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87302RU

IBM 87302RU, BladeCenter T 8720, BladeCenter T 8730 Planning And Installation Manual


BladeCenter T Types 8720 and 8730
Planning and Installation Guide
GA27-4339-02

BladeCenter T Types 8720 and 8730
Planning and Installation Guide
GA27-4339-02
Note
Third Edition (August 2006)
© Copyright International Business Machines Corporation 2004, 2006. All rights reserved.
US Government Users Restricted Rights – Use, duplication or disclosure restricted by GSA ADP Schedule Contract with IBM Corp.
Preface
This guide is intended for anyone who plans for the physical installation and configuration of an IBM® BladeCenter® T unit. This book is organized as follows and should be used for these tasks:
v Use Chapter 1, “Introducing the BladeCenter T units,” on page 1 to understand
the overall purpose and usage of BladeCenter T units and blade servers.
v Use Chapter 2, “BladeCenter T unit components,” on page 13 to learn about the
physical components that make up a BladeCenter T unit.
v Use Chapter 3, “Deployment considerations,” on page 39 to learn about network
topology considerations and deployment considerations.
v Use Chapter 4, “Installation considerations,” on page 51 and Appendix A,
“Planning worksheets,” on page 89 to plan for the physical environment for installing BladeCenter T units. This includes space, power, cooling, and cabling requirements. The worksheets provide the basis for selecting the features and options for each blade server, where the blade server is installed in a BladeCenter T unit and a rack location for each BladeCenter T unit.
v Use Chapter 5, “Configuration considerations,” on page 75 and Appendix B,
“Configuration worksheets,” on page 101 to plan for the configuration of the: – Management module – I/O modules – Fibre Channel switch modules – Blade servers
© Copyright IBM Corp. 2004, 2006 iii
iv BladeCenter T Types 8720 and 8730: Planning and Installation Guide
Summary of changes
This document contains information previously presented in GA27-4339-01.
New and changed information for GA27-4339-02
In Chapter 4, Installation considerations, the following sections were updated to reflect changes to part numbers for the Type 8730:
v Power distribution units v Power connections v Power layout examples
© Copyright IBM Corp. 2004, 2006 v
vi BladeCenter T Types 8720 and 8730: Planning and Installation Guide
Contents
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
Summary of changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .v
New and changed information for GA27-4339-02 . . . . . . . . . . . . .v
Figures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xi
Chapter 1. Introducing the BladeCenter T units . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Why choose the BladeCenter T technology? . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
What the BladeCenter T unit offers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Reliability, availability, and serviceability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Features and specifications for the BladeCenter T Type 8720 . . . . . . .6
Features and specifications for the BladeCenter T Type 8730 . . . . . . .7
Why blade servers? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Blade server benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Deployment scenarios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Where to go for more information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
BladeCenter T documentation and operating system installation instructions 10
Hardware documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Redbooks publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Operating system installation instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Web sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Chapter 2. BladeCenter T unit components . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Chassis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Front view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Rear view of the BladeCenter T unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Input/output connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
2-way blade servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Features and specifications for the HS20 Type 8843 for a non-NEBS/ETSI
environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Features and specifications for the HS20 Type 8843 for a NEBS/ETSI
environments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
4-way blade server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
BladeCenter HS40 Type 8839 features and specifications for
non-NEBSI/ETSI environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
BladeCenter HS40 Type 8839 features and specifications for a NEBS/ETSI
environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Media tray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Management module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Keyboard, video, and mouse module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
LAN module indicators and input/output connectors . . . . . . . . . . .30
I/O modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
Power modules for Type 8720 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
Power modules for Type 8730 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
Blowers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Blade servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
Blade server expansion options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
I/O expansion option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
Expansion unit option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
Storage Expansion Unit option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
PCI I/O-expansion Unit option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
© Copyright IBM Corp. 2004, 2006 vii
Chapter 3. Deployment considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Network topologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Integrated infrastructure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Single BladeCenter T chassis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Multiple BladeCenter T chassis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Using Remote Deployment Manager Version 4.11 Update 3 or later . . . .42
Using IBM Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
Communicating with the IBM Director software . . . . . . . . . . . .42
Preparing for BladeCenter T deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Deployment tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Deployment infrastructure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Setting up the management connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
Cabling the Ethernet port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Preparing for blade server deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Hardware considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Firmware considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Operating system considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Device driver considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Application considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Chapter 4. Installation considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
Physical planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
Weight considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
Floor space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
Noise considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
Rack considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
IBM NetBAY and non-IBM racks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
Moving IBM NetBAY racks safely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
General requirements for racks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
Power considerations for Type 8720 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
Rack requirements for Type 8720 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Power considerations for Type 8730 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Rack requirements for Type 8730 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
Power distribution units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
Wall and floor power drop requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
Keyboard, video, and mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
Electrical input for Type 8720 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
Electrical input for Type 8730 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
Cooling considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
Air temperature and humidity for Telecom/NEBS environment . . . . . . .62
Air temperature and humidity for non-NEBS environment . . . . . . . .62
Airflow considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
Heat output for Types 8720 and 8730 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
Prevention of air recirculation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
Air filtration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
Room cooling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
Power connections for Type 8720 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
Power connections for Type 8730 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
Power layout example 1– single BladeCenter T units . . . . . . . . . .67
Power layout example 2 – two BladeCenter T Type 8730 units in NetBAY 25
