IBM Flex System Interoperability Guide

Front cover

IBM Flex System
Interoperability Guide
Quick reference for IBM Flex System
Interoperability
Covers internal components and
external connectivity
Latest updates as of
4 November 2013

David Watts
Ilya Krutov

ibm.com/redbooks

Redpaper

International Technical Support Organization
IBM Flex System Interoperability Guide
4 November 2013

REDP-FSIG-00

Note: Before using this information and the product it supports, read the information in “Notices” on page v.

This edition applies to:
IBM PureFlex System
IBM Flex System Enterprise Chassis
IBM Flex System Manager
IBM Flex System p24L Compute Node
IBM Flex System p260 Compute Node
IBM Flex System x220 Compute Node
IBM 42U 1100 mm Enterprise V2 Dynamic Rack
© Copyright International Business Machines Corporation 2012, 2013. All rights reserved.
Note to U.S. Government Users Restricted Rights -- Use, duplication or disclosure restricted by GSA ADP Schedule
Contract with IBM Corp.

Contents
Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .v
Trademarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
The team who wrote this paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
Now you can become a published author, too! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii
Comments welcome. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii
Stay connected to IBM Redbooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii
Summary of changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
17 October 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
8 October 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
6 August 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
2 July 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .x
24 June 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .x
19 June 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .x
Chapter 1. Chassis interoperability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.1 Chassis to compute node . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.2 Switch to adapter interoperability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.2.1 Ethernet switches and adapters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.2.2 Fibre Channel switches and adapters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.2.3 InfiniBand switches and adapters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.3 Switch to transceiver interoperability. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.3.1 Ethernet switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.3.2 Fibre Channel switches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.3.3 InfiniBand switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1.4 Switch upgrades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1.4.1 IBM Flex System EN4023 10Gb Scalable Switch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1.4.2 IBM Flex System Fabric CN4093 10Gb Converged Scalable Switch . . . . . . . . . . 10
1.4.3 IBM Flex System Fabric EN4093 & EN4093R 10Gb Scalable Switch . . . . . . . . . 11
1.4.4 IBM Flex System Fabric SI4093 System Interconnect Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
1.4.5 IBM Flex System EN2092 1Gb Ethernet Scalable Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
1.4.6 IBM Flex System IB6131 InfiniBand Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
1.4.7 IBM Flex System FC5022 16Gb SAN Scalable Switch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
1.5 vNIC and UFP support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
1.6 Chassis power supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
1.7 Rack to chassis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Chapter 2. Compute node component compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2.1 Compute node-to-card interoperability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2.2 Memory DIMM compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2.2.1 x86 compute nodes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2.2.2 Power Systems compute nodes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2.3 Internal storage compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2.3.1 x86 compute nodes: 2.5-inch drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2.3.2 x86 compute nodes: 1.8-inch drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2.4 Embedded virtualization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
© Copyright IBM Corp. 2012, 2013. All rights reserved.

21
22
24
24
26
27
27
29
31
32
iii

2.5 Expansion node compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2.5.1 Compute nodes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2.5.2 Flex System I/O adapters - PCIe Expansion Node . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2.5.3 PCIe I/O adapters - PCIe Expansion Node. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2.5.4 Internal storage - Storage Expansion Node . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2.5.5 RAID upgrades - Storage Expansion Node . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2.6 External USB device support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2.6.1 Supported IBM USB devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2.6.2 Supported non-IBM USB devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

34
34
34
35
36
38
39
39
40

Chapter 3. Software compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.1 Operating system support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.1.1 x86 compute nodes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.2 IBM Fabric Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

41
42
42
43
44

Chapter 4. Storage interoperability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4.1 Unified NAS storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4.2 FCoE support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4.3 iSCSI support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4.4 NPIV support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4.5 Fibre Channel support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4.5.1 x86 compute nodes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

49
50
51
53
54
54
55
56

Abbreviations and acronyms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Related publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
IBM Redbooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Other publications and online resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Help from IBM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

iv


59
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60

Notices
This information was developed for products and services offered in the U.S.A.
IBM may not offer the products, services, or features discussed in this document in other countries. Consult
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infringe any IBM intellectual property right may be used instead. However, it is the user's responsibility to
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IBM may have patents or pending patent applications covering subject matter described in this document. The
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IBM Director of Licensing, IBM Corporation, North Castle Drive, Armonk, NY 10504-1785 U.S.A.
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PROVIDES THIS PUBLICATION "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR
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This information could include technical inaccuracies or typographical errors. Changes are periodically made
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IBM may use or distribute any of the information you supply in any way it believes appropriate without incurring
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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
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Information concerning non-IBM products was obtained from the suppliers of those products, their published
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cannot guarantee or imply reliability, serviceability, or function of these programs.


v

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vi


Preface
To meet today’s complex and ever-changing business demands, you need a solid foundation
of compute, storage, networking, and software resources. This system must be simple to
deploy, and be able to quickly and automatically adapt to changing conditions. You also need
to be able to take advantage of broad expertise and proven guidelines in systems
management, applications, hardware maintenance, and more.
The IBM® PureFlex™ System combines no-compromise system designs along with built-in
expertise and integrates them into complete and optimized solutions. At the heart of PureFlex
System is the IBM Flex System™ Enterprise Chassis. This fully integrated infrastructure
platform supports a mix of compute, storage, and networking resources to meet the demands
of your applications.
The solution is easily scalable with the addition of another chassis with the required nodes.
With the IBM Flex System Manager™, multiple chassis can be monitored from a single panel.
The 14 node, 10U chassis delivers high speed performance complete with integrated servers,
storage, and networking. This flexible chassis is simple to deploy, and scales to meet your
needs in the future.
This IBM Redpaper™ publication is a reference to compatibility and interoperability of
components inside and connected to IBM PureFlex System and IBM Flex System solutions.
The latest version of this document can be downloaded from:
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/fsig

The team who wrote this paper
This paper was produced by a team of specialists from around the world working at the
International Technical Support Organization, Raleigh Center.
David Watts is a Consulting IT Specialist at the ITSO Center in Raleigh. He manages
residencies and produces IBM Redbooks® publications for hardware and software topics that
are related to IBM System x® and IBM BladeCenter® servers and associated client
platforms. He has authored over 300 books, papers, and web documents. David has worked
for IBM both in the US and Australia since 1989. He is an IBM Certified IT Specialist and a
member of the IT Specialist Certification Review Board. David holds a Bachelor of
Engineering degree from the University of Queensland (Australia).
Ilya Krutov is a Project Leader at the ITSO Center in Raleigh and has been with IBM since
1998. Before joining the ITSO, Ilya served in IBM as a Run Rate Team Leader, Portfolio
Manager, Brand Manager, Technical Sales Specialist, and Certified Instructor. Ilya has
expertise in IBM System x and BladeCenter products, server operating systems, and
networking solutions. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering from the Moscow
Engineering and Physics Institute.
Special thanks to Ashish Jain, the former author of this document.


vii

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viii


Summary of changes
This section describes the technical changes made in this edition of the paper and in previous
editions. This edition might also include minor corrections and editorial changes that are not
identified.

4 November 2013
Changed information
Corrections to operating system support for Power Systems compute nodes, page 43
Storage Expansion Node FoD upgrades require cache upgrades, page 38
Updated HDD table (00AJ236, 00AJ246, 00AJ300 temporarily not supported), page 27

17 October 2013
Changed information
Updated the drives supported in the Storage Expansion Node, page 37
Updated the Fibre Channel tables to add IBM FlashSystem support, page 54

8 October 2013
New products
IBM Flex System x240 Compute Node (E5-2600 v2 processors)
Cisco Nexus B22 Fabric Extender for IBM Flex System
IBM Flex System EN4023 10Gb Scalable Switch
IBM Flex System CN4022 2-port 10Gb Converged Adapter
IBM Flex System CN4054R 10Gb Virtual Fabric Adapter
1866 MHz and 1600 MHz memory DIMMs for the x240 (E5-2600 v2)
IBM 600GB 15K 6Gbps SAS 2.5'' G2HS HDD
IBM 300GB 15K 6Gbps SAS 2.5'' G2HS Hybrid
IBM USB Memory Key for VMware ESXi 5.1 Update 1

Changed information
Updated the FCoE, iSCSI, and FC tables in Chapter 4, “Storage interoperability” on
page 49

6 August 2013
New products
IBM Flex System p260 Compute Node (POWER7+ SCM)
IBM Flex System p270 Compute Node (POWER7+ DCM)

ix

IBM Flex System EN6132 2-port 40Gb Ethernet Adapter
IBM Flex System FC5052 2-port 16Gb FC Adapter
IBM Flex System FC5024D 4-port 16Gb FC Adapter
IBM Flex System IB6132D 2-port FDR InfiniBand Adapter
IBM Flex System Fabric SI4093 System Interconnect Module
IBM Flex System EN6131 40Gb Ethernet Switch

Changed information
The FSM can now manage up to 16 Flex System chassis
Updated feature codes in tables. With the announcement of x240 model 8737-15X in the
AAS ordering system, the same feature code is now used for all x86 compute nodes in
both XCC (x-config) and AAS (e-config).
The x-config feature code for the EN2024 4-port 1Gb Adapter is A10Y (not A1BR).
The x220 onboard LOM supports the EN4091 10Gb Pass-thru Module.
New 32GB RDIMM and 2GB UDIMM options for the x240
Updated the list of supported adapters in the PCIe Expansion Node
Updated the list of supported drives in the Storage Expansion Node

2 July 2013
New information
New section on external USB device support for Power Systems compute nodes, page 39
Power Systems compute nodes are supported with 2100 W power supplies, page 18
Added e-config feature code for 2100 W power supply, page 17
Added e-config feature codes for VMware hypervisor keys for x240, page 33
Added e-config feature codes for HDDs and SEDs for x240, page 27

Changed information
Updated the supported SAN configurations for NPIV support with IBM i, page 54

24 June 2013
Changed information
Rearranged the rows in the 1.8” drive table, page 31 (no new information)

19 June 2013
New information
IBM Intelligent Cluster 1410-4RX Rack supportes the Enterprise Chassis, page 19
Added support for 1.2 TB SAS and SED drives, page 27

x


Changed information
Updated 2.5” drive support, page 27

We invite you to rate the usefulness of this document at the IBM Flex System Interoperability
Guide home page at:
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/fsig

Summary of changes

xi

xii


1

Chapter 1.

