IBM BladeCenter HX5, 7873, 7872, 1910, 1909 Installation And User Manual
IBM BladeCenter HX5
Type 7873, 7872, 1910 and 1909
Installation and User's Guide
IBM BladeCenter HX5
Type 7873, 7872, 1910 and 1909
Installation and User's Guide
Note
Before using this information and the product it supports, read the general information in
“Notices” on page 119, the Warranty Information document, and the IBM Safety Information and the
Environmental Notices and User Guide documents on the IBM Documentation CD.
Seventh Edition (May 2011)
© Copyright IBM Corporation 2011.
US Government Users Restricted Rights – Use, duplication or disclosure restricted by GSA ADP Schedule Contract
with IBM Corp.
Contents
Safety ...............v
Safety statements ............vi
Chapter 1. Introduction ........1
Related documentation ...........3
The IBM Documentation CD .........4
Hardware and software requirements .....4
Using the Documentation Browser ......5
Notices and statements in this document .....6
Features and specifications..........6
What your blade server offers ........8
Reliability, availability, and serviceability features. . 10
IBM Systems Director ...........11
Major components of the blade server .....12
Working with a scalable blade complex .....13
Chapter 2. Power, controls, and
indicators .............15
Turning on the blade server .........15
Turning off the blade server .........15
Blade server controls and LEDs........16
Scalability indicators ..........20
Blade server connectors - BladeCenter HX5. . . 21
Blade server connectors - IBM MAX5.....21
Input/output connectors and devices.....22
Chapter 3. Installing optional devices 23
Installation guidelines ...........23
System reliability guidelines ........23
Handling static-sensitive devices ......24
Removing the blade server from the BladeCenter
chassis ................24
Removing the blade server cover .......25
Disassembling a scalable blade complex .....26
Removing the 2-node scalability card ......28
Removing the IBM MAX5 1-node Scalability card . 29
Removing an IBM MAX5 ..........30
Installing an expansion unit .........31
Removing an expansion unit ........32
Installing a DIMM - IBM MAX5 .......33
Removing a DIMM - IBM MAX5 .......36
Installing an SSD expansion card .......37
Removing an SSD expansion card .......37
Installing a solid state drive .........38
Removing a solid state drive ........39
Installing a DIMM - BladeCenter HX5 .....39
Removing a DIMM - BladeCenter HX5 .....42
Installing a hypervisor key .........43
Removing a hypervisor key .........45
Installing an I/O expansion card .......46
Installing a CIOv expansion card ......47
Installing a CFFh expansion card ......48
Removing an I/O expansion card .......49
Removing a CFFh expansion card ......49
Removing a CIOv expansion card ......49
Installing a microprocessor and heat sink ....50
Installing the 1-node speed burst card .....56
Removing the 1-node speed burst card .....57
Completing the installation .........58
Assembling a scalable blade complex .....58
Installing an IBM MAX5 .........62
Installing the IBM MAX5 1-node Scalability card 66
Installing the blade server cover ......67
Installing a blade server in a BladeCenter chassis 68
Updating the blade server configuration....70
Chapter 4. Configuring the blade server 71
Partitioning a scalable blade complex......72
Using the Setup utility...........72
Using the PXE boot agent utility program ....76
Using the Boot Selection Menu program.....77
Using the Advanced Settings Utility (ASU) ....77
Updating the Universal Unique Identifier (UUID) 77
Updating the DMI/SMBIOS data ......79
Using the LSI Logic Configuration Utility program 82
Updating firmware and device drivers .....82
Updating firmware for blade servers operating as
a single partition ...........83
Updating firmware for each blade server
independently ............84
Recovering from a UEFI update failure .....98
In-band manual recovery method ......98
Out-of-band manual recovery method ....99
In-band automated boot recovery method . . . 100
Out-of-band automated boot recovery method 101
Chapter 5. Installing the operating
system ..............103
Using the ServerGuide Setup and Installation CD 103
ServerGuide features ..........104
Typical operating-system installation ....104
Installing the operating system without using
ServerGuide ..............105
Using IBM ServerGuide Scripting Toolkit ....105
Chapter 6. Accessing the IMM ....107
Potential conflicts with the LAN over USB interface 107
Resolving conflicts with the IMM LAN over USB
interface ...............108
Configuring the LAN over USB interface manually 108
Installing the LAN over USB Windows device
driver ...............108
Installing the LAN over USB Linux device
driver ...............109
Chapter 7. Solving problems .....111
Diagnostic tools overview .........111
ServerGuide problems ..........112
© Copyright IBM Corp. 2011 iii
Appendix. Getting help and technical
assistance.............115
Before you call .............115
Using the documentation .........116
Getting help and information from the World Wide
Web................116
Software service and support ........116
Hardware service and support........116
IBM Taiwan product service ........117
Notices ..............119
Trademarks ..............120
Important notes ............121
Particulate contamination .........122
Documentation format ..........122
Electronic emission notices .........123
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
statement..............123
Industry Canada Class A emission compliance
statement..............123
Avis de conformité à la réglementation
d'Industrie Canada ..........123
Australia and New Zealand Class A statement 123
European Union EMC Directive conformance
statement..............124
Germany Class A statement .......124
Japan VCCI Class A statement.......125
Japan Electronics and Information Technology
Industries Association (JEITA) statement . . . 125
Korea Communications Commission (KCC)
statement..............126
Russia Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) Class
A statement .............126
People's Republic of China Class A electronic
emission statement ..........126
Taiwan Class A compliance statement ....126
Index ...............127
iv
IBM BladeCenter HX5 Type 7873, 7872, 1910, and 1909: Installation and User's Guide
Safety
Before installing this product, read the Safety Information.
Antes de instalar este produto, leia as Informações de Segurança.
Læs sikkerhedsforskrifterne, før du installerer dette produkt.
Lees voordat u dit product installeert eerst de veiligheidsvoorschriften.
Ennen kuin asennat tämän tuotteen, lue turvaohjeet kohdasta Safety Information.
