IBM to Resell Cisco Nexus 5000

IBM will resell Cisco Nexus 5000 for IBM System Storage switches.

Today’s data centers are increasingly filled with dense rackmount and blade servers that host powerful multicore processors. The rapid increase of in-rack computing density, along with the increasing use of virtualization software, combine to push the demand for 10 Gigabit Ethernet and consolidated I/O – applications for which the Cisco Nexus 5000 for IBM System Storage switches are well suited. With low latency, front-to-back cooling, and rear-facing ports, the Cisco Nexus 5000 for IBM System Storage is designed for data centers transitioning to 10 Gigabit Ethernet as well as for those ready to deploy a unified fabric that can handle their LAN, SAN, and server clusters, networking over a single link (or dual links for redundancy).

The Cisco Nexus 5000 for IBM System Storage switches are a family of line-rate, low-latency, lossless 10 Gigabit Ethernet, Converged Enhanced Ethernet (CEE), and Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) switches for data center applications.

Cisco Nexus 5010 for IBM System Storage (3722-S51): 20 fixed ports of 10 Gigabit Ethernet (ports 1 to 8 are Gigabit Ethernet and 10 Gigabit Ethernet), FCoE, and CEE with additional interfaces through one expansion module. Base machine includes one power supply with an optional second power supply for redundancy.
Cisco Nexus 5020 for IBM System Storage (3722-S52): 40 fixed ports of 10 Gigabit Ethernet (ports 1 to 16 are Gigabit Ethernet and 10 Gigabit Ethernet), FCoE, and CEE with additional interfaces through two expansion modules. Base machine includes one power supply with an optional second power supply for redundancy.

Expansion modules:

6-port 10 Gigabit Ethernet, CEE, and FCoE module
4-port Fibre Channel plus 4-port 10 Gigabit Ethernet, CEE, FCoE, and Fibre Channel module
8-port native 4/2/1-Gbps Fibre Channel expansion module

Key prerequisites
Cisco Nexus 5000 for IBM System Storage switches (3722-S51/S52) require Cisco Nexus NX-OS Software Release 4.1(3)N1(1), or later. For a list of supported servers, refer to the Hardware requirements section.

Planned availability date: September 11, 2009