Abstract
The IBM® b-type Gen 8 Fibre Channel directors and switches provide a resilient, scalable, and secure foundation for modern data centers, supporting virtualization, hybrid cloud, and next-generation NVMe and flash storage workloads. This IBM Redbooks® publication helps administrators design, implement, and migrate to an IBM b-type Gen 8 SAN. It provides an overview of key hardware and software components and explains how to install, monitor, optimize, and troubleshoot SAN environments. By using this book, you can learn best practices for SAN design, along with techniques for managing, monitoring, and maintaining a high-performance storage infrastructure.
Authors
Vasfi Gucer, Nezih Boyacioglu, Dave Burchwell, Harshit Chaudhary, Mark Detrick, Petar Dimitrov, Silviano Gaona, Kenneth Griffo, David Green, Tony McKenzie, Hartmut Lonzer, Vijay Shenoy, Paul Smith, Marcus Thordal and Tim Werts
- MD260026
- Preface
- Introduction
- Purpose of this document
- Who should read this document
- Section overview
- Acknowledgments
- Feedback
- Authors
- IBM b-type Gen 8 platforms overview
- IBM b-type Gen 8 product review
- Gen 8 Fabric Operating System (FOS) overview
- IBM SANnav Management Suite overview
- Fibre Channel SAN design
- Virtual Fabrics overview
- FICON design and implementation
- Introduction to Brocade Unified Storage Fabric
- Migration to Gen 8
- Storage area network security
- IBM b-type Gen 8 Fabric OS administrative tools and diagnostics
- IBM b-type Gen 8 SAN automation
- IBM Storage SAN design guidelines and best practices
- Appendix A - Optics and cables
- Abbreviations
- Additional Resources
- Notices.md -
Preface
Introduction
The IBM® b-type Gen 8 Fibre Channel directors and switches provide a resilient, scalable, and secure foundation for modern data centers, supporting virtualization, hybrid cloud, and next-generation Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) and flash storage workloads. This IBM Redbooks® publication helps administrators design, implement, and migrate to an IBM b-type Gen 8 storage area network (SAN). It provides an overview of key hardware and software components and explains how to install, monitor, optimize, and troubleshoot SAN environments. By using this book, you can learn best practices for SAN design, along with techniques for managing, monitoring, and maintaining a high-performance storage infrastructure.
Purpose of this document
This document provides guidance for installing, migrating, and implementing best practices for IBM b-type Gen 8 Virtual Fabrics. It covers architecture, configuration, and operational considerations to help ensure reliable and efficient deployments.
Who should read this document
This publication is intended for:
- Storage administrators
- SAN architects
- System engineers
- IBM Business Partners
Readers are expected to have a basic understanding of Fibre Channel networking and IBM storage environments.
Section overview
This publication includes the following sections:
- Introduction to IBM b-type Gen 8
- IBM b-type Gen 8 product review
- Fabric Operating System (FOS) 10.x overview
- IBM SANnav Management Suite overview
- Fibre Channel SAN design and implementation
- Virtual Fabrics overview
- FICON design and implementation
- Unified Storage Fabric mode
- Migration use cases
- SAN security
- Brocade Fabric OS administrative tools and diagnostics
- IBM b-type Gen 8 SAN automation (REST)
- IBM Storage SAN design guidelines and best practices
- Appendix A: Optics and cables
Acknowledgments
Thanks to the following people for their contributions to the project.
Elias Luna, Phil Gerrard, and Andy Benbenek from IBM USA
Rahul Kulkarni and Om Dhumal from IBM India
Thanks to the authors of the previous edition of this book, IBM b-type Gen 7 Installation, Migration, and Best Practices Guide, SG24-8497: Brian Larsen, Kameswara Bhaskarabhatla, Matt Brennan, AJ Casamento, Jack Consoli, Mark Detrick, Johnny Fonseca, and Tim Jeka of Broadcom.
Feedback
This document reflects practical experience implementing these technologies in production environments. If you encounter issues not covered here, or if you have suggestions for improving the guidance, your feedback helps make this resource more valuable for the community.