Blade servers captured industry focus because of their modular design, which can reduce costs with a more efficient usage of valuable floor space, and their simplified management, which can speed up such tasks as deploying, reprovisioning, updating, and troubleshooting hundreds of blade servers. By integrating resources and sharing key components, costs are reduced and availability is increased.

This IBM® Redbooks® publication describes IBM BladeCenter® and describes the technology and features of the different chassis, blade server models, and connectivity options. We go into detail about every major component and provide guidance about networking and storage connectivity.

This twelfth edition includes new products that were announced in the second half of 2013. This book is for clients, IBM Business Partners, and IBM employees who want to know the details about IBM BladeCenter chassis, servers, and options.

Chapter 1. Product overview

Chapter 2. IBM BladeCenter chassis and infrastructure configuration

Chapter 3. Blade server hardware configuration

Chapter 4. Network integration

Chapter 5. Storage integration

Chapter 6. IBM zEnterprise Extension Model