IBM BladeCenter
Encyclopedia
The IBM BladeCenter is IBM's blade server
architecture.
market. But, it differed from prior offerings in that it supported the full range of high powered x86 Intel server processors and a variety of high performance input/output (I/O) options. In February 2006, IBM introduced the BladeCenter H with high-speed switch capabilities for 10 Gigabit Ethernet
and InfiniBand
4X.
It is one of the leading open blade architecture products in the information technology (IT) market, with a focus on processor, memory, and I/O configurability delivered with multi-generational forward- and backward-compatibility through collaboration with major IT players including blade.org.
The open architecture is available to enable companies to develop and build compatible blades, networking and storage switches, and blade adapter cards (daughter cards). Hardware developers can now more easily develop and build compatible blade products in these categories and participate in the rapidly growing blades market served by the IBM BladeCenter by utilizing the Blade Open Specification (BOS).
The BladeCenter (E) was originally co-developed by IBM and Intel.
Features
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Custom made module for the Roadrunner supercomputer design. An expansion blade connects two QS22 modules via four PCIe x8 links to a LS21 module, two links for each QS22. It also provides outside connectivity via an Infiniband
4x DDR adapter. This makes a total width of four slots for a single TriBlade. Three TriBlades fit into one BladeCenter H chassis.
To be able to use the other switch module bays, a daughtercard needs to be installed on each blade that needs it, to provide the required SAN
, Ethernet, InfiniBand
or Myrinet
function. Mixing of different type daughtercards in the same BladeCenter chassis is not supported.
, BNT
(a spin out from Nortel)] and Cisco
. In all cases speed internal to the BladeCenter, between the blades is non-blocking. External Gigabit ports vary from four to six and can be either copper or fibre. A BNT
switch is also available with external 10 Gbit connectivity.
, Cisco
, McData
(acquired by Brocade) and Brocade
ranging in speeds of 1, 2, 4 and 8 Gbit Fibre Channel. Speed from the SAN
switch to the blade is determined by the lowest-common-denominator between the blade HBA daughtercard and the SAN
switch. External port counts vary from two to six, depending on the switch module.
. Speed from the blade InfiniBand daughtercard to the switch is limited to IB 1X (2.5 Gbit). Externally the switch has one IB 4X and one IB 12X port. The IB 12X port can be split to three IB 4X ports, giving a total of four IB 4X ports and a total theoretical external bandwidth of 40 Gbit.
or Myrinet
.
switches and bridge the traffic to InfiniBand
. The advantage is that from the Operating System on the blade everything seems normal (regular Ethernet or SAN
connectivity), but inside the BladeCenter everything gets routed over the InfiniBand
.
. This allows 10 Gbit connectivity to each blade, and external to the BladeCenter.
Blade server
A blade server is a stripped down server computer with a modular design optimized to minimize the use of physical space and energy. Whereas a standard rack-mount server can function with a power cord and network cable, blade servers have many components removed to save space, minimize power...
architecture.
History
Originally introduced in 2002, based on engineering work started in 1999, the IBM BladeCenter was a relative late comer to the bladeBlade server
A blade server is a stripped down server computer with a modular design optimized to minimize the use of physical space and energy. Whereas a standard rack-mount server can function with a power cord and network cable, blade servers have many components removed to save space, minimize power...
market. But, it differed from prior offerings in that it supported the full range of high powered x86 Intel server processors and a variety of high performance input/output (I/O) options. In February 2006, IBM introduced the BladeCenter H with high-speed switch capabilities for 10 Gigabit Ethernet
10 Gigabit Ethernet
The 10 gigabit Ethernet computer networking standard was first published in 2002. It defines a version of Ethernet with a nominal data rate of 10 Gbit/s , ten times faster than gigabit Ethernet.10 gigabit Ethernet defines only full duplex point to point links which are generally connected by...
and InfiniBand
InfiniBand
InfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
4X.
It is one of the leading open blade architecture products in the information technology (IT) market, with a focus on processor, memory, and I/O configurability delivered with multi-generational forward- and backward-compatibility through collaboration with major IT players including blade.org.
The open architecture is available to enable companies to develop and build compatible blades, networking and storage switches, and blade adapter cards (daughter cards). Hardware developers can now more easily develop and build compatible blade products in these categories and participate in the rapidly growing blades market served by the IBM BladeCenter by utilizing the Blade Open Specification (BOS).
The BladeCenter (E) was originally co-developed by IBM and Intel.
IBM BladeCenter (E)
This is the original IBM BladeCenter, now marketed as BladeCenter E with 14 blade slots in 7U. Power supplies have been upgraded through the life of the chassis from the original 1200 to 1400, 1800, 2000 and the current 2320 watt.- Features
- 14 blade slots in 7U
- Shared Media tray with Optical Drive, Floppy Drive and USBUniversal Serial BusUSB is an industry standard developed in the mid-1990s that defines the cables, connectors and protocols used in a bus for connection, communication and power supply between computers and electronic devices....
1.1 port - One (upgradable to two) Management Modules
- Two (upgradable to four) Power supplies
- Two redundant High-speed blowers
- Two slots for Gigabit Ethernet switches (can also support optical or copper pass-through)
- Two slots for optional switch or pass-through modules, can support additional EthernetEthernetEthernet is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks commercially introduced in 1980. Standardized in IEEE 802.3, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies....
, Fibre ChannelFibre ChannelFibre Channel, or FC, is a gigabit-speed network technology primarily used for storage networking. Fibre Channel is standardized in the T11 Technical Committee of the InterNational Committee for Information Technology Standards , an American National Standards Institute –accredited standards...
, InfiniBandInfiniBandInfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
or Myrinet 2000MyrinetMyrinet, ANSI/VITA 26-1998, is a high-speed local area networking system designed by Myricom to be used as an interconnect between multiple machines to form computer clusters. Myrinet has much lower protocol overhead than standards such as Ethernet, and therefore provides better throughput, less...
functions.
IBM BladeCenter T
This is the Telco version of the original IBM BladeCenter, available with either AC or DC (48 V) power. Has 8 blade slots in 8U, but supports the same switches and blades as the regular BladeCenter E. To keep NEBS Level 3 / ETSI compliant special Network Equipment-Building System (NEBS) compliant blades are available.IBM BladeCenter H
Upgraded BladeCenter design with high-speed fabric options. Fits 14 blades in 9U. Backwards compatible with older BladeCenter switches and blades.- Features
- 14 blade slots in 9U
- Shared Media tray with Optical Drive and USBUniversal Serial BusUSB is an industry standard developed in the mid-1990s that defines the cables, connectors and protocols used in a bus for connection, communication and power supply between computers and electronic devices....
