Midplane; Figure 10. Midplane - Dell PowerEdge M1000e Technical Manual

4 Midplane

Though hidden from view in an actively running system, the midplane is the focal point for all
connectivity within the M1000e modular system. The midplane is a large printed circuit board
providing power distribution, fabric connectivity, and system management infrastructure.
Additionally it allows airflow paths for the front-to-back cooling system through ventilation holes.

Figure 10. Midplane

As is requisite for fault-tolerant systems, the M1000e midplane is completely passive, with no hidden
stacking midplanes or interposers with active components. I/O fabrics and system management are
fully redundant from each hot-pluggable item. The system management Ethernet fabric is fully
redundant when two CMCs are installed, with two point-to-point connections from each server
module.
PowerEdge M1000e Technical Guide
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