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IBM BladeCenter

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IBM BladeCenter
BladeCenter E front side: 8 blade servers (HS20) followed by 6 empty slots
Also known asIBMeServerBladeCenter (2002-2005)
DeveloperIBM
TypeBlade server
Release date2002(2002)
Discontinued2012(2012)
CPUx86 (HS/LS series)
POWER (JS/PS series)
CELL (QS series)
SuccessorIBM Flex System

TheIBM BladeCenterwasIBM'sblade serverarchitecture, until it was replaced byFlex Systemin 2012. The x86 division was later sold toLenovoin 2014.[1]

BladeCenter E back side, showing on the left twoFC switchesand twoEthernet switches.On the right side amanagement modulewith VGA and PS/2 keyboard and mouse cables connected.
Mageritsupercomputer (CeSViMa) has 86 Blade Centers (6 Blade Center E on each computing rack)

History

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Introduced in 2002, based on engineering work started in 1999, theIBMeServerBladeCenterwas relatively late to theblade servermarket. It differed from prior offerings in that it offered a range of x86Intelserver processors and input/output (I/O) options.

The naming was changed toIBM BladeCenterin 2005. In February 2006, IBM introduced the BladeCenter H with switch capabilities for10 Gigabit EthernetandInfiniBand4X.

A web site called Blade.org was available for the blade computing community through about 2009.[2]

In 2012, the replacementFlex Systemwas introduced.

Enclosures

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IBM BladeCenter (E)

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The original IBM BladeCenter was later marketed as BladeCenter E.[3]Power supplies have been upgraded through the life of the chassis from the original 1200 to 1400, 1800, 2000 and 2320 watt.

The BladeCenter (E) was co-developed by IBM andInteland included:

IBM BladeCenter T

[edit]

BladeCenter T is thetelecommunications companyversion[4]of the original BladeCenter, available with either AC or DC (48 V)[5]power. Has 8 blade slots in 8U, but uses the same switches and blades as the regular BladeCenter E. To keepNEBS Level 3/ ETSI compliant special Network Equipment-Building System (NEBS) compliant blades are available.

IBM BladeCenter H

[edit]
BladeCenter H

Upgraded BladeCenter design with high-speed fabric options, announced in 2006.[6]Backwards compatible with older BladeCenter switches and blades. Features:[7]

  • 14 blade slots in 9U
  • Shared Media tray with Optical drive andUSB2.0 port
  • 1 (upgradable to 2)Advanced Management modules
  • Two slots for Gigabit Ethernet switches (can also have optical or copper pass-through)
  • Two slots for optional switch or pass-through modules, can have additional Ethernet, Fibre Channel, InfiniBand or Myrinet 2000 functions
  • Four slots for optional high-speed switches or pass-through modules, can have 10 Gbit Ethernet or InfiniBand 4X.
  • Optional Hard-wired serial port capability
  • Power:Two (upgradable to four) power supplies, withSouriauUTG input connectors[8]
  • Two redundant high-speed blowers

IBM BladeCenter HT

[edit]
BladeCenter HT chassis

BladeCenter HT is the telecommunications company version[9]of the BladeCenter H, available with either AC or DC (48 V) power. Has 12 blade slots in 12U, but uses the same switches and blades as the regular BladeCenter H. But to keepNEBS Level 3/ ETSI compliant special NEBS compliant blades are available.

IBM BladeCenter S

[edit]

Targets mid-sized customers by offering storage inside the BladeCenter chassis, so no separate external storage needs to be purchased. It can also use 120V power in the North American market, so it can be used outside the datacenter. When running at 120V, the total chassis capacity is reduced. Features:[10]

