Hardware Reference Data
BMC Discovery provides Hardware Reference Data (HRD) for hosts, host containers, and hardware containers. This data includes information on the hardware's physical and thermal characteristics, as shown in the screenshot:
Application
You can use BMC Discovery hardware reference data to:
- Identify servers, host containers, or hardware containers that can be expanded when space is a constraining factor in the data center.
- Identify server, host container, or hardware container refresh/rationalization candidates when cooling is a constraining factor in the data center.
- Identify server, host container, or hardware container refresh/rationalization candidates when power is a constraining factor in the data center.
This Extended Data Pack includes hardware reference data providing rack size, power consumption, heat output, and maximum memory capacity.
Hardware Reference Data in the BMC Discovery UI
On a host page, you can see the Hardware Reference Data overview in the Hardware, Network and Storage section:
To open the Hardware Reference Data page, click any of the links in the Hardware Reference Data overview.
Information fields for a typical host
The following table describes the key information fields and attributes typically available for a host in BMC Discovery:
| Attribute | Description | Formula | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
Hardware Vendor | Name of the hardware vendor. | NA | IBM |
Hardware Model | Name of the hardware model. | NA | Power System S822 |
Known Hardware Model Names | Any other names by which this hardware is known. | NA | 8284-22A, IBM,8284-22A |
| Number of Processors | Number of physical processors in the hardware. | NA | 1, 2, 64 |
Processor Type | Type of the processor. | NA | IBM POWER8 |
Maximum RAM | The maximum amount of random-access memory (RAM) in MB supported by this hardware. A value of 65536 equates to 64 GB. A value of 1048576 equates to 1 TB. | NA | 65536, 1048576 |
Rack Unit (RU) | A rack unit (RU) is a unit of measure defined as 1.75 inches (44.45 mm). It is most frequently used as a measurement of the overall height of rack frames, as well as the height of equipment that mounts in these frames, whereby the height of the frame or equipment is expressed as multiples of rack units. For example, a typical full-size rack cage is 42U high, while equipment is typically 1U, 2U, 3U, or 4U high. | RU = Height in inches / 1.75 | 2 |
Power Capacity (VA) | Input power capacity measured in volt-amperes. | VA = W / PF or VA = BTU / 3.412 | 1880 |
| Power Factor (This attribute is not shown in the BMC Discovery UI) | Power factor is a measure of how efficiently electrical power is used in an AC circuit. It indicates the ratio of real power (used to do work) to apparent power (the total power supplied). A power factor of 1 (or 100%) indicates that all the power is used effectively, while a lower power factor indicates wasted or reactive power. | PF = W / VA | 0.96 |
Power Capacity (W) | Input power capacity measured in watts. | W = VA * PF or W = BTU * 0.293 | 1810 |
BTU per hour | Thermal output measured in BTUs. | BTU = VA * 3.412 or BTU = W * 3.412 | 6176 |
Power Capacity VA per RU | Input power capacity measured in volt-amperes per Rack Unit. | VA_RU = VA / RU | 940 |
Power Capacity W per RU | Input power capacity measured in watts per Rack Unit. | W_RU = W / RU | 905 |
BTU per hour per RU | Thermal output measured in BTUs per Rack Unit. | BTU_RU = BTU / RU | 3088 |
Hosts | Link to the host or a list of all hosts using this hardware. | NA | NA |