QLogic 12200 and 12300 InfiniBand Edge Switches for the IBM Intelligent Cluster and IBM iDataPlex

Over the past 10 years, InfiniBand networks have become the preferred means for interconnecting high performance computing (HPC) resources. The QLogic 12200 and 12300 are 36-port Quad Data Rate (QDR, 40 Gbps) InfiniBand switches designed to cost-effectively link workgroup resources into a cluster or provide an edge switch option for a larger fabric. The 12200 is a fixed configuration, externally managed InfiniBand switch; the 12300 is a modular, internally or externally managed InfiniBand switch.

Both switches are part of the 12000 Series of products that delivers an unmatched set of high speed networking features and functions.

Figure 1 shows the rear of the 12200 switch. The 12300 is very similar in port layout.

Figure 1. QLogic 12200 QDR InfiniBand switch

QLogic 12200 and 12300 InfiniBand switch series are part of IBM Intelligent Cluster solution (formerly IBM Systems Cluster 1350). IBM Intelligent Cluster is your key to a fully integrated HPC solution. IBM clustering solutions include servers, storage, and industry-leading OEM interconnects that are factory-integrated, fully tested, and delivered to your door, ready to plug into your data center, all with a single point of contact for support.
 

Table 1 shows the part numbers to order these switches.

Table 1. IBM part numbers for ordering

The QLogic 12200 and 12300 QDR InfiniBand edge switches are based on QLogic TrueScale ASIC technology and deliver the next evolution in switching for high performance computing (HPC). The available models are tailored for the requirements of the solution:

• The QLogic 12200 Fixed Configuration switch for the IBM Intelligent Cluster (0449-019 and 0449-028) provides 36 QDR ports in a compact 1U 14.5-inch deep fixed form factor, making it the ideal edge switch for large HPC fabric deployments. Model 0449-028 has two power supplies for redundancy and supports the optional management module, part number 68Y6995.
• The QLogic 12200 Fixed Configuration switch for iDataPlex (0449-020 and 0449-029) provides 36 QDR ports in a compact 1U 14.5-inch deep fixed form factor. It includes AC power entry, air flow, and mounting hardware tailored for IBM iDataPlex, making it the ideal embedded or edge switch for iDataPlex solutions deploying InfiniBand. Model 0449-029 has two power supplies for redundancy and supports the optional management module, part number 68Y6995.
• The QLogic 12300 Configurable switch for IBM Intelligent Cluster (0449-021) is an ideal edge switch for enterprise clustering. It provides 36 QDR ports in a standard 1U 26-inch deep form factor and includes a management processor supporting chassis management and an embedded InfiniBand Subnet Manager. The highly available 12300 design is built around state-of-the-art fault detection and recovery capabilities. It ships with redundant hot-swap power and cooling modules.

The QLogic 12200 and 12300 InfiniBand switches offer the following benefits:

• Low latency: The QLogic 12200 and 12300 provide scalable, predictable low latency, even at 90% traffic use. Predictable latency means HPC applications can be scaled easily without worrying about diminished cluster performance or costly system tuning efforts.
• Flexible partitioning: The QLogic 12200 and 12300 advanced design is based on an architecture that provides comprehensive virtual fabric partitioning capabilities that enable the InfiniBand fabric to support the evolving requirements of an organization. The TrueScale architecture, together with IFS, allows the fabric to be shared by mission-critical applications while delivering maximum bandwidth utilization.
• Investment protection: The 12000 series of switch products adhere to the IBTA version 1.2 specification, ensuring the ability to interoperate with all other IBTA compliant devices.
• Highly reliable: The highly available 12200 and 12300 design is built around state of the art fault detection and recovery capabilities. In addition, 12300 ships with hot swappable, redundant power and cooling modules.
• Easy to manage: The 12200 takes advantage of QLogic’s advanced InfinBand Fabric Suite Software to facilitate quicker installation and configuration. IFS has advanced tools to verify fabric configuration, topology and performance. Faults are automatically isolated to the component level and reported. In addition, an optional embedded capability of 12300 can be used for switch management.
• Power optimized: Maximum performance is delivered with minimal power and cooling requirements as part of QLogic’s Star Power commitment to developing green solutions for the data center.

