Lenovo RackSwitch G8296

The Lenovo RackSwitch™ G8296 that leverages 10 Gb SFP+ and 40 Gb QSFP+ Ethernet technology is specifically designed for the data center. It is ideal for today's big data, cloud, and optimized workload solutions. It is an enterprise class Layer 2 and Layer 3 full featured switch that delivers line-rate, high-bandwidth switching, filtering, and traffic queuing without delaying data. Large data-center grade buffers help keep traffic moving, while the redundant hot-swap power supplies and fans along with numerous availability features help provide high availability for business sensitive traffic.

The RackSwitch G8296 that is shown in the following figure is ideal for latency sensitive applications such as high performance computing clusters and financial applications. In addition to the 10 Gb Ethernet (GbE) and 40 GbE connections, the G8296 also has the capability for traditional 1 GbE connections.

Figure 1. Lenovo RackSwitch G8296

With exceptional port density and flexibility with break-out cables, the RackSwitch G8296 can support up to 94x 10 Gigabit Ethernet connections with 8x 40 Gb Ethernet uplinks in a 2U rack form factor.

The RackSwitch G8296 offers a choice of the Networking Operating Systems (NOS):

• The Cloud NOS provides a simple, open and programmable network infrastructure with cloud-scale performance. It delivers a software-defined Ethernet solution that is simple to manage and easy to deploy using common management tools, and it enables support of automation and orchestration applications for tight integration into the data center ecosystem.
• The Enterprise NOS is a data center-class NOS progressively developed over the past decade to deliver highly reliable, high-performance Ethernet and converged switching and interoperability with existing network infrastructures. ENOS has a feature-rich design with virtualization, high availability, and enterprise class Layer 2 and Layer 3 functionality. ENOS supports OpenFlow which helps easily create software defined virtual networks (SDN).

The RackSwitch G8296 supports the Open Network Install Environment (ONIE) which is a small Linux-based operating system that provides an open install environment for networking devices without operating systems. 

The RackSwitch G8296 is considered particularly suited for these environments:

• 10 GbE server connectivity with 40 GbE upstream aggregation
• Virtualized environments with VM-aware networking
• Converged SAN and LAN network via NAS, iSCSI, or FCoE
  • Reduced I/O cost (CAPEX) with fewer adapters, cables, and transceivers to purchase
  • Reduced complexity (OPEX) with fewer components to manage and lower energy cost
• Accelerated communications with lower latency across clustered applications and storage arrays with RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCE)
• Investment protection with 40 Gb Ethernet, Cloud, and SDN

The RackSwitch G8296 offers the following features and benefits:

• High performance

  The 10 Gb/40 Gb switch provides the best combination of low latency, non-blocking line-rate switching, and ease of management. It has a throughput of 2.56 Tbps.

• Lower power and better cooling

  The RackSwitch G8296 uses as little as 210 W of power, and the front-to-rear or rear-to-front cooling design of the G8296 reduces data center air conditioning costs by having airflow match the servers in the rack. In addition, variable speed fans help to automatically reduce power consumption.

• Layer 3 functionality

  The RackSwitch G8296 includes Layer 3 functionality, which provides security and performance benefits, as inter-VLAN traffic stays within the switch. This switch also provides the full range of Layer 3 protocols from static routes for technologies, such as Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) and Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) for enterprise customers.

• Network virtualization

  The RackSwitch G8296 switch supports VXLAN Gateway for VMware NSX integration. VMware NSX is a virtualized network software platform that offers a full set of networking services, such as logical switching, routing, firewall, load balancing, VPN, quality of service (QoS), and monitoring.

• Converged fabric

  The RackSwitch G8296 switch supports Converged Enhanced Ethernet (CEE) which helps enable customers to combine storage, messaging traffic, VoIP, video, and other data on a common data center lossless Ethernet infrastructure. As a result, clients can deploy a single server interface for multiple data types, which can simplify the deployment and management of server network connectivity while maintaining the high availability and robustness that is required for storage transactions.

• Seamless interoperability

  RackSwitch switches perform seamlessly with other vendors' upstream switches.

• Fault tolerance

  The RackSwitch G8296 offers redundant hot-swap hardware components, learns alternate routes automatically, and performs faster convergence if there is a link, switch, or power failure.

• Open Network Install Environment (ONIE) (Requires an optional license key)

  The ONIE is a small Linux-based operating system that provides an open install environment for networking devices without operating systems. ONIE enables a network switch ecosystem for end users to choose among different Network Operating Systems by discovering NOS installer images and loading them onto the switch.

The RackSwitch G8296 supports the following networking operating systems:

• Lenovo Cloud Networking Operating System (CNOS)

  The new Cloud NOS provides a simple, open and programmable network infrastructure designed to scale for your business needs. Its intelligent, cloud-scale performance delivers a software-defined Ethernet solution that is simple to manage and easy to deploy using common management tools. Cloud NOS is based on open, industry standards for better data center interoperability, and it enables support of automation and orchestration applications for tight integration into the data center ecosystem.

