®
IBM System Networking SAN24B-5 Switch
IBM Redbooks Product Guide
This IBM® Redbooks® Product Guide describes the IBM System Networking SAN24B-5 switch. The
SAN24B-5 is designed to provide outstanding price and performance value, combining flexibility,
simplicity, Gen 5 Fibre Channel technology, and enterprise-class functionality in an entry-level switch. The
SAN24B-5 is configurable in 12 or 24 ports and supports 2, 4, 8 or 16 Gbps speeds in an efficiently
designed 1U form factor. The base unit includes one (249824G/2498-X24) or two (2498-F24) integrated
power supplies and fans. A second power supply provides additional redundancy for increased resiliency.
SAN24B-5 provides a critical building block for today’s highly virtualized, private cloud storage
environments. It simplifies server virtualization and virtual desktop infrastructure management while
meeting the high-throughput demands of solid state disks. It can address demanding reliability, availability
and serviceability requirements to help minimize downtime to support mission-critical environments.
Figure 1 shows SAN24B-5.
Figure 1. IBM System Networking SAN24B-5 switch
Did you know?
SAN24B-5 helps maximize resiliency with nondisruptive software upgrades and a redundant power
supply.
Dynamic fabric provisioning, critical monitoring and advanced diagnostic features help streamline
development and troubleshooting.
Ports-on-demand (PoD) capability allows you to scale from 12 to 24 ports.
IBM System Networking SAN24B-5 Switch 1
Key features
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The SAN24B-5 features advanced monitoring, diagnostics, reliability, availability, serviceability and
redundancy capabilities in an entry-level switch to maximize availability, optimize performance, and
simplify administration. Enterprise-class features include the following items:
Critical diagnostic and monitoring capabilities to help ensure early problem detection and recovery
Non-intrusive and nondisruptive monitoring on every port to provide a comprehensive end-to-end
view of the entire fabric
Forward error correction to recover from bit errors in inter-switch links (ISLs), enhancing transmission
reliability and performance
Additional buffers to overcome performance degradation and congestion due to buffer credit loss
Real-time bandwidth consumption by hosts and applications on ISLs to easily identify hot spots and
potential network congestion
A second power supply to enable dual power redundancy and enhance availability
Architecture and key components
The SAN24B-5 delivers industry-leading Gen 5 Fibre Channel technology within a flexible, simple, and
easy-to-use solution. The base configuration includes 12 activated ports, with up to 24 ports on demand.
In addition to providing best-in-class scalability, the SAN24B-5 is easy to deploy with the EZSwitchSetup
wizard and the ClearLink diagnostic ports (D
Ports) feature, which simplifies setup.
The 24 ports produce an aggregate 384 Gbps full-duplex throughput; any eight ports can be trunked for
128 Gbps ISLs. Exchange-based dynamic path selection optimizes fabric-wide performance and load
balancing by automatically routing data to the most efficient and available path in the fabric, as shown in
Figure 2.
IBM System Networking SAN24B-5 Switch 2
Figure 2. Exchange-based dynamic path selection
SAN24B-5 augments ISL Trunking to provide more effective load balancing in certain configurations. It
provides a low total cost of ownership (TCO) because of its 12-port base configuration, easy
administration, 1U footprint and low-energy consumption, which is 0.22 watts per Gbps and 3.3 watts per
port.
The SAN24B-5 can be deployed as a full-fabric switch or as an access gateway, which simplifies fabric
topologies and heterogeneous fabric connectivity (the default mode setting is a switch). Access Gateway
Mode uses NPIV switch standards to present physical and virtual servers directly to the core of SAN
fabrics. This makes access gateway transparent to the SAN fabric, greatly reducing management of the
network edge. In Access Gateway Mode, the SAN24B-5 can connect servers to NPIV-enabled b-type,
m-type, and other SAN fabrics. Access Gateway Mode for the SAN24B-5 is supported only in 24-port
configurations.
Organizations can easily enable Access Gateway Mode through IBM Network Advisor v11, or later, or a
command-line interface. Key benefits of Access Gateway Mode are as follows:
Improved scalability for large or rapidly growing server and virtual server environments
Reduced management of the network edge, since access gateway does not have a domain identity
and appears transparent to the core fabric
Support for heterogeneous SAN configurations without reduced functionality for server connectivity
IBM System Networking SAN24B-5 Switch 3
Accelerating fabric deployment with diagnostic ports
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ClearLink diagnostic ports (D
problems, reducing fabric deployment and diagnostic times. Organizations can also use D
Ports) enable administrators to quickly identify and isolate optics and cable
Ports to run a
variety of tests through the IBM Network Advisor or command-line interface (CLI) to test ports, small
form-factor pluggables and cables for faults, latency, and distance.
