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Flex System FC5024D 4-port 16Gb FC Adapter

Product Guide (withdrawn product)

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Updated
26 Jun 2015
Form Number
TIPS1047
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10 pages, 282 KB

Abstract

The network architecture on the Flex System™ platform is designed to address network challenges, giving you a scalable way to integrate, optimize, and automate your data center. The Flex System FC5024D 4-port 16Gb FC Adapter is a quad-port mid-mezzanine card for the Flex System x222 Compute Node. It enables high-speed access for compute nodes to an external storage area network (SAN). This adapter is based on the Brocade architecture, and offers end-to-end 16 Gb connectivity to SAN. It has enhanced features, such as N_Port trunking and N_Port ID Virtualization (NPIV), and boot-from-the-SAN with automatic LUN discovery and end-to-end Server Application Optimization (SAO).

Note: This adatper is withdrawn from marketing.

Change History

Introduction

The network architecture on the Flex System™ platform is designed to address network challenges, giving you a scalable way to integrate, optimize, and automate your data center. The Flex System FC5024D 4-port 16Gb FC Adapter is a quad-port mid-mezzanine card for the Flex System x222 Compute Node. It enables high-speed access for servers to an external storage area network (SAN). This adapter is based on the Brocade architecture, and offers end-to-end 16 Gb connectivity to SAN. It has enhanced features, such as N_Port trunking and N_Port ID Virtualization (NPIV), and boot-from-the-SAN with automatic LUN discovery and end-to-end Server Application Optimization (SAO). The following figure shows the Flex System FC5024D 4-port 16Gb FC Adapter.

IBM Flex System FC5024D 4-port 16Gb FC Adapter
Figure 1. Flex System FC5024D 4-port 16Gb FC Adapter

Did you know?

The FC5024D is designed to work best with the Flex System FC5022 16Gb SAN Scalable Switch, which deliver considerable value by simplifying the deployment of server and SAN resources, reducing infrastructure and operational costs, and maximizing server and SAN reliability, availability, and resiliency.

The Flex System x222 Compute Node is a high-density dual-server offering that is designed for virtualization, dense cloud deployments, and hosted clients. The x222 has two independent servers in one mechanical package, which allows up to 28 servers to be housed in a single 10U Flex System Enterprise Chassis. The FC5024D provides Fibre Channel connectivity to both servers in the x222, with two ports that are routed to each server.

Part number information

The following table shows the part number to order this card.

Table 1. Part number and feature code for ordering

Description Part number Feature code
Flex System FC5024D 4-port 16Gb FC Adapter 95Y2379 A3HU

The part number includes the following items:

  • One Flex System FC5024D 4-port 16Gb FC Adapter
  • A documentation CD containing the adapter user’s guide
  • The Important Notices document

Features

The Flex System FC5024D 4-port 16Gb FC Adapter has the following features:

  • A 4-port adapter that is supported in the dual-server x222 Compute Node, where two ports of the adapter are routed to each of the servers
  • Dual ASIC design
  • Supports high-performance 16 Gbps Fibre Channel:
    • Use 16 Gbps bandwidth to eliminate internal oversubscription
    • Investment protection with the latest Fibre Channel technologies
    • Reduce the number of ISL external switch ports, optics, cables, and power
  • RoHS-6 compliant adapter

Each ASIC connects to one of the two servers in the x222 and acts as two independent 2-port adapters, with the following features and functions:

  • Based on the Brocade Catapult2 ASIC
  • Over 500,000 IOPS per port, which maximizes transaction performance and the density of VMs per compute node
  • Achieves performance of 330,000 IOPS for email exchange and 205,000 IOPS for SQL database
  • Boot from SAN allows the automation SAN Boot LUN discovery to simplify boot from SAN and reduce image management complexity
  • Brocade Server Application Optimization (SAO) provides quality of service (QoS) levels that are assignable to VM applications
  • Direct I/O enables native (direct) I/O performance by allowing VMs to bypass the hypervisor and communicate directly with the adapter
  • Brocade Network Advisor simplifies and unifies the management of Brocade adapter, SAN, and LAN resources through a single pane-of-glass
  • LUN Masking, an Initiator-based LUN masking for storage traffic isolation
  • N_Port Id Virtualization (NPIV) allows multiple host initiator N_Ports to share a single physical N_Port, dramatically reducing SAN hardware requirements
  • Target Rate Limiting (TRL) throttles data traffic when accessing slower speed storage targets to avoid back pressure problems
  • A unified driver across all Brocade-based Lenovo adapter products with automated version synchronization capability
  • Forward Error Correction (FEC) provides a method to recover from errors that are caused on links during data transmission
  • Buffer-to-Buffer (BB) Credit Recovery enables ports to recover lost BB credits
  • FCP-IM I/O Profiling allows users to analyze traffic patterns and help fine-tune Fibre Channel adapter ports, fabrics, and targets for better performance.

Supported compute nodes

The following table lists the Flex System compute nodes that support the FC5024D 4-port 16Gb FC Adapter.

