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Table of contents 1 System overview ..................................................................................................................................................................5 Introduction .........................................................................................................................................................................5 New technologies ...............................................................................................................
Appendix C. Additional resources................................................................................................................................. 49 Appendix D. System board block diagram ................................................................................................................... 51 Table 1. Table 2. Table 3. Table 4. Table 5. Table 6. Table 7. Table 8. Table 9. Table 10. Table 11. Table 12. Table 13. Table 14. Table 15. Table 16. Table 17. Table 18. Table 19.
The 2-socket Dell™ PowerEdge™ T420 tower server delivers balanced performance and expandability for non-disruptive growth. Optional redundancy and hot pluggability of key components helps to protect data and keep the business running. The T420 is an excellent fit for a wide range of applications, including workgroup collaboration, email, file and print, and small- to mid-size database applications such as Business Analytics and Intelligence.
Table 1 summarizes the newest technologies used in the Dell PowerEdge T420 tower server. New technologies Detailed descriptions Intel Xeon processor E5-2400 product family This new family of Intel processors has embedded PCIe lanes for improved I/O performance. See the Processor section for details. Intel C600 series chipset The Intel Platform Controller Hub (PCH) chip is implemented on the T420 server.
Compared to the previous generation PowerEdge T410, the T420 supports up to 33% more processor cores, 50% more DIMM slots, 166% more internal hard drive storage capacity, and the greater I/O bandwidth of PCIe 3.0. Its high quality is backed by high availability features including redundant SD cards for failsafe hypervisors and soft, fault-tolerant fans, and optional features such as redundant high-efficiency power supplies and hot-plug hard drives.
Table 3 summarizes the specifications for each of the PowerEdge T420 features. For the latest information on supported features for the PowerEdge T420, visit Dell.com. Feature PowerEdge T420 technical specification Form factor 5U rackable tower Processors Intel Xeon processor E5-2400 product family Processor sockets 2 sockets Internal interconnect 1 Intel QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) link: 6.4 GT/s, 7.2 GT/s, 8.0 GT/s Cache 2.
Feature PowerEdge T420 technical specification Availability Optional high-efficiency, hot-plug, redundant power supplies; hot-plug hard drives; TPM; dual internal SD support; redundant fans; optional bezel; information tag; ECC ® memory; interactive LCD screen; extended power range; ENERGY STAR compliant; switch independent partioning Dell OpenManage Systems Management (Agent-free or with OpenManage Server Administrator [OMSA] Agent) OpenManage Essentials Dell Management Console IT Assista
The Dell PowerEdge T420 is a 5U, 2-socket, rackable tower server. For additional system views and features, see the Dell PowerEdge T420 Systems Owner’s Manual on Support.Dell.com/Manuals. Table 4 lists the possible chassis configurations available for the T420. Number of drive bays Drive types Controller Front control panel Power supply Rack option 4 cabled drive bays 3.
Figure 2 shows the optional lockable bezel on the front of the T420 chassis. Figure 3 shows the features on the back panel of the T420 including USB connectors, Ethernet connectors, serial connector, video connector, PCIe slots, power supplies, iDRAC dedicated port, and many other components and features described in this guide.
The chassis design of the T420 is optimized for easy access to components and for airflow for effective and efficient cooling. Figure 4 provides an internal view of the T420 including the DIMMs, PCIe card slots, power supplies, fans, and processors. Figure 5 shows the front view of the rackable T420 chassis without a bezel.
Table 5 lists the various features on the T420. For additional information, see the Dell PowerEdge T420 Systems Owner’s Manual on Support.Dell.com/Manuals.
The T420 control panel is located on the front of the chassis as shown in Figure 6. For more information about the LCD control panel, see the Dell PowerEdge T420 Systems Owner’s Manual on Support.Dell.com/Manuals. A useful feature included with Dell PowerEdge 12th generation servers is the Quick Resource Locator (QRL)—a model-specific Quick Response (QR) code that is located inside the T420 chassis cover (see Figure 7). Use your smartphone to access the Dell QRL app to learn more about the server.
The latest generation of PowerEdge servers has the features listed in Table 6 to help ensure the security of your data center. Security feature Description Cover latch A tooled latch is integrated on the chassis (top of rack chassis or side of tower chassis) with a coin key lock to secure the system. Bezel An optional metal bezel is mounted to the chassis front to provide the Dell ID. A lock on the bezel is used to protect un-authorized access to hard drives.
The Dell PowerEdge T420 features the Intel Xeon processor E5-2400 product family, which offers an ideal combination of performance, power efficiency, and cost. These processors provide substantial performance and capacity for entry and mainstream workloads, as well as applications requiring significant memory and I/O scalability no matter what your constraint is—floor space, power, or budget.
