18.4. Installing PCI Cards

PCI Hot Plug technology simplifies card installation because you do not need to shut down the server. At the next system POST after installation, the server reports the new component and starts the operating system without intervention. You might need to apply a software driver to the operating system, requiring a restart.

Note

The addition of an HP Smart Array controller to a system will generate POST errors regarding an unconfigured drive controller or array. To clear these errors, you must execute the ROM-Based Setup Utility (RBSU), ORCA, or the ACU to configure the controller or array.

ProLiant servers that support dual-peer PCI buses provide aggre- gate I/O throughput capability as high as 267MB/s. The dual-peer PCI buses increase configuration flexibility and allow higher levels of overall performance. However, attaining peak performance requires carefully balanced I/O loading across both PCI buses. This means careful planning of which expansion slot to use for each device in the initial configuration, as well as planning for future expansion.

Networks continue to require increasingly higher throughput to support the bandwidth requirements brought on by the demands of the Internet, multimedia applications, large files, increased use of e-mail, and faster processors. In addition to upgrading the network interface cards (NICs) to satisfy these requirements, you can configure redundant NICs for fault tolerance and failover support. Support for a redundant NIC configuration eliminates the network connection as a single point of system failure. One NIC is operational while another is ready as a hot standby