<s>
The	O
Dell	O
blade	B-Architecture
server	I-Architecture
products	O
are	O
built	O
around	O
their	O
M1000e	O
enclosure	O
that	O
can	O
hold	O
their	O
server	B-Architecture
blades	I-Architecture
,	O
an	O
embedded	O
EqualLogic	O
iSCSI	B-Protocol
storage	O
area	O
network	O
and	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
modules	O
including	O
Ethernet	O
,	O
Fibre	B-Architecture
Channel	I-Architecture
and	O
InfiniBand	B-Architecture
switches	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
M1000e	O
fits	O
in	O
a	O
19-inch	B-Application
rack	I-Application
and	O
is	O
10	O
rack	O
units	O
high	O
(	O
44cm	O
)	O
,	O
17.6	O
"	O
(	O
44.7cm	O
)	O
wide	O
and	O
29.7	O
"	O
(	O
75.4cm	O
)	O
deep	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
empty	O
blade	B-Architecture
enclosure	I-Architecture
weighs	O
44.5kg	O
while	O
a	O
fully	O
loaded	O
system	O
can	O
weigh	O
up	O
to	O
178.8kg	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
the	O
front	O
the	O
servers	O
are	O
inserted	O
while	O
at	O
the	O
backside	O
the	O
power-supplies	O
,	O
fans	O
and	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
modules	O
are	O
inserted	O
together	O
with	O
the	O
management	O
modules(s )	O
(	O
CMC	O
or	O
chassis	O
management	O
controller	O
)	O
and	O
the	O
KVM	B-Device
switch	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
blade	B-Architecture
enclosure	I-Architecture
offers	O
centralized	O
management	O
for	O
the	O
servers	O
and	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
systems	O
of	O
the	O
blade-system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
also	O
possible	O
to	O
connect	O
a	O
virtual	O
KVM	B-Device
switch	I-Device
to	O
have	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
main-console	O
of	O
each	O
installed	O
server	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2013	O
Dell	O
introduced	O
the	O
PowerEdge	B-Device
VRTX	I-Device
,	O
which	O
is	O
a	O
smaller	O
blade	B-Architecture
system	I-Architecture
that	O
shares	O
modules	O
with	O
the	O
M1000e	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
blade	B-Architecture
servers	I-Architecture
,	O
although	O
following	O
the	O
traditional	O
naming	O
strategy	O
e.g.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
M1000e	O
enclosure	O
has	O
a	O
front-side	O
and	O
a	O
back-side	O
and	O
thus	O
all	O
communication	O
between	O
the	O
inserted	O
blades	O
and	O
modules	O
goes	O
via	O
the	O
midplane	O
,	O
which	O
has	O
the	O
same	O
function	O
as	O
a	O
backplane	B-Architecture
but	O
has	O
connectors	O
at	O
both	O
sides	O
where	O
the	O
front	O
side	O
is	O
dedicated	O
for	O
server-blades	O
and	O
the	O
back	O
for	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
modules	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
midplane	O
1.0	O
capabilities	O
are	O
Fabric	O
A	O
-	O
Ethernet	O
1Gb	O
;	O
Fabrics	O
B&C	O
-	O
Ethernet	O
1Gb	O
,	O
10Gb	O
,	O
40Gb	O
-	O
Fibre	B-Architecture
Channel	I-Architecture
4Gb	O
,	O
8Gb	O
-	O
IfiniBand	O
DDR	O
,	O
QDR	O
,	O
FDR10	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
enhanced	O
midplane	O
1.1	O
capabilities	O
are	O
Fabric	O
A	O
-	O
Ethernet	O
1Gb	O
,	O
10Gb	O
;	O
Fabrics	O
B&C	O
-	O
Ethernet	O
1Gb	O
,	O
10Gb	O
,	O
40Gb	O
-	O
Fibre	B-Architecture
Channel	I-Architecture
4Gb	O
,	O
8Gb	O
,	O
16Gb	O
-	O
IfiniBand	O
DDR	O
,	O
QDR	O
,	O
FDR10	O
,	O
FDR	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
have	O
10Gb	O
Ethernet	O
on	O
fabric	O
A	O
or	O
16Gb	O
Fibre	B-Architecture
Channel	I-Architecture
or	O
InfiniBand	B-Architecture
FDR	O
(	O
and	O
faster	O
)	O
on	O
fabrics	O
B&C	O
,	O
midplane	O
1.1	O
is	O
required	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Via	O
the	O
markings	O
on	O
the	O
back-side	O
of	O
the	O
enclosure	O
,	O
just	O
above	O
the	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
modules	O
:	O
if	O
an	O
"	O
arrow	O
down	O
"	O
can	O
be	O
seen	O
above	O
the	O
6	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
slots	O
the	O
1.0	O
midplane	O
was	O
installed	O
in	O
the	O
factory	O
;	O
if	O
there	O
are	O
3	O
or	O
4	O
horizontal	O
bars	O
,	O
midplane	O
1.1	O
was	O
installed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Integrated	O
at	O
the	O
bottom	O
of	O
the	O
front-side	O
is	O
a	O
connection-option	O
for	O
2	O
x	O
USB	B-Protocol
,	O
meant	O
for	O
a	O
mouse	O
and	O
keyboard	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
a	O
standard	O
VGA	B-Protocol
monitor	I-Protocol
connection	O
(	O
15	O
pin	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Next	O
to	O
this	O
is	O
a	O
small	O
LCD	B-Device
screen	I-Device
with	O
navigation	O
buttons	O
which	O
allows	O
one	O
to	O
get	O
system-information	O
without	O
the	O
need	O
to	O
access	O
the	O
CMC/management	O
system	O
of	O
the	O
enclosure	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
quick	O
status	O
checks	O
,	O
an	O
indicator	O
light	O
sits	O
alongside	O
the	O
LCD	B-Device
display	I-Device
and	O
is	O
always	O
visible	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
blue	O
LED	O
indicating	O
normal	O
operation	O
and	O
an	O
orange	O
LED	O
indicating	O
a	O
problem	O
of	O
some	O
kind	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
LCD	B-Device
display	I-Device
can	O
also	O
be	O
used	O
for	O
the	O
initial	O
configuration	O
wizard	O
in	O
a	O
newly	O
delivered	O
(	O
unconfigured	O
)	O
system	O
,	O
allowing	O
the	O
operator	O
to	O
configure	O