or 42U racks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
Power layout example 3 – three BladeCenter T Type 8730 units in NetBAY
25 or 42U racks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
viii BladeCenter T Types 8720 and 8730: Planning and Installation Guide
Power layout example 4 – four BladeCenter T Type 8730 units in NetBAY
42U racks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
Power layout example 5 – five BladeCenter T Type 8730 units in NetBAY
42U racks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
Physical installation time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74
Chapter 5. Configuration considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75
Management module configuration planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75
General settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
Login profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
Alerts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
Port assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
Network interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
Network protocols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
Configuration file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
Firmware update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
Restore defaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
Restart MM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
Ethernet switch module configuration planning . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
Switch settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78
Port settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
SNMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
User accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
TFTP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80
Virtual LANs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80
VLAN example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80
Multicasting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82
Port mirroring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82
Spanning tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
Class of service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
Link aggregation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
Link aggregation group recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . .84
Link aggregation example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85
Link Aggregation Control Protocol recommendations . . . . . . . . .85
Fibre-channel switch module configuration planning . . . . . . . . . . .86
Blade server configuration planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86
Appendix A. Planning worksheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89
Blade server worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90
BladeCenter T Types 8720 and 8730 worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . .93
Rack worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95
Cabling worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97
Power worksheet for Type 8720 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99
Power worksheet for Type 8730 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Appendix B. Configuration worksheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Management module configuration worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Ethernet switch module configuration worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Fibre-channel switch module configuration planning . . . . . . . . . . .112
Blade server configuration planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115
Appendix C. Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117
Trademarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117
Important notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
Contents ix
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
x BladeCenter T Types 8720 and 8730: Planning and Installation Guide
Figures
1. BladeCenter T unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
2. Major BladeCenter T components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
3. BladeCenter T front view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
4. Components on the rear of the BladeCenter T unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
5. BladeCenter T Type 8720 rear view - I/O connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
6. BladeCenter T Type 8730 rear view - I/O connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
7. BladeCenter HS20 Type 8843 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
8. BladeCenter HS40 Type 8839 blade server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
9. BladeCenter T media tray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
10. BladeCenter T advanced management module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
11. Serial port connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
12. Optional serial cable for connecting the management module to an external serial port . . . . .27
13. BladeCenter T KVM module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
14. BladeCenter T Keyboard connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
15. BladeCenter T Mouse connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
16. BladeCenter T Video connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
17. BladeCenter T LAN module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
18. Alarms connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
19. BladeCenter T power module for Type 8720 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
20. BladeCenter T power module for Type 8730 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
21. BladeCenter T blower module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
22. Single BladeCenter T chassis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
23. Multiple BladeCenter T units as a network infrastructure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
24. Management network diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
25. Location of the LAN module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
26. Cabling the Ethernet port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
27. Ethernet LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48
28. Operational clearances for NetBAY 42 Enterprise rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
29. Rack PDU — 20-A single phase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
30. Rack PDU — 30-A and 32-A single phase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
31. Rack PDU — 32-A 3-phase (3-phase + neutral + ground) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
32. Rack PDU — 60-A single phase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
33. Rack PDU — 60-A 3-phase (3-phase + ground) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
34. Typical dc PDU for a single BladeCenter T Type 8720 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
35. Single BladeCenter T Type 8730 installed in a NetBAY 25 or 42U rack with 1300-W power
supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
36. Two BladeCenter T Type 8730 units installed in NetBAY 25 to 42U racks with 1300-W power
supplies (24 or 48 amp (North American) or 32 or 63 amp [international]) . . . . . . . . . .68
37. Power layout of two BladeCenter T Type 8730 units installed in NetBAY 25 to 42U racks with
1300-W power supplies (3-phase) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
38. Three BladeCenter T Type 8730 units in a NetBAY 25 or 42 rack with 1300-W power supplies (24
or 48 amp (North American) or 32 or 63 amp (international) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
39. Three BladeCenter T Type 8730 units in a NetBAY 25 or 42 rack; 1300-W power supplies
(3-phase) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
40. Four BladeCenter T Type 8730 units in a NetBAY 42U rack with 1300-W power supplies . . . .70
41. Power layout for four BladeCenter T Type 8730 units in a NetBAY 42U rack with 1300-W power
supplies (1- and 3-phase) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
42. Five BladeCenter T Type 8730 units in a NetBAY 42 rack with 1300-W power supplies . . . . .72
43. Power layout for five BladeCenter T Type 8730 units in a NetBAY 42 rack with 1300-W power
supplies (32 amp 3-phase) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
44. VLAN configuration example on a single BladeCenter T unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
45. VLAN configuration example for multiple BladeCenter T units . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82
46. Recommended network topology with multiport link aggregation groups . . . . . . . . . . .85
© Copyright IBM Corp. 2004, 2006 xi
xii BladeCenter T Types 8720 and 8730: Planning and Installation Guide
Chapter 1. Introducing the BladeCenter T units
This guide provides physical planning information for the IBM BladeCenter T, Types 8720 and 8730. It describes the BladeCenter T unit components, explains deployment and installation considerations, and provides worksheets that you can use to determine the BladeCenter T unit hardware configuration. From these worksheets, you can determine the configuration, power, weight, and cabling requirements for the BladeCenter T unit. In addition, you can use these worksheets as a basis for placing an order.
Hereinafter, unit will refer to both types unless there are specific differences; then, each type will be described separately.
Why choose the BladeCenter T technology?
The IBM BladeCenter T Types 8720 and 8730 are based on the IBM Enterprise X-Architecture™ Technology.
