What Your Blade Server Offers - IBM LS42 - BladeCenter - 7902 Installation And User Manual

What your blade server offers

The design of the blade server takes advantage of advancements in memory
management and data storage. The blade server uses the following features and
technologies:
v Baseboard management controller (BMC)
v Hard disk drive support
v IBM Director
v IBM ServerGuide
v Impressive performance using the latest microprocessor technology
v Integrated network support
v I/O expansion
v Large system-memory capacity
The BMC is on the system board of the blade server. The BMC operates as the
service processor for the blade server and performs several tasks, including the
following functions:
– Provides RS-485 interfaces to the management module
– Provides support for:
- Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI)
- The operating system
- Power control and advanced power management
- Reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS) features
- Serial over LAN (SOL)
The blade server support up to two 2.5-inch, small-form-factor (SFF) Serial
Attached SCSI (SAS) drives.
IBM Director is a workgroup-hardware-management tool that you can use to
centrally manage servers. For more information, see the IBM Director
documentation on the IBM Director CD.
™
Setup and Installation CD
The ServerGuide Setup and Installation CD that comes with the blade server
provides programs to help you set up the blade server and install a Windows
operating system. The ServerGuide program detects installed optional hardware
devices and provides the correct configuration programs and device drivers. For
more information about the ServerGuide Setup and Installation CD, see "Using
the ServerGuide Setup and Installation CD" on page 56.
The blade server supports up to two dual-core AMD Opteron microprocessors in
single-width models or up to four dual-core AMD Opteron microprocessors in
double-width models. Depending on the model, the blade server comes with
either one or two installed microprocessors. An optional second microprocessor
can be added to single-width models, and up to two optional microprocessors
can be added to double-width models.
All of the blade server models come with an integrated Broadcom dual-port
Gigabit Ethernet controller. The double-width type of blade server also has an
additional dual-port Gigabit Ethernet controller in the MPE. Both controllers
support connections to a 10 Mbps, 100 Mbps, or 1000 Mbps network through an
Ethernet-compatible switch module in the BladeCenter unit. Both controllers also
®
support Wake on LAN
The blade server has connectors on the system board for optional expansion
cards for adding more network communication capabilities to the blade server.
The double-width type of blade server also has expansion-card connectors in the
MPE.
technology.
7
Chapter 1. Introduction