IBM Flex System EN4091 10Gb Ethernet Pass-thru Module

The IBM Flex System™ EN4091 10Gb Ethernet Pass-thru Module offers easy connectivity of the IBM Flex System Enterprise Chassis to any external network infrastructure. This unmanaged device enables direct Ethernet connectivity of the compute node in the chassis to an external top-of-rack data center switch. This module can function at both 1 Gb and 10 Gb Ethernet speeds. It has fourteen internal 1 Gb or 10 Gb links, and fourteen external 1 Gb or 10 Gb SFP+ uplinks.

The following figure shows the IBM Flex System EN4091 10Gb Ethernet Pass-thru Module.


Figure 1. IBM Flex System EN4091 10Gb Ethernet Pass-thru Module


Did you know?

The IBM Flex System EN4091 10Gb Ethernet Pass-thru Module provides 14 internal and 14 external 10 Gb Ethernet ports, and it supports 1 Gb and 10 Gb Ethernet signaling for Converged Enhanced Ethernet (CEE), Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE), and other Ethernet-based transport protocols.

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 data center 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 and easy-to-use management system reduces setup time and complexity, providing a quicker path to return on investment (ROI).


Part number information

The IBM Flex System EN4091 10Gb Ethernet Pass-thru Module has 14 internal and 14 external ports that can operate at 1 Gb or 10 Gb Ethernet speeds. The following table shows the part numbers for ordering the Pass-thru Module.

Table 1. Part numbers and feature codes for ordering

Description	Part number	Feature codes*
IBM Flex System EN4091 10Gb Ethernet Pass-thru Module	88Y6043	A1QV / 3700

* The first feature code listed is for configurations ordered through the IBM® System x® sales channel. The second feature code is for configurations ordered through the IBM Power Systems™ sales channel.

The part number for the IBM Flex System EN4091 10Gb Ethernet Pass-thru Module, 88Y6043, includes the following items:

• One IBM Flex System EN4091 10Gb Ethernet Pass-thru Module
• IBM Important Notices flyer and Warranty Flyer
• Documentation CD-ROM

Note: QSFP and SFP+ transceivers or cables are not included with the module.


Supported transceivers and cables

The following table lists the supported cables and transceivers.

Table 2. Supported transceivers and DAC cables

Part number	Feature code*	Description
SFP transceivers - 1 GbE
81Y1618	3268 / EB29	IBM SFP RJ-45 Transceiver (does not support 10/100 Mbps)
81Y1622	3269 / EB2A	IBM SFP SX Transceiver
90Y9424	A1PN / None	IBM SFP LX Transceiver
SFP+ transceivers - 10 GbE
46C3447	5053 / None	IBM SFP+ SR Transceiver
90Y9412	A1PM / None	IBM SFP+ LR Transceiver
44W4408	4942 / 3382	10GbE 850 nm Fiber SFP+ Transceiver (SR)
SFP+ Direct-attach copper (DAC) cables - 10 GbE
81Y8295	A18M / EN01	1m 10GE Twinax Act Copper SFP+
81Y8296	A18N / EN02	3m 10GE Twinax Act Copper SFP+
81Y8297	A18P / EN03	5m 10GE Twinax Act Copper SFP+
95Y0323	A25A / None	1m IBM Active DAC SFP+ Cable
95Y0326	A25B / None	3m IBM Active DAC SFP+ Cable
95Y0329	A25C / None	5m IBM Active DAC SFP+ Cable

* The first feature code listed is for configurations ordered through System x sales channels. The second feature code is for configurations ordered through the Power Systems sales channel.

With the flexibility of the IBM Flex System EN4091 10Gb Ethernet Pass-thru Module, clients can take advantage of the technologies that they require for multiple environments:

• For 1 GbE links, you can use SFP transceivers plus RJ-45 cables or LC-to-LC fiber cables, depending on the transceiver.
• For 10 GbE, you can use direct-attached copper (DAC, also known as Twinax) cables, which come in lengths between 1 m and 5 m. These DAC cables are a cost-effective and low-power alternative to transceivers, and are ideal for all 10 Gb Ethernet connectivity to the Top-of-the-Rack (TOR) switches. For longer distances, you can use SFP+ transceivers (SR or LR) plus LC-to-LC fiber optic cables.

Benefits

The IBM Flex System EN4091 10Gb Ethernet Pass-thru Module is particularly suited for the following clients:

• Clients who require direct connectivity of the compute nodes in the chassis to an external TOR data center switch
• Clients who are implementing a converged environment
• Clients who want to reduce total cost of ownership (TCO) and improve performance, while maintaining high levels of availability and security
• Clients who want to avoid oversubscription, which can result in congestion and loss of performance

Features and specifications

The IBM Flex System EN4091 10Gb Ethernet Pass-thru Module has the following features and specifications:

• Internal ports: Fourteen internal full-duplex Ethernet ports that can operate at 1 Gb or 10 Gb speeds.

