Optimized for virtualization and database applications with maximum
memory and compute capacity in a blade
Please see the Legal Information section for important notices and information.
10.
Light Path Diagnostics
Light path diagnostics enables a technician to quickly identify and locate a failed or failing
system component, such as a specific blower module or memory DIMM. This enables quick
replacement of the component, which helps increase server uptime and lower servicing costs.
The front of each blade server—and the chassis itself—has an LED indicator light to show
possible component failures. This lets the servicer identify the failing component without the
need to or remove the blade server from the chassis. The light path diagnostics panel tells the
servicer which component of the affected server requires attention.
In addition, many components have their own identifying LEDs. For example, each of the
memory modules has an LED next to the socket, as do both processors. This allows the servicer
to easily identify exactly which component needs servicing. By following the “light path,” the
component can be replaced quickly, and without guesswork. (
Note:
In the event of a failed
DIMM, the system will restart and mark the DIMM as bad while offline, thus allowing the system
to continue running, with reduced memory capacity, until serviced.)
Gigabit Ethernet Controller
The HX5 includes a
dual-port
integrated
Broadcom BCM5709S
Gigabit Ethernet controller for
up to 10X higher maximum throughput than a 10/100 Ethernet controller. The controller offers
TOE
(TCP Offload Engine) support, as well as
failover
and
load balancing
for better
throughput and system availability. It also supports highly secure remote power management
using
IPMI 2.0
, plus Wake on LAN
®
and PXE (Preboot Execution Environment) Flash interface.
If
2
ports aren’t enough, optional
2-port
or
4-port Ethernet
expansion cards can be used for
additional ports. For example, the
CIOv
slot can hold a
2-port
card, the
CFFh
slot supports a
4-
port
card, and a
bridge module
can add another
2 ports
, for a total of
10
Gigabit Ethernet ports
per HX5 blade.
High-Performance Adapter Slots
The HX5 blade server includes
two PCIe
adapter slots.
They support
CFF
(compact form factor)
cards:
one
standard-speed
CIOv
and
one
high-speed
CFFh
card.
Note:
The SSD expansion
card is installed in the upper I/O slot. When SSDs are installed, both I/O slots are still available
for use.
Adding a second HX5 blade for a 2-wide 4-socket server doubles the number of PCIe card slots.
The
BladeCenter
PCI Express I/O Expansion Unit 3
(BPE3) adds
2 standard full-height/full-
length x16
physical
/x8
electrical (
4GBps
)
PCIe
Gen 1
expansion card slots, supporting
adapters of up to
25W
apiece to an HS22. One BPE3 can be connected per HS22 blade, for a
total of
3
available slots (
1
in the blade and
2
in the expansion unit).
Note:
The BPE3 reserves
the high-speed CFFh expansion connector in the HS22, leaving only the CIOv slot available.
Similarly, the optional
BladeCenter PCI Express Gen 2 Expansion Blade (BPE4)
adds
1
standard
full-height/full length
and
1
standard
full-height/half-length x16
physical/
x8
mechanical (
8GBps
) PCIe Gen 2 expansion card slot per HS22 blade. These slots support two
industry-standard PCIe adapters, up to
75W
per adapter. The
BladeCenter PCI Express Gen 2
Expansion Blade
offers a unique stacking feature that allows clients to stack up to
4
expansion
blades per HS22 blade, offering up to an additional 8 PCIe slots per HS22 blade.
Note:
Unlike
the BPE3, the BPE4 does
not
reserve the high-speed CFFh expansion connector in the HS22,
leaving
both
slots available in the server.
If I/O slots are a greater need than processors or memory, attaching multiple I/O expansion units
to one blade server is much more cost-effective than installing multiple blade servers for the
same number of adapter slots.
Adapters can be used to add fabrics to BladeCenter switch modules, including 10Gb Ethernet,
additional Gigabit Ethernet controllers, CNA, Fibre Channel, InfiniBand, SAS, etc.
BladeCenter Chassis
IBM’s blade architecture offers
five
choices
of compatible and interoperable chassis in which to
use various blade servers. Each chassis serves different customer needs. The
BladeCenter S
is
a small, entry-level chassis designed for office environments. The original chassis (refreshed
with the latest Advanced Management Modules and power supply modules) offers maximum
density, great flexibility and a wide variety of expansion options at an entry-level price. The next-
generation
BladeCenter H
chassis offers all of BladeCenter’s capabilities, and adds high-
performance features, including 10Gb fabric support. If you need a
ruggedized
chassis (for
example, government/military or telecom),
BladeCenter T
offers special features optimized for
those environments. The next-generation
BladeCenter HT
is a high-performance
ruggedized
telecommunications platform, also supporting 10Gb fabrics.
HX5 is supported in the BladeCenter
