Dell EMC today introduced the PowerEdge MX, an infrastructure platform first teased earlier this year that takes a modular approach to managing hardware resources.   

The system combines compute, storage and networking gear with management software in a single chassis. The concept is similar to so-called hyperconverged infrastructure appliances, except the hardware building blocks are decoupled from one another to let companies customize their deployments. 

What facilitates the system’s modularity is a specialized chassis called the MX7000. According to Dell EMC, the enclosure has a seven-rack unit form factor with eight bays for housing compute and storage modules.

The chassis’ most distinct feature is its lack of a midplane. A midplane is a large circuit board found in many conventional server enclosures that acts as the connective tissue between the components inside. Servers plug into one side, while auxiliary equipment such as power supply units and networking gear connect to the other.

The MX7000’s midplaneless design allows for compute modules to be connected directly with peripheral devices, a feature that according to Dell EMC makes it easier to modify the system when operational needs change. The company said that enterprises can mix and match compute modules with storage gear based on their specific workload requirements.

In the future, Dell EMC even sees the PowerEdge MX letting customers customize their deployments down to individual hardware components such as graphic processing units. On launch, the company will offer a selection of compute, storage and networking modules for different use cases.  

On the compute side, the PowerEdge MX can be equipped with two server modules Dell EMC refers to as “sleds.” The first, the MX740c, features a pair of Intel Xeon central processing units and six storage drive bays, while the bigger MX840c has room for four CPUs as well as eight storage drives. A single sled provides up to 6 gigabytes of memory.

The compute modules are joined by the MX5016s, a storage sled that can hold up to 16 disk drives. As many as seven MX5016s units may be fitted into a single chassis for a total of 112 drives.

According to Dell EMC, organizations with particularly demanding workloads can also set up multiple PowerEdge MX systems in a single deployment. To support such use cases, Dell EMC offers Ethernet and Fibre Channel switching modules that it claims provide up to 55 percent less latency in multi-chassis setups than other offerings. Administrators can manage their companies’ environments using a software offering called Dell EMC OpenManage Enterprise – Modular Edition.

Dell EMC said that the PowerEdge MX will become available worldwide on Sept. 12.

Photo: Dell