Simplifying server deployment with dynamic fabric provisioning
Dynamic fabric provisioning enables organizations to eliminate fabric reconfiguration when adding or
replacing servers through the virtualization of host worldwide names (WWNs). It also reduces or
eliminates the need to modify zoning or logical unit number masking, and also enabling preprovisioning of
virtual WWNs, helping organizations eliminate time-consuming steps when deploying new equipment or
moving devices within a switch.
Fabric operating system and management software
Fabric operating system (FOS), which is included with each SAN24B-5, contains all the functions
necessary to operate a base system. The SAN24B-5 Gen 5 Fibre Channel base systems require FOS
v7.0.1 or later to take advantage of the advanced functions delivered through Fabric Vision technology.
The ClearLink diagnostic port (D-port) supported in FOS v7.0 or later is designed to debug the
components associated with the link, such as transceivers and cables. This feature is supported only on
the 16 Gbps ports.
The Advanced Web Tools, Advanced Zoning, Full Fabric, and Enhanced Group Management are part of
the base FOS and do not require a license. When using FOS v7.2 or later you will have access to
additional base functions such as Server Application Optimization (SAO) and Adaptive Networking.
Advanced Web Tools
software enables graphical user interface (GUI) based administration,
configuration, and maintenance of fabric switches and SANs.
Advanced Zoning
software segments a fabric into virtual private SANs to restrict device
communication and apply certain policies only to members within the same zone.
Full Fabric
Enhanced Group Management
software allows switches to be connected, and is required to enable E_Ports.
enables additional device-level management functionality for IBM
b-type SAN products when added to the element management, and allows large consolidated
operations to groups of devices (such as firmware downloads and configuration uploads and
downloads).
Advanced capabilities can be enabled with the following optional license activation features:
Adaptive networking service
is a set of features that provide users with tools and capabilities for
incorporating network policies to ensure optimal behavior of a large SAN. The FOS v7.0 release
supports two types of quality-of-service features with the 16 Gbps fabric backbones: ingress rate
limiting and SID/DID-based prioritization.
Advanced Performance Monitor
helps identify end-to-end bandwidth used by host/target pairs and is
designed to provide for capacity planning.
Fabric Watch
is designed to constantly monitor mission-critical switch operations for potential faults
and automatically alert administrators to problems before they become costly failures. Fabric Watch
includes the port fencing capability.
IBM System Networking SAN24B-5 Switch 4
Inter-Switch Link (ISL) Trunking
enables efficient Fibre Channel packet distribution across multiple
ISLs between two IBM b-type SAN fabric switches and directors while preserving in-order delivery.
Both b-type SAN devices must have trunking activated. The SAN24B-5 adds enhanced ISL trunking
support, uses 16 Gbps ports, and enables Fibre Channel packets to be distributed across up to eight
ISLs capable of 16 Gbps for a combined bandwidth of up to 128 Gbps.
Extended Fabrics
extend SAN fabrics beyond the Fibre Channel standard of 10 km by optimizing
internal switch buffers to maintain performance on ISLs connected at extended distances.
Server Application Optimization
optimizes overall application performance for physical servers and
virtual machines by extending virtual channels to the server infrastructure. Application-specific traffic
flows can be configured, prioritized and optimized throughout the entire data center infrastructure.
12-port Activation
enables the SAN24B-5 switch with one additional increment of 12 ports that can be
enabled on demand. The SAN24B-5 switch ships with the first 12 ports activated in the base product.
Enterprise Bundle
offers a convenient method for ordering a set of optional features bundled into one
feature number. It includes one license for each of the following items: Trunking Activation, Fabric
Watch, Advanced Performance Monitor, Adaptive Networking, Server Application Optimization, and
Fabric Vision. Requires FOS 7.2 or later to activate all Fabric Vision license features.
Fabric Vision license
offers a collection of breakthrough features and tools bundled into an optional
licensed feature. It includes Flow Vision and Monitoring and Alerting Policy Suite (MAPS) advanced
technologies and capabilities. Requires FOS 7.2 or later.
Note: Some features do not apply or are unavailable when using the switch in Access Gateway mode.
IBM Network Advisor software supports SAN24B-5 Gen 5 Fibre Channel technology by providing
end-to-end management of data center fabrics from storage ports on networked storage systems to host
bus adapters attached to physical or virtualized servers. IBM Network Advisor v12.0 or later is necessary
for supporting transitions to cloud environments. IBM Network Advisor v12.1 or later is required to support
Fabric Vision license capabilities.
