Dell’s PowerEdge XR5610 for Telecom/Edge Compute
Tue, 25 Apr 2023 16:58:19 -0000
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In June 2021, Dell announced the PowerEdge XR11 Server. This was Dell’s first design created for the requirements of Telecom Edge Environments. A 1U, short-depth, ruggedized, NEBS Level 3 compliant server, the XR11 has been successfully deployed in multiple O-RAN compliant commercial networks, including DISH Networks and Vodafone.
Dell has followed on the success of the XR11, with a generational improvement in the introduction of the PowerEdge XR5610.
Like its predecessor, the XR5610 is a short-depth ruggedized, single socket, 1U monolithic server, purpose-built for the Edge and Telecom workloads. Its rugged design also accommodates military and defense deployments, retail AI including video monitoring, IoT device aggregation, and PoS analytics.
Improvements to the XR5610 include:
- A CPU upgrade to the recently announced 4th Generation Xeon Scalable processor, up to 32c,
- Support for the new Intel vRAN Boost variant, which will embed a vRAN accelerator in the CPU.
- A doubling of the memory bandwidth with the upgrade from DDR4 to DDR5.
- Higher performance I/O capabilities with the upgrade from PCIe Gen 4 to Gen 5.
- Dry inputs, common in remote environments to gain some insights into edge enclosure conditions, such as door open alarms, moisture detection, and more.
- Support for multiple accelerators, such as GPUs, O-RAN L1 Accelerators, and storage options including SAS, SATA or NVMe,
Topics where the XR5610 delivers at the Edge are:
- Form factor and deployability
- Environment and rugged design
- Efficient power options
Form factor and deployability
The monolithic chassis design of the XR5610 is a traditional, short depth form factor and fills certain deployment cases more efficiently than the XR8000. This form factor will often be preferred where limited or single server edge deployments are required, or if this is a planned long-term installation with limited or planned upgrades.
The XR5610 is compatible with much of today’s Edge infrastructure. These servers are designed with a short depth, “400mm Class” form factor, compatible with most existing Telecom Site Support Cabinets with flexible Power Supply options and dynamic power management to efficiently use limited resources at the edge.
This 400mm Class server fits well within the commonly deployed edge enclosure depths of 600mm. With front maintenance capabilities, the XR5610 can be installed in Edge Cloud racks, and provide sufficient front clearance for power and network cabling, without creating a difficult-to-maintain cabling design or potentially one that obstructs airflow.
Environment and rugged design
While the XR5610 is designed to meet the environmental requirements of NEBS Level 3 and GR-3108 Class 1 for deploying into the Telecom Edge, Dell also wanted to create a platform that had uses and applications outside the Telecom Sector, beyond mee The PowerEdge XR5610 is also designed as a ruggedized compute platform for both military and maritime environments. The XR5610 is tested to MIL-STD and Maritime specifications, including shock, vibration, altitude, sand, and dust. This wider vision for the deployment potential of the XR5610 creates a computing platform that can exist comfortably in an O-RAN Edge Cloud environment, without being restricted to Telecom-only.
A smart filtered bezel option is also available so the XR5610 can work in dusty environments and send an alert when a filter should be replaced. This saves maintenance costs because technicians can be called out on an as-needed basis, and customers don’t have to be concerned with over-temperature alarms caused by prematurely clogged filters.
Efficient power options
The XR5610 supports 2 PSU slots that can accommodate multiple power capacities, in both 120/240 VAC and -48 VDC input powers.
Dell has worked with our power supply vendors to create an efficient range of Power Supply Units (PSUs), from 800W to 1800W. This allows the customer to select a PSU that most closely matches the current version available at the facility and power draw of the server, reducing wasted power loss in the voltage conversion process.
Conclusion
The Dell PowerEdge XR servers, in particular the XR5610 and XR8000, are providing a new Infrastructure Hardware Foundation that allows Wireless Operators to transition away from traditional, purpose-built, classical BBU appliances, decoupling HW and SW to an open, virtualized RAN that gives operators the choice to create innovative, best-in-class solutions from a multi-vendor ecosystem.