Datasheet

IBM United States Hardware Announcement 113-198 IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation
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• Systems-management support
The compute node supports the IBM Flex System Chassis Management Module
(CMM) and IBM Flex System Manager
TM
management software.
– CMM is a hot-swap module that provides system-management functions for all
components in an IBM Flex System chassis. It controls a serial port for remote
connection and a 10/100 Mbps Ethernet remote-management connection.
– IBM Flex System Manager management software is a platform-management
foundation that streamlines the way you manage physical and virtual systems
in a heterogeneous environment. By using industry standards, IBM Flex
System Manager management software supports multiple operating systems
and virtualization technologies.
Flex System networking portfolio
Networking in datacenters is undergoing a transition from a discrete traditional
model to a more flexible, optimized model or the "smarter" model. Clients are
looking to support more workloads with decreasing or flat IT budget. The network
architecture on the Flex System platform has been designed to address the key
challenges clients are facing in their datacenters. The key attributes of the network
architecture on this platform are:
• Integrated
– Efficient integrated management as part of the management appliance
– Move from physical network management to logical network management in a
virtualized environment
• Automated
– Seamless provisioning, management, and deployment of both physical and
virtual network parameters using tools like Virtual Fabric Manager, IBM
SoftSwitch (5000v), and VMready®
• Optimized
– Creation of a flat logical network so there are fewer elements to manage
– Reduced cost and complexity by leveraging IBM Virtual Fabric and I/O
convergence
– Reduced risk and cost by leveraging scalable switches that can provide both
port and bandwidth flexibility
One of the key attributes of the products on this platform is scalability. When
modules are marked "scalable" this means that clients can buy the base product
with certain number of ports and when they need to scale up for more ports, they
can just buy the license to enable the extra ports without having to provision any
new hardware.
The Flex System networking portfolio enhancements
IBM Flex System CN4022 2-port 10Gb Converged Adapter: Dual port 10 Gb
Converged adapter that supports Ethernet, FCoE and iSCSI protocols. Clients now
have a choice of multiple vendors without compromising the features. This adapter
will also support virtual NIC (vNIC) capability that helps clients reduce cost and
complexity.
Cisco Nexus B22 Fabric Extender for IBM Flex System and Cisco Nexus B22
Fabric Extender with FET bundle for IBM Flex System : Clients looking for Cisco
connectivity inside the Flex System chassis can now leverage the new B22
FEX module designed for the IBM Flex System chassis. This module reduces
management and offers easy connectivity to existing Nexus infrastructure.
IBM Flex System EN4023 10Gb Scalable Switch and IBM Flex System EN4023
10Gb Scalable Switch (FoD 1) and IBM Flex System EN4023 10Gb Scalable Switch
(FoD 2): Clients deploying the new Brocade-based VCS fabric, can now extend
the features to the Flex System chassis using the new Brocade-based VDX switch