Avant d'installer ce produit, lisez les consignes de sécurité.
Vor der Installation dieses Produkts die Sicherheitshinweise lesen.
Prima di installare questo prodotto, leggere le Informazioni sulla Sicurezza.
© Copyright IBM Corp. 2011 v
Les sikkerhetsinformasjonen (Safety Information) før du installerer dette produktet.
Antes de instalar este produto, leia as Informações sobre Segurança.
Antes de instalar este producto, lea la información de seguridad.
Läs säkerhetsinformationen innan du installerar den här produkten.
Safety statements
These statements provide the caution and danger information that is used in this
documentation.
Important:
Each caution and danger statement in this documentation is labeled with a
number. This number is used to cross reference an English-language caution or
danger statement with translated versions of the caution or danger statement in
the Safety Information document.
For example, if a caution statement is labeled “Statement 1,” translations for that
caution statement are in the Safety Information document under “Statement 1.”
Be sure to read all caution and danger statements in this documentation before you
perform the procedures. Read any additional safety information that comes with
your system or optional device before you install the device.
vi IBM BladeCenter HX5 Type 7873, 7872, 1910, and 1909: Installation and User's Guide
Statement 1
DANGER
Electrical current from power, telephone, and communication cables is
hazardous.
To avoid a shock hazard:
v Do not connect or disconnect any cables or perform installation,
maintenance, or reconfiguration of this product during an electrical storm.
v Connect all power cords to a properly wired and grounded electrical outlet.
v Connect to properly wired outlets any equipment that will be attached to
this product.
v When possible, use one hand only to connect or disconnect signal cables.
v Never turn on any equipment when there is evidence of fire, water, or
structural damage.
v Disconnect the attached power cords, telecommunications systems,
networks, and modems before you open the device covers, unless
instructed otherwise in the installation and configuration procedures.
v Connect and disconnect cables as described in the following table when
installing, moving, or opening covers on this product or attached devices.
To Connect: To Disconnect:
1. Turn everything OFF.
2. First, attach all cables to devices.
3. Attach signal cables to connectors.
4. Attach power cords to outlet.
5. Turn device ON.
1. Turn everything OFF.
2. First, remove power cords from outlet.
3. Remove signal cables from connectors.
4. Remove all cables from devices.
Statement 2
Safety vii
CAUTION:
When replacing the lithium battery, use only IBM®Part Number 33F8354 or an
equivalent type battery recommended by the manufacturer. If your system has a
module containing a lithium battery, replace it only with the same module type
made by the same manufacturer. The battery contains lithium and can explode if
not properly used, handled, or disposed of.
Do not:
v Throw or immerse into water
v Heat to more than 100°C (212°F)
v Repair or disassemble
Dispose of the battery as required by local ordinances or regulations.
Statement 12
CAUTION:
The following label indicates a hot surface nearby.
Statement 21
CAUTION:
Hazardous energy is present when the blade is connected to the power source.
Always replace the blade cover before installing the blade.
United Kingdom telecommunications safety requirement
Notice to Customers
This apparatus is approved under approval number NS/G/1234/J/100003 for
indirect connection to public telecommunication systems in the United Kingdom.
viii IBM BladeCenter HX5 Type 7873, 7872, 1910, and 1909: Installation and User's Guide
Chapter 1. Introduction
The IBM BladeCenter HX5 Type 7873, 7872, 1910, and 1909 blade servers are
high-density, scalable blade servers ideally suited for high performance and
virtualized environments. A BladeCenter HX5 can be combined with the IBM
MAX5 for BladeCenter expansion blade to provide memory expansion for medium
to large businesses.
The IBM BladeCenter HX5 Type 7873, 7872, 1910, and 1909 blade servers support
the following components:
v Up to two multi-core microprocessors
v Up to 16 memory modules (DIMMs)
Note: Combining a BladeCenter HX5 and an IBM MAX5 expansion blade
supports up to 40 DIMMs.
v Up to two internal solid state drives (SSDs)
v Expansion devices, such as:
– Horizontal-compact-form-factor (CFFh) expansion cards
– Vertical-combination-I/O (CIOv) expansion cards
In addition, you can combine two BladeCenter HX5 blade servers to form a scalable
blade complex. Combining two BladeCenter HX5 blade servers in a scalable blade
complex provides for FlexNode partitioning. With FlexNode partitioning, you can
deploy the blade servers as a single server or as two independent servers, without
changing the physical configuration. The ability to switch between single-partition
mode and stand-alone mode is provided through the advanced management
module Web interface. For more information about scalable blade complexes and
FlexNode partitioning, see “Working with a scalable blade complex” on page 13.
Note: You can combine two BladeCenter HX5 blade servers to form a scalable
blade complex. You can also combine a single BladeCenter HX5 blade server with
an IBM MAX5 expansion blade for expanded memory access. You cannot attach an
IBM MAX5 to a scalable blade complex.
For more information about the advanced management module Web interface, see
the IBM BladeCenter Advanced Management Module: User's Guide.
The BladeCenter HX5 blade server is supported in the following BladeCenter
®
chassis:
v IBM BladeCenter H
v IBM BladeCenter HT
v IBM BladeCenter S
For the latest information about the BladeCenter chassis that support the
BladeCenter HX5 blade server, see http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/
serverproven/compat/us/eserver.html.
This Installation and User's Guide provides information about setting up the blade
server, such as:
v Starting and configuring the blade server
v Installing optional hardware devices
© Copyright IBM Corp. 2011 1
v Installing the operating system
v Performing basic troubleshooting of the blade server
Packaged with the blade server are software CDs that help you to configure
hardware, install device drivers, and install the operating system.
To download the latest firmware and device drivers, complete the following steps.
Note: Changes are made periodically to the IBM website. The actual procedure
might vary slightly from what is described in this document.
1. Go to http://www.ibm.com/systems/support/.
2. Under Product support, click BladeCenter.
3. Under Popular links, click Software and device drivers.
4. Click BladeCenter HX5 to display the matrix of downloadable files for the
blade server.