  With its high-performance architecture and support for an extensive set of routing protocols, Cloud NOS provides reliable, high-performance fabric for traditional, converged and hyperscale solutions. Cloud NOS can help you consolidate server and storage networks into a single fabric. Converged Enhanced Ethernet delivers value for your iSCSI and NAS storage environments.

• Lenovo Enterprise Networking Operating System (ENOS)

  The Lenovo ENOS is a data center-class network operating system progressively developed over the past decade to deliver highly reliable, high-performance Ethernet and converged switching and interoperability with existing network infrastructures. 

  ENOS has a feature-rich design with virtualization, UFP, high availability, and enterprise class Layer 2 and Layer 3 functionality. ENOS supports OpenFlow which helps easily create software defined virtual networks (SDN) and enables a remote controller to modify the behavior of network devices.

  ENOS can help you consolidate server and storage networks into a single fabric. Converged Enhanced Ethernet delivers value for your iSCSI, NAS and FCoE enterprise storage environments.

The RackSwitch G8296 with Cloud NOS offers the following additional features:

• Automated VM-aware network provisioning

  The Lenovo CNOS Network Policy Agent, a ThinkAgile Network Orchestrator feature, gives increased visibility of the Nutanix (AOS version 5.0.2 or higher [excluding 5.1.2]) and VMware vSphere virtual infrastructure, including VM and virtual network information. It provides automated VM-aware provisioning by automatically configuring VLANs in the physical network based on the auto-discovered virtual network topology. The agent also performs ongoing dynamic updates to the physical network configuration in response to new VMs, updated VMs, and deleted VMs and virtual networks, eliminating errors with manual configuration.

• Pro-active congestion monitoring

  Telemetry enables continuous monitoring of networking devices to detect potential congestion problems, such as packets dropped by the switch when ports are being used close to their line rate or switch buffers are being temporarily overflown (for example, in case of microbursts).

• Zero Touch Provisioning

  Zero Touch Provisioning (ZTP) enables a switch to automatically provision itself using the resources available on the network, without manual intervention. ZTP automatically handles the process of upgrading the switch software image and installing configuration files.

• Python Scripting

  You can create and execute local Python scripts on switches to make small programs that allow a switch to automatically provision itself, perform fault monitoring, upgrade the image files, or auto-generate configuration files. You can implement version control systems, automatically generate alerts, create custom logging tools, and automate the management of network devices.

• REST API Programming

  The Lenovo REpresentational State Transfer (REST) Application Program Interface (API) enables you to remotely configure and manage a Lenovo switch using REST and HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP). It also allows switch management integration into management applications, such as Lenovo XClarity.

The RackSwitch G8296 with Enterprise NOS offers the following additional features:

• Virtual Fabric

  The RackSwitch G8296 can help customers address I/O requirements for multiple NICs while reducing cost and complexity. By using Unified Fabric Port, you can carve a physical NIC into multiple virtual ports (2 - 8 vPorts) and create a virtual pipe between the adapter and the switch for improved performance, availability, and security.

• Transparent networking capability

  With a simple configuration change to Easy Connect Mode, the RackSwitch G8296 becomes a transparent network device that is invisible to the core and eliminates network administration concerns of Spanning Tree Protocol configuration and interoperability and VLAN assignments and avoids any possible loops. By emulating a host NIC to the data center core, it accelerates the provisioning of VMs by eliminating the need to configure the typical access switch parameters.

• OpenFlow enabled

  The RackSwitch G8296 offers benefits of OpenFlow. OpenFlow is the open API that enables the network administrator to easily configure and manage virtual networks that control traffic on a “per-flow” basis. It creates multiple independent virtual networks and related policies without dealing with the complexities of the underlying physical network and protocols. The RackSwitch G8296 is also the ideal switch to use with industry compliant OpenFlow controllers.

The following table compares high level features of the CNOS and ENOS.

The following figure shows the front panel of the RackSwitch G8296.

Figure 2. Front panel of the RackSwitch G8296

The following table lists the RackSwitch G8296 system specifications.

Note: The supported hardware options and software features listed in this product guide are based on the Lenovo Cloud Networking Operating System (CNOS) version 10.9 or Lenovo Enterprise Networking Operating System (ENOS) version 8.4.4. For details about specific software releases that introduced support for certain hardware options and software features, refer to the Release Notes for the particular software release that can be found at:
http://systemx.lenovofiles.com/help/topic/com.lenovo.rackswitch.g8296.doc/rs_g8296.html

The following table lists the G8296 switch models.

The RackSwitch G8296 supports Features on Demand (FoD) license keys listed in the following table to enable additional features. The ONIE FoD option enables customers to download an ONIE boot loader and install it on the switch, and the Advanced Instrumentation Tools FoD option enables access to low-level switch diagnostics for advanced troubleshooting.

