IBM System Networking RackSwitch G8316

The IBM® System Networking RackSwitch™ G8316 provides low latency, lossless performance, and a feature-rich design with key virtualization features such as Converged Enhance Ethernet (CEE)/Data Center Bridging (DCB), high availability, and enterprise class Layer 2 and Layer 3 functionalities. In addition, the G8316 also delivers excellent cost savings as you consider acquisition costs, energy costs, operational expense, and ease of use and management for a 40 Gb class switch. The IBM System Networking RackSwitch G8316 is suitable for clients using 10 Gb or 40 Gb connectivity (or both).

The G8316 Ethernet aggregation switch enables customers to own an end-to-end flat 2-tier network based on industry standards using IBM switches and servers. For example, the G8316 is an ideal tier two switch to use when connecting a number of our RackSwitch G8264 40Gb uplink ports at the access layer. Other clients like the G8316 as an investment protection switch, as they can leverage it with their 10Gb Ethernet environments today, but can also leverage it in the future as they move to 40Gb Ethernet.

With latency below 1 microsecond, the G8316 is an industry leader. This and the 1.28 Tbps throughput makes the G8316 an ideal offering for latency-sensitive applications such as high-performance computing, financial applications, hosting environments, and cloud designs. In addition, IBM VMready® with Virtual Vision enables the network to be Virtual Machine (VM) aware, and provides the capability to have a virtualization environment that is simpler, less expensive, and provides exceptional performance. Figure 1 shows the IBM System Networking RackSwitch G8316.


Figure 1. IBM System Networking RackSwitch G8316

Did you know

Key features of the RackSwitch G8316 are as follows:

• Supports several types of configurations: 10 Gb, and 40 Gb, Virtual NIC, Converged Enhanced Ethernet (CEE/DCB), and iSCSI.
• Supports Data Center Bridging (DCB), which is the IEEE’s group of protocols that provide lossless Ethernet and allow for clients to reduce the costs of implementing either NAS or iSCSI convergence and priority-based flow control.
• Uses VMready on-switch software that helps reduce the complexity of managing virtual machines (VMs) in the network (the license for this capability comes standard with the purchase of the switch and is part of the IBM Networking Operating System).

The RackSwitch G8316 includes a standard IBM 1-year hardware warranty, with Next Business Day (NBD), 9x5, Customer Replaceable Unit (CRU) warranty service. IBM also include one year of software upgrades. ServicePacs are available (in select countries) for hardware warranty upgrade options.

Table 1 lists the part numbers (IBM System x®) for ordering modules and additional options for them including ServicePacs.

Table 1. IBM System Networking part numbers and feature codes (part 1)

Description	System x Part Numbers	Power Systems MTM/FC
IBM System Networking RackSwitch G8316 (Rear-to-Front)	8036-ARX (HVEC) / 8036-HC2 (XCC)	1611-16E
IBM System Networking RackSwitch G8316 (Front-to-Rear)	8036-AFX (HVEC) / 8036-HC1 (XCC)
10 Gb options (Break-put using 40Gb port)
1 m IBM QSFP+ DAC Break Out Cable*	49Y7886	EB24
3 m IBM QSFP+ DAC Break Out Cable*	49Y7887	EB25
5 m IBM QSFP+ DAC Break Out Cable*	49Y7888	EB26
40 Gb options
IBM QSFP+ SR Transceiver	49Y7884	EB27
1 m IBM QSFP+-to-QSFP+ Cable*	49Y7890	EB2B
3 m IBM QSFP+-to-QSFP+ Cable*	49Y7891	EB2H
5 m IBM QSFP+-to-QSFP+ Cable*	00D5810	ECBN
7 m IBM QSFP+-to-QSFP+ Cable*	00D5813	ECBP
10 m IBM QSFP+ MTP Optical Cable	90Y3519	EB2J
30 m IBM QSPF+ MTP Optical Cable	90Y3521	EC2K

* QSFP+ DAC Break Out cables and QSFP+ to QSFP+ cables not supported for Power Systems 10Gb NICs. Used for switch to switch connectivity only.

