IBM eServer 232 xSeries Product information sheet

User’s Reference
xSeries 232
®

IBM
IBM xSeries 232
User’s Reference
IBM Confidential

Note:
Before using this information and the product it supports, be sure to read the general information in Appendix A, “Product
warranties and notices,” on page 139.
Second Edition (July 2001)
© Copyright International Business Machines Corporation 2001. All rights reserved.
US Government Users Restricted Rights – Use, duplication or disclosure restricted by GSA ADP Schedule Contract with
IBM Corp.

iii
Contents
Safety. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
Chapter 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Features and specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Notices and statements used in this book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
What your IBM xSeries 232 offers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Reliability, availability, and serviceability features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Server controls and indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Operator information panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Turning on the server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Turning off the server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Chapter 2. Arranging your workspace. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Comfort. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Glare and lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Air circulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Electrical outlets and cable lengths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Chapter 3. Configuring your server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Using the Configuration/Setup Utility program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Starting the Configuration/Setup Utility program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Choices available from the Configuration/Setup main menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Using passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Power-on password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Remote-control security settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Using the SCSISelect utility program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Starting the SCSISelect utility program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Choices available from the SCSISelect menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Using the PXE Boot Agent Utility program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Starting the PXE Boot Agent Utility program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Choices available from the PXE Boot Agent Utility menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Chapter 4. Using the ServerGuide CDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Features at a glance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Setup and configuration overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
System Partition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Typical NOS installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Setting up or updating multiple servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Installing your NOS without ServerGuide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Additional programs included with ServerGuide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Error symptoms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Chapter 5. Installing Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Major components of the xSeries 232 server. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
System board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
System board option connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
System board internal cable connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
System board external port connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
System board switches and jumpers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
System board LED locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Light Path Diagnostic Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Remind button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Before you begin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
System reliability considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

iv Book Title
Handling static-sensitive devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Safety information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Removing the cover, door, and bezel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Removing the left-side cover (tower model). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Removing the cover (rack model). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Removing the server door and bezel (tower model) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Removing the bezel (rack model). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Working with adapters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Adapter considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Installing an adapter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Installing internal drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Internal drive bays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Hot-swap drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Non-hot-swap drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Preinstallation steps (all bays) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Installing a hot-swap drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Replacing a drive in a hot-swap bay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Installing a non-hot-swap drive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Installing an xSeries 3-Pack Ultra160 Hot-Swap Expansion Kit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Installing memory modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Installing a microprocessor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Installing or removing a power supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Adding a hot-swap power supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Removing a hot-swap power supply. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Installing redundant power supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Replacing a fan assembly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Installing the cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Installing the cover (tower) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Installing the bezel and front door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Installing the cover (rack) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Installing the bezel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Connecting external options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Input/output connector locations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Input/output ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Video port. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Integrated System management ports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Universal Serial Bus ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
USB cables and hubs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
USB-port connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Ethernet ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Configuring the Ethernet controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
High Performance Ethernet Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Ethernet port connector. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Keyboard port. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Auxiliary-device (pointing device) port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Serial ports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Viewing or changing the serial-port assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Serial-port connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Ultra160 SCSI ports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
SCSI cabling requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Setting SCSI IDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
SCSI connector pin-number assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Cabling the server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Chapter 6. Solving Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Diagnostic tools overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Contents v
POST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
POST beep code descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Post beep codes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
POST error messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Error logs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Small computer system interface messages (some models) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Diagnostic programs and error messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Text messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Starting the diagnostic programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Viewing the test log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Diagnostic error message tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Recovering BIOS code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Identifying problems using status LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Power-supply LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Diagnostics panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Light Path Diagnostics table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Troubleshooting charts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Troubleshooting the Ethernet controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Network connection problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Ethernet controller troubleshooting chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Ethernet controller messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Novell NetWare or IntraNetWare system ODI driver teaming messages. . . . 126
NDIS 4.0 (Windows NT) driver messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Ethernet teaming messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Replacing the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Getting information, help, and service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Getting information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Using the World Wide Web . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Getting information by fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Getting help and service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Using the documentation and diagnostic programs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Calling for service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Purchasing additional services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Appendix A. Product warranties and notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Warranty Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Warranty Period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
IBM Statement of Limited Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Part 1 - General Terms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Part 2 - Country-unique Terms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Edition notice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Processing date data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Trademarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Important notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Electronic emission notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Statement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Industry Canada Class A emission compliance statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Australia and New Zealand Class A statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
United Kingdom telecommunications safety requirement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
European Union EMC Directive conformance statement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Taiwan electrical emission statement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Japanese Voluntary Control Council for Interference (VCCI) statement . . . . . . 150
Power cords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