Model Speed TDP Cache Cores/ threads QPI Max memory speed Turbo E5-2450 2.1GHz 95W 20MB 8/16 8.0 GT/s 1600MT/s Yes E5-2440 2.4GHz 95W 15MB 6/12 7.2 GT/s 1333MT/s Yes E5-2430L 2.0GHz 60W 15MB 6/12 7.2 GT/s 1333MT/s Yes E5-2430 2.2GHz 95W 15MB 6/12 7.2 GT/s 1333MT/s Yes E5-2420 1.9GHz 95W 15MB 6/12 7.2 GT/s 1333MT/s Yes E5-2407 2.2GHz 80W 10MB 4/8 6.4 GT/s 1066MT/s NA E5-2403 1.8GHz 80W 10MB 4/8 6.
More options are available for the Dell PowerEdge 12th generation servers than in previous generations—more capacity choices and more frequency choices. The PowerEdge T420 supports up to 192GB of memory with speeds of up to 1600MT/s, providing high performance in a variety of applications. The new reliability, availability, serviceability (RAS) features like memory mirroring and sparing help you increase your uptime and reduce data loss.
The T420 supports the DIMMs listed in Table 9. For the latest information on supported memory, visit Dell.com. Capacity (GB) Speed (MT/s) Type Ranks per DIMM Data width SDDC support Voltage 2 1333 RDIMM 1 x8 Advanced ECC 1.35 2 1333 UDIMM 1 x8 Advanced ECC 1.35 2 1600 RDIMM 1 x8 Advanced ECC 1.5 4 1333 RDIMM 2 x8 Advanced ECC 1.35 4 1333 RDIMM 1 x4 All modes 1.35 4 1333 UDIMM 2 x8 Advanced ECC 1.35 4 1600 RDIMM 2 x8 Advanced ECC 1.
The T420 supports memory speeds of 1600MT/s, 1333MT/s, 1066MT/s, and 800MT/s depending on the DIMM types installed and the configuration. All memory on all processors and channels run at the same speed and voltage. By default, the systems run at the highest speed for the channel with the lowest DIMM voltage and speed. The operating speed of the memory is also determined by the maximum speed supported by the processor, the speed settings in the BIOS, and the operating voltage of the system.
Feature Description Patrol scrubbing proactively searches the system memory, repairing correctable errors. Recovery from single DRAM device failure Recovery from Single DRAM Device Failure (SDDC) provides error checking and correction that protects against any single memory chip failure as well as multi-bit errors from any portion of a single memory chip.
The Dell PowerEdge T420 supports internal and external storage options and controllers, different drive types, and different chassis configurations for a varied number of drives. The T420 has one chassis that supports three different drive bay options: 4 x 3.5-inch cabled drive bays 8 x 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch hot-plug drive bays 16 x 2.5-inch hot-plug drive bays The T420 supports up to sixteen 2.5-inch or eight 3.5-inch hard drives or solid-state drives. Self-encrypting drives (SED) are available.
Dell provides highly capable RAID options for you to ensure that your data remains safe. Dell’s RAID controller options offer impressive performance improvements, including the following features: FastPath™ I/O: This feature can help accelerate performance when operating on SSDs. Split mirror: This function allows you to break mirrored disk connection in order to quickly replace a drive.
Controller Description Features PERC S110 Software RAID 3Gb/s SATA software RAID controller that supports up to 4 physical disks or 8 virtual disks Supports up to 4 hot-plug SATA drives , no expansion, Microsoft Windows only RAID Form factor modes supported 0, 1, 5, 10 System boardembedded SATA Usage model Entry-level The T420 hot-plug chassis supports up to three media bays through one of the following options: Up to two SATA half-height DVD-ROM or DVD R/W drive + one SAS interface tape dri
The Dell PowerEdge T420 offers balanced, scalable I/O capabilities, including integrated PCIe 3.0 capable expansion slots. The T420 supports up to six PCIe slots. The T420 system board has one embedded NIC controller. The Broadcom 5720 Gigabit NIC chip is connected to the platform controller hub through a PCIe 2.0 x 2 link. The Broadcom 5720 is a 14th generation 10/100/1000Base-T Ethernet LAN controller solution suitable for high-performance server applications.
Type Adapter Intel X540 Dual Port 10Gb Base-T ® QLogic QLE8262 Dual Port 10Gb SFP+ ® Brocade BR1020 Dual Port 10Gb SFP+ QLogic QLE2460 Single Port 4Gbps QLogic QLE2462 Dual Port 4Gbps QLogic QLE2560 Single Port 8Gbps QLogic QLE2562 Dual Port 8Gbps FC4/FC8 HBAs ® Emulex LPe12000 Single Port 8Gbps Emulex LPe12002 Dual Port 8Gbps Brocade BR815 Single Port 8Gbps Brocade BR825 Dual Port 8Gbps For the latest information on all supported add-in PCIe expansion cards for the T420, visit Dell.com.
