IBM 8231-E2B User Manual

I/O bus architecture
PCI Express (PCIe) Base and Card Electromechanical (CEM) 2.0
x8 PCIe bus interface
Slot requirement
One available PCIe x8 or x16 slot
Voltage
3.3 V
Form factor
Short, low-profile with standard-size bracket
FC compatibility
2, 4, 8 Gigabit
Cables
Cables are the responsibility of the customer. Use multimode fiber optic cables with shortwave
lasers that adhere to the following specifications:
v OM3: Multimode 50/125 micron fiber, 2000 MHz x km bandwidth
v OM2: Multimode 50/125 micron fiber, 500 MHz x km bandwidth
v OM1: Multimode 62.5/125 micron fiber, 200 MHz x km bandwidth
Because core sizes are different, OM1 cables can only be connected to other OM1 cables. For best
results, OM2 cables should not be connected to OM3 cables. However, if an OM2 cable is
connected to an OM3 cable, the characteristics of the OM2 cable apply to the entire length of the
cables.
The following table shows the supported distances for the three different cable types at the three
different link speeds.
Table 4. Supported distances for cables
Header Cable Type and Distance
Rate OM1 OM2 OM3
2.125 Gbps 0.5 meters to 150 meters
(1.64 feet to 492.12 feet)
0.5 meters to 300 meters
(1.64 feet to 984.25 feet)
0.5 meters to 500 meters
(1.64 feet to 1640.41 feet)
4.25 Gbps 0.5 meters to 70 meters
(1.64 feet to 229.65 feet)
0.5 meters to 150 meters
(1.64 feet to 492.12 feet)
0.5 meters to 380 meters
(1.64 feet to 1246.71 feet)
8.5 Gbps 0.5 meters to 21 meters
(1.64 feet to 68.89 feet)
0.5 meters to 50 meters
(1.64 feet to 164.04 feet)
0.5 meters to 150 meters
(1.64 feet to 492.12 feet)
Maximum number
For the maximum adapters supported, see the PCI adapter placement topic collection for your
system.
Operating system or partition requirements
If you are installing a new feature, ensure that you have the software that is required to support the new
feature and that you determine whether there are any prerequisites for this feature and attaching devices.
To check for the prerequisites, see IBM Prerequisite website (www-912.ibm.com/e_dir/eServerPrereq.nsf).
The adapter is supported on the following versions of the operating systems:
v AIX
– AIX Version 7.1, or later
– AIX Version 6.1, or later
– AIX Version 5.3, or later
v Linux
– Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.1 for POWER, or later
– SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11, Service Pack 1, or later (with update package)
16 Power Systems: Managing PCI adapters for the IBM Power 710 Express or the IBM Power 730 Express

IBM 8231-E2B Specifications

General

Brand	IBM
Model	8231-E2B
Category	Server
Language	English