* Supported only for Cloud NOS.

With the flexibility of the G8296 switch, customers can choose the following connectivity technologies:

• For 1 GbE links, customers can use RJ-45 SFP transceivers with UTP cables up to 100 meters. Customers that need longer distances can use a 1000BASE-SX transceiver, which can drive distances up to 220 meters with 62.5 µ multimode fiber (OM1) and up to 550 meters with 50 µ multimode fiber (OM2), or the 1000BASE-LX transceivers that support distances up to 10 kilometers with single-mode fiber (1310 nm).

• For 10 GbE links, customers can use SFP+ direct-attached copper (DAC) cables for in-rack cabling for distances up to 7 meters or SFP+ active optical cables (AOCs) for distances up to 20 meters. These cables have SFP+ connectors on each end, and they do not need separate transceivers. For distances up to 30 meters, the 10GBASE-T SFP+ transceiver can be used with Category 6a or 7 RJ-45 UTP cables.

  For longer distances, the 10GBASE-SR transceiver supports distances up to 300 meters over OM3 multimode fiber or up to 400 meters over OM4 multimode fiber. The 10GBASE-LR transceivers can support distances up to 10 kilometers on single mode fiber. For extended distances, the 10GBASE-ER transceivers can support distances up to 40 kilometers on single mode fiber.

  To increase the number of available 10 GbE ports, customers can split out four 10 GbE ports for each 40 GbE port by using QSFP+ to 4x SFP+ DAC or active optical breakout cables for distances up to 5 meters. For distances up to 100 meters, the 40GBASE-iSR4 QSFP+ transceivers can be used with OM3 optical MPO-to-LC breakout cables or up to 150 meters with OM4 optical MPO-to-LC breakout cables. For longer distances, the 40GBASE-eSR4 transceivers can be used with OM3 optical MPO-to-LC breakout cables for distances up to 300 meters or OM4 optical MPO-to-LC breakout cables for distances up to 400 meters.
  Note: Break-out cables are supported on ports 87 and 88 only.

• For 40 GbE to 40 GbE connectivity, customers can use the affordable QSFP+ to QSFP+ DAC cables for distances up to 7 meters or QSFP+ to QSFP+ active optical cables for distances up to 20 meters. These DAC cables and AOCs have QSFP+ connectors on each end, and they do not need separate transceivers.

  With multimode fiber LC cables, customers can use the 40GBASE QSFP+ bi-directional transceivers for distances up to 100 meters with OM3 MMF LC cables or up to 150 meters with OM4 MMF LC cables.

  With multimode fiber MPO cables, customers can use the 40GBASE-SR4/iSR4 QSFP+ transceivers for distances up to 100 meters with OM3 MMF MPO cables or up to 150 meters with OM4 MMF MPO cables. For distances up to 300 meters, the 40GBASE-eSR4 QSFP+ transceiver can be used with OM3 MMF MPO cables or up to 400 meters with OM4 MMF MPO cables.

  For distances up to 10 kilometers, the 40GBASE-LR4 QSFP+ transceiver can be used with single mode fiber LC cables.

The following table lists the supported cables and transceivers.

* 10GBASE-LR and 10GBASE-ER SFP+ transceivers are not supported in ports 1 - 48.
^ 40 GbE QSFP+ Bi-Directional transceivers are supported in port 88, 90, 92, and 94.
** Break-out cables are supported on ports 87 and 88 only.

The network cables that can be used with the switch are listed in the following table.

The RackSwitch G8296 with Cloud NOS has the following software features and specifications:

• Scalability and performance:
  • Media access control (MAC) address learning with automatic updates
  • Static and LACP (IEEE 802.3ad) link aggregation
  • Broadcast and multicast storm control
  • IGMP snooping to limit flooding of IP multicast traffic
  • IGMP filtering to control multicast traffic for hosts participating in multicast groups
  • Configurable traffic distribution schemes over trunk links based on source or destination IP or MAC addresses, or both
  • Fast port forwarding and fast uplink convergence for rapid STP convergence
• Availability and redundancy:
  • IEEE 802.1D STP for providing L2 redundancy
  • IEEE 802.1s Multiple STP (MSTP) for topology optimization
  • IEEE 802.1w Rapid STP (RSTP) provides rapid STP convergence for critical delay-sensitive traffic, such as voice or video
  • Per-VLAN Rapid STP (PVRST) enhancements
  • Layer 2 Failover to support active/standby configurations of NIC teaming on servers
• VLAN support:

