The Brocade M4424 SAN I/O Module delivers simple yet robust 4 Gbit/sec Fibre Channel SAN connectivity for the Dell PowerEdge M1000e. Simplicity starts with choice of a single cost-effective product from Dell that easily connects to any SAN, including Brocade, McDATA, or Cisco fabrics.
The Brocade M4424 simplifies growth through extreme flexibility. "Pay-as-you-grow" flexibility is standard with the 12-port Brocade M4424, which can quickly and easily connect combinations of Dell server blades and external SAN ports to SAN fabrics. When organizations need more connectivity, the Brocade M4424 provides 12 additional ports through a simple Ports On Demand license upgrade. In addition, with increased Dell PowerEdge chassis deployments, Brocade M4424 users can benefit from increased scalability utilizing Brocade Access Gateway (N_Port ID Virtualization (NPIV) connectivity.
The sleek modular design of the Brocade M4424 enables 4 Gbit/sec I/O for up to 16 ultra-high-density Dell server blades, reducing costs, complexity, data center space considerations, and potential points of failure common with traditional rack servers and switches. The Brocade M4424 also features NPIV to increase server computing, mobility, and resource optimization gained through virtual servers connecting to SAN fabrics.
The high-performance auto-sensing/auto-negotiating ports can independently connect to 4 Gbit/sec, 2 Gbit/sec, or 1 Gbit/sec SAN devices, providing excellent investment protection. Alternatively the Brocade M4424 can connect the Dell PowerEdge M1000e to Brocade edge devices using up to two 16 Gbit/sec (4 x 4 Gbit/sec) ISL Trunking groups. The Brocade ISL Trunking option provides a high-performance "fat pipe" with optimized I/O.
Industry-leading availability is inherent in the Brocade M4424 design at both the SAN I/O module as well as the SAN ports. Fully redundant configurations utilize two Brocade M4424 modules in available I/O bays located in the rear of the PowerEdge M1000e chassis. New with the PowerEdge M1000e is the no-single-point-of-failure configuration enabled by populating up to four Brocade M4424 SAN I/O modules. The Brocade M4424 also provides support for SAN I/O module port failover, helping to ensure even higher levels of availability.
Key Features and Benefits
- Provides a maximum of 24 ports: Up to 16 internal server blade 4 Gbit/sec Fibre Channel connections and up to 8 external auto-sensing 4, 2. and 1 Gbit/sec SAN ports
- External RJ45 serial console port for easy CLI device configuration access
- Dual-function model provides the choice of a full-fabric switch or NPIV-based Access Gateway connectivity
- Zero footprint modular design supports up to four SAN I/O modules per PowerEdge M1000e chassis, enabling sharing of blade infrastructure for power and cooling
- Utilization of familiar Brocade software support, including Fabric OS, Web Tools, Advanced Zoning, and so on
- Base 12-port model supports an additional 12 ports using a Brocade Ports On Demand license upgrade
- Easily connects to any SAN, including Brocade, McDATA, or Cisco fabrics
- Supports enhanced functionality for Brocade ISL Trunking, including up to two 16 Gbit/sec trunk groups per SAN I/O module
- Hot code activation enables firmware updates with no service disruption
- Optional available software licenses include Fabric Watch, ISL Trunking, Advanced Performance Monitoring, Extended Fabrics, and Fabric Manage
