Server Chassis Types
Mod 5.1 Server Chassis Types
Objective 1.1
Tower Form Factor
- similar to desktop, standalone, upright design, small business, larger internal space easy cooling
Blade Form Factor
- thin modular electronic circuit boards, chassis enclosure, multiple blades share power, cooling, networking , backplanes & midplanes,
- high density solution smaller footprint, large scale deployments
Rack Form Factor
- Standard heights in U, common 1U, 2U, 4U
- high density install, centralized management of multiple servers
Mounting Server and Network Devices in Rack
Mod 5.1 Server Chassis Types
Objective 1.1
Rail kits
- sliding rails that support the server weight & allows access for maintenance
Cooling Design
- strategic placement of optimize airflow hot and cold ails
Environmental Monitoring
- Sensors track temp, humidity
Mounting Server and Network Devices in Rack
Mod 5.1 Server Chassis Types
Objective 1.1
Safety
- uses of hydraulic trolleys
- minimum two person
- anti static wrist straps
- weigh 50+lbs
PDU (Power Distribution Unit)
- multiple power outlets, surge protection/monitoring
KVM (Keyboard, Video, Mouse)
- control of multiple servers with single peripheral device
Power Cabling
Mod 5.1 Server Chassis Types
Objective 1.1
NEMA 5-15P/R Connectors
- North American Standard power connector
- NEMA 5-15P: 3-prong male
- NEMA 5-15R: 3-prong female
- Rated for 125V, 15A
- Common in standard power outlets, ground pin provides electrical safety
IEC C13/C14 Connectors
- International Standard for server power
- C13: Female connector socket
- C14: Male connector plug
- Rated for 250V 10A-15A
- Used in server PSUs, & PDU
- Hot plug capable (system still runs while replace cables)
Cable Management
Mod 5.1 Server Chassis Types
Objective 1.1
- Horizontal across rack
- Vertical side of rack
- Cable ties no pinching
- Proper labeling, service loops for adjustments
Overhead Cabling
- cable off floor, trip hazard
- improves airflow under raised floors
- separates power & data cables
- secured to top of racks
Network Cabling
Mod 5.1 Server Chassis Types
Objective 1.1
Connectivity
- network interfaces for regular traffic
- dedicated ports for management access
- separate networks for storage traffic (SAN/NAS)
- console ports for direct terminal access
- logical segregation through VLANs
Redundancy
- Multiple network connections for fault tolerance
- Link aggregation for increased bandwidth, diverse network paths to prevent single points of failures
- Automatic failover configurations, redundant switches & routers
Redundancy
Mod 5.1 Server Chassis Types
Objective 1.1
NIC Teaming - Windows
NIC Bonding - Linux
- multiple NIC cards, for load balancing
- Active/passive: config got failover
- Active/Active: increased throughput
- LACP ( link aggregation control protocol)
- Virtual NICs on physical adapter
Two Redundancy types
Mod 5.1 Server Chassis Types
Objective 1.1
Two Redundancy types
(1) Media & switch: provides superior protection against network infrastructure failure
- Single-switch redundancy: Multiple NICs connected to one switch (protects against NIC failure)
- Multi-switch redundancy: NICs connected to different switches (protects against switch and NIC failures)
(2) Routers: alternate paths for data
- Multiple routers between network segments
- Provides alternate paths if primary router fails
- Redundant gateways using protocols like VRRP, HSRP
- Load balancing across multiple routes
- Automatic failover mechanisms
- Prevents single point of failure at network border
Transmission Media Types
Mod 5.1 Server Chassis Types
Objective 1.1
Copper Cabling
- Lower Cost, limited shorter distance 100m
- Electromagnetic interference
- Cat5e, Cat6, Cat5a, Cat7
- Different speeds 1Gbps, 10Gpbs
- RJ-45
Fiber Optic Cabling
- Higher cost, Longer distance kilometers
- No Electromagnetic interference
- Higher bandwidth, singlemode / multimode varieties
- Connectors LC, SC, ST
Twisted Pair Cable
Mod 5.1 Server Chassis Types
Objective 1.1
Unshielded twisted pair (UTP)
- Most common, no metallic shielding
- lower cost than STP
- more susceptible to interference
Shielded twisted pair (STP)
- Metal shielding around wires
- protection from EMI/RFI
- Used in electrical noise environments, proper grounding
Transmission Media Types
Mod 5.1 Server Chassis Types
Objective 1.1
RJ-45
