Implementing IBM System Networking 10Gb Ethernet Switches

Chapter 1. Introduction to IBM System Networking 10Gb Ethernet products 33

򐂰 IBM Virtual Fabric 10Gb Switch Module for IBM BladeCenter isCLI Reference:

http://download.boulder.ibm.com/ibmdl/pub/systems/support/system_x_pdf/bmd00191

.pdf

򐂰 IBM Virtual Fabric 10Gb Switch Module for IBM BladeCenter BBI Quick Guide:

http://download.boulder.ibm.com/ibmdl/pub/systems/support/system_x_pdf/bmd00192

.pdf

1.6.2 IBM 1/10 Uplink Ethernet Switch Module for IBM BladeCenter

The IBM 1/10 Uplink Ethernet Switch Module for IBM BladeCenter is a switch option that

enables administrators to offer full Layer 2 and 3 switching and routing capability with

combined 1 Gb and 10 Gb uplinks in a BladeCenter chassis. Such consolidation simplifies

the data center infrastructure and helps reduce the number of discrete devices, management

consoles, and management systems. In addition, the next-generation switch module

hardware can support IPv6 Layer 3 frame forwarding protocols by using a future

firmware upgrade.

This Ethernet switch module delivers port flexibility, efficient traffic management, increased

uplink bandwidth, and strong Ethernet switching price/performance. Figure 1-17 shows the

switch module.

Figure 1-17 IBM 1/10 Uplink Ethernet Switch Module view

Table 1-10 lists the part number and feature code to use to order the module.

Table 1-10 IBM 1/10 Uplink Ethernet Switch Module part number and feature code

Description Part number Feature code

IBM 1/10 Uplink Ethernet Switch Module for IBM BladeCenter 44W4407 1590 / 6980 / 1590

a

a. Feature codes are listed in the form of three codes separated by a forward slash mark (/). The first feature code is

for BladeCenter E-, T-, H-, and HT based configurations that are available through the IBM System x platform. The

second feature code is for BladeCenter S-based configurations that are available through the System x sales

channel. The third feature code is for BladeCenter S- and BladeCenter H-based configurations that are available

through the IBM Power Systems sales channel when applicable.

34 Implementing IBM System Networking 10Gb Ethernet Switches

The part number includes the following items:

򐂰 One IBM 1/10 Uplink Ethernet Switch Module for IBM BladeCenter

򐂰 3 m USB-to-DB9 serial console cable

򐂰 Printed documentation

򐂰 Documentation CD-ROM

Features and specifications

The IBM 1/10 Uplink Ethernet Switch Module includes the following standard features

and functions:

򐂰 Internal ports:

– 14 internal full-duplex Gigabit ports, one connected to each of the blade servers.

– Two internal full-duplex 10/100 Mbps ports connected to the management module.

– External ports:

• Three slots for 10 Gb Ethernet SFP+ transceivers (support for 10GBASE-SR or

10GBASE-LR) or SFP+ copper direct-attach cables (DAC); SFP+ modules are

optional

• Six 10/100/1000 1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet ports with RJ-45 connectors

• One RS-232 serial port that provides an additional means to install software and

configure the switch module

򐂰 Scalability and performance:

– Fixed-speed external 10 Gb Ethernet ports for maximum uplink bandwidth.

– Autosensing 10/1000/1000 external Gigabit Ethernet ports for bandwidth optimization.

– Non-blocking architecture with wire-speed forwarding of traffic.

– Media access control (MAC) address learning: Automatic update. Supports up to 16 K

MAC addresses.

– Up to 128 IP interfaces per switch.

– Static and LACP (IEEE 802.3ad) link aggregation, up to 36 Gb of total bandwidth per

switch, up to 16 trunk groups, up to six ports per group.

– Support for jumbo frames (up to 9216 bytes).

– Broadcast/multicast storm control.

– IGMP snooping for limit flooding of IP multicast traffic.

– IGMP filtering to control multicast traffic for hosts that participate in multicast groups.

– Configurable traffic distribution schemes over trunk links based on source/destination

IP or MAC addresses or both.

– Fast port forwarding and fast uplink convergence for rapid STP convergence.

򐂰 Availability and redundancy:

– VRRP for Layer 3 router redundancy.

– IEEE 802.1D STP for providing L2 redundancy.

– IEEE 802.1s Multiple STP (MSTP) for topology optimization. Up to 128 STP instances

are supported by single switch.

– IEEE 802.1w Rapid STP (RSTP) provides rapid STP convergence for critical

delay-sensitive traffic like voice or video.