IBM BladeCenter S

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Table of contents

Introduction Did you know? Key features Locations of key components Standard specifications Models Supported servers Supported I/O modules I/O architecture Disk Storage Module

SAS RAID Controller Module SAS Connectivity Module Media Tray Serial Pass-thru Module Advanced Management Module Power supplies Physical specifications Supported environment Warranty options Regulatory compliance

External disk storage systems External backup units Top-of-rack Ethernet switches Power distribution units Uninterruptible power supply units Rack cabinets Rack options IBM Global Financing Related publications and links

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Introduction

IBM® BladeCenter® remains an innovative solution to running business solutions. IBM BladeCenter builds on the IBM commitment to integrating server, storage, and networking functionality with technology exchange and heterogeneous management. IBM BladeCenter offers the ease, density, availability, affordability, and scalability that are central to the blade technology promise.

IBM BladeCenter S combines the power of blade servers with integrated storage, all in an easy-to-use package that is designed specifically for the office and distributed enterprise environment. The BladeCenter S chassis can hold up to six blade servers, and up to 12 hot-swap 3.5-inch or 24 hot-swap 2.5-inch disk drives in just 7U of rack space.

The IBM BladeCenter S is shown in Figure 1.


Figure 1. The IBM BladeCenter S

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Did you know?

Unlike the BladeCenter E and BladeCenter H chassis, the BladeCenter S is designed to operate on either 110 V or 220 V power. It is also designed to run in an office environment with the IBM BladeCenter S Office Enablement Kit. The combination of these features means that the BladeCenter S is ideal for customers with a distributed IT infrastructure where there is no dedicated computer room.

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Key features

This section lists the key features of IBM BladeCenter S chassis.

Performance

The BladeCenter S chassis offers numerous features to boost performance and reduce costs:

• Support for the latest generation of IBM BladeCenter blades, helping to provide performance and investment protection.
• Blade servers communicate directly to switch modules inside the BladeCenter chassis via redundant midplane links to help increase the speed and efficiency of data transfers across blade servers and networks.
• A blade server that is installed in a BladeCenter S has access to as many as four internal switches, which means that up to eight I/O ports can be enabled from each server that is installed in the chassis.

Flexibility and scalability

The BladeCenter S chassis can grow with your application requirements with these features:

• BladeCenter Virtual Fabric delivers a flexible, open, and connected infrastructure to help optimize application performance. BladeCenter supports many fabrics, including Ethernet, Fibre Channel, InfiniBand, iSCSI, and SAS.
• Support for both x86 servers and Power Systems™ servers in a single chassis.
• BladeCenter S can be used in either 220 V or 110 V power environments. Couple this flexibility with the office-friendly Office Enablement Kit and BladeCenter S fits well in a standard back-office environment, as well as in a data center.
• The two Disk Storage Modules support up to 24 TB of share storage that is integrated into the chassis, providing flexibility and convenience in your application design and data placement.
• The Disk Storage Modules are available either with 3.5-inch drive bays or with 2.5-inch drive bays
• A complete integrated offering is provided with space for servers, networking, and shared storage - all in one 7U modular design enclosure.
• Available Serial Pass-thru Module provides a dedicated serial port to every blade server in the chassis for the applications that need it.
• The BladeCenter server form factor has remained the same since 2002, which means that most servers that are designed for BladeCenter are supported in all BladeCenter chassis. This continuity maximizes flexibility and manageability.

Manageability and security

Powerful systems management features simplify local and remote management of the BladeCenter S chassis:

