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Planning for the physical environment

Make sure that the site where the BladeCenter® unit will be installed meets the minimum physical requirements for rack, power, and cooling.

  • Dimensions
    A BladeCenter S chassis is 7 rack units (7 U) high.
  • Weight considerations
    Floors and racks have maximum weight loads. Take these loads into consideration when planning your floor space.
  • Floor space
    The required floor space must allow enough clearance in the front and rear of the rack so that the doors can be opened to access the equipment.
  • Rack requirements
    Make sure the rack in which you are going to install the BladeCenter S chassis meets these minimum requirements.
  • Noise considerations
    Each BladeCenter S chassis has four fan modules for cooling and each fan module has 2 fans. The fan modules generate measurable noise.
  • Power considerations
    When planning for power, you need to determine how many power modules you intend to install (either 2 or 4) and whether they are going to be connected to 110 V ac or 220 V ac power sources. In addition, you need to determine the type of power management policy that you intend to implement.
  • Cooling considerations
    The operating environment for BladeCenter S systems must provide sufficient temperature and humidity control to prevent BladeCenter S system thermal failures.