IBM BladeCenter HX5
18
I/O expansion options
The HX5 server offers the following PCI Express 2.0 slots. Neither are hot-swap.
CIOv expansion slot
CFFh expansion slot
The CIOv I/O expansion connector provides I/O connections through the midplane of the chassis to
modules located in bays 3 and 4 of a supported BladeCenter chassis. It is a PCIe 2.0 x8 slot.
The CFFh I/O expansion connector provides I/O connections to high-speed switch modules that are
located in bays 7, 8, 9, and 10 of a BladeCenter H or BladeCenter HT chassis, or to switch bay 2 in a
BladeCenter S chassis. The CFFh slot is a PCIe x16 slot.
The MAX5 does not include any I/O expansion slots.
Some models include the IBM BladeCenter PCIe Gen 2 Expansion Blade as standard. This expansion
blade is optional on others. The expansion blade provides the capability to attach selected PCI Express
cards to the HX5. This capability is ideal for many applications that require special telecommunications
network interfaces or hardware acceleration using a PCI Express card.
The expansion blade provides one full-height and full-length PCI Express slot and one full-height and
half-length PCI Express slot with a maximum power usage of 75 watts for each slot. It integrates PCI
Express card support capability into the BladeCenter architecture. Up to three expansion blades can be
attached to a single-node HX5. Up to two expansion blades can be attached to a two-node HX5. The
following table lists the external SAS cable for external storage expansion enclosures.
Table 12. Expansion blades
Part
number
Feature
code
Description
Maximum supported
46M6730*
9295*
IBM BladeCenter PCI Express Gen 2 Expansion Blade
Single-node HX5: 3
Two-node HX5: 2
68Y7484
A247
IBM BladeCenter PCI Express Gen 2 Expansion Blade II
Single-node HX5: 3
Two-node HX5: 2
* Withdrawn from marketing
For details, see the IBM Redbooks Product Guide
IBM BladeCenter PCI Express Gen 2 Expansion Blade
and PCI Express Gen 2 Expansion Blade II
, available at:
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/abstracts/tips0783.html?Open
