Dell PowerEdge T420 Technical Manual
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Dell PowerEdge T420 Technical Manual

Dell PowerEdge T420 Technical Manual

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PowerEdge T420
Technical Guide
The quiet, powerful,
scalable PowerEdge
T420 delivers capacity,
performance, and high
availability features to
drive your business or
organization forward.

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Summary of Contents for Dell PowerEdge T420

  • Page 1 PowerEdge T420 Technical Guide The quiet, powerful, scalable PowerEdge T420 delivers capacity, performance, and high availability features to drive your business or organization forward.
  • Page 2 Dell, the DELL logo, PowerEdge, EqualLogic, PowerVault, PowerConnect, OpenManage, KACE, and ReadyRails are trademarks of Dell, Inc. Intel and Xeon are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Server, BitLocker, ActiveX, Internet Explorer, and Hyper-V are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Cable management arm..............................34 10 Operating systems and virtualization ........................... 35 Supported operating systems ............................35 Supported virtualization ..............................36 11 Dell OpenManage systems management ........................37 Systems management solutions ........................... 37 OpenManage systems management ........................... 38 Dell server management operations ..........................43 Appendix A.
  • Page 4 Appendix D. System board block diagram ........................52 Tables Table 1. New technologies ..............................6 Table 2. Comparing the PowerEdge T410 to PowerEdge T420 .................. 7 Table 3. Technical specifications ............................8 Table 4. Chassis configurations ............................11 Table 5.

  • Page 5: System Overview

    Optional redundancy and hot pluggability of key components helps to protect data and keep the business running. The T420 is an excellent fit for a wide range of applications, including workgroup collaboration, email, file and print, and small- to mid-size database applications such as Business Analytics and Intelligence.

  • Page 6: New Technologies

    New technologies Table 1 summarizes the newest technologies used in the Dell PowerEdge T420 tower server. Table 1. New technologies New technology Detailed description Intel Xeon processor This family of Intel processors has embedded PCIe lanes for improved I/O E5-2400 product family performance.

  • Page 7: System Features

    Comparison of PowerEdge systems The 12 generation PowerEdge T420 server replaces the T410. Table 2 compares some of the T420 features to those of the T410. Table 2. Comparing the PowerEdge T410 to PowerEdge T420...

  • Page 8: Specifications

    Specifications Table 3 summarizes the specifications for each of the PowerEdge T420 features. For the latest information on supported features for the PowerEdge T420, visit Dell.com/PowerEdge. Table 3. Technical specifications Feature PowerEdge T420 technical specification Form factor 5U rackable tower...
  • Page 9 Feature PowerEdge T420 technical specification 1Gb Ethernet: Broadcom 5720 Dual Port 1Gb Base-T Broadcom 5719 Quad Port 1Gb Base-T Intel I350 Dual Port 1Gb Base-T Intel I350 Quad Port 1Gb Base-T 10Gb Converged Ethernet: ® Brocade BR1020 Dual Port 10Gb SPF+ ®...
  • Page 10 Feature PowerEdge T420 technical specification ® Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2011 ® ® ® Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Server ® Red Hat Enterprise Linux Optional embedded hypervisors: ® ® Citrix XenServer VMware vSphere including ESXi ® Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization For more information on the specific versions and additions, visit Dell.com/OSsupport.

  • Page 11: Chassis Views And Features

    SAS SSD/HHD 1100W Figure 1 shows the features on the front of the T420 16-drive bay chassis including the front control panel, USB connectors, and many other components and features described in this guide. Figure 1. Front view 16-drive bay without bezel Figure 2 shows the optional lockable bezel on the front of the T420 chassis.

  • Page 12: Figure 2. Front View With Bezel

    Figure 3. Back view The chassis design of the T420 is optimized for easy access to components and for airflow for effective and efficient cooling. Figure 4 provides an internal view of the T420 including the DIMMs, PCIe card slots, power supplies, fans and processors.

