IBM Selects Emulex 8Gb HBAs for Its IBM System x Servers

Emulex Corporation announced that its LightPulse 8Gb/s Fibre Channel Host Bus Adapters (HBAs) are optimized for use with the new generation of IBM System x Intel Xeon processor 5500 series-based servers. Emulex 8Gb/s HBAs, working with IBM System x3650 M2 and IBM System x3550 M2 equipped with Intel QuickPath Interconnect technology (QPI), provide customers with the increased performance, I/O bandwidth and the scalability necessary for their virtualized server environments.

 
"With greater transaction rates and more effective CPU utilization than other market offerings, Emulex 8Gb/s HBAs are best positioned to handle the mission-critical and I/O-intensive applications of next-generation data centers," said Steve Daheb, chief marketing officer and senior vice president of business development, Emulex. "By working closely with IBM and other industry leaders, we will continue to deliver best-in-class HBA and connectivity technologies that meet the demanding requirements of rapidly-growing virtualized server environments."
 
Leveraging Emulex HBA technology, the new IBM System x3650 M2 and System x3550 M2 servers offer twice the performance for virtualized environments.

Emulex LightPulse HBAs offer customers
a range of capabilities, including:

• Bandwidth that supports more virtual machines (VMs) per server than other solutions. Emulex 8Gb/s HBAs maximize the performance improvements and power savings offered by IBM’s new servers.
• Enterprise scalability and flexibility through support for Message-Signaled Interrupts eXtended (MSI-X), offering end users greater CPU efficiency, reduced system latency and improved I/O throughput – all of which contribute to increased server performance and reduced power consumption.
• Comprehensive virtualization capabilities with support for N_Port ID Virtualization (NPIV) and Virtual Fabric, enabling IBM System x users to leverage storage area network (SAN) management tools and best practices at the VM level, including fabric zoning and LUN mapping/masking.
• Host to Fabric FC-SP authentication – ensures end-to-end data integrity and protects sensitive data from unauthorized access.
• Support for the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) preboot environment common across all new IBM systems.
• Common driver model allows a single driver to support all Emulex HBAs on a given operating system – lowers administrative costs and speeds server deployment.
• Support for 8Gb/s, 4Gb/s & 2Gb/s Fibre Channel devices – integrates seamlessly into existing SANs.

"Offering superior performance in virtualized environments, as well as significantly lower power requirements, our new System x servers give customers a reason to invest in their IT infrastructures, even in challenging economic times," said Robert Galush, Vice President of Systems x Servers and Options, IBM Corporation. "With Emulex’s 8Gb/s HBA supporting our new systems, IBM is even better equipped to drive x86 server innovation and help customers to maximize their server efficiency and power savings, without compromise."
 
Emulex HBAs are managed using HBAnyware, a secure, automated and centralized enterprise management platform that provides a single interface for the deployment, dynamic provisioning, asset management, connectivity management, security and quality of service (QoS) of I/O connectivity that is optimized for virtualized server environments.