Miscellaneous options
IBM System Networking Adjustable 19" 4 Post Rail Kit	00D6185	EU27
Hot-swappable, Rear-to-Front Fan Assembly Spare	88Y6026
Hot-swappable, Front-to-Rear Fan Assembly Spare	49Y7939
Hot-swappable, Rear-to-Front Power Supply Spare	49Y7938
Hot-swappable, Front-to-Rear Power Supply Spare	49Y7937
Console Cable Kit Spare	90Y9462
ServicePacs (available in select countries)	System x Part Numbers	Power Systems MTM/FC
3-year on-site repair 24x7 two-hour response	67567P1
3-year on-site repair 24x7 four-hour response	67567P0
3-year on-site repair 9x5 four-hour response	67567NZ
4-year on-site repair 24x7 two-hour response	67567P5
4-year on-site repair 24x7 four-hour response	67567P4
4-year on-site repair 9x5 four-hour response	67567P3
4-year on-site repair 9x5 next business day	67567P2
5-year on-site repair 24x7 two-hour response	67567P9
5-year on-site repair 24x7 four-hour response	67567P8
5-year on-site repair 9x5 four-hour response	67567P7
5-year on-site repair 9x5 next business day	67567P6

With the flexibility of IBM RackSwitch, clients can take advantage of the technologies that they require for multiple environments:

• For 10 Gb, they can leverage DAC break-out cables, which converts 40 Gb ports into four 10 Gb ports and allows connection for distances up to 5 m.
• For 40 Gb links, you can use QSFP transceivers and MTP cables.

Figure 2 shows the cables.


Figure 2. Cables

The module part numbers include the following items:

• One IBM System Networking RackSwitch G8316R/ G8316F
• Generic Rail Mount Kit (2-post)
• Mini-USB Console port for serial access

Figure 3 shows a 2-post Rack Mount Kit.


Figure 3. 2-post Rack Mount Kit

Make sure that you include power cords in your configuration. Table 2 lists the appropriate power cord depending on country of purchase for System x, and Table 3 lists line cords available through IBM Power Systems™ and IBM System Storage® AAS ordering systems.

Table 2. Power cord description and IBM System x part numbers

Description	IBM part number
Power Cord Europe AC plug 10A/250 V; OPT	39Y7917
Power Cord Europe (Denmark) AC plug 10A/250 V; OPT	39Y7918
Power Cord Europe (Switzerland) AC plug 10A/250 V; OPT	39Y7919
Power Cord Europe AC (Israel) plug 10A/250 V; OPT	39Y7920
Power Cord Europe (South Africa) AC plug 10A/250 V; OPT	39Y7922
Power Cord UK AC plug 13A/250 V; OPT	39Y7923
Power Cord Australia AC plug 10A/250 V; OPT	39Y7924
Power Cord Korea AC plug 10A/250 V; OPT	39Y7925
Power Cord Japan AC plug 10A/125 V; OPT	46M2593
Power Cord India AC plug 10A/250 V; OPT	39Y7927
Power Cord China AC plug 16A/250 V; OPT	39Y7928
Power Cord Brazil AC plug 16A/250 V; OPT	39Y7929
Power Cord Uruguay/Argentina AC plug 16A/250 V; OPT	39Y7930
Power Cord US/Canada AC plug 10A/125 V; OPT	46M2592
4.3 m, 10A/100 - 250 V, C13 to IEC 320-C14 Rack Power Cable	39Y7932
1.5 m, 10A/100 - 250 V, C13 to IEC 320-C14 Rack Power Cable	39Y7937

Table 3. Power cords description and IBM Power System and IBM System Storage Feature Codes

Description	Feature Code
Power Cord 4.3m (14-ft), Drawer to Wall/IBM PDU (250V/10A)	6458
Power Cord 4.3m (14-ft), Drawer to Wall/OEM PDU (250V/15A) U. S.	6469
Power Cord 1.8m (6-ft), Drawer to Wall (125V/15A)	6470
Power Cord 2.7m (9-ft), Drawer to Wall/OEM PDU (125V/15A)	6471
Power Cord 2.7m (9-ft), Drawer to Wall/OEM PDU (250V/16A)	6472
Power Cord 2.7m (9-ft), Drawer to Wall/OEM PDU (250V/10A)	6473
Power Cord 2.7m (9-ft), Drawer to Wall/OEM PDU, (250V/13A)	6474
Power Cord 2.7m (9-ft), Drawer to Wall/OEM PDU, (250V/16A)	6475
Power Cord 2.7m (9-ft), Drawer to Wall/OEM PDU, (250V/10A)	6476
Power Cord 2.7m (9-ft), Drawer to Wall/OEM PDU, (250V/16A)	6477
Power Cord 2.7m (9-ft), Drawer to Wall/OEM PDU, (125V/15A or 250V/10A)	6488
Power Cord 2.7m (9-ft), Drawer to Wall/OEM PDU, (250V/10A)	6493
Power Cord 2.7m (9-ft), Drawer to Wall/OEM PDU, (250V/10A)	6494
Power Cord 4.3m (14-ft), Drawer to Wall/OEM PDU (125V/15A)	6660
Power Cord 2.8m (9.2-ft), Drawer to Wall/IBM PDU, (250V/ 10A)	6665
Power Cord 2.7m (9-ft), Drawer to Wall/OEM PDU, (250V/10A)	6680
Power Cord 2.7m (9-ft), Drawer to Wall/OEM PDU, (250V/10A)	6671
Power Cord 1.5m (5-ft), Drawer to Wall/OEM PDU, (250V/10A)	6672