the	O
CMC	O
IP	O
address	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
area	O
in	O
between	O
offers	O
3	O
x	O
3	O
bays	O
for	O
cooling-fans	O
(	O
left	O
-	O
middle	O
-	O
right	O
)	O
and	O
up	O
to	O
6	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
modules	O
:	O
three	O
modules	O
to	O
the	O
left	O
of	O
the	O
middle	O
fans	O
and	O
three	O
to	O
the	O
right	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
modules	O
on	O
the	O
left	O
are	O
the	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
modules	O
numbered	O
A1	O
,	O
B1	O
and	O
C1	O
while	O
the	O
right	O
hand	O
side	O
has	O
places	O
for	O
A2	O
,	O
B2	O
and	O
C2	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
A	O
fabric	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
modules	O
connect	O
to	O
the	O
on-board	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
controllers	O
which	O
in	O
most	O
cases	O
will	O
be	O
a	O
dual	O
1Gb	O
or	O
10Gb	O
Ethernet	O
NIC	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
the	O
blade	O
has	O
a	O
dual	O
port	O
on-board	O
1Gb	O
NIC	O
the	O
first	O
NIC	O
will	O
connect	O
to	O
the	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
module	O
in	O
fabric	O
A1	O
and	O
the	O
2nd	O
NIC	O
will	O
connect	O
to	O
fabric	O
A2	O
(	O
and	O
the	O
blade-slot	O
corresponds	O
with	O
the	O
internal	O
Ethernet	O
interface	O
:	O
e.g.	O
</s>
<s>
I/O	B-General_Concept
modules	O
in	O
fabric	O
B1/B2	O
will	O
connect	O
to	O
the	O
(	O
optional	O
)	O
Mezzanine	O
card	O
B	O
or	O
2	O
in	O
the	O
server	O
and	O
fabric	O
C	O
to	O
Mezzanine	O
C	O
or	O
3	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Released	O
in	O
2012	O
,	O
PE	O
M420	O
is	O
a	O
"	O
quarter-size	O
"	O
blade	O
:	O
where	O
most	O
servers	O
are	O
'	O
half-size	O
'	O
,	O
allowing	O
16	O
blades	O
per	O
M1000e	O
enclosure	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
new	O
M420	O
up	O
to	O
32	O
blade	B-Architecture
servers	I-Architecture
can	O
be	O
installed	O
in	O
a	O
single	O
chassis	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
also	O
has	O
consequences	O
for	O
the	O
"	O
normal	O
"	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
NIC	O
assignment	O
:	O
most	O
(	O
half-size	O
)	O
blades	O
have	O
two	O
LOMs	O
(	O
LAN	O
On	O
Motherboard	O
)	O
:	O
one	O
connecting	O
to	O
the	O
switch	O
in	O
the	O
A1	O
fabric	O
,	O
the	O
other	O
to	O
the	O
A2	O
fabric	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
And	O
the	O
same	O
applies	O
to	O
the	O
Mezzanine	O
cards	O
B	O
and	O
C	O
.	O
All	O
available	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
modules	O
(	O
except	O
for	O
the	O
PCM6348	O
,	O
MXL	O
an	O
MIOA	O
)	O
have	O
16	O
internal	O
ports	O
:	O
one	O
for	O
each	O
half-size	O
blade	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
support	O
all	O
on-board	O
NICs	O
one	O
would	O
need	O
to	O
deploy	O
a	O
32-slot	O
Ethernet	O
switch	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
MXL	O
or	O
Force10	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
Aggregator	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
half-height	O
server	O
with	O
up	O
to	O
2x	O
8	O
core	O
Intel	B-Device
Xeon	I-Device
E5-2400	O
CPU	O
,	O
running	O
the	O
Intel	O
C600	O
chipset	O
and	O
offering	O
up	O
to	O
384Gb	O
RAM	O
memory	O
via	O
12	O
DIMM	O
slots	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Two	O
on-blade	O
disks	O
(	O
2.5-inch	O
PCIe	O
SSD	B-Device
,	O
SATA	O
HDD	O
or	O
SAS	O
HDD	O
)	O
are	O
installable	O
for	O
local	O
storage	O
and	O
a	O
choice	O
of	O
Intel	O
or	O
Broadcom	O
LOM	O
+	O
2	O
Mezzanine	O
slots	O
for	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
M520	O
can	O
also	O
be	O
used	O
in	O
the	O
PowerEdge	B-Device
VRTX	I-Device
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
half-height	O
server	O
with	O
a	O
quad-core	O
or	O
six-core	O
Intel	O
5500	O
or	O
5600	O
Xeon	B-Device
CPU	O
and	O
Intel	O
5520	O
chipset	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
maximum	O
of	O
two	O
on-blade	O
hot-pluggable	B-Device
2.5-inch	O
hard-disks	B-Device
or	O
SSDs	B-Device
and	O
a	O
choice	O
of	O
built-in	O
NICs	O
for	O
Ethernet	O
or	O
converged	B-Protocol
network	I-Protocol
adapter	I-Protocol
(	O
CNA	B-Protocol
)	O
,	O
Fibre	B-Architecture
Channel	I-Architecture
or	O
InfiniBand	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
full-height	O
blade	B-Architecture
server	I-Architecture
that	O
has	O
the	O
same	O
capabilities	O
as	O
the	O
half-height	O
M610	O
but	O
offering	O
an	O
expansion	O
module	O
containing	O
x16	O
PCI	O
Express	O
(	O
PCIe	O
)	O
2.0	O
expansion	O
slots	O
that	O
can	O
support	O
up	O
to	O
two	O
standard	O
full-length/full	O
-height	O
PCIe	O
cards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
half-height	O
server	O
with	O
up	O
to	O
2x	O
12	O
core	O
Intel	B-Device
Xeon	I-Device
E5-2600	O
or	O
Xeon	B-Device
E5-2600	O
v2	O
CPUs	O
,	O
running	O
the	O
Intel	O
C600	O
chipset	O
and	O
offering	O
up	O
to	O
768	O
GB	O
RAM	O
memory	O
via	O
24	O
DIMM	O
slots	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Two	O
on-blade	O
disks	O
(	O
2	O
,	O
5	O
"	O
PCIe	O
SSD	B-Device
,	O
SATA	O
HDD	O
or	O
SAS	O
HDD	O
)	O
are	O
installable	O
for	O
local	O
storage	O
with	O
a	O
range	O
of	O
RAID	O
controller	O
options	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Two	O
external	O
and	O
one	O
internal	O
USB	B-Protocol
ports	I-Protocol
and	O
two	O
SD	B-Device
