Blade Enclosure Overview; Introduction - Dell PowerEdge M1000e Technical Manual

1 Blade enclosure overview

Introduction

The Dell™ PowerEdge™ M1000e Modular Blade Enclosure is the rock-solid foundation for Dell's
blade server architecture, providing an extremely reliable, flexible and efficient platform for building
any IT infrastructure. The M1000e enclosure is built from the ground up to combat data center
sprawl and IT complexity, delivering one of the most energy efficient, flexible and manageable blade
server implementations on the market.
Leading energy efficiency
The M1000e enclosure takes advantage of its world-class design by coupling ultra-efficient power
supplies with large variable-speed fans and optimized airflow to effectively cool the entire chassis
while using less power.
Effortless scalability
Only Dell provides complete, scale-on-demand switch designs. With additional I/O slots and switch
options, you have the flexibility you need to meet ever-increasing demands for I/O consumption.
Plus, Dell's FlexIO modular switch technology lets you easily scale to provide additional uplink and
stacking functionality — no need to waste your current investment with a "rip and replace" upgrade.
Easy-to-use, powerful management tools
The M1000e helps reduce the cost and complexity of managing computing resources so you can
focus on growing your business or managing your organization with features such as:

Centralized Chassis Management Controller (CMC) modules for redundant, secure access paths
for IT administrators to manage multiple enclosures and blades from a single interface.

Dynamic and granular power management so you have the capability to set power thresholds to
help ensure your blades operate within your specific power envelope.

Real-time reporting for enclosure and blade power consumption, as well as the ability to
prioritize blade slots for power, providing you with optimal control over power resources.
FlexAddress technology: the simple, low-cost way to limit downtime
Dell's patent-pending FlexAddress™ technology allows any M-Series blade enclosure to assign the
World Wide Name (WWN) or Media Access Control (MAC) address of Fibre Channel, Ethernet and
iSCSI controllers to an M1000e blade slot instead of directly to the blade. By removing the network
and storage identity from the server hardware, you can upgrade and replace components or the
entire blade server without having to change the identity on the network or rezoning switches.
Unlike other solutions, which often require separate management interfaces and proprietary
hardware, FlexAddress works with any network and is implemented directly from the integrated
CMC by simply selecting the chassis slots and fabrics that you want to enable. FlexAddress delivers
persistent network and storage identities, equipping your data center to handle predictable or even
unplanned changes — add, upgrade, or remove servers without affecting your networks.
PowerEdge M1000e Technical Guide
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