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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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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.
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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
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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 |
10 Gb Ethernet SFP+: |
types |
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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Component |
Specification |
Management |
2x 10/100/1000 Mb Ethernet ports (RJ-45); 1x RS-232 port (Mini-USB). |
ports |
|
Management |
Industry standard command line interface (isCLI); SNMP v1 and v3; Netconf (XML). Optional |
interfaces |
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 |
Three-year customer-replaceable unit and onsite limited warranty with 9x5 next business day |
warranty |
terms. Optional warranty service upgrades are available through Lenovo: 24x7 coverage, 2- |
|
hour or 4-hour response time, 1-year or 2-year warranty extensions, 1-year or 3-year Remote |
|
Technical Support (RTS). |
Software |
Three-year software support and subscription is included in the base warranty. Optional 1- |
maintenance |
year and 2-year warranty extensions include software support and subscription. |
Mean Time |
189,060 hours with ambient operating temperature of 40° C. |
Between Failures |
|
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). |
Models
The following table lists the G8124E switch models.
Table 2. G8124E switch models
Description |
Part |
Machine |
Feature |
number |
Type-Model |
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
|
Part |
Feature |
Maximum |
Description |
quantity |
||
number |
code |
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 |
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|
Part |
Feature |
Maximum |
Description |
quantity |
||
number |
code |
supported |
|
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 |
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) |
10GBASE-SR |
Up to 30 m with fiber optic cables supplied by Lenovo |
LC |
1/10Gb SFP+ (00MY034) |
|
(see Table 3); up to 300 m with OM3 multimode fiber or |
|
|
|
up to 400 m with OM4 multimode fiber |
|
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+ |
10GBASE-T |
UTP Category 6a or 7 up to 30 meters |
RJ-45 |
(7G17A03130) |
|
|
|
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) |
1000BASE-SX |
Up to 30 m with fiber optic cables supplied by Lenovo |
LC |
1/10Gb SFP+ (00MY034) |
|
(see Table 3); 850 nm multimode fiber cable 50 µ (OM2) |
|
|
|
up to 550 m or 62.5 µ (OM1) up to 220 m |
|
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 |
Mini-USB |
|
|
the switch) |
|
Lenovo RackSwitch G8124E |
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