  • Up to 4095 VLANs:
    • VLAN 1 is the default VLAN
    • VLAN numbers 2 - 3999 are user-configurable
    • VLAN numbers 4000 - 4095 are reserved for the use by the switch
  • Port-based VLANs
  • Private VLANs
  • 802.1Q VLAN tagging
  • 802.1Q encapsulation on Layer 3 routed ports
  • Ingress VLAN tagging to tunnel packets through a public domain without altering the original 802.1Q tagging information (also known as an Easy Connect or transparent mode)
• Security:
  • VLAN-based, MAC-based, and IP-based access control lists (ACLs)
  • Multiple user IDs and passwords
  • User access control
  • Radius, TACACS+, and LDAP/LDAPS authentication and authorization
  • Secure mode: Only secure communication protocols are allowed to be enabled
• Quality of Service (QoS):
  • Support for IEEE 802.1p, IP ToS/DSCP, and ACL-based (MAC/IP source and destination addresses and VLANs) traffic classification and processing
  • Traffic shaping and re-marking that is based on defined policies
  • Eight output Class of Service (COS) queues per port for processing qualified traffic
  • Weighted Random Early Detection (WRED) with Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN) to avoid congestion 
  • Control Plane Protection (CoPP)
  • IPv4 ACL metering
• IP v4 Layer 3 functions:
  • Host management
  • Routed ports (Switch ports as Layer 3 interfaces)
  • IP forwarding
  • IP filtering with ACLs
  • Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) for router redundancy
  • Static routes
  • Equal Cost Multiple Paths (ECMP)
  • Routing protocols (OSPF v2 and BGP-4)
  • Policy-based routing (PBR)
  • DHCP Relay and DHCP Snooping
  • IGMP snooping
  • DNS client
• IPv6 Layer 3 functions:
  • IPv6 host management
  • Routed ports (Switch ports as Layer 3 interfaces)
  • IPv6 forwarding
  • Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) for router redundancy
  • Static routes
  • Equal Cost Multiple Paths (ECMP)
  • Routing protocols (BGP-4)
  • DHCP Relay
  • DNS client
• Virtualization:
  • Virtual link aggregation groups (vLAGs)
    • Two switches (vLAG peers) act as a single virtual entity for a multi-port aggregation
    • vLAG Peer Gateway for improved usage of the link between the vLAG peers
    • Two-tier vLAGs with VRRP enables active/active VRRP to reduce routing latency
  • Data Center Interconnect (DCI) enables bridging of Layer 2 services across multiple locations over existing Layer 3 IP networks by using VXLAN high availability framework.
  • Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF) allows multiple instances (up to 64 for data traffic and one for management traffic) of a routing table to coexist and to work simultaneously on the switch to segment network paths.
  • Network Policy Agent gives increased visibility of the virtual infrastructure and automates VM-aware network provisioning and configuration updates for VLANs, virtual NICs, virtual networks, ACLs, and QoS based on the VM associations in a Nutanix (requires the AOS version 5.0.2 or higher [excluding 5.1.2]) or VMware vSphere environment.
  • VXLAN Gateway enables the communication between physical and virtual devices using the VXLAN protocol for VMware NSX integration.
• Converged Enhanced Ethernet:
  • Priority-Based Flow Control (PFC) (IEEE 802.1Qbb) extends 802.3x flow control to allow the switch to pause traffic that is based on the 802.1p priority value in each packet’s VLAN tag.
  • Enhanced Transmission Selection (ETS) (IEEE 802.1Qaz) provides a method for allocating link bandwidth that is based on the 802.1p priority value in each packet’s VLAN tag.
  • Data Center Bridging Capability Exchange Protocol (DCBX) (IEEE 802.1AB) allows neighboring network devices to exchange information about their capabilities.
• Monitoring:
  • Switch LEDs for port status and switch status indication
  • Port mirroring for analyzing network traffic passing through switch
  • Change tracking and remote logging with syslog feature
  • Telemetry agent for real-time analytics: Buffer statistics and congestion drop counters
  • sFlow agent for monitoring traffic in data networks (separate sFlow analyzer required elsewhere)
• Manageability:
  • Industry-standard command line interface (isCLI)
  • Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP V1, V2, and V3)
  • Telnet interface for CLI
  • Secure Shell (SSH) v1 and v2 for CLI
  • Secure Copy (SCP) for uploading and downloading the configuration file via secure channels
  • Service Location Protocol (SLP)
  • Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) for discovering network devices
  • Serial interface for CLI
  • Scriptable CLI
  • Dual software images
  • Firmware image update via TFTP, FTP, Secure FTP (sFTP), or USB storage
  • Network Time Protocol (NTP) for switch clock synchronization
  • Lenovo XClarity (optional) for discovery, inventory, monitoring and events
  • Lenovo Intelligent Network Controller (LINC) (optional) for Software-Defined Networking (SDN)
  • Third-party tools integration
    • Lenovo Networking Content Pack for VMware vRealize Log Insight (optional download) for automated log management
    • Integration with Nutanix Prism and VMware vCenter management via Network Policy Agent
    • Lenovo Networking Neutron Plugin to automate VLAN provisioning and configuration updates for OpenStack-based cloud environments
    • Integration with Ansible management
    • Ganglia plug-in for telemetry data analytics