2.0 port - One (upgradable to two) Advanced Management Modules
- Two (upgradable to four) Power supplies
- Two redundant High-speed blowers
- Two slots for Gigabit Ethernet switches (can also support optical or copper pass-through)
- Two slots for optional switch or pass-through modules, can support additional Ethernet, Fibre Channel, InfiniBandInfiniBandInfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
or MyrinetMyrinetMyrinet, ANSI/VITA 26-1998, is a high-speed local area networking system designed by Myricom to be used as an interconnect between multiple machines to form computer clusters. Myrinet has much lower protocol overhead than standards such as Ethernet, and therefore provides better throughput, less...
2000 functions. - Four slots for optional high-speed switches or pass-through modules, can support 10 Gbit Ethernet or InfiniBandInfiniBandInfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
4X. - Optional Hard-wired serial port capability
IBM BladeCenter HT
This is the Telco version of the IBM BladeCenter H, available with either AC or DC (48 V) power. Has 12 blade slots in 12U, but supports the same switches and blades as the regular BladeCenter H. But to keep NEBS Level 3 / ETSI compliant special NEBS compliant blades are available.IBM BladeCenter S
Targets mid-sized customers by offering storage inside the BladeCenter chassis, so no separate external storage needs to be purchased. It can also use 110 V power in the North American market, so it can be used outside the datacenter.- Features
- 6 blade slots in 7U
- Shared Media tray with Optical Drive and USBUniversal Serial BusUSB is an industry standard developed in the mid-1990s that defines the cables, connectors and protocols used in a bus for connection, communication and power supply between computers and electronic devices....
2.0 ports - Up to 12 hot-swap 3.5" SASSerial Attached SCSISerial Attached SCSI is a computer bus used to move data to and from computer storage devices such as hard drives and tape drives. SAS depends on a point-to-point serial protocol that replaces the parallel SCSI bus technology that first appeared in the mid 1980s in data centers and workstations,...
or SATASataSata is a traditional dish from the Malaysian state of Terengganu, consisting of spiced fish meat wrapped in banana leaves and cooked on a grill.It is a type of Malaysian fish cake, or otak-otak...
drives with RAIDRAIDRAID is a storage technology that combines multiple disk drive components into a logical unit...
0, 1 and 1E support, RAID 5 and SAN capabilities optional with two SAS RAID controllers
HS12
Features- $999 starting price
- Celeron Single core 445 to Quad-Core Intel Xeon processors up to 2.83 GHz
- Six DIMMDIMMA DIMM or dual in-line memory module, comprises a series of dynamic random-access memory integrated circuits. These modules are mounted on a printed circuit board and designed for use in personal computers, workstations and servers...
slots (up to 24 GB) - Hot-swap drives
HS20
- One or two Intel XeonXeonThe Xeon is a brand of multiprocessing- or multi-socket-capable x86 microprocessors from Intel Corporation targeted at the non-consumer server, workstation and embedded system markets.-Overview:...
DP processors (single or dual-core) - Four DIMMDIMMA DIMM or dual in-line memory module, comprises a series of dynamic random-access memory integrated circuits. These modules are mounted on a printed circuit board and designed for use in personal computers, workstations and servers...
- Option for one or two 2.5" drives (ATA100AT AttachmentParallel ATA , originally ATA, is an interface standard for the connection of storage devices such as hard disks, solid-state drives, floppy drives, and optical disc drives in computers. The standard is maintained by X3/INCITS committee...
, SCSI U320SCSISmall Computer System Interface is a set of standards for physically connecting and transferring data between computers and peripheral devices. The SCSI standards define commands, protocols, and electrical and optical interfaces. SCSI is most commonly used for hard disks and tape drives, but it...
or Serial Attached SCSISerial Attached SCSISerial Attached SCSI is a computer bus used to move data to and from computer storage devices such as hard drives and tape drives. SAS depends on a point-to-point serial protocol that replaces the parallel SCSI bus technology that first appeared in the mid 1980s in data centers and workstations,...
(SAS) depending on generation) - Two Gigabit Ethernet ports
- One expansion slot for up to two additional ports (Fibre Channel storage, additional Ethernet, MyrinetMyrinetMyrinet, ANSI/VITA 26-1998, is a high-speed local area networking system designed by Myricom to be used as an interconnect between multiple machines to form computer clusters. Myrinet has much lower protocol overhead than standards such as Ethernet, and therefore provides better throughput, less...
2000 or InfiniBandInfiniBandInfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
)
HS21
This blade model supports the High-speed IO option of the BladeCenter H, but is backwards compatible with the regular BladeCenter.Features
- One or two Intel Xeon DP processors (dual or quad-core)
- Four DIMMDIMMA DIMM or dual in-line memory module, comprises a series of dynamic random-access memory integrated circuits. These modules are mounted on a printed circuit board and designed for use in personal computers, workstations and servers...
slots - Option for one or two SASSerial Attached SCSISerial Attached SCSI is a computer bus used to move data to and from computer storage devices such as hard drives and tape drives. SAS depends on a point-to-point serial protocol that replaces the parallel SCSI bus technology that first appeared in the mid 1980s in data centers and workstations,...
2.5" drives - Two Gigabit Ethernet ports
- One expansion slot for up to two additional ports (Fibre-Channel storage, additional Ethernet, MyrinetMyrinetMyrinet, ANSI/VITA 26-1998, is a high-speed local area networking system designed by Myricom to be used as an interconnect between multiple machines to form computer clusters. Myrinet has much lower protocol overhead than standards such as Ethernet, and therefore provides better throughput, less...
2000 or InfiniBandInfiniBandInfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
) - One High-speed expansion slot for up to two additional ports (10 Gbit Ethernet or InfiniBandInfiniBandInfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
4X) - exit
HS21 XM
This blade model supports the High-speed IO option of the BladeCenter H, but is backwards compatible with the regular BladeCenter.Features
- One or two Intel Xeon DP processors (dual or quad-core)
- Eight DIMMDIMMA DIMM or dual in-line memory module, comprises a series of dynamic random-access memory integrated circuits. These modules are mounted on a printed circuit board and designed for use in personal computers, workstations and servers...
slots - Option for one SASSerial Attached SCSISerial Attached SCSI is a computer bus used to move data to and from computer storage devices such as hard drives and tape drives. SAS depends on a point-to-point serial protocol that replaces the parallel SCSI bus technology that first appeared in the mid 1980s in data centers and workstations,...
