IBM g-series Ethernet switches

Secure, stackable, high-capacity Ethernet edge switches with Power over Ethernet (PoE) capability

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Highlights

Compact 48-port 10/100/1000 Mbps access switches are field upgradeable to support Class 3 Power over Ethernet (PoE) providing 15.4 watts of power per port
Full IPv4 Layer 2 switching capabilities facilitate network resiliency
Base Layer 3 capabilities enable routed topologies to the network edge; supported features include: RIP v1/v2 route announcement, static IP routes, virtual and routed interfaces, DHCP relay and VRRP.
Help optimize network traffic with Layer 2 multicast support
Available Edge Layer 3 upgrade extends routing to the network edge
B50G model features advanced IronStack stacking technology over 2x 10 GbE CX4 ports, allowing up to eight systems to be stacked and managed as a single virtual chassis
Highly available, hot-swappable, N+1 load-sharing AC power supplies
Advanced suite of security capabilities, including ACLs, MAC filters, TCP SYN and ICMP denial of service (DoS) protection, Spanning Tree Protocol BPDU guard, root guard, unicast, broadcast and multicast rate limiting, 802.1X authentication and enhanced lawful intercept features

IBM g-series Ethernet access switches provide enterprise organizations with a flexible and feature-rich solution for building a secure and converged network edge. The switches support 48x 1 GbE RJ45 ports including 4x 1 GbE SFP combination ports. The B48G is upgradeable with two 10 GbE uplink ports to consolidate connections into the enterprise aggregation point, campus LANs, or metro area networks. The B50G comes with 2x 10 GbE CX4 stacking ports, providing the flexibility of a “pay-as-you-grow” architecture.

Both models enable a converged solution for vital network applications such as VoIP, wireless access, WebTV, video surveillance, building management systems, triple play (voice + video + data) services and remote video kiosks in a cost-effective, high-performance compact design. Support for the IEEE 802.1AB LLDP and ANSI TIA 1057 LLDP-MED standards enables organizations to deploy interoperable, multi-vendor solutions for unified communications. Configuring IP endpoints, such as VoIP, stations can be a complex task requiring manual and time-consuming configuration.

Key features

High density, 48x 1 GbE Class 3 (15.4 watts) Power over Ethernet (POE) capable ports with redundant removable load-sharing power supplies
4x 100/1000 Mbps Ethernet combination SFP ports available for connectivity using SFP transceivers for extended distances (total 48x 1 GbE ports active on a system concurrently)
Flexible, pay-as-you-grow architecture with modular 2-port 10 GbE option (B48G)
Cost-effective and rapid scaling utilizing advanced IronStack stacking technology supports up to eight units managed as a single virtual chassis with connectivity over high-speed 10 GbE links
Powerful set of IPv4 Layer 2 switching and base Layer 3 routing capabilities includes Virtual Switch Redundancy Protocol (VSRP), Brocade’s Metro Ring Protocol (MRP), Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol, protected link groups, and 802.3ad Link Aggregation
Advanced Layer 2 unicast and multicast support including IGMP and PIM snooping to improve bandwidth utilization
Flexible options to upgrade the software to Edge Layer 3, adding support for IP routing protocols such as RIPv1/v2 and OSPFv2
Highly available system design featuring N+1 redundant, hot-swappable power supplies
Advanced embedded security supporting closed loop threat detection and mitigation, 802.1x multi-device authentication, dynamic VLAN assignment, and extended ACLs and MAC filters
Advanced Quality of Service (QoS) and network visibility utilizing port, source/destination MAC address, 802.1p, Type of Service (ToS), Differentiated Services Codepoints (DSCP), Ingress and Egress rate limiting, and flexible queue servicingS

Hardware summary

IBM Ethernet Switch B48G: 48x 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet RJ45 ports including 4x 100/1000 Mbps Ethernet SFP combination ports and optional 2-port 10 GbE module
IBM Ethernet Switch B50G: 48x 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet RJ45 ports including 4x 100/1000 Mbps Ethernet SFP combination ports and 2x 10 GbE CX4 stacking ports for connectivity to another B50G
Flexible and resilient design offering redundant, removable, load-sharing power supplies, field-upgradeable 10 GbE module (B48G) and IronStack stacking capabilities (B50G)