Lower overall system-level power draw is a result of breakthrough system design. The Dell PowerEdge T420 server maximizes performance per watt through a combination of power and cooling, energy efficient technologies, and tools. Additionally, the PowerEdge T420 has an extensive collection of sensors that automatically track thermal activity, which helps regulate temperature thereby reducing server noise and power consumption.
Feature Description Active power management Intel Node Manager is an embedded technology that provides individual server-level power reporting and power limiting functionality. Dell offers a complete power management solution comprised of Intel Node Manager accessed through Dell iDRAC7 Enterprise and OpenManage Power Center that allows policy-based management of power and thermals at the individual server, rack and data center level.
Figure 8 shows a 750W power supply unit extended from the T420 chassis. The PowerEdge T420 supports up to two PSUs with 1+1 redundancy, auto-sensing, and auto-switching capability. The T420 also supports PSU 2+0 configurations for configurations that exceed the output of a single PSU; in this case, 1+1 redundancy is not supported. Use the Dell Energy Smart Solution Advisor at Dell.com/ESSA to help you configure your system optimal power performance.
The thermal design of the PowerEdge T420 reflects the following: Multiple sensors are monitored for thermal feedback control: The PowerEdge T420 dynamically controls system cooling fan speed based on responses from component temperature sensors, including processors, hard disk drives, DIMMs, storage cards, and the inlet ambient temperature. Thermal control detects and responds to hardware configuration.
Noise ramp and descent during bootup from power off: Fan speed noise levels ramp during the boot process (from power off to power on) to add a layer of protection for component cooling in case the system does not boot properly. To keep the bootup process as quiet as possible, the fan speed reached during bootup is limited to about half of full speed. Table 18 details the acoustical performance for the T420. Configuration (23 ± 2°C ambient) Typical CPUs 2 Hard drives 4 x 3.
The sliding rail system for the Dell PowerEdge T420 provides tool-less support for 4-post racks with square or unthreaded round mounting holes. Compared to the T610 sliding rails that required the use of adapter brackets, the sliding rails for the T420 now offer support for threaded hole racks with the ReadyRails II mounting interface. The ReadyRails II sliding rails for the T420 support tool-less mounting in 19”-wide, EIA-310-E compliant square hole and unthreaded round hole 4-post racks.
mounted in the back of the rack such as power distribution units (PDUs), and the overall depth of the rack. For detailed information about sliding rails, see the Rack rail specifications section in Appendix A. For more information on installing the T420 in a rack, see the Rack Installation Instructions on Support.Dell.com/Manuals.
The Dell PowerEdge T420 supports a wide range of industry-standard operating systems and virtualization software. Table 20 lists the primary operating systems supported on the T420. For the latest information on supported operating systems, see Dell.com/OSsupport. Operating System Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.8 SP8 Platform x32 x64 Edition N/A Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.
One of the key features for virtualization on the PowerEdge T420 is the support for a fail-safe hypervisor. By running a hypervisor on an optional SD card and installing a backup copy on the other mirrored SD card, you can protect against hardware failure and maximize virtualization uptime. Table 21 highlights the virtualization support for the T420. Operating systems Vmware Options vSphere v4.1 U2 ESX Classic DIB vSphere v4.1 U2 ESXi Installable DIB vSphere v4.1 U2 ESXi Embedded FI vSphere v5.
Whether your IT environment consists of a few servers or a few thousand servers, Dell OpenManage systems management solutions provide comprehensive management for evolving IT environments. OpenManage is based on open standards and provides agent-based and agent-free server lifecycle management functionality for Dell PowerEdge servers. OpenManage solutions help you automate and streamline essential hardware management tasks.
The Dell OpenManage systems management portfolio includes powerful hardware and software management tools and consoles. OpenManage simplifies the lifecycle of deploying, updating, monitoring, and maintaining your Dell PowerEdge servers. The Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller 7 (iDRAC7) with Lifecycle Controller is the heart of the second generation of Dell PowerEdge server embedded management functionality.
Feature Function Electronic licensing Benefit If iDRAC7 Express or iDRAC7 Enterprise is ordered during initial point of sale, license key is installed. If Basic Management is ordered during initial point of sale, customer must request a license key through the Dell Licensing Portal.
