IBM Ethernet routers and switches achieve the performance you need to create a dynamic infrastructure and transform physical and digital assets into more relevant services. The IBM Ethernet router and switch family was engineered to better manage risk, improve service and reduce costs from desktop-to-server - efficiently delivering value for your employees and customers.
IBM® g-series Ethernet access switches provide enterprise organizations with a flexible and feature-rich solution for building a secure and converged network edge. The switches support 48x 1 GbE RJ45 ports including 4x 1 GbE SFP combination ports. The B48G is upgradeable with two 10 GbE uplink ports to consolidate connections into the enterprise aggregation point, campus LANs, or metro area networks. The B50G comes with 2x 10 GbE CX4 stacking ports, providing the flexibility of a "pay-as-you-grow" architecture.
Both models enable a converged solution for vital network applications such as VoIP, wireless access, WebTV, video surveillance, building management systems, triple play (voice + video + data) services and remote video kiosks in a cost-effective, high-performance compact design. Support for the IEEE 802.1AB LLDP and ANSI TIA 1057 LLDP-MED standards enables organizations to deploy interoperable, multi-vendor solutions for unified communications. Configuring IP endpoints, such as VoIP, stations can be a complex task requiring manual and time-consuming configuration.
IBM g-series Ethernet access switches provide the scalability, QoS assurance, resilience and VoIP-readiness needed to implement a high-value converged solution that can scale to meet future growth at the network edge. Utilizing advanced IronStack technology on the B50G, an enterprise may initially deploy a standalone B50G and scale the installation from one to eight stacked units to meet growing user requirements, which can be managed as a single virtual chassis.
An IronStack system operates as a single logical chassis (with a single IP management address) and supports cross-member trunking, mirroring, switching, static routing, sFlow, multicast snooping and other switch functions across the stack. An IronStack stack has a single configuration file and supports remote console access from any stack member. Support for active-standby controller failover, stack link failover and hot insertion/removal of stack members delivers the resilience that is typical of higher-end modular switches.
As network traffic increases, network managers can easily upgrade the B48G with 2-port 10 GbE uplink modules to provide high-capacity connectivity to the network backbone or high-performance server. These modules are available with XFP or CX4 connectors for increased flexibility.
Additionally, the 10 GbE uplinks are ideal for deploying the switch into campus LANs or metro area networks, providing a high-speed connection from building to building or branch offices. In this environment, important features include Brocade® Metro Ring Protocol (MRP) for building resilient ring-based topologies, VLAN stacking, and advanced multicast capabilities including IGMP v1/v2/v3 and MLD v1/v2 snooping for controlling multicast traffic for high-bandwidth content delivery.