Chassis interoperability
The IBM Flex System Enterprise Chassis is a 10U next-generation server platform with
integrated chassis management. It is a compact, high-density, high-performance, rack-mount,
and scalable server platform system. It supports up to 14 one-bay compute nodes that share
common resources, such as power, cooling, management, and I/O resources within a single
Enterprise Chassis. In addition, it can also support up to seven 2-bay compute nodes or three
4-bay compute nodes when the shelves are removed. You can mix and match 1-bay, 2-bay,
and 4-bay compute nodes to meet your specific hardware needs.
Topics in this chapter are:
1.1, “Chassis to compute node” on page 2
1.2, “Switch to adapter interoperability” on page 3
1.3, “Switch to transceiver interoperability” on page 6
1.4, “Switch upgrades” on page 10
1.5, “vNIC and UFP support” on page 16
1.6, “Chassis power supplies” on page 17
1.7, “Rack to chassis” on page 19


1

1.1 Chassis to compute node
Table 1-1 lists the maximum number of compute nodes installed in the chassis.
The actual number of compute nodes that can be installed depends on factors such as the
number and capacity of the power supplies used, the power policy activated, and the TDP
rating of the processors installed in the compute nodes. See 1.6, “Chassis power supplies” on
page 17 for details.
Table 1-1 Maximum number of compute nodes installed in the chassis
Compute nodes

Machine type
HVEC/XCC
ordering
system
(x-config)

AAS
ordering
system
(e-config)


7906


Maximum number of
compute nodes in the
Enterprise Chassis
8721-A1x
(x-config)

7893-92X
(e-config)

7906-25X

14

14

7916

7916-27X

14

14


8737

8737-15X
7863-10X

14

14


7917

7917-45X

7

7

IBM Flex System p24L Compute Node (POWER7)

None

1457-7FL

14a

14a

IBM Flex System p260 Compute Node (POWER7)

None

7895-22X

14a

14a


None

7895-23A
7895-23X

14a

14a

IBM Flex System p270 Compute Node (POWER7+ DCM)

None

7954-24X

14a

14a

IBM Flex System p460 Compute Node (POWER7)

None

7895-42X

7a

7a


None

7895-43X

7a

7a

8731-A1x

7955-01M

1b

1b

x86 compute nodes

IBM Power Systems compute nodes

Management node
IBM Flex System Manager

a. For Power Systems compute nodes: if the chassis is configured with the power management policy “AC Power
Source Redundancy with Compute Node Throttling Allowed”, some maximum chassis configurations containing
Power Systems compute nodes with large populations of 32GB DIMMs may result in the chassis having insufficient
power to power on all 14 compute nodes bays. In such circumstances, only 13 of the 14 bays would be allowed to
be powered on.
b. One Flex System Manager management node can manage up to 16 chassis

2


1.2 Switch to adapter interoperability
In this section, we describe switch to adapter interoperability.

1.2.1 Ethernet switches and adapters
Table 1-2 lists Ethernet switch to card compatibility.
Switch upgrades: To maximize the usable port count on the adapters, the switches may
need additional license upgrades. See 1.4, “Switch upgrades” on page 10 for details.

EN4093 10Gb Switch
49Y4270 / A0TB / 3593

EN4091 10Gb Pass-thru
88Y6043 / A1QV / 3700

SI4093 10Gb SIM
95Y3313 / A45T / ESWA

Cisco Nexus B22 Extender
94Y5350 / ESWB / ESWB

EN4023 10Gb Switch
94Y5212 / ESWD / ESWD

EN6131 40Gb Switch
90Y9346 / A3HJ / ESW6

Adapter description

EN4093R 10Gb Switch
95Y3309 / A3J6 / ESW7

Part number
Feature code
(XCC / AAS)a

CN4093 10Gb Switch
00D5823 / A3HH / ESW2

Switch description
Part number / feature codesa

EN2092 1Gb Switch
49Y4294 / A0TF / 3598

Table 1-2 Ethernet switch to card compatibility

Yes

Yesb

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

1 Gb Ethernet adapters
None
49Y7900
A10Y / 1763

x220 Onboard 1Gb
EN2024 4-port 1Gb Ethernet
Adapter

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yesc

Yes

Yesc

Yes

No

None

x222 Onboard 10Gb

Yesd

Yesd

Yesd

Yesd

No

Yesd

Yes

Yes

No

None

x240 Onboard 10Gb

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

None

x440 Onboard 10Gb

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

88Y5920
A4K3 / A4K3

CN4022 2-port 10Gb
Converged Adapter

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

90Y3554
A1R1 / 1759

CN4054 10Gb Virtual
Fabric Adapter

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yesc

Yes

Yesc

Yes

Yes

00Y3306
A4K2 / A4K2

CN4054R 10Gb Virtual Fabric
Adapter

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yesc

Yes

Yesc

Yes

Yes

None
None / 1762

Adapter

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yesc

Yes

Yesc

Yes

Yes

None
None / EC24

CN4058 8-port 10Gb
Converged Adapter

Yese

Yesf

Yesf

Yesf

Yesc

Yes

Yesc

Yes

No

90Y3466
A1QY / EC2D

EN4132 2-port 10 Gb
Ethernet Adapter

No

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

None
None / EC26

EN4132 2-port 10Gb RoCE
Adapter

No

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Chapter 1. Chassis interoperability

3

EN4093R 10Gb Switch
95Y3309 / A3J6 / ESW7

EN4093 10Gb Switch
49Y4270 / A0TB / 3593

88Y6043 / A1QV / 3700

SI4093 10Gb SIM
95Y3313 / A45T / ESWA


EN4023 10Gb Switch

EN6131 40Gb Switch
90Y9346 / A3HJ / ESW6

Adapter description

CN4093 10Gb Switch
00D5823 / A3HH / ESW2

Part number
Feature code
(XCC / AAS)a

EN2092 1Gb Switch
49Y4294 / A0TF / 3598

Switch description

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

Yes

90Y3482
A3HK / A3HK

Adapter

a. The first feature code listed is for configurations ordered through System x sales channels (XCC using x-config). The
second feature code is for configurations ordered through the IBM Power Systems channel (AAS using e-config)
b. 1 Gb is supported on the CN4093’s two external 10 Gb SFP+ ports only. The 12 external Omni Ports do not support
1 GbE speeds.
c. Only two of the ports of this adapter are connected when used with the EN4091 10Gb Pass-thru or Cisco B22
Extender.
d. Upgrade 1 required to enable enough internal switch ports to connect to both servers in the x222
e. Only four of the eight ports of CN4058 adapter are connected with the EN2092 switch.
f. Only six of the eight ports of the CN4058 adapter are connected with the CN4093, EN4093, EN4093R switches

1.2.2 Fibre Channel switches and adapters
Table 1-3 lists Fibre Channel switch to card compatibility.
Table 1-3 Fibre Channel switch to card compatibility
FC5022
16Gb
12-port
Part number

FC5022
16Gb
24-port

FC5022
16Gb
24-port
ESB

FC3171
8Gb
switch

FC3171
8Gb
Pass-thru

88Y6374

00Y3324

90Y9356

69Y1930

69Y1934

A1EH /
3770

A3DP /
ESW5

A2RQ /
3771

A0TD /
3595

A0TJ /
3591

Part
number
69Y1938

A1BM / 1764

FC3172 2-port 8Gb FC
Adapter

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

95Y2375

A2N5 / EC25

Adapter

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

88Y6370

A1BP / EC2B

Adapter

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

95Y2386

A45R / EC23

Adapter

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

95Y2391

A45S / EC2E

Adapter

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

69Y1942

A1BQ / A1BQ

Adapter

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

95Y2379

4

Feature
codes
(XCC / AAS)a

A3HU / A3HU

FC5024D 4-port 16Gb FC
Adapter

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

Feature codesa



1.2.3 InfiniBand switches and adapters
Table 1-4 lists InfiniBand switch to card compatibility.
Table 1-4 InfiniBand switch to card compatibility
IB6131 InfiniBand
Switch
Part
number

Feature
codes
(XCC / AAS)a

90Y3454

A1QZ / EC2C

IB6132 2-port FDR InfiniBand Adapter

Yesb

None

None / 1761

IB6132 2-port QDR InfiniBand Adapter

Yes

90Y3486

A365 / A365

IB6132D 2-port FDR InfiniBand Adapter

Yesb

Part number
Feature

codea

90Y3450
A1EK / 3699

b. To operate at FDR speeds, the IB6131 switch will need the FDR upgrade, as described in 1.4, “Switch upgrades” on
page 10


5

1.3 Switch to transceiver interoperability
This section specifies the transceivers and direct-attach copper (DAC) cables supported by
the various IBM Flex System I/O modules.
1.3.1, “Ethernet switches” on page 6
1.3.2, “Fibre Channel switches” on page 8
1.3.3, “InfiniBand switches” on page 9

1.3.1 Ethernet switches
Support for transceivers and cables for Ethernet switch modules is shown in Table 1-5.

EN2092 1Gb Switch
49Y4294 / A0TF / 3598

CN4093 10Gb Switch
00D5823 / A3HH / ESW2

EN4093R 10Gb Switch
95Y3309 / A3J6 / ESW7

EN4093 10Gb Switch
49Y4270 / A0TB / 3593

88Y6043 / A1QV / 3700

SI4093 10Gb SIM
95Y3313 / A45T / ESWA


EN4023 10Gb Switch

EN6131 40Gb Switch
90Y9346 / A3HJ / ESW6

Table 1-5 Modules and cables supported in Ethernet I/O modules

81Y1622
3269 / EB2A

IBM SFP SX Transceiver
(1000Base-SX)

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

81Y1618
3268 / EB29

IBM SFP RJ45 Transceiver
(1000Base-T)

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

90Y9424
A1PN / ECB8

IBM SFP LX Transceiver
(1000Base-LX)

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

Switch description

Part number
Feature code
(XCC / AAS)a

Transceiver description

SFP transceivers - 1 Gbps

SFP+ transceivers - 10 Gbps
44W4408
4942 / 3282

10 GBase-SR SFP+ (MMFiber)

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

46C3447
5053 / EB28

IBM SFP+ SR Transceiver
(10GBase-SR)

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

No

90Y9412
A1PM / ECB9

IBM SFP+ LR Transceiver
(10GBase-LR)

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

00D6180
A3NZ / ECB9

IBM SFP+ LR Transceiver

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

Yes

No

95Y0540
A3AB / EB37

Brocade VDX SFP+ LR
Transceiver

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

Yes

No

49Y4216
0069 / EB3C

Brocade 10Gb SFP+ SR Optical
Transceiver

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

Yes

No

No

Yes

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

8 Gb Fibre Channel SFP+ transceivers
44X1964
5075 / 3286

6

IBM 8 Gb SFP+ SW Optical
Transceiver


EN2092 1Gb Switch
49Y4294 / A0TF / 3598

CN4093 10Gb Switch
00D5823 / A3HH / ESW2

EN4093R 10Gb Switch
95Y3309 / A3J6 / ESW7

EN4093 10Gb Switch
49Y4270 / A0TB / 3593

88Y6043 / A1QV / 3700

SI4093 10Gb SIM
95Y3313 / A45T / ESWA


EN4023 10Gb Switch

EN6131 40Gb Switch
90Y9346 / A3HJ / ESW6

Switch description

90Y9427
A1PH / ECB4

1m IBM Passive DAC SFP+

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yesb

Yes

Yes

No

No

90Y9430
A1PJ / ECB5


Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yesb

Yes

Yes

No

No

90Y9433
A1PK / ECB6


Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yesb

Yes

Yes

No

No

95Y0323
A25A / None

1m IBM Active DAC SFP+ Cable

No

No

No

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

No

95Y0326
A25B / None


No

No

No

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

No

95Y0329
A25C / None


No

No

No

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

No

81Y8295
A18M / EN01

1m 10 GbE Twinax Act Copper
SFP+ DAC (active)

No

No

No

No

Yes

No

No

No

No

81Y8296
A18N / EN02

3m 10 GE Twinax Act Copper
SFP+ DAC (active)

No

No

No

No

Yes

No

No

No

No

81Y8297
A18P / EN03

5m 10 GE Twinax Act Copper
SFP+ DAC (active)

No

No

No

No

Yes

No

No

No

No

Part number
Feature code
(XCC / AAS)a


SFP+ direct-attach copper (DAC) cables

QSFP+ breakout cables - 40 GbE to 4x10 GbE
49Y7886
A1DL / EB24

1m 40 Gb QSFP+ to 4 x 10 Gb
SFP+ Cable

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

No

No

49Y7887
A1DM / EB25

SFP+ Cable

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

No

No

49Y7888
A1DN / EB26

SFP+ Cable

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

No

No

QSFP+ direct-attach cables - 40 GbE
49Y7890
A1DP / EB2B

1m IBM QSFP+ to QSFP+ Cable

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

No

No

No

49Y7891
A1DQ / EB2H

3m IBM QSFP+ to QSFP+ Cable

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

No

No

Yes

00D5810
A2X8 / ECBN

5m IBM QSFP+-to-QSFP+
Cable

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

Yes

00D5813
A2X9 / ECBP

7m IBM QSFP+-to-QSFP+
Cable

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

Yes


7

SI4093 10Gb SIM
95Y3313 / A45T / ESWA


No

No

No

No

No

EN6131 40Gb Switch
90Y9346 / A3HJ / ESW6

88Y6043 / A1QV / 3700

No

EN4023 10Gb Switch

EN4093 10Gb Switch
49Y4270 / A0TB / 3593

3m FDR InfiniBand Cable
(passive)

