Dell poweredge VRTX - 6 Networking; Fabric a System Management; Fabric a Pass-Through Cards; Figure 7. Fabric a Ethernet Pass-Through Card Configuration

18 PowerEdge VRTX Technical Guide
6 Networking
VRTX supports up to eight Ethernet connections on the back of the system. The Fabric A
infrastructure supports either a pass-through or a switch card installed in the back of the chassis.
These cards plug directly into the midplane.
Fabric A is limited by the following physical restraints:
 Fabric A internal connections limited to four server nodes times four lanes, or 16 lanes total
 Fabric A bulkhead space for external connection is limited to eight RJ45 connectors
 Fabric A is limited to a single cold service card
For Fabric A, the M520 uses a quad-port 1GbE LOM. The M620 has a network daughtercard (NDC)
option for Fabric A that includes Broadcom and Intel cards.
Fabric A system management
The system management paradigm for Fabric A is non-redundant. A single SMBus, serial port or
Ethernet management fabric is presented to the CMC for Fabric A, including the pass-through mode
which is fabric redundant.
Fabric A pass-through cards
The 1GB Ethernet pass-through card is defined as having no single points of failure at the Ethernet
signal level. Maximum Ethernet signal pass-through is limited to eight lanes due to the bulkhead
limit of eight RJ45 connectors.
Figure 7. Fabric A Ethernet pass-through card configuration
Ethernet Fabric A Passthrough CardServer
Midplane
Quad
Ethernet
Transceiver
Ethernet
Connection
Server 1
LOM A1
LOM A2
Ethernet, GE or 10GE
Quad
Ethernet
Transceiver
Ethernet
Connection
Ethernet
Connection
Ethernet
Connection
Ethernet
Connection
Ethernet
Connection
Ethernet
Connection
Ethernet
Connection
Server 1 A1
LOM A3
LOM A4
Server 2
LOM A1
LOM A2
LOM A3
LOM A4
Server 3
LOM A1
LOM A2
LOM A3
LOM A4
Server 4
LOM A1
LOM A2
LOM A3
LOM A4
Server 2 A1
Server 3 A1
Server 4 A1
Server 1 A2
Server 2 A2
Server 3 A2
Server 4 A2