  • Page 13: Figure 4. Internal View

    Figure 4. Internal view Figure 5 shows the front view of the rackable T420 chassis without a bezel. Figure 5. Rackable front view without bezel PowerEdge T420 Technical Guide...

  • Page 14: Chassis Features

    Chassis features Dell PowerEdge Table 5 lists the various features on the T420. For additional information, see the T420 Systems Owner’s Manual on Dell.com/Support/Manuals. Table 5. Chassis features Feature Description Power button ACPI-compliant power button with an integrated green power LED Front bezel Covers the system’s front-loading hard drives and locks for security...

  • Page 15: Figure 6. Lcd Control Panel

    Front control panel Figure 6 shows the T420 control panel, located on the front of the chassis. For more information Dell PowerEdge T420 Systems Owner’s Manual about the LCD control panel, see the Dell.com/Support/Manuals. Figure 6. LCD control panel Quick Resource Locator...

  • Page 16: Table 6. Security Features

    Cover latch chassis) with a coin key lock to secure the system. An optional metal bezel is mounted to the chassis front to provide the Dell ID. A lock on the bezel protects unauthorized access to the hard drives and optical Bezel drive.

  • Page 17: Processor

    For more information on the Intel Xeon processor E5-2400 series, visit Intel.com. Supported processors Table 7 lists the Intel Xeon processors supported by the PowerEdge T420. For the latest information on supported processors, visit Dell.com/PowerEdge. PowerEdge T420 Technical Guide...

  • Page 18: Gpu Support

    GPU configuration options The GPUs from nVidia have PCIe 2.0 that can be installed in the T420 PCIe x16 3.0 slots 3 and 5 (slot 5 requires a two-processor configuration). The interface for the next-generation GPU cards will be PCIe 3.0.

  • Page 19: Memory

    Single Device Disable Code Yes (with advanced ECC mode) (SDDC) Address parity *Although the T420 supports DIMM speeds of 800MT/s and 1066MT/s, you can only purchase this system with DIMM speeds of 1333MT/s and 1600MT/s on Dell.com/PowerEdge. PowerEdge T420 Technical Guide...

  • Page 20: Memory Configurations

    The T420 supports the DIMMs listed in Table 9. For the latest information on supported memory, visit Dell.com/PowerEdge. Table 9. DIMMs supported Capacity Speed Ranks per Data Type SDDC support Voltage (GB) (MT/s) DIMM width 1333 RDIMM Advanced ECC 1.35...

  • Page 21: Memory Ras Features

    ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ *Although the T420 supports DIMM speeds of 800MT/s and 1066MT/s, you can only purchase this system with DIMM speeds of 1333MT/s and 1600MT/s on Dell.com/PowerEdge. Memory RAS features RAS features help keep the system online and operational without significant impact to performance, and can decrease data loss and crashing due to errors.
  • Page 22 Memory thermal This feature helps to optimize power/performance and can also be used to throttling prevent DIMMs from overheating. Dell PowerEdge T420 For information on memory mirroring and sparing configurations, see the Systems Owner’s Manual on Dell.com/Support/Manuals. PowerEdge T420 Technical Guide...

  • Page 23: Storage

    16 x 2.5-inch hot-plug drive bays Supported hard drives The T420 supports up to 16 2.5-inch or eight 3.5-inch hard drives or solid-state drives. Self-encrypting drives (SED) are available. Table 12 lists more information about these drives. For additional information, see Dell.com/PowerEdge.

  • Page 24: Storage Controllers

    Storage controllers Dell provides highly capable RAID options for you to ensure that your data remains safe. Dell’s RAID controller options offer impressive performance improvements, including the following features:  FastPath™ I/O: This feature can help accelerate performance when operating on SSDs.

  • Page 25: Optical Drive

    Windows only SATA Optical drive The T420 hot-plug chassis supports up to three media bays through one of the following options:  Up to two SATA half-height DVD-ROM or DVD R/W drive + one SAS interface tape drive ...