card	I-Device
slots	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
can	O
also	O
be	O
ordered	O
with	O
Citrix	O
XenServer	O
or	O
VMWare	O
vSphere	O
ESXi	B-Operating_System
or	O
using	O
Hyper-V	O
which	O
comes	O
with	O
W2K8	O
R2	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
half-height	O
server	O
with	O
up	O
to	O
2x	O
22-core	O
Intel	B-Device
Xeon	I-Device
E5-2600	O
v3/v4	O
CPUs	O
,	O
running	O
the	O
Intel	O
C610	O
chipset	O
and	O
offering	O
up	O
to	O
768	O
GB	O
RAM	O
memory	O
via	O
24	O
DIMM	O
slots	O
,	O
or	O
640	O
GB	O
RAM	O
memory	O
via	O
20	O
DIMM	O
slots	O
when	O
using	O
145w	O
CPUs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Two	O
on-blade	O
disks	O
(	O
2	O
,	O
5	O
"	O
PCIe	O
SSD	B-Device
,	O
SATA	O
HDD	O
or	O
SAS	O
HDD	O
)	O
are	O
installable	O
for	O
local	O
storage	O
and	O
a	O
choice	O
of	O
Intel	O
or	O
Broadcom	O
LOM	O
+	O
2	O
Mezzanine	O
slots	O
for	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
M630	O
can	O
also	O
be	O
used	O
in	O
the	O
PowerEdge	B-Device
VRTX	I-Device
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
half-height	O
server	O
with	O
up	O
to	O
2x	O
28-core	O
Xeon	B-Device
Scalable	O
CPU	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Supported	O
on	O
both	O
the	O
M1000e	O
and	O
PowerEdge	B-Device
VRTX	I-Device
chassis	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
full-height	O
server	O
with	O
a	O
quad-core	O
or	O
six-core	O
Intel	O
5500	O
or	O
5600	O
Xeon	B-Device
CPU	O
and	O
up	O
to	O
192	O
Gb	O
RAM	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
maximum	O
of	O
four	O
on-blade	O
hot-pluggable	B-Device
2.5	O
"	O
hard-disks	B-Device
or	O
SSD	B-Device
's	I-Device
and	O
a	O
choice	O
of	O
built-in	O
NICs	O
for	O
Ethernet	O
or	O
converged	B-Protocol
network	I-Protocol
adapter	I-Protocol
,	O
Fibre	B-Architecture
Channel	I-Architecture
or	O
InfiniBand	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
CPU	O
can	O
be	O
two	O
quad-core	O
or	O
6-core	O
Xeon	B-Device
5500	O
or	O
5600	O
with	O
the	O
Intel	O
5520	O
chipset	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Via	O
18	O
DIMM	O
slots	O
up	O
to	O
288	O
Gb	O
DDR3	O
RAM	O
can	O
put	O
on	O
this	O
blade	O
and	O
the	O
standard	O
choice	O
of	O
on-board	O
Ethernet	O
NICs	O
based	O
on	O
Broadcom	O
or	O
Intel	O
and	O
one	O
or	O
two	O
Mezzanine	O
cards	O
for	O
Ethernet	O
,	O
Fibre	B-Architecture
Channel	I-Architecture
or	O
InfiniBand	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
full-height	O
server	O
with	O
4x	O
8	O
core	O
Intel	B-Device
Xeon	I-Device
E5-4600	O
CPU	O
,	O
running	O
the	O
Intel	O
C600	O
chipset	O
and	O
offering	O
up	O
to	O
1.5	O
TB	O
RAM	O
memory	O
via	O
48	O
DIMM	O
slots	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Up	O
to	O
four	O
on-blade	O
2	O
,	O
5	O
"	O
SAS	O
HDD/SSD	O
or	O
two	O
PCIe	O
flash	O
SSD	B-Device
are	O
installable	O
for	O
local	O
storage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
full-height	O
server	O
of	O
the	O
11th	O
generation	O
with	O
up	O
to	O
4x	O
10-core	O
Intel	B-Device
XEON	I-Device
E7	O
CPU	O
or	O
4	O
x	O
8	O
core	O
XEON	B-Device
7500	O
series	O
or	O
2	O
x	O
8	O
core	O
XEON	B-Device
6500	O
series	O
,	O
512	O
Gb	O
or	O
1Tb	O
DDR3	O
RAM	O
and	O
two	O
hot-swappable	B-Device
2	O
,	O
5	O
"	O
hard-drives	B-Device
(	O
spinning	O
or	O
SSD	B-Device
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On-board	O
up	O
to	O
two	O
2	O
,	O
5inch	O
HDD	O
or	O
SSD	B-Device
's	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
blade	O
comes	O
with	O
a	O
choice	O
of	O
on-board	O
NICs	O
and	O
up	O
to	O
two	O
mezzanine	O
cards	O
for	O
dual-port	O
10Gb	O
Ethernet	O
,	O
dual-port	O
FCoE	B-Protocol
,	O
dual-port	O
8Gb	O
fibre-channel	O
or	O
dual	O
port	O
Mellanox	O
Infiniband	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
allow	O
more	O
NICs	O
or	O
non-Ethernet	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
each	O
blade	O
has	O
two	O
so-called	O
mezzanine	O
slots	O
:	O
slot	O
B	O
connecting	O
to	O
the	O
switches/modules	O
in	O
bay	O
B1	O
and	O
B2	O
and	O
slot	O
C	O
connecting	O
to	O
C1/C2	O
:	O
An	O
M1000e	O
chassis	O
holds	O
up	O
to	O
6	O
switches	O
or	O
pass-through	O
modules	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
same	O
applies	O
to	O
adding	O
a	O
Fibre	B-Architecture
Channel	I-Architecture
host	B-Architecture
bus	I-Architecture
adapter	I-Architecture
or	O
a	O
Fibre	B-Protocol
Channel	I-Protocol
over	I-Protocol
Ethernet	I-Protocol
(	O
FCoE	B-Protocol
)	O
converged	B-Protocol
network	I-Protocol
adapter	I-Protocol
interface	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
most	O
setups	O
the	O
server-blades	O
will	O
use	O
external	O
storage	O
(	O
NAS	B-Application
using	O
iSCSI	B-Protocol
,	O
FCoE	B-Protocol
or	O
Fibre	B-Architecture
Channel	I-Architecture
)	O
in	O
combination	O
with	O
local	O
server-storage	O
on	O
each	O
blade	O
via	O
hard	B-Device
disk	I-Device
drives	I-Device
or	O
SSDs	B-Device
on	O
the	O
blades	O
(	O
or	O
even	O
only	O
a	O
SD-card	B-Device
with	O
boot-OS	O
like	O
VMware	B-Operating_System
ESX	I-Operating_System
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
But	O
regardless	O
of	O
the	O
local	O
and	O
boot-storage	O
:	O
the	O
majority	O
of	O
the	O
data	O
used	O
by	O
blades	O
will	O
be	O
stored	O
on	O
SAN	O
or	O
NAS	B-Application
external	O
from	O
the	O
blade-enclosure	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dell	O
