Lenovo 7159BR6, 7159-HC9 User Manual
Lenovo RackSwitch G8124E
Product Guide
The Lenovo RackSwitch™ G8124E (as shown in the following figure) delivers exceptional performance that
is 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 1 Gb Ethernet or 10 Gb Ethernet, the G8124E switch is designed for those clients that use
10 GbE today or plan to in the future. This switch is the first top of rack (TOR) 10 GbE switch that supports
Lenovo Virtual Fabric, which helps clients significantly reduce cost and complexity when it comes to the
I/O requirements of most virtualization deployments. Virtual Fabric can help clients reduce the number of
multiple I/O adapters down to a single dual-port 10 GbE adapter and reduce the required number of
cables and upstream switch ports.
Figure 1. Lenovo RackSwitch G8124E
Did you know?
The G8124E switch is designed to support several types of configurations from a server or downstream
switches: 1 Gb, 10 Gb, virtual NIC, Converged Enhanced Ethernet (CEE/FCoE), and iSCSI. This single
switch can handle all of these workloads and can connect to an upstream 1 Gb or 10 Gb infrastructure, or
both.
The G8124E supports data center bridging (DCB), which is the IEEE’s group of protocols that provide
Lossless Ethernet and allows for clients to reduce the costs of implementing FCoE by using port
aggregation before connecting to more costly upstream gateway devices.
The G8124E can be configured in "easy connect" mode to allow for transparent and simple connectivity to
the upstream network, which enables easy connectivity to upstream Cisco, Juniper, or other networks
without changing those networks.
Virtual Fabric helps clients reduce costs and complexity in environments where they need four or more
NICs per server. A perfect example is virtualization, where clients often need as many as eight NICs per
dual-port 10 GbE adapter installed in a server.
The G8124E can help clients reduce the complexity of managing VMs and VM migration with VMready®
feature that makes the network VM-aware.
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Lenovo RackSwitch G8124E 1
Key features
The RackSwitch G8124E switch is considered particularly suited for the following customers:
Customers who need ultra-low latency 10 GbE networking
Customers who need to converge their SAN and LAN and need a FCoE transit switch
Customers who need ways to reduce cost (CAPEX):
Converge LAN and SAN traffic
Purchase fewer adapters, transceivers, and cables per server
Reduce upstream switching costs; fewer ports
Customers who need to reduce complexity (OPEX):
Fewer adapters to manage
Manage fewer cables, which helps reduce potential points of failure
Ability to standardize on Ethernet from all servers; Ethernet for all connectivity in a rack
Ability to push out FC split to the end of the row
The RackSwitch G8124E offers the following features and benefits:
High performance
The 10 GbE low latency (as low as 570 nanoseconds) switch provides the best 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 is a fraction of the power
consumption of most competitive offerings. 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
Virtual Fabric can help customers address I/O requirements for multiple NICs while also helping
reduce cost and complexity. Virtual Fabric allows for the carving up of a physical NIC into multiple
virtual NICs (up to 4 vNICs per 10 Gb physical port) 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 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, and
Microsoft Hyper-V.
Layer 3 functionality
The switch includes Layer 3 functionality, which provides security and performance benefits as
inter-VLAN traffic stays within the chassis. This switch also provides the full range of Layer 3
protocols from static routes for technologies, such as Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) and Border
Gateway Protocol (BGP) for enterprise customers.
Seamless interoperability
RackSwitch switches interoperate seamlessly with other vendors' upstream switches.
Fault tolerance
These switches learn alternative routes automatically and perform faster convergence if there is a
link, switch, or power failure. The switch uses proven technologies, such as L2 trunk failover,
advanced VLAN-based failover, VRRP, Hot Links, IGMP V3 snooping, and OSPF.
Lenovo RackSwitch G8124E 2
Converged fabric
The switch supports CEE/DCB and connectivity to FCoE gateways. CEE helps enable clients to
combine storage, messaging traffic, VoIP, video, and other data on a common data center Ethernet
infrastructure. FCoE helps enable highly efficient block storage over Ethernet for consolidating
server network connectivity. As a result, clients can deploy a single server interface for multiple data
types, which can simplify deployment and management of server network connectivity while
maintaining the high availability and robustness that is required for storage transactions.