The blade server comes with a limited warranty. For information about the terms
of the warranty and getting service and assistance, see the Warranty Information
document for your blade server. This document is available on the IBM
Documentation CD. You can obtain up-to-date information about the blade server at
http://www.ibm.com/systems/bladecenter.
The blade server might have features that are not described in the documentation
that comes with the blade server. The documentation might be updated
occasionally to include information about those features. Technical updates might
also be available to provide additional information that is not included in the blade
server documentation.
To obtain the latest and most up-to-date documentation for this product, go to
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/bladectr/documentation/index.jsp.
You can subscribe to information updates that are specific to your blade server at
http://www.ibm.com/support/mynotifications.
The model number and serial number are on the ID label that is located next to the
power LED on the blade server bezel. They are also on a label on the side of the
blade server that is visible when the blade server is not in the BladeCenter chassis.
2 IBM BladeCenter HX5 Type 7873, 7872, 1910, and 1909: Installation and User's Guide
Release
handle
Release
buttons
Release
handle
A set of blank labels for your blade server comes with the BladeCenter chassis.
When you install the blade server in the BladeCenter chassis, write identifying
information about the blade server on a label. Then place the label on the
BladeCenter chassis bezel. See the documentation for your BladeCenter chassis for
recommended label placement.
Important: Do not place the label on the blade server itself or in any way block
the ventilation holes on the blade server.
Related documentation
Use this information to identify and locate related blade server documentation.
This Installation and User's Guide contains general information about the blade
server, including how to install supported optional devices and how to configure
the blade server. The following documentation is also available:
v Problem Determination and Service Guide
This document contains information to help you solve problems yourself, and it
contains information for service technicians.
v Safety Information
This document contains translated caution and danger statements. Each caution
and danger statement that appears in the documentation has a number that you
can use to locate the corresponding statement in your language in the Safety
Information document.
v Warranty Information
This document contains information about the terms of the warranty.
v Environmental Notices and User Guide
This document contains translated environmental notices.
Chapter 1. Introduction 3
v Integrated Management Module User's Guide
This document explains how to use the functions of the IMM that is installed in
an IBM server. The IMM works with IBM System x
systems-management capability for System x and BladeCenter servers.
v Advanced Management Module User's Guide
This document provides information about configuring the advanced
management module and managing components that are installed in an IBM
BladeCenter®chassis.
v Advanced Management Module Command-Line Interface Reference Guide
This document explains how to use the advanced management module
command-line interface (CLI) to directly access BladeCenter management
functions. The command-line interface also provides access to the text-console
command prompt on each blade server through a Serial over LAN (SOL)
connection.
v Advanced Management Module Messages Guide
This document provides a complete list of all non-device specific events and
recommended actions, sorted by event ID. Device-specific event information is
available in the Problem Determination and Service Guide.
In addition to the documentation in this library, be sure to review the Planning and
Installation Guide for your BladeCenter chassis for information to help you prepare
for system installation and configuration.
®
Server Firmware to provide
®
To check for updated documentation, complete the following steps.
1. Go to http://www.ibm.com/systems/support/.
2. Under Product support, click BladeCenter.
3. Under Popular links, click Publications lookup.
4. From the Product family menu, select BladeCenter HX5 .
You can also find documentation that is related to BladeCenter products at
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/bladectr/documentation/index.jsp.
The IBM Documentation CD
The IBM Documentation CD contains documentation for your blade server in
Portable Document Format (PDF). It includes the IBM Documentation Browser to
help you find information quickly.
You can run the IBM Documentation CD on any personal computer that meets the
hardware and software requirements.
Hardware and software requirements
Use this information to determine the minimum hardware and software
requirements for the blade server.
The IBM Documentation CD requires the following minimum hardware and
software:
v Microsoft Windows XP, Windows 2000, or Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Server
v 100 MHz microprocessor
v 32 MB of RAM
v Adobe Acrobat Reader 3.0 (or later) or xpdf, which comes with Linux operating
systems
4 IBM BladeCenter HX5 Type 7873, 7872, 1910, and 1909: Installation and User's Guide
Using the Documentation Browser
Use these instructions to start the Documentation Browser.
Use the Documentation Browser to browse the contents of the CD, read brief
descriptions of the documents, and view documents, using Adobe Acrobat Reader
or xpdf. The Documentation Browser automatically detects the regional settings in
use in your system and displays the documents in the language for that region (if
available). If a document is not available in the language for that region, the
English-language version is displayed.
Use one of the following procedures to start the Documentation Browser:
v If Autostart is enabled, insert the CD into the CD drive. The Documentation
Browser starts automatically.
v If Autostart is disabled or is not enabled for all users, use one of the following
procedures:
– If you are using a Windows operating system, insert the CD into the CD or
DVD drive and click Start → Run.IntheOpen field, type
e:\win32.bat
where e is the drive letter of the CD or DVD drive, and click OK.
– If you are using Red Hat Linux, insert the CD into the CD or DVD drive;
then, run the following command from the /mnt/cdrom directory:
sh runlinux.sh
Select your blade server from the Product menu. The Available Topics list displays
all the documents for your blade server. Some documents might be in folders. A
plus sign (+) indicates each folder or document that has additional documents
under it. Click the plus sign to display the additional documents.
When you select a document, a description of the document is displayed under
Topic Description. To select more than one document, press and hold the Ctrl key
while you select the documents. Click View Book to view the selected document
or documents in Acrobat Reader or xpdf. If you selected more than one document,
all the selected documents are opened in Acrobat Reader or xpdf.
To search all the documents, type a word or word string in the Search field and
click Search. The documents in which the word or word string appears are listed
in order of the most occurrences. Click a document to view it. Press Ctrl+F to use
the Acrobat search function, or press Alt+F to use the xpdf search function within
the document.
Click Help for detailed information about using the Documentation Browser.
Chapter 1. Introduction 5
Notices and statements in this document
Use this information to understand the most common documentation notices and
statements and how they are used.