has	O
put	O
the	O
EqualLogic	O
PS	O
M4110	O
models	O
of	O
iSCSI	B-Protocol
storage	O
arrays	O
that	O
are	O
physically	O
installed	O
in	O
the	O
M1000e	O
chassis	O
:	O
this	O
SAN	O
will	O
take	O
the	O
same	O
space	O
in	O
the	O
enclosure	O
as	O
two	O
half-height	O
blades	O
next	O
to	O
each	O
other	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
M4110XS	O
offer	O
7.4TB	O
using	O
9	O
HDD	O
's	O
and	O
5	O
SSD	B-Device
's	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
M4110	O
comes	O
with	O
one	O
or	O
two	O
controllers	O
and	O
two	O
10-gigabit	O
Ethernet	O
interfaces	O
for	O
iSCSI	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
the	O
iSCSI	B-Protocol
uses	O
10Gb	O
interfaces	O
the	O
SAN	O
should	O
be	O
used	O
in	O
combination	O
with	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
10G	O
blade	O
switches	O
:	O
the	O
PCM	O
8024-k	O
or	O
the	O
Force10	O
MXL	O
switch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
rear	O
side	O
of	O
the	O
enclosure	O
one	O
will	O
find	O
the	O
power-supplies	O
,	O
fan-trays	O
,	O
one	O
or	O
two	O
chassis-management	O
modules	O
(	O
the	O
CMC	O
's	O
)	O
and	O
a	O
virtual	O
KVM	B-Device
switch	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
And	O
the	O
rear	O
offers	O
6	O
bays	O
for	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
modules	O
numbered	O
in	O
3	O
pairs	O
:	O
A1/A2	O
,	O
B1/B2	O
and	O
C1/C2	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Dell	B-Operating_System
PowerConnect	I-Operating_System
switches	O
are	O
modular	O
switches	O
for	O
use	O
in	O
the	O
Dell	O
blade	B-Architecture
server	I-Architecture
enclosure	O
M1000e	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
the	O
M-series	O
switches	O
are	O
OSI	B-Application
layer	I-Application
3	I-Application
capable	O
:	O
so	O
one	O
can	O
also	O
say	O
that	O
these	O
devices	O
are	O
layer	O
2	O
Ethernet	O
switches	O
with	O
built-in	O
router	B-Protocol
or	O
layer3	O
functionality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
most	O
important	O
difference	O
between	O
the	O
M-series	O
switches	O
and	O
the	O
Dell	B-Operating_System
PowerConnect	I-Operating_System
classic	O
switches	O
(	O
e.g.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
a	O
20-port	O
switch	O
:	O
16	O
internal	O
and	O
4	O
external	O
Gigabit	O
Ethernet	O
interfaces	O
and	O
the	O
option	O
to	O
extend	O
it	O
with	O
up	O
to	O
four	O
10Gb	O
external	O
interfaces	O
for	O
uplinks	O
or	O
two	O
10Gb	O
uplinks	O
and	O
two	O
stacking	B-Protocol
ports	O
to	O
stack	B-Protocol
several	O
PCM6220	O
's	O
into	O
one	O
large	O
logical	O
switch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
also	O
two	O
SFP+	B-Protocol
slots	O
for	O
10Gb	O
uplinks	O
and	O
two	O
CX4	O
slots	O
that	O
can	O
either	O
be	O
used	O
for	O
two	O
extra	O
10Gb	O
uplinks	O
or	O
to	O
stack	B-Protocol
several	O
M6348	O
's	O
blades	O
in	O
one	O
logical	O
switch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
M8024	O
and	O
M8024-k	O
offer	O
16	O
internal	O
autosensing	O
1	O
or	O
10Gb	O
interfaces	O
and	O
up	O
to	O
8	O
external	O
ports	O
via	O
one	O
or	O
two	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
modules	O
each	O
of	O
which	O
can	O
offer	O
:	O
4	O
×	O
10Gb	O
SFP+	B-Protocol
slots	O
,	O
3	O
x	O
CX4	O
10Gb	O
(	O
only	O
)	O
copper	O
or	O
2	O
x	O
10G	O
BaseT	O
1/10	O
Gb	O
RJ-45	O
interfaces	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
firmware	O
update	O
4.2	O
the	O
PCM8024-k	O
supports	O
partially	O
FCoE	B-Protocol
via	O
FIP	O
(	O
FCoE	B-Protocol
Initialisation	O
Protocol	O
)	O
and	O
thus	O
Converged	B-Protocol
network	I-Protocol
adapters	I-Protocol
but	O
unlike	O
the	O
PCM8428-k	O
it	O
has	O
no	O
native	O
fibre	B-Architecture
channel	I-Architecture
interfaces	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
since	O
firmware	O
4.2	O
the	O
PCM8024-k	O
can	O
be	O
stacked	O
using	O
external	O
10Gb	O
Ethernet	O
interfaces	O
by	O
assigning	O
them	O
as	O
stacking	B-Protocol
ports	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
this	O
new	O
stacking-option	O
is	O
also	O
introduced	O
in	O
the	O
same	O
firmware	O
release	O
for	O
the	O
PCT8024	O
and	O
PCT8024-f	O
one	O
ca	O
n't	O
stack	B-Protocol
blade	O
(	O
PCM	O
)	O
and	O
rack	O
(	O
PCT	O
)	O
-versions	O
in	O
a	O
single	O
stack	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
PowerConnect	B-Operating_System
M-series	O
(	O
"	O
PCM	O
"	O
)	O
switches	O
are	O
multi-layer	O
switches	O
thus	O
offering	O
both	O
layer	O
2	O
(	O
Ethernet	O
)	O
options	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
layer	B-Application
3	I-Application
or	O
IP	O
routing	O
options	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PowerConnect	B-Operating_System
M	O
series	O
with	O
"	O
-k	O
"	O
in	O
the	O
model-name	O
offer	O
10Gb	O
internal	O
connections	O
using	O
the	O
10GBASE-KR	O
standard	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
external	O
interfaces	O
are	O
mainly	O
meant	O
to	O
be	O
used	O
as	O
uplinks	O
or	O
stacking-interfaces	O
but	O
can	O
also	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
connect	O
non-blade	O
servers	O
to	O
the	O
network.On	O
the	O
link-level	O
PCM	O
switches	O
support	O
link	B-Architecture
aggregation	I-Architecture
:	O
both	O
static	O
LAG	O
's	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
LACP	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
all	O
PowerConnect	B-Operating_System
