ClearCube R2200 Operating instructions

Site Preparation for ClearCube Installation
Rev. F

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Because of the centralized nature of the ClearCube architecture, installation of the system
requires a certain degree of site preparation. Proper preparation will result in a rapid installation
and long-term trouble-free operation. In some cases, such as installation in pre-existing data
centers and/or network closets, this preparation will not require many modifications to the site. In
other cases, it may be necessary to convert closets or backrooms to accommodate chassis and
blades.
This paper will describe the steps required for ensuring all pre-installation activities and site
preparation steps are identified. The paper details what environmental conditions need to exist
(cooling, power, architectural supports, etc.) for successful installation and why they are
necessary. In addition, observations from the field are documented to illustrate areas requiring
particular attention during your installation.
This paper is a companion document to the ClearCube Site Prep Checklist (found on the
ClearCube Support website), which must be completed and signed by the customer’s Project
Manager and the ClearCube (or Partner) Account Executive to verify that the customer site is
ready for installation.
The CompleteStart™ Professional Services Program is available to help customers resolve
issues at any time during pre-installation preparation as well as during the installation itself. This
service will ensure that installation of the ClearCube Solution is as smooth as possible for the IT
staff and transparent to the user. CompleteStart is a comprehensive program covering three vital
areas: Pre-installation Readiness, Training and Installation.

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INTRODUCTION
The ClearCube solution removes box PCs from the desktop and delivers true centralization of
your company’s computing assets. Aided by the PC small form factor and the exclusive distance
capability, a company can centralize the computers of several hundred users within the secure
confines of a data center or other IT space. Alternatively, PC blades can be stored in local
communications closets closer to the end users. In any of these scenarios, the site must meet
certain minimum requirements prior to installation of ClearCube chassis and blades. These
requirements fall under the categories of clearance, load bearing capacity, power delivery and
cooling capability.
Site preparation is a critical part of the ClearCube installation process. The site must provide
adequate clearance for maintenance purposes in the event a blade needs to be changed out or if
cabling at the rear of the chassis needs adjustment. Proper cooling and ventilation is required to
prevent thermal overload of the blade and chassis electronics. Finally, the site must provide
sufficient electrical power for operation of the blades and chassis. The power draw and heat
output is highly concentrated and can require expansion of the electrical infrastructure as well as
added cooling capacity and/or air flow for smaller data centers.
In addition, the ClearCube solution includes enterprise-level management software that
unleashes the full potential of the R Series blade architecture. The software requires proper
setup and installation, and the customer’s Network Administrator must work with ClearCube to
determine any conflicts that the software might have with site-specific server or web policies.
Chassis with
Blades
User Port
Data Center Rack
A
dministrator
User

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SPACE AND CLEARANCE REQUIREMENTS
The dense form-factor of ClearCube PC blades allows a high concentration of computing power
in a relatively small space, resulting in improved hardware security and manageability than a
distributed PC architecture. This concentration of blades and chassis will have an impact on your
data center and/or network closet. ClearCube chassis fit into standard 19” racks and/or cabinets
and are 29.8 inches deep and 3U in height. ClearCube recommends that the racks (or cabinets)
that you choose incorporate cable guides (horizontal or vertical) to organize the power, network,
User Port connection and management cables. A full rack of 112 blades (56 for dual slot blades)
will have the following cable counts (it is important to note that the information below is a guide,
as each installation may be different):
Chassis Type Power
Cables
C/Port Cables
Single slot blades
Dual slot blades
Ethernet
Cables1
Single slot blades
Dual slot blades
Management
Cables
Management
Administration
Sparing
Direct Connect BackPack 14 112
56 112 56
14
0
0
Blade Switching BackPack 14 112
56 112 56
14
14
14
R4300 chassis with
Administrator Connect
Modules 28 0 112
56
14
14
0
R4300 chassis with User
Connect Modules 28 112 56 112 56
14
14
14
R4300 chassis with 8x8
Connect Modules 28 112 56 112 56
14
14
14
1R1300, R2100 and R2200 blade models contain dual NICs. If both NICs are utilized, the number of
Ethernet cables required is doubled.
Table 1: Chassis Cabling Requirements
In addition, each chassis requires proper airflow to keep the blades cool. At least five inches of
space should be maintained behind the rack at all times to ensure adequate ventilation.
However, ClearCube recommends maintaining eight inches at all times, giving IT staff members
space for cable management and administration. The minimum physical footprint for a rack of
ClearCube blades is two feet wide and three feet deep. If you are using a cabinet, the footprint
will be dependent on the size of the cabinet (please refer to the cabinet manufacturers
specifications for this information).

