the M610x: DVD-ROM
and DVD+RW. PATA (IDE) optical drives are not supported.

Dell PowerEdge M610x Technical Guide 27

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11.7 RAID Cards

The M610x will support a variety of RAID cards.

11.7.1 SATA Repeater

The PE M610x internal SATA Repeater HBA is an expansion card that plugs into the dedicated storage
controller slot. It is connected to the ICH9 SATA port via that slot for support of one SATA 2.5‖ hard
drive. The SATA drives are NOT hot pluggable.

11.7.2 PERC6/i

For customers who want a hardware RAID solution, the PERC6i is an option, as a customer kit. The
PERC6i uses the LSI 1078 ROC (RAID on Chip) processor with a PCI Express host interface and DDR2
memory. A battery is available with this card. For details of this card, see the PERC6 Hardware
Product Specification

11.7.3 H200

The M610x supports the latest SAS solution called H200.

11.7.4 H700 and H800

The M610x supports the latest PERC solutions: the H700 and H800. Details of the PERC H700M can be
found in the PERC H700 and H800 Technical Guidebook. Both offer a battery-backed cache.

11.8 LED Indicators

Each disk drive carrier has two LED indicators visible from the front of the system. One is a green LED
for disk activity and the other is a bicolor (Green/Amber) LED for status information. The activity
LED is driven by the disk drive during normal operation. The bicolor LED is controlled by the SEP
device on the backplane. Both LEDs are used to indicate certain conditions under direction of a
storage controller.

11.9 Optical Drives

Optical drives are optional in all M610x systems and connect to the blade through the front USB
interface. The following internal slim-line drives are available on M610x: DVD-ROM and DVD+RW.
PATA (IDE) optical drives are not supported.

Dell PowerEdge M610x Technical Guide 28

Dell

Resolution

Refresh Rate (Hz)

Color Depth (bit)

640 x 480

60, 72, 75, 85

8, 16, 32

800 x 600

56, 60, 72, 75, 85

8, 16, 32

1024 x 768

60, 72, 75, 85

8, 16, 32

1152 x 864

75

8, 16, 32

1280 x 1024

60, 75, 85

8, 16

1280 x 1024

60

32

12 Video (PCI Video)

The M610x Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller 6 (iDRAC6) incorporates an integrated video
subsystem, connected to the 32-bit PCI interface of the ICH9. This logic is based on the Matrox® G200
with 8MB of cache. The device only supports 2D graphics.

The M610 system supports the 2D graphics video modes listed in Table 8.

Table 8. Supported Video Modes

Dell PowerEdge M610x Technical Guide 29

Dell

13 Rack Information

For information on rack and cable accessories for the M610x, see the PowerEdge M1000e Technical

Guide and the M1000e Rack and Cable Advisor Tool.

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14 Operating Systems

The M610x is designed to meet the MSFT WinLogo 3.0 design specifications. For the most up-to-date
information, see the Operating System Support Matrix for Dell PowerEdge Systems on Dell.com.

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Dell

15 Virtualization

15.1 Resources

The Dell Support site has extensive information designed to help you configure virtualization
software with PowerEdge servers. For more information, visit the following sites:

 Dell Virtualization Solution Advisor: Advisement for configuring a complete virtualization

solution.

 Supported virtualization platforms: Detailed listing of virtualization platforms supported by

Dell OpenManage™.

 Support.dell.com: Other blade-related virtualization documents.

For information about which versions of VMware software have been certified on this server, see the
compatibility list maintained by VMware.

It is possible to order the server with an SD card that does not contain ESXi.

15.2 Advanced Infrastructure Manager by Scalent

Dell Advanced Infrastructure Manager (AIM) allows IT organizations to manage networking, storage,
and servers (as well as server workloads) that can be dynamically reconfigured and deployed to meet
the changing needs of today’s data center environment. Specifically, AIM provides IT professionals
the ability to:

• Combine new and existing networking, storage devices, and servers into a holistic computing

solution that enables dynamic allocation of resources to meet application workload
requirements.

• Manage physical and virtual resources with a single solution that includes the ability to move

workloads seamlessly across hardware platforms for increased availability and scalability.

• Provide virtualization-like functionality to non-virtual (physical) servers, including automated

failover, dynamic load balancing, and business continuity.

• Integrate existing infrastructure (networking, storage devices, and servers) into an AIM

solution to provide investment protection and extend the useful life of existing data center
assets.

