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Abstract
The QLogic 8 Gb Intelligent Pass-thru Module for IBM BladeCenter provides seamless integration of an IBM BladeCenter solution into existing Fibre Channel storage networks using N_Port ID Virtualization (NPIV) technology. The module concentrates multiple blade servers into the external ports, which in turn connect to external Fibre Channel switches that support NPIV. The pass-thru module presents one or more blade servers per port to the fabric. The module expands the fabric, but unlike a full fabric switch, it does not count against the fabric domain.
Contents
The QLogic 8 Gb Intelligent Pass-thru Module for IBM BladeCenter provides seamless integration of an IBM BladeCenter solution into existing Fibre Channel storage networks using N_Port ID Virtualization (NPIV) technology. The module concentrates multiple blade servers into the external ports, which in turn connect to external Fibre Channel switches that support NPIV. The pass-thru module presents one or more blade servers per port to the fabric. The module expands the fabric, but unlike a full fabric switch, it does not count against the fabric domain.
Figure 1 shows the QLogic 8 Gb Intelligent Pass-thru Module.
Figure 1. QLogic 8 Gb Intelligent Pass-thru Module for IBM BladeCenter
Did you know?
The QLogic 8 Gb Intelligent Pass-thru Module is the latest Fibre Channel NPIV switching option for the IBM BladeCenter. The module is licensed to operate in intelligent pass-thru mode and can be later upgraded to operate in full-fabric mode.
The switch connects to the midplane directly, without having to use cables or small form-factor pluggable (SFP) modules. By eliminating these components for up to 14 servers, the resulting savings alone cover the BladeCenter chassis investment.
Part number information
Table 1 shows the part number to order this module.
Table 1. Part number and feature code for ordering
| Description | Part number | Feature code |
| QLogic 8 Gb Intelligent Pass-thru Module for IBM BladeCenter | 44X1907 | 5482 |
The part number includes the following items:
- One QLogic 8 Gb Intelligent Pass-thru Module for IBM BladeCenter
- The Documentation CD
- The IBM Important Notices document
The switch comes without small form-factor pluggable plus (SFP+) modules, and they must be ordered additionally. Table 2 lists the part numbers that are supported.
Table 2. Supported SFPs and SFPs+ for the QLogic 8 Gb Intelligent Pass-thru Module
| Description | Part number | Feature code |
| IBM 8 Gb SFP+ SW Optical Transceiver | 44X1964 | 5075 |
| 4 Gbps SW SFP Transceiver | 39R6475 | 4804 |
| 4 Gbps shortwave SFP transceiver pair | 26K7941 | 2410 |
| 4 Gbps SW SFP Transceiver 4 Pack | 22R4897 | 2414 |
| 4 Gbps SW SFP Transceiver | 22R4902 | 2410 |
Features
The QLogic 8 Gb Intelligent Pass-thru Module has the following features:
- Six external autosensing Fibre Channel ports (2, 4, or 8 Gbps for 8 Gb SFP+ transceivers, and 1, 2, or 4 Gbps for 4 Gb SFP transceivers) that operate as TF_Ports (Transparent Fabric Ports) at a maximum speed of 8 Gbps
- 14 internal Fibre Channel ports that operate as TH_Ports (Transparent Host Ports) at 2, 4, or 8 Gbps depending on FC expansion cards installed into blades
- Two internal full-duplex 100 Mbps Ethernet interfaces
- N_Port ID Virtualization (NPIV) functionality
- Power-on self-test diagnostics and status reporting
- Support for Non-Disruptive Code Load Activation (NDCLA)
- Registered State Change Notification (RSCN)
- Support for standards-based FC-SW2 interoperability
- Error detection
- Cyclic redundancy check (CRC)
- 8-byte and 10-byte conversion
- Parity
- Long frame and short frame
- D_ID mismatch
- S_ID mismatch
- Frame bundling
- No frame bundling (frames are intermixed from different source ports)