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During the operational life of the chassis,
it will need to be accessed for
maintenance purposes from time to time.
This may entail opening a cabinet door or
other access point, and therefore more
space than the minimum footprint is
recommended. In any case, personnel
must be able to access the rear of the
chassis to change cable connections or
replace chassis modules – this will
require at least eight inches of clearance
behind the chassis. From the front of the chassis, a technician must be able to open the front
bezel and pull out all of the blades – this requires two feet of clearance (the length of each blade).
You will also need access to the network switch that is
connected to each chassis in the event the port settings must
be manually adjusted.
LOAD BEARING (WEIGHT) REQUIREMENTS
Made with strong sheet metal to protect the Blades and
modules, one fully loaded chassis weighs approximately 80
pounds. A fully loaded rack of 14 chassis and 112 Blades
will weigh approximately 1120 lbs, not including the weight of
the rack itself. The loading on the floor will be greater than
187 lbs. per square foot. Prior to installation, the customer
must verify that the floor will hold this considerable weight –
raised floors may need additional support under the racks.
Customers with smaller installations also must make sure
that their floor, table, or other furniture can handle the weight
of multiple chassis.
In addition to weight concerns, racks and chassis must be in
stable positions for proper installation. If the installation site
uses a 2-post rack, the chassis must be mounted on the rack
at each chassis’ center of gravity. ClearCube recommends
using a 4-post rack or a cabinet with adjustable middle rails,
which will add stability by providing support at both ends of the chassis. ClearCube offers a
Chassis Rapid Mounting Kit for use with 4-post racks that can improve installations times by a
factor of five. Prior to chassis installation, the rack should be secured to both the ceiling and floor
to prevent tipping.

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COOLING AND ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS
Each ClearCube R Series chassis holds up to eight single
processor blades or four dual processor workstation blades
and their associated hard drives, memory and power
supplies. This concentration of electronics generates a
significant amount of heat, even when the equipment is not
operating at full capacity. While the chassis can exceed
5100 BTU/Hr with all Blades operating at peak power,
nominal usage will result in heat rates between 3100 and
3850 BTU/Hr. ClearCube recommends a cooling system
designed to remove 3850 BTU/hr of heat. In terms of
cooling capacity, every three chassis will require
approximately 1.3 tons of additional cooling at the location
where they are installed.
The acceptable thermal range for operating blades and
chassis is from 0 to 35 °C (32 - 95 °F). Temperatures
outside this range will damage the internal electronic
components, regardless of whether the event is a brief spike
or a sustained condition. If blade temperatures exceed the
acceptable range and components fail, this will void the
product warranty.
Cooling capabilities of the HVAC system will be severely reduced without proper ventilation and
airflow through the chassis. In an open rack, chassis require five inches of clearance at the rear
of the fans to allow airflow. Care must be taken in organizing cable bundles to not disrupt this
airflow, which will necessitate the use of cable ties and guides. For chassis held in cabinets or
other enclosures, a fan at the top of the cabinet will be required to ensure hot air does not
stagnate in the enclosure. Proper room ventilation ducting is vital to ensuring that air heated by
the blades doesn’t continuously circulate in the room. Regardless of the cooling system capacity
installed, waste heat from the blades should be directly vented to the environment. If waste heat
from the blades isn’t properly vented, a closed loop circulation system could form leading to
excessive room temperatures. This is true even if the installed cooling system has excess
cooling capacity because heated, re-circulated air can enter the chassis intakes.
In addition to thermal considerations, the
blades must be kept in a relatively clean
environment. The electronic circuitry on the
blades and chassis modules is not protected
from airborne contamination by dust or
chemicals. Therefore, the chassis must be
kept away from areas with high
concentrations of contaminants.
Installation Experiences:
While data centers are often well
equipped to handle the heat load,
other rooms such as
telecommunications closets and
spare backrooms may need duct
work to bring in more ventilation
from the central cooling system.
Lacking this ventilation,
temperatures above 100°F are
easily reached, which can cause
blades and chassis to
prematurely fail. In order to
prevent this, a ClearCube-
certified Systems Engineer
should verify that the installation
site has been properly prepared
to provide sufficient cooling.

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POWER REQUIREMENTS
The power draw of a fully populated rack is highly
concentrated, making adequate power circuitry vital for
proper operation. Each chassis, operating at full power, will
draw a maximum current of 12 amps at 120 VAC (6A at 240
VAC) or 1.44 kVA. This power draw can be seen during
blade boot-up and imaging, when the processors and hard
drives are running at full speed. Normal blade operation will
result in a current draw in the range of 7-9 amps per chassis
at 120 VAC. The chassis power supply is designed to accept
A/C voltages between 100 and 240 VAC. Note: there is an
inverse relationship between voltage and current. Therefore,
if the power system voltage is doubled from 120 VAC to 240
VAC, the current required is halved.
For detailed power requirements on various circuit voltages
(100V, 120V, 208V and 240V), please refer to the Site
Preparation Checklist spreadsheet available at
www.clearcube.com/support/.
Consult a professional electrician before attempting ANY electrical system modifications!
After ensuring that adequate power can be supplied to the chassis, the next site concern is power
protection. ClearCube recommends one 15 A (at 120 VAC) circuit breaker to be allocated for
each chassis, with another appropriately sized circuit breaker protecting each rack. If a customer
uses uninterruptible power supplies, sizing should be based on the requirement to supply 9 A (at
120 VAC) to each chassis for the desired duration. Customers should also make sure that the
UPS will pass through enough current to the chassis even while charging. A 3 kVA UPS will, at
most, support two chassis. Refer to Table 1 below for additional information for minimum UPS
sizing. Finally, installation sites will require surge protection for both the chassis in the Data
Center as well as the C/Ports at the desktop. Although the C/Ports do not require much power,
they can sustain damage from power surges in the electrical system.
Cabling Infrastructure
Each fully loaded chassis will require eight Category 5 cables with RJ-45 connectors for
connecting the PC blades to the C/Ports at user’s desktops and eight network cables for
connecting the PC blades to the Ethernet network switch. These cables are not included with the
ClearCube equipment. Short, color-coded Category 5 cables ARE provided with each chassis for
sparing, administration and management daisy-chain connections.
Installation Experiences:
Sites other than Data Centers
may not have adequate pre-
installed power. Customers who
intend to place several chassis
in telecom closets or other
backrooms may need to expand
the site power system so that
adequate power will be delivered
to the chassis.
Surge suppression at the
desktop is vitally important, as
C/Ports can be damaged when
an electrical storm disrupts the
site’s power distribution system.
Table 2: Minimum UPS sizing required for Chassis
# of Chassis UPS Size
2 3 kVA
3 5 kVA
5 8 kVA