  • Page 26: Networking And Pcie

    The T420 provides expanded PCIe slot capability over the previous servers. This is made possible by the 24 PCIe lanes available from each processor in the system. Dell designed the T420 to be PCIe 3.0-compliant in order to take full advantage of the processor capabilities.
  • Page 27 Emulex LPe12000 Single Port 8Gbps Emulex LPe12002 Dual Port 8Gbps Brocade BR815 Single Port 8Gbps Brocade BR825 Dual Port 8Gbps For the latest information on all supported add-in PCIe expansion cards for the T420, visit Dell.com/PowerEdge. PowerEdge T420 Technical Guide...

  • Page 28: Power, Thermal, And Acoustics

    Table 16 lists the tools and technologies Dell offers to help you achieve your data center goals by lowering power consumption and increasing energy efficiency.

  • Page 29: Power Supply Units

    The T420 power supply subsystem consists of a single, cabled power supply or up to two AC-DC redundant power supplies. The following power supply options are available for the T420: ...

  • Page 30: Thermal And Acoustics

    Optimized thermal management makes the PowerEdge T420 cool and quiet. Benefiting from smart cooling fan speed control, the T420 can keep both high performance and good acoustics across a wide range of ambient temperatures from 10°C to 35°C (50°F to 95°F) and to extended ambient temperature ranges (see Table 26).
  • Page 31 One of the sound quality metrics in the Dell specification is prominence ratio of a tone, which is listed in Table 18.

  • Page 32: Table 18. Acoustical Performance

    Table 18 details the acoustical performance for the T420. Table 18. Acoustical performance Configuration Power Hard Operating Prominent (23 ± 2°C CPUs supply Memory card/HDD drives mode tones (bels) (dBA) ambient) unit controller 1 x 10GbE Yes, by hard 4 x 3.5“...

  • Page 33: Rack Rails And Cable Management

    The sliding rail system for the Dell PowerEdge T420 provides tool-less support for four-post racks with square or unthreaded round mounting holes. Compared to the T610 sliding rails that required the use of adapter brackets, the sliding rails for the T420 now offer support for threaded hole racks with the ReadyRails II mounting interface.

  • Page 34: Cable Management Arm

    For detailed information about sliding rails, see the Rack rail specifications section in Appendix A. For Rack Installation Instructions more information on installing the T420 in a rack, see the Dell.com/Support/Manuals. Cable management arm The optional CMA organizes and secures the cords and cables exiting the back of the server and unfolds to allow the server to extend out of the rack without having to detach the cables.

  • Page 35: Operating Systems And Virtualization

    The Dell PowerEdge T420 supports a wide range of industry-standard operating systems and virtualization software. Supported operating systems Table 20 lists the primary operating systems supported on the T420. For the latest information on supported operating systems, see Dell.com/OSsupport. Table 20.

  • Page 36: Supported Virtualization

    Enterprise Virtualization v3.1 FI = factory install; DIB = drop-in-box v4.1 U3 image is available from support.dell.com, either as an upgrade to v4.1 U2 or for a clean install No OpenManage support; drop-in-box license registration card only PowerEdge T420 Technical Guide...

  • Page 37: Dell Openmanage Systems Management

    Systems management solutions Dell systems management solutions include a wide variety of tools, products and services that enable you to leverage an existing systems management framework. As shown in Figure 10, Dell systems management solutions are centered around OpenManage server management, featuring iDRAC with Lifecycle Controller.

  • Page 38: Openmanage Systems Management

    Dell PowerEdge servers. iDRAC7 with Lifecycle Controller The Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller 7 (iDRAC7) with Lifecycle Controller is the heart of the second generation of Dell PowerEdge server embedded management functionality. In addition to enabling agent-free management, iDRAC7 with Lifecycle Controller provides remote access to the system —...

