Reliability, Availability, And Serviceability - IBM eserver xSeries 350 User Reference Manual

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
your server, that your 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.
The following is an abbreviated list of the RAS features that your server supports.
• Cooling fans with speed-sensing capability (hot-swap)
• Error correcting code (ECC) front side buses (FSBs)
• ECC L2 cache
• ECC memory
• Fast power-on self-test (POST)
• 45°C (113°F) normal operating temperature for hard disk drives
• Parity checking on the small computer system interface (SCSI) bus and PCI buses
• Power Managed - Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) level
• Power-on self-test (POST)
• Systems-management monitoring through Intra-Integrated Circuit (I
• Ambient temperature monitoring
• Automatic error retry and recovery
• Automatic restart after a power failure
• Built-in temperature, fan, and voltages monitoring
• Chipkill Memory protection
• Fault-resistant startup
• Hot-swap drive bays
• Hot-swap hard disk drives
• Active PCI (hot-plug) adapter slots
• Hot-plug USB keyboard and mouse
• Information and diagnostic LED panels
• Menu-driven setup, system configuration, SCSISelect configuration, and
diagnostic programs
• Memory scrubbing and Predictive Failure Analysis (PFA) (background and real
time)
• Microcode and diagnostic levels available
• System-management software and LANDesk
• Server Management
• Network adapter failover support
• Power and temperature monitoring
• Power-supply redundancy monitoring
• Predictive Failure Analysis (PFA) alerts
• Redundant Ethernet capabilities (with optional adapter)
• Redundant hot-swap cooling
• Redundant and hot-swap power supplies
• Remote Connect
• Remote system problem-determination support
• System auto-configuring from a configuration menu
• System error logging
• Upgradable flash read-only memory (ROM) resident code
• Upgradable POST, BIOS, diagnostics, and Advanced System Management
processor microcode
• Wake on LAN™ capability
®
• Microsoft Windows NT
• Alert on LAN™ capability
• Backup BIOS switching under the control of the service processor
• Built-in, menu-driven EEPROM-based diagnostics
• Error codes and messages
®
enabled
®
failover support
Chapter 1. Introducing the xSeries 350 server
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C) bus
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