The RackSwitch G8296 with ENOS has the following features and specifications:

• Scalability and performance
  • Media access control (MAC) address learning with automatic updates
  • Static and LACP (IEEE 802.3ad) link aggregation
  • Broadcast/multicast storm control
  • IGMP snooping to limit flooding of IP multicast traffic
  • IGMP filtering to control multicast traffic for hosts participating in multicast groups
  • Configurable traffic distribution schemes over trunk links based on source/destination IP or MAC addresses, or both
  • Fast port forwarding and fast uplink convergence for rapid STP convergence
• Availability and redundancy
  • IEEE 802.1D STP for providing L2 redundancy
  • IEEE 802.1s Multiple STP (MSTP) for topology optimization
  • IEEE 802.1w Rapid STP (RSTP) provides rapid STP convergence for critical delay-sensitive traffic like voice or video
  • Per-VLAN Rapid STP (PVRST) enhancements
  • Layer 2 Failover to support active/standby configurations of NIC teaming on servers
  • Hot Links provides basic link redundancy with fast recovery for network topologies that require Spanning Tree to be turned off
• VLAN support
  • Up to 4095 VLANs supported per switch, with VLAN numbers ranging from 1 to 4095 (VLAN 4095 is used by the management network.)
  • Port-based and protocol-based VLANs
  • 802.1Q VLAN tagging support
  • Ingress VLAN tagging support to tunnel packets through a public domain without altering the original 802.1Q tagging information
  • Private VLANs support as defined in RFC 5517
• Security
  • VLAN-based, MAC-based, and IP-based access control lists (ACLs)
  • 802.1x port-based authentication
  • Multiple user IDs and passwords
  • User access control
  • Radius, TACACS+ and LDAP/LDAPS authentication and authorization
  • NIST 800-131A Encryption
  • Selectable encryption protocol
  • Secure Input/Output Module (SIOM) policy: Secure and Legacy modes
• Quality of Service (QoS)
  • Support for IEEE 802.1p, IP ToS/DSCP, and ACL-based (MAC/IP source and destination addresses, VLANs) traffic classification and processing
  • Traffic shaping and re-marking based on defined policies
  • Eight output Class of Service (COS) queues per port for processing qualified traffic
  • Weighted Random Early Detection (WRED) with Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN) to help avoid congestion
  • IPv4/IPv6 ACL metering
• IP v4 Layer 3 functions