Basic iDRAC7 management Express iDRAC7 Enterprise Remote CLI ∞ ∞ Local/SSH CLI ∞ ∞ Serial redirection ∞ ∞ Remote config ∞ ∞ Email alerts ∞ ∞ SNMP alerts ∞ ∞ Comprehensive monitoring ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ Crash screen capture 3 4 Dedicated NIC 1Gbps (100MB in iDRAC6) ∞ Part replacement ∞ Backup and restore configurations ∞ Virtual console (4 user) ∞ Virtual console chat ∞ Support for customer supplied SD cards for vFlash media ∞ Virtual flash partitions ∞ Virtual media ∞ Virtual
Most systems management solutions require pieces of software, called agents, to be installed on each node in order to be managed within the IT environment. Additionally, the same agent is often used as a local interface into the hardware health and may be accessed remotely as a management interface, typically referred to as a one-to-one interface. For customers that continue to use agentbased solutions, Dell provides OpenManage Server Administrator.
Dell OpenManage Server Update Utility—The Dell Server Update Utility (SUU) is a DVD-based application for identifying and applying BIOS and firmware updates to your Dell PowerEdge servers. Dell OpenManage Systems Build and Update Utility—The Dell System Build and Update Utility (SBUU) provides one-to-one and one-to-many deployment and single-server update capabilities in the pre-operating system environment.
Dell OpenManage provides connections with many third-party consoles, including: Dell OpenManage Connection for Computer Associates Network and Systems Management—This connection allows you to monitor PowerEdge servers and PowerVault storage arrays from within the Computer Associates Network and Systems Management (CA NSM) console.
Operation One-to-one Lifecycle Controller GUI DTK SBUU Symantec Deployment Server Dell Management Plug-in for VMware vCenter KACE K1000 Appliance Lifecycle Controller Remote Services BMC BladeLogic integration with Lifecycle Controller Dell Server Deployment Pack (DSDP) for Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager and Dell Lifecycle Controller Integration (DLCI) for Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager iDRAC7 with LifeCycle Controller Lifecycle Controller GUI Repos
Figure 12 details the dimensions of the Dell PowerEdge T420 chassis. Xa Xb 218.0mm 1 304.5mm (foot) 307.9mm (caster) Ya Yb Yc Za with bezel Za without bezel Zb 430.3mm 443.3mm 471.3mm 16.4mm 0.0mm 542.2mm 1 Zc 578.42mm Zb goes to the nominal back wall external surface where the I/O connectors reside. The maximum system weight for the T420 is 30.2 kg (66.57 lb). Table 25 lists power supply specifications for the PowerEdge T420.
Table 26 details the environmental specifications for the T420. For additional information about environmental measurements for specific system configurations, see Dell.com/environmental_datasheets. Fresh Air: temperature, humidity, altitude de-rating Continuous operation 10°C to 35°C (50°F to 95°F) at 10% to 80% relative humidity with 26°C (78.8°F) maximum dew point (maximum wet bulb temperature). De-rate maximum allowable dry bulb temperature at 1°C per 300m above 950m (1°F per 547 ft above 3117 ft).
Maximum shock Operating Half sine shock in all operational orientations of 31G +/– 5% with a pulse duration of 2.6ms +/– 10% Storage Half sine shock on all six sides of 71G +/– 5% with a pulse duration of 2ms +/–10%; square wave shock on all six sides of 27G with velocity change at 235 in/sec or greater Altitude Operating –15.2m to 3048m (–50 ft to 10,000 ft) Storage –15.2m to 12,000m (–50 ft to 39,370 ft) Airborne contaminant level Class G1 or lower as defined by ISA-S71.
Rail adjustability range (mm) Product T420 Rail identifier C2 Rail type Sliding Square Round Rail depth (mm) Threaded Min Max Min Max Min Max 686 756 672 749 686 771 without CMA 760 with CMA 840 The adjustment range of the rails is a function of the type of rack in which they are being mounted. The min-max values listed above represent the allowable distance between the front and rear mounting flanges in the rack.
The Dell PowerEdge T420 conforms to the industry standards listed in Table 30. Standard ACPI Advance Configuration and Power Interface Specification, v2.0c Ethernet IEEE 802.3-2005 HDG Hardware Design Guide Version 3.0 for Microsoft Windows Server IPMI Intelligent Platform Management Interface, v2.0 DDR3 Memory DDR3 SDRAM Specification, Rev. 3A LPC Low Pin Count Interface Specification, Rev. 1.1 PCI Express PCI Express Base Specification Rev. 2.0 and 3.
Table 31 provides a list of documents and websites that provide for more information on the Dell PowerEdge T420. Resource Description of contents Location This manual is provided in HTML format on the CD provided with the T420 system, and also in HTML and PDF format at the Dell support site. A printed version is available in Asian languages as a customer-orderable option. This manual provides information on the following: Support.Dell.
Resource Description of contents Location This code on the chassis can be scanned by a phone application to access additional information and resources for the server, including videos, reference materials, service tag information, and Dell contact information. Inside the system chassis cover This tool uses infrastructure and thermal analysis to help maximize system efficiency. Dell.