The caution and danger statements in this document are also in the multilingual
Safety Information document, which is on the IBM Documentation CD. Each
statement is numbered for reference to the corresponding statement in the Safety
Information document.
The following notices and statements are used in this document:
v Note: These notices provide important tips, guidance, or advice.
v Important: These notices provide information or advice that might help you
avoid inconvenient or problem situations.
v Attention: These notices indicate possible damage to programs, devices, or data.
An attention notice is placed just before the instruction or situation in which
damage might occur.
v Caution: These statements indicate situations that can be potentially hazardous
to you. A caution statement is placed just before the description of a potentially
hazardous procedure step or situation.
v Danger: These statements indicate situations that can be potentially lethal or
hazardous to you. A danger statement is placed just before the description of a
potentially lethal or hazardous procedure step or situation.
Features and specifications
Use this table to view specific information about the blade server, such as blade
server hardware features and the dimensions of the blade server.
Notes:
1. Power, cooling, removable-media drives, external ports, and advanced systems
management are provided by the BladeCenter chassis.
2. The operating system in the blade server must provide USB support for the
blade server to recognize and use USB media drives and devices. The
BladeCenter chassis uses USB for internal communications with these devices.
The following table is a summary of the features and specifications of the
BladeCenter HX5 blade server.
6 IBM BladeCenter HX5 Type 7873, 7872, 1910, and 1909: Installation and User's Guide
Table 1. Features and specifications
Microprocessor: Up to 2 multi-core
Intel Xeon processors.
Note: Use the Setup utility to
determine the type and speed of the
microprocessors in the blade server.
Memory:
v 16 dual inline memory module
(DIMM) connectors
v Type: Very Low Profile (VLP)
double-data rate (DDR3) DRAM.
Supports 2 GB, 4 GB, 8 GB, and 16
GB DIMMs with up to 256 GB of
total memory on the system board
If two BladeCenter HX5 blade servers
are assembled into a scalable blade
complex, up to 512 GB is available to
the scalable blade complex.
If the IBM MAX5 is installed:
v Supports up to 40 dual inline
memory module (DIMM)
connectors for up to 640 GB of total
memory.
Note: The BladeCenter HX5 blade
server supports memory sparing.
Integrated functions:
v Horizontal-compact-form-factor
(CFFh) expansion card interface
v Vertical-combination-I/O (CIOv)
expansion card interface
v Local service processor: integrated
management module (IMM) with
Intelligent Platform Management
Interface (IPMI) firmware
v Integrated Matrox G200eV video
controller
v Broadcom BCM5709S dual-port
Gigabit Ethernet controller
v Integrated keyboard/video/
mouse (cKVM) controller through
IMM
v Light path diagnostics
v RS-485 interface for
communication with the
management module
v Automatic server restart (ASR)
v USB 2.0 for communication with
cKVM and removable media
drives (an external USB port is not
supported)
v Serial over LAN (SOL)
v Wake on LAN (WOL)
v Redundant buses for
communication with keyboard,
mouse, and removable media
drives
Predictive Failure Analysis (PFA)
alerts:
v Microprocessors
v Memory
Electrical input: 12Vdc
Size:
Single BladeCenter HX5 blade
server:
v Height: 24.5 cm (9.7 in) (6U)
v Depth: 44.6 cm (17.6 in)
v Width: 2.9 cm (1.14 in)
v Maximum weight: 5.6 kg (12.38 lb)
2 BladeCenter HX5 blade servers
assembled into a scalable blade
complex:
v Height: 24.5 cm (9.7 in) (6U)
v Depth: 44.6 cm (17.6 in)
v Width: 5.8 cm (2.28 in)
v Maximum weight: 11.23 kg (24.76
lb)
Environment:
v Air temperature:
– Blade server on: 10°C to 35°C
(50°F to 95°F). Altitude:0mto
914.4 m (0 ft to 3000 ft)
– Blade server on: 10°C to 32°C
(50°F to 89.6°F). Altitude: 914.4 m
to 2133.6 m (3000 ft to 7000 ft)
– Blade server off: 10°C to 43°C
(50°F to 109.4°F). Altitude: 914.4
m to 2133.6 m (3000 ft to 7000 ft)
– Blade server shipping: -40°C to
60°C (-40°F to 140°F)
v Humidity:
– Blade server on: 8% to 80%
– Blade server off: 8% to 80%
– Blade server storage: 5% to 80%
– Blade server shipping: 5% to
100%
v Particulate contamination
Attention: Airborne particulates
and reactive gases acting alone or in
combination with other
environmental factors such as
humidity or temperature might pose
a risk to the server. For information
about the limits for particulates and
gases, see “Particulate
contamination” on page 122.
A BladeCenter HX5 blade server
combined with an IBM MAX5
expansion blade:
v Height: 24.5 cm (9.7 in) (6U)
v Depth: 44.6 cm (17.6 in)
v Width: 5.8 cm (2.28 in)
v Maximum weight: 9.5 kg (21.0 lb)
Chapter 1. Introduction 7
What your blade server offers
Your blade server offers features, such as the integrated management module,
storage disk drive support, IBM®Systems Director, IBM Enterprise X-Architecture®,
microprocessor technology, integrated network support, I/O expansion, large
system-memory capacity, light path diagnostics LEDs, PCI Express
throttling.
v Integrated management module (IMM)
The integrated management module (IMM) combines service processor
functions, video controller, the remote presence, and blue-screen capture features
in a single chip. The IMM provides advanced service-processor control,
monitoring, and alerting function. If an environmental condition exceeds a
threshold or if a system component fails, the IMM lights LEDs to help you
diagnose the problem, records the error in the IMM event log, and alerts you to
the problem.
Optionally, the IMM also provides a virtual presence capability for remote server
management capabilities. The IMM provides remove server management
through industry-standard interfaces:
– Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) version 2.0
– Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) version 3.0
– Common Information Model (CIM)
– Web browser.
