Configure server?

[charles richard shultz]

Hi all,

What is the minimum (parts list) I need to make a BL860C into a functional server on my net running Debian Linux?

[Matti_Kurkela]

"A" BL860c, as in *one*?

Well, you'd need a c-class enclosure, probably the smaller c3000, in its minimal configuration. That would include 2 PSU modules, 4 fan modules (I think) and an Onboard Administrator. You'll also need at least one Interconnect Module for network connections: the 1Gb Ethernet Pass-Thru module is probably the cheapest.

(NOTE: the Ethernet Pass-Thru module is gigabit *only*: it cannot fall back to slower speeds because of the restrictions caused by the enclosure's internal wiring. If you need to interface with a 100M network, you'll need a Blade Switch interconnect module.)

(NOTE2: the internal wiring of c3000 and c7000 enclosures is different. In c3000, one Ethernet interconnect module is sufficient to make all 4 of the integrated NICs of the blade useable. In c7000, you must use two interconnect modules for that: this is good for High Availability configurations (no SPoF) but not so good for minimalist configs.)

...And before you might ask: No, there is no way to use a lone blade as a stand-alone server. The blade depends on the enclosure for I/O, power and cooling, and cannot be used outside the enclosure.

Blades are neat and offer economies of scale when you need to pack many servers into a small space, but setting up an enclosure for just one blade does not make sense (neither financial nor common variety).

MK

[charles richard shultz]

thanks for the responce.

it looks like the cheapest way to add the blade server to my net is to add one gigabyte switch into my networking system.

can one mix itanium blades and xeon blades in the same C3000 chasis?

later....