The IBM System Storage™ SAN80B-4 SAN fabric switch provides 48, 64 or 80 active ports and is designed for high performance with 8 Gbps link speeds and backward compatibility to support links running at 4, 2 and 1 Gbps link speeds. High availability features make it suitable for use as a core switch in mid-range environments or as an edge-switch in enterprise environments where a wide range of SAN infrastructure simplification and business continuity configurations are possible. IBM Power Systems™, System x™, System z® and many non-IBM disk and tape devices are supported in many common operating system (OS) environments. Optional features provide specialised distance extension, dynamic routing between separate or heterogeneous fabrics, link trunking, Fibre Connection (FICON), performance monitoring and advanced security capabilities.

Common features Standard configuration includes 48 active ports and capability to attach to hosts, storage devices and other nodes in a SAN fabric. The 16-port activation option enables “pay-as-you-grow” scalability to 64 and 80 ports. No previous SAN experience needed to use EZSwitchSetup wizard. Little or no management required in small fabric configuration, yet supports robust enterprise-class fabric management practices. Advanced Web Tools provides intuitive, graphic switch management. Supports IBM POWER Systems and System x, plus selected non-IBM servers Full compatibility with other IBM System Storage and TotalStorage SAN b-type switches, routers and directors and Native Interoperability with current m-type switches and directors helps protect prior SAN investments Ideal for use as a core switch in a medium-size SAN or as an edge switch in larger SANs. Optional Fibre Channel Routing enables connection to separate and heterogeneous SAN fabrics. Support for FICON, FICON Cascading and FICON Control Unit Port (CUP) is available. Hardware Summary 2U 19" packaging designed for rack-mount or table-top. Designed for high-performance with 8 Gigabit per second (Gbps) fibre channel ports (requires storage hardware that supports 8 Gbps throughput). Speed auto-sensing capabilities provide backward compatibility with 4, 2 and 1 Gbps fibre channel links. Supports 8, 4 and 2 Gbps link speeds or 4, 2 and 1 Gbps link speeds depending on which optical transceivers (SFPs) are used. Shortwave and longwave SFPs with different speeds can be intermixed in the same switch to meet unique requirements. Full Fabric operation and Universal Port Operation are available on all ports. Universal Ports self-configure as E, F, FL or M_Ports. Inter Switch Link (ISL) Trunking supports up to eight paths at 8 Gbps to be combined to form a single logical ISL between a pair of switches.. Advanced Zoning, intelligent management and monitoring with Web Tools, Fabric Watch and Performance Monitor features. Standard Advanced Zoning provides hardware-enforced zoning to protect against unauthorized or unauthenticated storage network access, non-secure management access and World Wide Name spoofing. IBM SAN b-type switches and directors use common switch firmware, which helps simplify SAN fabric expansion. Firmware upgrades are designed to be non-disruptive. Remote access and remote management are available through the fabric using GUI, SNMP and Telnet.