For more information, see Chapter 6, “Accessing the IMM,” on page 107.
v Dynamic System Analysis (DSA)
IBM Dynamic Systems Analysis (DSA) collects and analyses system information
to aid in diagnosing server problems. DSA collects the following information
about the server:
– Drive health information
– Event logs for ServeRAID controllers and service processors
– Hardware inventory, including PCI and USB information
– Installed applications and hot fixes
– Kernel modules
– Light path diagnostics status
– Network interface and settings
– Performance data and details about processes that are running
– RAID and controller configuration
– Service processor (integrated management module) status and configuration
– System configuration
– Vital product data and firmware information
DSA creates a DSA log, which is a chronologically ordered merge of the
system-event log (as the IPMI event log), the integrated management module
(IMM) chassis-event log (as the ASM event log), and the operating-system event
logs. You can send the DSA log as a file to IBM service or view the information
as a text file or HTML file.
For more information, see the Problem Determination and Service Guide.
v Hard disk drive support
The blade server supports up to two solid state drives (SSDs). You can
implement RAID 0 or RAID 1 for the SSDs.
v IBM ServerGuide Setup and Installation CD
®
, and power
8 IBM BladeCenter HX5 Type 7873, 7872, 1910, and 1909: Installation and User's Guide
The ServerGuide Setup and Installation CD, which you can download from the
Web, provides programs to help you set up the server and install a Windows
operating system. The ServerGuide program detects installed optional hardware
devices and provides the correct configuration programs and device drivers. For
more information, see “Using the ServerGuide Setup and Installation CD” on
page 103.
v IBM Systems Director
IBM Systems Director is a platform-management foundation that streamlines the
way you manage physical and virtual systems in a heterogeneous environment.
By using industry standards, IBM Systems Director supports multiple operating
systems and virtualization technologies for IBM and non-IBM x86 platforms. For
more information, see http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/director/
v6r2x/index.jsp.
v IBM Enterprise X-Architecture
IBM Enterprise X-Architecture technology combines proven, innovative IBM
designs to make your x86-processor-based blade server powerful, scalable, and
reliable. For more information, see http://www.ibm.com/systems/x/hardware/
enterprise/xarchitecture.html.
v Microprocessor technology
The blade server supports up to two multi-core Intel Xeon microprocessors. For
more information about supported microprocessors and their part numbers, see
the Problem Determination and Service Guide.
Note: The optional microprocessors that IBM supports are limited by the
capacity and capability of the server. Any microprocessors that you install must
have the same specifications as the microprocessors that came with the servers.
v Integrated network support
All blade server models come with an integrated Broadcom dual-port Gigabit
Ethernet controller. The controller supports connections to a 10 Mbps, 100 Mbps,
or 1000 Mbps network through an Ethernet-compatible switch module in the
BladeCenter chassis. The controller also supports Wake on LAN
®
technology.
v I/O expansion
The blade server has connectors on the system board for optional expansion
cards for adding more network communication capabilities to the blade server.
v Large system-memory capacity
The blade server system board supports up to 256 GB of system memory. The
memory controller provides support for up to 16 industry-standard registered
ECC DDR3 on Very Low Profile (VLP) form factor DIMMs installed on the
system board. For the most current list of supported DIMMs, see the
ServerProven
®
list at http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/serverproven/
compat/us/eserver.html.
Note: If two BladeCenter HX5 blade servers are assembled into a scalable blade
complex, up to 512 GB of system memory is available to the scalable blade
complex.
v Server expansion
You can combine two blade servers together to form a scalable blade complex.
Through the advanced management module Web interface, you can then
configure the scalable blade complex to function as a single hardware partition,
which is single server with up to four multi-core microprocessors and up to 512
GB of system memory.
Chapter 1. Introduction 9
Combining two blade servers into a scalable blade complex provides you with
implementation flexibility through FlexNode partitioning. Through the advanced
management module, you can implement the scalable blade complex as a single
server or as two independent servers without changing the physical setup of the
blade servers. For more information about scalable blade complexes and
FlexNode partitioning, see “Working with a scalable blade complex” on page 13.
v Light path diagnostics
Light path diagnostics provides light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to help you
diagnose problems. For more information, see the Problem Determination and
Service Guide.
In addition, scalability indicators are available through the front bezel. These
indicators enable you to tell whether BladeCenter HX5 blade servers are
operating independently or as a single hardware partition.
v PCI Express
PCI Express is a serial interface that is used for chip-to-chip interconnect and
expansion adapter interconnect. With the blade expansion connector, you can
add optional I/O and storage devices.
v Power throttling
Each blade server is powered by two Enterprise Voltage Regulator-Down
(EVRD) 11.0 voltage regulators. By enforcing a power policy known as
power-domain oversubscription, the BladeCenter chassis can share the power
load between two power modules to ensure sufficient power for each device in
the BladeCenter chassis. This policy is enforced when the initial power is
applied to the BladeCenter chassis or when a blade server is inserted into the
BladeCenter chassis.
The following settings for this policy are available:
– Power module redundancy
– Power module redundancy with blade throttling allowed
– Basic power management
You can configure and monitor the power environment by using the advanced
management module. For more information about configuring and using power
throttling, see the Advanced Management Module User's Guide (available at
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/bladectr/documentation/index.jsp)
or http://www.ibm.com/systems/support/.
Reliability, availability, and serviceability features
Three of the most important features in server design are reliability, availability,
and serviceability (RAS). These RAS features help to ensure the integrity of the
data that is stored in the blade server, the availability of the blade server when you
need it, and the ease with which you can diagnose and correct problems.
