INSPEED™ SAN STORAGE SWITCH MODEL 355

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

USER’S GUIDE

 

FEATURES

The InSpeed™ SAN Storage Switch Model 355 has the following features:

•High Performance Fibre Channel Switching:

•Wire speed non-blocking Crossbar switch core

•Single 12-port InSpeed SOC 320 ASIC with embedded SERDES

•Multiple simultaneous conversations between ports

•Traffic routed directly to destination ports

•2 Gb/s or 1 Gb/s performance across all ports

•Aggregate bandwidth of 48 Gb/s

•Supports cascades up to 3 switches and up to 126 host and storage devices

•No complex fabric services or buffers

•Effortlessly connects to any vendor’s fabric

•Patent-pending technology:

•Fairness and Prioritization–ensures devices all have guaranteed access, or explicitly have prioritized access, over all other devices in a system.

•StealthTM Intelligent Change Manager–delivers maximum stability through automatic elimination of state and change notification system disruptions and unprecedented control of disruptive events.

•Automatic Trunking–enables fully-multiplied throughput and bandwidth, failover pathing, and dynamic load balancing and device prioritization.

•Advanced diagnostics, performance monitoring, and fault isolation including continuous switch and port monitoring and automatic bypass of problematic or unused ports.

•Port Smart Settings, which are predefined port-level configurations that optimize switch performance and stability.

•One-Step Zoning, including overlapping/non-overlapping zones with port or AL_PA-based zoning.

•Switch management using the embedded http-based web server, Command Line Interface (CLI), or Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP).

•Half-rack, 1U size for easy installation (optional 19" rack-mounting kits available).

•Fibre Channel ANSI Standards Compliance

INSPEED™ TECHNOLOGY

InSpeed™ technology is an advanced switching architecture that couples a non-blocking crossbar switch with a unique switch port logic and per-port SERDES. This results in the industry’s highest density Fibre Channel switch on a chip (SOC). The port logic is based on Fibre Channel-Arbitrated Loop (FC-AL), an ANSI standard (X3T11) designed to provide shared bandwidth over low-cost media.

This architecture enables the switch’s router to send data directly from one port to another, allowing for multiple, simultaneous conversations between ports—effectively multiplying bandwidth. InSpeed™ provides the same performance as complex fabric switches that support FC-SW2. InSpeed™ can even exceed fabric switch performance in entry-level SAN environments, where the overhead associated with longer name addressing and services is not beneficial.

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Emulex 355 manual Features, Inspeed Technology
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355 specifications

The Emulex 355 is a high-performance network interface card (NIC) designed specifically for data centers requiring advanced connectivity, reliability, and speed. With the rapid evolution of data transmission technology, the Emulex 355 stands out due to its robust features and capabilities that cater to the demands of modern IT infrastructures.

One of the key features of the Emulex 355 is its support for 10 Gigabit Ethernet, which allows for significantly faster data transfer rates compared to standard Gigabit connections. This increased bandwidth is essential for handling large volumes of data traffic, particularly in virtualized environments and cloud computing applications. Its high throughput ensures that data can be transmitted rapidly across networks, minimizing latency and improving overall performance.

The Emulex 355 employs advanced technologies such as iSCSI Offload and FCoE (Fibre Channel over Ethernet), which help enhance data processing efficiency. These technologies allow the card to offload processing tasks from the host system's CPU, reducing the load on server resources and optimizing performance. The result is a more efficient system that can handle more concurrent connections and processes without being overwhelmed.

In addition to speed and efficiency, reliability is paramount in data center operations. The Emulex 355 includes features like error detection and correction, ensuring data integrity during transmission. Built-in redundancy and failover capabilities safeguard against potential network disruptions, allowing for continuous availability of services—a crucial aspect in mission-critical environments.

The Emulex 355 also offers support for various robust networking protocols, enabling seamless integration into existing network infrastructures. Its compatibility with multiple operating systems and virtualization platforms, such as VMware and Microsoft Hyper-V, further enhances its versatility.

Another notable characteristic of the Emulex 355 is its energy-efficient design. It is optimized for lower power consumption without sacrificing performance, aligning with contemporary efforts to reduce the carbon footprint in data centers.

In conclusion, the Emulex 355 NIC is a powerful solution equipped with features that address the complex demands of modern data centers. Its combination of speed, reliability, and efficiency, along with advanced technologies, makes it a preferred choice for organizations looking to enhance their network capabilities and ensure smooth, uninterrupted operations.
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