  • Host management
  • IP forwarding
  • Network Address Translation (NAT)
  • IP filtering with ACLs, up to 256 IPv4 ACLs supported
  • Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) for router redundancy
  • Support for up to 128 static routes
  • Equal Cost Multiple Paths (ECMP)
  • Routing protocol support (RIP v1, RIP v2, OSPF v2, BGP)
  • Support for policy-based routing (PBR)
  • Support for DHCP Relay
  • Support for IGMP snooping and IGMP relay
  • Support for Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) in Sparse Mode (PIM-SM) and Dense Mode (PIM-DM).
• IPv6 Layer 3 functions
  • IPv6 host management
  • IPv6 forwarding
  • Up to 128 static routes
  • Equal Cost Multiple Paths (ECMP)
  • Support for OSPF v3 routing protocol
  • IPv6 filtering with ACLs, up to 128 IPv6 ACLs supported
• OpenFlow 1.0 and 1.3.1 support
• Virtualization
  • Unified Fabric Port (UFP)
    • Up to 8 UFP vPorts per 10 GbE physical port with supported Emulex Virtual Fabric Adapters (VFAs)
    • Up to 4 UFP vPorts per 10 GbE physical port with supported QLogic VFAs
    • Ethernet and storage (NAS, iSCSI, and FCoE) traffic on UFP vPorts (adapter specific)
    • Up to 1024 VLAN for the vPorts
    • VMready or 802.1Qbg Edge Virtual Bridging (not both) on the same physical port
    • Integration with L2 Failover
    • Support for Private VLANs
  • Virtual link aggregation groups (vLAGs)
    • Two switches (vLAG peers) act as a single virtual entity for a multi-port aggregation
    • vLAG Peer Gateway for improved usage of the link between the vLAG peers
    • Two-tier vLAGs with VRRP enables active/active VRRP to reduce routing latency
  • 802.1Qbg Edge Virtual Bridging (EVB) is an emerging IEEE standard for allowing networks to become virtual machine (VM)-aware.
    • Virtual Ethernet Bridging (VEB) and Virtual Ethernet Port Aggregator (VEPA) are mechanisms for switching between VMs on the same hypervisor.
    • Edge Control Protocol (ECP) is a transport protocol that operates between two peers over an IEEE 802 LAN providing reliable, in-order delivery of upper layer protocol data units.
    • Virtual Station Interface (VSI) Discovery and Configuration Protocol (VDP) allows centralized configuration of network policies that will persist with the VM, independent of its location.
    • EVB Type-Length-Value (TLV) is used to discover and configure VEPA, ECP, and VDP.
  • VMready support
    • Up to 4,096 virtual entities (VEs)
    • Automatic VE discovery
    • Up to 4,093 local or distributed VM groups for VEs
    • Lenovo NMotion™ feature for automatic network configuration migration
  • VXLAN Gateway enables the communication between physical and virtual devices using the VXLAN protocol for VMware NSX integration.
• Converged Enhanced Ethernet
  • Priority-Based Flow Control (PFC) (IEEE 802.1Qbb) extends 802.3x standard flow control to allow the switch to pause traffic based on the 802.1p priority value in each packet’s VLAN tag.
  • Enhanced Transmission Selection (ETS) (IEEE 802.1Qaz) provides a method for allocating link bandwidth based on the 802.1p priority value in each packet’s VLAN tag.
  • Data Center Bridging Capability Exchange Protocol (DCBX) (IEEE 802.1AB) allows neighboring network devices to exchange information about their capabilities.
• Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE)
  • FC-BB5 FCoE specification compliant
  • FCoE transit switch operations
  • FCoE Initialization Protocol (FIP) support for automatic ACL configuration
  • FCoE Link Aggregation Group (LAG) support
  • Supports 2,048 FCoE sessions with FIP Snooping by using Class ID ACLs
• Manageability
  • Industry-standard command line interface (isCLI)
  • Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP V1, V2, and V3)
  • Telnet interface for CLI
  • Secure Shell (SSH) v1 and v2 for CLI
  • Secure Copy (SCP) for uploading and downloading the switch configuration via secure channels
  • Service Location Protocol (SLP)
  • Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) for discovering network devices
  • Serial interface for CLI
  • Scriptable CLI
  • Dual software images
  • Firmware image update via TFTP, FTP, Secure FTP (sFTP), or USB storage
  • Network Time Protocol (NTP) and Precision Time Protocol (PTP) for switch clock synchronization
  • Netconf (XML)
  • Lenovo XClarity (optional) for discovery, inventory, monitoring and events
  • Lenovo Networking Content Pack for VMware vRealize Log Insight (optional download) for automated log management
• Monitoring
  • Switch LEDs for port status and switch status indication
  • Remote Monitoring (RMON) agent to collect statistics and proactively monitor switch performance
  • Port mirroring for analyzing network traffic passing through switch
  • Change tracking and remote logging with syslog feature
  • Support for sFlow agent for monitoring traffic in data networks (separate sFlow analyzer required elsewhere)

The following features are not supported with IPv6:

• Bootstrap Protocol (BOOTP) and DHCP
• RADIUS, TACACS+ and LDAP
• VMware Virtual Center (vCenter) for VMready
• Routing Information Protocol (RIP)
• Border Gateway Protocol (BGP)
• Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM)
• Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP)
• sFlow

The switch supports the following Ethernet standards:

• IEEE 802.1AB Data Center Bridging Capability Exchange Protocol (DCBX) (ENOS only)
• IEEE 802.1D Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)
• IEEE 802.1p Class of Service (CoS) prioritization
• IEEE 802.1s Multiple STP (MSTP)
• IEEE 802.1Q Tagged VLAN (frame tagging on all ports when VLANs are enabled)
• IEEE 802.1Qbg Edge Virtual Bridging (ENOS only)
• IEEE 802.1Qbb Priority-Based Flow Control (PFC) (ENOS only)
• IEEE 802.1Qaz Enhanced Transmission Selection (ETS) (ENOS only)
• IEEE 802.1x port-based authentication (ENOS only)
• IEEE 802.1w Rapid STP (RSTP)
• IEEE 802.3 10BASE-T Ethernet
• IEEE 802.3ab 1000BASE-T copper twisted pair Gigabit Ethernet
• IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation Control Protocol
• IEEE 802.3ae 10GBASE-SR short range fiber optics 10 Gb Ethernet
• IEEE 802.3ae 10GBASE-LR long range fiber optics 10 Gb Ethernet
• IEEE 802.3ae 10GBASE-ER extended range fiber optics 10 Gb Ethernet
• IEEE 802.3ba 40GBASE-SR4 short range fiber optics 40 Gb Ethernet
• IEEE 802.3ba 40GBASE-CR4 copper 40 Gb Ethernet
• IEEE 802.3u 100BASE-TX Fast Ethernet
• IEEE 802.3x Full-duplex Flow Control
• IEEE 802.3z 1000BASE-SX short range fiber optics Gigabit Ethernet
• IEEE 802.3z 1000BASE-LX long range fiber optics Gigabit Ethernet

The G8296 switch supports up to three variable speed, hot-swap fan assemblies (three fan assemblies come standard with the switch and they provide 2+1 redundancy). Spare fan assemblies can be ordered, if required (see the following table). Each option contains one hot-swap fan assembly (rear-to front or front-to-rear).