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Transmission Media Types
Mod 5.1 Server Chassis Types
Objective 1.1
Fiber Optic
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Transmission Media Types
Mod 5.1 Server Chassis Types
Objective 1.1
Transceivers, Small Form Factor Pluggable (SFP) Modules
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Administer the Server and Storage
Mod 5.2 Administer the Server and Storage
Objective 1.1 | 1.3
Out-of-Band Management
- dedicated management port separate from production network, separate management network
- server control even when OS is down, remote console access, hardware health monitoring
- remote power control (on/off/reset)
Crash Cart
- mobile workstation for local server management, keyboard, monitor, mouse
- diagnostics tools & software, network cables & adapters
- install media & drives
Manage Server Components
Mod 5.2 Administer the Server and Storage
Objective 1.1 | 1.3
Hardware Compatibility
- Hardware Compatibility List (HDL)
- OS versions, server model components, avoid incompatible upgrades
- vendor support / warranty
CPU Management
- CPU utilization and temp, thermal throttling
- verify correct BIOS/firmware settings
- balance workloads across core, configure CPU power settings
Manage Server Components
Mod 5.2 Administer the Server and Storage
Objective 1.1 | 1.3
GPU
- Specialized for graphics or computation (GPGPU)
- critical for rendering AI workloads
- special cooling, power requirements
Memory
- match speed, type, ECC (error correcting code)
- multichannel operation
- OS memory requirements
- Errors & performance issues
Expansion buses
- PCIe slots w/ different generations / speeds
- Older Legacy (PCI, COM ports)
- USB, Thunderbolt, other eternal interfaces
- bandwidth requirements
Storage Drives
Mod 5.2 Administer the Server and Storage
Objective 1.1 | 1.3
Disk Maintenance
Windows
- chkdsk (check disk)
- scan file system errors, ID/repair bad sectors
- recovers readable information
/f fix errors /r locates bad sectors
Linux
- fsck (File System Check)
- Examine File system integrity, repair
- run on unmounted filesystems
- options (vary by filesystem type)
Hot-swappable Hardware
Mod 5.2 Administer the Server and Storage
Objective 1.1 | 1.3
Drive Cages: drives to be replaced w/o powering down
Expansion Cards: servers support hot-swap PCIe
Power Supplies: Redundant PSUs
Cooling Fans
I/O Modules: network, storage, management cards
- improves MTTR (mean time to repair)
Indicators of Common Hardware Problems
Mod 5.3 Troubleshoot Server Hardware
Objective 4.2
Warning Signs
(1) Predict Failure Analysis
- SMART monitoring or ECC
(2) Sensors
- Error LEDS / status lights
- Beeps, Fan Noise
- Burning Smell, ozone odor
(3) System Behavior
- crashes, lockups, memory errors, CMOS battery failure hardware issues
Causes of Common Hardware Problems
Mod 5.3 Troubleshoot Server Hardware
Objective 4.2
Technical
Environmental
Configuration
Picture
Tools and Techniques for Troubleshooting Hardware
Mod 5.3 Troubleshoot Server Hardware
Objective 4.2
System Log & Diagnostics
Log Files & Hardware Status Indicators
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Mod 1 Understanding Server Administration Concepts14
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Mod 2 Understanding Virtualization and Cloud Computing18
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Mod 3 Understanding Physical and Network Security Concepts18
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Mod 4 Managing Physical Assets17
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Mod 5 Managing Server Hardware21
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Mod 6 Configuring Storage Management19
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Mod 7 Installing and Configuring an Operating System39
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Mod 8 Troubleshooting OS, Application, and Network Configurations13
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Mod 9 Managing Post-Installation Administrative Tasks23
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Mod 10 Managing Data Security12
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Mod 11 Managing Service and Data Availability23
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Mod 12 Decommissioning Servers15