The blade server has the following RAS features:
v Customer upgrade of flash ROM-resident code and diagnostics
v Power policy 24-hour support center
v Vital product data (VPD) on memory
v Processor presence detection
v Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI)
v Automatic server restart (ASR)
v Built-in diagnostics using DSA Preboot, which is stored in integrated USB
memory.
v Built in monitoring for temperature, voltage, and hard disk drives
10 IBM BladeCenter HX5 Type 7873, 7872, 1910, and 1909: Installation and User's Guide
v Customer support center 24 hours per day, 7 days a week.
v Customer-upgradeable Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) code and
diagnostics
v ECC protection on the L2 cache
v Error codes and messages
v Integrated management module (IMM)
v Light path diagnostics
v Memory parity testing
v Registered ECC DDR3 memory
v Microprocessor built-in self-test (BIST) during power-on self-test (POST)
v Microprocessor serial number access
v PCI PMI 2.2
v PCI Express 1.0a
v POST
v ROM-resident diagnostics
v Service processor that communicates with the advanced management module to
enable remote blade server management
v System-error logging
v Wake on LAN capability
v Wake on PCI (PME) capability
v Wake on USB 2.0 capability
IBM Systems Director
1
IBM Systems Director is a platform-management foundation that streamlines the
way you manage physical and virtual systems in a heterogeneous environment.
By using industry standards, IBM Systems Director supports multiple operating
systems and virtualization technologies in IBM and non-IBM x86 platforms.
Through a single user interface, IBM Systems Director provides consistent views
for viewing managed systems, determining how these systems relate to one
another, and identifying their statuses, helping to correlate technical resources with
business needs. A set of common tasks that are included with IBM Systems
Director provides many of the core capabilities that are required for basic
management, which means instance business value. These common tasks include
discovery, inventory, configuration, system health, monitoring, updates, event
notification, and automation for managed systems.
The IBM Systems Director web and command-line interfaces provide a consistent
interface that is focused on driving these common tasks and capabilities:
v Discovering, navigating, and visualizing systems on the network with the
detailed inventory and relationships to the other network resources
v Notifying users of problems that occur on systems and the ability to isolate
sources of the problems
v Notifying users when systems need updates and distributing and installing
updates on a schedule
v Analyzing real-time data for systems and setting critical thresholds that notify
the administrator of emerging problems
v Configuring settings of a single system and creating a configuration plan that
can apply those settings to multiple systems
1. Service availability varies by country. Response time varies depending on the number and nature of incoming calls.
Chapter 1. Introduction
11
v Updating installed plug-ins to add new features and functions to the base
capabilities
v Managing the life cycles of virtual resources
For more information about IBM Systems Director, see the documentation at
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/director/v6r2x/index.jsp, and the IBM
xSeries
®
Systems Management website at http://www.ibm.com/systems/
management/, which presents an overview of IBM Systems Management and IBM
Systems Director.
Major components of the blade server
Use this information to locate the major components on the blade server. The
major components of the blade server include field replaceable units (FRUs),
customer replaceable units (CRUs), and optional devices.
The following illustration shows the major components of the blade server.
Cover
SSD
expansion
card
DIMM
Scaling
card filler
Expansion
cards
Operator
control
panel
Heat sink
Battery cover
Microprocessor
heat sink filler
Microprocessor
Battery
Embedded
hypervisor
interposer
Front
access
cover
12 IBM BladeCenter HX5 Type 7873, 7872, 1910, and 1909: Installation and User's Guide
Working with a scalable blade complex
You can assemble two BladeCenter HX5 blade servers together to create a scalable
blade complex.
A scalable blade complex supports the following implementation modes:
v Single partition. The complex functions as a single server that contains up to
four multi-core processors and up to 32 DIMMs. When the complex is
implemented as a single hardware partition, the leftmost blade server (as
installed in a BladeCenter chassis) is called the primary blade server. The blade
server on the right is called the secondary blade server.
Secondary
Primary
blade
server
blade
server
v Multiple partitions (independent partitions). The blade servers are combined
into a scalable blade complex, but each of the blade servers is set up as a single
partition.
v Stand-alone mode. The blade servers operate independently.
Important: If you install the primary blade server of a scalable blade complex in
blade server bay 7 of a BladeCenter H Type 8852 chassis, the secondary blade
server is installed in blade server bay 8. The primary blade server receives power
from power domain 1 of the chassis and the secondary blade server receives power
from power domain 2 of the chassis. The following situations can occur if there is a
power loss to either power domain, depending on how the scalable blade complex
is implemented:
v If the scalable blade complex is implemented in single partition mode, a loss of
power to power domain 1 or power domain 2 results in both blade servers in
the scalable blade complex going down.
v If the scalable blade complex is implemented in stand-alone mode, a loss of
power to power domain 1 results in the entire scalable blade complex going
down. A loss of power to power domain 2 results in the blade server installed in
blade server bay 8 going down, but the blade server installed in blade server
bay 7 continues to function.
Chapter 1. Introduction 13
With FlexNode processing, you can toggle between single partition mode and
stand-alone mode without having to modify the physical setup of the blade
servers. To toggle between modes, use the advanced management module Web
interface.
For example, assume that you have created a scalable blade complex and defined
that complex as a single partition through the advanced management module Web
interface:
v You can toggle the scalable blade complex to stand-alone mode through the Web
interface. In stand-alone mode, you can install a different operating system on
each blade server and run different applications on each blade server.
v You can then toggle the blade server complex back to a single partition and run
applications that take advantage to up to 4 processors and 32 DIMMs. The
operating system that is in use is the operating system of the primary blade
server.
v Later, you can toggle the complex back to stand-alone mode again to gain access
to the operating system on the secondary blade server.
Single partition mode considerations
The following considerations apply to the blade servers in a scalable blade
complex that operates as a single hardware partition:
v All UEFI settings (set through the Setup utility) should be the same on both
blade servers. If they are not, the settings that are defined for the primary blade
server replace the UEFI settings on the secondary server.
Note: When you upgrade the firmware for the blade servers operating in single
partition mode, you only have to upgrade the primary blade server. The
firmware on the secondary blade server is automatically updated. See “Using
the Setup utility” on page 72 for more information about the Setup utility.
v The primary blade server has access to the SSDs on the secondary blade server.
However, the SSDs on the primary blade server cannot be combined with the
SSDs on the secondary blade server to form a single RAID array. RAID arrays
can be formed only using the SSDs within a blade server.
v The primary blade server has access to any I/O expansion cards that are
installed in the secondary blade server. However, the I/O expansion cards in the
secondary blade server cannot be used for a Serial Over LAN connection.
v The primary blade server has access to any expansion blades that are installed
on the secondary blade server.
