Introduction to the Sun Fire X4500 Server

C H A P T E R 1

This chapter introduces you to the Sun Fire X4540 Server and describes some of its features.

The following information is covered in this chapter:

Features of the Server

Exterior Features, Controls, and Indicators

Features of the Server

The Sun Fire X4500 server is a mid-level, modular, rack-optimized server in the Sun x64 product family. The family platform includes servers engineered for AMD Opteron CPUs and deployment into commercial server markets in a slide-mounted, horizontally biased enclosure for rack cabinet installations, primarily in datacenter locations.

The server provides the following maximum system configurations:

8 DDR-I DIMM slots (4 per processor), up to 2 GB per DIMM (16 GB per system)

Up to forty-eight 3.5 SATA Type-1 drives, of 250 GB-500 GB capacity each (over 24 TB total system capacity)

Two 133 MHz PCI-X slots

4 USB ports

Standard I/O includes four 10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet ports, VGA video, serial, four USB ports, and one 10/100BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet management port.

The Sun Fire X4500 server includes an extensive set of reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS) features, such as hot-pluggable and redundant hard disk drives (when RAID1 is used), and hot-swappable fans, and power supplies. The servers also provide an Integrated Lights Out Management (ILOM) service processor function that includes remote boot and remote software upgrades.

TABLE 1-1 summarizes the features of the Sun Fire X4500 server.

TABLE 1-1 Summary of X4500 Server Features
Feature or Component	Sun Fire X4500 Server
CPU	Two Revision E AMD64 Opteron dual-core processors on two CPU modules.
Processor BIOS	8-Mbit Flash with LPC interface.
Memory	8 DDR-I DIMM slots (4 per processor), up to 2 GB per DIMM (16 GB per system).
Hard disk drives (HDDs)	Up to forty-eight 3.5 SATA Type-1 drives, of 250 GB-500 GB capacity each (over 24 TB total system capacity).
Service Processor	Integrated Lights Out Manager (ILOM) as described in the ILOM documentation (see the Integrated Lights Out Manager (ILOM) Administration Guide (819-0280).
RAID options	RAID is done through software.
Network I/O	Four 10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet ports (RJ-45 connectors) One 10/100BASE-T Ethernet net management port (RJ-45 Connector) One RS-232 serial port (RJ-45 Connector)
PCI I/O	Two 133-MHz low-profile PCI-X slots.
Other I/O	Four USB 2.0 ports One VGA video port
Power	1500 W DC max output per power supply, two bays, 1+1 redundancy, hot swappable. 1130 W AC max system input power = 3856 BTU/hr = 0.321 Tons of Air Conditioning, 200-240 VAC.
Fans	Five fan modules; also additional fans in each power supply. Cooling is front-to-back forced air.

Exterior Features, Controls, and Indicators

This section describes the features, controls, and indicators on the front and rear panels of the Sun Fire X4500 server.

Front Panel

FIGURE 1-1 shows the front panel.

FIGURE 1-1 Sun Fire X4500 Server Front Panel

Graphic showing the X4500 server front panel.

Figure Legend
1	USB connectors
2	Serial number labels on ledge

FIGURE 1-2 shows a close up of the controls and indicators.

FIGURE 1-2 Sun Fire X4500 Server Front Panel Controls and Indicators

TABLE 1-2 Sun Fire X4500 Server Front Panel
#	Name	Color	Description
1	Locate button/LED	White	Operators can turn this LED on remotely to help them locate the server in a crowded server room. Press to turn off.
2	System Fault	Amber	On - When service action is required.
3	Power/Operation	Green	Steady - Power is on. Blink - Standby power is on but main power is off. Off - Power is off.
4	System power button	Grey	To power on main power for all the server components.
4	Top failure LED	Amber	On - HDD or fan fault.
6	Rear failure LED	Amber	On - Power supply or system controller fault (service is required).
7	Over temperature LED	Amber	On - When system is over temperature.

FIGURE 1-3 shows features of the rear panel.

FIGURE 1-3 Sun Fire X4500 Server Rear Panel

Graphic showing the X4500 server rear panel controls and indicators.