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NOTE: the ClearCube Architecture uses all four copper wire pairs for the cable connection
between the PC blade and each C/Port. If your installation currently splits out wire pairs for
multiple uses, you will need to ensure that a separate, full Category 5 connection is available for
each PC blade to C/Port connection. Fiber optic installations require two 62.5 micron, multi-mode
fibers connected in a straight-through manner.
NETWORK CONSIDERATIONS FOR I/PORT ENVIRONMENTS
Customers deploying I/Ports need to ensure their Ethernet infrastructure can support the added
network demands imposed by these products. Each I/Port requires a dedicated network switch
port for connectivity. This is in addition to the network switch port required for each blade. I/Ports
also require sufficient network bandwidth for adequate performance. Depending upon the user’s
applications this can range from 50 kbps for text-based applications to 1 Mbps for graphically
intensive programs. The chart below can help you determine necessary bandwidth that will be
required by the users in your organization.
Application
Environment Example Applications Typical Sustained Bandwidth
Required While a User is Active
Basic, text-based Email, notepad 15 Kbits/sec
Typical Office Word, Excel, basic web browsing 35 Kbits/sec
Graphically intensive Flash animation, PowerPoint 70 Kbits/sec
Table 3: I/Port Bandwidth Guidelines
Note: Every network environment is unique, so these bandwidth amounts should be used as a
guideline, not absolute measures. Certain network conditions may dictate higher bandwidth
requirements than those listed above.
SOFTWARE PREPARATION AND IT PERSONNEL REQUIREMENTS
The ClearCube Management Suite (CMS) is enterprise software that enables customers to
realize the full potential of ClearCube’s centralized PC blade architecture. The components of
CMS require various TCP and UDP ports to be open for reliable communication. Please call
ClearCube Technical Support or visit support.clearcube.com to obtain the most current list of
network ports used by CMS. These ports cannot be blocked by firewalls or access lists when
customers are deploying CMS. In some customer environments, this may require assistance
from a group other than the team deploying ClearCube hardware and CMS. Arrangements
should be made with the required personnel to complete this work before deploying the
ClearCube software. ClearCube Professional Services can assist in customizing the software
installation process to help meet customer security requirements and resolve other issues.
The ClearCube Management Suite components rely on Java, Perl and Apache Tomcat
technologies as prerequisites. Some customer environments include other applications that rely
on Java or Tomcat. Administrators should ensure that CMS prerequisite requirement versions do
not conflict with prerequisite versions for other applications in the environment.
In addition to management software, each managed group of ClearCube chassis must have one
chassis with a Remote Management Module (RMM) connected to the network. The RMM is a
controller that links a chassis systems management bus to the ClearCube management software
via Ethernet. The RMM enables switching functions, logging of chassis events, and permits
remote control of an entire rack of chassis, allowing any administrator with Internet access to
manage the client blades and chassis remotely. Depending on the RMM version, some will

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require static IP addresses and some can be configured in static or DHCP mode. During
installation, the network administrator must assign static IP addresses to the RMMs or ensure
that a DHCP server is available for models that support DHCP. This also means each RMM will
require a physical network connection.
CONCLUSION
The ClearCube solution represents a revolutionary step forward in efficient and cost-effective
business computing. However, because it does reverse the trend of distributed computational
power, installation can present unique challenges. Adherence to the guidelines set out in this
paper and summarized in the ClearCube Site Preparation Checklist will ensure a trouble-free
installation and subsequent usage. This will result in a positive experience for both the
customer’s IT department and end-users.
ClearCube Professional Services
ClearCube has a Professional Services group to assist customers
with installation of its equipment, including pre-installation site
surveys. ClearCube Professional Services will work with clients to
resolve any site or software issues and ensure compliance with
installation guidelines. Please contact your ClearCube Account
Executive or visit the ClearCube Professional Services home page
at www.clearcube.com/controller/services.php for more
information.