IBM 46C7191 User Manual
BNT Virtual Fabric 10Gb Switch Module for IBM BladeCenter
1
������
®
BNT Virtual Fabric 10Gb Switch Module for IBM
BladeCenter
BladeCenter
IBM BladeCenter at-a-glance guide
The BNT Virtual Fabric 10Gb Switch Module for IBM BladeCenter offers the most bandwidth of any blade
switch and represents the perfect migration platform for clients who are still at 1 Gb outside the chassis by
seamlessly integrating in the existing 1 Gb infrastructure. This is the first 10 Gb switch for IBM
BladeCenter that is
seamlessly integrating in the existing 1 Gb infrastructure. This is the first 10 Gb switch for IBM
BladeCenter that is
convergence ready
(that is, able to transmit Converged Enhanced Ethernet (CEE) to
a Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE ) capable top-of-rack switch). This new feature is available with
firmware release 6.1.
firmware release 6.1.
In addition, this switch is a key part of the IBM Virtual Fabric offering, which allows clients to form eight
virtual network interface controllers (NICs) from one physical NIC and to manage them in virtual groups.
This switch can be managed via a command-line interface (CLI) or a graphical interfaces of the switch
and in the future with BladeCenter Open Fabric Manager, providing all the benefits of I/O Virtualization at
10 Gb speeds. Figure 1 shows the switch module.
This switch can be managed via a command-line interface (CLI) or a graphical interfaces of the switch
and in the future with BladeCenter Open Fabric Manager, providing all the benefits of I/O Virtualization at
10 Gb speeds. Figure 1 shows the switch module.
Figure 1. BNT Virtual Fabric 10Gb Switch Module for IBM BladeCenter
Did you know
As virtualization has become a prevalent standard in the data center, more people have been looking for
ways to virtualize I/O to reduce cost and complexity while also maximizing I/O resources. Virtual Fabric for
IBM BladeCenter provides fast, flexible, easy, and reliable I/O using the BNT 10G Ethernet Switch Module
and the Emulex Virtual Fabric Adapter, which provides the abilities to carve up an NIC into eight virtual
NICs, dynamically allocate bandwidth, manage virtual groups, and so on.
IBM BladeCenter provides fast, flexible, easy, and reliable I/O using the BNT 10G Ethernet Switch Module
and the Emulex Virtual Fabric Adapter, which provides the abilities to carve up an NIC into eight virtual
NICs, dynamically allocate bandwidth, manage virtual groups, and so on.
The BNT switch is designed to support a number of different types of configurations from the blade: 1 Gb,
10 Gb, virtual NIC, Converged Enhanced Ethernet (CEE/FCoE), and iSCSI. If you have a chassis with
multiple servers, some operating at 1 Gb, some at 10 Gb, and some transmitting converged packets, this
single switch can handle all these workloads and can connect to a 1 Gb infrastructure or a 10 Gb
infrastructure, or both.
multiple servers, some operating at 1 Gb, some at 10 Gb, and some transmitting converged packets, this
single switch can handle all these workloads and can connect to a 1 Gb infrastructure or a 10 Gb
infrastructure, or both.