1
The BladeCenter T unit is a rack-mounted, high-density, high-performance blade-server system developed for Network Equipment Building System (NEBS) telecommunications network applications and other applications requiring additional physical robustness. The BladeCenter T uses blades, switches, and other components that are common to the award-winning IBM BladeCenter product line. This common component strategy makes it ideal for applications in telecommunications networks that need high levels of computer power and access to common off-the-shelf middleware packages otherwise used in IT data centers.
Figure 1 represents the BladeCenter T unit.
Figure 1. BladeCenter T unit
The BladeCenter T supports up to eight blade servers, making it ideally suited for networking environments that require a large number of high-performance servers in a small amount of space. The BladeCenter T system provides common resources that are shared by the blade servers, such as power, cooling, system management, network connections, and I/O (CD-ROM drive, ports for universal serial bus (USB), keyboard, video, mouse, and network interfaces). The use of common resources enables small size in the blade servers, allows minimal cabling, and eliminates resources sitting idle.
1. IBM Enterprise X-Architecture Technology takes full advantage of existing IBM technologies to build powerful, scalable, and reliable
Intel® processor-based servers. For more information about IBM Enterprise X-Architecture Technology, go to www.ibm.com/servers/ eserver/xseries/xarchitecture/enterprise/.
© Copyright IBM Corp. 2004, 2006 1
Performance, ease of use, reliability (NEBS3/ETSI compliance), and expansion capabilities were key considerations during the design of the BladeCenter T system. These design features make it possible for you to customize the system hardware to meet your needs today, while providing flexible expansion capabilities for the future.
What the BladeCenter T unit offers
The design of the BladeCenter T unit takes advantage of advances in server technology. It provides up to eight functionally separate servers and their shared resources combined in a single center. The BladeCenter T unit with blade servers has the following features:
v IBM Enterprise X-Architecture Technology
IBM Enterprise X-Architecture Technology leverages proven innovative IBM technologies to build powerful, scalable, reliable Intel®-processor-based servers. IBM Enterprise Technology includes features such as IBM Predictive Failure Analysis® (PFA), scalability, and real-time diagnostics.
v Expansion capabilities
Blades can be added to the BladeCenter T unit as needed, up to a maximum of eight blades.
If any blade server or option is in blade bays 5 through 8 or if an I/O
Note:
module is in I/O-module bays 3 and 4, power modules must be present in all four power-module bays.
Some blade servers have connectors for options that can be used to add capabilities to the blade server, such as an I/O expansion card to add a network interface or a storage expansion unit to add SCSI hard disk drives.
v Hot-swap capabilities
The front bays on the BladeCenter T unit are hot-swap blade, power module, and management module bays; the rear bays on the BladeCenter T unit are hot-swap I/O, keyboard, video, and mouse (KVM), LAN, and blower-module bays. Yo u can add, remove, or replace blades servers or power, management, I/O, KVM, LAN, and blower modules in hot-swap bays within specific time limits and without removing power from the BladeCenter T unit.
Attention: To maintain proper system cooling, each unoccupied bay must
contain a filler blade or filler module.
v Redundancy capabilities
The redundant components in the BladeCenter T unit enable continued operation if one of the components fails.
– Power modules: In normal operation, the redundant power modules provide
redundant power feeds to share the system load. If one of the power modules fails, the working power module handles the entire load. Yo u can then replace the failed power module without shutting down the BladeCenter T unit.
– Blowers: In normal operation, the redundant blower modules share the system
load. If one of the blowers fails, the other three working blowers handle the entire load. Yo u can then replace the failed blower without shutting down the BladeCenter T unit.
– Management module: Only one management module is active at a time. If a
second management module has been installed, and the active management module fails, then the secondary (redundant) management module becomes the active management module containing the current BladeCenter T configuration and status information. Yo u can then replace the failed management module without shutting down the BladeCenter T unit.
2 BladeCenter T Types 8720 and 8730: Planning and Installation Guide
– BladeCenter T backplane characteristics: The backplane has the following
redundancy characteristics:
- Hot-pluggable connectors for the following components:
v Eight blades servers
v Four I/O modules
v Two management modules
v Four power supplies
v Four blowers
- Redundant high-speed serialize/deserialize (SERDES) interconnects between blades and switches
- Support for redundant management modules
- Redundant 12C communications between the management modules and all modules (except the blade servers)
- Redundant RS-485 (EIA 485) communications between management modules and blade servers
- Redundant analog video connections from blades to management modules
- Redundant USB connections between blades and management modules
- Redundant secure Ethernet management port between switches and management modules
Chapter 1. Introducing the BladeCenter T units 3
v Redundant network connection capabilities
Configuring a pair of Ethernet switch modules in I/O-module bays 1 and 2 provides support for Ethernet failover configured on blade servers. If the I/O expansion options can be configured for failover, configuring a pair of switch modules in I/O-module bays 3 and 4 provides support for the failover configured on the I/O expansion options. See the documentation that comes with your I/O expansion and switch module options for more information about configuring for redundant network connections.
A system configuration with I/O expansion options in I/O-module bays 3
Note:
and 4 requires a unit configuration with power supplies in power-module bays 3 and 4.
Other network-interface I/O expansion options, such as the IBM BladeCenter T Fibre Channel Expansion Card, can have similar capability for redundant network connections. See the documentation that comes with your I/O expansion module and I/O module options for more information about configuring for redundant network connections.
v System-management capabilities
The BladeCenter T unit comes with a service processor in the management module. This service processor in the management module, the system-management firmware that is provided with the BladeCenter T unit, and the service processor in each blade server, enable you to remotely manage the BladeCenter T unit, its components, and the blade servers. The management module also multiplexes the keyboard, mouse, video ports, and the USB port across all blade servers.