switches	O
the	O
switches	O
are	O
running	O
RSTP	O
as	O
Spanning	B-Protocol
Tree	I-Protocol
Protocol	I-Protocol
,	O
but	O
it	O
is	O
also	O
possible	O
to	O
run	O
MSTP	O
or	O
Multiple	O
Spanning	B-Protocol
Tree	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Besides	O
static	O
routes	O
the	O
switches	O
also	O
support	O
OSPF	B-Protocol
and	O
RIP	B-Protocol
routing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
PowerConnect	B-Operating_System
blade	O
switches	O
,	O
except	O
for	O
the	O
original	O
PC-M8024	O
,	O
can	O
be	O
stacked	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
stack	B-Protocol
the	O
new	O
PC-M8024-k	O
switch	O
the	O
switches	O
need	O
to	O
run	O
firmware	O
version	O
4.2	O
or	O
higher	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
principle	O
one	O
can	O
only	O
stack	B-Protocol
switches	O
of	O
the	O
same	O
family	O
;	O
thus	O
stacking	B-Protocol
multiple	O
PCM6220	O
's	O
together	O
or	O
several	O
PCM8024-k	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
only	O
exception	O
is	O
the	O
capability	O
to	O
stack	B-Protocol
the	O
blade	O
PCM6348	O
together	O
with	O
the	O
rack-switch	O
PCT7024	O
or	O
PCT7048	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stacks	O
can	O
contain	O
multiple	O
switches	O
within	O
one	O
M1000e	O
chassis	O
but	O
one	O
can	O
also	O
stack	B-Protocol
switches	O
from	O
different	O
chassis	O
to	O
form	O
one	O
logical	O
switch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
Dell	O
Interop	O
2012	O
in	O
Las	O
Vegas	O
Dell	O
announced	O
the	O
first	O
FTOS	B-Protocol
based	O
blade-switch	O
:	O
the	O
Force10	O
MXL	O
10/40Gpbs	O
blade	O
switch	O
,	O
and	O
later	O
a	O
10/40Gbit/s	O
concentrator	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
FTOS	B-Protocol
MXL	O
40	O
Gb	O
was	O
introduced	O
on	O
19	O
July	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
MXL	O
provides	O
32	O
internal	O
10Gbit/s	O
links	O
(	O
2	O
ports	O
per	O
blade	O
in	O
the	O
chassis	O
)	O
,	O
two	O
QSFP+	B-Protocol
40Gbit/s	O
ports	O
and	O
two	O
empty	O
expansion	O
slots	O
allowing	O
a	O
maximum	O
of	O
4	O
additional	O
QSFP+	B-Protocol
40Gbit/s	O
ports	O
or	O
8	O
10Gbit/s	O
ports	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
QSFP+	B-Protocol
port	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
for	O
a	O
40Gbit/s	O
switch	O
to	O
switch	O
(	O
stack	B-Protocol
)	O
uplink	O
or	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
break-out	O
cable	O
,	O
4	O
x	O
10Gbit/s	O
links	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dell	O
offers	O
direct	O
attach	O
cables	O
with	O
on	O
one	O
side	O
the	O
QSFP+	B-Protocol
interface	O
and	O
4	O
x	O
SFP+	B-Protocol
on	O
the	O
other	O
end	O
or	O
a	O
QSFP+	B-Protocol
transceiver	O
on	O
one	O
end	O
and	O
4	O
fibre-optic	O
pairs	O
to	O
be	O
connected	O
to	O
SFP+	B-Protocol
transceivers	I-Protocol
on	O
the	O
other	O
side	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Besides	O
the	O
above	O
2x40	O
QSFP	B-Protocol
module	O
the	O
MXL	O
also	O
supports	O
a	O
4x10Gb	O
SFP+	B-Protocol
and	O
a	O
4x10GbaseT	O
module	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
MXL	O
switches	O
also	O
support	O
Fibre	B-Protocol
Channel	I-Protocol
over	I-Protocol
Ethernet	I-Protocol
so	O
that	O
server-blades	O
with	O
a	O
converged	B-Protocol
network	I-Protocol
adapter	I-Protocol
Mezzanine	O
card	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
for	O
both	O
data	O
as	O
storage	O
using	O
a	O
Fibre	B-Architecture
Channel	I-Architecture
storage	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
MXL	O
10/40	O
Gbit/s	O
blade	O
switch	O
will	O
run	O
FTOS	B-Protocol
and	O
because	O
of	O
this	O
will	O
be	O
the	O
first	O
M1000e	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
product	O
without	O
a	O
Web	O
graphical	B-Application
user	I-Application
interface	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
MXL	O
can	O
either	O
forward	O
the	O
FCoE	B-Protocol
traffic	O
to	O
an	O
upstream	O
switch	O
or	O
,	O
using	O
a	O
4	O
port	O
8Gb	O
FC	O
module	O
,	O
perform	O
the	O
FCF	O
function	O
,	O
connecting	O
the	O
MXL	O
to	O
a	O
full	O
FC	O
switch	O
or	O
directly	O
to	O
a	O
FC	O
SAN	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2012	O
Dell	O
also	O
launched	O
the	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
Aggregator	O
for	O
the	O
M1000e	O
chassis	O
running	O
on	O
FTOS	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
Aggregator	O
offers	O
32	O
internal	O
10Gb	O
ports	O
towards	O
the	O
blades	O
and	O
standard	O
two	O
40Gbit/s	O
QSFP+	B-Protocol
uplinks	O
and	O
offers	O
two	O
extension	O
slots	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Depending	O
on	O
one	O
's	O
requirements	O
one	O
can	O
get	O
extension	O
modules	O
for	O
40Gb	O
QSFP+	B-Protocol
ports	O
,	O
10	O
Gb	O
SFP+	B-Protocol
or	O
1-10	O
GBaseT	O
copper	O
interfaces	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dell	O
also	O
offered	O
some	O
Cisco	O
Catalyst	O
switches	O
for	O
this	O
blade	B-Architecture
enclosure	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Besides	O
the	O
Dell	B-Application
M1000e	I-Application
enclosure	O
Cisco	O
offers	O
similar	O
switches	O
also	O
for	O
HP	O
,	O
FSC	O
and	O
IBM	O
blade-enclosures	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
built-in	O
external	O
ports	O
are	O
10/100/1000	O
BaseT	O
copper	O
interfaces	O
with	O
an	O