• Significantly decrease the amount of time and people required to deploy hardware and get

applications up and running by providing a repeatable, scalable framework for hardware
implementation using AIM.

More information can be found at www.dell.com/aim .

15.3 Vizioncore

Vizioncore's easy-to-use virtualization software products support business continuity and disaster
recovery, high availability, monitoring, automation, P2V and optimization. The software is agent-less
and can co-exist with other leading backup software vendors, or can be used as a standalone
solution.

 vRanger™ Pro is a backup and restore solution for virtualized environments.
 vFoglight™ Standard and Professional editions help organizations monitor, understand and

analyze their virtual infrastructure by managing the relationships and interaction between
all the components in the virtual environment.

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 vConverter™ helps convert servers to the VMware

®

, Microsoft®, XenServer™ or Virtual Iron

platforms.

 vReplicator is a host-level software-based replication solution for VMware infrastructure

which enables companies to leverage virtualization to support High Availability (HA) and
Disaster Recovery (DR) strategies.

 Vizioncore™ vOptimizer Pro helps administrators understand storage utilization so they

can make real-time adjustments in allocations. It presents the financial impact of
reclaimed storage per virtual machine (VM), per host, and cumulative cost savings across
the enterprise through historical detailed reports.

 vControl is a VM management solution that provides self-service provisioning, multi-VM

control and task-based automation. vControl lets VM consumers build and deploy VMs for
themselves, while providing administrators a single interface for task-based
administration of VMs.

 Vizioncore vEssentials™ is a software bundle of vFoglight Pro, vRanger Pro and

vReplicator.

More information can be found at http://vizioncore.com/asg/

Dell PowerEdge M610x Technical Guide 33

Dell

16 Systems Management

16.1 Overview

Dell aims on delivering open, flexible, and integrated solutions that help you reduce the complexity
of managing disparate IT assets by building comprehensive IT management solutions. Combining Dell
PowerEdge Servers with a wide selection of Dell-developed management solutions gives you choice
and flexibility, so you can simplify and save in environments of any size. To help you meet your
server performance demands, Dell offers Dell™ OpenManage™ systems management solutions for:

• Deployment of one or many servers from a single console

• Monitoring of server and storage health and maintenance

• Update of system, operating system, and application software

Dell offers IT management solutions for organizations of all sizes—priced, sized, and supported right.

16.2 Server Management

A Dell Systems Management and Documentation DVD and a Dell Management Console DVD are
included with the product. ISO images are also available. A brief description of available content:

• Dell Systems Build and Update Utility: Dell Systems Build and Update Utility assists in OS

install and pre-OS hardware configuration and updates.

• OpenManage Server Administrator: The OpenManage Server Administrator (OMSA) tool

provides a comprehensive, one-to-one systems management solution, designed for system
administrators to manage systems locally and remotely on a network. OMSA allows system
administrators to focus on managing their entire network by providing comprehensive one-to­one systems management.

• Management Console: Our legacy IT Assistant console is also included, as well as tools to allow

access to our remote management products. These tools are Remote Access Service, for
iDRAC, and the BMC Management Utility.

• Active Directory Snap-in Utility: The Active Directory Snap-in Utility provides an extension

snap-in to the Microsoft Active Directory. This allows you to manage Dell specific Active
Directory objects. The Dell-specific schema class definitions and their installation are also
included on the DVD.

• Dell Systems Service Diagnostics Tools: Dell Systems Service and Diagnostics tools deliver the

latest Dell optimized drivers, utilities, and operating system-based diagnostics that you can
use to update your system.

• eDocs: The section includes files for PowerEdge systems, storage peripheral, and OpenManage

software.

• Dell Management Console DVD: The Dell Management Console is a Web-based systems

management software that enables you to discover and inventory devices on your network. It
also provides advanced functions, such as health and performance monitoring of networked
devices and patch management capabilities for Dell systems.

• Server Update Utility: In addition to the Systems Management Tools and Documentation and

Dell Management Console DVDs, customers have the option to obtain Server Update Utility
DVD. This DVD has an inventory tool for managing updates to firmware, BIOS and drivers for
either Linux or Windows varieties.

Dell PowerEdge M610x Technical Guide 34

Dell

Feature

Description

Faster O/S Installation

Drivers and the installation utility are embedded on system, so no
need to scour DELL.COM.

Faster System Updates

Integration with Dell support automatically directed to latest
versions of the Unified Server Configurator, iDRAC, RAID, BIOS, NIC,
and Power Supply.

Update Rollback

Ability to recover to previous ―known good state‖ for all updatable

components.