- Soft lockdown (the I/O module waits for the sequence to be completed or a gap in the frame traffic to occur before it services requests from a different port)
- Configurable Fabric Address Notification (FAN)
- Support for up to 239 switches depending on configuration
- 8 Gb switch fabric aggregate bandwidth: 320 Gbps at full duplex
- Maximum frame size: 2148 bytes (2112 byte payload)
- Nonblocking architecture to prevent latency
- Support for Call Home function
- Support for Domain Name Service (DNS)
- Support for Internet protocol (IP) Version 6
- Support for Internet protocol security (IPsec)
- Support for separate trap community strings for each trap address
- Support for Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) Version 3
- Support for vital product data (VPD)
- Optional small form-factor pluggable plus (SFP+) modules
The following software feature comes with the switch module:
- QuickTools Web interface
The switch supports the following fabric management (all management connections go through the management module):
- Web interface through QuickTools
- Command-line interface (CLI) through the Telnet program
- Enterprise Fabric Suite 2007 application
- Switch SNMP agent, which enables a network management workstation to receive configuration values, traffic information, and FC failure data through SNMP and the Ethernet interface
Supported BladeCenter chassis and expansion cards
The QLogic 8 Gb Intelligent Pass-thru Module is supported in the IBM BladeCenter chassis as listed in Table 3.
Table 3. IBM BladeCenter chassis that support the QLogic 8 Gb Intelligent Pass-thru Module
 I/O module | Part number | | | | | | | |
QLogic 8 Gb Intelligent Pass-thru Module for IBM BladeCenter | 44X1907 | Y | Y | Y | Y* | Y* | Y | N |
The QLogic 8 Gb Intelligent Pass-thru Module supports the expansion cards listed in Table 4. Table 4 also lists the chassis bays in which the switch module must be installed when used with each expansion card.
The QLogic 8 Gb Intelligent Pass-thru Module fits in a standard I/O bay (bays 1-4) and, with the addition of the Multi-Switch Interconnect Module (MSIM) in the BladeCenter H, can also fit in a high-speed I/O bay (bays 7-10). The QLogic 8 Gb Intelligent Pass-thru Module is not supported with MSIM-HT in high-speed bays of the BladeCenter HT chassis.
Table 4. Expansion card support and Chassis I/O bay support
Supported expansion cards | Part number | | | | | | | | | | |
QLogic 4 Gb SFF FC Expansion Card | 26R0890 | N | N | Y | Y | N | N | N | N | N | N |
QLogic 4 Gb FC Expansion Card (CFFv) | 41Y8527 | N | N | Y | Y | N | N | N | N | N | N |
Emulex 4 Gb FC Expansion Card (CFFv) | 43W6859 | N | N | Y | Y | N | N | N | N | N | N |
QLogic 4 Gb FC Expansion Card (CIOv) | 46M6065 | N | N | Y | Y | N | N | N | N | N | N |
QLogic Ethernet and 4 Gb FC Card (CFFh) | 39Y9306 | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | Y | N | Y |
QLogic Ethernet and 8 Gb FC Card (CFFh) | 44X1940 | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | Y | N | Y |
Emulex 8Gb Fibre Channel Exp. Card (CIOv) | 46M6140 | N | N | Y | Y | N | N | N | N | N | N |
QLogic 8Gb Fibre Channel Exp. Card (CIOv) | 44X1945 | N | N | Y | Y | N | N | N | N | N | N |
Note: When the I/O module is installed in a BladeCenter T unit, the internal ports operate up to 2 Gbps, and the external ports operate at speeds up to 8 Gbps. When the I/O module is installed in a BladeCenter HT unit, the internal ports operate up to 4 Gbps, and the external ports operate at speeds up to 8 Gbps.
Popular configurations
Figure 2 shows the QLogic 8 Gb Intelligent Pass-thru Module that is installed in standard I/O bays in the BladeCenter chassis. The chassis is connected to the IBM System Storage SAN40B-4 Fibre Channel fabric switch. The servers in the chassis each have compatible CFFv or CIOv Fibre Channel expansion cards.