RJ45	O
connector	O
and	O
up	O
to	O
4	O
additional	O
1Gb	O
ports	O
can	O
be	O
added	O
using	O
the	O
extension	O
module	O
slots	O
that	O
each	O
offer	O
2	O
SFP	B-Protocol
slots	O
for	O
fiber-optic	O
or	O
Twinax	O
1Gb	O
links	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
the	O
uplink	O
or	O
external	O
connections	O
there	O
are	O
two	O
options	O
:	O
the	O
3130G	O
offering	O
4	O
built-in	O
10/100/1000BaseT	O
RJ-45	O
slots	O
and	O
two	O
module-bays	O
allowing	O
for	O
up	O
to	O
4	O
SFP	B-Protocol
1Gb	O
slots	O
using	O
SFP	B-Protocol
transceivers	I-Protocol
or	O
SFP	B-Protocol
Twinax	O
cables	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
3130	O
switches	O
offer	O
'	O
stacking	B-Protocol
 '	O
or	O
'	O
virtual	O
blade	O
switch	O
 '	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
can	O
stack	B-Protocol
up	O
to	O
8	O
Catalyst	O
3130	O
switches	O
to	O
behave	O
like	O
one	O
single	O
switch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
can	O
simplify	O
the	O
management	O
of	O
the	O
switches	O
and	O
simplify	O
the	O
(	O
spanning	B-Protocol
tree	I-Protocol
)	O
topology	O
as	O
the	O
combined	O
switches	O
are	O
just	O
one	O
switch	O
for	O
spanning	B-Protocol
tree	I-Protocol
considerations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
also	O
allows	O
the	O
network	O
manager	O
to	O
aggregate	B-Architecture
uplinks	O
from	O
physically	O
different	O
switch-units	O
into	O
one	O
logical	O
link	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
3130	O
switches	O
come	O
standard	O
with	O
IP	O
Base	O
IOS	B-Protocol
offering	O
all	O
layer	O
2	O
and	O
the	O
basic	O
layer	B-Application
3	I-Application
or	O
routing-capabilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
can	O
upgrade	O
this	O
basic	O
license	O
to	O
IP	O
Services	O
or	O
IP	O
Advanced	O
services	O
adding	O
additional	O
routing	O
capabilities	O
such	O
as	O
EIGRP	B-Protocol
,	O
OSPF	B-Protocol
or	O
BGP4	B-Protocol
routing	O
protocols	O
,	O
IPv6	O
routing	O
and	O
hardware	O
based	O
unicast	O
and	O
multicast	O
routing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
January	O
2013	O
Cisco	O
and	O
Dell	O
offer	O
a	O
Nexus	B-Protocol
Fabric	O
Extender	O
for	O
the	O
M1000e	O
chassis	O
:	O
Nexus	B-Protocol
B22Dell	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Such	O
FEX	O
's	O
were	O
already	O
available	O
for	O
HP	O
and	O
Fujitsu	O
blade	B-Architecture
systems	I-Architecture
,	O
and	O
now	O
there	O
is	O
also	O
a	O
FEX	O
for	O
the	O
M1000e	O
blade	B-Architecture
system	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Customers	O
manage	O
a	O
FEX	O
from	O
a	O
core	O
Nexus	B-Protocol
5500	O
series	O
switch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
M1000e	O
enclosure	O
can	O
hold	O
up	O
to	O
6	O
switches	O
or	O
other	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
cards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Besides	O
the	O
ethernet	O
switches	O
as	O
the	O
Powerconnect	B-Operating_System
M-series	O
,	O
Force10	O
MXL	O
and	O
Cisco	O
Catalyst	O
3100	O
switches	O
mentioned	O
above	O
the	O
following	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
modules	O
are	O
available	O
or	O
usable	O
in	O
a	O
Dell	B-Application
M1000e	I-Application
enclosure	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
the	O
below	O
Powerconnect	B-Operating_System
8428-k	O
switch	O
with	O
4	O
"	O
native	O
"	O
8Gb	O
Fibre	B-Architecture
channel	I-Architecture
interfaces	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
the	O
PCM8024-k	O
and	O
MXL	O
switch	O
do	O
support	O
Fibre	B-Protocol
Channel	I-Protocol
over	I-Protocol
Ethernet	I-Protocol
,	O
it	O
is	O
not	O
a	O
'	O
native	O
 '	O
FCoE	B-Protocol
switch	O
:	O
it	O
has	O
no	O
Fibre	B-Architecture
Channel	I-Architecture
interfaces	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
switches	O
would	O
need	O
to	O
be	O
connected	O
to	O
a	O
"	O
native	O
"	O
FCoE	B-Protocol
switch	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Powerconnect	B-Operating_System
B-series	O
8000e	O
(	O
same	O
as	O
a	O
Brocade	O
8000	O
switch	O
)	O
or	O
a	O
Cisco	B-Protocol
Nexus	I-Protocol
5000	O
series	O
switch	O
with	O
fibre	B-Architecture
channel	I-Architecture
interfaces	O
(	O
and	O
licenses	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PCM8428	O
is	O
the	O
only	O
full	O
Fibre	B-Protocol
Channel	I-Protocol
over	I-Protocol
Ethernet	I-Protocol
capable	O
switch	O
for	O
the	O
M1000e	O
enclosure	O
that	O
offers	O
16	O
x	O
enhanced	O
Ethernet	O
10Gb	O
internal	O
interfaces	O
,	O
8	O
x	O
10Gb	O
(	O
enhanced	O
)	O
Ethernet	O
external	O
ports	O
and	O
also	O
up	O
to	O
four	O
8Gb	O
Fibre	B-Architecture
Channel	I-Architecture
interfaces	O
to	O
connect	O
directly	O
to	O
a	O
FC	O
SAN	O
controller	O
or	O
central	O
Fibre	B-Architecture
Channel	I-Architecture
switch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
capabilities	O
it	O
is	O
very	O
comparable	O
to	O
the	O
Powerconnect-B8000	O
,	O
only	O
the	O
formfactor	O
and	O
number	O
of	O
Ethernet	O
and	O
FC	O
interfaces	O
are	O
different	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
a	O
Brocade	O
full	O
Fibre	B-Architecture
Channel	I-Architecture
switch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
uses	O
either	O
the	O
B	O
or	O
C	O
fabrics	O
to	O
connect	O
the	O
Fibre	B-Architecture
Channel	I-Architecture
mezzanine	O
card	O
in	O
the	O
blades	O
to	O
the	O
FC	O
based	O