EN4093R 10Gb Switch
95Y3309 / A3J6 / ESW7

90Y3470
A227 / ECB1

No


CN4093 10Gb Switch
00D5823 / A3HH / ESW2

Part number
Feature code
(XCC / AAS)a

EN2092 1Gb Switch
49Y4294 / A0TF / 3598

Switch description

Yes

QSFP+ transceiver and cables - 40 GbE
49Y7884
A1DR / EB27

IBM QSFP+ SR Transceiver

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

90Y3519
A1MM / EB2J

10m IBM QSFP+ MTP Optical
cable

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

90Y3521
A1MN / EB2K

30m IBM QSFP+ MTP Optical
cable

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

b. The EN4091 10Gb Pass-Thru supports Passive DAC cables as of firmware 2.0.2.0

1.3.2 Fibre Channel switches
Support for transceivers and cables for Fibre Channel switch modules is shown in Table 1-6.
Table 1-6 Modules and cables supported in Fibre Channel I/O modules
FC5022
16Gb
12-port

FC5022
16Gb
24-port

FC5022
16Gb
24-port
ESB

FC3171
8Gb
switch

FC3171
8Gb
Pass-thru

88Y6374

00Y3324

90Y9356

69Y1930

69Y1934

A1EH /
3770

A3DP /
ESW5

A2RQ /
3771

A0TD /
3595

A0TJ /
3591

Brocade 16 Gb SFP+ Optical
Transceiver

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

Part number
Part
number

Feature
codesa

Feature codesa

16 Gb transceivers
88Y6393

A22R /
5371

8 Gb transceivers
88Y6416

A2B9 /
5370

Brocade 8 Gb SFP+ SW Optical
Transceiver

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

44X1964

5075 /
3286

IBM 8 Gb SFP+ SW Optical
Transceiver

No

No

No

Yes

Yes

4 Gb SFP Transceiver Option

No

No

No

Yes

Yes

4 Gb transceivers
39R6475

8

4804 /
3238



1.3.3 InfiniBand switches
Support for transceivers and cables for InfiniBand switch modules is shown in Table 1-7.
Compliant cables: The IB6131 switch supports all cables compliant to the InfiniBand
Architecture specification.
Table 1-7 Modules and cables supported in InfiniBand I/O modules
IB6131 InfiniBand
Switch
Part number

90Y3450

Part
number

Feature
codesa

49Y9980

3866 / 3249

IB QDR 3m QSFP Cable Option (passive)

Yes

90Y3470

A227 / ECB1

3m FDR InfiniBand Cable (passive)

Yes

Feature codes

a

A1EK / 3699



9

1.4 Switch upgrades
Various IBM Flex System switches can be upgraded via software licenses to enable additional
ports or features.
Switches covered in this section:
1.4.1, “IBM Flex System EN4023 10Gb Scalable Switch” on page 10
1.4.2, “IBM Flex System Fabric CN4093 10Gb Converged Scalable Switch” on page 10
1.4.3, “IBM Flex System Fabric EN4093 & EN4093R 10Gb Scalable Switch” on page 11
1.4.4, “IBM Flex System Fabric SI4093 System Interconnect Module” on page 12
1.4.5, “IBM Flex System EN2092 1Gb Ethernet Scalable Switch” on page 14
1.4.6, “IBM Flex System IB6131 InfiniBand Switch” on page 14
1.4.7, “IBM Flex System FC5022 16Gb SAN Scalable Switch” on page 15

1.4.1 IBM Flex System EN4023 10Gb Scalable Switch
The EN4023 10Gb Scalable Switch comes standard with 24 ports licenses. These licenses
can be applied to any internal or external 10 Gb port. The 40 Gb uplinks are not enabled in
the base switch.
Port upgrades are as follows:
94Y5158 (Upgrade 1) can be applied on the base switch or on top of Upgrade 2 to enable
16 additional 10 GbE ports (internal and external). The upgrade also enables two 40 Gb
uplinks with QSFP+ connectors.
94Y5159 (Upgrade 2) can be applied on the base switch or on top of Upgrade 1 to enable
16 additional 10 GbE ports (internal and external).
Table 1-8 lists the upgrades. These are Features on Demand (FoD) upgrades.
Table 1-8 EN4023 10Gb Scalable Switch port upgrades
Part
number

Feature code
(XCC / AAS)a

94Y5158
94Y5159

Description

Ports enabled

ESWE / ESWE

IBM Flex System EN4023 10Gb Scalable
Switch (FoD 1)

Adds 16 port licenses
Enables 2 40Gb uplinks

ESWF / ESWF

IBM Flex System EN4023 10Gb Scalable
Switch (FoD 2)

Adds 16 port licenses

a. The first feature code listed is for configurations ordered through System x sales channels
(XCC using x-config). The second feature code is for configurations ordered through the IBM
Power Systems channel (AAS using e-config)

1.4.2 IBM Flex System Fabric CN4093 10Gb Converged Scalable Switch
The CN4093 switch is initially licensed for fourteen 10 GbE internal ports, two external 10
GbE SFP+ ports, and six external Omni Ports enabled.
Further ports can be enabled, including 14 additional internal ports and two external 40 GbE
QSFP+ uplink ports with the Upgrade 1 (00D5845) and 14 additional internal ports and six
additional external Omni Ports with the Upgrade 2 (00D5847) license options.
Upgrade 1 and Upgrade 2 can be applied on the switch independently from each other or in
combination for full feature capability.
10


Table 1-9 shows the part numbers for ordering the switches and the upgrades.
Table 1-9 CN4093 10Gb Converged Scalable Switch part numbers and port upgrades
Total ports enabled
Part
number

Feature code
(XCC / AAS)a

Description

Internal
10Gb

External
10Gb SFP+

External
10Gb Omni

External
40Gb QSFP+

00D5823

A3HH / ESW2

Base switch (no upgrades)

14

2

6

0

00D5845

A3HL / ESU1

Add Upgrade 1

28

2

6

2

00D5847

A3HM / ESU2

Add Upgrade 2

28

2

12

0

00D5845
00D5847

A3HL / ESU1
A3HM / ESU2

Add both Upgrade 1 and
Upgrade 2

42

2

12

2

a. The first feature code listed is for configurations ordered through System x sales channels (XCC using x-config).
The second feature code is for configurations ordered through the IBM Power Systems channel (AAS using
e-config)

Each upgrade license enables additional internal ports. To take full advantage of those ports,
each compute node needs the appropriate I/O adapter installed:
The base switch requires a two-port Ethernet adapter (one port of the adapter goes to
each of two switches)
Adding Upgrade 1 or Upgrade 2 requires a four-port Ethernet adapter (two ports of the
adapter to each switch) to use all internal ports
Adding both Upgrade 1 and Upgrade 2 requires a six-port Ethernet adapter (three ports to
each switch) to use all internal ports

1.4.3 IBM Flex System Fabric EN4093 & EN4093R 10Gb Scalable Switch
The EN4093 and EN4093R are initially licensed with fourteen 10 Gb internal ports enabled
and ten 10 Gb external uplink ports enabled. Further ports can be enabled, including the two
40 Gb external uplink ports with the Upgrade 1 and four additional SFP+ 10Gb ports with
Upgrade 2 license options.
Upgrade 1 must be applied before Upgrade 2 can be applied. These are IBM Features on
Demand license upgrades.
Table 1-10 lists the available parts and upgrades.
Table 1-10 IBM Flex System Fabric EN4093 10Gb Scalable Switch part numbers and port upgrades
Part
number

Feature
code
(XCC / AAS)a

49Y4270

95Y3309

Total ports enabled
Product description

Internal

10 Gb uplink

40 Gb uplink

A0TB / 3593

IBM Flex System Fabric EN4093 10Gb
Scalable Switch
10x external 10 Gb uplinks
14x internal 10 Gb ports

14

10

0

A3J6 / ESW7

IBM Flex System Fabric EN4093R 10Gb
Scalable Switch

14

10

0


11

Part
number

Feature
code
(XCC / AAS)a

49Y4798

88Y6037

Total ports enabled
Product description

Internal

10 Gb uplink

40 Gb uplink

A1EL / 3596

Scalable Switch (Upgrade 1)
Adds 2x external 40 Gb uplinks
Adds 14x internal 10 Gb ports

28

10

2

A1EM / 3597

Scalable Switch (Upgrade 2) (requires
Upgrade 1):
Add 14x internal 10 Gb ports

42

14

2

e-config)

Upgrade 1 requires a four-port Ethernet adapter (two ports of the adapter to each switch)
to use all internal ports
Upgrade 2 requires a six-port Ethernet adapter (three ports to each switch) to use all
internal ports
Consideration: Adding Upgrade 2 enables an additional 14 internal ports. This allows a
total of 42 internal ports -- three ports connected to each of the 14 compute nodes. To take
full advantage of all 42 internal ports, a 6-port or 8-port adapter is required, such as the
CN4058 8-port 10Gb Converged Adapter.
Upgrade 2 still provides a benefit with a 4-port adapter because this upgrade enables an
extra four external 10 Gb uplinks as well.

1.4.4 IBM Flex System Fabric SI4093 System Interconnect Module
The SI4093 is initially licensed with fourteen 10 Gb internal ports enabled and ten 10 Gb
external uplink ports enabled. Further ports can be enabled, including the two 40 Gb external
uplink ports with the Upgrade 1 and four additional SFP+ 10Gb ports with Upgrade 2 license
options.
Upgrade 1 must be applied before Upgrade 2 can be applied. These are IBM Features on
Demand license upgrades.
Table 1-11 on page 13 lists the available parts and upgrades.

12


Table 1-11 IBM Flex System Fabric SI4093 System Interconnect Module part numbers and port upgrades
Part
number

Feature code
(XCC / AAS)a

95Y3313

Total ports enabled
Product description

Internal

10 Gb uplink

40 Gb uplink

A45T / ESWA

IBM Flex System Fabric SI4093 System
Interconnect Module

14

10

0

95Y3318

A45U / ESW8

Interconnect Module (Upgrade 1)
Adds 14x internal 10 Gb ports

28

10

2

95Y3320

A45V / ESW9

Interconnect Module (Upgrade 2) (requires
Upgrade 1):
Add 14x internal 10 Gb ports

42

14

2

e-config)

Upgrade 1 requires a four-port Ethernet adapter (two ports of the adapter to each switch)
to use all internal ports
Upgrade 2 requires a six-port Ethernet adapter (three ports to each switch) to use all
internal ports
Consideration: Adding Upgrade 2 enables an additional 14 internal ports. This allows a
total of 42 internal ports -- three ports connected to each of the 14 compute nodes. To take
full advantage of all 42 internal ports, a 6-port or 8-port adapter is required, such as the
CN4058 8-port 10Gb Converged Adapter.
Upgrade 2 still provides a benefit with a 4-port adapter because this upgrade enables an
extra four external 10 Gb uplinks as well.


