BLADE Network Technologies   

• BNT 10-port 10G Ethernet Switch Module
• BNT 6-port 10G Ethernet Switch Module
• BNT 1/10Gb Uplink Ethernet Switch
• BNT Layer 2/7 Gigabit Ethernet Switch Module
• BNT Layer 2/3 Copper Gigabit Ethernet Switch Module
• BNT Layer 2/3 Fiber Gigabit Ethernet Switch Module

All dramatically reduce the number of Ethernet cables attached to the rear of a blade enclosure by consolidating network intelligence into the blade chassis. In addition the BNT embedded blade switches also consume less power and deliver more performance at a fraction of the price of other blade switches.

For more information on the IBM BladeCenter, please visit IBM’s Web site: www.ibm.com/BladeCenter.
 

Currently supported on the following products:

• BNT/Nortel Layer 2-3 GbESM for IBM BladeCenter
• BNT/Nortel Layer 2-7 GbESM for IBM BladeCenter
• BNT/Nortel 1/10 Gb Uplink ESM for IBM BladeCenter
• Nortel 10 Gb Uplink ESM for IBM BladeCenter
• Nortel 10 Gb ESM for IBM BladeCenter H/HT
• BNT 6-port 10G ESM for IBM BladeCenter H/HT
• BNT 10-port 10G ESM for IBM BladeCenter H/HT (planned for 3.2)
• HP GbE2c Ethernet Blade Switch for HP BladeSystem c-Class
• HP GbE2c L2/L3 Ethernet Blade Switch for HP BladeSystem c-Class
• HP 1:10Gb Ethernet BL-c Switch for HP BladeSystem c-Class
• HP 10Gb Ethernet BL-c Switch for HP BladeSystem c-Class
• NEC 1Gb Intelligent L2 Switch for NEC SigmaBlade
• NEC 1Gb Intelligent L3 Switch for NEC SigmaBlade
• RackSwitch G8000, G8100 and G8124

Highlights

• Client-server architecture - Centralization of critical network asset information integrates with Enterprise security structure while enabling access with minimal risk from mobile clients
• Web-based GUI for simplified device configuration, monitoring, and fault management - Easy and cost-effective method to monitor, configure, and maintain switches utilizing COTS technologies
• Integration with industry-leading Enterprise Management Systems (e.g.: HP SIM, IBM Director) - Minimal effort insertion into existing management schemas, eliminating fork-lift upgrade or wholesale swap-out of installed managers
• Customizable reporting of detailed asset, operational and performance information - Global view of all BLADE Network Technologies Top of Rack or embedded switches on your network with simplified asset and fault management
• Automated and scheduled software downloads, configuration updates/backups, switch reboots, etc - Simplifies deployment and ongoing configuration management. Detects success or failure of the operation on each switch

For more information, contact services@bladenetwork.net
 

• HP 10Gb Ethernet BL-c Switch for the HP BladeSystem c-Class
• HP 1:10Gb Ethernet BL-c Switch for the HP BladeSystem c-Class
• GbE2c Layer 2/3 Ethernet Blade Switch for the HP BladeSystem c-Class
• GbE2c Ethernet Blade Switch for the HP BladeSystem c-Class

Integrated switch modules dramatically reduce the number of Ethernet cables attached to the rear of the blade enclosure while adding sophisticated network intelligence to the HP BladeSystem. Higher bandwidth 10Gb Ethernet connectivity is now available with the HP 10Gb and HP 1:10Gb Ethernet BL-c Switches. For more information on the HP BladeSystem, please visit HP’s web site: www.hp.com/go/BladeSystem.
 

With six 10Gb internal ports that can be linked together—and 14 non-blocking 10Gb external ports—the BNT 6-port 10Gb Ethernet Switch Module offers great BladeCenter H or HT performance, with bandwidth to spare for growing application needs.

The BNT 6-port 10Gb Ethernet Switch Module provides:

• Standards-based integration into Cisco and other networks that helps reduce downtime and learning curves
• Common look among switches (Layer 2/3, Layer 2-7) helps administrators minimize the learning curve for new BNT offerings.
• Easy software upgrades through Web user interface, TFTP, telnet or serial download allow for easy adaptation to existing maintenance procedures

The L2-7 Switch Module allows CIOs to consolidate more of their data center infrastructures into the BladeCenter chassis, continually simplifying the infrastructure. The L2-7 Switch Module leverages award-winning switching technology in an innovative, integrated package. BNT, an industry-leading developer of communications products and an IBM strategic partner, developed the L2-7 Switch Module specifically for BladeCenter. BladeCenter leads the industry by offering integrated Layer 2-7 switch intelligence.
 

Two versions are available, for copper and fiber uplinks. For copper interconnects, the module is available with RJ-uplinks, for fiber interconnects, the module is available with SFP optical module connections.

The BNT Layer 2/3 Ethernet Switch Module provides:

• Standards-based integration into Cisco and other networks that helps reduce downtime and learning curves
• Common look among switches (Layer 2/3, Layer 2-7) helps administrators minimize the learning curve for new BNT offerings
• Easy software upgrades through Web user interface, TFTP, telnet or serial download allow for easy adaptation to existing maintenance procedures.
• BNT switches also include enterprise class layer 3 functions standard like OSPF and BGP.
• Also priced at a fraction of the price of most competitors entry level Ethernet offerings.