The QLogic 12200 and 12300 InfiniBand switches include the following features and functions:

• 36 ports of InfiniBand QDR (40Gbps) performance with support for DDR and SDR
  • 40/20/10-Gbps auto-negotiation links
  • Supports Quad Small Form Factor Pluggable (QSFP) optical and copper cable specifications
• TrueScale architecture, with scalable, predictable low latency
  • 2.88 Tbps aggregate bandwidth
  • Switching latency: < 140 ns
• Multiple Virtual Lanes (VLs) per physical port
  • Virtual lanes: 8 plus 1 management
• Maximum MTU size: 4096 bytes
• Maximum multicast table size: 1024 entries
• Supports virtual fabric partitioning
• Redundant power (12200 models 0449-028 and 0449-029 and 12300 model 0449-021)
• External chassis management via optional InfiniBand Fabric Suite (IFS) management solution, which provides an expanded set of fabric views and fabric tools.
• Complies with InfiniBand Trade Association (IBTA) version 1.2 standard

The QLogic 12200 InfiniBand switch supports the following management methods:

• QLogic InfiniBand Fabric Suite 6.0
• Optional external server-based InfiniBand compliant subnet manager
• IBTA compliant SMA and PMA

The QLogic 12300 InfiniBand switch supports the following management methods:

• QLogic InfiniBand Fabric Suite 6.0
• Command line interface
• Optional external server-based InfiniBand compliant subnet manager
• Optional embedded fabric management
• IBTA compliant SMA,PMA, and BMA
• Chassis management GUI
• SNMP support
• Access methods:
  • 10/100 Ethernet Base-T
  • Serial port (RS-232 with DB9)

The following LEDs are located on QLogic 12200 InfiniBand switches:

• One per InfiniBand port
• Two for InfiniBand switch status

The following LEDs are located on QLogic 12300 InfiniBand switches:

• One per InfiniBand port
• One for 10/100 Ethernet interface
• Two for InfiniBand switch status

QLogic InfiniBand Fabric Suite 6.0

InfiniBand Fabric Suite 6.0 is a new fabric management software product that enables high fabric performance. It incorporates Virtual Fabrics configurations with application-specific Class-of-Service (CoS), Adaptive Routing and Dispersive Routing, performance-enhanced versions of vendor-specific MPI libraries, and support for torus and mesh network topologies.

Features of IFS 6.0 include:

• QLogic Virtual Fabrics - lets you set a Class-of-Service level for each application running on the fabric to ensure the appropriate bandwidth
• QLogic Adaptive Routing - monitors the fabric and ensures that traffic is routed down the most efficient path thereby eliminating bottlenecks
• QLogic Dispersive Routing - balances the traffic load on the fabric using QLogic Performance Scaled Messaging (PSM) to ensure high performance
• MPI Library Support - supports the widely used Message Passing Interface (MPI) libraries to ensure efficient utilization
• Advanced Topology Support - enables the use of Torus and Mesh topologies for application environments

For more information, see the white paper "Enabling Efficient Performance at Scale: QLogic IFS 6.0" available from:
http://www.qlogic.com/NewsAndEvents/Documents/QLogic%20IFSV6%20InterSect360.pdf

The QLogic 12200 and 12300 InfiniBand switches support IBM Intelligent Cluster nodes with InfiniBand adapters installed in the System x or BladeCenter servers. The tables below show core solution components from the IBM Intelligent Cluster Component Guide Release 10A.

QDR InfiniBand solution with System x servers and QLogic 12200 or 12300 series switches

Table 2 shows core components to create a full-speed QDR (40 Gbps) InfiniBand solution using QLogic 12200 or 12300 InfiniBand switches and System x servers.

Table 2. QDR InfiniBand solution core components for System x

DDR InfiniBand (20 Gbps) solution with BladeCenter servers and QLogic 12200 or 12300 switches

Table 4 shows core components to create a full-speed DDR (20 Gbps) InfiniBand solution using QLogic 12200 or 12300 InfiniBand switches and BladeCenter servers.

Table 4. DDR InfiniBand solution core components for BladeCenter

* The 4X InfiniBand Pass-thru high-speed switch module supports DDR speeds but does not support QDR speeds.

For more information, see the following documents:

• IBM US Announcement Letter (May 18, 2010 - Refresh 10A):
  http://ibm.com/common/ssi/cgi-bin/ssialias?infotype=dd&subtype=ca&&htmlfid=897/ENUS110-140
• Publications for the Cluster 1350
  http://ibm.com/support/entry/portal/docdisplay?lndocid=MIGR-5080504
• QLogic 12200 Series home page
  http://www.qlogic.com/Products/HPCNetworking/InfiniBandSwitches/Pages/12200BS01.aspx
• QLogic 12300 Series home page
  http://www.qlogic.com/Products/HPCNetworking/InfiniBandSwitches/Pages/12300BS01.aspx