When installing blade servers, what must be installed along with the blades?

When installing blade servers, it is essential to install them within a blade enclosure. A blade enclosure is specifically designed to house multiple blade servers. It provides critical services such as power, cooling, network connectivity, and management capabilities for the blades inside. The enclosure enables efficient operation and space management, allowing for the optimal functioning of several blades while ensuring they stay powered and properly cooled.

The blade enclosure also often includes features like redundant power supplies and cooling fans, enhancing the reliability and resilience of the entire system. This integration simplifies management and can significantly reduce the complexity associated with handling individual server components.

In contrast, options like blade rail kits, blade shelves, and blade stations do not fulfill the same fundamental role. They serve different purposes, such as mounting or organizing, but the core requirement for functionality and support of blade servers is the blade enclosure.