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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
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
™
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Technology.
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