13

1.4.5 IBM Flex System EN2092 1Gb Ethernet Scalable Switch
The EN2092 comes standard with 14 internal and 10 external Gigabit Ethernet ports enabled.
Further ports can be enabled, including the four external 10 Gb uplink ports with IBM
Features on Demand license upgrades. Upgrade 1 and the 10 Gb Uplinks upgrade can be
applied in either order.
Table 1-12 IBM Flex System EN2092 1Gb Ethernet Scalable Switch part numbers and port upgrades
Part number

Feature code
(XCC / AAS)a

Product description

49Y4294

A0TF / 3598

IBM Flex System EN2092 1Gb Ethernet Scalable Switch
14 internal 1 Gb ports
10 external 1 Gb ports

90Y3562

A1QW / 3594

IBM Flex System EN2092 1Gb Ethernet Scalable Switch
(Upgrade 1)
Adds 14 internal 1 Gb ports
Adds 10 external 1 Gb ports

49Y4298

A1EN / 3599

IBM Flex System EN2092 1Gb Ethernet Scalable Switch (10 Gb
Uplinks)
Adds 4 external 10 Gb uplinks


The standard switch has 14 internal ports, and the Upgrade 1 license enables 14 additional
internal ports. To take full advantage of those ports, each compute node needs the
appropriate I/O adapter installed:
The base switch requires a two-port Ethernet adapter installed in each compute node (one
port of the adapter goes to each of two switches)
Upgrade 1 requires a four-port Ethernet adapter installed in each compute node (two ports
of the adapter to each switch)

1.4.6 IBM Flex System IB6131 InfiniBand Switch
The IBM Flex System IB6131 InfiniBand Switch is a 32 port InfiniBand switch. It has 18
FDR/QDR (56/40 Gbps) external ports and 14 FDR/QDR (56/40 Gbps) internal ports for
connections to nodes.
This switch ships standard with quad data rate (QDR) and can be upgraded to fourteen data
rate (FDR) with an IBM Features on Demand license upgrade. Ordering information is listed
in Table 1-13.
Table 1-13 IBM Flex System IB6131 InfiniBand Switch Part Number and upgrade option
Part number

Product Name

90Y3450

A1EK / 3699

IBM Flex System IB6131 InfiniBand Switch
18 external QDR ports
14 QDR internal ports

90Y3462

14

Feature codes
(XCC / AAS)a

A1QX / ESW1

IBM Flex System IB6131 InfiniBand Switch (FDR Upgrade)
Upgrades all ports to FDR speeds



1.4.7 IBM Flex System FC5022 16Gb SAN Scalable Switch
Table 1-14 lists the available port and feature upgrades for the FC5022 16Gb SAN Scalable
Switches. These upgrades are all IBM Features on Demand license upgrades.
Table 1-14 FC5022 switch upgrades
24-port
16 Gb
ESB switch

24-port
16 Gb
SAN switch

16 Gb
SAN switch

Part
number

Feature
codes
(XCC / AAS)a

Description

90Y9356

00Y3324

88Y6374

88Y6382

A1EP / 3772

FC5022 16Gb SAN Scalable Switch (Upgrade 1)

No

No

Yes

88Y6386

A1EQ / 3773

FC5022 16Gb SAN Scalable Switch (Upgrade 2)

Yes

Yes

Yes

00Y3320

A3HN / ESW3

FC5022 16Gb Fabric Watch Upgrade

No

Yes

Yes

00Y3322

A3HP / ESW4

FC5022 16Gb ISL/Trunking Upgrade

No

Yes

Yes


Table 1-15 shows the total number of active ports on the switch after applying compatible port
upgrades.
Table 1-15 Total port counts after applying upgrades
Total number of active ports
24-port 16 Gb
ESB SAN switch

24-port 16 Gb
SAN switch

16 Gb SAN switch

Ports on Demand upgrade

90Y9356

00Y3324

88Y6374

Included with base switch

24

24

12

Upgrade 1, 88Y6382 (adds 12 ports)

Not supported

Not supported

24

Upgrade 2, 88Y6386 (adds 24 ports)

48

48

48


15

1.5 vNIC and UFP support
Table 1-16 lists vNIC (virtual NIC) and UFP (Universal Fabric Port) support by combinations
of switch, adapter, and operating system.
In the table, we use the following abbreviations for the vNIC modes:
VFM = IBM Virtual Fabric Mode (also known as vNIC1)
SIM = Switch Independent Mode (also known as vNIC2)
UFP = Unified Fabric Port
10 GbE adapters only: Only 10 Gb Ethernet adapters support vNIC and UFP. 1 GbE
adapter do not support these features.
Table 1-16 Supported vNIC modes
Flex System I/O module

EN4093 10Gb Scalable Switch
EN4093R 10Gb Switch
CN4093 10Gb Converged

Top-of-rack switch

None

SI4093

None

EN4091 10Gb Ethernet
Pass-thru
IBM RackSwitch™ G8124E
IBM RackSwitch G8264

Windows

Linuxab

VMwarec

Any

Windows

Linuxab

VMwarec

10Gb onboard LOM (x240 and x440)

VFM
SIM
UFP

VFM
SIM
UFP

VFM
SIM
UFP

SIM

VFM
SIM
UFP

VFM
SIM
UFP

VFM
SIM
UFP

10Gb onboard LOM (x222)

VFM
SIM
UFP

VFM
SIM
UFP

VFM
SIM
UFP

SIM

The x222 does not support the
EN4091 10Gb Ethernet
Pass-thru

CN4054 10Gb Virtual Fabric Adapter
90Y3554 (AAS feature 1759)

VFM
SIM
UFP

VFM
SIM
UFP

VFM
SIM
UFP

SIM

VFM
SIM
UFP

VFM
SIM
UFP

VFM
SIM
UFP

CN4054R 10Gb Virtual Fabric Adapter
00Y3306 (feature A4K2)

VFM
SIM
UFP

VFM
SIM
UFP

VFM
SIM
UFP

SIM

VFM
SIM
UFP

VFM
SIM
UFP

VFM
SIM
UFP

CN4022 2-port 10Gb Converged
Adapter

SIM

SIM

SIM

SIM

SIM

SIM

SIM

Operating system

EN4054 4-port 10Gb Ethernet Adapter
(AAS feature 1762)

The EN4054 4-port 10Gb Ethernet Adapter does not support vNIC nor UFP.

EN4132 2-port 10 Gb Ethernet Adapter
90Y3466 (AAS #EC2D)

The EN4132 2-port 10 Gb Ethernet Adapter does not support vNIC nor UFP.

Adapter, (AAS feature EC24)

The CN4058 8-port 10Gb Converged Adapter does not support vNIC nor UFP.

EN4132 2-port 10Gb RoCE Adapter,
(AAS feature EC26)

The EN4132 2-port 10Gb RoCE Adapter does not support vNIC nor UFP.

a. Linux kernels with Xen are not supported with either Virtual Fabric Mode nor Switch Independent Mode. For support
information, see IBM RETAIN® Tip H205800 at
http://ibm.com/support/entry/portal/docdisplay?lndocid=migr-5090480.
b. The combination of Switch Independent Mode and iBoot is not supported for legacy booting with Linux.
c. The combination of Switch Independent Mode with VMware ESX 4.1 and storage protocols (FCoE and iSCSI) is not
supported.

16


1.6 Chassis power supplies
Power supplies are available either as 2500W or 2100W capacities. The standard chassis
ship with either two 2100W or two 2500W power supplies. A maximum of six power supplies
can be installed.
Table 1-17 shows the ordering information for the Enterprise Chassis power supplies. Power
supplies cannot be mixed in the same chassis.
Table 1-17 Power supply module option part numbers
Part
number

Feature
codesa

Description

Chassis models
where standard

43W9049

A0UC / 3590

IBM Flex System Enterprise Chassis 2500W Power Module

8721-A1x (x-config)
7893-92X (e-config)

47C7633

A3JH / 3666

IBM Flex System Enterprise Chassis 2100W Power Module

8271-LRx (x-config)

e-config)

A chassis powered by the 2100W power supplies cannot provide N+N redundant power
unless all the compute nodes are configured with 95W or lower Intel processors. N+1
redundancy is possible with any processors.
Table 1-18 shows the nodes that are supported in chassis when powered by either the
2100W or 2500W modules.
Table 1-18 Compute nodes supported by the power supplies
Node

2100W
power supply

2500W
power supply

IBM Flex System Manager management node

Yes

Yes

x220 (with or without Storage Expansion Node or PCIe Expansion Node)

Yes

Yes

x222

Yesa

Yesa

x240 (with or without Storage Expansion Node or PCIe Expansion Node)

Yesa

Yesa

x440

Yesa

Yesa

p24L

Yesa

Yesa

p260

Yesa

Yesa

p460

Yesa

Yesa

V7000 Storage Node (either primary or expansion node)

Yes

Yes

a. Some restrictions based on the number of power supplies installed, TDP power of the processors installed, or the
power policy enabled. See Table 1-19 on page 18.


17

Table 1-19 lists details of the support for compute nodes supported based on type and
number of power supplies installed in the chassis and the power policy (N+N or N+1).
In this table, the colors of the cells have the following meaning:
Supported with no restrictions as to the number of compute nodes that can be installed
Supported but with restrictions on the number of compute nodes that can be installed.
Table 1-19 Specific number of compute nodes supported based on installed power supplies
Compute
node

CPU
TDP
rating

x220

2100W power supplies

2500W power supplies

N+1, N=5
6 total

N+1, N=4
5 total

N+1, N=3
4 total

N+N, N=3
6 total

N+1, N=5
6 total

N+1, N=4
5 total

N+1, N=3
4 total

N+N, N=3
6 total

50W

14

14

14

14

14

14

14

14

60W

14

14

14

14

14

14

14

14

70W

14

14

14

14

14

14

14

14

80W

14

14

14

14

14

14

14

14

95W

14

14

14

14

14

14

14

14

50W

14

14

13

14

14

14

14

14

60W

14

14

12

13

14

14

14

14

70W

14

14

11

12

14

14

14

14

80W

14

14

10

11

14

14

13

14

95W

14

13

9

10

14

14

12

13

60W

14

14

14

14

14

14

14

14

70W

14

14

13

14

14

14

14

14

80W

14

14

13

14

14

14

14

14

95W

14

14

12

13

14

14

14

14

115W

14

14

11

12

14

14

14

14

130W

14

14

11

11

14

14

14

14

135W

14

14

11

11

14

14

13

14

95W

7

7

6

6

7

7

7

7

115W

7

7

5

6

7

7

7

7

130W

7

7

5

5

7

7

6

7

p24L

All

14

12

9

10

14

14

12

13

p260

All

14

12

9

10

14

14

12

13

p460

All

7

6

4

5

7

7

6

6

p270

All

14

12

9

9

14

14

12

12

FSM

95W

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

V7000

N/A

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

x222

x240

x440

18


Assumptions:
All Compute Nodes fully configured
Throttling and over subscription is enabled
Tip: Consult the Power configurator for exact configuration support:
http://ibm.com/systems/bladecenter/resources/powerconfig.html

1.7 Rack to chassis
IBM offers an extensive range of industry-standard and EIA-compatible rack enclosures and
expansion units. The flexible rack solutions help you consolidate servers and save space,
while allowing easy access to crucial components and cable management.
Table 1-20 lists the rack cabinets that support the IBM Flex System Enterprise Chassis.
Table 1-20 Supported racks
Part number