Important: An expansion blade installed on the secondary blade server cannot
be used for a Serial Over LAN connection.
v If you press the power button on one blade server, both blade servers in the
partition either power up or power down, depending on the state of the blade
servers when you press the power button.
14 IBM BladeCenter HX5 Type 7873, 7872, 1910, and 1909: Installation and User's Guide
Chapter 2. Power, controls, and indicators
Use this information to view power features, turn on and turn off the blade server,
and view the functions of the controls and indicators.
Turning on the blade server
After you connect the blade server to power through the BladeCenter chassis, the
blade server can be started in any of the following ways.
v You can press the power button on the front of the blade server (see “Blade
server controls and LEDs” on page 16) to start the blade server. The power
button works only if local power control is enabled for the blade server. Local
power control is enabled and disabled through the advanced management
module Web interface.
Notes:
1. Wait until the power LED on the blade server flashes slowly before you press
the power button. While the service processor in the blade server is
initializing and synchronizing with the advanced management module, the
power-on LED flashes rapidly, and the power-control button on the blade
server does not respond. This process can take approximately 90 seconds
after the blade server has been installed.
2. While the blade server is starting, the power LED on the front of the blade
server is lit and does not flash. See “Blade server controls and LEDs” on
page 16 for the power LED states.
v If a power failure occurs, the BladeCenter chassis and the blade server can be
configured through the advanced management module Web interface to start
automatically when power is restored.
v You can turn on the blade server through the advanced management module
Web interface. For more information about the advanced management module
Web interface, see the IBM BladeCenter Advanced Management Module: User's
Guide.
v You can turn on the blade server through the Wake on LAN feature. The blade
server must be connected to power (the power-on LED is flashing slowly), the
blade server must be communicating with the advanced management module,
the operating system must support the Wake on LAN feature, and the Wake on
LAN feature must be enabled through the advanced management module
interface.
Note: Procedure to enable the Wake on LAN feature varies depending on the
network device. Refer to the documentation that is provided for your network
device for more information.
Turning off the blade server
When you turn off the blade server, it is still connected to power through the
BladeCenter chassis. The blade server can respond to requests from the service
processor, such as a remote request to turn on the blade server. To remove all
power from the blade server, you must remove it from the BladeCenter chassis.
© Copyright IBM Corp. 2011 15
Before you turn off the blade server, shut down the operating system. See the
operating-system documentation for information about shutting down the
operating system.
The blade server can be turned off in any of the following ways:
v You can press the power button on the blade server (see “Blade server controls
and LEDs”). Pressing the button starts an orderly shutdown of the operating
system, if this feature is supported by the operating system.
v If the operating system stops functioning, you can press and hold the power
button for more than 4 seconds to turn off the blade server.
Attention: Pressing the button for 4 seconds forces the operating system to
shut down immediately. Data loss is possible.
v You can turn off the blade server through the advanced management module
web interface. For more information about the advanced management module
web interface, see the IBM BladeCenter Advanced Management Module: User's
Guide.
Blade server controls and LEDs
Use this information for details about the controls and LEDs on the blade server
and IBM MAX5 expansion blade.
The following illustration identifies the buttons and LEDs on the blade server
control panel.
NMI button
Power button / LED
KVM select
button / LED
Media tray select
button / LED
NMI button (recessed)
The nonmaskable interrupt (NMI) dumps the partition. Use this recessed
button only as directed by IBM Support.
Note: You can also send an NMI event to the selected blade server
remotely using the AMM. Refer to the BladeCenter Advanced Management
Module User's Guide for information pertaining to the proper installation
and configuration of Java, operating systems, and browsers that are
supported for remote access.
Power button/LED
MT
Activity LED
Location LED
Information LED
Fault LED
When the blade server has power, press this button to turn on or turn off
the blade server.
16 IBM BladeCenter HX5 Type 7873, 7872, 1910, and 1909: Installation and User's Guide
Note: The power button works only if local power control is enabled for
the blade server. Local power control is enabled and disabled through the
advanced management module web interface.
After the blade server is removed from the chassis, press this button to
activate the system board LEDs (light path diagnostics). See the Problem
Determination and Service Guide for more information.
This button is also the power LED. This green LED indicates the power
status of the blade server:
v Flashing rapidly: The LED flashes rapidly for one of the following
reasons:
– The blade server has been installed in a chassis. When you install the
blade server, the LED flashes rapidly for up to 90 seconds while the
integrated management module (IMM) on the blade server is
initializing and synchronizing with the advanced management
module.
– The blade server does not have power permissions assigned to it
through the advanced management module.
– The BladeCenter chassis does not have enough power to turn on the
blade server.
– The IMM on the blade server is not communicating with the
advanced management module.
v Flashing slowly: The blade server has power and is ready to be turned
on.
v Lit continuously: The blade server has power and is turned on.
When the blade server is on, pressing this button causes an orderly
shutdown of the blade server so that it is safe to remove. This includes
shutting down the operating system (if possible) and removing power
from the blade server.
Note: If you press the power button on the blade server that is part of a
scalable blade complex running as a single partition, both blade servers in
the partition power on or shut down.
If an operating system is running, you might have to press the button for
approximately 4 seconds to initiate the shutdown.
Attention: Pressing the button for 4 seconds forces the operating system
to shut down immediately. Data loss is possible.
KVM select button/LED
Press this button to associate the shared BladeCenter chassis keyboard,
video, and mouse (KVM) ports with the blade server. The LED on this
button flashes while the request is being processed and then is lit when the
ownership of the keyboard, video, and mouse has been transferred to the
blade server. It can take approximately 20 seconds to switch the keyboard,
video, and mouse control to the blade server.
Using a keyboard that is directly attached to the advanced management
module, you can press keyboard keys in the following sequence to switch
KVM control between blade servers instead of using the KVM select
button:
NumLock NumLock blade_server_number Enter
Chapter 2. Power, controls, and indicators 17
Where blade_server_number is the two-digit number of the blade server
bay in which the blade server is installed. A blade server that occupies
more than one blade server bay is identified by the lowest bay number
that it occupies.
