Blade systems are, by definition, built in, on, and around the idea of a chassis, and SuperMicro's offerings are no different. A blade chassis consists of much more than just some sheet metal to hold parts in place. They are complex, compact, wonderful pieces of hardware!
Starting out, SuperMicro has a few different blade chassis available. If you want to use their TwinBlades, you need to use their 720D or 720E chassis. The "E" model can handle larger power supplies, and has extra expansion slots for Infiniband switches.
Each of the chassis can handle up to ten blades, including their TwinBlades. TwinBlades have two seperate, dual-socket systems on the same blade - so, in essence, you can pack up to 20 dual-socket servers in 7U!
Density, however, is only one of the benefits. Another is the chassis management, or CMM module. The first function of the CMM is to provide local and remote KVM, with virtual media redirection, allowing you to perform cold-boot configuration and installation from remote locations. Secondly, it performs power monitoring and management on the units, allowing you to power blades up and down as needed. It also provides IPMI on a chassis level. This is a tremendously cost-effective solution, as 3rd-party remote KVM and power management systems can be VERY expensive. There is, however, one catch: While SuperMicro's marketing says that a CMM unit is included, mine showed up without one, and I was told that I have to buy one separately. That seems a bit suspicious, but it is the first time I've had ANY negative experience with SuperMicro - and I've spent a lot of money with them. They've pulled through on things like finding parts that were long out of production and obsolete years before I called, so I'll let this one thing slide.
Dense I/O is another benefit. The chassis have slots for various I/O modules, and SuperMicro has modules and switches for gigabit ethernet, 10 gigabit ethernet, and 10/40gb Infiniband. As mentioned earlier, slots for Infiniband switches appear on the 720E model, but not the 720D. Be sure to check their networking matrix to find the correct networking options for your chassis and blades.
The last benefit that I will cover in this post is the power. This chassis uses HIGHLY efficient power supplies (94%+!). While that may not seem like a big deal, consider that compared to lesser power supplies, that alone can shave 5%-15% off of your electrical budget, which also shaves 5%-15% off of your cooling budget. For disaster contingency, that also translates to longer UPS runtime, as well as lower fuel usage and longer runtime for your generator. Additionally, the benefits of power supply consolidation kick in, and all in all, this is a very electrically-efficient system. That may not seem flashy, but anyone who has worked in high-density installations will appreciate the energy savings.Now, some notes on power: 40 sockets, 160 DIMMS, and 40 hard drives still take lots of juice. Plan on two 220V circuits, 120V need not apply. While more power-hungry CPUs (and GPUs!) can suck down more power, by using 40W TDP L5630 CPUs and booting diskless from a SAN, my systems pull just a tiny bit over 100W each, which includes the power used for the CMM, switches, fans, etc..
If you are not filling all of the slots with blades, dummy blades
must be used to manage airflow. I was originally told that the chassis did not include any dummy blades, but when it showed up... it was, indeed, populated with just enough dummy blades to fill the slots that I wouldn't yet fill. SuperMicro tells me that these chassis are individually configured for each order, so that would explain the attention to detail. SuperMicro has always produced top-notch systems, and this is no exception. I also found that the sales department at SuperMicro was quite helpful, and willing to assist with configuration and purchase questions. Way to go, Supermicro!
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