Feature code

Rack cabinet

Supported

93634PX

A1RC

IBM 42U 1100 mm Enterprise V2 Deep Dynamic Rack

Recommended

93634EX

A1RD

IBM 42U 1100 mm Dynamic Enterprise V2 Expansion Rack

Recommended

93634CX

A3GR

IBM PureFlex System 42U Rack

Recommended

93634DX

A3GS

IBM PureFlex System 42U Expansion Rack

Recommended

93634AX

A31F

IBM PureFlex System 42U Rack

Recommended

93634BX

A31G

IBM PureFlex System 42U Expansion Rack

Recommended

201886X

2731

IBM 11U Office Enablement Kit

Yesa

93072PX

6690

IBM S2 25U Static Standard Rack

Yes

93072RX

1042

IBM S2 25U Dynamic Standard Rack

Yes

93074RX

1043

IBM S2 42U Standard Rack

Yes

99564RX

5629

IBM S2 42U Dynamic Standard Rack

Yes

99564XX

5631

IBM S2 42U Dynamic Standard Expansion Rack

Yes

93084PX

5621

IBM 42U Enterprise Rack

Yes

93084EX

5622

IBM 42U Enterprise Expansion Rack

Yes

93604PX

7649

IBM 42U 1200 mm Deep Dynamic Rack

Yes

93604EX

7650

IBM 42U 1200 mm Deep Dynamic Expansion Rack

Yes

93614PX

7651

IBM 42U 1200 mm Deep Static Rack

Yes

93614EX

7652

IBM 42U 1200 mm Deep Static Expansion Rack

Yes

93624PX

7653

IBM 47U 1200 mm Deep Static Rack

Yes

93624EX

7654

IBM 47U 1200 mm Deep Static Expansion Rack

Yes

14102RX

1047

IBM eServer™ Cluster 25U Rack

Yes

14104RX

1048

IBM Linux Cluster 42U Rack

Yes


19

Part number

Feature code

Rack cabinet

Supported

9306-900

None

IBM Netfinity® Rack

No

9306-910

None

IBM Netfinity Rack

No

9306-42P

None

IBM Netfinity Enterprise Rack

No

9306-42X

None

IBM Netfinity Enterprise Rack Expansion Cabinet

No

9306-200

None

IBM Netfinity NetBAY 22

No

a. This Office Enablement kit is specifically designed for the IBM BladeCenter S Chassis. The Flex System
Enterprise Chassis can be installed within the 11U office enablement kit with 1U of space remaining, however
the acoustic footprint of a given configuration may not be acceptable for office use. We recommend that an
evaluation be performed before deployment in an office environment.

20


2

Chapter 2.

Compute node component
compatibility
This chapter lists the compatibility of components installed internally to each compute node.
2.1, “Compute node-to-card interoperability” on page 22
2.2, “Memory DIMM compatibility” on page 24
2.3, “Internal storage compatibility” on page 27
2.4, “Embedded virtualization” on page 32
2.5, “Expansion node compatibility” on page 34
2.6, “External USB device support” on page 39


21

2.1 Compute node-to-card interoperability
Table 2-1 lists the available I/O adapters and their compatibility with compute nodes.
PCIe Expansion Node support: For PEN support of I/O adapters, see 2.5.2, “Flex
System I/O adapters - PCIe Expansion Node” on page 34.

Power Systems compute nodes: Some I/O adapters supported by Power Systems
compute nodes are restricted to only some of the available slots. See Table 2-2 on page 23
for specifics.
Table 2-1 I/O adapter compatibility matrix - compute nodes
Feature codesa

x220

x222

x240 (E5-2600)

x240 (E5-2600 v2)

x440b

p24L

p260 / p460

p270

Supported servers

49Y7900

A10Y

1763

1763


Y

N

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

88Y5920

A4K3

None

None

CN4022 2-port 10Gb Converged Adapter

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

N

N

N

None

None

1762

None


N

N

N

N

N

Y

Y

Y

90Y3554

A1R1

None

1759


Y

N

Y

N

Y

N

N

N

00Y3306

A4K2

None

None


N

N

N

Y

N

N

N

N

90Y3558

A1R0

None

1760

CN4054 Virtual Fabric Adapter Upgradec

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

N

N

N

None

None

EC24

None


N

N

N

N

N

Y

Y

Y

90Y3466

A1QY

None

EC2D


Y

N

Y

Y

Y

N

N

N

None

None

EC26

None

EN4132 2-port 10Gb RoCE Adapter

N

N

N

N

N

Y

Y

Y

90Y3482

A3HK

None

EC31


Y

N

Y

Y

Y

N

N

N

Part
number

x86
nodes

POWER
nodes

786310X
only

I/O adapters

Ethernet adapters

Fibre Channel adapters
69Y1938

A1BM

1764

1764

FC3172 2-port 8Gb FC Adapter

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

95Y2375

A2N5

None

EC25


Y

N

Y

Y

Y

N

N

N

88Y6370

A1BP

None

EC2B


Y

N

Y

Y

Y

N

N

N

95Y2386

A45R

EC23

None


Y

N

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

95Y2391

A45S

EC2E

None


Y

N

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

69Y1942

A1BQ

None

None


Y

N

Y

Y

Y

N

N

N

95Y2379

A3HU

None

None

FC5024D 4-port 16Gb FC Adapter

N

Y

N

N

N

N

N

N

22


Feature codesa

x220

x222

x240 (E5-2600)

x240 (E5-2600 v2)

x440b

p24L

p260 / p460

p270

Supported servers

90Y3454

A1QZ

None

EC2C


Y

N

Y

Y

Y

N

N

N

None

None

1761

None


N

N

N

N

N

Y

Y

Y

90Y3486

A365

None

None


N

Y

N

N

N

N

N

N

A2XW

None

None

ServeRAID M5115 SAS/SATA
Controllerd

Y

N

Y

Y

Yb

N

N

N

Part
number

x86
nodes

POWER
nodes

786310X
only

I/O adapters

InfiniBand adapters

SAS
90Y4390

a. The three Feature Code columns are as follows:
* x86 nodes: For all x86 compute nodes in both XCC (x-config) and AAS (e-config), except for x240 7863-10X
* POWER nodes: For all Power Systems compute nodes in AAS (e-config)
* 7863-10X only: For x240 model 7863-10X in AAS (e-config) only
b. For compatibility as listed here, ensure the x440 is running IMM2 firmare Build 40a or later
c. Features on Demand (software) upgrade to enable FCoE and iSCSI on the CN4054. One upgrade needed per
adapter.
d. Various enablement kits and Features on Demand upgrades are available for the ServeRAID M5115. See the
ServeRAID M5115 Product Guide, http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/abstracts/tips0884.html?Open

For Power Systems compute nodes, Table 2-2 shows which specific I/O expansion slots each
of the supported adapters can be installed in to. Yes in the table means the adapter is
supported in that I/O expansion slot.
Tip: Table 2-2 applies to Power Systems compute nodes only.
Table 2-2 Slot locations supported by I/O expansion cards in Power Systems compute nodes
Feature
code

Description

Slot 1

Slot 2

Slot 3
(p460)

Slot 4
(p460)

10 Gb Ethernet
EC24


Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

EC26


No

Yes

Yes

Yes

1762


Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes


Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes


No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

1 Gb Ethernet
1763
InfiniBand
1761

Fibre Channel
1764


Chapter 2. Compute node component compatibility

23

Feature
code

Description

Slot 1

Slot 2

Slot 3
(p460)

Slot 4
(p460)

EC23


No

Yes

No

Yes

EC2E


No

Yes

No

Yes

2.2 Memory DIMM compatibility
This section covers memory DIMMs for both compute node families. It covers the
following topics:
2.2.1, “x86 compute nodes” on page 24
2.2.2, “Power Systems compute nodes” on page 26

2.2.1 x86 compute nodes
Table 2-3 lists the memory DIMM options for the x86 compute nodes.
Table 2-3 Supported memory DIMMs - x86 compute nodes

49Y1403

A0QS

EEM2

2GB (1x2GB, 1Rx8, 1.35V) PC3L-10600 CL9
ECC DDR3 1333MHz LP UDIMM

Yes

No

Yes

No

No

49Y1404

8648

EEM3

4GB (1x4GB, 2Rx8, 1.35V) PC3L-10600 CL9
ECC DDR3 1333MHz LP UDIMM

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

00D5016

A3QC

None

8GB (1x8GB, 2Rx8, 1.35V) PC3L-12800
CL11 ECC DDR3 1600MHz LP UDIMM

No

No

No

Yes

No

x440

x240
(E5-2600 v2)

Description
x240
(E5-2600)

FC for x240
7863-10Xb

x222

Feature
codea

x220

Part
number

Unbuffered DIMM (UDIMM) modules

Registered DIMMs (RDIMMs) - 1333 MHz and 1066 MHz
49Y1405

8940

EM05

2GB (1x2GB, 1Rx8, 1.35V) PC3L-10600 CL9
ECC DDR3 1333MHz LP RDIMM

No

No

Yes

No

No

49Y1406

8941

EEM4

4GB (1x4GB, 1Rx4, 1.35V) PC3L-10600 CL9

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

49Y1407

8942

EM09

4GB (1x4GB, 2Rx8, 1.35V) PC3L-10600 CL9

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

49Y1397

8923

EM17

8GB (1x8GB, 2Rx4, 1.35V) PC3L-10600 CL9

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

00D5036

A3QH

None

8GB (1x8GB, 1Rx4, 1.35V) PC3L-12800
CL11 ECC DDR3 1600MHz LP RDIMM

No

No

No

Yes

No

49Y1563

A1QT

EM33

16GB (1x16GB, 2Rx4, 1.35V) PC3L-10600

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

49Y1400

8939

EEM1

16GB (1x16GB, 4Rx4, 1.35V) PC3L-8500

Yes

No

Yes

No

No

24


Feature
codea

FC for x240
7863-10Xb

Description

x220

x222

x240
(E5-2600)

x240
(E5-2600 v2)

46W0672

A3QM

None

16GB (1x16GB, 2Rx4, 1.35V) PC3L-12800

No

No

No

Yes

No

90Y3101

A1CP

EEM7

32GB (1x32GB, 4Rx4, 1.35V) PC3L-8500

No

No

Yes

No

No

x440

Part
number

Registered DIMMs (RDIMMs) - 1600 MHz
49Y1559

A28Z

EEM5

4GB (1x4GB, 1Rx4, 1.5V) PC3-12800 CL11

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

90Y3178

A24L

EEMC

4GB (1x4GB, 2Rx8, 1.5V) PC3-12800 CL11

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

90Y3109

A292

EEM9

8GB (1x8GB, 2Rx4, 1.5V) PC3-12800 CL11

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

00D4968

A2U5

EEMB

16GB (1x16GB, 2Rx4, 1.5V) PC3-12800

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Registered DIMMs (RDIMMs) - 1866 MHz
00D5040

A3QJ

None

8GB (1x8GB, 2Rx8, 1.5V) PC3-14900 CL13

No

No

No

Yes

No

00D5048

A3QL

None

16GB (1x16GB, 2Rx4, 1.5V) PC3-14900

No

No

No

Yes

No

Load-reduced DIMMs (LRDIMMs)
49Y1567

A290

EEM6

16GB (1x16GB, 4Rx4, 1.35V) PC3L-10600
CL9 ECC DDR3 1333MHz LP LRDIMM

No

No

Yes

No

Yes

90Y3105

A291

EEM8

32GB (1x32GB, 4Rx4, 1.35V) PC3L-10600

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

46W0761

A47K

None

32GB (1x32GB, 4Rx4, 1.5V) PC3-14900

No

No

No

Yes

No

a. This column lists the memory DIMM feature codes for all x86 compute nodes for both XCC (x-config) and AAS
(e-config), except for x240 model 7863-10X (AAS). Each feature code corresponds to one DIMM each.
b. This column lists memory DIMM feature codes for the x240 model 7863-10X (AAS ordering system). Each feature
code corresponds to two DIMMs each.