• External ports: Fourteen ports for 1 Gb or 10 Gb Ethernet SFP+ transceivers (support for 1000BASE-SX, 1000BASE-LX, 1000BASE-T, 10GBASE-SR, or 10GBASE-LR) or SFP+ copper direct-attach cables (DAC). SFP+ modules and DAC cables are not included and must be purchased separately.

• An unmanaged device that has no internal Ethernet management port, but is able to provide its vital product data (VPD) to the secure management network in the Chassis Management Module.

Standards supported

The module supports the following IEEE standards:

• IEEE 802.3ab 1000BASE-T copper twisted pair Gigabit Ethernet
• IEEE 802.3z 1000BASE-SX short range fiber optics Gigabit Ethernet
• IEEE 802.3z 1000BASE-LX long range fiber optics Gigabit Ethernet
• IEEE 802.3ae 10GBASE-SR short range fiber optics 10 Gb Ethernet
• IEEE 802.3ae 10GBASE-LR long range fiber optics 10 Gb Ethernet
• 10GSFP+Cu SFP+ Direct Attach copper

Supported chassis and adapter cards

The switches are installed in switch bays in the rear of the IBM Flex System Enterprise Chassis, as shown in the following figure. Switches are normally installed in pairs because I/O adapter cards installed in the compute nodes route to two switch bays for redundancy and performance.


Figure 2. Location of the switch bays in the IBM Flex System Enterprise Chassis

The connections between the adapters installed in the compute nodes to the switch bays in the chassis are shown in the following figure. The figure shows both half-wide servers, such as the x240 with two adapters, and full-wide servers, such as the p460 with four adapters.


Figure 3. Logical layout of the interconnects between I/O adapters and I/O modules

The EN4091 10Gb Ethernet Pass-thru Module can be installed in bays 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the chassis. A supported Ethernet adapter must be installed in the corresponding slot of the compute node (slot A1 when modules are installed in bays 1 and 2 or slot A2 when switches are in bays 3 and 4).

In compute nodes that have an integrated dual-port 10 GbE network interface controller (NIC), NIC ports are routed to bays 1 and 2 with a specialized periscope connector, and the adapter card in slot A1 is not required. However, when needed, the periscope connector can be replaced with the adapter card. In that case, an integrated NIC is disabled.

The following table shows the connections between the adapters installed in the compute nodes to the switch bays in the chassis.

Table 3. Adapter to I/O bay correspondence

I/O adapter slot in the server	Port on the adapter	Corresponding I/O module bay in the chassis
Slot 1	Port 1	Module bay 1
	Port 2	Module bay 2
Slot 2	Port 1	Module bay 3
	Port 2	Module bay 4
Slot 3 (full-wide compute nodes only)	Port 1	Module bay 1
	Port 2	Module bay 2
Slot 4 (full-wide compute nodes only)	Port 1	Module bay 3
	Port 2	Module bay 4

The following table lists the I/O adapters supported by the EN4091 10Gb Ethernet Pass-thru Module.

Table 4. Network adapters

Description	Part number	System x feature code	Power Systems feature code	Support for EN4091 10Gb Ethernet Pass-thru Module
10 Gb Ethernet
Embedded 10Gb Virtual Fabric Adapter (2-port)	None	None	None	Yes*
IBM Flex System Embedded 10Gb Virtual Fabric Upgrade (Feature on Demand to provide FCoE and iSCSI support)	90Y9310	A2TD	None	Yes
IBM Flex System CN4054 10Gb Virtual Fabric Adapter (4-port)	90Y3554	A1R1	None	Yes
IBM Flex System CN4054 Virtual Fabric Adapter (SW Upgrade) (Feature on Demand to provide FCoE and iSCSI support)	90Y3558	A1R0	None	Yes
IBM Flex System EN4054 4-port 10Gb Ethernet Adapter	None	None	1762	Yes
IBM Flex System EN4132 2-port 10Gb Ethernet Adapter	90Y3466	A1QY	None	Yes
1 Gb Ethernet
IBM Flex System EN2024 4-port 1Gb Ethernet Adapter	49Y7900	A10Y	1763	Yes

* The Embedded 10Gb Virtual Fabric Adapter is included in the x240 models with model numbers using the form x2x.

The adapters are installed in slots in each compute node. The following figure shows the locations of the slots in the x240 Compute Node. The positions of the adapters in the other supported servers are similar.


Figure 4. Location of the I/O adapter slots in the IBM Flex System x240 Compute Node


Connectors and LEDs

The following figure shows the front panel of the IBM Flex System EN4091 10Gb Ethernet Pass-thru Module.


Figure 5. Front panel of the IBM Flex System EN4091 10Gb Ethernet Pass-thru Module

The front panel has the following components:

• LEDs that show the status of the module and the network:
  • The OK LED indicates that the module has passed the power-on self-test (POST) with no critical faults and is operational.
  • The blue Identify LED is used to identify the module physically by using the management software to illuminate it.
  • The error LED (pass-thru module error) indicates that the module has failed the POST or detected an operational fault.
• Fourteen external SFP+ ports for 1 Gb or 10 Gb connections to external Ethernet devices.
• An Ethernet link OK LED and an Ethernet Tx/Rx LED for each external port on the module.

