Book Objectives

The number-one objective of this book is to help you learn how to maintain, upgrade, and repair a server. As a consequence, Upgrading and Repairing Servers covers the technologies found in servers, from entry-level to enterprise-level technologies. From motherboards to memory, RAID arrays to tape backups, power supplies to server rooms, this book helps you understand how server-class technology works, how to upgrade it, and how to troubleshoot and solve problems.

Systems designed specifically as servers have been around for more than a decade, and Upgrading and Repairing Servers is written to help you understand the motherboard, processor, memory, and I/O technologies found in older servers (some of which might still be in use in many organizations) as well as the current technology found in the latest models.

One of the ways in which server architecture differs from PC architecture is in the emphasis on multiple and redundant components. From multiple processors and RAID drive arrays to redundant power supplies and tape backup autoloaders and libraries, Upgrading and Repairing Servers helps you understand why servers provide faster performance with multiple processors, how multiple-processor systems are designed for maximum performance, why redundant components are important for increased reliability, and how servers handle component failures and switch over to the redundant component.

Not every server runs an x86-compatible processor (that is, a processor that runs 32-bit Windows). This book provides extensive coverage of the Itanium, Sun SPARC and UltraSPARC, and other RISC processor architectures and their major features. An entire chapter is devoted to Sun servers and the Solaris operating system, with its unique features.

Although some servers have form factors virtually indistinguishable from that of a tower PC and might be placed in the corner of a small office, server form factors and locations are often customized to the specific needs of a server. This book helps you specify and use server-specific racks, cabinets, and closets and design the best server room for your situation.

After you read this book, you should have the knowledge to upgrade, troubleshoot, and repair almost any server system and component.