• The high degree of integration in the various BladeCenter chassis reduces the need for server components, replacing numerous fans, keyboard/video/mouse (KVM) and Ethernet cables, power supplies, external switches, and other components.
• Each BladeCenter chassis includes an Advanced Management Module (AMM). The AMM boosts administrator productivity and reduces skill level requirements, which can help reduce costs, improve overall productivity, and make administration easier.
• Unlike traditional servers and some competitive blades with a myriad of separate management tools, the AMM provides a single point of control for the solution and supports many industry-standard, open protocols.
• The AMM provides systems management capabilities, including web-based out-of-band control; virtual media support; Windows “blue screen” error capture; Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) support; and remote redirection of video, text, keyboard, and mouse for the chassis and the components that are installed in the chassis.
• IBM Systems Director remains a powerful and intelligent solution to manage BladeCenter systems with rack mount and tower servers. Systems Director exploits the hardware’s capabilities by surfacing pertinent information about your blade server. The easy-to-use wizards provide step-by-step instructions and offer automated deployment capabilities.
• IBM Fabric Manager simplifies the deployment of infrastructure connections by managing network and storage address assignments.
• Integrated industry-standard Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) in supported servers enables improved setup, configuration, and updates, and simplifies error handling.
• Integrated Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 1.2 in supported servers enables advanced cryptographic functionality, such as digital signatures and remote attestation.

Availability and serviceability

The BladeCenter S chassis provides many features to simplify serviceability and increase system uptime:

• BladeCenter reduces the number of parts that are required to run the system. Sharing fans, power supplies, systems management, and ports means fewer parts to buy and maintain, and fewer components that can fail and cause downtime.
• Hot-swap components, such as the server, switches, power supplies, and blowers, ensures maximum uptime.
• Redundant components, such as blowers and power supplies, and available RAID support for the drives in the Disk Storage Modules (DSMs) ensures that systems can remain available even during hardware failures.
• The Predictive Failure Analysis (PFA) detects when system components (processors, memory, and hard disk drives) operate outside of standard thresholds and generates proactive alerts in advance of a possible failure, therefore increasing uptime.
• Dual independent power and signal connectors to the BladeCenter chassis midplane provide fault tolerance to increase uptime.
• Tool-less cover removal provides easy access to upgrades and serviceable parts, such as CPU, memory, and adapters.
• A standard three-year (parts and labor) limited on-site warranty affords customers peace of mind and greater potential investment protection.

Energy efficiency

The BladeCenter S chassis has an energy-efficient design with features that include the following functions:

• The IBM BladeCenter family features the industry’s most energy-efficient design. The various BladeCenter chassis use ultra-high efficiency power supplies. BladeCenter power modules are up to 91% efficient at converting power from ac wall current to the dc power that is used inside servers. This efficiency helps save money because more of the power input for which the customer is paying is used for processing, rather than released into the data center as wasted heat.
• Environmentally tuned blower/fan modules in the chassis adjust to compensate for changing thermal characteristics. At the lower speeds, they draw less power and suffer less wear. Equally important in a crowded data center, temperature-controlled blowers and fans produce less ambient noise in the data center than if they ran constantly at full speed.
• Low-voltage Intel Xeon processors and low-voltage dual inline memory modules (DIMMs) in supported servers draw less energy to satisfy demands of power and thermally constrained data centers and telecommunication environments.
• IBM Systems Director Active Energy Manager™ provides advanced power management features with actual real-time energy monitoring, reporting, and capping features.

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Locations of key components

Figure 2 shows the front of the IBM BladeCenter S chassis.


Figure 2. Front of the IBM BladeCenter S chassis

Figure 3 shows the rear of the IBM BladeCenter S chassis.


Figure 3. Rear of the IBM BladeCenter S chassis

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Standard specifications

The following table lists the standard specifications.