  • 6 blade slots in 7U
  • Shared Media tray with optical drive and 2×USB2.0 ports
  • 1Advanced Management moduleas standard (no option for secondary module)
  • Storage:Up to 12 hot-swap 3.5 "(or 24 2.5" )SASorSATAdrives withRAID0, 1, and 1E capability (RAID 5 and SAN capabilities optional with two SAS RAID controllers)
    • Two optional Disk Storage Modules for HDDs, six 3.5 "SAS/SATA drives each
  • 4 hot-swap I/O switch module bays
  • Power:Two 950/1450-watt, hot-swap modules and ability to have two optional 950/1450-watt modules, offering redundancy and power for robust configurations;C19/C20connectors
  • Four hot-swap redundant blowers (plus one fan in each power supply)

Blade nodes list

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IBM BladeCenter blade nodes list
wide sockets 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
x86 Intel 2 1-4 HS40
1(2) 2(4) HX5
1 1-2 HS20 HS21 HS22 HS23
1 1 HS12
HC10
AMD 2 1-4 LS41 LS42
1 1-2 LS20 LS21
P POWER 2 4 JS43 Exp[11] PS704
2 2 PS702
1 2 JS22[12] JS23[11] PS703
1 1 JS12[13] PS701
PS700
PowerPC 1 2 JS20[14] JS21
Cell 2 2 QS20[15]
1 QS21[16] QS22[17]
UltraSPARC 2BC
Network 1 1 PN41

Intel based

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Modules based onx86processors fromIntel.

HS12

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(2008) Features:

  • Processor:Celeron single-core 445 to quad-core Intel Xeon up to 2.83GHz
  • Memory:6DIMMslots (up to 24GB)
  • Hot-swap drives

HS20

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(2002–2006) Features:

Inside of IBM HS20 blade. Two 2.5 inch disk drive bays are unoccupied.
  • Processors:One or two IntelXeonDP (single or dual-core)
  • Memory:4DIMMslots
  • Option for one or two 2.5 "drives (ATA100,SCSI U320orSerial Attached SCSI(SAS) depending on generation)
  • Two 1Gbit/s Ethernet ports
  • One expansion slot for up to two additional ports (Fibre Channel storage, additional Ethernet, Myrinet 2000 or InfiniBand)

HS21

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(2007–2008) This model can use the High-speed IO option of the BladeCenter H, but is backwards-compatible with the regular BladeCenter. Features:

  • Processors:One or two Intel Xeon DP (dual or quad-core)
  • Memory:4DIMMslots
  • Option for one or twoSAS2.5 "drives
  • Two 1Gbit/s Ethernet ports
  • One expansion slot for up to two additional ports (Fibre Channel storage, additional Ethernet, Myrinet 2000 or InfiniBand)
  • One High-speed expansion slot for up to two additional ports (10Gbit/s Ethernet or InfiniBand 4X)

HS21 XM

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(2007–2008) This model can use the High-speed IO option of the BladeCenter H, but is backwards compatible with the regular BladeCenter. Features:

  • Processors:One or two Intel Xeon DP (dual or quad-core)
  • Memory:8 DIMM slots
  • Option for oneSAS2.5 "drive or one or twoSAS-based Solid State drives
  • Two 1Gbit/s Ethernet ports
  • One expansion slot for up to two additional ports (Fibre Channel storage, additional Ethernet,Myrinet2000 orInfiniBand)
  • One High-speed expansion slot for up to two additional ports (10Gbit/s Ethernet orInfiniBand4X as well as additional Fibre-Channel or Ethernet ports)

HS22

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(2009–2011) Features:

  • Processors:One or two Intel Xeon 5500 or 5600 series (up to 3.6GHz 4-core or 3.46GHz 6-core)
  • Memory:up to 192GBDDR3(12 VLPDIMMslots)
  • Option for two hot swapSAS2.5 "drives orSSD(RAID0 and 1 are possible)
  • Two 1Gbit/s Ethernet ports (Broadcom 5709S)
  • 1CIOvslot (standardPCI-Express daughter card) and 1CFFhslot (high-speedPCI-Express daughter card) for a total of 8 ports of I/O to each blade, including 4 ports of high-speed I/O
  • Requires Advanced Management Module

HS22v

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(2010–2011) Features are very similar to HS22 but:

