Simple-to-use SAN switch with ease-of-installation and ease-of-use features designed specifically for the needs of small to medium-size environments
Foundation for new infrastructure simplification and business continuity solutions for servers running Microsoft® Windows®, UNIX®, Linux®, NetWare® and OS/400® operating systems
High-performance, 4 Gigabit per second links (requires storage hardware that supports 4 Gbps throughput) with pay-as-you-grow “Ports on Demand” scalability enable growth from 8 to 12 to 16 ports
The IBM TotalStorage® SAN16B-2 fabric switch is designed specifically to address the needs of small to medium-size SAN environments. It can be used to create a wide range of high-performance SAN solutions, from simple single-switch configurations to larger multi-switch configurations which support fabric connectivity and advanced business continuity capabilities. Infrastructure simplification solutions for IBM System x™, IBM System i™ and IBM System p™ servers include storage consolidation and high-availability server clustering with IBM TotalStorage disk storage arrays. Business continuity solutions include data protection with IBM TotalStorage tape libraries and devices and IBM Tivoli® Storage Manager data protection software.
High port-density design with 16 ports in an efficient 1U height helps save rack space
A single SAN16B-2 switch can serve as the cornerstone of a Storage Area Network for those who want to obtain the benefits of storage consolidation and are just beginning to implement Fibre Channel storage systems. Such an entry-level configuration can consist of one or two Fibre Channel links to a disk storage array or to an LTO™ tape drive. An entry-level eight-port storage consolidation solution can support up to seven servers with a single path to either disk or tape. A small configuration such as this is shown in diagram #1. The Ports on Demand feature is designed to enable a base switch to grow to sixteen ports to support more servers and more storage devices without taking the switch offline.
A high-availability solution can be created with redundant switches. This capability is ideal for server clustering environments. Such a configuration can support from six to fourteen servers, each with dual Fibre Channel adapters cross-connected to redundant SAN16B-2 switches which are cross-connected to a dual-controller storage system.
While the focus of the SAN16B-2 is as the foundation of small to medium-sized SANs, it can be configured to participate as a full member in an extended fabric configuration with other members of the IBM TotalStorage SAN b-type family. This capability helps provide investment protection as SAN requirements evolve and grow over time.
Common features
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Standard configuration includes 8-port activation and capability to attach to hosts and storage devices
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Four-port activation option enables "pay-as-you-grow" scalability to 12 or 16 ports
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No previous SAN experience needed to use EZSwitchSetup wizard
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Little or no management required in small fabric configuration
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Advanced Web Tools provides intuitive, graphic switch management
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Supports IBM System x, System p and System i servers plus selected non-IBM servers
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Full compatibility with IBM TotalStorage SAN b-type switches and directors (IBM 2005, 2109 and 3534) helps protect switch investment
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Ideal for use as an edge-switch in larger SANs
Hardware summary
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1U form factor enables enhanced port density and rack space utilization
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Designed for high-performance with 4 Gigabit per second (Gbps) fibre channel ports (requires storage hardware that supports 4 Gbps throughput)
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Speed auto-sensing capabilities provide backward compatibility with 2 and 1 Gbps fibre channel links
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Shortwave small form-factor 4 Gbps SFPs support connectivity up to 150 meters
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Longwave 4 Gbps SFPs support connectivity up to 10 km
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Can be used in any combination of supported 4, 2 or 1 Gbps shortwave and longwave SFPs
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Auto-fabric discovery allows external host and storage systems to discover other SAN-enabled systems that are connected to the fabric
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Non-blocking architecture designed to provide up to 128 Gbps aggregate throughput with a 16-port configuration
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Standard Advanced Zoning provides hardware-enforced zoning to protect against unauthorized or unauthenticated storage network access, non-secure management access and World Wide Name spoofing
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IBM SAN b-type switches and directors use common switch firmware, which helps simplify SAN fabric expansion
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Firmware upgrades are designed to be non-disruptive
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Advanced application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) minimize components for higher availability
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Remote access and remote management are available through the fabric using GUI, SNMP and Telnet.
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Optional B16 Full Fabric Activation is required to enable E_ports for ISL trunking so the switch can connect to other switches
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Optional B16 Extended Fabric Activation is designed to enable extended distance connectivity between ten and eighty kilometers
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Optional B16 Fabric Watch is designed to enable real-time proactive awareness of the health, performance and security of each switch and automatically alert network managers of problems
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Optional B16 Advanced Security is designed to enable policy-based security mechanisms integrated within the Fabric Operating System
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Optional B16 Performance Bundle Activation — Plant-only enables both Enhanced Inter-Switch Link (ISL) Trunking and Performance monitoring capabilities
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Optional B16 Performance Monitoring Activation — Field-only provides capability to help identify end-to-end bandwidth usage and is designed to provide information for capacity planning
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Optional B16 Enhanced Inter-Switch Link (ISL) Trunking — field-only is designed to enable FC packets to be efficiently distributed across multiple ISL connections between two SAN by-type fabric switches while preserving in-order delivery