Transparent networking capability
With a simple configuration change to Easy Connect mode, the RackSwitch G8124E becomes a
transparent network device that is invisible to the core, which eliminates network administration
concerns of Spanning Tree Protocol configuration and interoperability and VLAN assignments and
avoids any possible loops. By emulating a host NIC to the data center core, it accelerates the
provisioning of VMs by eliminating the need to configure the typical access switch parameters.
Components and connectors
The front panel of the RackSwitch G8124E is shown in the following figure.
Figure 2. Front panel of the RackSwitch G8124E
The front panel of the G8124E features the following components:
LEDs that display the status of the switch and the network.
One Mini-USB RS-232 console port that provides another means to configure the switch.
24x SFP/SFP+ ports to attach SFP/SFP+ transceivers for 1 Gb or 10 Gb Ethernet connections or
DAC cables for 10 Gb Ethernet connections.
Two RJ-45 10/100/1000 Mb Ethernet ports for out-of-band management.
The rear panel of the RackSwitch G8124E is shown in the following figure.
Figure 3. Rear panel of the RackSwitch G8124E
The rear panel of the G8124E features the following components:
Two redundant fixed 275 W AC (100 - 240 V) power supplies (IEC 320-C14 power connector)
Six fixed fans that provide N+1 redundancy
Lenovo RackSwitch G8124E 3
System specifications
The following table lists the RackSwitch G8124E system specifications.
Table 1. System specifications
Component Specification
Form factor 1U rack mount
Ports 24x SFP/SFP+ ports
SFP/SFP+ media
types
10 Gb Ethernet SFP+:
10 GbE short-range (SR) SFP+ transceivers
10 GbE long-range (LR) SFP+ transceivers
10 GbE extended-range (ER) SFP+ transceivers
10 GbE RJ-45 SFP+ transceivers
10 GbE SFP+ active optical cables (AOCs)
10 GbE SFP+ direct attach copper (DAC) cables
1/10 Gb Ethernet SFP+:
1/10 GbE SX/SR SFP+ transceivers
1 Gb Ethernet SFP:
1 GbE short-wavelength (SX) SFP transceivers
1 GbE long-wavelength (LX) SFP transceivers
1 GbE RJ-45 SFP transceivers
Port speeds 10 GbE SFP+ transceivers, DAC cables and AOCs: 10 Gbps
1/10 GbE SFP+ transceivers: 1 Gbps or 10 Gbps
1 GbE SFP transceivers: 1 Gbps
Switching method Cut-through.
Data traffic types Unicast, multicast, broadcast.
Software features Lenovo Networking OS:
Layer 2 switching, Layer 3 switching, virtual local area networks (VLANs), VLAN tagging,
spanning tree protocol (STP), link aggregation (trunk) groups (LAGs), virtual LAGs (vLAGs),
Hot Links, Layer 2 failover, quality of service (QoS), VMready, IPv4/IPv6 management,
IPv4/IPv6 routing, IPv4 virtual router redundancy protocol (VRRP), virtual NICs, Converged
Enhanced Ethernet, Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) transit switch operations.
Performance Non-blocking architecture with wire-speed forwarding of traffic:
100% line-rate performance
Up to 480 Gbps aggregated throughput
As low as 570 nanoseconds switching latency
Up to 9,216-byte jumbo frames
Receive buffer size: 2 MB
Scalability MAC address forwarding database entries: 16,000
VLANs: 4,095
Per VLAN Rapid Spanning Tree (PVRST) instances: 128
Multiple STP (MSTP) instances: 32
Link aggregation groups: 16
Ports in a link aggregation group: 12
Cooling Six 5+1 redundant fixed fans. Rear (non-port side) to front (port side) or front to rear airflow.
Power supply Two load-sharing, redundant fixed 275 W AC (100 - 240 V) power supplies (1x IEC 320-
C14 connector on each power supply).
Hot-swap parts SFP/SFP+ transceivers, SFP+ DAC cables.
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Management
ports
2x 10/100/1000 Mb Ethernet ports (RJ-45); 1x RS-232 port (Mini-USB).
Management
interfaces
Industry standard command line interface (isCLI); SNMP v1 and v3; Netconf (XML). Optional
Lenovo Switch Center. Optional Lenovo XClarity for discovery, inventory, monitoring and
events.
Security features Secure Shell (SSH); Secure Copy (SCP); Secure FTP (sFTP); user level security; Role-based
Access Control (RBAC); LDAP/LDAPS, RADIUS, and TACACS+ authentication; access
control lists (ACLs); port-based network access control (IEEE 802.1x).
