1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to blade systems and more particularly relates to the configuration of units in a blade system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Blade computing is growing in popularity in the information technology (“IT”) realm. As more and more services are offered via computers and computer networks, the hardware to support these services grows in size and complexity. Data centers quickly fill with more and more servers as demand for services grow. This continual demand for more computing power results in more hardware. And as more and more hardware is added, the management of the hardware, whether maintaining the networks, repairing damaged equipment, or other tasks, grows more and more complicated.
Blade servers offer an increasingly popular solution to the growing pains associated with other server systems. Blade servers are generally made up of thin blades that fit within a blade enclosure designed to provide support, power, and cooling to the blade server system. The core concept behind a blade server system is to remove from individual blades components that are unnecessary for the function that the particular blade is to perform. For example, a particular blade designed for processing may have a number of processors and sufficient memory to support the processing operations, but have all hard drive components removed, basic IO devices supporting peripherals such as keyboards removed, and power supply components removed. In contrast, a storage blade may have minimal processing capability but a great deal of storage. By removing items unrelated to the task the particular blade is to perform, a great deal of space can be saved.
The blade enclosure typically provides power and cooling to the individual blades in the enclosure. However, the particular functions left on the blade and those transferred to the enclosure vary from system to system. Regardless, blade systems generally work by sliding individual blades in and out of enclosures in the blade enclosure. The blade modules themselves slide into the enclosure and plug into a backplane, sometimes also referred to as a midplane, of the blade enclosure. The backplane often provides the power to the blade modules and may also provide some basic connectivity.
Blade servers thus provide more computing power in less space than independent servers. As a result of this density, the management of the system is greatly simplified. In addition, less space is physically required for comparable computing power from a traditional server system. However, in light of the continuing demand for more and more power, greater computing density is necessary. In addition, typical blade servers are not very scalable—a high initial cost is required to purchase a necessary enclosure, which may not be economically feasible for a small but growing entity.
As a result, many vendors are forced to offer a variety of blade servers for different types of customers. A vendor may offer, for example, an entry level model, a mid-level model, and an enterprise level model, with costs adjusted accordingly. The customer is then left with the dilemma of whether purchase an entry level system which they quickly outgrow, or whether to purchase a higher end system with more power than they may need for some time. Similarly, vendors are forced to produce a variety of products to meet the needs of different customers instead of producing a single scalable product that can be flexibly configured based on the particular needs of a buyer.