2.5" drive or one or two SASSerial Attached SCSISerial Attached SCSI is a computer bus used to move data to and from computer storage devices such as hard drives and tape drives. SAS depends on a point-to-point serial protocol that replaces the parallel SCSI bus technology that first appeared in the mid 1980s in data centers and workstations,...
-based Solid State drives - Two Gigabit Ethernet ports
- One expansion slot for up to two additional ports (Fibre-Channel storage, additional Ethernet, MyrinetMyrinetMyrinet, ANSI/VITA 26-1998, is a high-speed local area networking system designed by Myricom to be used as an interconnect between multiple machines to form computer clusters. Myrinet has much lower protocol overhead than standards such as Ethernet, and therefore provides better throughput, less...
2000 or InfiniBandInfiniBandInfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
) - One High-speed expansion slot for up to two additional ports (10 Gbit Ethernet or InfiniBandInfiniBandInfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
4X as well as additional Fibre-Channel or Ethernet ports)
HS22
Features- One or two Intel Xeon 5500 or 5600 series processors (up to 3.6 GHz 4c or 3.46 GHz 6c)
- Twelve DDR3DDR3 SDRAMIn computing, DDR3 SDRAM, an abbreviation for double data rate type three synchronous dynamic random access memory, is a modern kind of dynamic random access memory with a high bandwidth interface. It is one of several variants of DRAM and associated interface techniques used since the early 1970s...
VLP DIMMDIMMA DIMM or dual in-line memory module, comprises a series of dynamic random-access memory integrated circuits. These modules are mounted on a printed circuit board and designed for use in personal computers, workstations and servers...
slots (up to 192 GB of total memory capacity) - Option for two hot swap SASSerial Attached SCSISerial Attached SCSI is a computer bus used to move data to and from computer storage devices such as hard drives and tape drives. SAS depends on a point-to-point serial protocol that replaces the parallel SCSI bus technology that first appeared in the mid 1980s in data centers and workstations,...
2.5" drives or Solid State drives (RAIDRAIDRAID is a storage technology that combines multiple disk drive components into a logical unit...
0 and 1 is supported) - Two Gigabit Ethernet ports (Broadcom 5709S)
- 1 CIOv slot (standard PCI-Express daughter card) and 1 CFFh slot (high-speed PCI-Express daughter card) for a total of 8 ports of I/O to each blade, including 4 ports of high-speed I/O
HS22v
Features are very similar to HS22 but:- 18 DDR-3 VLP DIMM slots, up to 288 GB of total memory capacity
- up to two 1.8" disks (SSD, not hot swapable)
HS40
Features- Double-wide (needs 2 slots)
- One to four Intel Xeon MP processors
- Eight DIMMDIMMA DIMM or dual in-line memory module, comprises a series of dynamic random-access memory integrated circuits. These modules are mounted on a printed circuit board and designed for use in personal computers, workstations and servers...
slots - Option for one or two ATA100 2.5" drives
- Four Gigabit Ethernet ports
- Two expansion slotsExpansion slotsExpansion slots are specific slots on a PC motherboard that facilitate the placement of expansion cards.All such expansion slots are colour coded, and are built in such a way that only a specific type of card or device can interface with/ be inserted into the device.- Types :Common types of...
for up to four additional ports (Fibre Channel storage, additional Ethernet, MyrinetMyrinetMyrinet, ANSI/VITA 26-1998, is a high-speed local area networking system designed by Myricom to be used as an interconnect between multiple machines to form computer clusters. Myrinet has much lower protocol overhead than standards such as Ethernet, and therefore provides better throughput, less...
2000 or InfiniBandInfiniBandInfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
)
HC10
This blade model is targeted to the workstation marketFeatures
- Single Intel Core 2 Duo processor
- Four DIMMDIMMA DIMM or dual in-line memory module, comprises a series of dynamic random-access memory integrated circuits. These modules are mounted on a printed circuit board and designed for use in personal computers, workstations and servers...
slots (8 GB Max) - NVidiaNVIDIANvidia is an American global technology company based in Santa Clara, California. Nvidia is best known for its graphics processors . Nvidia and chief rival AMD Graphics Techonologies have dominated the high performance GPU market, pushing other manufacturers to smaller, niche roles...
video adapter - One SATA 60 GB HDD
- Two Gigabit Ethernet ports
HX5
This blade model is targeted at the server virtualization market.Features
- Dual Intel E7, 6500 or 7500 series Xeon (4-10 cores per CPU, up to 2.67 GHz)
- Sixteen DIMMDIMMA DIMM or dual in-line memory module, comprises a series of dynamic random-access memory integrated circuits. These modules are mounted on a printed circuit board and designed for use in personal computers, workstations and servers...
slots (256 GB Max). Expandable to 40 slots with a 24 DIMM MAX 5 memory blade (320GB total). - Expandable to four CPUs and 80 DIMM slots with a four-port IBM scale connector.
- Two Gigabit Ethernet ports per blade.
LS20
Features- One or two AMD Opteron processors (single or dual-core)
- Four DIMMDIMMA DIMM or dual in-line memory module, comprises a series of dynamic random-access memory integrated circuits. These modules are mounted on a printed circuit board and designed for use in personal computers, workstations and servers...
slots for DDR1 VLP DIMM's - Option for one or two SCSI U320 2.5" drives
- Two Gigabit Ethernet ports
- One expansion slot for up to two additional ports (Fibre Channel storage, additional Ethernet, MyrinetMyrinetMyrinet, ANSI/VITA 26-1998, is a high-speed local area networking system designed by Myricom to be used as an interconnect between multiple machines to form computer clusters. Myrinet has much lower protocol overhead than standards such as Ethernet, and therefore provides better throughput, less...
2000 or InfiniBandInfiniBandInfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
)
LS21
This blade model supports the high-speed I/O of the BladeCenter H, but is also backwards compatible with the regular BladeCenter.Features:
- One or two AMD Opteron processors (dual-core)
- Eight DIMMDIMMA DIMM or dual in-line memory module, comprises a series of dynamic random-access memory integrated circuits. These modules are mounted on a printed circuit board and designed for use in personal computers, workstations and servers...
slots for up to 32 GB of RAM - Option for one SASSerial Attached SCSISerial Attached SCSI is a computer bus used to move data to and from computer storage devices such as hard drives and tape drives. SAS depends on a point-to-point serial protocol that replaces the parallel SCSI bus technology that first appeared in the mid 1980s in data centers and workstations,...
