Sun Netra X4450 Server Installation
Guide | 
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| C H A P T E R 1 |
The Sun Netra X4450 server is a 4-rack unit (4U) server that is a scalable, reliable, high-performance, entry-level server, optimized for enterprise data centers.
The server offers the following key features:
High levels of system uptime through
the processor and memory reliability-availability-serviceability
(RAS) features, coupled with redundancy of some system components,
support for hardware RAID (0+1), and the predictive self-healing
features of the Solaris 10
Operating System (Solaris OS).
Unified server management though the use of the Integrated Lights Out Manager (ILOM) system controller interface. ILOM integrates and manages CoolThreads™ and x64 platforms with the same tool set, and in heterogeneous environments, using industry standard element management tools and enterprise frameworks.
The following figures show the physical characteristics of the front and rear panels of the Sun Netra X4450 server (FIGURE 1-1, FIGURE 1-2, and FIGURE 1-3).
Figure Legend
1 Alarm and system status indicators
2 DVD drive
3 USB ports
Figure Legend
1 Alarm and system status indicators
2 DVD drive
3 USB ports
4 Hard drives 0-11
Figure Legend
1 PCI-E and PCI-X slots
2 PCI-E slots
3 Serial management port
4 Network management port
5 Network ports
6 Power supply status indicators
7 Power supplies
8 USB ports
9 Video port
10 Alarm port
11 System status indicators
TABLE 1-1 lists the features of the Sun Netra X4450 server.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Processor | Two or four Intel processors running at 2.4 Ghz |
| Memory Slots/Capacity | 32 slots that can be populated with one of the following types of fully buffered (FB) DIMMS: |
| Internal Hard Drives | Twelve hot-pluggable 146-GB SAS drives
Integrated hard drive controller supports RAID 0 and RAID 1. |
| Optical Media Drive | One, slot-loading, slimline DVD drive, supporting CD-R/W, |
| Power Supplies | Four hot-swappable 660W DC or AC power supply units (PSUs) providing N+1 redundancy |
| Alarm | One Telco alarm |
| Ethernet Ports | Four 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet, RJ-45-based, autonegotiating ports (on two separate controllers) |
| PCI Express Interfaces[1] | |
| USB Ports | Four USB 2.0 ports (two on front panel and two on rear panel) |
| Additional Ports | The following ports are located on the rear panel of the server: |
| Remote Management | On-board Integrated Lights Out ManagerI |
| Firmware | ILOM for remote management |
| Operating System | Solaris 10 8/07 Operating System preinstalled
on disk 0
Refer to the server product notes for information on the minimum version of supported OS and required patches |
| Other Software (refer to the Sun Netra X4450 Server Product Notes for details) |
The Sun Netra X4450 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 X4450 Server Product Notes for information on the supported OS releases for your server.
The Integrated Lights Out Manager (ILOM) feature is a service processor, built into the server, that enables you to remotely manage and administer the server. The ILOM software is preinstalled as firmware, and initializes as soon as you apply power to the system.
ILOM enables you to monitor and control your server over an Ethernet connection (supports SSH), or by using a dedicated serial port for connection to a terminal or terminal server. ILOM provides a command-line interface and a browser-based interface that you can use to remotely administer geographically distributed or physically inaccessible machines. In addition, ILOM enables you to run diagnostics (such as POST) remotely that would otherwise require physical proximity to the server’s serial port.
You can configure ILOM to send email alerts of hardware failures and warnings, and other events related to the server. The ILOM circuitry runs independently of the server, using the server’s standby power. Therefore, ILOM firmware and software continue to function when the server operating system goes offline or when the server is powered off. ILOM monitors the following Sun Netra X4450 conditions:
For information about configuring and using the ILOM service processor, refer to the latest Integrated Lights Out Management (ILOM) User’s Guide and the Sun Integrated Lights Out Managment 2.0 (ILOM 2.0) Supplement for the Sun Netra X4450 Server.
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 provide for near continuous system operation.
To deliver high levels of reliability, availability, and serviceability, the Sun Netra X4450 offers the following features:
Sun Netra X4450 hardware is designed to support 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 technology significantly increases the system’s serviceability and availability by providing the ability to replace hard drives, fan units, and power supplies without service disruption.
The Sun Netra X4450 provides four hot-swappable power supplies in a redundant configuration. The system will continue to operate under the following conditions:
Power source fails to provide power to one or two of the power supplies
Service action that requires the removal of one or two power supplies
The Sun Netra X4450 server features an environmental monitoring subsystem that protects the server and its components against:
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 back panel. 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.
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 X4450,
you can use a redundant array of independent drives (RAID) software
application such as Solstice DiskSuite[2] or VERITAS
Volume Manager to configure system drive storage in a variety of
different RAID levels.
The Sun Netra X4450 server provides the latest fault management technologies. The Solaris 10 OS architecture provides a means for building and deploying systems and services capable of predictive self-healing. Self-healing technology enables systems to accurately predict component failures and mitigate many serious problems before they actually occur. This technology is incorporated into both the hardware and software of the Sun Netra X4450 server.
At the heart of the predictive self-healing capabilities is
the Solaris Fault Manager, a
new service that receives data relating to hardware and software
errors, and automatically and silently diagnoses the underlying
problem. After a problem is diagnosed, a set of agents automatically
responds by logging the event, and if necessary, takes the faulty
component offline. By automatically diagnosing problems, business-critical
applications and essential system services can continue uninterrupted
in the event of software failures, or major hardware component failures.
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Sun Netra X4450 Server Installation
Guide | 820-4015-10 |
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Copyright © 2008, Sun Microsystems, Inc. All rights reserved.
