IBM manual Z10 Coupling Link Options, Z10 EC Max

System z now supports 12x Infi niBand single data rate (12x IB-SDR) coupling link attachment between System z10 and System z9 general purpose (no longer limited to standalone coupling facility)

5.InterSystem Channel-3 (ISC-3) supports communica- tion at unrepeated distances up to 10 km (6.2 miles) using 9 micron single mode fi ber optic cables and greater distances with System z-qualifi ed optical net- working solutions. ISC-3s are supported exclusively in peer mode (CHPID type CFP).

Note: The Infi niBand link data rates do not represent the performance of the link. The actual performance is depen- dent upon many factors including latency through the adapters, cable lengths, and the type of workload. Spe- cifi cally, with 12x Infi niBand coupling links, while the link data rate is higher than that of ICB, the service times of coupling operations are greater, and the actual throughput is less.

Refer to the Coupling Facility Confi guration Options white- paper for a more specifi c explanation of when to continue using the current ICB or ISC-3 technology versus migrat- ing to Infi niBand coupling links.

The whitepaper is available at: http://www.ibm.com/ systems/z/advantages/pso/whitepaper.html.

z10 Coupling Link Options

Type	Description	Use	Link	Distance	z10 BC	z10
			data rate		z10 EC	Max
					Max
PSIFB	1x IB-DDR LR	z10 to z10	5 Gbps	10 km unrepeated	12*/32*
				(6.2 miles)
				100 km repeated
PSIFB	12x IB-DDR	z10 to z10	6 GBps	150 meters	12*/32*
		z10 to z9	3 GBps**	(492 ft)***
IC	Internal	Internal	Internal	N/A	32/32	64
	Coupling	Communi-	Speeds			CHPIDS
	Channel	cation
ICB-4	Copper	z10, z9	2 GBps	10 meters***	12/16
	connection	z990, z890		(33 ft)
	between OS
	and CF
ISC-3	Fiber	z10, z9	2 Gbps	10 km	48/48
	connection	z990, z890		unrepeated
	between OS			(6.2 miles)
	and CF			100 km repeated

•The maximum number of Coupling Links combined cannot exceed 64 per server (PSIFB, ICB-4, ISC-3). There is a maximum of 64 Coupling CHPIDs (CIB, ICP, CBP, CFP) per server.

•For each MBA fanout installed for ICB-4s, the number of possible customer HCA fanouts is reduced by one

*Each link supports definition of multiple CIB CHPIDs, up to 16 per fanout

**z10 negotiates to 3 GBps (12x IB-SDR) when connected to a System z9*

**3 meters (10 feet) reserved for internal routing and strain relief

Note: The Infi niBand link data rates of 6 GBps, 3 GBps, 2.5 Gbps, or 5 Gbps do not represent the performance of the link. The actual performance is dependent upon many factors including latency through the adapters, cable lengths, and the type of workload. With Infi niBand coupling links, while the link data rate may be higher than that of ICB (12x IB-SDR or 12x IB-DDR) or ISC-3 (1x IB-SDR or 1x IB-DDR), the service times of coupling operations are greater, and the actual throughput may be less than with ICB links or ISC-3 links.

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