The service processor in each blade server provides blade server system monitoring, event recording, and alert capability.
v Network environment support
The BladeCenter T unit supports up to two Ethernet-compatible I/O modules (switch modules or pass-through modules), for blade server integrated Ethernet controller communication with the network. Each I/O module provides one internal connection to each blade server, with up to eight internal connections per I/O module. In addition, each Ethernet-compatible I/O module provides four external connections to the user’s network infrastructure. These connections support LAGs, VLANs, and other network protocols dependent on the model installed.
The BladeCenter T unit also supports up to two additional I/O modules for a total of four I/O modules. The two additional I/O modules support the network interface on the optional I/O expansion card installed on one or more blade servers in the BladeCenter T unit.
The two additional I/O modules must be compatible with the network
Note:
interface on the optional I/O expansion cards in the blade servers.
Each of these two additional I/O modules provides one internal connection to the optional I/O expansion card, with up to eight internal connections per I/O module.
Reliability, availability, and serviceability
Three of the most important features in server design are reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS). These factors help to ensure the integrity of the data stored on the blade server; that the blade server is available when you want to use it; and that should a failure occur, you can easily diagnose and repair the failure with minimal inconvenience.
4 BladeCenter T Types 8720 and 8730: Planning and Installation Guide
The BladeCenter T unit has the following RAS features:
v Shared key components, such as power, cooling, backplane, and I/O
v All components serviced from the front or rear of the BladeCenter T unit
v Automatic error retry and recovery
v Automatic restart after a power failure
v Built-in monitoring for blower, power, temperature, and voltage
v Built-in monitoring for module redundancy
v Customer support center 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
2
v Error codes and messages
v Fault-resistant startup
v Remote system management through the management module
v Remote management module firmware upgrade
v Remote upgrade of blade server service processor microcode
v Built-in self-test (BIST)
v Predictive Failure Analysis (PFA) alerts
v Redundant components
– Blowers with speed-sensing capability
– Power modules
– Management modules
– I/O modules
Redundant system features in the backplane
v
v Hot-swap components
– Blade servers
– Blowers with speed-sensing capability
– I/O modules
– KVM module
– LAN module
– Management module
– Media tray
– Power modules
System automatic inventory at startup
v
v System error logging
2. Service availability will vary by country. Response time varies; may exclude holidays.
Chapter 1. Introducing the BladeCenter T units 5
Features and specifications for the BladeCenter T Type 8720
Table 1 provides a summary of the features and specifications for the BladeCenter T Type 8720 that is a dc-powered system.
Table 1. BladeCenter T Type 8720 features and specifications
Media tray (on front):
v DVD/CD-RW drive: slim IDE v Two USB V2.0 Full Speed ports v System-status panel
Module bays (on front):
v Eight hot-swap blade bays v Four hot-swap power-module bays v Two hot-swap management-module
bays
bays (on rear):
Module
v Four hot-swap I/O module bays v Four hot-swap blower bays v One hot-swap KVM module v One hot-swap LAN module
modules:
Power
v Standard: Two 1300-watt or greater
hot-swap -48 V dc (-48 to -60 V dc) power modules – Power modules 1 and 2 supply
power to:
- Blade bays 1 through 4
- Management modules 1 and 2
- I/O modules 1 and 2
- Media tray
- All KVM, LAN, and alarm interfaces
- All four blower modules
Power modules 1 and 2 provide
–
redundancy to each other
v Maximum: Four 1300-watt or greater
hot-swap -48 V dc (-48 to -60 V dc) power modules – Power modules 3 and 4 supply
power to:
- Blade bays 5 through 8
- I/O modules 3 and 4
Power modules 3 and 4 provide
–
redundancy to each other
– Blowers are powered by all four
power modules
module:
LAN
v Two 10/100-Mbps Ethernet remote
management connections
v One DSUB 15P alarm connector
module:
KVM
v Video port (analog) v IBM PS/2® keyboard port v PS/2 mouse port v System-status panel
I/O modules:
v Standard: None v Maximum: Four
– Two hot-swap 1-GB Ethernet
four-port switch modules
– Two hot-swap switch modules of
another network-communication standard, such as Fibre Channel
Management
module:
v Standard: One hot-swap management
module providing system-management functions for the BladeCenter T unit
v Maximum: Two hot-swap management
modules (one active, one redundant)
Redundant cooling:
Four variable-speed hot-swap blowers
bezel with changeable filter
Front
Upgradeable microcode:
v Management-module firmware v I/O module firmware (not all I/O module
types)
v Blade server service processor firmware
(BIOS, service processor)
(8U):
Size
v Height: 349.25 mm (13.75 in. or 8 U) v Depth: 508 mm (20 in.) from front of
chassis to rear I/O connector plane Maximum depth: 600 mm (23.62 in.) including bezel, handles, and cable bend radius
v Width: 442 mm (17.4 in.) v Weight:
– Fully configured with modules and
blades: approximately 86.64 kg (191 lb)
– Fully configured without blades:
approximately 44.45 kg (98 lb)
Security
features:
v Login password for remote connection v Secure shell (SSH) for command line
interface
v Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) security for
remote Web management access
Predictive
Failure Analysis (PFA) alerts:
v Blowers v Blade-dependent features v Power supplies
Declared acoustical noise emission levels for normal operations:
v Sound-power levels (upper-limit): 7.5 bels v Sound-pressure levels (average) for four
one-meter bystander positions: 59 dBA
noise emission levels stated are the
The declared upper limit sound-power levels, in bels, for a random sample of machines. All measurements made in accordance with ISO 7779 and reported in conformance with ISO
9296.
Environment:
v Air temperature:
– Altitude: -60 to 1800 m (-197 ft to 6000
ft)
- BladeCenter T on: 5° to 40° C (41° to 104° F)
- BladeCenter T on (short term): -5° to 55° C (23° to 131° F)
Altitude: 1800 m to 4000 (6000 ft to
–
13000 ft)
- BladeCenter T on: 5° to 30° C (41° to 86° F)
- BladeCenter T on (short term): -5° to 45° C (23° to 113° F)
– System unit off: uncontrolled
Rate of temperature change: 30° C/hour
v
(54° F/hour)
v Humidity:
– BladeCenter T unit on: 5% to 85% – BladeCenter T on (short term): 5% to
90% not to exceed 0.024 water/kg of dry air
– BladeCenter T unit off: uncontrolled
Electrical
input:
v dc power v Input voltage: -38 V dc to -75 V dc (-48 V
nominal)
v Input current:
– Chassis: 70 amp maximum – Single power-supply feed: 70 amp
maximum
output:
Heat
v Input kilovolt-amperes (kVA) approximately
– Minimum configuration: 0.2 kVA – Maximum configuration: 3.3 kVA
v BTU output
– Ship configuration:
673 BTU/hour (197 watts)
– Full configuration:
11229 BTU/hour (3291 watts)
6 BladeCenter T Types 8720 and 8730: Planning and Installation Guide
Features and specifications for the BladeCenter T Type 8730
Table 2 provides a summary of the features and specifications for the BladeCenter T Type 8730 that is an ac-powered system.
Table 2. BladeCenter T Type 8730 features and specifications
Media tray (on front):
v DVD/CD-RW drive: slim IDE v Two USB V2.0 Full Speed ports v System-status panel
Module bays (on front):
v Eight hot-swap blade bays v Four hot-swap power-module bays v Two hot-swap management-module
bays
bays (on rear):
Module
v Four hot-swap I/O module bays v Four hot-swap blower bays v One hot-swap KVM module v One hot-swap LAN module
modules:
Power
v Standard: Two 1300-watt or greater
220-volt (200-240 V ac) hot-swap power modules – Power modules 1 and 2 supply
power to:
- Blade bays through 1 and 4
- Management modules 1 and 2
- I/O modules 1 and 2
- Media tray
- All KVM, LAN, and alarm interfaces
- All four blower modules
Power modules 1 and 2 provide
–
redundancy to each other
v Maximum: Four 1300-watt or greater
220-volt (200-240 V ac) hot-swap power modules – Power modules 3 and 4 supply
power to
- Blade bays 5 through 8
- I/O modules 3 and 4
Power modules 3 and 4 provide
–
redundancy to each other
– Blowers are powered by all four
power modules
module:
LAN
v Two 10/100-Mbps Ethernet remote
management connections
v One DSUB 15P alarm connector
module:
KVM
v Video port (analog) v PS/2 keyboard port v PS/2 mouse port v System-status panel
I/O modules:
v Standard: None v Maximum: Four
– Two hot-swap 1-GB Ethernet
four-port switch modules
– Two hot-swap switch modules of
another network-communication standard, such as Fibre Channel
Management
module:
v Standard: One hot-swap management
module providing system-management functions for the BladeCenter T unit
v Maximum: Two hot-swap management
modules: one active, one redundant
Redundant cooling:
Four variable-speed hot-swap blowers
bezel with changeable filter
Front
Upgradeable microcode:
v Management-module firmware v I/O module firmware (not all I/O module
types)
v Blade server service processor firmware
(BIOS, service processor)
(8U):
Size
v Height: 349.25 mm (13.75 in. or 8 U) v Depth: 508 mm (20 in.) from front of
chassis to rear I/O connector plane. Maximum depth: 600 mm (23.62 in.) including bezel, handles, and cable bend radius.
v Width: 442 mm (17.4 in.) v Weight:
– Fully configured with modules and
blades: approximately 86.64 kg (191 lb)
– Fully configured without blades:
approximately 44.45 kg (98 lb)
Security
features:
v Login password for remote connection v Secure shell (SSH) for command line
interface
v Secure socket layer (SSL) security for
remote Web management access
Predictive
Failure Analysis (PFA) alerts:
v Blowers v Blade-dependent features v Power supplies
Declared acoustical noise emission levels for normal operations:
v Sound-power levels (upper-limit): 6.7 bels v Sound-pressure levels (average) for four
one-meter bystander positions: 57 dBA
noise emission levels stated are the
The declared upper limit sound-power level, in bels, for a random sample of machines. All measurements made in accordance with ISO 7779 and reported in conformance with ISO
9296.
Environment:
v Air temperature:
– Altitude: -60 to 1800 m (-197 ft to 6000
ft)
- BladeCenter T on: 5° to 40° C (41° to 104° F)
- BladeCenter T on (short term): -5° to 55° C (23° to 131° F)
Altitude: 1800 m to 4000 (6000 ft to
–
13000 ft)
- BladeCenter T on: 5° to 30° C (41° to 86° F)
- BladeCenter T on (short term): -5° to 45° C (23° to 113° F)
– System unit off: uncontrolled
Rate of temperature change: 30° C/hour
v
(54° F/hour)
v Humidity:
– BladeCenter T unit on: 5% to 85% – BladeCenter T on (short term): 5% to
90% not to exceed 0.024 water/kg of dry air
– BladeCenter T unit off: uncontrolled
Electrical
input:
v Sine-wave input (50 or 60 Hz single-phase)
required
v Input voltage:
– Minimum: 200 V ac – Maximum: 240 V ac
Input current:
v
– Chassis: 18 amp maximum – Single power-supply feed: 9 amp
output:
Heat
v Input kilovolt-amperes (kVA) approximately
– Minimum configuration: 0.2 kVA – Maximum configuration: 3.1 kVA
BTU output
v
– Ship configuration: 673 BTU/hour (197
watts)
– Full configuration: 10440 BTU/hour
(3060 watts)
Chapter 1. Introducing the BladeCenter T units 7
Why blade servers?