vi Book Title

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2001 vii
Safety
Before installing this product, read the Safety Information.
Antes de instalar este produto, leia as Informações de Segurança.
Læs sikkerhedsforskrifterne, før du installerer dette produkt.
Lees voordat u dit product installeert eerst de veiligheidsvoorschriften.
Ennen kuin asennat tämän tuotteen, lue turvaohjeet kohdasta Safety Information.
Avant d'installer ce produit, lisez les consignes de sécurité.
Vor der Installation dieses Produkts die Sicherheitshinweise lesen.
Prima di installare questo prodotto, leggere le Informazioni sulla Sicurezza
Les sikkerhetsinformasjonen (Safety Information) før du installerer dette produktet.
Antes de instalar este produto, leia as Informações sobre Segurança.
Pred instalacítohoto produktu si prectete prírucku bezpecnostních instrukcí.

viii IBM xSeries 232: User’s Reference
Antes de instalar este producto lea la información de seguridad.
Läs säkerhetsinformationen innan du installerar den här produkten.

ix
Statement 1
Danger
Electrical current from power, telephone, and communication cables is
hazardous.
To avoid a shock hazard:
•Do not connect or disconnect any cables or perform installation,
maintenance, or reconfiguration of this product during an electrical storm.
•Connect all power cords to a properly wired and grounded electrical
outlet.
•Connect to properly wired outlets any equipment that will be attached to
this product.
•When possible, use one hand only to connect or disconnect signal cables.
•Never turn on any equipment when there is evidence of fire, water, or
structural damage.
•Disconnect the attached power cords, telecommunications systems,
networks, and modems before you open the device covers, unless
instructed otherwise in the installation and configuration procedures.
•Connect and disconnect cables as described in the following table when
installing, moving, or opening covers on this product or attached devices.
To connect:
1. Turn everything OFF.
2. First, attach all cables to devices.
3. Attach signal cables to connectors.
4. Attach power cords to outlets.
5. Turn device ON.
To disconnect:
1. Turn everything OFF.
2. First, remove power cords from
outlets.
3. Remove signal cables from
connectors.
4. Remove all cables from devices.

x IBM xSeries 232: User’s Reference
Statement 2
CAUTION:
When replacing the lithium battery, use only IBM Part Number 33F8354 or an
equivalent type battery recommended by the manufacturer. If your system
has a module containing a lithium battery, replace it only with the same
module type made by the same manufacturer. The battery contains lithium
and can explode if not properly used, handled, or disposed of.
Do not:
• Throw or immerse into water.
• Heat to more than 100 C (212 F)
• Repair or disassemble
Dispose of the battery as required by local ordinances or regulations.
Statement 3
CAUTION:
When laser products (such as CD-ROMs, DVD drives, fiber optic devices, or
transmitters) are installed, note the following:
• Do not remove the covers. Removing the covers of the laser product
could result in exposure to hazardous laser radiation. There are no
serviceable parts inside the device.
• Use of controls or adjustments or performance of procedures other than
those specified herein might result in hazardous radiation exposure.
Danger
Some laser products contain an embedded Class 3A or Class 3B laser diode. Note
the following. Laser radiation when open. Do not stare into the beam, do not view
directly with optical instruments, and avoid direct exposure to the beam.
Class 1 Laser Product
Laser Klasse 1
Laser Klass 1
Luokan 1 Laserlaite
Appareil A Laser de Classe 1
`

