Implementing IBM System Networking 10Gb Ethernet Switches

Chapter 1. Introduction to IBM System Networking 10Gb Ethernet products 7

򐂰 Mini-USB to DB9 serial cable (3 m)

򐂰 Comes with an IBM limited 3-year hardware warranty and includes a 3-year software

license, providing entitlement to upgrades over that period

򐂰 Two power cords, depending on the country of purchase (Make sure that you include

these cords in your configuration.)

1.3.2 IBM System Networking RackSwitch G8052 features

The RackSwitch G8052 provides the following features:

򐂰 High performance: The RackSwitch G8052 provides up to 176 Gbps throughput and

supports four SFP+ 10 Gb uplink ports for a low oversubscription ratio, in addition to a low

latency of 1.7 ms.

򐂰 Lower power and better cooling: The RackSwitch G8052 typically consumes just 120 W of

power, a fraction of the power consumption of most competitive offerings. Unlike

side-cooled switches, which can cause heat recirculation and reliability concerns, the

G8052 rear-to-front or front-to-rear cooling design reduces data center air conditioning

costs by matching airflow to the server’s configuration in the rack. Variable speed fans

assist in automatically reducing power consumption.

򐂰 Layer 3 Functionality: The G8052 switch includes Layer 3 functionality, which provides

security and performance benefits, as inter-VLAN traffic can be processed at the access

layer. This switch also provides the full range of Layer 3 static and dynamic routing

protocols, including Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) and Border Gateway Protocol

(BGP) for enterprise customers at no additional cost.

򐂰 VM-Aware Network Virtualization: IBM VMready® software on the switch simplifies

configuration and improves security in virtualized environments. VMready automatically

detects VM movement between physical servers and instantly reconfigures each VM’s

network policies across VLANs to keep the network up and running without interrupting

traffic or impacting performance. VMready works with all leading hypervisors, such as

VMware, Citrix Xen, KVM, and Microsoft.

򐂰 Fault tolerance: These switches learn alternative routes automatically and perform faster

convergence in the unlikely case of a link, switch, or power failure. The switch uses proven

technologies such as L2 trunk failover, advanced VLAN-based failover, VRRP, Hot Link,

Uplink Failure Detection (UFD), IGMP v3 Snooping, and OSPF.

򐂰 Seamless interoperability: IBM RackSwitch switches interoperate seamlessly with other

vendors' upstream switches.

1.3.3 Features and specifications

In this section, we list some of the hardware and software features and specifications of the

RackSwitch G8052. For more details about these features, see Chapter 2, “IBM System

Networking Switch 10Gb Ethernet switch features” on page 51.

Transceivers: Small form-factor pluggable plus (SFP+) transceivers are not included in

the purchase of the switch. All 1/10 Gb transceivers require LC-to-LC cables.

8 Implementing IBM System Networking 10Gb Ethernet Switches

Performance

The performance features and specifications of the RackSwitch G8052 are:

򐂰 Single switch ASIC design

򐂰 Full line rate performance

򐂰 176 Gbps (full duplex) switching architecture

򐂰 Low latency: 1.7 ms

Hardware features

The hardware features of the RackSwitch G8052 are:

򐂰 Models:

– RackSwitch G8052F (for front-to-rear cooling). The ports at the front of the rack match

the airflow of IBM RackSwitch iDataPlex®.

– RackSwitch G8052R (for rear-to-front cooling). The ports at the rear of the rack match

the IBM System x and BladeCenter designs.

򐂰 Interface options:

– Forty-eight 10/100/1000BaseT ports (RJ-45).

– Four 10 GbE SFP+ ports.

– One USB port for external storage devices

1

.

– An RS-232 serial console port that provides an additional means to install software and

configure the switch module. This USB-style connector enables connection of a special

serial cable that is supplied with the switch module.

Figure 1-2 shows the front view of the RackSwitch G8052 with the different ports.

Figure 1-2 RackSwitch G8052 port types and locations (front view)

1

If a USB drive is inserted into the USB port, you can copy files from the switch to the USB drive, or from the USB

drive to the switch. You also can boot the switch by using software or configuration files found on the USB drive.

Chapter 1. Introduction to IBM System Networking 10Gb Ethernet products 9

Figure 1-3 shows the rear view of the switch.

Figure 1-3 RackSwitch G8052 connections and modules (rear view)

Software features

The software features for the RackSwitch G8052 are:

򐂰 Security:

–LDAP

– 802.1x with VLAN assignment

– Private VLAN edge

–RADIUS

– TACACS+

– Wirespeed filtering

– Flexible ACL combinations – L2-L4 criteria: Source and destination MAC, IP, and

TCP/UDP ports

– SSH v1 and v2

– HTTPS Secure BBI

– MAC address move notification

–SCP

– Shift B Boot menu (password recovery/factory default)

򐂰 VLANs:

– Port-based VLAN

– 4096 VLAN IDs supported

– 1024 Active VLANs (802.1Q)

– 802.1x with Dynamic VLAN assignment

– Private VLAN Edge

򐂰 Trunking:

–LACP

– Static trunks (EtherChannel)

– Configurable trunk hash algorithm

򐂰 Spanning Tree:

– Multiple Spanning Tree (802.1 s)

– Rapid Spanning Tree (802.1 w)