IBM G8124E Product Manual

IBM System Networking RackSwitch G8124E 1

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IBM System Networking RackSwitch G8124E

IBM Redbooks Product Guide

The IBM® System Networking RackSwitch™ G8124E delivers exceptional performance that is both
lossless and low latency. In addition, the G8124E delivers excellent cost savings as you consider
acquisition costs, energy costs, plus its feature-rich design with when it comes to virtualization,
CEE/FCoE, high availability, and its enterprise class Layer 2 and Layer 3 functionality.

With support for 1G or 10G, this switch is designed for those clients that are leveraging 10G Ethernet
today or have plans to in the future. This is the first Top of Rack 10Gb switch for IBM System x

®

designed to support IBM Virtual Fabric, which helps clients significantly reduce cost and complexity
when it comes to the I/O requirements of most virtualization deployments today. Virtual Fabric can
help clients reduce the number of multiple I/O adapters down to a single dual-port 10G adapter, in
addition to reducing the number of cables and upstream switch ports required. Virtual Fabric allows
clients to carve up a dual-port 10G adapter into eight virtual NICs (vNICs) and create dedicated virtual
pipes between the adapter and the switch for optimal performance, plus higher availability and better
security. This functionality provides the ability to dynamically allocate bandwidth per vNIC in
increments of 100 Mb, while being able to adjust over time without downtime. Figure 1 shows the IBM
System Networking RackSwitch G8124E.

Figure 1. IBM System Networking RackSwitch G8124E

Did you know

The G8124E switch is designed to support a number of separate types of configurations from a

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server or downstream switches: 1 Gb, 10 Gb, virtual NIC, Converged Enhanced Ethernet
(CEE/FCoE), and iSCSI. This single switch can handle all these workloads and can connect to an
upstream 1 Gb or 10 Gb infrastructure, or both.

The G8124E is designed to support data center bridging (DCB), which is the IEEE’s group of

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protocols that provide Lossless Ethernet and allows for clients to reduce the costs of
implementing FCoE by leveraging port aggregation before connecting to more costly upstream
gateway devices.

IBM Virtual Fabric helps clients reduce costs and complexity in environments where they need

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four or more NICs per server. A perfect example is virtualization, where clients often need as
many as eight NICs per server.

IBM is a leader in helping clients reduce the complexity of managing VMs and VM migration with

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their IBM VMready® product, which makes the network VM aware.

IBM System Networking RackSwitch G8124E 2

Part number information

Tables 1 and 2 list IBM System x® part numbers and IBM Power Systems™ MTMs and Feature
Codes for ordering the modules and additional options. Small form-factor pluggable plus (SFP+) and
SFP transceivers are not included.

Table 1. IBM part numbers and feature codes for ordering

Description System x part number Power Systems MTM/FC

IBM System Networking RackSwitch G8124DC 7309BD5

IBM System Networking RackSwitch G8124E
(Rear-to-Front)

7309BR6 1455-24E

IBM System Networking RackSwitch G8124E
(Front-to-Rear)

7309BF7

1 Gb options

IBM SFP RJ45 Transceiver 81Y1618 EB29

IBM SFP SX Transceiver 81Y1622 EB2A

IBM SFP LX Transceiver 90Y9424 ECB8

0.6 m Blue Cat5e Cable 40K5679 ECB0

1.5 m Blue Cat5e Cable 40K8785 ECB2

3 m Blue Cat5e Cable 40K5581 1111

10 m Blue Cat5e Cable 40K8927 1112

25 m Blue Cat5e Cable 40K8930 1113

10 Gb options

IBM SFP+ SR Transceiver 46C3447 EB28

IBM SFP+ LR Transceiver 90Y9412 ECB9

IBM SFP+ ER Transceiver 90Y9415 ECBA

1 m IBM Active DAC SFP+ Cable 95Y0323 EN01

3 m IBM Active DAC SFP+ Cable 95Y0326 EN02

5 m IBM Active DAC SFP+ Cable 95Y0329 EN03

0.5 m IBM Passive DAC SFP+ Cable 00D6288 ECBG

1 m IBM Passive DAC SFP+ Cable* 90Y9427 ECB4

3 m IBM Passive DAC SFP+ Cable* 90Y9430 ECB5

5 m IBM Passive DAC SFP+ Cable* 90Y9433 ECB6

7 m IBM Passive DAC SFP+ Cable* 00D6151 ECBH

* Passive cables not supported for Power Systems 10Gb NICs. Used for switch to switch connectivity
only.

IBM System Networking RackSwitch G8124E 3

Table 2 lists IBM part numbers and feature codes for ordering miscellaneous options.

Table 2. IBM part numbers and feature codes for ordering miscellaneous options

Description System x part number Power Systems MTM/FC

IBM System Networking Adjustable 19" 4 Post Rail
Kit

00D6185 EU27

1 m LC-LC Fiber Cable (networking) - Optical 88Y6851 ECBC

5 m LC-LC Fiber Cable (networking) - Optical 88Y6854 ECBD

25 m LC-LC Fiber Cable (networking) - Optical 88Y6857 ECBN

With the flexibility of the G8124E switch, clients can take advantage of the technologies that they
require for multiple environments. For 10 Gb uplinks, they have a choice of either SFP+ transceivers
(SR or LR) for longer distances or more cost-effective and lower-power-consuming options such as
SFP+ direct-attached cables (DAC or Twinax cables), which can be 1 - 8.5 meters in length and are
ideal for connecting chassis together, connecting to a Top of Rack switch, or even connecting to an
adjacent rack.