If there is no response when you press the KVM select button, you can use
the advanced management module web interface to determine whether
local control has been disabled on the blade server. See the IBM BladeCenter
Advanced Management Module: User's Guide for more information.
Notes:
1. The operating system in the blade server must provide USB support for
the blade server to recognize and use the keyboard and mouse, even if
the keyboard and mouse have PS/2-style connectors.
2. If you install a supported Microsoft Windows operating system on the
blade server while it is not the current owner of the keyboard, video,
and mouse, a delay of up to 1 minute occurs the first time that you
switch the keyboard, video, and mouse to the blade server. All
subsequent switching takes place in the normal KVM switching time
frame (up to 20 seconds).
Media tray select button/LED
Press this button to associate the shared BladeCenter chassis media tray
(removable-media drives) with the blade server. The LED on the button
flashes while the request is being processed and then is lit when the
ownership of the media tray has been transferred to the blade server. It can
take approximately 20 seconds for the operating system in the blade server
to recognize the media tray.
If there is no response when you press the media-tray select button, you
can use the advanced management module web interface to determine
whether local control has been disabled on the blade server.
Note: The operating system in the blade server must provide USB support
for the blade server to recognize and use the removable-media drives.
Activity LED
When this green LED is lit (flashing), it indicates that there is activity on
the network or external storage device.
Location LED
The system administrator can remotely turn on this blue LED to aid in
visually locating the blade server. When this LED is lit, the location LED
on the BladeCenter chassis is also lit. The location LED can be turned on
and off through the advanced management module web interface or
through IBM Systems Director. For more information about the advanced
management module web interface, see the IBM BladeCenter Advanced
Management Module: User's Guide. For more information about IBM Systems
Director, see the documentation, which is available at http://
publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/director/v6r2x/index.jsp.
Information LED
When this amber LED is lit, it indicates that an Automatic BIOS recovery
(ABR) has occurred. The blade server starts up using the backup UEFI
image. See the Problem Determination and Service Guide
The information LED can be turned off through the advanced management
module CLI, SNMP, or web interfaces or through IBM
For more information about the advanced management module web
18 IBM BladeCenter HX5 Type 7873, 7872, 1910, and 1909: Installation and User's Guide
®
Systems Director.
interface, see the IBM BladeCenter Advanced Management Module: User's
Guide. For more information about IBM Systems Director, see the
documentation, which is available at http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/
infocenter/director/v6r2x/index.jsp.
Fault LED
When this amber LED is lit, it indicates that a system error has occurred in
the blade server. In addition, the fault LED on the chassis system LED
panel is lit. See the Problem Determination and Service Guide
The fault LED turns off only after the error is corrected.
Note: When the fault LED turns off, you should also clear the IMM event
log. Use the Setup utility to clear the IMM event log.
IBM MAX5 LEDs
When there is a fault on the IBM MAX5 expansion blade, the front bezel of the
IBM MAX5 expansion blade will appear to have an orange glow. You can press the
light path button on the system board of the IBM MAX5 expansion blade to
determine which LEDs are lit.
Note: If there is an orange glow, it will be referred to as MEU (Memory Expansion
Unit) Fault in the system event log.
The following LEDs are available on the IBM MAX5 expansion blade light path
diagnostic panel:
See Light Path Below (LP1)
This amber LED indicates that there is a problem with the BladeCenter
HX5 to which the IBM MAX5 expansion blade was attached. If this LED is
lit, complete the following steps:
1. Remove the IBM MAX5 expansion blade (see “Removing an IBM
MAX5” on page 30).
2. Press the power button on the BladeCenter HX5 blade server to
determine which LEDs are lit on the blade server.
The See Light Path Below (LP1) LED is referred to as MEU Look Below in
the system event log.
System Board (S BRD)
This amber LED indicates that there is a problem with the system board. If
this amber LED is lit, complete the following steps:
1. Install the IBM MAX5 (see “Installing an IBM MAX5” on page 62).
2. Install the BladeCenter HX5 in the chassis (see “Installing a blade
server in a BladeCenter chassis” on page 68).
3. Restart the blade server.
4. If the problem remains, replace the system board on the IBM MAX5
(see the Problem Determination and Service Guide for instructions).
The System Board (S BRD) LED is referred to as MEU Error in the system
event log.
Light path power (LP2)
This amber LED indicates that one or more LEDs are lit on the IBM MAX5
system board. .
Chapter 2. Power, controls, and indicators 19
The Light path power (LP2) LED is referred to as MEU LED Power in the
system event log.
See the Problem Determination and Service Guide
Scalability indicators
The BladeCenter HX5 blade server provides scalability indicators, which are
viewable through the front bezel of the blade server when it is installed in a
BladeCenter chassis. The scalability indicators remain lit until the blade server is
started.
The BladeCenter HX5 blade server can be deployed as a stand-alone blade server.
It can also be combined with another BladeCenter HX5 blade server to form a
scalable blade complex. When two BladeCenter HX5 blade servers are combined
into a scalable blade complex, you can specify that they operate as a single
hardware partition or operate in stand-alone mode.
The scalability indicators show whether a BladeCenter HX5 blade server is a
stand-alone blade server or a node in a scalable blade complex operating as a
single hardware partition.
When a BladeCenter HX5 blade server is a stand-alone blade server, the scalability
indicators continually move up and down the front of the bezel.
When a BladeCenter HX5 blade server is part of the scalable blade complex
operating in single partition mode, the scalability indicators move up the first
blade server, cross over to the second blade server, and then move down the
second blade server.
Note: If you have set up a scalable blade complex in single partition mode but
when you start the blade servers, the scalability indicators for each blade server
seem to be operating independently, there might be a problem with the
configuration of the scalable blade complex.
20 IBM BladeCenter HX5 Type 7873, 7872, 1910, and 1909: Installation and User's Guide
LEDs
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