Blade Servers and Server LIFT

What is a Blade Server?

A blade server is a compact and dense server with its own processor and memory.

Unlike traditional rack servers, blade servers share networking cables, switches, power, and storage with other blade servers in an enclosure (chassis) designed specifically to house and manage them.

Components of Blade Servers

Pictured here are the major components of a typical blade server chassis:

HP: Blade Server Chassis

Benefits of Blade Server

Blade servers offer significant advantage over traditional rack servers – improving the processing ability while consuming less power per server. The servers, the chassis and all the components of the integrated rack work together as a seamless, efficient unit. This increases efficiency and reduces costs by eliminating many of the overlapping resources often required to run stacks of individual rack servers.

A study by HP identified significant benefits when blade servers are deployed in the data center, including:

- Lower acquisition costs, including networking integration … because ports can be aggregated of and components (like management modules) shared.
- Lower operational costs for deployment, troubleshooting and repair … thanks to reduced complexity, and aggregation of components
- Lower power, cooling, and space requirements … resulting in more efficient power utilization and increase density computing power
- Improved reliability … because of fewer components, thus fewer places for failure
- Manageability improvements … a chassis-level shared view of all assets simplifies resource management and creates efficiencies Blade server chassis’ tend to be considerably heavier than rack servers, and thus more awkward to install or move.

Benefits of a Server LIFT

Blade server chassis’ tend to be considerable heavier than rack servers, and thus more awkward to install or move.  In most cases, a blade server requires the assistance of 2 – 4 individuals for a safe installation.   ServerLIFT® products, such as the SL-500X Server Lift are designed to safely and effectively install, uninstall and relocate servers of all sizes, providing a speedy, safe and economical solution to this issue.  A serverlift increase safety, efficiency and  reduces the total number of employees needed to get the job done.