storage	O
infrastructure	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
the	O
5424	O
,	O
the	O
4424	O
is	O
also	O
a	O
Brocade	O
SAN	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
offering	O
16	O
internal	O
and	O
8	O
external	O
ports	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
several	O
modules	O
available	O
offering	O
Infiniband	B-Architecture
connectivity	O
on	O
the	O
M1000e	O
chassis	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Infiniband	B-Architecture
offers	O
high	O
bandwidth/low	O
-latency	O
intra-computer	O
connectivity	O
such	O
as	O
required	O
in	O
Academic	O
HPC	B-Architecture
clusters	I-Architecture
,	O
large	O
enterprise	O
datacenters	O
and	O
cloud	O
applications	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
is	O
the	O
SFS	O
M7000e	O
InfiniBand	B-Architecture
switch	O
from	O
Cisco	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
M4001	O
switches	O
offer	O
either	O
40	O
GBit/s	O
(	O
M4001Q	O
)	O
or	O
the	O
56	O
Gbit/s	O
(	O
M4001F	O
)	O
connectivity	O
and	O
has	O
16	O
external	O
interfaces	O
using	O
QSFP	B-Protocol
ports	O
and	O
16	O
internal	O
connections	O
to	O
the	O
Infiniband	B-Architecture
Mezzanine	O
card	O
on	O
the	O
blades	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
with	O
all	O
other	O
non-Ethernet	O
based	O
switches	O
it	O
can	O
only	O
be	O
installed	O
in	O
the	O
B	O
or	O
C	O
fabric	O
of	O
the	O
M1000e	O
enclosure	O
as	O
the	O
A	O
fabric	O
connects	O
to	O
the	O
"	O
on	O
motherboard	O
"	O
NICs	O
of	O
the	O
blades	O
and	O
they	O
only	O
come	O
as	O
Ethernet	O
NICs	O
or	O
converged	B-Protocol
Ethernet	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
the	O
M4001	O
switches	O
where	O
the	O
external	O
ports	O
are	O
using	O
QSFP	B-Protocol
ports	O
for	O
fiber	O
transceivers	O
,	O
the	O
2401	O
has	O
CX4	O
copper	O
cable	O
interfaces	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
reasons	O
to	O
choose	O
for	O
pass-through	O
instead	O
of	O
'	O
enclosure	O
switches	O
 '	O
could	O
be	O
the	O
wish	O
to	O
have	O
all	O
switching	O
done	O
on	O
a	O
'	O
one	O
vendor	O
 '	O
infrastructure	O
;	O
and	O
if	O
that	O
is	O
n't	O
available	O
as	O
an	O
M1000e	O
module	O
(	O
thus	O
not	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
switches	O
from	O
Dell	B-Operating_System
Powerconnect	I-Operating_System
,	O
Dell	O
Force10	O
or	O
Cisco	O
)	O
one	O
could	O
go	O
for	O
pass-through	O
modules	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Intel/Qlogic	O
offer	O
a	O
QDR	O
Infiniband	B-Architecture
passthru	O
module	O
for	O
the	O
Dell	B-Application
M1000e	I-Application
chassis	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
mezzanine	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
QLE7340	O
QDR	O
IB	O
HCA	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
CMC	O
modules	O
in	O
the	O
enclosure	O
offer	O
management	O
Ethernet	O
interfaces	O
and	O
do	O
not	O
rely	O
on	O
network-connections	O
made	O
via	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
switches	O
in	O
the	O
blade	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
enclosure	O
can	O
have	O
either	O
one	O
or	O
two	O
CMC	O
controllers	O
and	O
by	O
default	O
one	O
can	O
access	O
the	O
CMC	O
Webgui	O
via	O
https	B-Protocol
and	O
SSH	B-Protocol
for	O
command-line	O
access	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
access	O
the	O
management	O
system	O
one	O
must	O
open	O
the	O
CMC	O
Webgui	O
via	O
https	B-Protocol
using	O
the	O
out	O
of	O
band	O
management	O
IP	O
address	O
of	O
the	O
CMC	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Via	O
the	O
CMC	O
management	O
one	O
can	O
configure	O
chassis-related	O
features	O
:	O
management	O
IP	O
addresses	O
,	O
authentication	O
features	O
(	O
local	O
user-list	O
,	O
using	O
RADIUS	O
or	O
Tacacs	O
server	O
)	O
,	O
access-options	O
(	O
webgui	O
,	O
cli	O
,	O
serial	O
link	O
,	O
KVM	B-Device
etc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
)	O
,	O
error-logging	O
(	O
syslog	B-Protocol
server	I-Protocol
)	O
,	O
etc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
same	O
applies	O
to	O
the	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
modules	O
in	O
the	O
rear	O
of	O
the	O
system	O
:	O
via	O
the	O
CMC	O
one	O
can	O
assign	O
an	O
IP	O
address	O
to	O
the	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
module	O
in	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
6	O
slots	O
and	O
then	O
surf	O
to	O
the	O
webgui	O
of	O
that	O
module	O
(	O
if	O
there	O
is	O
a	O
web-based	O
gui	B-Application
:	O
unmanaged	O
pass-through	O
modules	O
wo	O
n't	O
offer	O
a	O
webgui	O
as	O
there	O
is	O
nothing	O
to	O
configure	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
the	O
front-side	O
of	O
the	O
chassis	O
there	O
is	O
a	O
small	O
hidden	O
LCD	B-Device
screen	I-Device
with	O
3	O
buttons	O
:	O
one	O
4	O
way	O
directional	O
button	O
allowing	O
one	O
to	O
navigate	O
through	O
the	O
menus	O
on	O
the	O
screen	O
and	O
two	O
"	O
on/off	O
"	O
push	O
buttons	O
which	O
work	O
as	O
an	O
"	O
OK	O
"	O
or	O
"	O
Escape	O
"	O
button	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
screen	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
check	O
the	O
status	O
of	O
the	O
enclosure	O
and	O
the	O
modules	O
in	O
it	O
:	O
one	O
can	O
for	O
example	O
check	O
active	O
alarms	O
on	O
the	O
system	O
,	O
get	O
the	O
IP	O
address	O
of	O
the	O
CMC	O
of	O
KVM	B-Device