More Comprehensive Diagnostics

Diagnostic utilities are embedded on system.

Simplified Hardware Configuration

Detects RAID controller and allows user to configure virtual disk and
choose virtual disk as boot device, eliminating the need to launch a
separate utility. Also provides configuration for iDRAC, BIOS, and
NIC/LOM.

16.3 Embedded Server Management

The PowerEdge M610x implements circuitry for the next generation of Embedded Server
Management. It is Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) v2.0 compliant. The optional
iDRAC (Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller) is responsible for acting as an interface between
the host system and its management software and the periphery devices.

The optional upgrade to iDRAC6 provides features for managing the server remotely or in data center
lights-out environments.

Advanced iDRAC features require the installation of the optional iDRAC6 Enterprise card.

16.4 Lifecycle Controller and Unified Server Configurator

Embedded management is comprised of several interdependent pieces:

• Lifecycle Controller

• Unified Server Configurator

• iDRAC6

• vFlash

Lifecycle controller powers the embedded management features. It is integrated and tamperproof
storage for system-management tools and enablement utilities (firmware, drivers, etc.). It is flash
partitioned to support multiple, future-use cases.

Dell Unified Server Configurator (USC) is a local 1:1 graphical user interface embedded on Lifecycle
Controller that aids in local server provisioning in a pre-OS environment. For servers with iDRAC
Express, the Lifecycle Controller offers OS install, platform updates, platform configuration, and
diagnostics capabilities. For servers without iDRAC Express, this utility has limited functionality and
offers OS install and diagnostics capabilities only.

To access the Unified Server Configurator, press the <F10> key within 10 seconds of the Dell logo’s

appearance during the system boot process. Current functionality enabled by the Unified Server
Configurator includes:

Table 9. Unified Server Configurator Features and Description

Dell PowerEdge M610x Technical Guide 35

Dell

Feature

BMC

iDRAC6 Enterprise

vFlash Media

IPMI 2.0







Web-based GUI





SNMP





WSMAN





SMASH-CLP





Racadm command-line





Shared/Failover Network
Modes







IPv4







VLAN Tagging







IPv6





Dynamic DNS





Dedicated NIC





Role-based Authority







Local Users







Active Directory





SSL Encryption





Remote Firmware Update







16.5 The iDRAC6 Enterprise

In addition to upgrading the system with a Lifecycle Controller, the iDRAC6 offers the following key

features:

• Graphical web interface

• Standard-based interfaces

• Server Sensor monitoring and fault alerting

• Secure operation of remote access functions including authentication, authorization, and

encryption

• Power control and management with the ability to limit server power consumption and

remotely control server power states

• Advanced troubleshooting capabilities

• Scripting capability with Dell’s Racadm command-line

• Remote video, keyboard, and mouse (KVM) control with Virtual Console

• Remote media access with Virtual Media

• Dedicated network interface

Additionally, the iDRAC6 can be upgraded by adding the vFlash Media card. This is a 1 GB Dell
branded SD card that enables a persistent 256 MB virtual flash partition.

A more detailed feature list for iDRAC6 and vFlash is included in the table below.

Table 10. Features List for BMC, iDrac, and vFlash

Dell PowerEdge M610x Technical Guide 36

Dell

Feature

BMC

iDRAC6 Enterprise

vFlash Media

Server power control







Serial-over-LAN (with proxy)







Serial-over-LAN (no proxy)





Power capping





Last crash screen capture





Boot capture





Serial-over-LAN





Virtual media





Virtual console





Virtual console sharing





Virtual flash



Sensor Monitoring and Alerting







Real-time Power Monitoring





Real-time Power Graphing





Historical Power Counters





System Event Log







RAC Log





Trace Log





16.6 Chassis Management Controller (CMC)

See the PowerEdge M1000e Technical Guide.