Table 1. Standard specifications

Components	Specification
Machine type	System x sales channel: 8886 Power Systems sales channel: 7779
Form factor	7U rack-mounted unit.
Maximum number of servers supported	Up to six server blades in six bays. Supports double-wide servers or servers with expansion blades.
Systems supported	All IBM BladeCenter servers.
Nodes per 42U rack	Up to 42 servers in six chassis.
Storage subsystem	Two front-accessible bays for disk storage modules. Each storage module can house up to six 3.5-inch disk drives (12 drives total) or up to 12 2.5-inch disk drives (24 drives total). Storage accessible from installed blade servers via SAS expansion cards in the servers and SAS modules in the chassis. Use of the SAS RAID Controller Module provides integrated RAID and SAS-based storage area networking capabilities. SAS RAID Controller Module includes front-accessible battery backup unit. The 12x 2.5-inch disk storage modules require the SAS RAID Controller Module (SAS Controller Module not supported).
Advanced Management Modules	One Advanced Management Module (AMM), non-redundant, hot-swap, rear access, comprehensive system management functions; PowerPC® 440GP controller. Communicates with integrated system management processor on each blade server. Complete KVM switch local functionality.
Media tray	Two USB ports and optional Multiburner optical drive connectable to any one blade server; switchable via buttons on media tray or remote via the AMM web interface.
Ports	AMM: DB-15 analog video port. Dual USB 2.0 for keyboard and mouse. Serial (RJ45). 10/100 Ethernet remote management. Media tray: Two USB 2.0 ports that are connectable to any server (not shareable). Rear: Optional serial pass-thru module in dedicated bay to supply one serial port for each blade bay.
I/O architecture	Up to four I/O modules that support either 1 Gb Ethernet (some modules with 10 Gb uplinks), 4 Gb or 8 Gb Fibre Channel, or 3 Gb SAS connections for each of the blade servers. Bay 1 routes server onboard Ethernet; bay 2 routes CFFh expansion adapter (ports 1 & 2 only, limited adapter support); bays 3 and 4 route CIOv or CFFv expansion adapter in each server.
Power modules	Up to four hot-swap power modules. Supports 110 V and 220 V supply. Rear access. Supplies power to chassis components up to 1450 W at 220 V or 950 W at 110 V. Supports redundancy within pair. Power modules 1 and 2 supply power to all blade bays and components. Power modules 3 and 4 needed for high-performance servers or higher redundancy modes or if storage module 2 installed. Models 1Tx, ETx, and EVx have IEC320-C14 sockets; other models have C20 sockets.
Fan modules	Four fan modules standard and maximum. Hot-swap and redundant, variable speed, rear access, front to back airflow.
System LED panel	Front and rear information panels. Provides power-on, location, over-temperature, information, and system-error conditions.

Declared sound level	6.8 bels.
Temperature	Operating air temperature: 10°C - 35°C (50°F to 95°F) up to 900 m (3,000 ft) 10°C - 32°C (50°F to 90°F) up to 2,100 m (7,000 ft)
Electrical power	Input power: 100 - 127 V or 200 - 240 V ac (nominal), 50 or 60 Hz.
Power consumption	3,500 watts maximum.
Power cords	One rack power cable is supplied with each power module.
Dimensions	mm (12 in). mm (17.5 in). Depth: 733 mm (28.9 in).
Weight	40 - 108 kg (90 - 240 lb).
Limited warranty	Three-year customer-replaceable unit and on-site limited warranty with 9x5/NBD.
Service and support	Optional service upgrades are available through IBM ServicePacs: Four-hour or two-hour response time, eight-hour fix time, one-year or two-year warranty extension.

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Models

The following table lists the specifications of the standard and express models.

Table 2. Standard and express models

Model	8886-1Tx Standard model	8886-ETx Express model	8886-EVx Express model
Server bays (six maximum)	6	6	6
AMM (one maximum)	1	1	1
High-speed I/O module bays*	None	None	None
Standard I/O module bays (four maximum)	4 open	4 open	4 open
I/O modules standard	None	1x SAS Connectivity	2x SAS RAID Controller
SAS RAID battery modules	Optional	Optional	2
Storage modules (two maximum)	Optional	1 (six 3.5-inch drive bays)	2 (12x 3.5-inch drive bays)
Drives (12 maximum)	Optional	Open	Open
Power supplies (four maximum)	2x 1450 W C14	4x 1450 W C14	4x 1450 W C14
Fans (four maximum)	4	4	4
Optical drive	Optional	Multiburner	Multiburner

* Only BladeCenter H and HT support high-speed I/O module bays.

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Supported servers

The following table lists the supported blade servers in the IBM BladeCenter S. The table lists the maximum number of installable servers based on the Intel processors that are installed in the servers.