  • Page 39: Table 23. Feature Comparison For Basic Management, Idrac7 Express, And Idrac7 Enterprise

    Feature comparison The systems management default for the T420 is basic management with an upgrade option for iDRAC7 Express or iDRAC7 Enterprise. A detailed feature comparison of basic management, iDRAC7 Express, and iDRAC7 Enterprise is shown in Table 23.
  • Page 40 Most systems management solutions require pieces of software, called agents, to be installed on each node in order to be managed within the IT environment. Additionally, the same agent is often used as a local interface into the hardware health and may be accessed remotely as a management PowerEdge T420 Technical Guide...
  • Page 41  Dell Update Packages—The Dell Update Packages (DUP) is a self-contained executable in a standard package format that updates a software element on a Dell server such as the BIOS, a driver, firmware and other software updates. ...
  • Page 42  BMC Software—Dell and BMC Software work together to simplify IT by ensuring tight integration between Dell server, storage, and network management functionality and the BMC Software process and data center automation products.

  • Page 43: Dell Server Management Operations

    OpenManage Server Administrator.  Dell OpenManage Connection for IBM Tivoli Netcool/OMNIBus—This connection provides event monitoring capabilities to monitor Dell PowerEdge servers and Dell EqualLogic systems. It allows event monitoring, automatic event correlation, and launching device consoles from the Netcool/OMNIbus console.

  • Page 44: Table 24. One-To-One And One-To-Many Operations

    Machine Manager (SCVMM) Replace parts: Maintain  Dell Lifecycle Controller Integration (DLCI) for Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager Dell For additional detailed information on Dell’s systems management portfolio, see the OpenManage Systems Management Overview Guide on Dell.com/Support/Manuals. PowerEdge T420 Technical Guide...

  • Page 45: Appendix A. Additional Specifications

    Zb goes to the nominal back wall external surface where the I/O connectors reside. Chassis weight The maximum system weight for the T420 is 30.2 kg (66.57 lb). Power supply specifications Table 25 lists power supply specifications for the PowerEdge T420.

  • Page 46: Environmental Specifications

    Under typical line conditions and over the entire system ambient operating range, the inrush current may reach 55A per power supply for 10ms or less. Environmental specifications Table 26 details the environmental specifications for the T420. For additional information about environmental measurements for specific system configurations, see Dell.com/environmental_datasheets.

  • Page 47: Video Specifications

    2D Matrox G200. The video frame buffer (16MB) is contained within the iDRAC RAM (256MB) device. The T420 system supports the 2D graphics video modes listed in Table 27 and Table 28. Table 27. Supported video modes for back VGA port...

  • Page 48: Rack Rail Specifications

    CMA brackets removed (if applicable) as measured from the front mounting flanges of the rack. USB peripherals USB peripherals are supported through the front and back USB ports on the T420. These ports are USB 2.0 compliant. PowerEdge T420 Technical Guide...

  • Page 49: Appendix B. Standards Compliance

    Appendix B. Standards compliance The Dell PowerEdge T420 conforms to the industry standards listed in Table 30. Table 30. Industry standard documents Standard URL for information and specifications ACPI Advance Configuration and Power acpi.info Interface Specification, v2.0c Ethernet standards.ieee.org/getieee802/802.3.html IEEE 802.3-2005 microsoft.com/whdc/system/platform/pcdesign/desguide/serverdg.msp...

  • Page 50: Appendix C. Additional Resources

    Appendix C. Additional resources Table 31 provides a list of documents and websites that provide for more information on the Dell PowerEdge T420. Table 31. Additional resources Resource Description of contents Location PowerEdge T420 This manual, available in PDF format, provides the Dell.com/Support/Manuals...
  • Page 51 Volatility Contact your Dell sales representative. Dell.com/PowerEdge information Dell Enterprise White paper that explores the mechanisms of, people’s dell.com/downloads/global/ Acoustics reaction to, language of, and Dell’s work to control noise products/pedge/en/acoustic from enterprise products. al-education-dell- enterprise-white-paper.pdf PowerEdge T420 Technical Guide...

  • Page 52: Appendix D. System Board Block Diagram

    Appendix D. System board block diagram Figure 13. T420 system board block diagram PowerEdge T420 Technical Guide...

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