  • Memory:up to 288GB DDR3 (18 VLP DIMM slots)
  • Up to two 1.8 "disks (SSD, not hot swapable)
  • Requires Advanced Management Module

HS23

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(2012) Features:

  • Single-wide
  • Processors:One or two Intel Xeon E5-2600
  • Memory:16 DIMM slots, up to 1600MHz
  • 2 hot-swappable HDDs (SATA/SAS) or SSDs
  • Dual 10G/1G Ethernet onboard expandable to4 × 10
  • Virtual Fabric / vNic's onboard
  • Requires Advanced Management Module

HS23E

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(2012) Features:

  • Single-wide
  • Processors:One or two Intel Xeon E5-2400
  • Memory:12 DIMM slots, up to 1600MHz
  • 2 hot-swappable HDDs (SATA/SAS) or SSDs
  • Dual Gigabit Ethernet onboard ports with TOE
  • Requires Advanced Management Module

HS40

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(2004) Features:

  • Double-wide (needs 2 slots)
  • Processors:One to four Intel Xeon MP
  • Memory:(8DIMMslots)
  • Option for one or two ATA100 2.5 "drives
  • Four 1Gbit/s Ethernet ports
  • Twoexpansion slotsfor up to four additional ports (Fibre Channel storage, additional Ethernet,Myrinet2000 orInfiniBand)

HC10

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(2008) This blade model is targeted to the workstation market, Features:

  • Processor:Single Intel Core 2 Duo
  • Memory:8GB max (4DIMMslots)
  • NVidiavideo adapter
  • One SATA 60GB HDD
  • Two 1Gbit/s Ethernet ports

HX5

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(2010–2011) This blade model is targeted at the server virtualization market. Features:

  • Processors:2 to 4 Intel E7, 6500 or 7500 series Xeon (4–10 cores per CPU, up to 2.67GHz)
  • Memory:256GB Max (16DIMMslots); Expandable to 40 slots with a 24 DIMM MAX 5 memory blade (640GB total).
  • Two 1Gbit/s Ethernet ports per blade

AMD based

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Modules based onx86processors fromAMD.

LS20

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(2005-2006) Features:

  • Processors:One or twoAMD Opteron(single or dual-core)
  • Memory:DDR (4 VLPDIMMslots)
  • Option for one or two SCSI U320 2.5 "drives
  • Two 1Gbit/s Ethernet ports
  • One expansion slot for up to two additional ports (Fibre Channel storage, additional Ethernet,Myrinet2000 orInfiniBand)

LS21

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Inside of IBM LS21 blade. Small circuit board visible on the bottom right is an optional Fibre Channel daughter card.

(2006) This model can use the high-speed I/O of the BladeCenter H, but is also backwards compatible with the regular BladeCenter. Features:

  • Processors:One or twoAMD Opteron(dual-core), support 65nm Quad core after BIOS update (tested)
  • Memory:up to 32GB of RAM (8DIMMslots)
  • Option for oneSASor SATA 2.5 "drive
  • Two Gigabit Ethernet ports
  • One expansion slot for up to two additional ports (Fibre-Channel storage, additional Ethernet,Myrinet2000 orInfiniBand)
  • One High-speed expansion slot for up to two additional ports (10Gbit/s Ethernet orInfiniBand4X)

LS22

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(2008) Upgraded model of LS21. Features:

  • Processors:One or two 45nmAMD Opteron(quad or 6-core)
  • Memory:up to 64GB of RAM (8DIMMslots)
  • Option for twoSASor SATA 2.5 "drive
  • Two Gigabit Ethernet ports
  • One expansion slot for up to two additional ports (Fibre-Channel storage, additional Ethernet,Myrinet2000 orInfiniBand)
  • One High-speed expansion slot for up to two additional ports (10 Gbit Ethernet orInfiniBand4X)

LS41

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(2006–2007) This model can use the High-speed IO option of the BladeCenter H, but is backwards compatible with the regular BladeCenter. Features:

  • Double-wide (needs 2 slots)
  • Processors:One to fourAMD Opteron(dual-core)
  • Memory:up to 64GB of RAM (16DIMMslots)
  • Option for one or twoSAS2.5 "drives
  • Four Gigabit Ethernet ports
  • Two expansion slots for up to four additional ports (Fibre-Channel storage, additional Ethernet,Myrinet2000 orInfiniBand)
  • One High-speed expansion slot for up to two additional ports (10Gbit/s Ethernet orInfiniBand4X)
  • Data Storage Capacity?