The G8296 switch supports up to two load-sharing, hot-swap 750 W AC Platinum power supplies (two power supplies come standard with the switch). Spare power supplies can be ordered, if required. Each option contains one hot-swap power supply (rear-to-front or front-to-rear).

The G8296 switch ships standard without any AC power cables. The part numbers and feature codes to order the power cables (two power cables are required per switch) are listed in the following table.

* Available for factory-built custom configurations and solutions only.

The RackSwitch G8296 includes a 2-post rack mount kit.

For 4-post rack installations, the RackSwitch G8296 supports the optional 19-inch, 4-post rail kit that includes both adjustable and recessed rack mount options. The air inlet duct (optional for the adjustable 4-post rail kit; supported only with the models with rear to front airflow) is also available.

When the RackSwitch G8296 (front to rear airflow) is installed in the Intelligent Cluster Rack (Machine Type 1410) or Enterprise Rack (Machine Type 9363) as a part of a NeXtScale System solution, the recessed 19-inch 4-post rail kit is required.

The following table lists rack installation options for the G8296 switches with rear to front and front to rear airflow.

The approximate dimensions and weight of the G8296 switch are as follows:

• Height: 87 mm (3.5 in.)
• Width: 439 mm (17.3 in.)
• Depth: 483 mm (19.0 in.)
• Weight: 15.4 kg (34.0 lb)

The G8296 switch is supported in the following operating environment:

• Temperature: 0 to 40 ºC (32 to 104 ºF).
• Relative humidity: Non-condensing, 10 - 90%
• Altitude: up to 1,800 m (6,000 feet)
• Acoustic noise: Less than 65 dB
• Airflow: Front-to-rear or rear-to-front cooling with variable speed fans for reduced power draw
• Electrical input: 50-60 Hz, 100-240 V AC auto-switching
• Input Volt Amperes (VA)
  • Typical: 220 VA
  • Maximum: 420 VA
• Heat dissipation
  • Typical: 717 BTU/hour
  • Maximum: 1,433 BTU/hour

The RackSwitch G8296 comes with a limited 3-year hardware warranty with Next Business Day (NBD), 9x5, Customer Replaceable Unit (CRU) warranty service and includes a 3-year software license, which provides entitlement to upgrades over that period. The options that are installed in the switch assume the switch’s base warranty and any Lenovo warranty service upgrade for the switch.

Some regions might have different warranty terms and conditions than the standard warranty. This is due to local business practices or laws in the specific region. Local service teams can assist in explaining region-specific terms when needed. Examples of region-specific warranty terms are second or longer business day parts delivery or parts-only base warranty.

If warranty terms and conditions include onsite labor for repair or replacement of parts, Lenovo will dispatch a service technician to the customer site to perform the replacement. Onsite labor under base warranty is limited to labor for replacement of parts that have been determined to be field-replaceable units (FRUs). Parts that are determined to be customer-replaceable units (CRUs) do not include onsite labor under base warranty.

If warranty terms include parts-only base warranty, Lenovo is responsible for delivering only replacement parts that are under base warranty (including FRUs) that will be sent to a requested location for self-service. Parts-only service does not include a service technician being dispatched onsite. Parts must be changed at customer’s own cost and labor and defective parts must be returned following the instructions supplied with the spares parts.

Also available are Lenovo Services warranty maintenance upgrades and post-warranty maintenance agreements, with a well-defined scope of services, including service hours, response time, term of service, and service agreement terms and conditions.

Lenovo warranty service upgrade offerings are region-specific. Not all warranty service upgrades are available in every region. For information about Lenovo warranty service upgrade offerings that are available in your region, refer to the following resources:

• Service part numbers in Lenovo Data Center Solution Configurator (DCSC):
  http://dcsc.lenovo.com/#/services
• Lenovo Services Availability Locator
  https://lenovolocator.com/

In general, the following Lenovo warranty service upgrades are available:

• Warranty and maintenance service upgrades:
  • 3, 4, or 5 years of warranty service coverage
  • 1-year or 2-year post-warranty extensions
  • Foundation Service: 9x5 service coverage with next business day onsite response
  • Essential Service: 24x7 service coverage with 4-hour onsite response or 24-hour committed repair (available only in select regions)
  • Advanced Service: 24x7 service coverage with 2-hour onsite response or 6-hour committed repair (available only in select regions)
• Basic Hardware Installation Services

  Lenovo experts can seamlessly manage the physical installation of your server, storage, or networking hardware. Working at a time convenient for you (business hours or off shift), the technician will unpack and inspect the systems on your site, install options, mount in a rack cabinet, connect to power and network, check and update firmware to the latest levels, verify operation, and dispose of the packaging, allowing your team to focus on other priorities.

