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.
12.
your overall data center support costs. It does this by inventorying all components at the blade
level, then adding up the power draw for each blade and tracking that usage. In failure mode,
Active Energy Manager (through the BladeCenter Management Module) might request that certain
blades in each domain throttle down to reduce power consumption.
Automatic Server Restart
(ASR) helps reduce downtime by restarting the server automatically
in the event of a system lockup. ASR technology is a combination of hardware circuitry tied into
the server’s system reset function and a device driver. As long as the server continues running,
the ASR watchdog timer will keep being reset, but if the operating system crashes or the
hardware freezes somehow the ASR software will be unable to reset the hardware timer. If the
timer is not reset within five minutes, it automatically triggers the ASR hardware, which
immediately restarts the server (and logs an ASR event with IBM Systems Director). These
features are designed so that
no more than five minutes can pass before the server is restarted
.
Text and Graphics Console Redirect
support allows the administrator to remotely view HX5
text and graphics messages over serial or LAN.
Wake on LAN
permits the server to be remotely powered on if it has been shut off. Once
powered up, the server can be controlled across the network, using the
Preboot Execution
Environment
(PXE).
Like Wake on LAN,
PXE
is system firmware. It allows software such as the
IBM Remote
Deployment Manager
to take control of a system before the BIOS, operating system or
applications are loaded (using Wake on LAN/PXE) and lets an administrator perform many low-
level tasks remotely that would otherwise require a visit to each system. These tasks may
include such things as formatting a hard disk drive, updating system firmware, or deploying a
Windows or Linux operating system.
Predictive Failure Analysis
(PFA)
enables the AMM and the IMM to detect impending failure of
supported components (processors; memory; expansion cards; switch, blower and power
supplies; and hard disk drives) before actual failure, and alert the administrator through IBM
Systems Director. This gives you the ability to replace the failing component
before
it fails,
resulting in increased uptime.
Embedded Dynamic System Analysis (DSA) feature
collects and analyzes system
information to aid in diagnosing problems. The diagnostic programs collect the following
information:
•
System configuration
•
Network interfaces and settings
•
Installed hardware
•
Service processor status and configuration
•
Vital product data, firmware, and BIOS configuration
•
Hard disk drive health
•
RAID controller configuration
•
Event logs for ServeRAID controllers and service processors
The diagnostic programs create a merged log that includes events from all collected logs. The
information is collected into a file that you can send to IBM service and support. Additionally, you
can view the information locally through a generated text report file, or you can copy the log to
removable media and view the log from a Web browser.
IBM Systems Director
software for advanced workgroup management is included with the
server. IBM Systems Director comes with a portfolio of tools, including
Active Energy Manager,
Service and Support Manager
, and other tools.
System Availability
(a no-charge download) and
Capacity Manager
(sold separately) are available as add-ons for additional server management
and increased availability. IBM Systems Director provides a single uniform graphical interface for
all of these systems management functions.
IBM Systems Director enables you to customize thresholds and monitor system components (for
things like temperature, voltage regulation, etc.) to help maximize uptime.