Figure 2. IBM BladeCenter connected to an external fabric switch using the QLogic 8 Gb Intelligent Pass-thru Module
Table 5 lists the parts that are used in this configuration.
Table 5. Components used as shown in Figure 2
| Diagram reference | Part number / Machine type | Description | Quantity |
| Varies | IBM BladeCenter HS22, HS21, or other supported server | 1 to 14 | |
| Varies | Supported CIOv or CFFv expansion card (see Table 4) | 1 per server | |
| Varies | Supported BladeCenter chassis (See Table 3) | 1 | |
| 44X1907 | QLogic 8 Gb Intelligent Pass-thru Module | 1 or 2 | |
| 44X1964 | IBM 8 Gb SFP+ SW Optical Transceiver | Up to 12 | |
| 2498-B40 | IBM System Storage SAN40B-4 Fibre Channel fabric switch | 1 |
This configuration also requires cabling between the chassis and the fabric switch. (The cable part numbers are not listed in the table.)
Connectors and LEDs
The front panel of the QLogic 8 Gb Intelligent Pass-thru Module contains the following components, as shown in Figure 3:
- Information LEDs that display the status of the I/O module and its network connections.
- Six external Fibre Channel ports to connect Fibre Channel devices and switches. These ports are labeled 0, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19 (from top to bottom) on the I/O module.
Figure 3. Front panel of the I/O module
Table 6 lists the LEDs on the front panel and their meanings.
Table 6. LEDs on the front panel
LED name | LED description |
OK | This green LED is at the top left of the I/O module on the front panel and indicates that the module is working properly. |
! (I/O module fault) | This amber LED is at the top right of the I/O module on the front panel. This LED indicates that the I/O module has a fault. If the I/O module fails the POST, this fault LED is lit. |
External port logged-in (LOG) | There are six green external port logged-in (LOG) LEDs. When one of these LEDs is lit, it indicates that there is a connection (or link) to a device on that port. |
External port activity (TX/RX) | There are six green external port activity (TX/RX) LEDs. When one of these LEDs flashes, it indicates that data is being received or transmitted (that is, activity is occurring) on that port. The flash frequency is proportional to the amount of traffic on that port. |
External port fault (!) | There are six amber external port fault (!) LEDs. When an external port fault LED is lit, it indicates that the external port has failed the internal, external, or online port diagnostics tests. |
Operating environment
The environment has the following temperature and altitude requirements:
- Operating:
- 10 - 52 °C (50 - 125 °F) at an altitude of 0 to 914 m (0 to 3,000 ft)
- 10 - 49 °C (50 - 20 °F) at an altitude of 0 to 3,000 m (0 to 10,000 ft)
- Non-operating:
- 40 - 65 °C (-40 - 149 °F) at an altitude of 0 to 12,000 m (0 to 39,370 ft)
The environment has the following humidity level requirements:
- Operating: 8% to 80%, noncondensing
- Non-operating: 5% to 80%, noncondensing
Related publications
For more information, see the following documents:
- QLogic 8 Gb Intelligent Pass-thru Module and 20-port 8 Gb SAN Switch Module Installation and User's Guide
http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=psg1MIGR-5079302 - IBM US Announcement Letter IBM BladeCenter support options expand with new selection of higher capacity QLogic products
http://ibm.com/common/ssi/cgi-bin/ssialias?infotype=dd&subtype=ca&&htmlfid=897/ENUS108-862 - IBM BladeCenter Interoperability Guide
http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=psg1MIGR-5073016 - IBM Redbooks publication IBM BladeCenter Products and Technology, SG24-7523
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/abstracts/sg247523.html
Special Notices
This material has not been submitted to any formal IBM test and is published AS IS. It has not been the subject of rigorous review. IBM assumes no responsibility for its accuracy or completeness. The use of this information or the implementation of any of these techniques is a client responsibility and depends upon the client's ability to evaluate and integrate them into the client's operational environment.