Hardware
warranty
Three-year customer-replaceable unit and onsite limited warranty with 9x5 next business day
terms. Optional warranty service upgrades are available through Lenovo: 24x7 coverage, 2hour or 4-hour response time, 1-year or 2-year warranty extensions, 1-year or 3-year Remote
Technical Support (RTS).
Software
maintenance
Three-year software support and subscription is included in the base warranty. Optional 1year and 2-year warranty extensions include software support and subscription.
Mean Time
Between Failures
189,060 hours with ambient operating temperature of 40° C.
Dimensions Height: 44 mm (1.7 in.); width: 439 mm (17.3 in.); depth: 381 mm (15.0 in.)
Weight 6.4 kg (14.1 lb).
Component Specification
Models
The following table lists the G8124E switch models.
Table 2. G8124E switch models
Description
Part
number
Machine
Type-Model
Feature
code
Lenovo RackSwitch G8124E (Rear to Front) 7159BR6 7159-HC9 AT0B
Lenovo RackSwitch G8124E (Front to Rear) 7159BF7 7159-HC7 AT0C
The part numbers for the G8124E switches include the following items:
One Lenovo RackSwitch G8124E switch
Generic Rack Mount Kit (2-post)
Console Cable Kit:
RJ-45 (plug) to RJ-45 (plug) serial cable (1 m)
Mini-USB to RJ-45 (jack) adapter cable (0.2 m) with retention clip
DB-9 to RJ-45 (jack) adapter
Warranty Flyer
Important Notices Flyer
Documentation CD-ROM
Configuration notes:
Power cables are not included and must be ordered together with the switch (see "Power supplies
and cables" for details).
SFP/SFP+ transceivers and cables are not included and must be ordered together with the switch
(see "Transceivers and cables" for details).
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Transceivers and cables
With the flexibility of the G8124E switch, customers can choose the following connectivity technologies:
For 1 GbE links, customers can use RJ-45 SFP transceivers with UTP cables up to 100 meters. For
longer distances, the 1000BASE-SX transceiver can support distances up to 220 meters with 62.5 µ
(OM1) or up to 550 meters on 50 µ (OM2) multi-mode fiber optic cables, or the 1000BASE-LX
transceiver can support distances up to 10 kilometers on single-mode fiber optic cables (1310 nm).
For 10 GbE links, customers can use direct-attached copper (DAC) SFP+ cables for in-rack cabling
for distances up to 7 meters or SFP+ active optical cables (AOCs) for distances up to 20 meters.
These cables have SFP+ connectors on each end, and they do not need separate transceivers. For
distances up to 30 meters, the 10GBASE-T SFP+ transceiver can be used with Category 6a or 7
RJ-45 UTP cables.
For longer distances, the 10GBASE-SR transceiver can support distances up to 300 meters on
OM3 or up to 400 meters on OM4 multimode fiber optic cables. The 10GBASE-LR transceivers can
support distances up to 10 kilometers on single mode fiber optic cables.
For extended distances, the 10GBASE-ER transceivers can support distances up to 40 kilometers
on single mode fiber optic cables.
The supported cables and transceivers are listed in the following table.
