ProLiant
BL20p
Identifying the BL20p Blade Server
Overview
The components of the ProLiant BL p-Class blade server system, and how
those components work together to allow multiple server blades to function
independently, represents a disaggregation of familiar server form factors
seen in previous rack server models. First the power supplies have been
pulled out of the servers and centralized in a separate rack enclosure.
Next, local connections for keyboard, mouse, monitor and serial port have
been removed. Also the floppy drive, and CD-ROM drive have been removed.
Then the internal server components were made smaller to achieve the new
small blade form factor. And finally, advanced management systems have
been integrated into the blade server to optimize remote operation. With
these significant form factor changes introduced with this system, it is
important to understand the anatomy of the ProLiant BL p-Class system and
the ProLiant BL20p server blades.
Server Blades vs. Enclosures
The first distinction that must be made is the difference between the servers
and the enclosures. Each ProLiant BL20p blade is an independent server.
The ProLiant BL p-Class server blade enclosure houses up to eight BL20p
server blades. The server blades and the server blade enclosures are powered
by a separate power supply enclosure mounted in the rack. Power distribution
bus-bars carry power from the power supply enclosure to the server blade
enclosure.
Fully Populated p-Class Server Blade Enclosure
BL20p Server Blades
The ProLiant BL20p server blades plug into bays from the front of the server
blade enclosure. Each server blade is an independently functioning, dual-processor
server. Features include:
-
1.4GHz Intel Pentium III processor (dual capable)
-
ServerWorks HE SuperLite chipset
-
512MB or 1024MB PC133 registered ECC SDRAM standard, upgradeable to 4GB;
four DIMM slots
-
Dual hot-plug Ultra3 SCSI drive bays
-
Integrated Smart Array 5i controller with optional battery-backed write
cache
-
Network mezzanine with three 10/100 Ethernet controllers, or two gigabit
Ethernet and one 10/100 Ethernet controllers; WOL and PXE support
-
iLO Advanced management
The server blade is designed for headless, remote deployment and management.
There are no PCI slots and no keyboard, mouse, monitor, serial, or USB
connections. However, because the ProLiant BL20p server blades ships with
the Advanced integrated Lights Out (iLO) Feature set enabled, administrators
have full use of the robust Graphical Remote Console and Virtual Media
capabilities for rapid deployment. The only local connector is a diagnostic
port on the front that provides access to the iLO management ASIC. A power
LED, Unit ID LED, and health and NIC status LEDs are also mounted on the
front of each server blade.
BL20p Server Blade, Front View
| Item |
Description |
| 1 |
Hard Drive #1 Release Lever |
| 2 |
UID (Unit Identification LED) |
| 3 |
Health LED |
| 4 |
NIC #1 LED |
| 5 |
NIC #2 LED |
| 6 |
NIC #3 LED |
| 7 |
Power On & Standby LED |
| 8 |
Diagnostic Port |
| 9 |
Hard Drive #2 Release Lever |
BL20p Server Blade, Rear View
| Item |
Description |
| 1 |
DC power connector to blade enclosure |
| 2 |
Signal connector to blade enclosure for all blade NICs and remote management
functions |
The rack mounted blade servers have blind-mating rear connectors that
connect to the backplane connectors in the server blade enclosure. This
enables simple installation of the server blade and eliminates cabling
at the server level. A server that requires out of the rack upgrades, service,
or maintenance is easily replaced by another server, like any hot plug
device.
Internal Components
Open BL20p Server Blade, Top view
| Item |
Description |
| 1 |
Dual Cooling Fan Unit |
| 2 |
Processor #1 |
| 3 |
Processor #2 |
| 4 |
Four memory slots |
| 5 |
Power converter module |
| 6 |
Rear Signal Connector |
| 7 |
Rear Power Connector |
| 8 |
NIC Module (Under) |
| 9 |
Battery-Backed Write Cache Module |
| 10 |
iLO Security Switch |
| 11 |
Smart Array 5i+ Controller Module |
| 12 |
CMOS Battery |
| 13 |
Option Switches |
| 14 |
SCSI Hard Drive #2 |
| 15 |
Front Diagnostic Port |
| 16 |
SCSI Hard Drive #1 |
Management
Integrated Lights-Out Management
Centralized, remote management and monitoring for the ProLiant BL20p server
blades is provided through the iLO ASIC. Besides providing in-band and
out-of-band secure management of the server blades, iLO provides a management
interface to any connected server blade enclosures and power supply enclosures.
Several rack diagnostic pages are provided through the iLO web-based user
interface. These pages list the topology of the rack and list diagnostic
information for the Server Blade Management Module, the Power Management
Module and the Redundant Power Management Module (if present). These pages
may be used to confirm the communications between the various management
components in the rack.
Enclosure status is gathered by the enclosure management modules and
passed over the Intelligent Chassis Management Bus (ICMB) to the iLO ASIC.
Server blade enclosure and power enclosure information is available on
corresponding tabs of the iLO web-based interface from any blade. The iLO
management processor transmits topology data that enables the pictorial
representation of the rack in Insight Manager 7. For further details on
connecting to the interface and the enclosure management capabilities
of iLO, refer to the install guides and user guides found in the Resources/Documention
page.
Local Access to iLO
In the event that some portion of the network is down and the administrator
cannot reach iLO through the network, the ProLiant BL20p server blade is
equipped with a diagnostic port that guarantees access to the server blade.
The ProLiant BL20p comes with a unique 搚?cable that connects to the diagnostic
port and provides two connections: a Windows debug connector (similar to
a serial port for operating system debugging) and an RJ-45 network connector.
The RJ-45 connection allows an administrator to connect a management laptop
with its browser directly to the dedicated iLO Ethernet port. The administrator
can manage the server through the standard web browser interface as if
connected through the normal network.
The default iLO TCP/IP address for the iLO Diagnostic Port connection
is 192.168.1.1 with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0. This is printed on
the plastic tab provided with the "y" cable. The 揜ack Setup?configuration
web page allows the administrator to change the IP configuration for the
iLO diagnostic port if the default values are not appropriate for the client
configuration.
NOTE: Y-Cable Configuration
The 揧?cable incorporates a crossover so that a normal Ethernet cable
may be used between the 揧?cable port and the client PC.
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While the diagnostic port is in use, the server blade firmware disables
the connection to the normal iLO Ethernet port through the back of the
enclosure and will disconnect any active iLO connections. However, if a
firmware upgrade or a remote console session is taking place using the
normal iLO Ethernet port, the diagnostic port cannot be enabled until these
operations are complete. This ensures that critical functions are not aborted
prematurely, resulting in a corrupted ROM or lost data from a virtual floppy
transfer.
NOTE: Diagnostic Port
A diagnostic port connection should not be attempted (and will not be honored),
when the blue UID LED is flashing. The flashing UID LED indicates the server
is engaged in an operation that cannot or should not be interrupted (such
as flashing the iLO firmware or an active Remote Console session).
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