Title :
IBM BladeCenter system electrical packaging design challenges
Author :
Patel, P. ; Hughes, J. ; Herman, B. ; Cases, M. ; de Araujo, D.N. ; Pham, N.
Author_Institution :
Syst. Group, IBM Corp., Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
Abstract :
This work describes the electrical and thermal design challenges encountered during the definition, design and verification of a BladeCenter™ system configuration utilizing high speed serial signal interfaces. This system uses gigabit Ethernet (GbE), fiber channel (FC) and Infiniband (IB) interfaces for interconnecting processor blades through high speed cross-bar switches with built-in redundancy capability. A comprehensive electrical design methodology including accurate and detailed modeling and simulation of the complete design space is required to achieve the speeds provided by these standard interfaces using low-cost printed circuit board material. The focus of the analysis is on the link attenuation for the system described. The cooling solution needed to accommodate the overall system thermal requirement for maximum configuration is also discussed.
Keywords :
local area networks; network interfaces; network servers; printed circuit accessories; thermal management (packaging); IBM BladeCenter™ system; Infiniband interfaces; electrical packaging design; fiber channel; gigabit Ethernet; high speed cross bar switches; printed circuit board material; processor blade interconnection; redundancy; serial signal interfaces; thermal design; Attenuation; Blades; Circuit simulation; Design methodology; Ethernet networks; Integrated circuit interconnections; Packaging; Printed circuits; Signal design; Switches;
Conference_Titel :
Electrical Performance of Electronic Packaging, 2004. IEEE 13th Topical Meeting on
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-8667-1
DOI :
10.1109/EPEP.2004.1407530