As organizations look to physically consolidate servers, they are looking to replace bulky server towers with 1U or 2U rack systems. These systems take less space and put the enterprise server infrastructure within easy reach of the administrator. However, these rack systems also introduce certain issues.
Each 1U or 2U server requires its own infrastructure, including power cables, Ethernet or fibre-channel switches, systems management, power distribution units (PDUs), and keyboard/video/mouse (KVM) switches. A rack of 42 1U servers can have hundreds of cables strung throughout the rack, making it difficult to determine where cables are attached and increasing the complexity of adding or removing servers from the rack.
A blade server is a rack-optimized server architecture designed to provide the consolidation benefits of 1U and 2U rack systems while eliminating the complications associated with these systems. A server blade is an independent server containing one or more processors, memory, disk storage, and network controllers. A server blade runs its own operating system and applications.
Each server blade is inserted into a slot at the front of the BladeCenter T unit and connects to the midplane. The midplane provides a connection to shared infrastructure components that include power, blowers, CD-ROM, integrated Ethernet and fibre-channel switches, and the management module.
Blade server benefits
BladeCenter T is a robust, highly available architecture designed to integrate the latest server processors, storage, and networking technology together into the domain of the telecommunications central office and other rugged environments. Benefits of the blade server architecture include:
v Modular scalability. Unlike traditional 8- or 16-way servers, blade servers are
designed to scale out rather than up. Adding a new server typically involves simply sliding a new single- or dual-processor blade into an open bay in a BladeCenter T unit. There is no need to physically install and cable individual servers.
Option modules allow shared infrastructure features, such as Gigabit Ethernet switches and fibre-channel switches, to be included inside the BladeCenter T unit rather than externally attached. Power modules are also integrated into the unit, thus eliminating many of the power cables and power distribution units that conventional servers require. This design along with its support for network attached storage (NAS) and storage area networks (SANs) allows the BladeCenter T to integrate into a scalable storage solution with enhanced manageability features.
v Flexibility. Unlike conventional server designs, the blade design does not impose
a limit of only one type of processor per server. Advanced chassis designs with sophisticated cooling and power technologies can support a mix of blades containing different types and speeds of processors. Each blade is a self-contained server, running its own operating system and software. This flexibility eliminates the need for stand alone servers to perform specific functions. Yo u can consolidate your workloads in one BladeCenter T unit, regardless of whether an application requires a high-performance 64-bit processor or a 32-bit processor.
v Performance. Yo u can get the same high-performance processor technologies in
the BladeCenter T processor platform as in 1U rack-optimized servers. High
8 BladeCenter T Types 8720 and 8730: Planning and Installation Guide
performance and scalability are powered by Intel DP Xeon™ 2W/800 MHz FSB and Intel MP Xeon 4W/400 MHz FSB processors with 533 MHz front-side bus speed. Other high-performance features include high-speed 512 MB Double Data Rate ECC SDRAM memory, featuring optional Chipkill™ memory for reliability, duel Gigabit Ethernet controllers with teaming and failover support, integrated service processor, and connections for SCSI hard disk drives.
v Density. Yo u get double the density versus IBM carrier-grade rack-mount servers
at a potentially lower cost. Up to 80 processors can be integrated into an 84-inch Telco rack. Blades can be used for control plane applications such as VoIP/softswitch, transport plane applications such as signalling, wireless and media gateways, service plane applications such as provisioning and network management, and application plane applications such as unified communications, IP centrex, and billing.
v High availability and ease of serviceability. Blade server designs include
high-availability features similar to those found in conventional rack servers, such as redundant and hot-swap components (even the hot swapping of the blade servers themselves). Removing a server for maintenance involves simply sliding a blade out of the BladeCenter T unit, which makes a policy of hot-spare servers effective to implement. In addition, you can configure blades to fail over to one another in the event of a failure.
v Systems management and deployment. In blade servers, integrated systems
management processors monitor the status of blades and modules all at once. In the event of an alert, the processors can signal the systems management software, which can then notify the administrator by e-mail or pager at any hour of the day or night. In addition, the software is able to run system diagnostics and integrate with enterprise-wide systems management software.
The ability to slide server blades in and out of the BladeCenter T unit makes new server deployment more efficient. When you insert a blade into an open bay, it is connected to all infrastructure components in the BladeCenter T unit. There is typically no need to plug multiple cables into each server as it is installed. For example, instead of having to attach a KVM cable, power cable, Ethernet cable, and systems management cable per server, you need to attach only one of each cable per BladeCenter T unit, which contains multiple servers.
Deployment scenarios
The IBM BladeCenter T unit can be deployed to support a variety of networking goals and environments, such as:
v Central Office (CO) environment
IBM BladeCenter T is ideally suited for telecom or carrier-grade environments that require maximum equipment operability.
v Server consolidation
The IBM BladeCenter T unit can be used by organizations with multiple server locations that need to centralize or physically consolidate servers to increase flexibility, reduce maintenance costs, and reduce human resources.
v e-business infrastructure
The IBM BladeCenter T unit can be used by companies that need to deploy new e-commerce and e-business applications and infrastructure quickly to minimize time to market, while at the same time ensuring flexibility, scalability, and availability.
v Enterprise infrastructure
The IBM BladeCenter T unit can support an enterprise infrastructure through:
Chapter 1. Introducing the BladeCenter T units 9
File and print: For organizations with decentralized or departmental file and
print servers that need to reduce the cost of ownership, increase reliability, and provide flexibility for growth.