TABLE 1-3 Sun Fire X4500 Server Rear Panel

#	Name	Description
1	AC power connectors	Each power supply has its own AC connector with a clip to secure its power cable.
2	Chassis ground	Connect grounding straps here.
3	Mounting plate for CMA bracket	Use this mounting plate to secure the CMA (optional). Refer to the Sun Fire X4500 Server Installation Guide.
4	PCIX-0 and PCIX-1	Slots for PCIX cards.
5	NET MGT (S)	Net management and service processor port.
6	Video connector	Connect video monitor.
7	SER MGT	Serial management port (serial connection to service processor).
8	Locate button/LED	White Operators can turn this LED on remotely to help them locate the server in a crowded server room. Press to turn off.
9	Fault LED	Amber - When on, service action required.
10	OK LED	Green - Service action allowed. When on, service action is required. Blink - Standby power is On but main power is off.
11	USB connectors	Connect USB devices.
12	10/100/1000 gigabit Ethernet ports	Connect server to Ethernet.
13	System controller status LEDs	Blue - Ready to remove. Amber - Fault, service action required. Green - Operational, no action required.
14	NMI and reset buttons	Do not use these buttons unless instructed by Sun service personnel. To operate these buttons, insert a stylus or a straightened paper clip into the recess. NMI - Non-Maskable Interrupt dump. Sends an NMI to the CPU. Used for debugging only. Reset - Resets the CPU but not the service processor

Disk Drive and Fan Tray LEDs

FIGURE 1-4 shows the location of the internal LEDs. FIGURE 1-5 shows a close-up view of the disk drive and fan trays, including the symbols that identify the LEDs.

FIGURE 1-4 Disk Drive Locations

Diagram showing the locations of the disk drive and fan tray LEDs.

FIGURE 1-5 Disk Drive and Fan Tray LEDs

Diagram showing the locations of the disk drive and fan tray LEDs.

About Reliability, Availability, and Serviceability Features

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 percentage of time that a system remains accessible and usable. 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 Fire X4500 Server system offers the following features:

Hot-pluggable disk drives

Redundant, hot-swappable power supplies

Environmental monitoring and fault protection

Integrated Lights Out Management (ILOM) Sun’s remote management capability

Support for disk and network multipathing with automatic failover capability

Error correction and parity checking for improved data integrity

Easy access to all internal replaceable components

Full in-rack serviceability by extending the slides

Hot-Pluggable and Hot-Swappable Components

Sun Fire X4540 Server hardware is designed to support hot-pluggable and
hot-swappable components. Hot plugging and hot swapping are cost-effective solutions that provides increased system availability and continuous serviceability for business-critical computing environments, by providing the ability to:

Remove or replace a failed or failing component while the system is operating without service disruption.

Increase storage capacity dynamically to handle larger work loads and improve system performance.

Hot Pluggable Components Overview

The Sun Fire X4500 server hot-plug technology allows a component to be added, upgraded, or replaced while the system is running without affecting hardware integrity.

Hot-plugging provides the ability to physically add, remove, or replace a hard disk drive while the system is running, and other hard disks in the system provide continuous service. Before a hot-pluggable component is removed from the Sun Fire X4500 server, the component must be taken offline from the operating system first, but does not require that the server be powered off.

On the Sun Fire X4500 server, you can hot-plug the following components:

TABLE 1-4 Sun Fire X4500 Hot-Pluggable Devices (Partial List)
Component	Part Number
250 GB SATA 3.5 Hard Disk Drive	541-1467
500 GB SATA 3.5 Hard Disk Drive	541-1468

For instructions on hot-plugging components, see the following:

cfgadm Command in Chaper 3.

cfgadm(1M) (See the cfgadm(1M) man page for more information.)

Hot Swappable Components Overview

A hot swappable component is a component that can be removed or replaced without affecting software integrity. This means that when a component is removed it does not need to be taken offline from the operating system first.

On the Sun Fire X4500 server, you can hot-swap the following components:

TABLE 1-5 Sun Fire X4500 Hot-Swappable Devices (Partial List)
Component	Part Number
Power supply (type A205) for systems with the Quad-Core AMD Opteron Model 2356 processor	300-1787
Power supply (type A205) for systems with the Quad-Core AMD Opteron Model 2384 processor	300-2161
Fan module	541-0458

For more information about updating the Sun Fire X4500 Server, product updates, or for the most up-to-date list of replaceable components, refer to the Sun Fire X4500 Server Service Manual (819-4359), and the Sun Fire X4500 Server Product Notes (819-4364).