The switch conforms to the following regulations:

• Safety certifications
  • UL60950-1
  • CAN/CSA 22.2 No.60950-1
  • TUV/GS to EN 60950-1
  • IEC60950-1, all country deviations
  • CNS 14336-1
  • Argentina Smark to IEC60950-1
  • GB4943.1-2011
  • EAC
  • NOM-019
• Electromagnetic compatibility certifications
  • FCC 47CFR Part 15 Class A
  • EN 55022 Class A
  • ICES-003 Class A
  • VCCI Class A
  • AS/NZS CISPR 22 Class A
  • CISPR 22 Class A
  • EN 55024
  • KC Class A
  • CE
• Environmental: Reduction of Hazardous Substances (ROHS) Directive 2011/65/EU

The following table lists the network switches with rear-to-front airflow that are offered by Lenovo that can be used with the RackSwitch G8296 for ThinkSystem and Flex System network connectivity.

The following table lists the external storage systems that are currently offered by Lenovo that can be used with the RackSwitch G8296 for external NAS or iSCSI SAN storage connectivity.

* Available only in EMEA.

^ Available only in PRC.
† Available worldwide except Latin America.
‡ Available only in Latin America.

The following table lists the rack cabinets that are offered by Lenovo that can be used in RackSwitch G8296 solutions.

For more information, see the list of Product Guides in the Rack cabinets category:
http://lenovopress.com/servers/options/racks

The following table lists the power distribution units (PDUs) that are offered by Lenovo that can be used in RackSwitch G8296 solutions.

For more information, see the list of Product Guides in the Power Distribution Units category:
http://lenovopress.com/servers/options/pdu

The following table lists the uninterruptible power supply (UPS) units that are offered by Lenovo that can be used in RackSwitch G8296 solutions.

For more information, see the list of Product Guides in the Uninterruptible Power Supply Units category:
http://lenovopress.com/servers/options/ups#rt=product-guide

Lenovo Financial Services reinforces Lenovo’s commitment to deliver pioneering products and services that are recognized for their quality, excellence, and trustworthiness. Lenovo Financial Services offers financing solutions and services that complement your technology solution anywhere in the world.

We are dedicated to delivering a positive finance experience for customers like you who want to maximize your purchase power by obtaining the technology you need today, protect against technology obsolescence, and preserve your capital for other uses.

We work with businesses, non-profit organizations, governments and educational institutions to finance their entire technology solution. We focus on making it easy to do business with us. Our highly experienced team of finance professionals operates in a work culture that emphasizes the importance of providing outstanding customer service. Our systems, processes and flexible policies support our goal of providing customers with a positive experience.

We finance your entire solution. Unlike others, we allow you to bundle everything you need from hardware and software to service contracts, installation costs, training fees, and sales tax. If you decide weeks or months later to add to your solution, we can consolidate everything into a single invoice.

Our Premier Client services provide large accounts with special handling services to ensure these complex transactions are serviced properly. As a premier client, you have a dedicated finance specialist who manages your account through its life, from first invoice through asset return or purchase. This specialist develops an in-depth understanding of your invoice and payment requirements. For you, this dedication provides a high-quality, easy, and positive financing experience.

For your region specific offers please ask your Lenovo sales representative or your technology provider about the use of Lenovo Financial Services. For more information, see the following Lenovo website:
http://www.lenovofs.com

For more information about the RackSwitch G8296, see the following publications that are available at the RackSwitch G8296 InfoCenter:
http://systemx.lenovofiles.com/help/topic/com.lenovo.rackswitch.g8296.doc/rs_g8296.html

• Lenovo RackSwitch G8296 Installation Guide
• Lenovo RackSwitch G8296 Application Guide
• Lenovo RackSwitch G8296 Industry Standard CLI Command Reference
• Lenovo RackSwitch G8296 REST API Guide (CNOS only)
• Lenovo RackSwitch G8296 Python Programming Guide (CNOS only)

The software for the RackSwitch G8296 can be downloaded from Lenovo Support:
http://datacentersupport.lenovo.com/us/en/products/networking/rackswitch/switch-g8296/downloads

For more information about the following management plug-ins for the RackSwitch G8296, see Network Management:
http://www3.lenovo.com/us/en/data-center/networking/networking-software/network-management

• ThinkAgile Network Orchestrator
• Lenovo Networking Plug-In for VMware vRealize Orchestrator
• Lenovo Networking Content Pack for VMware vRealize Log Insight
• Lenovo Networking Bundle for VMware vRealize
• Lenovo Networking Plug-In for OpenStack Neutron
• Integration with Ansible
• Lenovo Telemetry Analytics Tool: Ganglia Plugins

For discussions on various Lenovo networking topics, visit the Data Center Networking Community Forum:
http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/Datacenter-Networking/ct-p/nh_eg