Switch features

The SAN96B-5 offers the following features and capabilities:
  • Up to 96 auto-sensing ports of high-performance 16 Gbps technology in a single domain
  • Ports on Demand scaling from 48 to 72 or 96 ports
  • Port licensing through Dynamic Ports On Demand (DPOD)
  • 2, 4, 8, and 16 Gbps auto-sensing Fibre Channel switch and router ports
    • 2, 4, and 8 Gbps performance is enabled by 8 Gbps SFP+ transceivers
    • 4, 8, and 16 Gbps performance is enabled by 16 Gbps SFP+ transceivers
  • 10 Gbps manual set capability on FC ports on the first eight ports (requires the optional 10 Gigabit FCIP/Fibre Channel license)
    • Ports can be configured for 10 Gbps for metro connectivity
    • 10 Gbps performance is enabled by 10 Gbps Fibre Channel SFP+ transceivers
  • FC ports will self-configure as E_ports and F_ports. EX_ports can be activated on a per-port basis with the optional Integrated Routing license.
    • Mirror ports (M_ports) and diagnostic ports (D_ports) must be manually configured
    • The Diagnostic Port (D_port) feature provides physical media diagnostic, troubleshooting, and verification services
  • In-flight data compression and encryption on up to four ports provides efficient link utilization and security.
  • Options for port side exhaust or non-port side exhaust airflow for cooling
  • Virtual Fabric (VF) support to improve isolation between different VFs
  • Fibre Channel Routing (FCR) service, available with the optional Integrated Routing license, provides improved scalability and fault isolation
  • Inter-Switch Link (ISL) Trunking (licensable), which allows up to eight ports (at 2, 4, 8, or 16 Gbps speeds) between a pair of switches combined to form a single, logical ISL with a speed of up to 128 Gbps (256 Gbps full duplex) for optimal bandwidth utilization and load balancing. There is no limit to how many trunk groups can be configured.
  • Dynamic Path Selection (DPS), which optimizes fabric-wide performance and load balancing by automatically routing data to the most efficient available path in the fabric
  • SFP+ optical transceivers that support any combination of Short Wavelength (SWL) and Long Wavelength (LWL) or Extended Long Wavelength (ELWL) optical media among the switch ports
  • Extended distance support enables native Fibre Channel extension up to 7,500 km at 2 Gbps
  • Support for unicast data traffic types
  • Fabric OS, which delivers distributed intelligence throughout the network and enables a wide range of value-added applications including Web Tools, Advanced Zoning, Full Fabric, Enhanced Group Management, Adaptive Networking, and Server Application Optimization (SAO). Optional Fabric Services include: Fabric Watch, Extended Fabrics, ISL Trunking, Advanced Performance Monitor, and Integrated Routing. (The optional SAN96B-5 Enterprise Package feature includes Fabric Watch, Extended Fabrics, ISL Trunking, and Advanced Performance Monitor.)
  • Hardware zoning is accomplished at the port level of the switch and by World Wide Name (WWN). Hardware zoning permits or denies delivery of frames to any destination port address
  • Extensive diagnostics and system-monitoring capabilities for enhanced high Reliability, Availability, and Serviceability (RAS)
  • 10Gbps Fibre Channel integration on the same port provides for DWDM metro connectivity on the same switch (available on first eight ports only with appropriate licensing)
  • EZSwitchSetup wizard that makes SAN configuration a three-step point-and-click task
  • Real time power monitoring enables users to monitor real time power usage of the fabric at the switch level
  • Local port latency minimized to 700 nanoseconds (ns) through the use of cut-through frame routing at 16 Gbps
  • Switch latency of 2100 ns (L2 latency without forward error correction)
Attention: This product may not be certified in your country for connection by any means whatsoever to interfaces of public telecommunications networks nor to be used in a public services network. Further certification may be required by law prior to making any such connection. Please contact IBM® for information.