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Executive summary
This document specifies the design of an HP BladeSystem c-Class server blade that serves as a
Microsoft® Windows® infrastructure server for provisioning line-of-business applications such as web
servers, mail servers, database servers and other mission-critical applications. This specification
outlines the use of this server blade design in several different scenarios as a modular component of a
Windows infrastructure in support of line-of-business application deployment. This specification
assumes a minimum level of Windows infrastructure support that includes DNS, DHCP and domain
and directory services. The specification adheres to Microsoft Windows Server System Reference
Architectural best practices and is intended to be used as a component of an HP Adaptive
Infrastructure.
Target audience: The intended audience is a solutions architect and/or technical consultant requiring
an understanding of automated provisioning of service/application/management updates using HP
ProLiant Essentials Rapid Deployment Pack on Industry Standard HP ProLiant servers.
Why server blades for the provisioning server?
Lower total cost of ownership (TCO)
Although the provisioning server is specific to c-Class blades, it is not restricted to them. The
provisioning server can be deployed on HP p-Class blades and ProLiant DL, and ML lines of servers.
However, there are distinct advantages to using c-Class blades over traditional rack mounted servers.
The total cost of ownership (TCO) analysis favors blades with respect to capital expenditures (each
additional blade purchase lowers total cost compared to its alternatives) and operating expenses
(requires less power and cooling, and less administrative staff). c-Class blades are ideal for large
scale deployment of blades where operating expenses are an issue. With the c-Class blade
enclosure’s shared backplane, you can take advantage of the economies of scale not found with
traditional rack mounted servers. With the integrated shared backplane, you won’t need to buy
additional network cards, cables, switches and supporting devices for each additional server blade
purchase. The c-Class blades are optimized for future growth.
Ease of manageability
With the HP c-Class Onboard Administrator (OA), managing multiple server blades has never been
easier. The OA provides a single point from which to perform basic management tasks on blades or
switches within the enclosure. The OA performs initial configuration steps for the enclosure, allows for
run-time management and configuration of the enclosure components, and informs you of problems
within the enclosure through e-mail, SNMP, or the enclosure’s Insight Display.
HP StorageWorks SB40c storage blade
Another reason for deploying c-Class blades for the provisioning server is the availability of industry’s
first storage blade from HP. Because the provisioning server can host numerous images locally on the
server blade, the SB40c storage blade from HP is an ideal solution. The SB40c consist of 6 disk
drives with an internal raid controller that sits next to a BladeSystem server providing up to 876
gigabytes of direct attached storage (DAS) capacity to each blade within an HP BladeSystem c-Class
enclosure.
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