2.5" drive - Two Gigabit Ethernet ports
- One expansion slot for up to two additional ports (Fibre-Channel storage, additional Ethernet, MyrinetMyrinetMyrinet, ANSI/VITA 26-1998, is a high-speed local area networking system designed by Myricom to be used as an interconnect between multiple machines to form computer clusters. Myrinet has much lower protocol overhead than standards such as Ethernet, and therefore provides better throughput, less...
2000 or InfiniBandInfiniBandInfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
) - One High-speed expansion slot for up to two additional ports (10 Gbit Ethernet or InfiniBandInfiniBandInfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
4X)
LS22
Upgraded model of LS21.Features:
- One or two AMD Opteron processors (quad or hex-core)
- Eight DIMMDIMMA DIMM or dual in-line memory module, comprises a series of dynamic random-access memory integrated circuits. These modules are mounted on a printed circuit board and designed for use in personal computers, workstations and servers...
slots for up to 64 GB of RAM - Option for two SASSerial Attached SCSISerial Attached SCSI is a computer bus used to move data to and from computer storage devices such as hard drives and tape drives. SAS depends on a point-to-point serial protocol that replaces the parallel SCSI bus technology that first appeared in the mid 1980s in data centers and workstations,...
2.5" drive - Two Gigabit Ethernet ports
- One expansion slot for up to two additional ports (Fibre-Channel storage, additional Ethernet, MyrinetMyrinetMyrinet, ANSI/VITA 26-1998, is a high-speed local area networking system designed by Myricom to be used as an interconnect between multiple machines to form computer clusters. Myrinet has much lower protocol overhead than standards such as Ethernet, and therefore provides better throughput, less...
2000 or InfiniBandInfiniBandInfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
) - One High-speed expansion slot for up to two additional ports (10 Gbit Ethernet or InfiniBandInfiniBandInfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
4X)
LS41
This blade model supports the High-speed IO option of the BladeCenter H, but is backwards compatible with the regular BladeCenterFeatures
- Double-wide (needs 2 slots)
- One to four AMD Opteron processors (dual-core)
- Sixteen DIMMDIMMA DIMM or dual in-line memory module, comprises a series of dynamic random-access memory integrated circuits. These modules are mounted on a printed circuit board and designed for use in personal computers, workstations and servers...
slots for up to 64 GB of RAM - Option for one or two SASSerial Attached SCSISerial Attached SCSI is a computer bus used to move data to and from computer storage devices such as hard drives and tape drives. SAS depends on a point-to-point serial protocol that replaces the parallel SCSI bus technology that first appeared in the mid 1980s in data centers and workstations,...
2.5" drives - Four Gigabit Ethernet ports
- Two expansion slots for up to four additional ports (Fibre-Channel storage, additional Ethernet, MyrinetMyrinetMyrinet, ANSI/VITA 26-1998, is a high-speed local area networking system designed by Myricom to be used as an interconnect between multiple machines to form computer clusters. Myrinet has much lower protocol overhead than standards such as Ethernet, and therefore provides better throughput, less...
2000 or InfiniBandInfiniBandInfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
) - One High-speed expansion slot for up to two additional ports (10 Gbit Ethernet or InfiniBandInfiniBandInfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
4X)
LS42
Upgraded model of LS41.Features
- Double-wide (needs 2 slots)
- One to four AMD Opteron processors (quad or hex-core)
- Sixteen DIMMDIMMA DIMM or dual in-line memory module, comprises a series of dynamic random-access memory integrated circuits. These modules are mounted on a printed circuit board and designed for use in personal computers, workstations and servers...
slots for up to 128 GB of RAM - Option for one or two SASSerial Attached SCSISerial Attached SCSI is a computer bus used to move data to and from computer storage devices such as hard drives and tape drives. SAS depends on a point-to-point serial protocol that replaces the parallel SCSI bus technology that first appeared in the mid 1980s in data centers and workstations,...
2.5" drives - Four Gigabit Ethernet ports
- Two expansion slots for up to four additional ports (Fibre-Channel storage, additional Ethernet, MyrinetMyrinetMyrinet, ANSI/VITA 26-1998, is a high-speed local area networking system designed by Myricom to be used as an interconnect between multiple machines to form computer clusters. Myrinet has much lower protocol overhead than standards such as Ethernet, and therefore provides better throughput, less...
2000 or InfiniBandInfiniBandInfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
) - One High-speed expansion slot for up to two additional ports (10 Gbit Ethernet or InfiniBandInfiniBandInfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
4X)
JS20
Features- Supports AIX or LinuxLinuxLinux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
- Two PowerPC 970PowerPC 970The PowerPC 970, PowerPC 970FX, PowerPC 970GX, and PowerPC 970MP, are 64-bit Power Architecture processors from IBM introduced in 2002. When used in Apple Inc. machines, they were dubbed the PowerPC G5....
processors at 1.6 or 2.2 GHz - Four DIMMDIMMA DIMM or dual in-line memory module, comprises a series of dynamic random-access memory integrated circuits. These modules are mounted on a printed circuit board and designed for use in personal computers, workstations and servers...
slots for PC2700 ECC memory (max 8 GB) - Option for one or two ATA100 2.5" drives
- Two Gigabit Ethernet ports
- One expansion slot for up to two additional ports (Fibre Channel storage, additional Ethernet, MyrinetMyrinetMyrinet, ANSI/VITA 26-1998, is a high-speed local area networking system designed by Myricom to be used as an interconnect between multiple machines to form computer clusters. Myrinet has much lower protocol overhead than standards such as Ethernet, and therefore provides better throughput, less...
2000 or InfiniBandInfiniBandInfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
)
JS21
This blade model supports the High-speed IO option of the BladeCenter H, but is backwards compatible with the regular BladeCenterFeatures
- Supports AIX or LinuxLinuxLinux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
- Supports virtualization, offering Dynamic Logical Partitioning (DLPAR)Dynamic Logical PartitioningDynamic Logical Partitioning , is the capability of a logical partition to be reconfigured dynamically, without having to shut down the operating system that runs in the LPAR...
capabilities. - Two PowerPC 970FX single-core processors at 2.7 GHz or two PowerPC 970MP dual-core processors at 2.5 GHz
- Four DIMMDIMMA DIMM or dual in-line memory module, comprises a series of dynamic random-access memory integrated circuits. These modules are mounted on a printed circuit board and designed for use in personal computers, workstations and servers...
slots for PC2-3200 or PC2-4200 ECC memory (max 16 GB) - Option for one or two SASSerial Attached SCSISerial Attached SCSI is a computer bus used to move data to and from computer storage devices such as hard drives and tape drives. SAS depends on a point-to-point serial protocol that replaces the parallel SCSI bus technology that first appeared in the mid 1980s in data centers and workstations,...
