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Removing and installing I/O modules
For blade server communication with the network, the BladeCenter T unit supports
up to four hot-swap I/O modules. Table 5 identifies the types of I/O modules that
you can install in each I/O-module bay. Go to the IBM Support Web site at
http://www.ibm.com/support/ to see the list of supported I/O modules.
The BladeCenter T unit supports a minimum of one hot-swap Ethernet switch
module or pass-thru module, in I/O-module bay 1 or 2. This I/O module provides an
internal connection to an integrated Ethernet controller in all the blade servers in the
BladeCenter T unit, up to eight internal connections per I/O module. To provide an
internal connection for the second integrated Ethernet controller in each blade
server, install an Ethernet switch module or pass-thru module in the available
I/O-module bay of the pair (I/O-module bay 1 or bay 2). The management modules
are connected to the switch module through the backplane using a transformerless
100 Mbps connection and an I2C interface.
The BladeCenter T unit supports two additional I/O modules in I/O-module bays 3
and 4. Each of these I/O modules provides an internal connection to one of the two
network-interface controllers on each of the I/O expansion options that are installed
on blade servers in the BladeCenter T unit. The I/O module must be compatible
with the network interface on each of the I/O expansion options. For example, if you
install a Fibre Channel I/O expansion card on a blade server, the I/O modules that
you install in I/O-module bays 3 and 4 must be Fibre Channel switch modules or
pass-thru modules.
Important: The switch modules in I/O module bays 3 and 4 and all blade server
interface options in the BladeCenter T unit, must use the same interface type. For
example, if you install an Ethernet interface option on a blade server, the switch
modules that you install in I/O module bays 3 and 4 must be Ethernet. All other
interface options in the BladeCenter T unit must also be Ethernet interface options.
Note: You can use a pass-thru module in any I/O-module bay, provided that the
associated controller in the blade servers or I/O expansion options is
compatible with it.
The following table summarizes the types of modules that can be used in each
I/O-module bay. See “Rear view” on page 15 for the location of the I/O-module bays
on the BladeCenter T unit.
Table 5. Hot-swap I/O module types by location for redundancy
Bays I/O-module function Permissible I/O module
1 and 2 Network connections 1 and 2
(Ethernet) for all blade servers in the
BladeCenter T unit
One of the following combinations:
v Two Ethernet switch modules
v Two pass-thru modules
v One Ethernet switch module and
one pass-thru module
60 BladeCenter T Type 8720 and 8730: Hardware Maintenance Manual and Troubleshooting Guide