HP BladeSystem c-Class architecture Technology brief, 4th edition

Administrator monitors and adjusts the power allocation to the server blades, making sure not to

exceed the enclosure power cap.

Enclosure Dynamic Power Capping also allows the reallocation of power among the server blades

over time. Using the blade power budget as its limit, the Onboard Administrator software uses a

sophisticated algorithm to increase the power caps of busy individual servers consuming more power

while it decreases the caps for server blades using less power. Thus, the Onboard Administrator

makes the best use of power among the server blades in the enclosure while maintaining overall

power consumption below the enclosure power cap.

For more information, see the technology brief “HP Power Capping and HP Dynamic Power Capping

for ProLiant servers” at

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c01549455/c01549455.pdf.

Configuration and management technologies

An intelligent infrastructure lies at the heart of the BladeSystem c-Class. It combines embedded

management capabilities in the hardware and integrated management software to streamline

operations and increase productivity. The BladeSystem intelligent infrastructure makes essential power

and cooling data available. It helps you automate the management of the infrastructure. It lets you

control network connections across the enclosure.

These components create the intelligent infrastructure:

• iLO management processors integrated onto server blades

• Onboard Administrator

• Interconnect module management such as the HP Virtual Connect Manager (discussed in the

“Virtual Connect” section)

In addition, the embedded management information feeds into these higher-level management tools:

• Virtual Connect Enterprise Manager (discussed in the “Virtual Connect” section)

• HP Insight Control

• HP Insight Dynamics

For more information, see the technology brief “Management architecture of HP BladeSystem c-Class

systems” at

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c00814176/c00814176.pdf

Interactions among the BladeSystem’s firmware components, BIOS, iLO, Onboard Administrator,

Virtual Connect Manager, Smart Array, and NICs can be complex.. To help with this, we have

designed a one-step update process for BladeSystem Firmware Release Sets. It provides a collection

of ProLiant BladeSystem firmware. We test it as a solution stack and release it regularly on a single

DVD ISO image. The HP Smart Update Manager is the software engine that drives the firmware

update process. You can download the Smart Update DVD by going to the website at

www.hp.com/go/foundation. Another good resource is the “BladeSystem ProLiant Firmware

Management Best Practices” paper at

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c02049593/c02049593.pdf.

Integrated Lights-Out

Each ProLiant and Integrity server blade designed for the BladeSystem c-Class includes an iLO or

Integrity iLO management processor. Regardless of a server blade’s operating condition, the iLO

processor lets you manage the blade remotely and securely. The iLO processor provides access to a

remote console, virtual power button, and system management information such as hardware health,

event logs, and configuration. The iLO processor also monitors thermal and operational conditions

within each server blade and forwards this information to the Onboard Administrator. For specific