IBM Type 8720, Type 8730 Removing and installing I/O modules

Removing and installing I/O modules

For blade server communication with the network, the BladeCenter T unit supports

up to four hot-swap I/O modules. Table 5 identifies the types of I/O modules that

you can install in each I/O-module bay. Go to the IBM Support Web site at

http://www.ibm.com/support/ to see the list of supported I/O modules.

The BladeCenter T unit supports a minimum of one hot-swap Ethernet switch

module or pass-thru module, in I/O-module bay 1 or 2. This I/O module provides an

internal connection to an integrated Ethernet controller in all the blade servers in the

BladeCenter T unit, up to eight internal connections per I/O module. To provide an

internal connection for the second integrated Ethernet controller in each blade

server, install an Ethernet switch module or pass-thru module in the available

I/O-module bay of the pair (I/O-module bay 1 or bay 2). The management modules

are connected to the switch module through the backplane using a transformerless

100 Mbps connection and an I2C interface.

The BladeCenter T unit supports two additional I/O modules in I/O-module bays 3

and 4. Each of these I/O modules provides an internal connection to one of the two

network-interface controllers on each of the I/O expansion options that are installed

on blade servers in the BladeCenter T unit. The I/O module must be compatible

with the network interface on each of the I/O expansion options. For example, if you

install a Fibre Channel I/O expansion card on a blade server, the I/O modules that

you install in I/O-module bays 3 and 4 must be Fibre Channel switch modules or

pass-thru modules.

interface options in the BladeCenter T unit, must use the same interface type. For

example, if you install an Ethernet interface option on a blade server, the switch

modules that you install in I/O module bays 3 and 4 must be Ethernet. All other

interface options in the BladeCenter T unit must also be Ethernet interface options.

Note: You can use a pass-thru module in any I/O-module bay, provided that the

associated controller in the blade servers or I/O expansion options is

compatible with it.

The following table summarizes the types of modules that can be used in each

I/O-module bay. See “Rear view” on page 15 for the location of the I/O-module bays

on the BladeCenter T unit.

Table 5. Hot-swap I/O module types by location for redundancy

Bays I/O-module function Permissible I/O module

1 and 2 Network connections 1 and 2

(Ethernet) for all blade servers in the

BladeCenter T unit

One of the following combinations:

v One Ethernet switch module and

one pass-thru module

60 BladeCenter T Type 8720 and 8730: Hardware Maintenance Manual and Troubleshooting Guide