xi
Statement 4
≥18 kg (39.7 lbs) ≥32 kg (70.5 lbs) ≥55 kg (121.2 lbs)
CAUTION:
Use safe practices when lifting.
Statement 5
CAUTION:
The power control button on the device and the power switch on the power
supply do not turn off the electrical current supplied to the device. The device
also might have more than one power cord. To remove all electrical current
from the device, ensure that all power cords are disconnected from the power
source.
1
2

xii IBM xSeries 232: User’s Reference
Statement 8
CAUTION:
Never remove the cover on a power supply or any part that has the following
label attached.
Hazardous voltage, current, and energy levels are present inside any
component that has this label attached. There are no serviceable parts inside
these components. If you suspect a problem with one of these parts, contact a
service technician.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2001 1
Chapter 1. Introduction
Your IBM®xSeries 232 is a high-performance, symmetric multiprocessing
(SMP) server. It is ideally suited for networking environments that require superior
microprocessor performance, efficient memory management, flexibility, and large
amounts of reliable data storage.
Performance, ease of use, reliability, and expansion capabilities were key
considerations in the design of your server. These design features make it possible for
you to customize the system hardware to meet your needs today, while providing
flexible expansion capabilities for the future.
Your IBM xSeries 232 server comes with a three-year limited warranty and 90-Day
IBM Start Up Support. If you have access to the World Wide Web, you can obtain up-
to-date information about your server and other IBM server products at the following
World Wide Web address:
http://www.ibm.com/eserver/xseries/
Your server serial number and model number are located on labels on the rear of the
server and on the front below the bezel.
Note: The information label containing the serial number, machine type, model
number, and agency marks for your server is located as follows:
Tower model On the bottom of the server
Rack model On the side of the server
For service, assistance, or additional information on 90-Day IBM Start Up Support
and the World Wide Web, see “Getting information, help, and service”on page 134.

2 IBM xSeries 232: User’s Reference
Features and specifications
Table 1 provides a summary of the features and specifications for your xSeries 232
server.
*KB equals approximately 1000 bytes. MB equals approximately 1000000 bytes. GB
equals approximately 1000000000 bytes.
Microprocessor:
•Intel®Pentium®III
•256 or 512 KB Level-2 cache
•Supports up to two
microprocessors
Memory:
•Maximum: 4 GB
•Type: ECC, SDRAM, PC133,
registered DIMMs
•Slots: Four (two-way
interleaved)
Drives standard:
•Diskette: 1.44 MB
•CD-ROM: 48X IDE
Expansion bays:
•Hot-swap: Six slim high
•Non-hot-swap: Three 5.25-
inch (one used by CD-ROM
drive)
•You can install a drive-bay
expansion kit to convert two of
the 5.25 inch bays so that they
support three hot-swap drives
PCI expansion slots:
•One 33 MHz/32-bit
•Two 33 MHz/64-bit
•Two 66 MHz/64-bit
Power supplies:
Either one of the following power
supplies is supported:
•One 385-watt non-redundant
unit
•Two 250-watt (115-230 V ac)
with a maximum of three 250-
watt units for power supply
redundancy, which requires a
power backplane upgrade
option on non-redundant
mode
Acoustical noise emissions:
•Sound power, idling: 6.6 bel
maximum
•Sound power, operating: 6.8 bel
maximum
•Sound pressure, operating: 53 dBa
maximum
Video:
•S3 video controller
•Compatible with SVGA and VGA
•8 MB video memory
Size (rack model 5U)
•Height: 217 mm (8.5 in.)
•Depth: 688 mm (27.1 in.)
•Width: 440 mm (17.3 in.)
•Weight: approximately 35.4 Kg (78 lb)
when fully configured
Size (tower model)
•Height: 440 mm (17.3 in.)
•Depth: 700 mm (27.5 in.)
•Width: 217 mm (8.5 in.)
•Weight: approximately 37.64 Kg (83
lb) when fully configured
Integrated functions:
•Ultra160 SCSI controller
•One 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX,
100BASE-FX, Intel Ethernet
controller with Alert on LAN™and
Wake on LAN®support
•Two serial ports
•Two Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports
•Keyboard port
•Mouse port
•Video port
•Integrated System Management
Processor
—Two ISM RJ-45 connectors
—One System management Serial
C port
Environment:
•Air temperature:
—Server on: 10°to 35°C
(50.0°to 95.0°F). Altitude:
0 to 914 m (2998.7 ft)
—Server on: 10°to 32°C
(50.0°to 89.6°F). Altitude:
914 m (2998.7 ft) to 2133 m
(6998.0 ft)
—Server off: 10°to 43°C
(50.0°to 109.4°F).
Maximum altitude: 2133 m
(6998.0 ft)
•Humidity:
—Server on: 8% to 80%
—Server off: 8% to 80%
Heat output:
Approximate heat output in British
Thermal Units (Btu) per hour
•Minimum configuration: 683 Btu
(200 watts)
•Maximum configuration: 1877
Btu (550 watts)
Electrical input:
•Sine-wave input (50-60 Hz)
required
•Input voltage low range:
—Minimum: 100 V ac
—Maximum: 127 V ac
•Input voltage high range:
—Minimum: 200 V ac
—Maximum: 240 V ac
•Input kilovolt-amperes (kVA)
approximately:
—Minimum: 0.08 kVA
—Maximum: 0.52 kVA
Table 1. Features and Specifications.

