Lenovo Multi-Switch Interconnect Module for IBM BladeCenter Owner’s Manual
- June 3, 2024
- Lenovo
Table of Contents
Multi-Switch Interconnect Module for IBM BladeCenter
Owner’s Manual
Figure 1. Multi-Switch Interconnect Module
Multi-Switch Interconnect Module for IBM BladeCenter
The Multi-Switch Interconnect Module (MSIM) for IBM BladeCenter is an
innovative solution if you are looking to use additional standard form-factor
switches in place of the high-speed switch bays in the BladeCenter H chassis.
By using redundant MSIMs, you can deploy virtualization-ready solutions by
providing up to eight Ethernet network interface cards (NICs) to each blade
server in the chassis.
Figure 1 shows the MSIM.
Part number information
Table 1 shows the part number to order this card.
Table 1. The part number and feature code for ordering
Description | Part number | Feature code |
---|---|---|
Multi-Switch Interconnect Module for IBM BladeCenter | 39Y9314 | 1465 |
The part number includes the following items:
- One Multi-Switch Interconnect Module for IBM BladeCenter
- Multi-Switch Interconnect Module Installation and User’s Guide
- The documentation CD
- Safety information
Features
MSIM has the following features:
- Provides standard I/O module support in the high-speed switch bays of BladeCenter H
- Accommodates two standard I/O modules (Ethernet Switch Modules, Fibre Channel Switch
- Modules, or Pass-thru Modules), side by side
- Leverages the I/O design of BladeCenter H to provide increased connectivity to each blade
Operating environment
- The expansion card is supported in this environment:
- Temperature: 10° to 35°C (50° to 95°F)
- Relative humidity: 8% to 80%, non-condensing
Supported BladeCenter chassis
Table 2 lists the IBM BladeCenter chassis that supports the Multi-Switch
Interconnect Module.
Table 2. IBM BladeCenter chassis that supports the Multi-Switch Interconnect
Module
| | Blade Canter S| Blade Center E| Blader Center H| Blade
Center T| Blader Center HT
---|---|---|---|---|---|---
Multi-Switch Interconnect Module for IBM BladeCenter| 39Y9314| N| N| Y| N| N
The MSIM is a switch module container that converts a stacked pair of high- speed I/O bays into two tandard I/O bays. Figure 2 shows the MSIM being installed into bays 7 nd 8 of the BladeCenter H chassis.
Figure 2. MSIM installed in bays 7 and 8 of the BladeCenter H chassis
Figure 3 shows how two MSIMs can be installed in BladeCenter H: one in the
space of switch bays 7 and 8, and one in the space of switch bays 9 and 10.
The MSIM accepts two supported standard switch modules and enables a blade
server to have up to a total of eight network connections. To connect to the
switch modules in the MSIM, a blade server must have a CFFh-type adapter
installed.
Figure 3. Two MSIMs installed in the BladeCenter H chassis
Supported expansion cards
To use the MSIM, each blade must have supported CFFh expansion cards installed. Table 3 lists the supported CFFh cards. Table 3. Expansion cards that can be used to connect to I/O modules in an MSIM
FCF expansion card | Part number | Supported with MSIM |
---|---|---|
2/4 Port Ethernet Expansion Card (CFFh) | 44W4479 | Supported |
NetXen 10 Gb Ethernet Expansion Card (CFFh) | 39Y9271 | No |
Broadcom 2-port 10 Gb Ethernet Expansion Card (CFFh) | 44W4466 | No |
Broadcom 4-port 10 Gb Ethernet Expansion Card (CFFh) | 44W4465 | No |
QLogic Ethernet and 4Gb Fibre Channel Expansion Card (CFFh) | 39Y9306 |
Supported
QLogic Ethernet and 8Gb Fibre Channel Expansion Card CFFh)| 44X1940|
Supported
4X InfiniBand DDR Expansion Card| 43W4423| No
Voltaire 4X InfiniBand DDR Expansion Card| 43W4420| No
QLogic 2-port 10Gb Converged Network Adapter (CFFh)| 42C1830| No
Emulex Virtual Fabric Adapter (CFFh)| 49Y4235| No
The ports on the CFFh expansion cards in each server are hard-wired to
specific bays in the switch modules in each MSIM. Table 4 lists the mapping of
expansion card ports to the I/O bays of MSIMs.
