Sun Netra X4250 Server Installation Guide

This chapter describes the features of the Sun Netra X4250 server. Topics include:

• Sun Netra X4250 Server
• Features
• High Levels of System Reliability, Availability, and Serviceability

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Sun Netra X4250 Server

The Sun Netra X4250 server (FIGURE 1-1) is a 2 rack unit (2U) server.

FIGURE 1-1 Sun Netra X4250 Server

The Sun Netra X4250 server is a scalable, reliable, high-performance, entry-level server, optimized for enterprise data centers. The server offers the following key features:

• Single or dual Intel® Xeon® L5408 quad core, 2.13 GHz processors for high-throughput and energy savings
• High levels of system uptime through the processor and memory reliability-availability, and serviceability (RAS) features, coupled with redundancy of some system components, and support for hardware RAID (0+1+1E).
• A space efficient, rack-optimized form factor 2U chassis.
• Unified server management though the use of the Sun Integrated Lights Out Manager (ILOM) system controller interface. ILOM integrates and manages x64 platforms with the same tool set, and in heterogeneous environments, using industry standard element management tools and enterprise frameworks.

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Chassis Controls, LEDs, and Connectors

The following figures show the physical characteristics of the front and rear panels of the Sun Netra X4250 server (FIGURE 1-2., FIGURE 1-3, and FIGURE 1-5).

FIGURE 1-2 Front Panel With DVD

FIGURE 1-3 Front Panel With Bezel Removed and Two HDDs

FIGURE 1-4 Front Panel With Bezel Removed and Four HDDs

FIGURE 1-5 Rear Panel Cable Connectors and LEDs

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Features

TABLE 1-1 lists the features of the Sun Netra X4250 server.

Preinstalled Solaris Operating System

The Sun Netra X4250 server is preinstalled with the Solaris 10 OS, and offers the following Solaris OS features:

• Stability, high performance, scalability, and precision of a mature 64-bit operating system
• Support for over 12,000 leading technical and business applications
• Solaris Containers - Isolate software applications and services using flexible, software-defined boundaries.
• DTrace - A comprehensive dynamic tracing framework for tuning applications and troubleshooting systemic problems in real time.
• Predictive Self-Healing - Capability that automatically diagnoses, isolates, and recovers from many hardware and application faults.
• Security - Advanced security features designed to protect the enterprise at multiple levels.
• Network Performance - Completely rewritten TCP/IP stack dramatically improves the performance and scalability of your networked services.

You can use the preinstalled Solaris 10 OS, or reinstall a supported version of the Solaris 10 OS from your network, CD, or downloaded copy. Refer to the Sun Netra X4250 Server Product Notes for information on the supported OS releases for your server.

Remote Manageability With ILOM

The Sun Integrated Lights Out Manager (ILOM) is system management firmware that is preinstalled on some Sun server platforms. ILOM enables you to actively manage and monitor components installed in your server system. With ILOM, you can monitor and manage your system proactively by viewing hardware configurations, monitoring system information, managing system alerts, and more. ILOM provides a browser-based web interface and a command-line interface, as well as an SNMP user interface and an IPMI user interface. ILOM automatically initializes as soon as power is applied to your system. ILOM will continue to run regardless of the state of the host operating system, making it a “lights-out” management system.

Some key features of ILOM include:

• Runs on its own processor and resources
• Allows for management of the server without consuming system resources
• Continues to provide management using standby power even when the server is powered off
• Provides an isolated management network separate from the data network
• Provides a concise view of hardware inventory and environmental information
• Provides the ability to control power, manage components, and access the host console
• Serves as an integration point for other management tools
• Enables the download of service processor (SP) firmware and BIOS changes
• Manages the inventory of hot-pluggable system components

ILOM enables you to remotely run diagnostics, such as power-on self-test (POST), that would otherwise require physical proximity to the server’s serial port. You can also configure ILOM to send email alerts of hardware failures, hardware warnings, and other events related to the server or to ILOM.

