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Workhorse 2-socket dual and quad-core
Intel Xeon blade server
Please see the Legal Information section for important notices and information.
3.
wide, with a variety of memory, storage and I/O options, depending on need.
• Xeon processor-based HS21 blades can be used in the same chassis as Intel processor-based
HS20/HS40 blades, Opteron processor-based LS20/LS21/LS41 blades, and IBM PowerPC
®
processor-based JS20/JS21 blades. Depending on the blade servers used, the various
BladeCenter chassis support Microsoft Windows, Linux, Netware, IBM AIX
®
and Sun Solaris 10
operating systems in the same chassis.
• Every HS/LS/JS blade server ever released by IBM is supported in BladeCenter H, and most are
supported in every BladeCenter chassis ever released, going back to 2002. Every switch module
released by IBM is equally compatible. (Ask HP and Dell how far back their compatibility goes.)
Future blades and fabric switches are expected to continue to be compatible with previous chassis
for the foreseeable future.
• A blade server has access to as many as 10 communication switches and/or bridges in one
BladeCenter H chassis. (Up to 6 switches in a BladeCenter or BladeCenter T chassis.) And the
switches can be Ethernet, iSCSI, InfiniBand, Fibre Channel, Myrinet, or anything else designed and
ServerProven for BladeCenter use. Switches, bridges and interface cards are currently available
from such vendors as Brocade, Cisco, Intel, McData, Nortel, QLogic, Cisco Topspin and others, in
addition to IBM.
Manageability
• The HS21 blade server includes a Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) to monitor server
availability, perform Predictive Failure Analysis, etc., and trigger IBM Director alerts.
• Each BladeCenter chassis includes a Management Module or Advanced Management Module
to provide additional systems management capabilities, including Web-based out-of-band control;
virtual floppy and CD-ROM support; Windows “blue screen” error capture; LDAP and SSL support;
and remote redirection of video, text, keyboard and mouse.
• Integrated industry-standard IPMI 2.0 support works with the BMC to alert IBM Director to
anomalous environmental factors, such as voltage and thermal conditions. It also supports highly
secure remote power control.
• IBM PowerExecutive, an IBM-exclusive, is designed to take advantage of new system power
management features, by monitoring actual power usage and providing power consumption
capping features. More accurate power usage data helps with data center construction planning and
the sizing of power and cooling needs, as well as allowing you to use available power more
efficiently.
• The HS21 supports an optional feature card that provides concurrent KVM (cKVM) and
concurrent media (cMedia) access by multiple administrators at once. (This card uses a dedicated
slot and does not affect the use of PCI-X/PCI-E adapters.)
• IBM Director 5.1x is included for proactive systems management and works with both the blade’s
internal BMC and the chassis’ management module. It comes with a portfolio of tools, including IBM
PowerExecutive, Management Processor Assistant, RAID Manager, Update Assistant, and
Software Distribution. In addition, IBM Director offers extended systems management tools for
additional server management and increased availability. When a problem is encountered, IBM
Director can issue administrator alerts via e-mail, pager, and other methods.
Availability and Serviceability
• BladeCenter chassis are designed for operation with greatly reduced potential for single points
of failure. Most aspects of operation, from blade servers to communication modules, to
management modules, to power and blower modules, are hot-swappable. The midplane
connections are redundant and the other features can be made so, when used in pairs.
• HS21 blade servers support the use of Chipkill-enabled memory DIMMs. Chipkill memory can be
up to 16X better than standard ECC memory at correcting some types of memory errors. This can
help reduce downtime caused by memory errors.
• IPMI 2.0 supports highly secure remote system power on/off using data encryption. This allows an
administrator to restart a server without having to visit it in person, saving travel time and getting the
server back up and running quickly and securely.
• Environmentally tuned blower modules in the chassis adjust to compensate for changing
thermal characteristics. At the lower speeds they draw less power and suffer less wear. Equally
important in a crowded data center, temperature-controlled blowers produce less ambient noise in
the data center than if they were constantly running at full speed.
• Text and graphics console redirection support allows the administrator to remotely view HS21
2
For terms and conditions or copies of the IBM Statement of Limited Warranty, call 800-772-2227 in the U.S. In Canada call 800-426-2255.
Telephone support may be subject to additional charges. For warranties including onsite labor, a technician is sent after IBM attempts to
resolve the problem remotely. International warranty service is available in any country in which this product is sold.