Chapter 1. Introducing the SAN24B-4 Express switch
The IBM System Storage SAN24B-4 Express is a cost-effective and highly-scalable
1, 2, 4, or 8 Gbit/sec switch, designed for small to mid-sized businesses. It runs on
the Fabric Operating System (Fabric OS) and is compatible with other IBM
switches, which enables seamless connectivity into heterogeneous SAN
environments. This switch is a dual purpose device that you can use either as a
full-functioned switch or as an N_Port ID Virtualization (NPIV) access gateway.
When functioning as an access gateway, the it provides a single platform for all
SAN connectivity. Because the switch is scalable, you can use it as a foundation
switch for a small storage area network (SAN) and continue to use it as a building
block as the SAN grows.
This chapter provides the following information:
v “Features and functions of the switch”
v “Supported connectivity” on page 2
v “Port side of the switch” on page 2
v “Nonport side of the switch” on page 3
v “Additional port activation” on page 3
v “ISL Trunking groups” on page 3
v “Supported optional features” on page 4
Features and functions of the switch
The switch provides the following features and functions:
v 1U chassis–The chassis can be installed as a standalone unit or mounted in a
standard Electronic Industries Association (EIA) 48.26 cm (19 in.) cabinet.
v One built-in fixed power unit (not field-replaceable)
v Three built-in fans (none are field-replaceable). The switch is cooled by a
redundant fan configuration, which allows continued operation with a single fan
failure.
v On-demand scaling of 8 to 24 8 Gbit/sec ports
v ASIC technology supporting 1, 2, 4 and 8Gbit/sec auto-sensing Fibre Channel
ports.
v Ability to operate as either a full-functioned switch or an NPIV access gateway.
v RJ45 Ethernet management port that in conjunction with EZSwitchSetup,
supports switch IP address discovery and configuration.
v Uses EZSwitchSetup wizard for setup and basic configuration.
v Single motherboard design with a 667 MHz PowerPC
®
440EPx Reduced
Instruction Set Computer (RISC) CPU with integrated peripherals.
v Offers forward and backward compatibility with IBM System Storage SAN
switch models, 1, 2, 4 and 8 Gbps auto-sensing capability, as well as Advanced
Fabric Services and management tools.
v Enables interoperability between IBM System Storage b-type and m-type SAN
switches and directors.
v Inter-Switch-Link Trunking (licensable) enables up to eight ports (at 1G, 2G, 4G,
or 8G speeds) between a pair of switches to be combined to form a single,
© Copyright IBM Corp. 2008, 2010 1
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