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Chapter 1
About the Server Switch Module
Introduction
Figure 1-1
Cisco 4x InfiniBand Switch Module for IBM BladeCenter
Each Server Switch Module includes 16 4x ports to the backplane and 8 4x ports (in the form of 2 4x
connectors and 2 12x connectors) on the front panel. The Server Switch Module provides full
non-blocking switching for all 24 ports. On the backplane, 14 of the internal 4x ports provide 10 Gbps
connections to the HCA expansion cards on server blades. The two remaining internal 4x ports provide
connections to the chassis expansion modules. All external 4x connectors provide 10 Gbps connections
to the outside IB network and can autonegotiate connection speed.
Server Switch Modules transmit information to and from BladeCenter Management Modules over
Ethernet (through an internal Ethernet switch) to facilitate setup and management. After you set up a
Server Switch Module and bring it online, the on-board Cisco Subnet Manager brings distributed
intelligence to the IB network.
Cisco Server Switch Modules allow you to perform a field upgrade to load the latest firmware on the
Server Switch Module. You can perform a firmware upgrade even following a failed upgrade. CLI and
GUI interfaces both support upgrades. For details, see the Command Line Interface Reference Guide or
the Element Manager User Guide.
Server Switch Module and HCA Expansion Cards
Within the BladeCenter unit, Server Switch Modules manage traffic to and from HCA expansion cards
on the BladeCenter hosts. Each HCA expansion card adds two IB ports to a BladeCenter host. Each HCA
port connects through the unit backplane to a particular Server Switch Module slot. The first IB port of
each HCA card (ib0) connects to the Server Switch Module in I/O slot 7, and the second IB port of each
HCA card (ib1) connects to I/O slot 9. For detailed information about the HCA expansion card, see the
Cisco 4x InfiniBand HCA Expansion Card for IBM BladeCenter User Guide.
Cisco 4x InfiniBand Switch Module for IBM BladeCenter User Guide
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