What do Dell server names mean?
If a computer salesman tells a customer, “This is a dual core 2.4 GHz with an i5 processor, 16 GB Ram, and a 256 GB solid state hard drive,” the average layman will probably respond with bewilderment.
You’ll see the world in a whole new light once you’re familiar with Dell PowerEdge server naming standards. Starting with the tenth generation of PowerEdge servers, Dell decided to switch up their naming conventions. Now, sever names generally consist of a single letter followed by either three or four numbers, and these letters and numbers aren’t arbitrary.
We talked about the letters earlier. The letter indicates what type of server it is:
C = Cloud
F = Flexible
M = Modular
R = Rack-mountable
T = Tower
From there, the numbers tell you more about the system.
If the server name has three numbers...
The first number after the letter indicates the system’s CPU architecture class.
1-3 = 1 CPU
4-7 = 2 CPUs
8 = 2 or 4 CPUs
9 = 4 CPUs
The second number indicates the generation, starting with 0 for tenth generation, 1 for eleventh, and so on.
The third number indicates the supplier of the CPU, with 0 for Intel and 5 for AMD.
Here’s a practical example: an R710 is a rack-mountable server with a maximum of two CPUs from the eleventh generation with Intel processors.
If the server name has four numbers…
The first number indicates the class of the system, with 1-5 being iDRAC Basic and 6-9 being iDRAC Express.
The second number indicates the generation, just like with three-number server names.
The third number indicates the number of CPUs – either 1 or 2.
The fourth number, as with three-number server names, indicates the supplier of the CPU.
Here’s a practical example: an R6415 is a rack-mountable server with a maximum of two CPUs from the fourteen generation with AMD processors.
Here’s a shortlist of some models that fall outside of these naming conventions:
PowerEdge M1000E
This is a blade-based server node integrating servers, storage, networking, and management in a single chassis design, introduced during the tenth generation. The enclosure supports up to 16 half-height blade server modules, eight full-height blade server modules, eight sleeves with quarter-height blade server modules – or a customizable mix of all three server module heights. The server modules are designated Mxxx.
PowerEdge VRTX
Like the M1000E, the PowerEdge VRTX integrates servers, storage, networking, and management into a single chassis. Introduced during the twelfth generation, the PowerEdge VRTX enclosure holds up to four half-height server modules, two full-height server modules, or a mix of both.
PowerEdge FX2 / FX2s
The PowerEdge FX2/FX2s was introduced during the thirteenth generation as a hybrid rack-based computing platform. The enclosure takes up to two full-width compute sleds, four half-width compute sleds, eight quarter-width compute sleds, or a mix of sled types. The enclosure can also support half-width storage sleds mapped to the compute sleds. The compute sleds are designated FCxxx and FMxxx, while the storage sleds are designated FDxxx.
Dell PowerVault
This is a line of data storage and backup products from Dell, launched as a less expensive product line after Dell acquired EqualLogic in 2008 and Compellent Technologies in 2011.
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