Collaboration: For customers needing a cost-effective and reliable corporate
solution for e-mail, calendar, and other collaboration capabilities.
High-performance computing
v
The IBM BladeCenter T unit can be used by customers with compute-intensive applications needing highly available clustered solutions to achieve significantly higher degrees of scalability and performance, all managed at a low cost.
Where to go for more information
The following publications and Web sites provide additional information about the installation, configuration, and operation of your IBM BladeCenter T unit.
BladeCenter T documentation and operating system installation instructions
Publications available for the BladeCenter T products are listed in the following sections. Unless noted otherwise, all documents are available for download from the IBM Support Web page at www.ibm.com/pc/support/. From this Web page, select Servers, then select Online publications and choose a machine type of BladeCenter T or BladeCenter T HS20 from the Family drop-down list.
You can obtain up-to-date information about the BladeCenter T unit, blade server, and other IBM server products at www.ibm.com/eserver/xseries/
Hardware documentation
Publications available for BladeCenter T products include:
v IBM BladeCenter T Products FAQ Hints and Tips
This document contains information based on technical observations and is intended to supplement the IBM BladeCenter T publications provided with the BladeCenter T products.
v IBM BladeCenter T Types 8720 and 8730 Installation and User’s Guide
This document contains general information about the BladeCenter T Types 8720 and 8730, including information about features, how to configure the BladeCenter T unit, and how to get help.
v IBM BladeCenter T Types 8720 and 8730 Hardware Maintenance Manual and
Troubleshooting Guide
This document contains the information to help you solve BladeCenter T problems and information for service technicians.
v IBM BladeCenter HS20 Type 8832 Installation and User’s Guide
This document contains instructions for setting up a BladeCenter HS20 Type 8832 blade server and basic instructions for installing options. It also contains general information about the blade server.
v IBM BladeCenter HS20 Type 8832 Hardware Maintenance Manual and
Troubleshooting Guide
This document contains the information to help you solve BladeCenter HS20 Type 8832 problems and information for service technicians.
v IBM BladeCenter HS40 Type 8839 Installation and User’s Guide
This document contains instructions for setting up a BladeCenter HS40 Type 8839 blade server and basic instructions for installing options. It also contains general information about the blade server.
10 BladeCenter T Types 8720 and 8730: Planning and Installation Guide
v IBM BladeCenter HS40 Type 8839 Hardware Maintenance Manual and
Troubleshooting Guide
This document contains the information to help you solve BladeCenter HS40 Type 8839 problems and information for service technicians.
v IBM BladeCenter T 2-Post Rack Installation Instructions
This document contains instructions for installing BladeCenter T units in a 2-post rack.
v IBM BladeCenter T 4-Post Rack Installation Instructions
This document contains instructions for installing BladeCenter T units in a 4-post rack.
v IBM BladeCenter T Advanced Management Module User ’s Guide
This document contains detailed information about the Management Module that comes with the BladeCenter T unit.
v IBM BladeCenter T Advanced Management Module Installation Guide
This document contains instructions for installing the Management Module that comes with the BladeCenter T unit.
v IBM BladeCenter T 4-Port Fibre Channel Switch Module User’s Guide
This document contains information about setting up and installing the 4-port Fibre Channel switch module.
v IBM BladeCenter SCSI Storage Expansion Unit
This document contains instructions for installing the optional SCSI storage expansion unit on a blade server.
v IBM Microprocessor Option
This document contains instructions for installing the optional microprocessor in a blade server.
v IBM BladeCenter T Type 8720 DC Power Supply Modules
This document contains instructions for installing the optional dc power supply modules in a BladeCenter T unit.
v IBM BladeCenter T Type 8730 AC Power Supply Modules
This document contains instructions for installing the optional ac power supply modules in a BladeCenter T unit.
v IBM Director 4.2 Installation and Configuration Guide and IBM Director 4.2
Systems Management Guide.
These documents are available for download from the IBM Support Web page at http://www.ibm.com/pc/support/. From this Web page, select Servers, then select
Online publications and choose IBM Director from the Online publications by category drop-down list. These guides contain instructions for using IBM Director
4.2 to perform installation, configuration, and systems management tasks on the BladeCenter T products.
Redbooks publications
The following publications are available from the IBM Redbooks™ Web site at www.ibm.com/redbooks. From this Web site, search for BladeCenter.
v The Cutting Edge: IBM BladeCenter (REDP3581): This document contains an
introduction to the IBM BladeCenter unit and presents the advantages of blade servers. It also looks at various installation methods that are available and important items to consider before performing an installation.
v IBM BladeCenter Systems Management (REDP3582) : This document contains
an overview of the IBM BladeCenter management tools and describes the management module integrated Web graphical user interface (GUI).