25

2.2.2 Power Systems compute nodes
Table 2-4 lists the supported memory DIMMs for Power Systems compute nodes.
Table 2-4 Supported memory DIMMs - Power Systems compute nodes
Feature
code

Description

p24L
7FL

p260
22X

p260
23A

p260
23X

p460
42X

p460
43X

p270
24X

EM04

2x 2 GB DDR3 RDIMM 1066 MHz

Yes

Yes

No

No

Yes

No

No

8196


Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

8199


Yes

Yes

No

No

Yes

No

No

EEMD


Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

8145


Yes

Yes

No

No

Yes

No

No

EEME


Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

EEMF


Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

26


2.3 Internal storage compatibility
This section covers supported internal storage for both compute node families. It covers the
following topics:
2.3.1, “x86 compute nodes: 2.5-inch drives” on page 27
2.3.2, “x86 compute nodes: 1.8-inch drives” on page 29

2.3.1 x86 compute nodes: 2.5-inch drives
Table 2-5 lists the 2.5-inch drives for x86 compute nodes.
Table 2-5 Supported 2-5-inch SAS and SATA drives
x240 (E5-2600 v2)

x440

Description
x240 (E5-2600)

FC for
x240
7863-10Xb

x222

Feature
codea

x220

Part
number

00AD085

A48T

None

IBM 1.2TB 10K 6Gbps SAS 2.5'' G2HS SED

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

81Y9662

A3EG

EHDG

IBM 900GB 10K 6Gbps SAS 2.5" SFF G2HS SED

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

90Y8908

A3EF

EHDH


Y

N

Y

Y

Y

90Y8913

A2XF

EHDJ


Y

N

Y

Y

Y

44W2264

5413

None

IBM 300GB 10K 6Gbps SAS 2.5" SFF Slim-HS SED

N

N

N

N

Y

90Y8944

A2ZK

EHDL


Y

N

Y

Y

Y

44W2294

5412

None

IBM 146GB 15K 6Gbps SAS 2.5" SFF Slim-HS SED

N

N

N

N

N

Self-encrypting drives (SEDs)

10K SAS hard disk drives
00AD075

A48S

None

IBM 1.2TB 10K 6Gbps SAS 2.5'' G2HS HDD

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

81Y9650

A282

EHD4

IBM 900GB 10K 6Gbps SAS 2.5" SFF HS HDD

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

90Y8872

A2XD

EHDE

IBM 600GB 10K 6Gbps SAS 2.5" SFF G2HS HDD

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

49Y2003

5433

3766

IBM 600GB 10K 6Gbps SAS 2.5" SFF Slim-HS HDD

Y

N

Y

Y

N

90Y8877

A2XC

EHDF


Y

N

Y

Y

Y

42D0637

5599

3743


Y

N

Y

Y

N

00AJ300

A4VB

None

IBM 600GB 15K 6Gbps SAS 2.5'' G2HS HDD

N

N

N

N

N

81Y9670

A283

EHD5

IBM 300GB 15K 6Gbps SAS 2.5" SFF HS HDD

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

90Y8926

A2XB

EHDK


Y

N

Y

Y

Y

42D0677

5536

EHD1


Y

N

Y

Y

N


27

x240 (E5-2600 v2)

x440

Description
x240 (E5-2600)

FC for
x240
7863-10Xb

x222

Feature
codea

x220

Part
number

00AJ236

A4VD

None


N

N

N

N

N

00AJ246

A4VF

None


N

N

N

N

N

00AD102

A4G7

None


Y

N

Y

Y

Y

10K & 15K SAS-SSD hybrid‘drives

NL SAS hard disk drives
81Y9690

A1P3

EHD6

IBM 1TB 7.2K 6Gbps NL SAS 2.5" SFF HS HDD

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

90Y8953

A2XE

EHDM

IBM 500GB 7.2K 6Gbps NL SAS 2.5" SFF G2HS HDD

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

42D0707

5409

EHD2

IBM 500GB 7200 6Gbps NL SAS 2.5" SFF HS HDD

Y

N

Y

Y

N

NL SATA hard disk drives
81Y9730

A1AV

EHD9

IBM 1TB 7.2K 6Gbps NL SATA 2.5" SFF HS HDD

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

81Y9722

A1NX

EHD7

IBM 250GB 7.2K 6Gbps NL SATA 2.5" SFF HS HDD

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

81Y9726

A1NZ

EHD8

IBM 500GB 7.2K 6Gbps NL SATA 2.5" SFF HS HDD

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

SATA simple-swap drives
90Y8979

A36A

None

IBM 1TB 7.2K 6Gbps SATA 2.5'' G2 SS HDD

N

Y

N

N

N

90Y8974

A369

None

IBM 500GB 7.2K 6Gbps SATA 2.5'' G2 SS HDD

N

Y

N

N

N

Solid-state drives - Enterprise
49Y6195

A4GH

None

IBM 1.6TB SAS 2.5" MLC HS Enterprise SSD

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

49Y6139

A3F0

None

IBM 800GB SAS 2.5" MLC HS Enterprise SSD

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

49Y6134

A3EY

None


Y

N

Y

Y

Y

49Y6129

A3EW

None


Y

N

Y

Y

Y

41Y8331

A4FL

None

S3700 200GB SATA 2.5" MLC HS Enterprise SSD

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

41Y8336

A4FN

None


Y

N

Y

Y

Y

41Y8341

A4FQ

None


Y

N

Y

Y

Y

00W1125

A3HR

None

IBM 100GB SATA 2.5" MLC HS Enterprise SSD

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

43W7718

A2FN

EHD3

IBM 200GB SATA 2.5" MLC HS SSD

Y

N

N

N

Y

90Y8994

A36D

None

IBM 100GB SATA 2.5” MLC Enterprise SSD for Flex
System x222

N

Y

N

N

N

Solid-state drives - Enterprise value
00AJ000

A4KM

None

S3500 120GB SATA 2.5" MLC HS Enterprise Value SSD

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

00AJ005

A4KN

None


Y

N

Y

Y

Y

28


Part
number

Feature
codea

FC for
x240
7863-10Xb

Description

x220

x222

x240 (E5-2600)

x240 (E5-2600 v2)

x440

00AJ010

A4KP

None


Y

N

Y

Y

Y

00AJ015

A4KQ

None


Y

N

Y

Y

Y

49Y5839

A3AS

None

IBM 64GB SATA 2.5" MLC HS Enterprise Value SSD

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

49Y5844

A3AU

None


Y

N

Y

Y

Y

90Y8648

A2U4

EHDD


Y

N

Y

Y

Y

90Y8643

A2U3

EHDC


Y

N

Y

Y

Y

90Y8984

A36B

None

IBM 128GB SATA 2.5” MLC Enterprise Value SSD for
Flex System x222

N

Y

N

N

N

90Y8989

A36C

None

IBM 256GB SATA 2.5” MLC Enterprise Value SSD for
Flex System x222

N

Y

N

N

N

a. This column lists the feature codes for all x86 compute nodes for both XCC (x-config) and AAS (e-config), except
for x240 model 7863-10X (AAS).
b. This column lists feature codes for the x240 model 7863-10X only (AAS ordering system). If the cell says “None”
use 7863-15X and the feature code listed in the adjacent cell instead

2.3.2 x86 compute nodes: 1.8-inch drives
The x86 compute nodes support 1.8-inch solid-state drives with the addition of the
ServeRAID M5115 RAID controller plus the appropriate enablement kits. For details about
configurations, see ServeRAID M5115 SAS/SATA Controller for IBM Flex System, TIPS0884.
Tip: The ServeRAID M5115 RAID controller is installed in I/O expansion slot 1 but can be
installed along with the Compute Node Fabric Connector (aka periscope connector) used
to connect the onboard Ethernet controller to the chassis midplane.


29

Table 2-6 lists the supported enablement kits and Features on Demand activation upgrades
available for use with the ServeRAID M5115.
Table 2-6 ServeRAID M5115 compatibility

ServeRAID M5115 SAS/SATA Controller for IBM Flex System

x440

A2XW

x240 (E5-2600 v2)

90Y4390

x240 (E5-2600)

Description

x222

Feature
codea

x220

Part
number

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

Hardware enablement kits - IBM Flex System x220 Compute Node
90Y4424

A35L

ServeRAID M5100 Series Enablement Kit for x220

Y

N

N

N

N

90Y4425

A35M

ServeRAID M5100 Series IBM Flex System Flash Kit for x220

Y

N

N

N

N

90Y4426

A35N

ServeRAID M5100 Series SSD Expansion Kit for x220

Y

N

N

N

N

90Y4342

A2XX


N

N

Y

Y

N

90Y4341

A2XY


N

N

Y

N

N

47C8808

A47D

ServeRAID M5100 Series IBM Flex System Flash Kit v2 for x240

N

N

Y

Y

N

90Y4391

A2XZ


N

N

Yb

Yb

N

46C9030

A3DS


N

N

N

N

Y

46C9031

A3DT


N

N

N

N

Y

47C8809

A47E

ServeRAID M5100 Series IBM Flex System Flash Kit v2 for x440

N

N

N

N

Y

46C9032

A3DU


N

N

N

N

Y

Feature on-demand licenses (for all three compute nodes)
90Y4410

A2Y1

ServeRAID M5100 Series RAID 6 Upgrade

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

90Y4412

A2Y2

ServeRAID M5100 Series Performance Upgrade

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

90Y4447

A36G

ServeRAID M5100 Series SSD Caching Enabler

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

a. This column lists the drive feature codes for all x86 compute nodes for both XCC (x-config) and AAS (e-config),
except for x240 model 7863-10X (AAS).
b. If the ServeRAID M5100 Series SSD Expansion Kit (90Y4391) is installed, the x240 USB Enablement Kit
(49Y8119) canNt also be installed. Both the x240 USB Enablement Kit and the SSD Expansion Kit both
include special air baffles that canNt be installed at the same time.

30


Table 2-7 lists the drives supported in conjunction with the ServeRAID M5115 RAID
controller.
Table 2-7 Supported 1.8-inch solid-state drives
Part
number

Feature
codea

Description

x220

x222

x240

x440

Enterprise SSDs
49Y6124

A3AP

IBM 400GB SATA 1.8" MLC Enterprise SSD

No

No

Yesb

Yesc

49Y6119

A3AN


No

Yes

Yesb

Yesc

00W1120

A3HQ


Yes

Yes

Yesb

Yesc

43W7746

5420

IBM 200GB SATA 1.8" MLC SSD

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

43W7726

5428

IBM 50GB SATA 1.8" MLC SSD

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Enterprise Value SSDs
49Y5834

A3AQ

IBM 64GB SATA 1.8" MLC Enterprise Value SSD

Yes

No

No

Yesc

49Y5993

A3AR


Yes

No

No

Yesc

00W1222

A3TG


Yes

No

Yesb

Yesc

00W1227

A3TH


Yes

No

Yesb

Yesc

a. This column lists the drive feature codes for all x86 compute nodes for both XCC (x-config) and AAS (e-config),
except for x240 model 7863-10X (AAS).
b. Requires ServeRAID M5100 Series IBM Flex System Flash Kit v2 for x240 (47C8808). Flash Kit 90Y4341 is not
supported.
c. Requires ServeRAID M5100 Series IBM Flex System Flash Kit v2 for x440 (47C8809). Flash Kit 46C9031 is not
supported.