2.5" drives - Two Gigabit Ethernet ports
- One expansion slot for up to two additional ports (Fibre Channel storage, additional Ethernet, Myrinet 2000 or InfiniBandInfiniBandInfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
) - One High-speed expansion slot for up to two additional ports (10 Gbit Ethernet or InfiniBandInfiniBandInfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
4X)
JS22
Features- Supports IBM i, AIX or LinuxLinuxLinux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
- Supports virtualization, offering Dynamic Logical Partitioning (DLPAR)Dynamic Logical PartitioningDynamic Logical Partitioning , is the capability of a logical partition to be reconfigured dynamically, without having to shut down the operating system that runs in the LPAR...
capabilities. - Two POWER6POWER6The POWER6 is a microprocessor developed by IBM that implemented the Power ISA v.2.03. When it became available in systems in 2007, it succeeded the POWER5+ as IBM's flagship Power microprocessor...
dual-core processors at 4.0 GHz - Four DIMMDIMMA DIMM or dual in-line memory module, comprises a series of dynamic random-access memory integrated circuits. These modules are mounted on a printed circuit board and designed for use in personal computers, workstations and servers...
slots ECC Chipkill DDR2 SDRAMDDR2 SDRAMDDR2 SDRAM is a double data rate synchronous dynamic random-access memory interface. It supersedes the original DDR SDRAM specification and has itself been superseded by DDR3 SDRAM...
memory (max 32 GB) - One 2.5" SASSerial Attached SCSISerial Attached SCSI is a computer bus used to move data to and from computer storage devices such as hard drives and tape drives. SAS depends on a point-to-point serial protocol that replaces the parallel SCSI bus technology that first appeared in the mid 1980s in data centers and workstations,...
drive up to 146 GB - Integrated Virtualization Manager(IVM)
- Two Gigabit Ethernet ports card
- One expansion slot for up to two additional ports (Fibre Channel storage, additional Ethernet, MyrinetMyrinetMyrinet, ANSI/VITA 26-1998, is a high-speed local area networking system designed by Myricom to be used as an interconnect between multiple machines to form computer clusters. Myrinet has much lower protocol overhead than standards such as Ethernet, and therefore provides better throughput, less...
2000 or InfiniBandInfiniBandInfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
) - One High-speed expansion slot for up to two additional ports (10 Gbit Ethernet or InfiniBandInfiniBandInfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
4X)
JS23
Features- Supports IBM i, AIX or LinuxLinuxLinux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
- Supports virtualization, offering Dynamic Logical Partitioning (DLPAR)Dynamic Logical PartitioningDynamic Logical Partitioning , is the capability of a logical partition to be reconfigured dynamically, without having to shut down the operating system that runs in the LPAR...
capabilities. - Two POWER6POWER6The POWER6 is a microprocessor developed by IBM that implemented the Power ISA v.2.03. When it became available in systems in 2007, it succeeded the POWER5+ as IBM's flagship Power microprocessor...
dual-core processors at 4.2 GHz - 64 MB L3 cache (32 per processor)
- Four DIMMDIMMA DIMM or dual in-line memory module, comprises a series of dynamic random-access memory integrated circuits. These modules are mounted on a printed circuit board and designed for use in personal computers, workstations and servers...
slots ECC Chipkill DDR2 SDRAMDDR2 SDRAMDDR2 SDRAM is a double data rate synchronous dynamic random-access memory interface. It supersedes the original DDR SDRAM specification and has itself been superseded by DDR3 SDRAM...
memory (max 64 GB) - One 2.5" SASSerial Attached SCSISerial Attached SCSI is a computer bus used to move data to and from computer storage devices such as hard drives and tape drives. SAS depends on a point-to-point serial protocol that replaces the parallel SCSI bus technology that first appeared in the mid 1980s in data centers and workstations,...
up to 300 GB or one 69 GB SSDSolid-state driveA solid-state drive , sometimes called a solid-state disk or electronic disk, is a data storage device that uses solid-state memory to store persistent data with the intention of providing access in the same manner of a traditional block i/o hard disk drive...
drive - Integrated Virtualization Manager(IVM)
- Two Gigabit Ethernet ports card
- One expansion slot for up to two additional ports (Fibre Channel storage, additional Ethernet, MyrinetMyrinetMyrinet, ANSI/VITA 26-1998, is a high-speed local area networking system designed by Myricom to be used as an interconnect between multiple machines to form computer clusters. Myrinet has much lower protocol overhead than standards such as Ethernet, and therefore provides better throughput, less...
2000 or InfiniBandInfiniBandInfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
) - One High-speed expansion slot for up to two additional ports (10 Gbit Ethernet or InfiniBandInfiniBandInfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
4X) - One CIOv PCIe expansion slot
JS43 Express
Features- Supports IBM i, AIX or LinuxLinuxLinux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
- Supports virtualization, offering Dynamic Logical Partitioning (DLPAR)Dynamic Logical PartitioningDynamic Logical Partitioning , is the capability of a logical partition to be reconfigured dynamically, without having to shut down the operating system that runs in the LPAR...
capabilities. - Four POWER6POWER6The POWER6 is a microprocessor developed by IBM that implemented the Power ISA v.2.03. When it became available in systems in 2007, it succeeded the POWER5+ as IBM's flagship Power microprocessor...
dual-core processors at 4.2 GHz - 128 MB L3 cache (32 per processor)
- Eight DIMMDIMMA DIMM or dual in-line memory module, comprises a series of dynamic random-access memory integrated circuits. These modules are mounted on a printed circuit board and designed for use in personal computers, workstations and servers...
slots ECC Chipkill DDR2 SDRAMDDR2 SDRAMDDR2 SDRAM is a double data rate synchronous dynamic random-access memory interface. It supersedes the original DDR SDRAM specification and has itself been superseded by DDR3 SDRAM...
memory (max 128 GB) - Zero to two 2.5" SASSerial Attached SCSISerial Attached SCSI is a computer bus used to move data to and from computer storage devices such as hard drives and tape drives. SAS depends on a point-to-point serial protocol that replaces the parallel SCSI bus technology that first appeared in the mid 1980s in data centers and workstations,...
up to 300 GB or zero to two 69 GB SSDSolid-state driveA solid-state drive , sometimes called a solid-state disk or electronic disk, is a data storage device that uses solid-state memory to store persistent data with the intention of providing access in the same manner of a traditional block i/o hard disk drive...
drives - Integrated Virtualization Manager(IVM)
- Two Gigabit Ethernet ports card
- One expansion slot for up to two additional ports (Fibre Channel storage, additional Ethernet, MyrinetMyrinetMyrinet, ANSI/VITA 26-1998, is a high-speed local area networking system designed by Myricom to be used as an interconnect between multiple machines to form computer clusters. Myrinet has much lower protocol overhead than standards such as Ethernet, and therefore provides better throughput, less...
2000 or InfiniBandInfiniBandInfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
) - One High-speed expansion slot for up to two additional ports (10 Gbit Ethernet or InfiniBandInfiniBandInfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
4X) - Two PCIe CIOv expansion slots
- Double-wide form factor
JS12 Express
Features- Supports IBM i, AIX or LinuxLinuxLinux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
- Supports virtualization, offering Dynamic Logical Partitioning (DLPAR)Dynamic Logical PartitioningDynamic Logical Partitioning , is the capability of a logical partition to be reconfigured dynamically, without having to shut down the operating system that runs in the LPAR...
capabilities. - One POWER6POWER6The POWER6 is a microprocessor developed by IBM that implemented the Power ISA v.2.03. When it became available in systems in 2007, it succeeded the POWER5+ as IBM's flagship Power microprocessor...
dual-core processor at 3.8 GHz - Eight DIMMDIMMA DIMM or dual in-line memory module, comprises a series of dynamic random-access memory integrated circuits. These modules are mounted on a printed circuit board and designed for use in personal computers, workstations and servers...
slots ECC Chipkill DDR2 SDRAMDDR2 SDRAMDDR2 SDRAM is a double data rate synchronous dynamic random-access memory interface. It supersedes the original DDR SDRAM specification and has itself been superseded by DDR3 SDRAM...
memory (max 64 GB) - Zero to two 2.5" SASSerial Attached SCSISerial Attached SCSI is a computer bus used to move data to and from computer storage devices such as hard drives and tape drives. SAS depends on a point-to-point serial protocol that replaces the parallel SCSI bus technology that first appeared in the mid 1980s in data centers and workstations,...
drive up to 146 GB - Integrated Virtualization Manager(IVM)
- Two Gigabit Ethernet ports, with optionan dual Gbit card
- One expansion slot for up to two additional ports (Fibre-Channel storage, additional Ethernet, MyrinetMyrinetMyrinet, ANSI/VITA 26-1998, is a high-speed local area networking system designed by Myricom to be used as an interconnect between multiple machines to form computer clusters. Myrinet has much lower protocol overhead than standards such as Ethernet, and therefore provides better throughput, less...
2000 or InfiniBandInfiniBandInfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
) - One High-speed expansion slot for up to two additional ports (4 Gbit/s Fibre Channel, iSCSIISCSIIn computing, iSCSI , is an abbreviation of Internet Small Computer System Interface, an Internet Protocol -based storage networking standard for linking data storage facilities. By carrying SCSI commands over IP networks, iSCSI is used to facilitate data transfers over intranets and to manage...
, or InfiniBandInfiniBandInfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
4X)
PS700
Features- Supports IBM i, AIX or Linux on PowerLinux on PowerLinux on Power is the combination of any Linux-based operating system running on Power Architecture technology, a microprocessor architecture.-Introduction:...
- Supports virtualization, offering Dynamic Logical Partitioning (DLPAR)Dynamic Logical PartitioningDynamic Logical Partitioning , is the capability of a logical partition to be reconfigured dynamically, without having to shut down the operating system that runs in the LPAR...
capabilities. - One POWER7POWER7POWER7 is a Power Architecture microprocessor released in 2010 that succeeded the POWER6. POWER7 was developed by IBM at several sites including IBM's Rochester, MN; Austin, TX; Essex Junction, Vermont; T. J. Watson Research Center, NY; Bromont, QC and Böblingen, Germany laboratories...
quad-core processor at 3 GHz - max 64 GB
- Two Gigabit Ethernet ports, with optionan dual Gbit card
QS20
Features- Double-wide (needs 2 slots)
- Supports LinuxLinuxLinux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
- Two Cell processorsCell (microprocessor)Cell is a microprocessor architecture jointly developed by Sony, Sony Computer Entertainment, Toshiba, and IBM, an alliance known as "STI". The architectural design and first implementation were carried out at the STI Design Center in Austin, Texas over a four-year period beginning March 2001 on a...
at 3.2 GHz - 1 GB XDRAM Memory (512 MB per processor)
- 40 GB IDE100 2.5" drive
- Two Gigabit Ethernet ports
- Optional InfiniBandInfiniBandInfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
4X connectivity
QS21
Features- Single-wide
- Supports LinuxLinuxLinux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
- Two Cell processorsCell (microprocessor)Cell is a microprocessor architecture jointly developed by Sony, Sony Computer Entertainment, Toshiba, and IBM, an alliance known as "STI". The architectural design and first implementation were carried out at the STI Design Center in Austin, Texas over a four-year period beginning March 2001 on a...
at 3.2 GHz - 2 GB Memory (1 GB per processor)
- Two Gigabit Ethernet ports
- One expansion slot for up to two additional ports (Fibre-Channel storage, additional Ethernet, MyrinetMyrinetMyrinet, ANSI/VITA 26-1998, is a high-speed local area networking system designed by Myricom to be used as an interconnect between multiple machines to form computer clusters. Myrinet has much lower protocol overhead than standards such as Ethernet, and therefore provides better throughput, less...
2000 or InfiniBandInfiniBandInfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
) - One High-speed expansion slot for up to two additional ports (10 Gbit Ethernet or InfiniBandInfiniBandInfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
4X)
QS22
Features- Single-wide
- Supports LinuxLinuxLinux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
- Two PowerXCell 8i processors at 3.2 GHz
- Up to 32 GB of DDR2 SDRAMDDR2 SDRAMDDR2 SDRAM is a double data rate synchronous dynamic random-access memory interface. It supersedes the original DDR SDRAM specification and has itself been superseded by DDR3 SDRAM...