Fabric vision technology
Fabric Vision technology, an extension of Gen 5 Fibre Channel, introduces a breakthrough hardware and
software solution that maximizes uptime, simplifies SAN management, and provides increased visibility
and insight across the storage network. Offering innovative diagnostic, monitoring, and management
capabilities, SAN24B-5 with Fabric Vision technology helps administrators avoid problems, maximizes
application performance, and reduces operational costs.
Fabric Vision technology includes the following items:
Flow Vision
enables administrators to identify, monitor, and analyze specific application and data
flows to maximize performance, avoid congestion, and optimize resources. Flow Vision includes
these items:
o
Flow Monitor
to provide comprehensive visibility into flows in the fabric, including the ability to
automatically learn (discover) flows and nondisruptively monitor flow performance. Organizations
can monitor all flows from a specific host to multiple targets/LUNs, from multiple hosts to a
specific target/LUN, or across a specific ISL. They also can perform LUN-level monitoring of
specific frame types to identify resource contention or congestion that is impacting application
performance.
o
Flow Mirror
to provide the ability to nondisruptively create copies of specific application and data
flows or frame types that can be captured for deeper analysis.
o
Flow Generator
to provide a built-in test traffic generator for pretesting and validating the SAN
infrastructure—including verification of routes and integrity of optics, cables, ports, and ISLs—for
robustness before deploying applications.
IBM System Networking SAN24B-5 Switch 5
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)
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)
Monitoring and Alerting Policy Suite (MAPS
simplifies fabric-wide threshold configuration and
monitoring. MAPS allows organizations to leverage pre-built rule/policy-based templates. The result is
a simple, two-step process for applying thresholds and alerts to ports and switches. Organizations
can configure the entire fabric (or multiple fabrics) at one time using common rules and policies, or
customize policies for specific ports or switch elements—all through a single dialog. The integrated
dashboard displays an overall switch health report, along with details on out-of-policy conditions, to
help administrators quickly pinpoint potential issues and easily identify trends and other behaviors
occurring on a switch or fabric.
ClearLink diagnostic technology (D_Port
ensures optical and signal integrity for Gen 5 Fibre Channel
optics and cables, simplifying deployment and support of high-performance fabrics. It leverages
ClearLink diagnostic port (D
Bottleneck Detection
identifies and alerts administrators to device or ISL congestion as well as
Port) capabilities of Gen 5 Fibre Channel platforms.
abnormal levels of latency in the fabric. This feature works in conjunction with IBM Network Advisor to
automatically monitor and detect network congestion and latency in the fabric, providing visualization
of bottlenecks in a connectivity map and product tree, and identifying exactly which devices and hosts
are affected by a bottlenecked port.
Integration into IBM Network Advisor
provides customizable health and performance dashboard
views to locate problems faster, simplify SAN configuration and management, and reduce operational
costs.
Critical diagnostic and monitoring capabilities
Non-intrusive and nondisruptive monitoring on every port
help ensure early problem detection and recovery.
provides an end-to-end view of the entire
fabric using capabilities integrated into the hardware. This allows sophisticated monitoring without
imposing an additional burden on switches with frequent polling activity.
Forward Error Correction (FEC
enables recovery from bit errors in ISLs, enhancing transmission
reliability and performance.
Credit Loss Recovery
helps overcome performance degradation and congestion due to buffer credit
loss.
Real-time bandwidth consumption by hosts or applications on ISLs
helps easily identify hot spots and
potential network congestion.
IBM System Networking SAN24B-5 Switch 6
Specifications
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Table 1 lists the IBM System Networking SAN24B-5 switch specifications.
Table 1. IBM System Networking SAN24B-5 switch specifications (part 1 of 2)
Item Description
Product numbers 2498-F24 (AAS)
2498-X24 (Xccellerator)
249824G (HVEC)
Base machine Base switch includes the following components :
Power distribution unit (PDU)
umpers, fixed rack mount rail
kit, install guide hardcopy, EZSwitchSetup CD, CD-ROM
(with manuals), service tools, RJ-45 wrap tools, wrist strap,
and small form factor pluggable (SFP) extraction tool
AAS: dual integrated power supplies and fans (replaceable)
HVEC/XCC: one integrated power supply and fan
(replaceable)
Base switch: 12 ports activated; no SFPs included
Base switch includes the following functions :
Advanced Web Tools, Advanced Zoning, Full Fabric,
Enhanced Group Management, Fabric Operating System
v7.0.1 or later. Also includes Adaptive Networking and
Server Application Optimization when using FOS 7.2 or later.
