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v Redundant network connection capabilities
v System-management capabilities
v Network environment support
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
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.
Note: A system configuration with I/O expansion options in I/O-module bays 3
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.
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.
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.
Note: The two additional I/O modules must be compatible with the network
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.
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