Filter
Top Products
6 Nortel Networks L2/3 Ethernet Switch Module for IBM Eserver BladeCenter
2.1.2 IBM Eserver BladeCenter system management
To get the most value from your IBM Eserver BladeCenter investment throughout its life
cycle, you need smart, effective systems management which will keep your availability high
and costs low.
Management foundation
IBM Director, our acclaimed industry standards-based workgroup software, delivers
comprehensive management capability for IntelliStation®, ThinkCentre, ThinkPad, and
IBM Eserver BladeCenter and xSeries hardware to help reduce costs and improve
productivity. IBM Director is hardware that is designed for intelligent systems management. It
offers the best tools in the industry and can save you time and money by increasing
availability, tracking assets, optimizing performance, and enabling remote maintenance.
Advanced server management
This exclusive collection of software utilities provides advanced server management and
maximum availability through the following components:
Server Plus Pack
Application Workload Manager
Scalable Systems Manager
Real-Time Diagnostics
Electronic Service Agent™
Tape Drive Management Assistant
For more information about advanced server management, see:
http://www-1.ibm.com/servers/eserver/xseries/systems_management/xseries_sm.html
Deployment and update management
IBM deployment tools help minimize the tedious work that can be involved in getting your
servers and clients ready to run. These tools include:
Remote Deployment Manager
Software Distribution Premium Edition
ServerGuide™
ServerGuide Scripting Toolkit
UpdateXpress
For more information about IBM Eserver BladeCenter deployment and update
management, visit:
http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/xseries/systems_management/xseries_sm.html
2.2 IBM Eserver BladeCenter architecture
In this section, we look into the architectural design of the IBM Eserver BladeCenter chassis
and its components.
2.2.1 The midplane
Figure 2-2 on page 7 illustrates the BladeCenter midplane. The midplane has two similar
sections (upper and lower) that provide redundant functionality. The processor blades (blade
servers) plug into the front of the midplane. All other major components plug into the rear of
the midplane (for example, power modules, switch modules, and management modules). The
processor blades have two connectors, one that is connected to the upper section and one