Networking with the Nortel 10 Gb Ethernet Switch Module for BladeCenter H

This Redpaper discusses the physical layout of the 10 Gb switch and the installation in HSS slots 7 or 9 in BladeCenter H chassis. In addition, we discuss the physical layout of the NetXen HBA card and its installation in the HS21/LS21 and connectivity to an IBM TotalStorage device.

This Redpaper provides detailed instructions on how to install and configure NetXen drivers on the Windows 2K3 and Linux (RHEL and SUSE) platforms.

This Redpaper discusses:

* NIC teaming and bonding
* The 10 Gb switch configuration
- Cisco integration, including link aggregation, multiple VLANs (802.1q), L3 routing with OSPF, Spanning Tree modes
- HA features: trunk failover, VRRP
- Filters/access lists, including use of QoS; can include QoS example for iSCSI or other
* 10 Gb iSCSI
- with N-Series/NetApp storage with 10 Gb NIC
- Best performance with TCP Chimney or LSA

• IBM BladeCenter Products and Technology, SG24-7523-04
• IBM System Storage DS3000: Introduction and Implementation Guide, SG24-7065-01
• Planning, Installing, and Managing the IBM System x3950 M2, SG24-7630-00

Publish Date
15 January 2008

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Author(s)

Rufus Credle is a Certified Consulting IT Specialist at the ITSO, Raleigh Center. In his role as project leader, he conducts residencies and develops IBM Redbooks about network operating systems, ERP solutions, voice technology, high availability and clustering solutions, Web application servers, pervasive computing, IBM and OEM e-business applications, IBM System x, xSeries and IBM BladeCenter. Rufus' various positions during his IBM career have included assignments in administration and asset management, systems engineering, sales and marketing, and IT services. He holds a BS degree in business management from Saint Augustine's College. Rufus has been employed at IBM for 27 years.

• Rufus Credle

Ken Corkins is a member of the System x Advanced Technical Support Group in Dallas, Texas. He specializes in BladeCenter and networking. His responsibilities include assisting BladeCenter pre-sale customers in the Americas with proof of concepts and pilot testing. He organized the Nortel Champions program for North America in Dallas. He has 12 years of experience in the IT industry and holds the Cisco CCNP and CCDP certifications. Ken started with IBM in October 2000 as an IT Specialist (Networking) with IBM Global Services.

• Ken Corkins

Scott Lorditch is a Sales Network Architect for Blade Network Technologies, Inc. (formerly the Blade Switching Server business unit of Nortel Networks). He develops designs and proposals for customers and potential customers of Blade Network Technologies, Inc. GbESM products for the IBM BladeCenter, including overall network architecture assessments. He has also developed several training and lab sessions for IBM technical and sales personnel and has provided field feedback to the product team. His background before working for Blade Network Technologies, Inc. includes almost 20 years working on networking including electronic securities transfer projects for a major bank based in New York City, as a Senior Network Architect for a multi-national soft drink company, and as Product Manager for managed hosting services for a large telecommunications provider. He holds a BS in Operations Research with specialization in Computer Science from Cornell University.

• Scott Lorditch

Jeremy Oliver is a licensed Professional Engineer of North Carolina and works in IBM Systems and Technology Group, System x. He has worked at IBM Research Triangle Park, North Carolina for nine years. His educational background includes a BS degree in Electrical Engineering from McNeese State University, Lake Charles, Louisiana. He also holds a MS degree in Electrical Engineering from North Carolina State University, Raleigh, with research in PHY technologies of computer networking. His area of expertise is developing experiments for testing new BladeCenter technologies, focusing on switch I/O modules. Jeremy was a co-author of REDP-3586-00 on Nortel L2/3 ESM, published in 2005.

• Jeremy Oliver

Andreas Spangberg is a Staff Engineer at the ISS Wintel Technical Support Centre in IBM UK in Greenock. He works in the EMEA System-X and BladeCenter Level 2 department as BladeCenter and Blade Network Option PFE and is Technical Team Lead of the Level 2 Blade team. Andreas has 12 years experience in IBM Technical Support. He specializes in BladeCenter and Networking and holds the CISCO CCNA and CCNP certifications. He organized the Nortel Champions program for EMEA in Greenock.

• Andreas Spangberg

IBM Form Number
REDP-4314-00

Number of pages

202