Dell PowerEdge FC830 Server Block

Description

The Dell PowerEdge FC830 server block is a powerhouse featuring dense compute, memory, and storage. It's designed for medium to large-scale businesses running mission-critical applications, data base, or high-performance computing. It's also an excellent choice for large-scale virtualization.

Performance

This system features Intel's C610 chipset, which can support either the Xeon E5-4600 v3 processors with up to 18 cores each, or the E5-4600 v4 processors with up to 22 cores each. With two of these server sleds installed in the PowerEdge FX2 chassis, it will support an impressive eight processors and 176 cores total in a 2u space.

Memory

The system board supports 48 DIMM sockets, with each processor of the four CPUs assigned 12 DIMM slots. Paired with an appropriate v4 processor, DDR4 LRDIMM memory modules offer transfer speeds of up to 2400MT/s. With a full complement of quad-rank 64GB LRDIMM modules installed on the system, that adds up to an impressive 1.5TB of memory. Cut that in half if you plan on using RDIMM modules, which are only supported with dual rank 32GB modules.

Storage

Administrators can choose from either an 8-bay chassis supporting up to eight 2.5-inch drives, or a 16-bay version supporting up to 16 1.8-inch SSDs. SAS and SATA HDD/SSDs are supported including optional PowerEdge Express Flash NVMe PCIe drives. There are several PERC RAID controllers supported on the system offering the full range of RAID options.

Expansion

The PowerEdge FX2s chassis supports eight warm-swap PCIe 3.0 modules. When a server block is installed on the FX2s, the system will automatically map to its assigned PCIe slots. This full-width compute sled will automatically be assigned four PCIe slots, while the half-width FC630 server block will only be assigned two PCIe slots, and the quarter-width FC430 only a single PCIe slot. When paired with two FD332 storage modules, the full-width server sled has access to all eight PCIe slots on the FX2s chassis. With two full-width Dell FC830 server modules installed on the FX2s chassis, each sled will have access to four PCIe modules which can be used for additional NICs or HBAs. This compute module is also supported on the FX2 chassis without integrated PCIe slots but all I/O is handled by the pass-through and I/O aggregator modules.

Management

The PowerEdge FX2 chassis uses the Chassis Management Controller (CMC) to manage nodes and system resources from a web interface. Two RJ-45 ports on the back connect to the external management network. One is the management port, and the other is a stack port that allows up to 20 FX2 chassis to be daisy-chained together for access to more shared resources. The OpenManage portfolio supports local and remote management for the FX2 system. All compute modules supported on the FX2 chassis feature Dell's iDRAC8 with Lifecycle Controller. Both iDRAC8 and CMC are available with Express and Enterprise licensing depending on your management needs.

Summary

Designed for the PowerEdge FX2 or FX2s chassis, the Dell PowerEdge FC830 server block offers four socket performance and loads of memory to support a wide range of common and mission-critical business applications. Featuring flexible virtualization and impressive density, this system can easily scale up or out depending on your business needs and choice of compute and storage modules. With Dell's powerful integrated management tools, it's easy to manage the system on site or remotely.

FX2 Shared Infrastructure Platform

Dell's PowerEdge FX2 is a 2U converged infrastructure platform that offers the easy deployment of a rack server with the performance of a mini blade enclosure in a 2u rack space. There are two FX2 chassis. One with no PCIe slots, the FX2, and another which supports eight PCIe slots, the FX2s.

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FX-Series Compute and Storage Modules

FC430 Compute Module

The FC430 is a quarter-width compute module that can support two Xeon E5-2600 v4 processors or a single E5-1600 v3 processor. Up to eight FC430 compute modules can be installed in the FX2 chassis for a maximum of 2TB of memory. The FC430 can also be used with the other compute modules or the FD332 storage sled for access to 16 additional drives, which can be split between two servers. Two device bays up front supports either two 1.8-inch uSATA drives or an optional low-latency configuration that combines a single 1.8-inch drive with two QSFP+ compact, hot-pluggable transceiver connectors for Ethernet or Infiniband connectivity. Each compute sled has access to one PCIe 3.0 slot on the FX2s chassis. With an optimal balance of memory and storage, this module is perfect for high-speed I/O and mainstream enterprise workloads, including mid-sized virtualization and database environments. The low-latency Infiniband configuration is ideal for High Frequency Trading and High Performance Computing.

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FC630 Compute Module

The Dell PowerEdge FC630 is a half-width, two-socket compute module that can support a maximum of two Xeon E5-2600 v3 or E5-2600 v4 processors. Up to four FC630s can be installed in the FX2s chassis and each automatically connects maps to two of the eight PCIe modules. The FC630 can also be used in conjunction with other compute modules or the PowerEdge FD332 storage module for dense direct attached storage. The FC630 has 24 DIMM slots that can provide up to 1.5TB of memory. With four FC630 sleds installed in the FX2s enclosure, a maximum of 6TB of memory is available. Up front there's room for two 2.5-inch drives or another FC630 chassis that supports up to eight 1.8-inch SSDs. This unit is deal for large databases or highly virtualized environments

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FC640 Compute Module

Designed for use in Dell's FX2s and FX2 2U enclosures, the Dell EMC PowerEdge FC640 server is a half-width, two-socket compute module. It provides dual 1st or 2nd generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors with significantly improved performance, and up to 2TB of memory. You can install up to four of these compute sleds in the FX2 chassis supporting 2 processors each for eight processors total. With 4x of these half-width platforms installed the FX2 chassis will support a maximum of 8TB of memory—all in a 2U chassis. Each chassis is like a mini server cluster. Up to 20 individual FX2 chassis can be daisy-chained together providing an exceptionally scalable infrastructure. This system is ideal for a variety of high-performance applications.

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FD332 Storage Module (This module cannot be used with the FM120x4 miniservers)

Each compute module features its own hot-plug storage, either SAS or SATA HDDs or SSDs. For more storage, Administrators can install up to three FD332 storage blocks for dense, scalable DAS. Each FD332 supports up to 16 hot-plug direct attached SFF drives either SAS or SATA SSDs or HDDS. An optional dual RAID controller provides split access to the supported drives. Depending on configuration up to three FD332s can be installed on the system with either the FC430, FC630, or the FC830 compute sleds.

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FM120x4 Compute Module (for the FX2 chassis with no PCI module slots)

The FM120x4 is a half-width compute module designed specifically for the FX2 enclosure without any PCIe slots. Offering a cost effective option, each compute sled features four Atom C2000 processors. The C2000 Atom processors are described by Intel as a system-on-a-chip (SoC). With four modules installed up to 16 micro-servers are available in each FX2 chassis. The FM120x4 is the only compute module that uses the Intel Atom C2000 System on a Chip processor with up to eight cores. Each module supports four processors and each processor supports two DIMM modules, UDIMM only, for 8 DIMMS per sled. Each processor also supports one 2.5-inch HD or two 1.8-inch SSDs. No PCI slots are available and communications are handled by the pass through, with 2 per processor for 8 total that are capable of 1Gb through the FX2 chassis. Only software RAID is supported. This system is a lower cost alternative to the FX2s and is ideal for static web hosting and light-weight processing.

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