SERVER HARDWARE
Server Hardware Learning Centre
Learn how the components inside an enterprise server fit together before selecting or replacing hardware.
A server is a platform, not a bag of interchangeable parts
A processor, DIMM, drive, controller or network adapter can have the right-looking connector and still be unsupported. Server hardware must be selected against the exact platform generation, processor configuration, firmware, backplane, riser, bay and vendor support rules.
Use the server model and serial/service information to identify the exact platform, then verify supported options in the manufacturer's technical documentation.
CORE MODULES
Work through the hardware from CPU to commissioning
Cores, sockets, generations, memory channels, TDP and workload selection.
ECC, UDIMM, RDIMM, ranks, channels, population and speed.
SAS, SATA, SSD, NVMe, SFF/LFF, carriers and hot-plug.
RAID, pass-through, cache, backplanes and drive support.
1/10/25GbE, BASE-T, SFP-family, PCIe and OCP.
Redundancy, wattage, input voltage, hot-swap and A/B power.
Fans, heatsinks, air baffles, thermal faults and airflow.
Rack units, depth, rails, shelves and mounting hardware.
Optical drives, virtual media and modern boot-device alternatives.
Risers, backplanes, boot modules, internal cables and enablement kits.
BMC, iDRAC, iLO, XClarity, health and remote console.
Operating systems, licensing, drivers and support matrices.
Firmware, storage, network, burn-in, documentation and acceptance.
SERVER WAREHOUSE