Specifications

Dialogic
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DSI SS7MD Network Interface Boards Programmer's Manual Issue 4
111
Appendix B - Thermal guidelines for server selection
The Dialogic
®
DSI SS7MDL4 Network Interface Board is a high performance SS7 board
capable of delivering over 30,000 MTP2 packets per second. To achieve such levels of
performance, state of the art processors operating at high clock frequencies are used.
At the same time, to address the requirements of current server designs, the DSI
SS7MDL4 board is presented in a low profile, PCI Express form factor, with less than
one third (1/3) of the surface area of a full PCI or PCI Express board.
When high power components are combined in a board with a small area, heat
dissipation becomes an important design consideration. It is essential that the chassis
provides sufficient cooling to remove the heat dissipated by the board.
Cooling is achieved in two ways:
1) operating the server in an environment where the ambient temperature is lower
than the temperature of the components being cooled,
2) airflow that moves cooler ambient air into the server, and moves hot air away from
the heat generating components. When designing a solution that utilizes a DSI
SS7MDL4 board, proper airflow is a critical factor.
B.1 Chassis Selection
The SS7MDL4 board is designed for use in servers that provide an airflow rate of 300
linear feet per minute (1.5 m/s) across the board. However, it is possible that the
airflow reaching the expansion slots may not be known or otherwise specified. To help
determine if your chassis provides sufficient airflow to accommodate an SS7MDL4
board, please confirm that:
• Exterior inspection reveals visible air vents in-front and at the back of the chassis
• There are at least two cooling fans inside the chassis
• Clear airflow paths exist across the proposed location for the SS7MDL4 board
• Fans are positioned to cool the area occupied by the SS7MDL4 board
If the proposed location for the SS7MDL4 board lies within the airflow for cooling the
main CPUs, then the cooling is likely to be adequate. However, if the board will be
placed outside of the main CPU cooling airflow, it may be necessary to investigate (via
further testing) the thermal performance in more detail to determine whether
temperature issues could arise. See the example diagrams below: