Table of Contents
Advertisement
v Redundancy capabilities
v Redundant network connection capabilities
v System-management capabilities
v Network environment support
8
BladeCenter Type 8677: Installation and User's Guide
The redundant components in the rear of your BladeCenter unit enable continued
operation if one of the components fails. Normally, the redundant power modules
and blowers share the load. If one of the power modules or blowers fails, the
non-failing power module or blower handles the entire load. You can then replace
the failed blower or power module without shutting down the BladeCenter unit.
Configuring a pair of Ethernet switch modules in switch-module bays 1 and 2
identically provides support for Ethernet failover configured on blade servers. See
"Configuring the Ethernet switch module" on page 55 for more information. If the
I/O expansion options in your blade servers can be configured for failover,
configuring a pair of switch modules in switch-module bays 3 and 4 identically
provides support for the failover configured on the I/O expansion options.
Other network-interface I/O expansion options, such as the IBM HS20 Fibre
Channel Expansion Card, can have similar capability for redundant network
connections. See the documentation that comes with your I/O expansion and
switch module options for more information about configuring for redundant
network connections.
Your BladeCenter unit comes with a service processor in the management
module. This service processor, in conjunction with the system-management
firmware that is provided with your BladeCenter unit and the service processor in
each blade server, enables you to remotely manage the BladeCenter unit, its
components, and the blade servers. The management module also multiplexes
the keyboard, mouse, and video ports and the USB port across the multiple
blade servers.
The service processor in each blade server provides blade server system
monitoring, event recording, and alert capability.
See Chapter 4, "Configuring your BladeCenter unit", on page 39 for more
information.
Your BladeCenter unit supports up to two four-port 1 Gb Ethernet switch
modules, for blade server communication with the network. Each switch module
provides one internal connection to each blade server, up to 14 internal
connections per switch module.
The BladeCenter unit also supports two additional switch modules, for a total of
four switch modules. The two additional switch modules support the network
interface on the optional I/O expansion card installed on one or more blade
servers in the BladeCenter unit.
Note: The two additional switch modules must have the same I/O type, such as
Fibre Channel, and must match the network interface on the optional I/O
expansion cards in the blade servers.
Each of these two additional switch modules provides one internal connection to
the optional I/O expansion card, up to 14 internal connections per switch module.
Advertisement
Table of Contents