Dell PowerEdge M610x Technical Guide 37

Dell

17 Peripherals

17.1 USB Peripherals

The M610x supports the following USB devices:

• DVD (bootable; requires two USB ports)

• USB Key (bootable)

• Keyboard (only one USB keyboard is supported)

• Mouse (only one USB mouse is supported)

17.2 External Storage

By use of the appropriate IOMs in the M1000e chassis and mezzanine card(s) in the M610x blade, the
following external storage options are available:

 Disk Storage Options:

o Dell EqualLogic™ PS5000 Series
o PowerVault™ NX1950 Unified Storage Solution
o PowerVault MD3000i

 Dell/EMC fibre channel and/or iSCSI external storage, including:

o CX300
o CX3-10c
o CX3-20
o CX3-40
o CX3-80
o CX4-120
o CX4-240
o CX4-480
o CX4-960

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Dell

Standard

URL for information and specifications

ACPI

Advance Configuration and
Power Interface Specification,
v2.0c

http://www.acpi.info/

Ethernet

IEEE 802.3-2005

http://standards.ieee.org/getieee802/802.3.html

IPMI

Intelligent Platform
Management Interface, v2.0

http://www.intel.com/design/servers/ipmi/

DDR3 Memory

DDR3 SDRAM Specification,
Rev. 3A

http://www.jedec.org/download/search/JESD79-3A.pdf

LPC

Low Pin Count Interface
Specification, Rev. 1.1

http://developer.intel.com/design/chipsets/industry/lpc.ht
m

PCI Express

PCI Express Base Specification
Rev. 2.0

http://www.pcisig.com/specifications/pciexpress/

PMBus

Power System Management
Protocol Specification, v1.1

http://pmbus.info/specs.html

SAS

Serial Attached SCSI, v1.1

http://www.t10.org/ftp/t10/drafts/sas1/sas1r10.pdf

SATA

Serial ATA Rev. 2.6;
SATA II, Extensions to SATA

1.0a, Rev. 1.2

https://www.sata-io.org/secure/spec_download.asp
http://www.sata-io.org/docs/S2Ext_1_2_Gold.pdf

SMBIOS

System Management BIOS
Reference Specification, v2.6

http://www.dmtf.org/standards/smbios/

TPM

Trusted Platform Module
Specification, v1.2

https://www.trustedcomputinggroup.org/downloads/specifi
cations/tpm/tpm

UEFI

Unified Extensible Firmware
Interface Specification, v2.1

http://www.uefi.org/specs/

USB

http://www.usb.org/developers/docs/

Appendix A. Standards Compliance

The M610x system conforms to the industry standards shown in Table 11.

Table 11. Standards Compliance and Specifications

Dell PowerEdge M610x Technical Guide 39

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Standard

URL for information and specifications

Universal Serial Bus
Specification, Rev. 2.0

Windows Logo
Windows Logo Program
System and Device
Requirements, v3.10

http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/winlogo/hwrequirements.
mspx

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Dell

Appendix B. Regulatory Certifications

Please see the external Product Safety, EMC, and Environmental Datasheets on dell.com at:

http://www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance_datasheets

Dell PowerEdge M610x Technical Guide 41

Dell

Processor

Processor Type

2 Socket Intel® Xeon® Processor 5500 or 5600 Series

Expansion Bus

Bus Type

PCI Express Generation 2

Mezzanine Slots

Two mezzanine PCIe x8 Gen-2

Network Daughtercard

2 x 1GbE dual Broadcom BCM5709S

Memory

Architecture

1066 or 1333 MHz DDR3 and LV-DDR3 RDIMMs. Support for Advanced
ECC or Memory Optimized operation.

Memory Module Sockets

Twelve

Memory Module Capacities

1 GB, 2 GB, 4 GB , 8 GB, or 16GB RDIMMs (single-, dual-, quad-rank
dependent on capacity)

Minimum RAM

1 GB with a single CPU

Maximum RAM

192 GB (with 16 GB RDIMMs)

Drives

Hard drives

Up to two 2.5-inch, hot-pluggable SAS hard drives or SATA SSD hard
drives

Diskette drive

External optional USB 1.44-MB

Optical drive

External optional USB DVD
Note: DVD devices are data only

Flash drive

Internal optional USB
Internal optional SD Card
Optional vFlash Card

Connectors

Front

USB

Two 4-pin, USB 2.0-compliant

Internal

USB

One 4-pin, USB 2.0-compliant

Back

SD

One internal SD card dedicated for Hypervisor
One dedicated for future vFlash support

Video

Video Type

Integrated Matrox® G200 with iDRAC6

Appendix C. Additional Technical Specifications

Table 12. Technical Specifications

Dell PowerEdge M610x Technical Guide 42

Dell

Video Memory

8 MB shared with iDRAC application memory

Power

Batteries

System battery

CR 2032 3.0-V lithium coin cell

Physical

Blade

Height

18.9cm (7.4in)

Width

5cm (2in)

Depth

48.6cm (19.2in)

Weight (maximum
configuration)

7.4kg (16.3lb)

Dell PowerEdge M610x Technical Guide 43