It also includes a mini-USB management port, fourteen 1000Base-CX links to servers while providing 104Gbps of full line rate performance with mission-critical availability and resiliency. Availability features include: Link Trunk Fallover, NIC teaming, IEEE 802.1 s, d, w, q and ad support, UplinkFast and Cisco Port Fast compatibility, VRRP (RFC2338 + active-active extension, Cisco EtherChannel compatibility, Broadcast storm control, and user configurable hashing options for LACP including SMAC, DMAC, SIP and DIP.   BNT switches also include enterprise class layer 3 functions standard like OSPF and BGP. Other feature rich capabilities include planned support for IPV6 compatibility, virtual switching, server provisioning and BLADE VMReady™.

The BNT 1/10Gb Uplink Ethernet Switch Module provides:

• Standards-based integration into Cisco and other networks that helps reduce downtime and learning curves
• Common look among switches (Layer 2/3, Layer 2-7) helps administrators minimize the learning curve for new BNT offerings
• Easy software upgrades through Web user interface, TFTP, telnet or serial download allow for easy adaptation to existing maintenance procedures
• Support for future updates and software upgrades (new features) planned over the life of the warranty via SmartConnect™ with VMready (part of IBM's Virtual Switch Extension).

VMready™: Monitors the creation and movement of virtual machines, whether they are moved for maintenance reasons or replicated to enable application scaling. It takes action to ensure that network settings are migrated along with the virtual machine to help prevent the possibility of virtual machines being moved to servers with the wrong VLAN or other network settings.

Currently supported on the following products:

- Included in price of the switch (SmartConnect & VMready)

- BNT Virtual Fabric 10G Switch Module for IBM BladeCenter H/HT (VMready)

• BNT/Nortel 1/10 Gb Uplink ESM for IBM BladeCenter
• BNT 10-port 10G ESM for IBM BladeCenter H/HT (planned3Q09)

- Purchased separately

• HP 1:10Gb Ethernet BL-c Switch for HP BladeSystem c-Class (SmartConnect & VMready)

Highlights

• Network Virtualization: Multiple switches located in multiple blade server chassis, even across racks, operate as one large virtual switch.
• Single-Node Management: Multiple switches in the stack can be managed from a single node. In the unlikely event that the designated management node fails; management authority is instantly taken over by a pre-designated node.
• Server Administrator-Friendly Networking: Easy-to-use, web-based configuration interface designed for server administrators rather than network administrators. Server administrators can also detect failures instantly so corrective action can take place immediately—without requiring intervention from network operations teams switching environments.
• ServerMobility™: Network mobility capability that allows server blades to be added, removed or replaced without the need of any address re-assignment—reducing the coordination normally required between server and network administrators. ServerMobility handles address assignments as servers move between slots or chassis—physically or in the case of a failover to a functioning server blade. This means that client devices will see no change in relevant network addresses as applications move from one physical server to another.
• VMready: provides policy-based configuration and automatic security policy migration during VMotion, while also being designed with an open approach to work with all virtualization products, including VMware, Microsoft’s Hyper-V, Xen, xVM, Virtual Iron, and so forth, without modification of Virtual Machine Hypervisors. VMready also:
  • Helps reduces the risk of an application outage due to a misconfigured network as well as the security risk of exposing a sensitive application to incorrect networks.
  • Removes a major obstacle to enabling VM movement by allowing VMs to be moved without opening security vulnerabilities.
  • Allows network policies to be handled purely in switching hardware, with no impact to CPU performance.

The BNT 10-port 10Gb Ethernet Switch Module provides:

• With up to ten 10G ports its ideal for bandwidth intensive applications and HPC environments: Financial analytics, medical imaging, rendering, virtualization, VOIP, VOD, Cloud/Web 2.0, NGN and more.
• Industry's first converged fabric (CEE/FCoE) switch.
• Industry's first blade switch to offer flexibility or 1/10G Ethernet from the blade in addition to 1/10G uplinks.
• Enterprise class Layer 2 and 3 features included standard for more network traffic control and high availability.

Virtual fabric for IBM BladeCenter is designed using the BNT Virtual Fabric 10G Switch Module and the Emulex Virtual Fabric Adapter, which allow clients to achieve new levels of consolidation, efficiency, flexibility and scalability - all at lower costs. Virtual fabric provides a number of key capabilities.

1. Virtualized environment are able to better address their requirements with more bandwidth, in addition to reducing the number of adapters and switches by 75%.
2. Simplify Management through the use of virtual grouping where you can manage multiple virtual NIC as one, plus leverage VMready to significantly simplify VM management and migrations..
3. Ability to allocate bandwidth based on requirements, in addition to being able to dynamically change.
4. Increase availability and security through isolated virtual pipes between vNIC and the upstream switch which assures issues with one virtual group does not impact another and isolates one group being able to see content from another group just like having separate physical adapters.
5. Investment protection for the future – the BNT supports 1G, 10G and CEE/FCoE today, while the Emulex adapter supports 1G & 10G today and has plans for future support for HW iSCSI and FCoE.