Chapter 1. Introducing the BladeCenter T units 11
v Deploying Citrix Metaframe on IBM BladeCenter (REDP3583): This document
describes the installation, functionality, and advantages of Citrix Metaframe on the HS20 blade server.
v Deploying Lotus® Domino® on IBM BladeCenter (REDP3584): This document
helps you set up and configure IBM BladeCenter products to run IBM Lotus Domino 6 on Microsoft® Windows® 2000 Advanced Server. It also helps you tune Lotus Domino 6 for better performance while running in an IBM BladeCenter T environment.
v Deploying Microsoft Exchange on IBM BladeCenter (REDP3585): This document
describes how to set up and configure Microsoft Exchange 2000 on the IBM BladeCenter unit. It also describes BladeCenter functionality in this type of environment.
v Deploying Apache on IBM BladeCenter (REDP3588): This document helps you
set up and configure IBM BladeCenter products to run Linux® and Apache. It also provides tips on the applications to use for managing the installation.
v Deploying Samba on IBM BladeCenter (REDP3595): This document helps you
set up and configure IBM BladeCenter products to run Linux and Samba. It also provides tips for managing the installation.
Operating system installation instructions
Instructions for installing operating systems on a blade server are on the IBM Support Web page at www.ibm.com/pc/support/. From the IBM Support Web page select Servers; then, select OS installation and choose the operating system to install from the Operating system installation by category drop-down list.
Web sites
You can find information about the BladeCenter T unit from this Web site: www.ibm.com/systems/bladecenter/literature/solutions_lit.html
These sites provide information related to installation of the BladeCenter T unit:
v Information about IBM Director is available at this Web site:
www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/xseries/systems_management/ibm_director/
v Information about Remote Deployment Manager (RDM) is available at this Web
site:
www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/xseries/systems_management/ibm_director/extensions/ rdm.html
v Information about IBM Cluster Systems Management (CSM) for Linux is available
at this Web site: www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/clusters/software/
v Information about installing Linux is available at this Web site:
www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/linux/xseries/
v You can link to configuration tools and information (such as the Rack
Configurator and the Configuration Options Guide) from this site: www.ibm.com/pc/us/eserver/xseries/library/configtools
v You can find out about the training offered by IBM for the BladeCenter T unit at
this Web site: www.ibm.com/systems/bladecenter/bladet/index.html
12 BladeCenter T Types 8720 and 8730: Planning and Installation Guide
Chapter 2. BladeCenter T unit components
Figure 2 shows the locations of major components in the BladeCenter T unit.
KVM module
I/O module
LAN module
A
C
1
3
0 0 W
O
D C U
T
A I C N
Management module
Filler blade
Blower module
(4 units)
Power module
I A
T U C
D O
!
W 0 0
3
1
C
A
D S E
Blade server
!
O
D C U
T
A I C N
N
C
Media tray
r e
rv e s
Bezel assembly
Figure 2. Major BladeCenter T components
Attention: To maintain proper system cooling, each module bay must contain
either a module or a filler module, and each blade bay must contain either a blade or a filler blade.
© Copyright IBM Corp. 2004, 2006 13
Chassis
Front view
The BladeCenter T unit houses all components, including:
v Blade servers v Management modules v Power modules v Blower modules v I/O modules v KVM modules v LAN modules v Media tray
Figure 3 identifies the components on the front of the BladeCenter T Types 8720 and 8730 units.
Management-module bay 1
Management-module bay 2
Power module 1
Power module 3
ESD connector
Figure 3. BladeCenter T front view
Power module 2
CMM
1
CMM
2
Blade server 1
Blade server 8
Power module 4
Front panelMedia tray
14 BladeCenter T Types 8720 and 8730: Planning and Installation Guide
Rear view of the BladeCenter T unit
Figure 4 identifies the components on the rear of the BladeCenter T unit.
I/O module 2 I/O module 1
KVM module
TOP
D
CRT
MNR
MJR
Blower module 2
24
BTM
Blower module 4
I/O module 4
E
ESD connector
Figure 4. Components on the rear of the BladeCenter T unit
TOP
D
2
1
Alarms
Blower module 1
LAN module
13
BTM
E
Blower module 3
I/O module 3
Chapter 2. BladeCenter T unit components 15
Input/output connectors
The BladeCenter T unit has the following ports:
Video
The BladeCenter T management module contains one standard video connector. The integrated video controller on each blade server is compatible with SVGA and VGA and communicates through this video port. Use this connector to connect a video monitor.
Keyboard
Use this connector to connect an IBM PS/2 keyboard to the BladeCenter T unit.
PS/2 mouse
Use this connector to connect a PS/2 mouse to the BladeCenter T unit.
Two USB connectors on the front of the BladeCenter T unit
The BladeCenter T unit has two USB connectors on the front panel of the BladeCenter T unit.
These USB ports permit the direct connection of two USB peripherals without an external hub. If more devices are required, an external hub can be connected to any of the built-in ports. USB technology transfers data at up to 12 Mb per second (Mbps) with a maximum of 127 devices and a maximum signal distance of 5 m (16 ft) per segment. Using Plug and Play technology, USB devices are configured automatically.
Two 10/100-Mbps Ethernet connectors for remote management and console
The BladeCenter T LAN module contains two 10/100-Mbps Ethernet ports that provide the remote connection to the system management station on the network, driven from each management module, to the network management station on the network.
Use these ports for remote management and remote console.
The network management station, through these connectors, can access control functions running in the management module, the service processor on each blade server, or within each I/O module. However, it cannot use these ports to communicate with application programs running in the blade servers. The network management station must direct those communications through a network connected to the external ports in the I/O modules in the BladeCenter T unit.
Four 10/100/1000-Mbps Ethernet connectors on each Ethernet switch module
Each Ethernet switch module contains four Ethernet connectors.
Connect a Category 3, 4, 5, or higher unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) cable to this connector. The 100BASE-TX and 1000BASE-T Fast Ethernet standards require Category 5 or higher.
16 BladeCenter T Types 8720 and 8730: Planning and Installation Guide
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