,	O
check	O
the	O
system-names	O
etc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
the	O
rack	O
or	O
tower-servers	O
there	O
are	O
only	O
a	O
very	O
limited	O
set	O
of	O
indicators	O
on	O
individual	O
servers	O
:	O
a	O
blade	B-Architecture
server	I-Architecture
has	O
a	O
power-led	O
and	O
(	O
local	O
)	O
disc-activity	O
led	O
's	O
but	O
no	O
LCD	B-Device
display	I-Device
offering	O
one	O
any	O
alarms	O
,	O
hostnames	O
etc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nor	O
are	O
there	O
LED	O
's	O
for	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
activity	O
:	O
this	O
is	O
all	O
combined	O
in	O
this	O
little	O
screen	O
giving	O
one	O
information	O
on	O
both	O
the	O
enclosure	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
information	O
over	O
the	O
inserted	O
servers	O
,	O
switches	O
,	O
fans	O
,	O
power-supplies	O
etc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
LCD	B-Device
screen	I-Device
can	O
also	O
be	O
used	O
for	O
the	O
initial	O
configuration	O
of	O
an	O
unconfigured	O
chassis	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
can	O
use	O
the	O
LCD	B-Device
screen	I-Device
to	O
set	O
the	O
interface-language	O
and	O
to	O
set	O
the	O
IP	O
address	O
of	O
the	O
CMC	O
for	O
further	O
CLI	O
or	O
web-based	O
configuration	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
front-side	O
of	O
the	O
chassis	O
,	O
directly	O
adjacent	O
to	O
the	O
power-button	O
,	O
one	O
can	O
connect	O
a	O
local	O
terminal	O
:	O
a	O
standard	O
VGA	B-Protocol
monitor	I-Protocol
connector	O
and	O
two	O
USB	B-Protocol
connectors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apart	O
from	O
normal	O
operation	O
access	O
to	O
one	O
's	O
blade	B-Architecture
servers	I-Architecture
(	O
e.g.	O
</s>
<s>
SSH	B-Protocol
sessions	O
to	O
a	O
Linux-based	O
OS	O
,	O
RDP	O
to	O
a	O
Windows-based	O
OS	O
etc	O
.	O
)	O
</s>
<s>
there	O
are	O
roughly	O
two	O
ways	O
to	O
manage	O
one	O
's	O
server	B-Architecture
blades	I-Architecture
:	O
via	O
the	O
iDRAC	O
function	O
or	O
via	O
the	O
iKVM	O
switch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apart	O
from	O
that	O
,	O
one	O
can	O
also	O
connect	O
a	O
keyboard	O
,	O
mouse	O
and	O
monitor	O
directly	O
to	O
the	O
server	O
:	O
on	O
a	O
rack	O
or	O
tower	O
switch	O
one	O
would	O
either	O
connect	O
the	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
devices	I-General_Concept
when	O
needed	O
or	O
one	O
have	O
all	O
the	O
servers	O
connected	O
to	O
a	O
KVM	B-Device
switch	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
possible	O
to	O
include	O
the	O
iKVM	O
switch	O
in	O
an	O
existing	O
network	O
of	O
digital	O
or	O
analog	O
KVM	B-Device
switches	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
iKVM	O
switch	O
in	O
the	O
Dell	O
enclosure	O
is	O
an	O
Avocent	O
switch	O
and	O
one	O
can	O
connect	O
(	O
tier	O
)	O
the	O
iKVM	O
module	O
to	O
other	O
digital	O
KVM	B-Device
switches	I-Device
such	O
as	O
the	O
Dell	O
2161	O
and	O
4161	O
or	O
Avocent	O
DSR	O
digital	O
switches	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
tiering	O
the	O
iKVM	O
to	O
analog	O
KVM	B-Device
switches	I-Device
as	O
the	O
Dell	O
2160AS	O
or	O
180AS	O
or	O
other	O
Avocent	O
(	O
compatible	O
)	O
KVM	B-Device
switches	I-Device
is	O
possible	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
the	O
CMC	O
,	O
the	O
iKVM	O
switch	O
is	O
not	O
redundant	O
but	O
as	O
one	O
can	O
always	O
access	O
a	O
server	O
(	O
also	O
)	O
via	O
its	O
iDRAC	O
any	O
outage	O
of	O
the	O
KVM	B-Device
switch	I-Device
does	O
n't	O
stop	O
one	O
from	O
accessing	O
the	O
server-console	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
feature	O
allows	O
the	O
system	O
administrators	O
to	O
use	O
dedicated	O
or	O
fixed	O
MAC	O
addresses	O
and	O
World	O
Wide	O
Names	O
(	O
WWN	O
)	O
that	O
are	O
linked	O
to	O
the	O
chassis	O
,	O
the	O
position	O
of	O
the	O
blade	O
and	O
location	O
of	O
the	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
interface	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
flex-addresses	O
are	O
stored	O
on	O
a	O
SD-card	B-Device
that	O
is	O
inserted	O
in	O
the	O
CMC	O
module	O
of	O
a	O
chassis	O
and	O
when	O
used	O
it	O
overwrites	O
the	O
address	O
burned	O
in	O
into	O
the	O
interfaces	O
of	O
the	O
blades	O
in	O
the	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
M1000e	O
enclosure	O
is	O
,	O
as	O
most	O
blade	B-Architecture
systems	I-Architecture
,	O
for	O
IT	O
infrastructures	O
demanding	O
high	O
availability	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
(	O
Nearly	O
)	O
everything	O
in	O
the	O
enclosure	O
supports	O
redundant	O
operation	O
:	O
each	O
of	O
the	O
3	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
fabrics	O
(	O
A	O
,	O
B	O
and	O
C	O
)	O
support	O
two	O
switches	O
or	O
pass-through	O
cards	O
and	O
it	O
supports	O
two	O
CMC	O
controllers	O
,	O
even	O
though	O
one	O
can	O
run	O
the	O
chassis	O
with	O
only	O
one	O
CMC	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
power	O
supplies	O
and	O
fan-units	O
are	O
inserted	O
from	O
the	O
back	O
and	O
are	O
all	O
hot-swappable	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
power	O
supplies	O
are	O
located	O
at	O
the	O
bottom	O
of	O
the	O
enclosure	O
while	O
the	O
fan-units	O
are	O
located	O
next	O
to	O
and	O
in	O
between	O
the	O
switch	O
or	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
modules	O
.	O
</s>