LS42

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(2008–2009) Upgraded model of LS41. Features:

  • Double-wide (needs 2 slots)
  • Processors:One to 4AMD Opteron(quad or 6-core)
  • Memory:up to 128GB of RAM (16DIMMslots)
  • Option for one or twoSAS2.5 "drives
  • Four Gigabit Ethernet ports
  • Two expansion slots for up to four additional ports (Fibre-Channel storage, additional Ethernet,Myrinet2000 orInfiniBand)
  • One High-speed expansion slot for up to two additional ports (10Gbit/s Ethernet orInfiniBand4X)

Power based

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Modules based onPowerPC- orPower ISA-based processors fromIBM.

JS20

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(2006) Features:[18]

  • Can runAIXorLinux
  • Processors:TwoPowerPC 970at 1.6 or 2.2 GHz
  • Memory:4DIMMslots for PC2700 ECC (max 8 GB)
  • Option for one or two ATA100 2.5 "drives
  • Two Gigabit Ethernet ports
  • One expansion slot for up to two additional ports (Fibre Channel storage, additional Ethernet,Myrinet2000 orInfiniBand)

JS21

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(2006) This model can have the High-speed IO option of the BladeCenter H, but is backwards compatible with the regular BladeCenter. Features:

JS22

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(2009) Features:

JS23

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(2009) Features:

JS43 Express

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Features:

JS12 Express

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Features:

PS700

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Branded as part ofIBM Power Systems.Features:

PS701

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Features are very similar toPS700, but

  • Processor:8-core
  • Memory:max 128 GB

PS702

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Think twoPS701 tied together back-to-back, forming a double-wide blade

PS703

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Features are very similar toPS701, but

  • Processors:Two 8-core at 2.4 GHz

PS704

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Think twoPS703 tied together back-to-back, forming a double-wide blade.

Cell based

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Modules based onCellprocessors fromIBM.

QS20

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Features:

  • Double-wide (needs 2 slots)
  • Can runLinux
  • Processors:TwoCell processorsat 3.2 GHz
  • Memory:1 GB XDRAM (512 MB per processor)
  • 40 GB IDE100 2.5 "drive
  • Two Gigabit Ethernet ports
  • OptionalInfiniBand4X connectivity

QS21

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Features:

  • Single-wide
  • Can runLinux
  • Processors:TwoCell processorsat 3.2 GHz
  • Memory:2 GB (1 GB per processor)
  • Two Gigabit Ethernet ports
  • One expansion slot for up to two additional ports (Fibre-Channel storage, additional Ethernet,Myrinet2000 orInfiniBand)
  • One High-speed expansion slot for up to two additional ports (10 Gbit Ethernet orInfiniBand4X)

QS22

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Features:

  • Single-wide
  • Can runLinux
  • Processors:TwoPowerXCell 8iat 3.2 GHz
  • Memory:Up to 32 GB ofDDR2 SDRAM
  • Two Gigabit Ethernet ports
  • Expansion slots forSASdaughter card,InfiniBand4X DDR daughter card and 8 GB uFDM Flash Drive

UltraSPARC based: 2BC

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Themis computer announced a blade around 2008. It ran the SunSolaris operating systemfromSun Microsystems. Each module had oneUltraSPARC T2with 64 threads at 1.2 GHz and up to 32 GB ofDDR2 SDRAMprocessor memory.[20]

Advanced network: PN41

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Developed in conjunction with CloudShield, features:[21]