Table 3. Supported blade servers and maximum quantities

Description	Machine type	Maximum number of servers per BC-S chassis
BladeCenter HS12	8028	6
BladeCenter HS22	7870	Processors 95 W and lower: 6 Processors 130 W: 5
BladeCenter HS22V	7871	Processors 95 W and lower: 6 Processors 130 W: 5
BladeCenter HS23 (E5-2600 v2)	7875	6
BladeCenter HS23 (E5-2600)	7875	6
BladeCenter HS23E	8038	6
BladeCenter HX5	7872 and 7873	Single wide with processors 105 W and lower: 5 Single wide with processors 130 W: 4 HX5+MAX5 double-wide: 2
BladeCenter PS700	8406	6
BladeCenter PS701	8406	6
BladeCenter PS702	8406	3 (double-wide)
BladeCenter PS703	7891	6
BladeCenter PS704	7891	3 (double-wide)

See IBM ServerProven® at the following web address for the latest information about the servers that are supported in the IBM BladeCenter S chassis:
ibm.com/servers/eserver/serverproven/compat/us/

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Supported I/O modules

The IBM BladeCenter S has four switch bays that can support various architectures. The switches are installed in switch bays in the rear of the chassis as shown in Figure 3.

The following table lists the switches that are supported in the BladeCenter S.

Table 4. I/O modules and upgrades

Description	Part number	x-config (XCC) feature code	e-config (AAS) feature code
Ethernet switches
Cisco Catalyst Switch Module 3012	43W4395	5450	3174
Cisco Catalyst Switch Module 3012	46C9272	A3FE	3174
IBM Server Connectivity Module	39Y9324	1484	3220
IBM L2/3 Copper GbE Switch Module	32R1860	1495	3212
IBM L2/3 Fiber GbE Switch Module	32R1861	1496	3213
IBM L2-7 Gb Ethernet Switch Module	32R1859	1494	3211
IBM 1/10Gb Uplink Ethernet Switch Module	44W4404	1590	1590
Fibre Channel switches
Cisco 4Gb 10 port FC Switch Module	39Y9284	2984	3241
Cisco 4Gb 10 port FC Switch Module	44E5692	A3FG	3241
QLogic 20-Port 8Gb SAN Switch Module	44X1905	5478	3284
QLogic 20-Port 4/8Gb SAN Switch Module	88Y6406	A24C	None
QLogic 8Gb Intelligent Pass-Thru Module	44X1907	5482	5449
QLogic 4/8Gb Intelligent Pass-Thru Module	88Y6410	A24D	None
SAS modules
SAS Connectivity Module	39Y9195	2980	3267
SAS RAID Controller Module	43W3584	3734	None
Pass-through and interconnect modules
Intelligent Copper Pass-Thru Module	44W4483	5452	5452

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I/O architecture

The BladeCenter S chassis provides connection paths between the server blade bays and I/O or switch bays through a hardwired midplane as shown in Figure 4.


Figure 4. BladeCenter S I/O topology

Each of six blade bays has six dedicated I/O connections that are linked to four I/O bays, as shown in Figure 4:

• The two ports of the onboard Gigabit Ethernet controller in each blade server are both routed to I/O bay 1 in the chassis.
• Port 1 of the CIOv card in each blade server is routed to I/O bay 3.
• Port 2 of the CIOv card in each blade server is routed to I/O bay 4.
• Ports 1 and 2 of the CFFh card in each blade server are both routed to I/O bay 2.

In addition, I/O bays 3 and 4 have special wiring to enable the support of the disk drives that are installed in the integrated Disk Storage Modules (DSMs). This wiring consists of four x4 SAS links between these bays and DSMs (two links per I/O bay 3 or 4 connected to different DSMs). SAS links are only used when the DSMs are installed.

The following table shows the connections between adapter slots in the compute nodes to the switch bays in the chassis.