Table 4. Mapping of expansion card ports to the I/O bays of MSIMs
Port number of the CFFh expansion card| Corresponding switch module bay in the
MSIM
---|---
1| 7 (upper left interconnect module bay)
2| 8 (upper right interconnect module bay)
3| 9 (lower left interconnect module bay)
4| 10 (lower right interconnect module bay)
Supported I/O modules
Table 5 lists the supported standard form factor I/O modules and the MSIM
bays in which they are supported. For each of the expansion cards that support
the MSIM (see Table 3), the MSIM supports I/O modules in the left bay, the
right bay, or both bays of the MSIM. Table 5 summarizes this support. Because
the supported expansion cards are Ethernet or Fibre Channel only, no SAS or
InfiniBand switch modules are supported in the MSIM.
Note the following explanation when viewing the table:
- Right means that the module is only supported in the rightmost I/O slot of the MSIM.
- Left means that the module is only supported in the leftmost I/O slot of the MSIM.
- Both means that the module is supported in both the rightmost and leftmost I/O slots.
- No means that the module is either not supported or not recommended for performance reasons (foexample, mixing a 4 Gb FC with an 8 Gb FC).
Table 5. Supported standard form factor I/O modules and the MSIM bays in which they are supported (left bay, right bay, both bays) for each expansion card
| | QL logic Eth + 4GB FC (39Y9306)| QL logic Eth + 8 Gb FC (44x
1940)| 2/4Port Ethernet (44W4479 )
---|---|---|---|---
Ethernet switch modules| | | |
Cisco Intelligent Gb Ethernet Switch| 32R1892| Left| Left| Both
Cisco Intelligent Gb Fiber Ethernet Switch| 32R1888| Left| Left| Both
Cisco Catalyst Switch Module 3110G| 41Y8523| Left| Left| Both
Cisco Catalyst Switch Module 3110X| 41Y8522| Left| Left| Both
Cisco Catalyst Switch Module 3012| 43W4395| Left| Left| Both
Server Connectivity Module| 39Y9324| Left| Left| Both
BNT Layer 2-7 Gb Ethernet Switch| 32R1859| No| No| No
BNT Layer 2/3 Copper Gb Ethernet Switch| 32R1860| Left| Left| Both
BNT Layer 2/3 Fiber Gb Ethernet Switch| 32R1861| Left| Left| Both
BNT 10Gb Uplink Ethernet Switch| 32R1783| Left| Left| Both
| | QL lofgic Eth +4Gvb FC (39Y9306)| QL logic Eth + 8GB FC
(44×1940)| 2/4 Port Ethernet (44W4479)
---|---|---|---|---
BNT 1/10 Gb Uplink ESM| 44W4404| Left| Left| Both
Fibre Channel switch modules| | | |
Brocade 20-port 4Gb SAN Switch| 32R1813| Right| Right¹| No
Brocade 10-port 4Gb SAN Switch| 42C1828| Right²| Right| No
Brocade Enterprise 20-port 8Gb SAN Switch Mo| 44X1920| Right²| Right| No
Brocade 20-port 8Gb SAN Switch Module| 44X1921| Right²| Right| No
Brocade 10-port 8Gb SAN Switch Module| 39Y9280| Right| Right¹| No
Cisco 4Gb 20-port Fibre Channel Switch| 39Y9284| Right| Right¹| No
Cisco 4Gb 10-port Fibre Channel Switch| 26R0881| Right| Right¹| No
QLogic 20 port 4Gb Fibre Channel Switch| 43W6725| Right| Right¹| No
QLogic 20-port 4Gb SAN Switch Module| 43W6724| Right| Right¹| No
QLogic 10-port 4Gb SAN Switch Module| 43W6723| Right| Right¹| No
QLogic 4Gb Intelligent Pass-thru Module| 44X1905| Right²| Right| No
QLogic 20-port 8Gb SAN Switch Module| 44X1907| Right²| Right| No
Table 5 (continued). Supported I/O modules and the MSIM bays they are supported in (left bay, right bay, both bays) for each expansion card.