Local storage options for Power Systems compute nodes are shown in Table 2-8. None of the
available drives are hot-swappable. The local drives (HDD or SDD) are mounted to the top
cover of the system. If you use local drives, you must order the appropriate cover with
connections for your wanted drive type as listed in Table 2-9 on page 32. The maximum
number of drives that can be installed in any Power Systems compute node is two. SSD and
HDD drives cannot be mixed.
Table 2-8 Local storage options for Power Systems compute nodes
e-config
feature

Description

p24L
7FL

p260
22X

p260
23A

p260
23X

p460
42X

p460
43X

p270
24X

2.5 inch SAS HDDs
8274

300 GB 10K RPM non-hot-swap 6 Gbps SAS

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

8276


Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

8311


Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

1.8 inch SSDs
8207

177 GB SATA non-hot-swap SSD


31

Table 2-9 lists the top cover options. You must select the cover feature that matches the drives
you want to install: 2.5-inch drives, 1.8-inch drives, or no drives.
Table 2-9 Top cover options for Power Systems compute nodes
Feature
code

Description

p24L
All

p260
All

p270
All

p460
All

Cover features for systems with 2.5-inch drives
7069

Top cover with 2.5-inch HDD connectors for the p24L, p260, p270

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

7066

Top cover with 2.5-inch HDD connectors for the p460

No

No

No

Yes

Cover features for systems with 1.8-inch drives
7068

Top cover with 1.8-inch SSD connectors for the p24L, p260, p270

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

7065

Top Cover with 1.8-inch SSD connectors for p460

No

No

No

Yes

7067

Top cover for no drives on the p24L, p260, p270

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

7005

Top cover for no drives on the p460

No

No

No

Yes

No drives

2.4 Embedded virtualization
The x86 compute nodes support an IBM standard USB flash drive (USB Memory Key) option
preinstalled with VMware ESXi or VMware vSphere. It is fully contained on the flash drive,
without requiring any disk space.
On the x240 the USB memory keys plug into the USB ports on the optional x240 USB
Enablement Kit. On the x220 and x440, the USB memory keys plug directly into USB ports on
the system board.
There are two types of USB keys, preloaded keys or blank keys. Blank keys allow you to
download an IBM customized version of ESXi and load it onto the key. The x86 compute
nodes (including each of the servers in the x222) support one or two keys installed, but only
certain combinations:
Supported combinations:
One preload key
One blank key
One preload key and one blank key
Two blank keys
Unsupported combinations:
Two preload keys
Installing two preloaded keys will prevent ESXi from booting as described in
http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1035107. Having two keys installed provides a backup boot device.
both devices are listed in the boot menu, which allows you to boot from either device or to set
one as a backup in case the first one gets corrupted.

32


Table 2-10 lists the ordering information for the VMware hypervisor options.

Part
number

Feature
codea

FC for x240
7863-10Xb

Description

x220

x222

x240

x440

Table 2-10 IBM USB Memory Key for VMware hypervisors

49Y8119

A3A3c

EBK2

x240 USB Enablement Kit

No

No

Yesd

No

41Y8300

A2VC

A2VC

IBM USB Memory Key for VMware ESXi 5.0

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

41Y8307

A383

A383

IBM USB Memory Key for VMware ESXi 5.0 Update1

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

41Y8311

A2R3

A2R3

IBM USB Memory Key for VMware ESXi 5.1

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

41Y8382

A4WZ

None

IBM USB Memory Key for VMware ESXi 5.1 Update 1

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

41Y8298

A2G0

EBK1

IBM Blank USB Memory Key for ESXi Downloads

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

b. This column lists feature codes for the x240 model 7863-10X only (AAS ordering system).
c. Replaces feature code A33M which is withdrawn from marketing
d. If the x240 USB Enablement Kit (49Y8119) is installed, the ServeRAID M5100 Series SSD Expansion Kit
(90Y4391) cannot also be installed. Both the x240 USB Enablement Kit and the SSD Expansion Kit both include
special air baffles that cannot be installed at the same time.

You can use the Blank USB Memory Key, 41Y8298, to use any available IBM customized
version of the VMware hypervisor. The VMware vSphere hypervisor with IBM customizations
can be downloaded from the following website:
http://ibm.com/systems/x/os/vmware/esxi
Power Systems compute nodes do not support VMware ESXi installed on a USB Memory
Key. Power Systems compute nodes support IBM PowerVM® as standard.
These servers do support virtual servers, also known as logical partitions or LPARs. The
maximum number of virtual serves is 10 times or 20 times the number of cores in the
compute node depending on the server:
p24L: Up to 160 virtual servers (10 x 16 cores)
p260: Up to 160 virtual servers (10 x 16 cores)


33

2.5 Expansion node compatibility
This section describes the two expansion nodes and the components that are compatible with
each.
2.5.1, “Compute nodes” on page 34
2.5.2, “Flex System I/O adapters - PCIe Expansion Node” on page 34
2.5.3, “PCIe I/O adapters - PCIe Expansion Node” on page 35
2.5.4, “Internal storage - Storage Expansion Node” on page 36
2.5.5, “RAID upgrades - Storage Expansion Node” on page 38

2.5.1 Compute nodes
Table 2-11 lists the expansion nodes and their compatibility with compute nodes.
Table 2-11 I/O adapter compatibility matrix - compute nodes

System x
part number

Feature
codea

Description

x220

x222

x240

x440

p24L

p260

p270

p460

Supported servers

81Y8983

A1BV

IBM Flex System PCIe Expansion Node

Yb

N

Yb

N

N

N

N

N

68Y8588

A3JF

IBM Flex System Storage Expansion Node

Yb

N

Yb

N

N

N

N

N

for x240 model 7863-10X (AAS). These features are not available for 7863-10X.
b. The x220 and x240 both require the second processor be installed.

2.5.2 Flex System I/O adapters - PCIe Expansion Node
The PCIe Expansion Node supports the adapters listed in Table 2-12.
Storage Expansion Node: The Storage Expansion Node does not include connectors for
additional I/O adapters.
Table 2-12 I/O adapter compatibility matrix - expansion nodes
System x
part number

Feature
codea

FC for x240
7863-10Xb

I/O adapters

Supported in PCIe
Expansion Node

Ethernet adapters
49Y7900

A10Y

1763


Yes

88Y5920

A4K3

None


Yes

None

None

None


No

90Y3554

A1R1

1759


Yesc

00Y3306

A4K2

None


Yesc

90Y3558

A1R0

1760

CN4054 Virtual Fabric Adapter Upgraded

Yes

None

None

None


No

90Y3466

A1QY

EC2D


Yesc

34


System x
part number

Feature
codea

FC for x240
7863-10Xb

I/O adapters

Supported in PCIe
Expansion Node

None

None

None


No

90Y3482

A3HK

None


No

Fibre Channel adapters
69Y1938

A1BM

1764


Yes

95Y2375

A2N5

EC25


Yes

88Y6370

A1BP

EC2B


Yes

95Y2379

A3HU

None


No

95Y2386

A45R

None


Yes

95Y2391

A45S

None


Yes

69Y1942

A1BQ

None


Yes

InfiniBand adapters
90Y3454

A1QZ

EC2C


Yes

None

None

None


No

90Y3486

A365

None


No

A2XW

None

ServeRAID M5115 SAS/SATA Controller

No

SAS
90Y4390

b. This column lists feature codes for the x240 model 7863-10X only (AAS ordering system).
c. Operates at PCIe 2.0 speeds when installed in the PCIe Expansion Node. For best performance install adapter
directly on Compute Node.
d. Features on Demand (software) upgrade to enable FCoE and iSCSI on the CN4054 and CN4054. One upgrade
needed per adapter.

2.5.3 PCIe I/O adapters - PCIe Expansion Node
The PCIe Expansion Node supports for up to four standard PCIe 2.0 adapters:
Two PCIe 2.0 x16 slots that support full-length, full-height adapters (1x, 2x, 4x, 8x, and
16x adapters supported)
Two PCIe 2.0 x8 slots that support low-profile adapters (1x, 2x, 4x, and 8x adapters
supported)
Storage Expansion Node: The Storage Expansion Node does not include connectors for
PCIe I/O adapters.
Table 2-13 on page 36 lists the supported adapters. Some adapters must be installed in one
of the full-height slots as noted. Some adapters, such as the NVIDIA Tesla M2090, are
double-slot adapters, meaning that another adapter cannot be installed in the other full-height
slot. The low-profile slots and Flex System I/O expansion slots can still be used, however.


35

Table 2-13 Supported adapter cards
System x
part
number

Feature
codea

Description

Maximum
supported

46C9078

A3J3

IBM 365GB High IOPS MLC Mono Adapter (low-profile adapter)

4

46C9081

A3J4

IBM 785GB High IOPS MLC Mono Adapter (low-profile adapter)

4

81Y4519

5985

640GB High IOPS MLC Duo Adapter (full-height adapter)

2

81Y4527

A1NB

1.28TB High IOPS MLC Duo Adapter (full-height adapter)

2

90Y4377

A3DY

IBM 1.2TB High IOPS MLC Mono Adapter (low-profile adapter)

2

90Y4397

A3DZ

IBM 2.4TB High IOPS MLC Duo Adapter (full-height adapter)

2

94Y5960

A1R4

NVIDIA Tesla M2090 (full-height adapter)

1b

47C2119

A4F3

NVIDIA Tesla K20 for IBM Flex System PCIe Expansion Node

1b

47C2120

A4F1

NVIDIA GRID K1 for IBM Flex System PCIe Expansion Node

1b

47C2121

A4F2

NVIDIA GRID K2 for IBM Flex System PCIe Expansion Node

1b

47C2122

A4F4

Intel Xeon Phi 5110P for IBM Flex System PCIe Expansion Node

1b

None

4809c

IBM 4765 Crypto Card (full-height adapter)

2

for x240 model 7863-10X (AAS). None of these features are orderable with 7863-10X.
b. if this adapter is installed in the Expansion Node, then another adapter cannot be installed in the other full-height
slot. The low-profile slots and Flex System I/O expansion slots can still be used
c. Orderable as separate MTM 4765-001 feature 4809. Available via AAS (e-config) only.

Consult the IBM ServerProven® site for the current list of adapter cards that are supported in
the Expansion Node:
http://ibm.com/systems/info/x86servers/serverproven/compat/us/flexsystems.html
Note: Although the design of Expansion Node allows for a much greater set of standard PCIe
adapter cards, the preceding table lists the adapters that are specifically supported. If the PCI
Express adapter that you require is not on the ServerProven web site, use the IBM
ServerProven Opportunity Request for Evaluation (SPORE) process to confirm compatibility
in the desired configuration.

2.5.4 Internal storage - Storage Expansion Node
The Storage Expansion Node adds 12 drive bays to the attached compute node. The
expansion node supports 2.5-inch drives, either HDDs or SSDs.
PCIe Expansion Node: The PCIe Expansion Node does not support any drives.
Table 2-14 on page 37 shows the hard disk drives and solid state drives supported within the
Storage Expansion Node. Both SSD and HDD can be installed inside the unit at the same
time, although as per best practice it is recommended that logical drives are created of similar
type of disks. ie for a RAID 1 pair, choose identical drive types, SSD or HDD.

36


Table 2-14 HDDs and SSDs supported in Storage Expansion Node
Part number

Feature codea

Description

90Y8877

A2XC


90Y8872

A2XD


81Y9650

A282

IBM 900 GB 10K 6 Gbps SAS 2.5" SFF HS HDD

00AD075

A48S

IBM 1.2TB 10K 6Gbps SAS 2.5'' G2HS HDD

81Y9722

A1NX

IBM 250 GB 7.2K 6 Gbps NL SATA 2.5" SFF HS HDD

81Y9726

A1NZ

IBM 500 GB 7.2K 6 Gbps NL SATA 2.5" SFF HS HDD

81Y9730

A1AV

IBM 1TB 7.2K 6 Gbps NL SATA 2.5" SFF HS HDD

NL SATA

10K and 15K Self-encrypting drives (SED)
00AD085

A48T

IBM 1.2TB 10K 6Gbps SAS 2.5'' G2HS SED

SAS-SSD Hybrid drive
00AD102

A4G7


Solid-state drives - Enterprise
41Y8331

A4FL


41Y8336

A4FN


41Y8341

A4FQ


49Y6129

A3EW


49Y6134

A3EY


49Y6139

A3F0


49Y6195

A4GH

IBM 1.6TB SAS 2.5" MLC HS Enterprise SSD

Solid-state drives - Enterprise Value
90Y8643

A2U3


00AJ000

A4KM


00AJ005

A4KN


00AJ010

A4KP


00AJ015

A4KQ


a. The feature code listed is for both the System x sales channel (x-config) and the Power
Systems sales channel (e-config).