RAM memory - Two Gigabit Ethernet ports
- Expansion slots for SASSerial Attached SCSISerial Attached SCSI is a computer bus used to move data to and from computer storage devices such as hard drives and tape drives. SAS depends on a point-to-point serial protocol that replaces the parallel SCSI bus technology that first appeared in the mid 1980s in data centers and workstations,...
daughter card, InfiniBandInfiniBandInfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
4X DDR daughter card and 8 GB uFDM Flash Drive
T2BC
Features- Supports Sun Solaris
- One UltraSPARC T2UltraSPARC T2Sun Microsystems' UltraSPARC T2 microprocessor is a multithreading, multi-core CPU. It is a member of the SPARC family, and the successor to the UltraSPARC T1. The chip is sometimes referred to by its codename, Niagara 2...
with 64 threads at 1.2 GHz - Up to 64 GB of DDR2 SDRAMDDR2 SDRAMDDR2 SDRAM is a double data rate synchronous dynamic random-access memory interface. It supersedes the original DDR SDRAM specification and has itself been superseded by DDR3 SDRAM...
processor memory
PN41
Developed in conjunction with CloudShield, features- Single-wide
- Based on Intel IXP2805 network processor
- Full payload screening with Deep packet inspectionDeep packet inspectionDeep Packet Inspection is a form of computer network packet filtering that examines the data part of a packet as it passes an inspection point, searching for protocol non-compliance, viruses, spam, intrusions or predefined criteria to decide if the packet can...
(DPI) - Full Layer 7 processing and control
- User programmability using Eclipse-based IDEEclipse (software)Eclipse is a multi-language software development environment comprising an integrated development environment and an extensible plug-in system...
and RAVE open development language - Carrier-class scalability with quad 1 Gbit + quad 10 Gbit Ethernet controllers
- In-line reliability
- Up to 20 Gbit/s DPI throughput per blade
- Selective traffic capture, rewrite and redirect
- LAN and WAN Interfaces supported
Roadrunner TriBlade
- Two QS22 CellCell (microprocessor)Cell is a microprocessor architecture jointly developed by Sony, Sony Computer Entertainment, Toshiba, and IBM, an alliance known as "STI". The architectural design and first implementation were carried out at the STI Design Center in Austin, Texas over a four-year period beginning March 2001 on a...
blades with 8 GB RAM each - One LS21 OpteronOpteronOpteron is AMD's x86 server and workstation processor line, and was the first processor which supported the AMD64 instruction set architecture . It was released on April 22, 2003 with the SledgeHammer core and was intended to compete in the server and workstation markets, particularly in the same...
blade with 16 GB RAM - One Expansion blade
- Four slots wide
Custom made module for the Roadrunner supercomputer design. An expansion blade connects two QS22 modules via four PCIe x8 links to a LS21 module, two links for each QS22. It also provides outside connectivity via an Infiniband
InfiniBand
InfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
4x DDR adapter. This makes a total width of four slots for a single TriBlade. Three TriBlades fit into one BladeCenter H chassis.
Switch modules
The BladeCenter supports a total of four switch modules, but two can only be used with Ethernet switches or Ethernet pass-though.To be able to use the other switch module bays, a daughtercard needs to be installed on each blade that needs it, to provide the required SAN
Storage area network
A storage area network is a dedicated network that provides access to consolidated, block level data storage. SANs are primarily used to make storage devices, such as disk arrays, tape libraries, and optical jukeboxes, accessible to servers so that the devices appear like locally attached devices...
, Ethernet, InfiniBand
InfiniBand
InfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
or Myrinet
Myrinet
Myrinet, ANSI/VITA 26-1998, is a high-speed local area networking system designed by Myricom to be used as an interconnect between multiple machines to form computer clusters. Myrinet has much lower protocol overhead than standards such as Ethernet, and therefore provides better throughput, less...
function. Mixing of different type daughtercards in the same BladeCenter chassis is not supported.
Gigabit Ethernet
A variety of Ethernet switch modules have been produced by IBM, NortelNortel
Nortel Networks Corporation, formerly known as Northern Telecom Limited and sometimes known simply as Nortel, was a multinational telecommunications equipment manufacturer headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada...
, BNT
BLADE Network Technologies
Until its acquisition by IBM in October 2010, BLADE Network Technologies , based in Santa Clara, CA, was a supplier of Gigabit and 10G Ethernet network infrastructure solutions that reside in blade servers and server and storage racks...
(a spin out from Nortel)] and Cisco
Cisco
Cisco may refer to:Companies:*Cisco Systems, a computer networking company* Certis CISCO, corporatised entity of the former Commercial and Industrial Security Corporation in Singapore...
. In all cases speed internal to the BladeCenter, between the blades is non-blocking. External Gigabit ports vary from four to six and can be either copper or fibre. A BNT
BLADE Network Technologies
Until its acquisition by IBM in October 2010, BLADE Network Technologies , based in Santa Clara, CA, was a supplier of Gigabit and 10G Ethernet network infrastructure solutions that reside in blade servers and server and storage racks...
switch is also available with external 10 Gbit connectivity.
Storage Area Network
A variety of SAN switch modules have been produced by QLogicQLogic
QLogic Corporation is an Aliso Viejo, California-based designer and supplier of storage networking, high performance computing networking, and converged infrastructure solutions...
, Cisco
Cisco
Cisco may refer to:Companies:*Cisco Systems, a computer networking company* Certis CISCO, corporatised entity of the former Commercial and Industrial Security Corporation in Singapore...
, McData
Brocade Communications Systems
Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. , based in Silicon Valley , is a vendor of storage area network hardware and software. The company also designs, manufactures, and sells networking products and management applications for local, metro, and wide area networks...
(acquired by Brocade) and Brocade
Brocade Communications Systems
Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. , based in Silicon Valley , is a vendor of storage area network hardware and software. The company also designs, manufactures, and sells networking products and management applications for local, metro, and wide area networks...
ranging in speeds of 1, 2, 4 and 8 Gbit Fibre Channel. Speed from the SAN
Storage area network
A storage area network is a dedicated network that provides access to consolidated, block level data storage. SANs are primarily used to make storage devices, such as disk arrays, tape libraries, and optical jukeboxes, accessible to servers so that the devices appear like locally attached devices...
switch to the blade is determined by the lowest-common-denominator between the blade HBA daughtercard and the SAN
Storage area network
A storage area network is a dedicated network that provides access to consolidated, block level data storage. SANs are primarily used to make storage devices, such as disk arrays, tape libraries, and optical jukeboxes, accessible to servers so that the devices appear like locally attached devices...
switch. External port counts vary from two to six, depending on the switch module.
