QLogic Virtual Fabric Extension Module for IBM BladeCenter

The QLogic Virtual Fabric Extension Module is the latest Ethernet switching option for the IBM BladeCenter. This offering allows BladeCenter integration with virtually any open-standards-based local area network (LAN).

Blades have made inroads into enterprise data centers by delivering higher density with a lower footprint and reduced costs for power and cooling compared to traditional rack servers. Now with multicore environments, there is an increased need for faster I/O such as 10 Gb Ethernet.

QLogic Virtual Fabric Extension Module
for IBM BladeCenter
IBM Corp. was among the first to deliver Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) across System x and BladeCenter and this new module takes this a step further by offering clients IO convergence inside the chassis. Clients using the BNT 10 Gb switch (part number 46C7191) for their LAN traffic can now combine it with this module and the QLogic CNA (#42C1830) to converge their LAN and SAN on a single network. This not only offers a simplified fabric, but also offers significant savings over separate 10 Gb/8 Gb infrastructure. Other than the cost and management savings, this solution provides the flexibility to upgrade existing chassis to implement IO convergence without replacing existing 10 Gb switch.

Key prerequisites: IBM BladeCenter H

Planned availability date: December 22, 2009