Benefits

The IBM System Networking RackSwitch G8316 offers the following benefits:

• High performance: This 10/40Gb Low Latency (880 nanoseconds) Switch with 1.28 Tbps throughput provides the best combination of low latency, non-blocking line-rate switching, and ease of management. The G8316 is also a single ASIC design, which promises consistent lower port-to-port latency compared with other vendors with multiple chip designs, which causes port-to-port latency to be inconsistent and unpredictable.
• Lower power and better cooling: The RackSwitch G8316 uses as little as 330 W of power, which is a fraction of the power consumption of many competitive offerings. The front-to-rear or rear-to-front cooling design reduces data center air conditioning costs by having airflow match the servers in the rack. In addition, variable speed fans assist in automatically reducing power consumption.
• High Availability: The G8316 also comes standard with hot-swap redundant power supplies and fans, making the switch highly reliable out-of-the-box and easy to service in the unlikely event of a failure.
• VM-Aware Networking: VMready software on the switch simplifies configuration and improves security in virtualized environments. VMready automatically detects virtual machine movement between physical servers and instantly reconfigures each VM’s network policies across VLANs to keep the network up and running without interrupting traffic or impacting performance. VMready works with all leading VM providers, such as VMware, Citrix, Xen, Microsoft Hyper V, RedHat KVM, and IBM PowerVM®.
• Layer 3 functionality: The IBM switch includes Layer 3 functionality, which provides security and performance benefits, as inter-VLAN traffic stays within the switch. This switch also provides the full range of Layer 3 protocols from static routes for technologies such as Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) and Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) for enterprise customers.
• Seamless interoperability: IBM switches interoperate seamlessly with other vendors' upstream switches.
• Fault tolerance: These IBM switches learn alternate routes automatically and perform faster convergence in the unlikely case of a link, switch, or power failure. The switch uses proven technologies like L2 trunk failover, advanced VLAN-based failover, VRRP, and HotLink™.
• Multicast: This supports IGMP Snooping v1, v2, and v3 with 2 K IGMP groups, as well as Protocol Independent Multicast such as PIM Sparse Mode or PIM Dense Mode.
• Converged fabric: The IBM switch is designed to support CEE and Data Center Bridging, which is ideal for storage connectivity (NAS and iSCSI). CEE will help enable clients to combine storage, messaging traffic, VoIP, video, and other data on a common data center Ethernet infrastructure. Data Center Bridging helps with iSCSI and FCoE with features like Priority-based Flow Control, Enhanced Transmission Selection, and Congestion Notifications. FCoE will help enable highly efficient block storage over Ethernet for consolidating server network connectivity. As a result, clients can deploy a single server interface for multiple data types, which can simplify both deployment and management of server network connectivity, while maintaining the high availability and robustness required for storage transactions.

Features and specifications

This section lists the key features and specifications of the G8316.


Performance

The performance features are as follows:

• Single-switch ASIC design
• 100% line rate performance
• 1.28 Tbps non-blocking switching throughput (full duplex)
• Sub microseconds latency
• 960 million packets per second (mpps)

Hardware features

The hardware features are as follows:

• Models
  • IBM System Networking RackSwitch G8316R (for rear-to-front cooling): For ports located in the rear of the rack to match System x and IBM BladeCenter® designs
  • IBM System Networking RackSwitch G8316F (for front-to-rear cooling): For ports located in the front of the rack to match airflow of IBM iDataPlex®
• Interface options
  • Sixteen QSFP+ ports (40 GbE), support for optional break-out cable for sixty-four 10 Gb connections
  • One 10/100/1000 Ethernet RJ45 port for out-of-band management
  • One USB port for mass storage device connection
  • One fixed mini-USB Console port for configuration and code changes by thumb drive, or boot from USB drive with new code
  • Server-like port orientations, enabling short and simple cabling
• Dimensions: 17.3” wide, 19” deep, 1 RU high
• Weight: 9.98 kg (22 lb)
• Rack Installation Kit
  • Generic Rack Mount Kit (2-post)
  • Optional versatile 4-post mounting options for 19” server rack or datacom rack
  • Can be mounted vertically or horizontally
• LEDs
  • System LEDs to indicate link status, fan, and power
  • Stacking LEDs to indicate master/member (future support)
• Airflow
  • Front-to-rear or rear-to-front cooling
  • Redundant variable hot-swap speed fans for reduced power draw

Figure 4 shows the adjustable 4-post rail kit.