Table 2. Supported compute nodes

Description Part
number
x220 (7906) x222 (7916) x240 (8737, E5-2600) x240 (8737, E5-2600 v2) x240 (7162) x240 M5 (9532) x440 (7917) 2.2D7A.gif x280 / x480 / x880 X6 (7903) x280 / x480 / x880 X6 (7196)
Flex System FC5024D 4-port 16Gb FC Adapter 95Y2379 N Y N N N N N N N N

See ServerProven at the following web address for the latest information about the expansion cards that are supported by each blade server type:
http://ibm.com/servers/eserver/serverproven/compat/us/

The x222 supports one I/O adapter, which is shared between the two servers. The adapter is mounted in the lower server in the x222, as shown in the following figure. The adapter is shared between the two servers and is routed to the Fibre Channel switches that are installed in bays 3 and 4 of the chassis.

Location of the I/O adapter
Figure 2. Location of the I/O adapter

For more information about the x222, see the Product Guide Flex System x222 Compute Node, found athttp://lenovopress.com/tips1036

Supported I/O modules

The FC5024D 4-port 16Gb FC Adapter supports the I/O modules that are listed in the following table. One or two compatible switches must be installed in the corresponding I/O bays in the chassis. Installing two switches means that all ports of the adapter are enabled.

Table 3. I/O modules that are supported by the FC5024D 4-port 16Gb FC Adapter

Description Part number Support the FC5024D adapter
Flex System FC3171 8Gb SAN Switch 69Y1930 No*
Flex System FC3171 8Gb SAN Pass-thru 69Y1934 No*
Flex System FC5022 16Gb SAN Scalable Switch (12-ports) 88Y6374 Yes
Flex System FC5022 24-port 16Gb SAN Scalable Switch 00Y3324 Yes
Flex System FC5022 24-port 16Gb ESB SAN Scalable Switch 90Y9356 Yes

* The FC5024D 4-port 16Gb FC Adapter does not support these switches because they do not provide enough internal ports to connect to both servers in the x222 systems.

Switch port licenses for the FC5022 switches can be used for internal or external ports. Each x222 requires two internal switch ports. Additional ports might be needed depending on your configuration. See the Product Guide Flex System FC5022 16Gb SAN Scalable Switches, found at http://lenovopress.com/tips0870

A compatible switch module must be installed in to at least one of bays 3 and 4 in the chassis, as indicated in the following table. Installing switches in both bays 3 and 4 means that all ports of the adapter are enabled, which improves performance and network availability. For each ASIC, one port routes to the switch in bay 3 and one port routes to the switch in bay 4.

Table 4. Adapter to I/O bay correspondence

Server
FC5024D 4-port
16Gb FC Adapter
Corresponding I/O module
bay in the chassis
Upper server Port 1 Module bay 3
Port 2 Module bay 4
Lower server Port 1 Module bay 3
Port 2 Module bay 4

The FC5024D adapter is installed in the single I/O expansion slot in the x222. The following figure shows how the FC5024D 4-port 16Gb FC Adapter is connected to Fibre Channel switches that are installed in the chassis. The figure also shows the four ports of the two Embedded 10 GbE Virtual Fabric Adapters that are routed to the Ethernet switches in bays 1 and 2.

Logical layout of the interconnects - Ethernet and Fibre Channel
Figure 3. Logical layout of the x222 interconnects - Ethernet and Fibre Channel

Supported operating systems

The FC5024D 4-port 16Gb FC Adapter supports the following 64-bit operating systems:

  • Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2012
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Server with Xen x64 Edition
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Server x64 Edition
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 Server x64 Edition
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
  • SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 11 for x86
  • VMware vSphere 5.0 (ESXi)
  • VMware vSphere 5.1 (ESXi)
  • VMware vSphere 5.5 (ESXi)

For the latest information about the specific versions and service packs that are supported, see the ServerProven® website:
http://ibm.com/servers/eserver/serverproven/compat/us/

Regulatory compliance

The adapter conforms to the following standards:

  • United States FCC 47 CFR Part 15, Subpart B, ANSI C63.4 (2003), Class A
  • United States UL 60950-1, Second Edition
  • IEC/EN 60950-1, Second Edition
  • FCC - Verified to comply with Part 15 of the FCC Rules, Class A
  • Canada ICES-003, issue 4, Class A
  • UL/IEC 60950-1
  • CSA C22.2 No. 60950-1-03
  • Japan VCCI, Class A
  • Australia/New Zealand AS/NZS CISPR 22:2006, Class A
  • IEC 60950-1(CB Certificate and CB Test Report)
  • Taiwan BSMI CNS13438, Class A
  • Korea KN22, Class A; KN24
  • Russia/GOST ME01, IEC-60950-1, GOST R 51318.22-99, GOST R 51318.24-99, GOST R 51317.3.2-2006, GOST R 51317.3.3-99
  • IEC 60950-1 (CB Certificate and CB Test Report)
  • CE Mark (EN55022 Class A, EN60950-1, EN55024, EN61000-3-2, EN61000-3-3)
  • CISPR 22, Class A

Physical specifications

The dimensions and weight of the adapter are as follows:

  • Width: 158 mm (6.2 in.)
  • Depth: 108 mm (4.2 in.)
  • Weight: 230 g (0.5 lb)

Shipping dimensions and weight (approximate):

  • Height: 97 mm (3.8 in.)
  • Width: 165 mm (6.5 in.)
  • Depth: 215 mm (8.5 in.)
  • Weight: 430 g (0.95 lb)

Related product families

Product families related to this document are the following:

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