IBM Redbooks 2/4 Port Ethernet Expansion Card, 44W4479 At-a-glance Manual
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2/4 Port Ethernet Expansion Card (CFFh) for IBM
BladeCenter
IBM BladeCenter at-a-glance guide
The IBM 2/4 Port Ethernet Expansion Card (CFFh) for IBM BladeCenter is the perfect example of IBM's
goal to meet user requirements in the BladeCenter environment. In addition to the two onboard Ethernet
ports, this card allows the client to add up to four (in IBM BladeCenter H chassis) or two (in BladeCenter
S) extra 1 Gb ports, thereby allowing them to take advantage of the benefits of 6 or 4 ports per blade
respectively.
Figure 1 shows the 2/4 Port Ethernet Expansion Card (CFFh) for IBM BladeCenter.
Figure 1. 2/4 Port Ethernet Expansion Card (CFFh) for IBM BladeCenter
Did you know?
The use of the 2/4 Port Ethernet Expansion Card enables Ethernet redundancy in the BladeCenter S
chassis. Two Ethernet ports are already enabled through the onboard Ethernet controller of each blade
server when routed to the Ethernet switch module in bay 1 of the chassis. With this card in each server,
two additional ports are enabled and are routed through a second redundant Ethernet switch module in
bay 2. This combination provides four Gigabit Ethernet ports while still enabling redundancy.
2/4 Port Ethernet Expansion Card (CFFh) for IBM BladeCente
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Part number information
Table 1. Ordering part number and feature code
Description Part number Feature code
2/4 Port Ethernet Expansion Card (CFFh) for IBM BladeCenter 44W4479 5476
The part number includes the following items:
z
One 2/4 Port Ethernet Expansion Card (CFFh)
z
Installation and User's Guide
z
Documentation CD
Features
The expansion card has the following features and benefits:
z
CFFh form factor; Can be combined with a CFFv or CIOv expansion card in the same server
z
Based on the Broadcom 5709 module
z
PCI Express x4 host interface for high-speed connection
z
Connectivity to either standard or high-speed I/O modules bays (depends on chassis)
z
Multiple connections from the blade server to the external network
z
Ability to function as a 2-port Ethernet NIC in BC S chassis or a 4-port Ethernet NIC in a BC H chassis
z
Supports BladeCenter Open Fabric Manager (BOFM)
Performance features:
z
Supports TCP offload engine (TOE)
z
TCP, IP checksum offload
z
TCP segmentation offload
z
PXE 2.0 remote boot support
Operating environment
This is supported in the following environment:
z
Temperature: 10 to 35 °C (50 to 95 °F)
z
Relative humidity: 8% to 80% (non-condensing)
2/4 Port Ethernet Expansion Card (CFFh) for IBM BladeCente
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Supported servers
The 2/4 Port Ethernet Expansion Card (CFFh) for is supported in the IBM BladeCenter servers listed in
Table 2.
Table 2. Supported servers
Part
Expansion card
number
2/4 Port Ethernet Expansion Card
(CFFh)
44W4479 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y N N Y N
Figure 2 shows where the CFFh card is installed in a BladeCenter server.
Figure 2. Location on the BladeCenter server planar where the CFFh card is installed
2/4 Port Ethernet Expansion Card (CFFh) for IBM BladeCente
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Supported BladeCenter chassis and I /O modules
IBM BladeCenter chassis support is based on the blade server type in which the expansion card is
installed. Consult ServerProven to see which chassis each blade server type is supported in:
http://ibm.com/servers/eserver/serverproven/compat/us/.
The 2/4 Port Ethernet Expansion Card (CFFh) is supported attached to blades installed in the
BladeCenter chassis as listed in Table 3.
Table 3. I/O modules supported with the Broadcom 10Gb 2-Port and 4-Port Ethernet Expansion Cards
Description Part number
2/4 Port Ethernet Expansion Card (CFFh)
44W4479 Y N Y N Y Y Y
Details of this support is described in the following sections.
BladeCenter H and BladeCenter HT compatibility
When attached to a blade server that is installed in a BladeCenter H, the 2/4 Port Ethernet Expansion
Card is used in conjunction with the Multi-Switch Interconnect Module (MSIM), and requires that
supported Gigabit Ethernet Switch Modules be installed in the MSIM. In order for all four Ethernet ports to
be used, two MSIMs and four Gigabit Ethernet Switch Modules are required. The same applies to the
BladeCenter HT and the MSIM-HT.
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Table 4 lists the standard format Ethernet Switch Modules and Pass-thru Modules that are supported in
the MSIM and MSIM-HT in conjunction with the 2/4 Port Ethernet Expansion Card (CFFh). Both bays of
the MSIM are supported.
Table 4. Standard I/O modules supported in the MSIM and MSIM-HT bays in conjunction with the 2/4 Port
Ethernet Expansion Card (CFFh)
Ethernet switch modules Part number Supported in
MSIM
Cisco Intelligent Gb Ethernet Switch Module 32R1892 Yes Yes
Cisco Intelligent Gb Fiber Ethernet Switch Module 32R1888 Yes No
Cisco Catalyst Switch Module 3110G 41Y8523 Yes No
Cisco Catalyst Switch Module 3110X 41Y8522 Yes No
Cisco Catalyst Switch Module 3012 43W4395 Yes No
Server Connectivity Module 39Y9324 Yes No
BNT Layer 2-7 Gb Ethernet Switch Module 32R1859 No No
BNT Layer 2/3 Copper Gb Ethernet Switch Module 32R1860 Yes Yes
BNT Layer 2/3 Fiber Gb Ethernet Switch Module 32R1861 Yes No
BNT 10Gb Uplink Ethernet Switch Module 32R1783 Yes No
BNT 1/10 Gb Uplink Ethernet Switch Module 44W4404 Yes Yes
Optical Pass-thru Module 39Y9316 Yes No
Copper Pass-thru Module 39Y9320 Yes No
Intelligent Copper Pass-thru Module 44W4483 Yes No
Supported in
MSIM-HT
Table 5 lists the High Speed Switch Modules that support connectivity to the 2/4 Port Ethernet Expansion
Card (CFFh) in the BladeCenter H. All four ports of the expansion card are available for use when four
supported switch modules are installed in the BladeCenter H chassis.
Table 5. High Speed Switch Modules supported with the 2/4 Port Ethernet Expansion Card (CFFh)
I/O module Part number Supported
BNT Virtual Fabric 10Gb Switch Module 46C7191 Yes
10Gb Ethernet Pass-Thru Module 46M6181 No
BNT 6-port 10Gb Ethernet Switch Module 39Y9267 No
Cisco Nexus 4001I Switch Module 46M6071 Yes
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