Optical Pass-thru Module | 39Y9316 | Both | Both³ | Both |
---|---|---|---|---|
Copper Pass-thru Module | 39Y9320 | Left | Left | Both |
Intelligent Copper Pass-thru Module | 44W4483 | Left | Left | Both |
QLogic 4Gb Intelligent Pass-thru Module | 43W6723 | Righ | Right¹ | No |
QLogic 8Gb Intelligent Pass-thru Module | 44X1907 | Righ | Right | No |
Notes:
- When this 4Gb I/O module is used with the QLogic Ethernet and 8Gb Fibre Channel Expansion Card (CFFh), the card operates only at 4 Gbps.
- When this 8Gb I/O module is used with the QLogic Ethernet and 4Gb Fibre Channel Expansion Card (CFFh), the module operates only at 4 Gbps.
- When the Optical Pass-thru Module is installed in the right-hand MSIM bay (for use with a Fibre Channel expansion card), the Optical Pass-thru Module only operates at 2 Gbps. This is a limitation of the OPM.
Popular configurations
This section illustrates how the MSIM can be used in BladeCenter H
configurations to add four extra ports to each server in the chassis.
Eight Ethernet ports per server
With the MSIM, it is possible to supply eight Ethernet ports to every
BladeCenter server installed in the BladeCenter H chassis, as shown in Figure
4. In this configuration, each BladeCenter server has both a 2/4 Port Ethernet
Expansion Card (CFFh) expansion card plus an Ethernet expansion card (CFFv or
CIOv form factor, depending on the model of the server). Eight Ethernet switch
modules are installed in the BladeCenter H chassis, four of them in MSMEs. All
connections between the cards and the switch modules are internal to the
chassis. No extra cabling is needed.
Figure 4. Using two MSIMs and eight Ethernet Switch Modules to route eight
Ethernet ports per server
Table 6 lists the components that are used in the eight-Ethernet-ports-per-
server configuration shown in Figure 4.
Table 6. Components used in the eight-ports-per-server configuration
Diagram | Part number /machine type | Description | Quantity |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Varies | IBM BladeCenter HS22 or another server that supports CFFh cards | 1 |
to 14
2| None| IBM BladeCenter HS22 or other servers that server| 1 per server
3| Varies| Ethernet CFFv or CIOv expansion card| 1 per server
4| 44W4479| 2/4 Port Ethernet Expansion Card (CFFh)| 1 per server
5| 8852| BladeCenter H chassis| 1
6| Varies| Support Ethernet Switch Modules routing signals from the integrated
controller (see Table 5)| 2
7| Varies| Supported Ethernet Switch Modules routing signals from the CFFv or
CIOv card (see Table 5)| 2
8| Varies| Supported Ethernet Switch Modules routing signal from the CFFh card
(see Table 5)| 4
9| 39Y9314| Multi-Switch Interconnect Module| 2
**Related publications
**
For more information, see the following resources:
Multi-Switch Interconnect Module Installation and User Guide:
http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=psg1MIGR-5070476
IBM US Announcement Letter for the Multi-Switch Interconnect Module:
http://ibm.com/common/ssi/cgi-bin/ssialias?
