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Installation guidelines

Before you install the blade appliance, read the following information.

  • Before you begin, read Safety statements and Handling static-sensitive devices. This information will help you work safely.
  • After you install your new blade appliance and perform initial configuration, take the opportunity to check for, download, and apply the most recent firmware updates. This will help to ensure that any known issues are addressed and that your blade appliance is ready to function at maximum levels of performance.

    To download the latest blade appliance firmware, see Downloading the firmware image.

  • Observe good housekeeping in the area where you are working. Place removed covers and other parts in a safe place.
  • Back up all important data before you make changes to disk drives.
  • Before you remove a blade appliance from the BladeCenter unit, you must shut down the blade appliance. You do not have to shut down the BladeCenter unit itself.
  • Blue on a component indicates touch points, where you can grip the component to remove it from or install it in the blade server, open or close a latch, and so on.
  • Orange on a component or an orange label on or near a component indicates that the component can be hot-swapped, which means that you can remove or install the component while the appliance is running. (Orange can also indicate touch points on hot-swap components.) See the instructions for removing or installing a specific hot-swap component for any additional procedures that you might have to perform before you remove or install the component.
  • For a list of supported devices for the blade appliance, see http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/serverproven/compat/us/.