The G8124E module part numbers include the following items:

One IBM System Networking RackSwitch G8124E

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Generic Rail Mount Kit (2-post)

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IBM System Networking RackSwitch Mini-USB to DB9 serial cable (3 m)

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IBM limited 3-year hardware warranty with Next Business Day (NBD), 9x5, Customer

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Replaceable Unit (CRU) warranty service

Models shipped after April 5, 2011 include a 3-year software license, providing entitlement to
upgrades over that period.

IBM System Networking RackSwitch G8124E 4

Power cables need to be ordered separately at no additional charge. Table 3 and Table 4 list these
options.

Table 3. Additional cables to be ordered separately for System x

Part number Description

39Y7917 Power Cord Europe AC plug 10A/250 V; OPT

39Y7918 Power Cord Europe (Denmark) AC plug 10A/250 V; OPT

39Y7919 Power Cord Europe (Switzerland) AC plug 10A/250 V; OPT

39Y7920 Power Cord Europe (Israel) AC plug 10A/250 V; OPT

39Y7922 Power Cord Europe (South Africa) AC plug 10A/250 V; OPT

39Y7923 Power Cord UK AC plug 13A/250 V; OPT

39Y7924 Power Cord Australia AC plug 10A/250 V; OPT

39Y7925 Power Cord Korea AC plug 10A/250 V; OPT

39Y7926 Power Cord Japan AC plug 10A/250 V; OPT

39Y7927 Power Cord India AC plug 10A/250 V; OPT

39Y7928 Power Cord China AC plug 16A/250 V; OPT

39Y7929 Power Cord Brazil AC plug 16A/250 V; OPT

39Y7930 Power Cord Uruguay/Argentina AC plug 16A/250 V; OPT

39Y7931 Power Cord US/Canada AC plug 10A/250 V; OPT

IBM System Networking RackSwitch G8124E 5

Table 4. Power cords description with IBM Power System and Storage Feature Codes

Description Feature Code

Power Cord 4.3m (14-ft), Drawer to Wall/IBM PDU (250V/10A) 6458

Power Cord 4.3m (14-ft), Drawer to Wall/OEM PDU (250V/15A) U. S. 6469

Power Cord 1.8m (6-ft), Drawer to Wall (125V/15A) 6470

Power Cord 2.7m (9-ft), Drawer to Wall/OEM PDU (125V/15A) 6471

Power Cord 2.7m (9-ft), Drawer to Wall/OEM PDU (250V/16A) 6472

Power Cord 2.7m (9-ft), Drawer to Wall/OEM PDU (250V/10A) 6473

Power Cord 2.7m (9-ft), Drawer to Wall/OEM PDU, (250V/13A) 6474

Power Cord 2.7m (9-ft), Drawer to Wall/OEM PDU, (250V/16A) 6475

Power Cord 2.7m (9-ft), Drawer to Wall/OEM PDU, (250V/10A) 6476

Power Cord 2.7m (9-ft), Drawer to Wall/OEM PDU, (250V/16A) 6477

Power Cord 2.7m (9-ft), Drawer to Wall/OEM PDU, (125V/15A or 250V/10A) 6488

Power Cord 2.7m (9-ft), Drawer to Wall/OEM PDU, (250V/10A) 6493

Power Cord 2.7m (9-ft), Drawer to Wall/OEM PDU, (250V/10A) 6494

Power Cord 4.3m (14-ft), Drawer to Wall/OEM PDU (125V/15A) 6660

Power Cord 2.8m (9.2-ft), Drawer to Wall/IBM PDU, (250V/ 10A) 6665

Power Cord 2.7m (9-ft), Drawer to Wall/OEM PDU, (250V/10A) 6680

Power Cord 2.7m (9-ft), Drawer to Wall/OEM PDU, (250V/10A) 6671

Power Cord 1.5m (5-ft), Drawer to Wall/OEM PDU, (250V/10A) 6672

Benefits

The IBM System Networking RackSwitch G8124E offers the following benefits:

High performance: The 10G Low Latency (as low as 570 nanoseconds) switch provides the best

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combination of extremely low latency, non-blocking line-rate switching and ease of management.

Lower power and better cooling : The G8124E uses as little power as two 60 W light bulbs, which

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is a fraction of the power consumption of most competitive offerings. Unlike side-cooled switches,
which can cause heat recirculation and reliability concerns, the G8124E rear-to-front cooling
design reduces data center air conditioning costs by having airflow match the servers in the rack.
In addition, variable speed fans assist in automatically reducing power consumption.

Virtual Fabric can help customers address I/O requirements for multiple NICs while also helping



reduce cost and complexity. Virtual Fabric for IBM allows for the carving up of a physical NIC into
multiple virtual NICs (2 - 8 vNICs) and creates a virtual pipe between the adapter and the switch
for improved performance, availability, and security while reducing cost and complexity.

VM aware Networking: VMready software on the switch helps reduce configuration complexity

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while significantly improving security levels in virtualized environments. VMready automatically
detects virtual machine movement from one physical server to another, 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 VM providers such as VMware,
Citrix, Xen, IBM PowerVM

®

, and Microsoft.