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Hardware considerations for blade servers

You can order optional hardware for blade servers that will be installed in a BladeCenter S system. The optional hardware available depends on the blade server that you are installing.

You can choose to add the following types hardware options to a blade server that will be installed in a BladeCenter S system. See the documentation for the blade server that you are installing for the specific options that are available.
  • Additional internal hard disk drives. Some blade servers support IDE hard disk drives, some support SCSI drives, and others support internal SAShard disk drives.
  • Memory module options to increase the amount of memory in your blade server. When you install memory, you must install a pair of matched dual inline memory modules (DIMMs).
  • SAS expansion card option to enable the blade servers to communicate with either the SAS RAID controller module or the SAS connectivity module and the integrated shared storage.
  • Up to four microprocessors. With two microprocessors, your blade server can operate as a symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) server. To ensure proper server operation when you install an additional microprocessor, use microprocessors that have the same cache size and type, and the same clock speed. Internal and external clock frequencies must be identical.
    Note
    Some blade servers, such as the IBM BladeCenter LS41, support up to four microprocessors with the addition of a multiprocessor expansion unit. With the addition of the multiprocessor expansion unit, the blade server will occupy two blade server bays.
  • A SCSI storage expansion unit for using SCSI hard disk drives with your blade server. With the SCSI storage expansion unit, you can install up to two 1-inch (26 mm) slim-high, 3.5-inch, hot-swap SCSI hard disk drives. If you install the SCSI storage expansion unit, the blade server occupies two to three blade server bays, depending on the blade server.
  • The PCI I/O expansion unit adds additional adapter-based functions to your blade server. The PCI I/O expansion unit allows you to add up to two full-length, full-height PCI adapters. If you install the PCI I/O expansion unit, the blade server occupies two to three blade server bays, depending on the blade server.