  • Single-wide
  • Processor:Intel IXP2805 network processor
  • Full payload screening withdeep packet inspection(DPI)
  • Full Layer 7 processing and control
  • User programmability usingEclipse-based IDEand RAVE open development language
  • Quad 1 Gbit + quad 10 Gbit Ethernet controllers
  • Up to 20 Gbit/s DPI throughput per blade
  • Selective traffic capture, rewrite and redirect
  • Has LAN and WAN Interfaces

Modules

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Switch modules

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The BladeCenter can have a total of four switch modules, but two of the switch module bays can take only an Ethernet switch or Ethernet pass-though. To use the other switch module bays, a daughtercard needs to be installed on each blade that needs it, to provide the requiredSAN,Ethernet,InfiniBandorMyrinetfunction. Mi xing of different type daughtercards in the same BladeCenter chassis is not allowed.

Gigabit Ethernet

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Gigabit Ethernetswitch modules were produced by IBM,Nortel,andCisco Systems. BLADE Network Technologiesproduced some switches, and later was purchased by IBM. In all cases speed internal to the BladeCenter, between the blades, is non-blocking. External Gigabit Ethernet ports vary from four to six and can be either copper oroptical fiber.

Storage Area Network

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A variety of SAN switch modules have been produced byQLogic,Cisco,McData(acquired by Brocade) andBrocaderanging in speeds of 1, 2, 4 and 8 Gbit Fibre Channel. Speed from theSANswitch to the blade is determined by the lowest-common-denominator between the blade HBA daughtercard and theSANswitch. External port counts vary from two to six, depending on the switch module.

InfiniBand

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A InfiniBand switch module has been produced byCisco.Speed from the blade InfiniBand daughtercard to the switch is limited to IB 1X (2.5 Gbit). Externally the switch has one IB 4X and one IB 12X port. The IB 12X port can be split to three IB 4X ports, giving a total of four IB 4X ports and a total theoretical external bandwidth of 40 Gbit.

Pass-through

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Two kinds of pass-through module are available: copper pass-through and fibre pass-through. The copper pass-through can be used only with Ethernet, while the Fibre pass-through can be used for Ethernet,SANorMyrinet.

Bridge

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Bridge modules are only compatible with BladeCenter H and BladeCenter HT. They function like Ethernet orSANswitches and bridge the traffic toInfiniBand.The advantage is that from the Operating System on the blade everything seems normal (regular Ethernet orSANconnectivity), but inside the BladeCenter everything gets routed over theInfiniBand.

High-speed switch modules

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High-speed switch modules are compatible only with the BladeCenter H and BladeCenter HT. A blade that needs the function must have a high-speed daughtercard installed. Different high-speed daughtercards cannot be mixed in the same BladeCenter chassis.

10 Gigabit Ethernet

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A 10 Gigabit Ethernet switch module was available from BLADE Network Technologies. This allowed 10 Gbit/s connection to each blade, and to outside the BladeCenter.

InfiniBand 4X

[edit]

There are several InfiniBand options:

  • A high-speed InfiniBand 4X SDR switch module fromCisco.This allows IB 4X connectivity to each blade. Externally the switch has two IB 4X ports and two IB 12X ports. The 12X ports can be split to three 4X ports, providing a total of eight IB 4X ports or a theoretical bandwidth of 80 Gbit. Internally between the blades, the switch is non-blocking.
  • A High-speedInfiniBandpass-through module to directly connect the blades to an externalInfiniBandswitch. This pass-though module is compatible with both SDR and DDRInfiniBandspeeds.
  • A high-speed InfiniBand 4X QDR switch module from Voltaire (later acquired byMellanox Technologies). This allows full IB 4X QDR connectivity to each blade. Externally the switch has 16 QSFP ports, all 4X QDR capable.

