Many questions about IBM x335 servers

[MrItanium]

Hello,
I was able to get 2x IBM x335 for cheap, and I have some questions about these animals.

1) How much power does it usually consume a month (on an average).

2) I've noticed it has 8x 40mm fans (39dbA), which are VERY LOUD. Even know I have an "office room" in my house, and a 20U 4-post rack, it makes it almost impossible to work next to them due to the noise. Can I do something to make it quieter, like turning some fans off, or using some software to make them spin slower, etc? What are my options..

3) The BIOS installed in these systems is version 1.04, which seems to be outdated (1.15 = newest). How can I install the latest BIOS without having an OS installed?

And that's all for now.
Thanks a lot, sorry for the long post.

 

[rclarke250]

1. No idea...you can go to IBM and download the manual, and it will tell you about power, but not usage for a month.
search for migr-44204 for the pdf on ibm.com

2. There is nothing you can do about the fans, they are designed to run all out on that model, and if you take a fan out it will cause an error, and if it has two fans out it won't boot. Option 1. is build a closet, move the servers into the closet, and make sure it has a lot of air supplied to the units. option 2. sell them or live with it, they are designed to be 1u rack mount units in a data center, not a home office.

3.search for migr-44301 on ibm.com.

 

[Gazza25]

Hi MrItanium ,

HMM :

http://www-947.ibm.com/support/entry/portal/docdisplay?brand=5000008&lndocid=MIGR-44204.

Code download --

http://www-947.ibm.com/support/entry/portal/sdd?brand=5000008&key=5105594&osKey=0.

The most important updates would be your BIOS , RAID , DIAG < and BMC in the order I gave them to you. Download the Dos boot iso file, and burn it to CD / USB -- not sure if that server supports USB boot but it should.