The service processor runs independently of the server, using the server’s standby power. Therefore, ILOM continues to function when the server operating system goes offline or when the server is powered off.

For information about configuring and using the ILOM service processor, refer to the Sun Integrated Lights Out Manager (ILOM) 2.0 User’s Guide and other ILOM documents for the Sun Netra X4250 server. These documents are available online at:

http://docs.sun.com/app/docs/prod/server.nebs

High Levels of System Reliability, Availability, and Serviceability

Reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS) are aspects of a system’s design that affect its ability to operate continuously and to minimize the time necessary to service the system. Reliability refers to a system’s ability to operate continuously without failures and to maintain data integrity. System availability refers to the ability of a system to recover to an operational state after a failure, with minimal impact. Serviceability relates to the time it takes to restore a system to service following a system failure. Together, reliability, availability, and serviceability features provide for near continuous system operation.

To deliver high levels of reliability, availability, and serviceability, the Sun Netra X4250 server offers the following features:

• Ability to disable individual threads and cores without rebooting
• Lower heat generation reduces hardware failures
• Hot-pluggable hard drives
• Redundant, hot-swappable power supplies (two)
• Redundant fan units
• Environmental monitoring
• Internal hardware drive mirroring (RAID 1)
• Error detection and correction for improved data integrity
• Easy access for most component replacements

Hot-Pluggable and Hot-Swappable Components

Sun Netra X4250 server hardware supports hot-plugging of the chassis-mounted hard drives and power supplies. By using the proper software commands, you can install or remove these components while the system is running. Hot-swap and hot-plug technologies significantly increase the system’s serviceability and availability by providing the ability to replace hard drives, fan units, and power supplies without service disruption.

Power Supply Redundancy

The Sun Netra X4250 server provides two hot-swappable power supplies, enabling the system to continue operating should one of the power supplies fail or if a power source fails.

Environmental Monitoring

The Sun Netra X4250 server features an environmental monitoring subsystem that protects the server and its components against:

• Extreme temperatures
• Lack of adequate airflow through the system
• Power supply failures
• Hardware faults

Temperature sensors are located throughout the system to monitor the ambient temperature of the system and internal components. The software and hardware ensure that the temperatures within the enclosure do not exceed predetermined safe operation ranges. If the temperature observed by a sensor falls below a low-temperature threshold or rises above a high-temperature threshold, the monitoring subsystem software lights the amber Service Required LEDs on the front and rear panels. If the temperature condition persists and reaches a critical threshold, the system initiates a graceful system shutdown. In the event of a failure of the system controller, backup sensors protect the system from serious damage, by initiating a forced hardware shutdown. Required LEDs remain lit after an automatic system shutdown to aid in problem diagnosis.

The power subsystem is monitored in a similar fashion by monitoring power supplies and reporting any fault in the front and rear panel LEDs.

Support for RAID Storage Configurations

You can set up hardware RAID 1 (mirroring) and hardware RAID 0 (striping) configurations for any pair of internal hard drives, providing a high-performance solution for hard drive mirroring.

By attaching one or more external storage devices to the Sun Netra X4250 server, you can use a redundant array of independent drives (RAID) software application such as Solstice DiskSuite or VERITAS Volume Manager to configure system drive storage in a variety of different RAID levels. Software RAID applications such as VERITAS Volume Manager are not included with this server. You must obtain and license them separately.

Rackmountable Enclosure

The Sun Netra X4250 server uses a space-saving 2U-high rack-mountable enclosure that can be installed into a variety of industry standard racks.

^{1 (TableFootnote) PCIe and PCI-X specifications described in this table list the physical requirements for PCI cards. Additional support capabilities must also be provided (such as device drivers) for a PCI card to function in the server. Refer to the specifications and documentation for a given PCI card to determine if the required drivers are provided that enable the card to function in this server.}

Sun Netra X4250 Server Installation Guide

820-4055-11

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