FRU 26P8084?

[skou]

This tiny card plugs into the bottom side of the T23 motherboard, right next to the contacts for the on-board microphone are. It's a little printed circuit card, that plugs into the white socket, between the mike contacts and the lower memory slot. The card as about 3/4 inch by 5/8ths inch. It has a tiny cap, and an IC with writing on it that I cannot (dang these 52 year old eyes) read. It also has P/N 26P8083. (On that P/N, it could be any combination of zeros and eights, since the zeros have a cross-bar. On the FRU, the writing is larger, and I can {almost} tell the difference.)

That socket is on all the T23 boards I've seen, but I've never seen anything plugged into it.

Anyone have any ideas as to what it is?

Sorry, no camera, so a description is all I can do.

steve

[skou]

According to IBM's website, it is a "secure chip."

Would it be safe to remove?

steve

[RealBlackStuff]

The Secure Chip can be disabled in the BIOS, and AFAIK you can remove it.
However, that chip belongs to that particular mobo and can NOT be put in any other mobo.
Best to leave it in.