IBM Flex System FC5022 16Gb SAN Scalable Switches
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IBM
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IBM Flex System FC5022 16Gb SAN Scalable Switches
IBM Redbooks Product Guide
The IBM Flex System™ FC5022 16Gb SAN Scalable Switch is a Gen 5 Fibre Channel (FC) high-density,
48-port switch that operates at 16 and 8 Gbps FC speeds and is used in the IBM Flex System chassis.
The switch provides 28 internal ports to compute nodes by way of the Flex midplane and 20 external
SFP+ ports, as shown in Figure 1. The FC5022 SAN switch module delivers a scalable embedded option
for IBM Flex System users connecting to 8 or 16 Gbps FC storage, deploying a new storage area network
(SAN) or connecting to an existing SAN in their enterprise. The switch offers end-to-end 16 Gb with
backwards compatibility to 8 Gb and 4 Gb to the SAN connectivity. Monitoring and management are
simplified using end-to-end Brocade tools, such as Web Tools and the Brocade Network Advisor (BNA).
Figure 1 shows the switch module.
Figure 1. IBM Flex System FC5022 16 Gb SAN Scalable Switch
Did you know?
Only the FC5022 provides up to 48 FC ports in an embedded form factor that provides the Flex System a
unique differentiation in the market including:
Increased server density. The 28 internal FC ports allow up to 28 Information ITEs in a single chassis,
which lowers the average server cost of the solution.
Greater reliability. When used with 4-port FC mezzanine adapters, the 28 internal ports enable
greater path redundancy and increased solution availability with no single point of failure.
Multi-chassis Scalability. The 20 external SFP+ ports allow for scaling up to 18 chassis without the
use of external FC switches, such as FC top-of-rack (ToR) switches, thereby greatly reducing the
overall cost of the Flex Solution.
IBM Flex System, a new category of computing and the next generation of Smarter Computing, offers
intelligent workload deployment and management for maximum business agility. This chassis delivers
high-speed performance complete with integrated servers, storage, and networking for multi-chassis
management in datacenter compute environments. Furthermore, its flexible design can meet the needs of
varying workloads with independently scalable IT resource pools for higher utilization and lower cost per
workload. While increased security and resiliency protect vital information and promote maximum uptime,
the integrated, easy-to-use management system reduces setup time and complexity, providing a quicker
path to ROI.