Roadrunner TriBlade (custom module)

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A schematic description of the TriBlade module

TheIBM Roadrunnersupercomputer used a custom module called the TriBlade from 2008 through 2013. An expansion blade connects two QS22 modules with 8 GB RAM each via 4PCIex8 links to a LS21 module with 16 GB RAM, two links for each QS22. It also provides outside connectivity via anInfiniband4x DDR adapter. This makes a total width of four slots for a single TriBlade. Three TriBlades fit into oneBladeCenter Hchassis.[22]

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^Kunert, Paul (23 January 2014)."It was inevitable: Lenovo stumps up $2.3bn for IBM System x server biz".channelregister.co.uk.The Register.Retrieved23 January2014.
  2. ^"Blade Server Information from Blade.org".Archived fromthe originalon August 16, 2009.RetrievedJuly 18,2013.
  3. ^"IBM BladeCenter E chassis specifications".IBM. 2007-02-05. Archived fromthe originalon 2012-10-03.
  4. ^"IBM BladeCenter T chassis specifications".IBM. 2006-01-17. Archived fromthe originalon 2012-11-05.
  5. ^"Connecting The Bladecenter T Type 8720 To Dc Power"(PDF),BladeCenter T - Types 8720 and 8730 - Installation and User’s Guide(PDF)(Fifth ed.),IBM,November 2006, p.22
  6. ^"IBM BladeCenter H Chassis delivers high performance, extreme reliability, and ultimate flexibility".www-01.ibm.2006-02-09.Retrieved2020-12-27.
  7. ^"IBM BladeCenter H chassis specifications".IBM. 2008-10-07. Archived fromthe originalon 2012-10-03.
  8. ^"IBM BladeCenter H および quan liền オプション の phát biểu".www-01.ibm(in Japanese). 2008-11-19.Retrieved2020-12-23.
  9. ^"IBM BladeCenter HT chassis specifications".IBM. 2008-01-26. Archived fromthe originalon 2012-10-03.
  10. ^"IBM BladeCenter S chassis specifications".IBM. 2008-10-07. Archived fromthe originalon 2012-10-03.
  11. ^ab"IBM BladeCenter JS23 and JS43 Express servers"(PDF).
  12. ^"IBM BladeCenter JS22 server combines excellent processing power with the scalability, reliability".www-01.ibm.2007-11-06.Retrieved2020-12-27.
  13. ^"IBM BladeCenter JS12 Express server combines excellent processing power with the scalability, relia".www-01.ibm.2008-04-02.Retrieved2020-12-27.
  14. ^"IBM eServer BladeCenter JS20 -- Fast 2.2 GHz SMP processor brings more power to the BladeCenter".www-01.ibm.2004-10-12.Retrieved2020-12-27.
  15. ^"IBM BladeCenter QS20 blade with new Cell BE processor offers unique capabilities for".www-01.ibm.2006-09-12.Retrieved2020-12-27.
  16. ^"IBM BladeCenter QS21 boosts performance through innovative solutions for visually or numerically in".www-01.ibm.2007-08-28.Retrieved2020-12-27.
  17. ^"IBM BladeCenter QS22 Sales Guide"(PDF).May 2008.
  18. ^"Overview - IBM BladeCenter JS20".ibm.2008-10-06.Retrieved2020-12-25.
  19. ^abcd"IBM Knowledge Center".ibm.7 May 2020.Retrieved2020-12-18.
  20. ^"T2BC Blade Servers".Themis Computer. Archived fromthe originalon June 5, 2008.RetrievedJuly 18,2013.
  21. ^"IBM PN41 network blade".IBM. 2008-08-27. Archived fromthe originalon 2012-11-05.Retrieved2009-06-15.
  22. ^Ken Koch (March 13, 2008)."Roadrunner Platform Overview"(PDF).Los Alamos National Laboratory.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on October 23, 2013.RetrievedJuly 18,2013.
  23. ^Montoya, Susan (March 30, 2013)."End of the Line for Roadrunner Supercomputer".The Associated Press. Archived fromthe originalon April 2, 2015.RetrievedJuly 18,2013.
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IBM BladeCenter
2000 - 2012
eServer -
p Series: - JS/QSnodes
2004 		PSnodes
2009
x Series: x86 HS/HX/JS/JX nodes
2000
Succeeded by
Succeeded by
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