Table 3. Supported SFP/SFP+ transceivers and DAC cables
Description
Part
number
Feature
code
Maximum
quantity
supported
SFP transceivers - 1 GbE
Lenovo 1000BASE-T (RJ-45) SFP Transceiver (no 10/100 Mbps support) 00FE333 A5DL 24
Lenovo 1000BASE-SX SFP Transceiver 81Y1622 3269 24
Lenovo 1000BASE-LX SFP Transceiver 90Y9424 A1PN 24
SFP+ transceivers - 10 GbE
Lenovo Dual Rate 1/10Gb SX/SR SFP+ Transceiver 00MY034 ATTJ 24
Lenovo 10GBASE-SR SFP+ Transceiver 46C3447 5053 24
Lenovo 10GBASE-LR SFP+ Transceiver 90Y9412 A1PM 24
Lenovo 10GBASE-ER SFP+ Transceiver 90Y9415 A1PP 24
Lenovo 10GBASE-T SFP+ Transceiver 7G17A03130 AVV1 24
Optical cables for 1 GbE SFP SX and 10 GbE SFP+ SR transceivers
Lenovo 0.5m LC-LC OM3 MMF Cable 00MN499 ASR5 24
Lenovo 1m LC-LC OM3 MMF Cable 00MN502 ASR6 24
Lenovo 3m LC-LC OM3 MMF Cable 00MN505 ASR7 24
Lenovo 5m LC-LC OM3 MMF Cable 00MN508 ASR8 24
Lenovo 10m LC-LC OM3 MMF Cable 00MN511 ASR9 24
Lenovo 15m LC-LC OM3 MMF Cable 00MN514 ASRA 24
Lenovo 25m LC-LC OM3 MMF Cable 00MN517 ASRB 24
Lenovo 30m LC-LC OM3 MMF Cable 00MN520 ASRC 24
SFP+ active optical cables - 10 GbE
Lenovo 1m SFP+ to SFP+ Active Optical Cable 00YL634 ATYX 24
Lenovo 3m SFP+ to SFP+ Active Optical Cable 00YL637 ATYY 24
Lenovo 5m SFP+ to SFP+ Active Optical Cable 00YL640 ATYZ 24
Lenovo RackSwitch G8124E 6
Lenovo 7m SFP+ to SFP+ Active Optical Cable 00YL643 ATZ0 24
Lenovo 15m SFP+ to SFP+ Active Optical Cable 00YL646 ATZ1 24
Lenovo 20m SFP+ to SFP+ Active Optical Cable 00YL649 ATZ2 24
SFP+ passive direct-attach cables - 10 GbE
Lenovo 0.5m Passive DAC SFP+ Cable 00D6288 A3RG 24
Lenovo 1m Passive DAC SFP+ Cable 90Y9427 A1PH 24
Lenovo 1.5m Passive DAC SFP+ Cable 00AY764 A51N 24
Lenovo 2m Passive DAC SFP+ Cable 00AY765 A51P 24
Lenovo 3m Passive DAC SFP+ Cable 90Y9430 A1PJ 24
Lenovo 5m Passive DAC SFP+ Cable 90Y9433 A1PK 24
Lenovo 7m Passive DAC SFP+ Cable 00D6151 A3RH 24
SFP+ active direct-attach cables - 10 GbE
Lenovo 1m Active DAC SFP+ Cable 00VX111 AT2R 24
Lenovo 3m Active DAC SFP+ Cable 00VX114 AT2S 24
Lenovo 5m Active DAC SFP+ Cable 00VX117 AT2T 24
Spare console cables
Console Cable Kit Spare (RJ-45/DB9) 90Y9462 A2MG 1
Description
Part
number
Feature
code
Maximum
quantity
supported
The network cables that can be used with the switch are listed in the following table.
Table 4. G8124E network cabling requirements
Transceiver Standard Cable Connector
10 Gb Ethernet
10Gb SR SFP+ (46C3447)
1/10Gb SFP+ (00MY034)
10GBASE-SR Up to 30 m with fiber optic cables supplied by Lenovo
(see Table 3); up to 300 m with OM3 multimode fiber or
up to 400 m with OM4 multimode fiber
LC
10Gb LR SFP+ (90Y9412) 10GBASE-LR 1310 nm single-mode fiber cable up to 10 km LC
10Gb ER SFP+ (90Y9415) 10GBASE-ER 1310 nm single-mode fiber cable up to 40 km LC
10Gb RJ-45 SFP+
(7G17A03130)
10GBASE-T UTP Category 6a or 7 up to 30 meters RJ-45
Active optical cable 10GBASE-SR SFP+ active optical cables up to 20 m (see Table 3) SFP+
Direct attach copper cable 10GSFP+Cu SFP+ DAC cables up to 7 m (see Table 3) SFP+
1 Gb Ethernet
1Gb RJ-45 SFP (00FE333) 1000BASE-T UTP Category 5, 5E, and 6 up to 100 meters RJ-45
1Gb SX SFP (81Y1622)
1/10Gb SFP+ (00MY034)
1000BASE-SX Up to 30 m with fiber optic cables supplied by Lenovo
(see Table 3); 850 nm multimode fiber cable 50 µ (OM2)
up to 550 m or 62.5 µ (OM1) up to 220 m
LC
1Gb LX SFP (90Y9424) 1000BASE-LX 1310 nm single-mode fiber cable up to 10 km LC
Management ports
1 GbE management ports 1000BASE-T UTP Category 5, 5E, and 6 up to 100 meters RJ-45
RS-232 management port RS-232 DB-9/RJ-45-to-mini-USB console cable (comes with
the switch)
Mini-USB
Lenovo RackSwitch G8124E 7
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