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Call me stupid, but is it possible to use an IBM BladeCenter HS20 server as a standalone unit without the BladeCenter?

Noah Brainey
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You can't run a blade server without the chassis, the connector is proprietary and replicating all the network and power hardware would be an encumbering task, as MikeyB suggests getting a BladeCenter S chassis will suit your needs perfectly.

Tom
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lynxman
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Possibly, but you'll need a way to connect power to the server outside of the BladeCenter (power connections are normally provided by the BladeCenter), and you may run into problems with cooling when you try to do this (active cooling is generally provided by a series of blowers in the BladeCenter).

You'll also lose some of the redundancies that are provided by the chassis, and not built into the actual server. This may not be a problem for bench testing or configuration, but deploying a production server like this would defeat much of the purpose of specialized server hardware.

In short, I wouldn't recommend it. Get a 1U server that's not designed as a blade.

Cody Gray - on strike
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    Alright... I'm confused I'm on Ebay looking for some cheap servers... I'm looking at a IBM HS20 bladeserver... it's $39.99... but then theres also this IBM, BladeCenter, HS20, 8832, 3.2 GHz RAID Server. So would the HS20 bladeserver go into the IBM bladecenter? – Noah Brainey Dec 29 '10 at 00:40
  • @Noah: You'll probably have to show me a link... Buying off of eBay can be tricky if you don't know *exactly* what you're looking for, and some sellers are (whether intentionally or not) deceptive with their auction listings. In general, I *don't* recommend that you buy a blade server if you're inexperienced with server hardware. Get a regular 1U unit. – Cody Gray - on strike Dec 29 '10 at 00:42
  • Wait is a 1U unit a one in all, not chassis needed server made by IBM!? – Noah Brainey Dec 29 '10 at 00:45
  • @Noah: Actually, 1U refers to the size. Since you were looking at blade servers, I assumed small/thin was important to you. The *regular* kind of servers are called *rack* servers (or rack-mounted) because they're designed to slide into a server rack. That's similar to a blade center, but each unit *can* function stand-alone without any dependencies on the rack. If you're set on an IBM, check out the System x or eServer series. – Cody Gray - on strike Dec 29 '10 at 00:47
  • I belive I found a 1U unit... let me know if it is before I buy it though. http://cgi.ebay.com/IBM-Xseries-305-P4-3-06Ghz-1GBRam-40GB-Server-1U-/230561717371?pt=COMP_EN_Servers&hash=item35ae8c9c7b#ht_1757wt_1140 – Noah Brainey Dec 29 '10 at 00:48
  • Alright well the link I sent you... are those 1U servers able to function together as one? If not... what will I need so they do? – Noah Brainey Dec 29 '10 at 00:50
  • First... would it be possible to synchronize these servers together so they function as one massive computer and not single 1U servers? Also... how much are you selling yours for? – Noah Brainey Dec 29 '10 at 00:53
  • Don't give me details about how it would be done... I just want to know if it would be possible to make these one server? – Noah Brainey Dec 29 '10 at 00:57
  • @Noah: The problem is, I don't think there's an easy answer. No, you can't make them function as "one". But you can run software that will distribute computational loads across the different machines. This is called "cluster" computing, and is done often in large enterprise datacenters and for scientific research in universities. Without knowing exactly what your use case is, it's very difficult to answer that question. I don't really feel qualified to give you any advice on how to go about setting up that kind of system. – Cody Gray - on strike Dec 29 '10 at 01:00
  • Alright... thanks. So what are the specs on the servers you're willing to sell? – Noah Brainey Dec 29 '10 at 01:02
  • Hey could you tell if it would be easy to swap the hard drive out of the IBM Xseries 305 P4? It only has 40GB... – Noah Brainey Dec 29 '10 at 01:11
  • @Noah: Yes, most server drives are hot-swappable, but even if not, they're replaceable. That particular IBM has an IDE drive, so it will work with standard, off-the-shelf desktop hard drives. I have an HP ProLiant DL 380 with a 3.06 GHz Xeon (Irwindale with 2 MB of L2 cache), somewhere between 1-2 GB of RAM (PC3200-ECC registered), 6 Ultra 320 SCSI hot-swappable hard drive bays (bays are currently empty), redundant PSUs and the works. I'm using one as my workstation, but I don't need a second. Although further thought prompts me to wonder if this may be too much server muscle for your needs. – Cody Gray - on strike Dec 29 '10 at 01:25
  • I need LOTS of hard drive space... The 6 Ultra 320 SCSI hot-swappable hard drive bays... how much can they hold? – Noah Brainey Dec 29 '10 at 01:34
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No, this is not possible.

However, if you'd really like to use it, look at the BladeCenter S. It's the smallest chassis you can get and it's designed for office space (i.e. it's quiet).

MikeyB
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