Network cabling requirements

The network cables that can be used with the IBM Flex System EN4091 10Gb Ethernet Pass-thru Module are as follows:

• 10GBASE-SR (requires the optional 10 GbE SFP transceivers listed in Table 2)
  • 850 nm communication using multimode fiber cable (50 µ or 62.5 µ) up to 300 m, LC duplex connector
• 10GBASE-LR (requires the optional 10 GbE SFP+ transceivers listed in Table 2)
  • 1310 nm communication using single-mode fiber cable up to 10 km, LC duplex connector
• 1000BASE-SX (requires the optional 1 GbE SFP transceivers listed in Table 2)
  • 850 nm communication using multimode fiber cable (50 µ or 62.5 µ) up to 550 m, LC duplex connector
• 1000BASE-LX (requires the optional 1 GbE SFP transceivers listed in Table 2)
  • 1310 nm communication using single-mode fiber cable up to 10 km, LC duplex connector
• 1000BASE-T (requires the optional RJ-45 SFP transceivers)
  • UTP Category 6
  • UTP Category 5e (100 m maximum)
  • UTP Category 5 (100 m maximum)
  • EIA/TIA-568B 100-ohm STP (100 m maximum)
• 10GSFP+Cu (requires the optional SFP+ DAC cables listed in Table 3)
  • SFP+ copper direct attach cables (which can be up to 5 m) listed in Table 3

Warranty

There is a 1-year, customer-replaceable unit (CRU) limited warranty. When installed in a chassis, these switches assume your system’s base warranty and any IBM ServicePac® upgrades.


Physical specifications

These are the approximate dimensions and weight of the IBM Flex System EN4091 10Gb Ethernet Pass-thru Module:

• Height: 30 mm (1.2 in.)
• Width: 401 mm (15.8 in.)
• Depth: 317 mm (12.5 in.)
• Weight: 3.7 kg (8.1 lb)

Shipping dimensions and weight (approximate):

• Height: 114 mm (4.5 in.)
• Width: 508 mm (20.0 in.)
• Depth: 432 mm (17.0 in.)
• Weight: 4.1 kg (9.1 lb)

Regulatory compliance

The IBM Flex System EN4091 10Gb Ethernet Pass-thru Module conforms to the following standards:

• United States FCC 47 CFR Part 15, Subpart B, ANSI C63.4 (2003), Class A
• IEC/EN 60950-1, Second Edition
• Canada ICES-003, issue 4, Class A
• Japan VCCI, Class A
• Australia/New Zealand AS/NZS CISPR 22:2006, Class A
• Taiwan BSMI CNS13438, Class A
• CE Mark (EN55022 Class A, EN55024, EN61000-3-2, EN61000-3-3)
• CISPR 22, Class A
• China GB 9254-1998
• Turkey Communique 2004/9; Communique 2004/22
• Saudi Arabia EMC.CVG, 28 October 2002

Popular configurations

The following figure shows the usage of the IBM Flex System EN4091 10Gb Ethernet Pass-thru Module to route two integrated 10 GbE ports and two 10 GbE ports on the dual-port expansion card installed in slot 2 of the compute node. Each compute node has a total of four 10 GbE ports, and four IBM Flex System EN4091 10Gb Ethernet Pass-thru Module are installed in bays 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the Enterprise Chassis. The connections between the adapter card and the modules are internal to the chassis. No cabling is needed.


Figure 5. Using the IBM Flex System EN4091 10Gb Ethernet Pass-thru Module with integrated 10 GbE NICs and dual-port 10 GbE adapter cards

The following table lists the solution components.

Table 5. Components used when connecting the adapter to the 10 GbE switches

Part number/machine type	Description	Quantity
8737-x2x	IBM Flex System x240 Compute Node with Embedded 10Gb Virtual Fabric Adapter	1 to 14
90Y3466	IBM Flex System EN4132 2-port 10Gb Ethernet Adapter	1 per server
8721-A1x	IBM Flex System Enterprise Chassis	1
49Y4270	IBM Flex System Fabric EN4093 10Gb Scalable Switch	4

Related publications

For more information, see the following IBM Flex System EN4091 10Gb Ethernet Pass-thru Module product publications, available from the IBM Flex System Information Center:
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/flexsys/information/index.jsp

• Installation and User's Guide

Here are other useful references:

• US Announcement Letter 112-053
  http://ibm.com/common/ssi/cgi-bin/ssialias?infotype=dd&subtype=ca&&htmlfid=897/ENUS112-053
• IBM Flex System Enterprise Chassis Product Guide
  http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/abstracts/tips0865.html
• IBM Flex System Products and Technology, SG24-7984
  http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/abstracts/sg247984.html
• IBM Flex System Interoperability Guide
  http://ibm.com/support
• IBM Redbooks® Product Guides for IBM Flex System servers and options
  http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/portals/puresystems
• Configuration and Options Guide
  http://www.ibm.com/systems/xbc/cog/