Specifications

Chapter 3. Introduction to IBM Flex System 55
3.3.3 Chassis Management Module
The Chassis Management Module (CMM) is a hot-swap module that is central to
the management of the chassis and is required in each chassis. The CMM
automatically detects any installed modules in the chassis and stores vital
product data (VPD) from the modules. The CMM also acts as an aggregation
point for the chassis nodes and switches, including enabling all of the
management communications by Ethernet connection.
The CMM is also the key component that enables the internal management
network. The CMM has a multiport, L2, 1 Gb Ethernet switch with dedicated links
to all 14 node bays, the four switch bays, and the optional second CMM.
The second optional CMM provides redundancy in active and standby modes,
has the same internal connections as the primary CMM, and is aware of all
activity of the primary CMM through the trunk link between the two CMMs. This
situation ensures that the backup CMM is ready to take over in a
failover situation.
3.3.4 IBM Flex System Manager
The next tier in the management stack is the IBM Flex System Manager (FSM)
management appliance. The FSM a dedicated, special purpose, half-wide
compute node that can be installed in any chassis node slot and provides full
management capabilities for up to four chassis. All functions and software are
preinstalled and are initially configured with Quick Start wizards, integrating all
components of the chassis, nodes, and switch modules.
The highlighted features of the FSM are:
򐂰 A single pane of glass to manage multiple nodes and multiple chassis
򐂰 Automatic discovery of nodes and local chassis
򐂰 Integrated x86 and POWER servers and storage and network management
򐂰 Virtualization management (VMControl)
򐂰 Energy management (Active Energy Manager)
򐂰 Upward integration to existing an IBM Systems Director or Tivoli environment
The FSM is considered a hardware appliance with a specific hardware
configuration and preinstalled software stack. The appliance concept is similar to
the Hardware Management Console and the Systems Director Management
Console in POWER systems environments. However, FSM expands the
capability of these products.