Figure 4. Adjustable 4-post rail kit

Figure 5 shows the rear.


Figure 5. Rear

• Power
  • Dual load-sharing hot-swap internal power modules, 50 - 60 Hz, 100 - 240 V ac auto-switching per module
  • Typical power consumption of 330 watts
• Environmental specifications
  • Temperature: Ambient operating: 0 - 40º C
  • Relative humidity: Non-condensing, operating 10 - 90%
  • Altitude: Operating 3,050 m (10,000 feet)
  • Heat dissipation: 1127 BTU/hour (typical)
  • Mean time between failures (MTBF): 165,990 hours @ 40° C

Software features

For the most current updates, see the IBM Networking Operating System data sheet:
http://ibm.biz/Bdx4gn

The software features are as follows:

• Security
  • RADIUS, TACACS+, and LDAP
  • SCP
  • Wire Speed Filtering: Allow and Deny
  • SSH v1, v2
  • HTTPS Secure BBI
  • Secure interface login and password
• Management
  • MAC address move notification
  • SNMP v1, v2c, and v3
  • RMON
  • Dual NTP Support
  • Accept DHCP IP address assignment
  • DHCP Snooping, DHCP Option 82
  • Dual software images
  • Netconf (XML Config)
  • Syslog Configuration tracking
  • Shift B Boot Menu (Password Recovery/Factory Default)
  • Management ACLs
  • IP Loopback
  • IPv6 Base RFCs
  • Ipsec
  • IKE
  • IPv6 RFC support acceptable for NIST certification
  • Netboot
• VLANs
  • Port-based VLANs
  • 2048 VLAN IDs supported
  • 1 K Port-based VLANs (802.1Q)
  • Private VLAN Edge
• Lossless Ethernet
  • 802.1 Data Center Bridging
  • Priority Based Flow Control (PFC)
  • Enhanced Transmission Selection (ETS)
  • Data Center Bridge Exchange protocol (DCBX)
  • FIP Snooping
  • Converged Enhanced Ethernet
• Link Aggregation
  • Static Trunks (EtherChannel) and LACP (802.3ad)
  • Configurable Trunk Hash algorithm
  • Enhanced reporting of statistics
• Spanning Tree
  • Multiple Spanning Tree (802.1 s)
  • Rapid Spanning Tree (802.1 w)
  • PVRST+
  • Auto assignment of VLANs to STG
  • BPDU Guard
  • Root guard
  • Loop guard
• Quality of service
  • QoS 802.1p (priority queues)
  • DiffServ IPV4 and IPv6
  • ACL, IGMP Profiles
  • DSCP remarking
  • Metering
  • 9 MB shared packet buffer
  • Weighted random early detection with explicit congestion notification (WRED/ECN)
  • CPU priority policies (CoPP)
  • User configurable buffers
• Routing protocols
  • RIP /v2
  • OSPF v2, v3
  • BGP
  • BGP enhancements for MD5 hash, ECMP, and Passive mode support
  • Dynamic BGP peers
• High availability
  • Layer 2 failover
  • HotLinks™
  • Virtual Router Redundancy support (VRRP)
• Multicast
  • MLDv2
  • IGMP Snooping v2 and v3
  • IGMP Querier
  • Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM Sparse Mode/Dense Mode)
• Monitoring
  • Port mirroring
  • ACL-based mirroring
  • ACL logging
  • CPU logging
  • Version 5
  • UDLD
• Virtualization
  • VMready
• Clients
  • System Networking Switch Center (SNSC)
  • isCLI (Cisco-like)
  • Scriptable ASCII Based CLI
  • Browser-based client or Telnet
• Standard protocols
  • DHCP Client
  • DHCP Relay
  • LLDP
  • 128 K MAC Table
  • 9 K Jumbo Frames
  • 802.3X Flow Control

Popular configurations

This section describes two popular configurations.


40G aggregation switch for east-west traffic

As more and more clients look to flatten their networking to exploit more of an east-west traffic flow required by a number of today’s applications and especially virtualized environments, the RackSwitch G8316 is an ideal tier-two switch for connecting multiple RackSwitch G8264 switches, which are likely being used at the edge to connect to multiple 10 Gb ports on servers. Figure 6 shows this.


Figure 6. Aggregation switch for east-west traffic


Using as an edge switch for servers using 40G Ethernet adapters

For environments such as HPC and others where I/O performance is important, 40 Gb will start to increase in popularity. As more 40 Gb Ethernet adapters appear and costs fall in line, and applications start looking for the next step beyond 10 Gb, the RackSwitch G8316 will be the ideal solution for connecting multiple servers per rack. Figure 7 shows this.


Figure 7. Aggregation switch for east-west traffic