The Brocade Entry and the Brocade Enterprise SAN Switch Modules for the IBM eServer BladeCenter provide connectivity for on demand computing. The Brocade Entry SAN Switch Module can connect to fabrics of up to two switches. It is designed for small and medium businesses and can be expanded to enable smaller companies to grow on demand to meet their business needs. The Brocade Enterprise SAN Switch Module delivers full SAN fabric support for large Storage Area Networks and can connect to fabrics that consist of up to 239 switches. Each of the 16-port blade modules can be added to any IBM eServer BladeCenter, enabling connectivity between any one of up to 14 server blades and external storage devices. The modules use a fourth-generation custom chip (ASIC) to support advanced SAN switch capabilities, including Brocade ISL Trunking, Advanced Performance Monitoring, Advanced Security, and hot code activation. The products are fully compatible with IBM's installed base of IBM TotalStorage SAN switches (more than 500,000 ports worldwide), the IBM SAN Switch management framework, and Brocade Fabric Manager.
Key Features and Benefits
- Deliver advanced Brocade functions, performance and manageability with scalability and security
- Integrated Brocade SAN switching function based on Silkworm 3900 technology
- Enterprise-level switch offering fully enabled to support large SAN infrastructures
- Entry-level switch offering designed for smaller SANs (upgradable to support larger SAN infrastructures)
- Embeds Brocade's award winning SAN switch architecture into IBM's eServer BladeCenter
- Compatible with existing Brocade fabric and Fabric OS features (i.e. ISL Trunking, Zoning, Advanced Performance Monitoring and Secure Fabric OS)