Chapter 1. Introduction 3
Notices and statements used in this book
The caution and danger statements also appear in the multilingual Safety Information
book provided on the IBM xSeries Documentation CD that comes with your xSeries
product. Each statement is numbered for easy reference to the corresponding
statements in the safety book.
The following types of notices and statements are used in this book:
•Note: These notices provide important tips, guidance, or advice.
•Important: These notices provide information or advice that might help you avoid
inconvenient or problem situations.
•Attention: These notices indicate possible damage to programs, devices, or data.
An attention notice is placed just before the instruction or situation in which
damage could occur.
•Caution: These statements indicate situations that can be potentially hazardous
to you. A caution statement is placed just before the description of a potentially
hazardous procedure step or situation.
•Danger: These statements indicate situations that can be potentially lethal or
extremely hazardous to you. A danger statement is placed just before the
description of a potentially lethal or extremely hazardous procedure step or
situation.

4 IBM xSeries 232: User’s Reference
What your IBM xSeries 232 offers
The unique design of your server takes advantage of advancements in symmetric
multiprocessing (SMP), data storage, and memory management. Your server
combines:
•Impressive performance using an innovative approach to SMP
Your server supports up to two Pentium III microprocessors. Your server comes
with one microprocessor installed; you can install an additional microprocessor to
enhance performance and provide SMP capability.
•Large data-storage and hot-swap capabilities
All models of the server support up to six hot-swap hard disk drives. This hot-
swap feature enables you to remove and replace hard disk drives without turning
off the server.
•IBM Intergrated System Management (ISM) Processor
The IBM Integrated System Management Processor provides environmental
monitoring for your server. This system environmental monitor supports the
Automatic Server Restart (ASR) feature, and it can issue system alerts using the
Alert on LAN features of the integrated Ethernet controller. Future firmware code
releases for the Integrated System Management Processor will support additional
functions and features. These features will include dial-in support using the
dedicated system management serial port C, alert forwarding through the
integrated system management (ISM) connectors, error logging, support for
communication between the Integrated System Management Processor and
more robust IBM system management adapters and controllers.
•Redundant power capabilities
Your server comes with either one 385-watt nonredundant power supply or two
250-watt N+1 power-supply units. The models with the two hot-swap 250-watt
units offer power redundancy. You can install an optional backplane in the 385-
watt model to enable hot-swap power-supply redundancy, replacing the 385-watt
with two 250-watt units. The optional backplane can also accommodate a third
250-watt unit to provide further redundancy.
The NON light emitting diode (LED) on the system board is lit when the power
load is 250 watts or greater with two power supplies, or when the power load is
500 watts or greater with three power supplies.
•Large system memory
The memory bus in your server supports up to 4 GB (GB equals approximately
1000 000 000 bytes) of two-way interleaved system memory. The memory
controller provides error correcting code (ECC) support for up to four industry-
standard PC133, 3.3 V, 168-pin, 8-byte, registered, synchronous-dynamic-
random access memory (SDRAM) dual inline memory modules (DIMMs).
•Integrated network environment support
Your server comes with an Ethernet controller on the system board. This Ethernet
controller has an interface for connecting to 10-Mbps or 100-Mbps networks. The
server automatically selects between 10BASE-T and 100BASE-TX. The
controller provides full-duplex (FDX) capability, which enables simultaneous
transmission and reception of data on the Ethernet local area network (LAN).
•Redundant network-interface card
The addition of an optional, redundant network interface card (NIC) provides a
failover capability to a redundant Ethernet connection. If a problem occurs with
the primary Ethernet connection, all Ethernet traffic associated with this primary
connection is automatically switched to the redundant NIC. This switching occurs
without data loss and without user intervention.