Table 5. Adapter to I/O bay correspondence

I/O adapter in each server	Port on the adapter	Corresponding I/O module bay in the chassis
Onboard 1 Gb Ethernet	Port 1	I/O bay 1
	Port 2	I/O bay 1
Onboard 10 Gb Ethernet (HS23)*	Port 1	I/O bay 2
	Port 2	I/O bay 2
CIOv adapter	Port 1	I/O bay 3
	Port 2	I/O bay 4
CFFh adapter**	Port 1	I/O bay 2
	Port 2	I/O bay 2
	Port 3	Not connected
	Port 4	Not connected

* Requires the 10Gb LOM Interposer Card be installed in HS23. Both 10 GbE ports are routed to the I/O bay 2 of the BladeCenter S chassis and operate at 1 Gbps speed.
** The only CFFh adapter that is supported in servers that are installed in the BladeCenter S is the 2/4 Port Ethernet Expansion Card (CFFh) for IBM BladeCenter, 44W4479.

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Disk Storage Module

The BladeCenter S chassis supports internal disk storage with the addition of one or two Disk Storage Modules (DSMs). Two DSMs are available as shown in the following table - a 6-drive DSM supporting 3.5-inch hot-swap disk drives and a 12-drive DSM supporting 2.5-inch hot-swap disk drives. Figure 2 shows the BladeCenter S with the 6-drive DSMs installed. The following figure shows the 12-drive DSM.


Figure 5. BladeCenter S with two IBM BladeCenter S 12-Disk Storage Modules

The DSM is fundamentally a collection of disk drives that are made accessible to blade servers through a SAS switch module in the chassis and a SAS expansion card in each blade. You can install a maximum of two DSMs in the BladeCenter S chassis. The following table shows the ordering information. It is not supported to have one 12-drive DSM and one 6-drive DSM installed in the same chassis.

Table 6. Ordering part number and feature code

Part number	Feature code	Description	Maximum supported
43W3581	1583	IBM BladeCenter S 6-Disk Storage Module	2
49Y3234	A3KS	IBM BladeCenter S 12-Disk Storage Module	2

Drives are assigned directly to blades by using built-in predefined configurations or through user-defined custom configurations. Both storage modules are accessible to all blades via a one or two SAS switch module. The SAS switch module is responsible for both the provisioning of physical disk drives through zoning and for failover redundancy when two SAS switch modules are present.

The use of the second SAS switch module provides higher levels of availability. When two SAS switch modules are installed, the modules provide redundant functionality because each module is able to access all hard disks in both storage modules. This enterprise-class redundant architecture allows the transparent data protection of all storage that is contained within the storage modules. With this enterprise-class redundant architecture, you can conduct the online replacement of either module.

The SAS Connectivity Card that is installed in each blade server connects the RAID controller in the blade server to the SAS switch in the chassis.

The following table lists the drives that are supported in the 6-drive and 12-drive DSMs. The table also lists which drives are supported in by the two SAS modules. The 12-drive DSM only supports the SAS RAID Controller Module so no 2.5-inch drives are supported with the SAS Connectivity Module.

Note: These supported 6 Gbps drives will operate at 3 Gbps when installed in the DSMs.

Table 7. Supported disk drives (Part 1 - 3.5" drives)

Part number	Feature code	Description	Maximum supported	Supported by SAS Connectivity Module	Supported by SAS RAID Controller Module
3.5-inch drives - supported in the IBM BladeCenter S 6-Disk Storage Module only
42D0767	5417	IBM 2 TB 7.2K 6 Gbps NL SAS 3.5" HS HDD	6 per DSM (12 total)	Yes	Yes
42D0777	5418	IBM 1 TB 7.2K 6 Gbps NL SAS 3.5" HS HDD	6 per DSM (12 total)	Yes	Yes
43W7630	5561	IBM 1 TB 7200 Dual Port SATA 3.5" HS HDD	6 per DSM (12 total)	Yes	No
44W2234	5311	IBM 300 GB 15K 6 Gbps SAS 3.5" Hot-Swap HDD	6 per DSM (12 total)	Yes	Yes
44W2239	5312	IBM 450 GB 15K 6 Gbps SAS 3.5" Hot-Swap HDD	6 per DSM (12 total)	Yes	Yes
44W2244	5313	IBM 600 GB 15K 6 Gbps SAS 3.5" Hot-Swap HDD	6 per DSM