Supermicro 8U SuperBlade, User Manual

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Chapter 1: Introduction
Power
The typical blade enclosure features a 2200W power system composed of four, six, or
eight power supply modules. An alternate configuration (and required for a full 10 or
20-blade system) features a total of four power supply modules for redundancy. This
power redundancy feature allows you to replace the failing power module while the
backup module takes over to keep the system running. You must have either two, four
or eight power supply modules installed in the blade enclosure (eight is recommended in
a full system).
The Chassis Management Module assumes the worst case (maximum) power for any
model of blade prior to applying power. If the power supplies cannot supply that amount
of the required power for the given load on the power supplies, then the CMM will not
allow that unit to power up. After a blade is powered up, the blade’s BIOS calculates the
actual power load required by the blade based upon the installed devices and informs
the CMM of its requirements. The CMM then adjusts the remaining supply of power for
additional blades based upon the actual delta of the total power, minus the amount of
power being used by the blades that are powered on.
Middle Plane
The middle plane connects the various capabilities of the blades, such as the various
speed switch(es) to Network Interface Controller(s), the Chassis Management Module
(CMM) to the USB devices and the InfiniBand Switch to the Host Channel Adapters.
These devices all connect to the middle plane through high density connectors that
provide both signals and power. This type of configuration reduces the amount of
system cabling and simplifies the task of setting up the system. It provides an alternative
signals route to support redundant power, CMM, network and IPMI functions.
NOTE: Signaling information can NOT be physically routed from one blade to another.
LEDs
Two LEDs are located at the right top of the enclosure above the last or right most
blade. The left LED provides Power Status information and the right LED is the Fault
LED.
Enclosure Cooling
The cooling for the entire blade system is provided by the fans in the power supply
modules or optional fans that can be installed in place of a power supply. If a power
supply fails, its fans will continue to operate to provide continuous cooling. For this
reason, a failed power supply should remain installed in the enclosure until a
replacement unit is ready.
NOTE: Fans are controlled by Auto Mode or User Mode (User Mode from level 1 to 10).
WARNING: The fans are very noisy at full speed and it is recommended that they not be run
at full speed when in use in an office or near populated workstations.