IBM Europe Announcement ZG06-0875, dated December 5, 2006

QLogic InfiniBand Bridge Module for IBM BladeCenter and QLogic InfiniBand Bridge Module for IBM BladeCenter help reduce TCO through

Description ...... 3 At a glance Additional information ...... 4 Reference information ...... 4 The Bridge Modules provide high-speed, low-latency data connectivity between the platform's internal IB fabric and:

• The external FC network, or • The external Ethernet network

Overview

The BladeCenter® InfiniBand solution expands with the introduction of two InfiniBand bridge modules for BladeCenter H — the QLogic InfiniBand Fibre Channel Bridge Module for IBM BladeCenter and the QLogic InfiniBand Ethernet Bridge Module for IBM BladeCenter. These modules deliver further integration of data-center components into BladeCenter. Now BladeCenter clients can enjoy the benefits of InfiniBand within the chassis or rack of chassis while seamlessly connecting to the external LAN and SAN with little or no new investment in an external switching fabric. Leveraging the existing InfiniBand switches available for BladeCenter H, the QLogic InfiniBand Fibre Channel Bridge Module for IBM BladeCenter provides up to six 4 Gb1 Fibre Channel connections to the chassis, and the QLogic InfiniBand Ethernet Bridge Module for IBM BladeCenter provides up to six 1 Gb Ethernet connections to the chassis. When interconnected, these bridge modules provide Fibre Channel and Ethernet interfaces to the chassis or rack of InfiniBand-connected blades. When configured as such, bridges can be shared across chassis and serve as gateways to InfiniBand traffic for another chassis. This enables a completely self-contained cluster of InfiniBand-based BladeCenter blades and/or chassis to connect to the external network with little or no external switching.

Features, functions, support, and services at your command include:

• JS21 ™ support is planned to be available in first quarter 2007.2

For a copy of the applicable product warranties, contact your reseller or IBM3. IBM makes no representation or warranty regarding third-party products or services including those designated as ServerProven® or ClusterProven®. Visit the Web site below periodically for the latest information on safe and effective computing.

http://www.ibm.com/pc/safecomputing

Key prerequisites

IBM Europe Announcement ZG06-0875 IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation 1 • Chassis: IBM BladeCenter H (8852) • Blades: 7971, 7972, or 8853 • Operating system: – Microsoft™ Windows™ Server 2003 – Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 or 4 – SUSE Linux 9

Planned availability date January 19, 2007

IBM Europe Announcement ZG06-0875 IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation 2 Description

InfiniBand Fibre Channel Bridge Module The primary purpose of the BladeCenter InfiniBand Fibre Channel Bridge Module is to connect the internal InfiniBand fabric of the server blades to the external Fibre Channel environment. The InfiniBand Bridge Module is required to provide the following basic functionality:

• 4x links to the high-speed switch modules • Six external Fibre Channel 1/2/4 Gbps ports using standard SFP connectors • Two internal full-duplex 100 Mbps Ethernet links, one connected to each of the two Management Modules for setup and management of the IB bridge • All necessary power conversion and regulation to run from 12 volt continuous power • I2C circuitry to provide control from and information to the Management Modules • A set of diagnostics that run at power on and store incremental progress so that it can be read by the Management Modules • An embedded CPU subsystem for local initialization and management • Nonvolatile configuration and code storage which can be updated through the Management Links • Support of SNMP MIBs and Traps through the Ethernet management ports • Support of standard InfiniBand Management Datagrams (MADs), and SNMP MIBs and Traps for the bridge module monitoring over the IB interface. • External ports that can autonegotiate (default) to the highest speed (1, 2, or 4 Gbps) supported by the attached device, or can be set to a selected rate • Support for reliable, unreliable, connected, and unconnected transport data traffic types • A processor for management functions • Support for server traffic isolation through the implementation of partition keys, and the proper routing of traffic between authorized nodes

InfiniBand Ethernet Bridge Module The primary purpose of the BladeCenter InfiniBand Ethernet Bridge Module is to connect the internal InfiniBand fabric of the server blades to the external Ethernet environment. The InfiniBand Bridge Module is required to provide the following basic functionality:

• 4x links to the high-speed switch modules • Six external 10/100/1000 Mbps ports using standard Cat 5 copper connectors • Two internal full-duplex 100 Mbps Ethernet links, one connected to each of the two Management Modules for setup and management of the IB bridge • All necessary power conversion and regulation to run from 12 volt continuous power • I2C circuitry to provide control from and information to the Management Modules • A set of diagnostics that run at power on and store incremental progress so that it can be read by the Management Modules • An embedded CPU subsystem for local initialization and management • Nonvolatile configuration and code storage which can be updated through the Management Links • Support of SNMP MIBs and Traps through the Ethernet management ports • Support of standard InfiniBand Management Datagrams (MADs), and SNMP MIBs and Traps for the bridge module monitoring over the IB interface • External ports that are autosensing and negotiate to the highest speed (10, 100, or 1000

IBM Europe Announcement ZG06-0875 IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation 3 Mbps) supported by the attached device • External ports that support half- and full-duplex transmission • 802.3ad Link Aggregation and compatibility with Cisco Ethernet static link aggregation • Support for reliable, unreliable, connected, and unconnected transport data traffic types • A processor for management functions • Support for server traffic isolation through the implementation of partition keys, and the proper routing of traffic between authorized nodes

Additional information

All offers are subject to availability. IBM reserves the right to alter product offerings and specifications at any time without notice. IBM is not responsible for photographic or typographic errors. IBM makes no representation or warranty regarding third-party products or services. IBM makes no representation about the Section 508 status of the third-party electronic and information technology product in this offering. Contact the vendor for specific, current information on the Section 508 status of this product.

Reference information

1 Gbps, GBps, and MBps denote the rated physical speed of the device, not the number of data bits or bytes transferred. Many factors affect actual data throughput.

2 Previews provide insight into IBM plans and directions, but they are subject to change or withdrawal. General availability, prices, ordering information, and terms and conditions will be provided when the product is announced.

3 For information on IBM's Statement of Limited Warranty, contact your IBM representative or reseller. Copies are available upon request.

Trademarks

BladeCenter, ClusterProven, and ServerProven are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation in the United States or other countries or both.

Microsoft and Windows are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds in the United States, other countries or both.

Other company, product, and service names may be trademarks or service marks of others.

This announcement is provided for your information only. For additional information, contact your IBM representative.

IBM Europe Announcement ZG06-0875 IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation 4