InfiniBand
A InfiniBand switch module has been produced by CiscoCisco
Cisco may refer to:Companies:*Cisco Systems, a computer networking company* Certis CISCO, corporatised entity of the former Commercial and Industrial Security Corporation in Singapore...
. Speed from the blade InfiniBand daughtercard to the switch is limited to IB 1X (2.5 Gbit). Externally the switch has one IB 4X and one IB 12X port. The IB 12X port can be split to three IB 4X ports, giving a total of four IB 4X ports and a total theoretical external bandwidth of 40 Gbit.
Pass-through
Two different pass-through modules are available, copper pass-through and fibre pass-through. The copper pass-through can only be used with Ethernet, while the Fibre pass-through can be used for Ethernet, SANStorage area network
A storage area network is a dedicated network that provides access to consolidated, block level data storage. SANs are primarily used to make storage devices, such as disk arrays, tape libraries, and optical jukeboxes, accessible to servers so that the devices appear like locally attached devices...
or Myrinet
Myrinet
Myrinet, ANSI/VITA 26-1998, is a high-speed local area networking system designed by Myricom to be used as an interconnect between multiple machines to form computer clusters. Myrinet has much lower protocol overhead than standards such as Ethernet, and therefore provides better throughput, less...
.
Bridge
Bridge modules are only compatible with BladeCenter H and BladeCenter HT. They function like Ethernet or SANStorage area network
A storage area network is a dedicated network that provides access to consolidated, block level data storage. SANs are primarily used to make storage devices, such as disk arrays, tape libraries, and optical jukeboxes, accessible to servers so that the devices appear like locally attached devices...
switches and bridge the traffic to InfiniBand
InfiniBand
InfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
. The advantage is that from the Operating System on the blade everything seems normal (regular Ethernet or SAN
Storage area network
A storage area network is a dedicated network that provides access to consolidated, block level data storage. SANs are primarily used to make storage devices, such as disk arrays, tape libraries, and optical jukeboxes, accessible to servers so that the devices appear like locally attached devices...
connectivity), but inside the BladeCenter everything gets routed over the InfiniBand
InfiniBand
InfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
.
High-speed switch modules
High-speed switch modules are only compatible with the BladeCenter H and BladeCenter HT. They require that a blade that needs the function has a high-speed daughtercard installed. Mixing of different high-speed daughtercards in the same BladeCenter chassis is not supported.10 Gigabit Ethernet
A high-speed 10 Gigabit Ethernet switch module is available from BNTBLADE Network Technologies
Until its acquisition by IBM in October 2010, BLADE Network Technologies , based in Santa Clara, CA, was a supplier of Gigabit and 10G Ethernet network infrastructure solutions that reside in blade servers and server and storage racks...
. This allows 10 Gbit connectivity to each blade, and external to the BladeCenter.
InfiniBand 4X
Several InfiniBand options exist- A high-speed InfiniBand 4X SDR switch module from CiscoCiscoCisco may refer to:Companies:*Cisco Systems, a computer networking company* Certis CISCO, corporatised entity of the former Commercial and Industrial Security Corporation in Singapore...
. This allows IB 4X connectivity to each blade. Externally the switch has two IB 4X ports and two IB 12X ports. The 12X ports can be split to three 4X ports, providing a total of eight IB 4X ports or a theoretical bandwidth of 80 Gbit. Internally between the blades, the switch is non-blocking. - A High-speed InfiniBandInfiniBandInfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
pass-through module to directly connect the blades to an external InfiniBandInfiniBandInfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
switch. This pass-though module is compatible with both SDR and DDR InfiniBandInfiniBandInfiniBand is a switched fabric communications link used in high-performance computing and enterprise data centers. Its features include high throughput, low latency, quality of service and failover, and it is designed to be scalable...
speeds. - A high-speed InfiniBand 4X QDR switch module from VoltaireVoltaireFrançois-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
. This allows full IB 4X QDR connectivity to each blade. Externally the switch has 16 QSFP ports, all 4X QDR capable.
See also
- Roadrunner employs the IBM BladeCenter and is the world's first sustained 1.0 petaflops system
- All supercomputerSupercomputerA supercomputer is a computer at the frontline of current processing capacity, particularly speed of calculation.Supercomputers are used for highly calculation-intensive tasks such as problems including quantum physics, weather forecasting, climate research, molecular modeling A supercomputer is a...
s of Spanish Supercomputing NetworkSpanish Supercomputing NetworkThe Spanish Supercomputing Network is a scientific network created by the Spanish Education Ministry. The network is composed by several supercomputers distributed over Spain...
employ the IBM BladeCenter. This includes MageritMageritMagerit is the name of the one of the most powerful supercomputers of Spain. It also reached the second best Spanish position in the TOP500 list of supercomputers.This computer is installed in CeSViMa, a research center of the Technical University of Madrid....
and MarenostrumMareNostrumMareNostrum is a supercomputer in the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, the second most powerful in Spain. It was presented by IBM and María Jesús San Segundo, the Spanish Minister of Education and Science...
(the two most powerful supercomputers of SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
) and 6 small supercomputers. - LjubljanaLjubljanaLjubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
Supercomputing Center employs the IBM BladeCenter - Weta DigitalWeta DigitalWeta Digital is a digital visual effects company based in Wellington, New Zealand. It was founded by Peter Jackson, Richard Taylor, and Jamie Selkirk in 1993 to produce the digital special effects for Heavenly Creatures. In 2007 Weta Digital’s Senior Visual Effects Supervisor, Joe Letteri, was...
uses IBM BladeCenter to render The Lord of the RingsThe Lord of the Rings film trilogyThe Lord of the Rings is an epic film trilogy consisting of three fantasy adventure films based on the three-volume book of the same name by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The films are The Fellowship of the Ring , The Two Towers and The Return of the King .The films were directed by Peter...
and other movies
External links
- IBM BladeCenter homepage
- IBM BladeCenter Redbooks
- IBM BladeCenter Products and Technology - IBM Redbooks
- IBM BladeCenter HS22 Technical Introduction - IBM Redbooks
- IBM BladeCenter HS22V Technical Introduction - IBM Redbooks
- VMware vSphere on IBM BladeCenter H
- IBM BladeCenter Product Publications Quick Reference - IBM Redbooks
- Blade.org - A Collaborative Community
- Intel Enterprise Blade Servers homepage
- x4live.com - Latest News and Links on Modular System x, Modular BladeCenter and Systems Management
- IBM's Online Server Configurator
- coreipm.com - Board Management Controller (BMC) firmware & other information for building BladeCenter compatible blades