Are you on a first-name basis with your Dell EMC server?

Can you tell if a PowerEdge server is equipped with Intel or AMD CPUs by its number? What is the difference between two models that start with either the letter "R" or "T," followed by the same three digits?

Although Dell EMC used somewhat convoluted naming conventions up to its 10th Generation of servers, it switched to a simpler, standardized numbering approach for the newer ones. Even with older models, the numbers were not random.

So, if you know the rules Dell EMC uses for numbering its servers, you can tell a lot about each model by only looking at its name.

10th Generation and Newer

The naming convention of models in the 10th Generation or newer starts with a letter: C, F, M, R, or T. Each of those letters indicates a different form factor:

• "C" for Cloud
• "F" for Flexible
• "M" for Modular
• "R" for Rack-mountable
• "T" for Tower

Three-digit codes

Either three or four numbers follow this first letter. Those numbers indicate the server's class, generation, the quantity, and make of CPUs. When there are three numbers, they reflect:

• 1st number: Server class. Numbers one to three are used for systems with a single CPU. Numbers four to seven signify a dual CPU system. Number eight can either refer to a dual or quad CPU system. Finally, number nine is reserved for quad CPU systems.
• 2nd number: Server generation. To keep the naming convention simple by using a single digit, Dell EMC went with the number Zero for the 10th Generation of PowerEdge servers. After that, number one in a server's name tells that it's a member of the 11th Generation, two for the 12th, three for the 13th, etc.
• 3rd number: CPU manufacturer. "0" for Intel, "5" for AMD.

Four-digit codes

With the four-number naming convention, the first two digits stay the same. This time, though, a server's class is not tied to the number of CPUs, but its integrated Dell EMC Remote Access Controller (iDRAC). The four digits reflect:

• 1st number: Server class. Numbers one to five indicate iDRAC Basic, while six to nine iDRAC Express.
• 2nd number: Server generation.
• 3rd number: Number of CPUs.
• 4th number: CPU manufacturer - "0" for Intel, "5" for AMD.

Knowing this, it's easy deciphering that the R7415 is a rack-mountable 14th Generation server with iDRAC Express and one AMD CPU, whereas the R7425 is the same but with two CPUs.

Not That Simple

It seems that the fine folks at Dell EMC thought this would be too easy to understand and decided to complicate things a bit with some exceptions to those naming rules. You can tell a lot about most Dell EMC PowerEdge hardware thanks to the naming approaches we saw, except if it is one of the following:

MX7000 Modular Enclosure

The MX7000 offers eight module slots that can host different modules. It can be configured with 4-socket double width or 2-socket single-width compute sleds and single-width storage sleds.

Supported modules follow an "MX xxx L" convention, where "L" is one of the letters "c," "s," or "n."

• "c" for Compute sleds.
• "s" for Storage sleds.
• "n" for IO modules.

So, the "s" in the modular model MX5016s is for Storage, while the "c" in MX840c is for Compute.

PowerEdge FX2/FX2s

This 13th Generation enclosure can host up to two full width, four half-width, eight quarter-width compute sleds, or a mix between them. The FX2s variant can also host half-width storage sleds, mapped to the compute sleds.

Compatible sleds follow an "FC xxx", "FM xxx", and "FD xxx" convention, with the second letter indicating their type.

PowerEdge M1000e

A 10th Generation offering, which may include up to eight full-height server modules, 16 half-height modules, eight sleeves of quarter-height modules, or a mix of those.

Supported modules are identified as "M xxx" (like M600 or M710).

PowerEdge VRTX

Up to two full-height, four half-height, or a mix of such server modules can fit in a PowerEdge VRTX enclosure. You will meet them as "M xxx (for PE VRTX)."

We hope this information will help you decipher what each "code" in PowerEdge servers' names means, making sense of what may initially seem like a chaos of random numbers and letters.

So now you have it – the meaning of the names should all be a lot clearer.

You can view our current selection of Dell products at https://insidesystems.com/en/dell.

If you have any other questions about Dell EMC or don't see what you're looking for, then you’re welcome to write to me at [email protected] or give me a call at 45 60 16 71 69.