Fibre Channel interfaces Auto-sensing of 2, 4, 8 and 16 Gbps port speeds
D_Port (diagnostic port), E_Port, EX_Port, F_Port,
M_Port (mirror port); optional port type control
Access Gateway Mode: F_Port and NPIV-enabled
N_Port
Transceivers 16 Gbps: hot pluggable SFP+, LC connector; 16 Gbps
short-wavelength laser (SWL), long-wavelength laser
(LWL), , extra long-wavelength laser (ELW)
8 Gbps: hot-pluggable SFP+, LC connector; 8 Gbps
SWL, LWL, ELW
Hot-swap components Power supplies, fan modules, small form-factor pluggables
(SFPs)
Non-rack support Non-rack installation support; requires country-specific
power cords which must be ordered
Management software HTTP, SNMP v1/v3 (FE MIB, Fibre Channel Management
MIB), SSH; Auditing, Syslog; Advanced Web Tools,
Advanced Performance Monitoring, Fabric Watch; IBM
Network Advisor v11.1 or later; CLI
Servers supported* IBM Power Systems™
IBM System p®
IBM System i®
IBM System x®
Other Intel processor-based servers with Linux,
Microsoft Windows 2008 and Windows 2012
Selected Sun and HP servers
IBM System Networking SAN24B-5 Switch 7
Table 1. IBM System Networking SAN24B-5 switch specifications (part 2 of 2)
Operating systems supported* Windows 2003, Windows 2008
Storage products supported* IBM XIV® storage system
Red Hat Linux, Red Hat Linux Advanced Server
SUSE Linux, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES)
IBM AIX®
Other selected operating systems
IBM System Storage® DS8000® storage servers
System Storage SAN Volume Controller (SVC)
IBM Storwize® V3700, V5000, and V7000
Other selected storage systems
Fibre Channel switches supported System Storage and TotalStorage b-type and m-type SAN
directors, switches, and routers; other directors, switches
and routers manufactured by Brocade
Fibre optic cable Fiber optic cables with LC connectors are required and
available in various lengths in single-mode and multimode
formats
Power cords Jumper cables are included for installation; country-specific
power cords must be ordered for desktop or stand-alone
installation
Warranty One year; customer-replaceable unit (CRU) and onsite; 9×5
next-business-day response, warranty service upgrades are
available
Optional features SFPs, fiber optic cables, upgrade power supplies,
Twelve-port Activation, Advanced Performance Monitor,
Fabric Watch, Adaptive Networking, Enterprise Package*,
Extended Fabrics, Trunking Activation, Server Application
Optimization, Fabric Vision
*For the most current and complete details, see the product details at the IBM System Storage
Interoperation Center (SSIC): http://www.ibm.com/systems/support/storage/ssic/interoperability.wss
Physical characteristics
Table 2 lists the physical characteristics for the IBM System Networking SAN24B-5 switch.
Table 2. Physical characteristics
Specification Description
Size Width: 43.8 cm (17.24 in.)
Depth: 4.3 cm (1.7 in.)
Height: 44.3 cm (17.44 in.)
Weight 7.82 kg (17.25 lb) with one power supply, without
transceivers
9.16 kg (20.2 lb) with two power supplies, without
transceivers
IBM System Networking SAN24B-5 Switch 8
Operating environment
Table 3 describes the operating environment for the IBM System Networking SAN24B-5 switch.
Table 3. Operating environment
Item Description
Temperature (operating) 0 to 40°C (32 to 104°F)
Humidity (operating) 10% to 85% noncondensing at 40°C (104°F)
Altitude (operating) Up to 3,000 m (9,842 ft)
Airflow Rear panel-to-door airflow
Electrical requirements
Table 4 lists the electrical requirements for the IBM System Networking SAN24B-5 switch.
Table 4. Electrical requirements
Item Description
Nominal input voltage 85 - 264 V ac, universal
Input line frequency 47 - 63 Hz
Power consumption 80 W with 24 ports populated with 16 Gbps SWL optics
60 W for empty chassis with no optics
Heat dissipation 338 BTU/hr
Inrush current Maximum of 35 amps
Related information
For more information, see the following resources:
IBM System Networking SAN24B-5 switch product page
http://ibm.com/systems/networking/switches/san/b-type/san24b-5/
IBM Offering Information page (announcement letters and sales manuals):
http://www.ibm.com/common/ssi/index.wss?request_locale=en
On this page, enter
narrow your search results by geography and language.
SAN24B-5
, select the information type, and then click Search. On the next page,
IBM System Networking SAN24B-5 Switch 9
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IBM System Networking SAN24B-5 Switch 10
This document was created or updated on November 26, 2013.
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IBM System Networking SAN24B-5 Switch 11
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