nfotype=dd&subtype=ca&&htmlfid=897/ENUS107-088
IBM BladeCenter Interoperability Guide:
http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=psg1MIGR-5073016
IBM Redbooks publication IBM BladeCenter Products and Technology, SG24-7523:
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/abstracts/sg247523.html
Multi-Switch Interconnect Module Installation and User Guide:
http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=psg1MIGR-5070476
IBM US Announcement Letter for the Multi-Switch Interconnect Module:
http://ibm.com/common/ssi/cgi-
bin/ssialias?infotype=dd&subtype=ca&&htmlfid=897/ENUS107-088
IBM BladeCenter Interoperability Guide:
http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=psg1MIGR-5073016
IBM Redbooks publication IBM BladeCenter Products and Technology,
SG24-7523: http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/abstracts/sg247523.html
Related product families
Product families related to this document are the following: Blade
Chassis
Notices
Lenovo may not offer the products, services, or features discussed in this
document in all countries. Consult your local Lenovo representative for
information on the products and services currently available in your area. Any
reference to a Lenovo product, program, or service is not intended to state or
imply that only the Lenovo product, program, or service may be used. Any
functionally equivalent product, program, or service that does not infringe
any Lenovo intellectual property right may be used instead. However, it is the
user’s responsibility to evaluate and verify the operation of any other
product, program, or service. Lenovo may have patents or pending patent
applications covering the subject matter described in this document. The
furnishing of this document does not give you any license to these patents.
You can send license inquiries, in writing, to:
Lenovo (United States), Inc.
8001 Development Drive
Morrisville, NC 27560
U.S.A.
Attention: Lenovo Director of Licensing
LENOVO PROVIDES THIS PUBLICATION ”AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER
EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
NON-INFRINGEMENT, MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. Some
jurisdictions do not allow disclaimers of express or implied warranties in
certain transactions, therefore, this statement may not apply to you.
This information could include technical inaccuracies or typographical errors.
Changes are periodically made to the information herein; these changes will be
incorporated in new editions of the publication. Lenovo may make improvements
and/or changes in the product(s) and/or the program(s) described in this
publication at any time without notice.
The products described in this document are not intended for use in
implantation or other life support applications where malfunction may result
in injury or death to persons. The information contained in this document does
not affect or change Lenovo product specifications or warranties. Nothing in
this document shall operate as an express or implied license or indemnity
under the intellectual property rights of Lenovo or third parties. All
information contained in this document was obtained in specific environments
and is presented as an illustration. The result obtained in other operating
environments may vary. Lenovo may use or distribute any of the information you
supply in any way it believes appropriate without incurring any obligation to
you.
Any references in this publication to non-Lenovo Web sites are provided for
convenience only and do not in any manner serve as an endorsement of those Web
sites. The materials at those Web sites are not part of the materials for this
Lenovo product, and use of those Web sites is at your own risk. Any
performance data contained herein was determined in a controlled environment.
Therefore, the result obtained in other operating environments may vary
significantly. Some measurements may have been made on development-level
systems and there is no guarantee that these measurements will be the same on
generally available systems. Furthermore, some measurements may have been
estimated through extrapolation. Actual results may vary. Users of this
document should verify the applicable data for their specific environment.
© Copyright Lenovo 2022. All rights reserved.
This document, TIPS0711, was created or updated on October 23, 2009.
Send us your comments in one of the following ways:
Use the online Contact us review form found at:
https://lenovopress.lenovo.com/TIPS0711
Send your comments in an e-mail to:comments@lenovopress.com
This document is available online at
https://lenovopress.lenovo.com/TIPS0711.
Trademarks
Lenovo and the Lenovo logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Lenovo
in the United States, other countries, or both. A current list of Lenovo
trademarks is available on the Web at
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/legal/copytrade/.
The following terms are trademarks of Lenovo in the United States, other
countries, or both: Lenovo® BNT®/ BladeCenter®
Other company, product, or service names may be trademarks or service marks of
others.
References
- IBM BladeCenter Products and Technology
- Blade Chassis > Lenovo Press
- Multi-Switch Interconnect Module for IBM BladeCenter Product Guide (withdrawn product) > Lenovo Press
- Copyright and Trademark Information | Lenovo US | Lenovo US
Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
Read User Manual Online (PDF format) >>