Chapter 1. Introduction 5
•Optional PCI adapters
The addition of an optional digital linear tape drive (DLT) allows quick backup of
large amounts of data.
•IBM ServerGuide™CDs
The ServerGuide CDs that are included with your server provide programs to help
you set up your server and install the network operating system (NOS). The
ServerGuide program detects the hardware options that are installed, and
provides the correct configuration programs and device drivers. In addition, the
ServerGuide CDs include a variety of application programs for your server.
For more information about the ServerGuide CDs, see Chapter 4, “Using the
ServerGuide CDs,”on page 23.
Reliability, availability, and serviceability features
RASfeatures Three of the most important features in server design are reliability, availability, and
serviceability (RAS). These factors help to ensure the integrity of the data stored on
your server; that your server is available when you want to use it; and that should a
failure occur, you can easily diagnose and repair the failure with minimal
inconvenience.
The following is an abbreviated list of the RAS features that your server supports.
•Menu-driven setup, system configuration, RAID configuration, and diagnostic pro-
grams
•Power-on self-test (POST)
•ROM resident diagnostics
•Integrated Management Processor
•Predictive failure alerts
•Remote system problem-determination support
•Power and temperature monitoring
•Microprocessor built-in self-test (BIST)
•Internal error signal monitoring
•Configuration checking
•CPU/VRM failure identification through Light Path Diagnostics™technology
•Diagnostic support of ServeRAID™adapters and Ethernet adapters
•Hot-swap drive bays
•Error codes and messages
•System error logging
•Upgradable BIOS, diagnostics, and System Management Processor code
•Automatic restart after a power failure
•Parity checking on the SCSI and PCI buses
•Error checking and correcting (ECC) memory
•Redundant hot-swap power supply option
•Redundant hot-swap cooling
•Redundant Ethernet capabilities (with optional adapter)
•Vital product data (VPD) on processor complex, system board, power backplane,
SCSI backplane, and each power supply
•Operator information panel and group of diagnostic LEDs on the system board
•Remind button to temporarily turn off LEDs for nonvital alerts
•Customer support center 24 hours per day, 7 days a week1
•Remote Connect
1.Service availability will vary by country. Response time will vary depending on the number and nature of incoming calls.

6 IBM xSeries 232: User’s Reference
Server controls and indicators
Servercontrols The following illustrations show the controls and indicators on the front of the server.
Note: The illustrations in this document might differ slightly from your hardware.
Tower model
Rack model
Hard disk
drive activity
light (green)
Hard disk
drive status
light (amber)
Reset
button
Power
control
button
Power control
button shield
(if installed)
Cover
release
latch
Serial
number
Operator
information
panel
Hard disk
drive activity
light (green)
Hard disk
drive status
light (amber)
Reset button
Power control
button
Cover
release
latch
Operator
information
panel
Power control
button shield
(if installed)
Serial
number