Installing a Blade Server

This chapter contains the following sections:

Installing a Blade Server

For installations of UCS blades with differing widths and heights in a chassis, the guideline is to load the heaviest and largest blades at the bottom of the chassis. Therefore, if a UCS B460 blade server is present, it should be installed at the bottom, followed by full-width blades such as the UCS B420 or UCS B480 above the UCS B460, and then half-width blades such as the UCS B200 at the top of the chassis.

Before you begin

The blade server must have its cover installed before installing it into the chassis to ensure adequate airflow.

Procedure

Step 1

If necessary, remove the slot divider from the chassis.

  1. Simultaneously pull up on the left side catch and push down on the right side catch as shown in callout 1 of the following figure.

  2. Pull the slot divider out of the chassis as shown in callout 2 of the following figure. Keep the slot divider in case it is needed at another time.

    Figure 1. Removing a Slot Divider
    Tip 

    To reinstall the slot divider, align it with the dimples in the slot top and bottom and slide it back in until it clicks into place.

Step 2

Grasp the front of the blade server and place your other hand under the blade to support it.

Figure 2. Positioning a Blade Server in the Chassis
Step 3

Open the ejector levers in the front of the blade server.
Step 4

Gently slide the blade into the opening until you cannot push it any farther.

Step 5

Press the ejectors so that they catch the edge of the chassis and press the blade server all the way in.

Step 6

Tighten the captive screw on the front of the blade to no more than 3 in-lbs. Tightening only with bare fingers is unlikely to lead to stripped or damaged captive screws.

Cisco UCS Manager automatically reacknowledges, reassociates, and recommissions the server, provided any hardware changes are allowed by the service profile.

Powering Off a Blade Server Using the Power Button


Note

The front panel power button is disabled by default to ensure that servers are decommissioned through the UCS Manager software before shutdown. If you prefer to shut down the server locally with the button, you can enable front power-button control in UCS Manager.


Tip

You can also shut down servers remotely using Cisco UCS Manager. For details, see the Configuration Guide for the version of Cisco UCS Manager that you are using. The configuration guides are available at the following URL: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps10281/products_installation_and_configuration_guides_list.html

Procedure

Step 1

If you are local to the server, check the color of the Power Status LED for each server in the chassis that you want to power off.

  • Green indicates that the server is running and must be shut down before it can be safely powered off. Go to Step 2.

  • Amber indicates that the server is already in standby mode and can be safely powered off. Go to Step 3.

Step 2

If you previously enabled front power-button control through Cisco UCS Manager, press and release the Power button, then wait until the Power Status LED changes to amber.

The operating system performs a graceful shutdown and the server goes to standby mode.

Caution 

To avoid data loss or damage to your operating system, you should always invoke a graceful shutdown of the operating system.

Step 3

(Optional) Although not recommended, if you are shutting down all blade servers in a chassis, you can disconnect the power cords from the chassis to completely power off the servers.

Caution 

To avoid data loss or damage to your operating system, you should always invoke a graceful shutdown of the operating system.

The blade servers will power down. You can now perform additional tasks with the blades as needed, for example, replacing a blade.

Removing a Blade Server

Using UCS Manager, decommission the server before physically removing the server. To remove a blade server from the chassis, follow these steps:

Procedure

Step 1

Loosen the captive screws on the front of the blade.

Step 2

Remove the blade from the chassis by pulling the ejector lever on the blade until it unseats the blade server.

Step 3

Slide the blade partially out of the chassis, and place your other hand under the blade to support its weight.

Step 4

Once completely removed, place the blade on an antistatic mat or antistatic foam if you are not immediately reinstalling it into another slot.

Step 5

If the slot is to remain empty, install a blank faceplate (N20-CBLKB1) to maintain proper thermal temperature and keep dust out of the chassis.