37

2.5.5 RAID upgrades - Storage Expansion Node
The Storage Expansion Node supports the RAID upgrades listed in Table 2-15.
PCIe Expansion Node: The PCIe Expansion Node does not support any of these
upgrades.
The use of any of the Features on Demand upgrade requires that either the 1 GB cache
(81Y4559) or 512 MB cache (81Y4487) be configured.
Table 2-15 FOD options available for the Storage Expansion Node
System x
part number

Feature
codea

Description

Hardware upgrades
81Y4559

A1WY

ServeRAID M5100 Series 1GB Flash/RAID 5 Upgrade for IBM System x

81Y4487

A1J4

ServeRAID M5100 Series 512MB Flash/RAID 5 Upgrade for IBM System x

Features on Demand upgrades (license only)
90Y4410b

A2Y1

ServeRAID M5100 Series RAID 6 Upgrade for IBM Flex System

90Y4447b

A36G

ServeRAID M5100 Series SSD Caching Enabler for IBM Flex System

90Y4412b

A2Y2

ServeRAID M5100 Series Performance Accelerator for IBM Flex System

for x240 model 7863-10X (AAS). None of these features are orderable with 7863-10X.
b. Requires either the 1 GB cache (81Y4559) or 512 MB cache (81Y4487).

38


2.6 External USB device support
Use this information to determine which USB devices are supported for use with these Power
Systems compute nodes:
IBM Flex System p24L Compute Node
In this section:
2.6.1, “Supported IBM USB devices” on page 39
2.6.2, “Supported non-IBM USB devices” on page 40

2.6.1 Supported IBM USB devices
Table 2-16 shows the IBM USB devices supported for direct attach to Power Systems
compute nodes.
Table 2-16 IBM USB devices supported for direct attach to Power Systems compute nodes
Feature
code

Description

AIX and VIOS

Linux

VIOS clients:
AIX and Linux

VIOS clients:
IBM i

1104

RDX USB external dock

Yesa,b

Yes

Nob

No

EU04

RDX USB external dock

Yesa,b

Yes

Nob

No

1106

160 GB RDX removable disk drive

Yesa,b

Yes

Nob

No

1107


Yesa,b

Yes

Nob

No

EU01

1 TB RDX removable disk drive

Yesa,b

Yes

Nob

No

EU08


Yesa,b

Yes

Nob

No

EU15

1.5 TB RDX removable disk drive

Yesa,b

Yes

Nob

No

a. The AIX operating system supports the mksysb (system backup/restore) operations by using any of the USB
removable media types. The AIX operating system does not support using a USB device as a target for an AIX
operating system installation. The AIX operating system and VIOS only support writing to DVD-RAM media, but
can read all optical media formats through the read interface of the device driver.
b. Only USB tape drives and USB DVD-RAM drives can be virtual devices in a client partition. For all other USB
devices, the USB controller must be assigned to a partition for the partition to have access to the USB device.


39

Table 2-17 lists the IBM USB devices supported for use in the IBM 7226 Multimedia Storage
Enclosure Model 1U3 (7226-1U3).
Table 2-17 IBM USB devices supported for use in the IBM 7226 Multimedia Storage Enclosure Model 1U3 (7226-1U3)
Feature
code

Description

AIX and VIOS

Linux

VIOS clients:
AIX and Linux

VIOS clients:
IBM i

1103

RDX USB internal dock

Yesa,b

Yes

Nob

No

EU03

RDX USB internal dock

Yesa,b

Yes

Nob

No

EU16

DAT160 USB tape drive

Yesa

Yes

Yesb

Yes

5762

SATA Slimline USB DVD-RAM drive

Yesa

Yes

Yesb

Yes

Yes

b

Yes

5757

IDE Slimline USB DVD-RAM drive

a

Yes

Yes


2.6.2 Supported non-IBM USB devices
Table 2-18 lists the non-IBM USB device types can attach to the Power Systems compute
nodes. Due to the large number of manufacturers of these devices, not every device can be
guaranteed support.
External power: Non-IBM USB DVD-RAM, tape, and RDX drives must use an external
power supply.
Table 2-18 Non-IBM USB devices that can attach to the Power Systems compute nodes
Description

AIX and VIOS

Linux

VIOS clients:
AIX and Linux

VIOS clients:
IBM i

USB flash drive

Yesa,b,c

Yes

Nob

No

USB DVD-RAM drive with non-USB power source

Yesa

Yes

Yesb

Yes

USB tape drive with non-USB power source

Yesa

Yes

Yesb

No

USB RDX device with non-USB power source

Yesa,b

Yes

Nob

No

c. Boot from a USB flash drive can only be used for AIX standalone diagnostics or mksysb (system restore). Booting
or installing AIX based media from a USB flash drive is not supported.

40


3

Chapter 3.

Software compatibility
This chapter describes aspects of software compatibility.
3.1, “Operating system support” on page 42
3.2, “IBM Fabric Manager” on page 44
Unless it is otherwise specified, updates or service packs equal to or higher within the same
operating system release family and version of the operating system are also supported.
However, support for newer major versions are not supported unless specifically identified.
For customers interested in deploying operating systems not listed here, IBM can provide
customers with server hardware only warranty support. For operating system and software
support, customers must contact the operating system vendor or community. Customers must
obtain the operating system and OS software support directly from the operating system
vendor or community. For more information, see “Additional OS Information” on the IBM
ServerProven web page.


41

3.1 Operating system support
In this section:
For the latest information, see IBM ServerProven at the following website:
http://ibm.com/systems/info/x86servers/serverproven/compat/us/nos/flexmatrix.shtml

Table 3-1 lists the operating systems supported by the x86 compute nodes.
Table 3-1 Operating system support - x86 compute nodes
Model

x220

x222

x240
E5-2600

x240
E5-2600 v2

x440

Windows Server 2012

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Windows Server 2008 R2

Yes (SP1)

Yes (SP1)

Yes (SP1)

Yes (SP1)

Yes (SP1)

Windows Server 2008 HPC Edition

Yes (SP1)

No

Yes (SP1)

Yes (SP1)

No

Windows Server 2008, Datacenter x64 Edition

Yes (SP2)

Yes (SP2)

Yes (SP2)

Yes (SP2)

Yes (SP2)

Windows Server 2008, Enterprise x64 Edition

Yes (SP2)

Yes (SP2)

Yes (SP2)

Yes (SP2)

Yes (SP2)

Windows Server 2008, Standard x64 Edition

Yes (SP2)

Yes (SP2)

Yes (SP2)

Yes (SP2)

Yes (SP2)

Windows Server 2008, Web x64 Edition

Yes (SP2)

Yes (SP2)

Yes (SP2)

Yes (SP2)

Yes (SP2)

RHEL 6 Server x64 Edition

Yes (U2)

Yes (U4)

Yes (U2)

Yes (U4)

Yes (U3)

RHEL 5 Server with Xen x64 Edition

Yes (U7)ab

Yes (U9)b

Yes (U7)b

Yes (U9)b

Yes (U8)b

RHEL 5 Server x64 Edition

Yes (U7)

Yes (U9)

Yes (U7)

Yes (U9)

Yes (U8)

SLES 11 for AMD64/EM64T

Yes (SP2)

Yes (SP2)

Yes (SP1)

Yes (SP3)

Yes (SP2)

(SP2)ab

Yes

(SP2)b

Yes

(SP1)b

Yes

(SP3)b

Yes (SP2)b

SLES11 with Xen for AMD64/EM64T

Yes

SLES 10 for AMD64/EM64T

Yes (SP4)

Yes (SP4)

Yes (SP4)

No

Yes (SP4)

VMware ESXi 4.1

Yes (U2)a

No

Yes (U2)c

No

Yes (U2)

VMware ESX 4.1

Yes (U2)a

Yes (U3)

Yes (U2)c

No

VMware vSphere 5.0

Yesa

Yes (U2)

Yesc

Yes

VMware vSphere 5.1

Yesa

Yes (U1)

Yes

Yes (U1)

Yes

VMware vSphere 5.5

Yesa

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes (U2)
(U2)c

Yes (U1)

a. Xen and VMware hypervisors are not supported with ServeRAID C105 (software RAID), but are supported with
ServeRAID H1135 Controller 90Y4750 and ServeRAID M5115 Controller 90Y4390.
b. Only pNIC mode is supported with Xen kernels. For support information, see RETAIN Tip H205800 at
http://ibm.com/support/entry/portal/docdisplay?lndocid=migr-5090480.
c. The IMM2 Ethernet over USB must be disabled using the IMM2 web interface. For support information, see
RETAIN Tip H205897 at http://ibm.com/support/entry/portal/docdisplay?lndocid=migr-5090620.

42


Table 3-2 lists the operating systems supported by the Power Systems compute nodes.
Table 3-2 Operating system support - Power Systems compute nodes
Model

p24L
1457-7FL

p260
7895-22X

p260
7895-23X

p260
7895-23A

p270
7954-24X

p460
7895-42X

p460
7895-43X

IBM AIX® 7.1

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

IBM AIX 6.1

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

IBM i 7.1

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

IBM i 6.1

No

Yesa

Yesa

Yesa

Yesa

Yesa

Yesa

IBM VIOS 2.2.1

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

Yes

No

IBM VIOS 2.2.2

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

RHEL 5 for IBM POWER®

Yes (U7)

Yes (U7)

Yes (U9)

No

No

Yes (U7)

No

RHEL 6 for IBM POWER

Yes (U2)

Yes (U2)

Yes (U3)

Yes (U4)

Yes (U4)

Yes (U2)

Yes (U4)

SLES 11 for IBM POWERb

Yes (SP2)

Yes (SP2)

Yes (SP2)

Yes (SP2)

Yes (SP2)

Yes (SP2)

Yes (SP2)

a. IBM i 6.1 is supported but cannot be ordered preinstalled from IBM Manufacturing.
b. With current maintenance updates available from SUSE to enable all planned functionality.

Specific technology levels, service pack, and APAR levels are as follows:
For the p260 (model 22X), and p460:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

IBM i 6.1 with i 6.1.1 machine code, or later
IBM i 7.1 TR4, or later
VIOS 2.2.1.4, or later
AIX V7.1 with the 7100-01 Technology Level with Service Pack 3 with APAR IV14284
AIX V7.1 with the 7100-01 Technology Level with Service Pack 4, or later
AIX V6.1 with the 6100-07 Technology Level, with Service Pack 3 with APAR IV14283
AIX V6.1 with the 6100-07 Technology Level, with Service Pack 4, or later
AIX V5.3 with the 5300-12 Technology Level with Service Pack 6, or later. An IBM
AIX 5L V5.3 Service Extension is also required.

For the p260 (model 23X):
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

1

IBM i 7.1 TR5, or later
VIOS 2.2.2.1 or later
AIX V7.1 with the 7100-02 Technology Level or later
AIX V7.1 with the 7100-01 Technology Level with Service Pack 7 or later
AIX V6.1 with the 6100-08 Technology Level or later
AIX V6.1 with the 6100-07 Technology Level, with Service Pack 71, or later
AIX V6.1 with the 6100-06 Technology Level with Service Pack 111 , or later
AIX V5.3 with the 5300-12 Technology Level with Service Pack 7, or later. An IBM
AIX 5L V5.3 Service Extension is required.

Planned availability March 29, 2013

Chapter 3. Software compatibility

43

For p260 (P7+) 7895-23A, p270 (P7+) 7954-24X, p460 (P7+) 7895-43X:
–
–
–
–
–

IBM i 7.1 TR6 or later

3.2 IBM Fabric Manager
IBM Fabric Manager is a solution that you can use to quickly replace and recover compute
nodes in your environment. It accomplishes this task by assigning Ethernet MAC, Fibre
Channel WWN, and SAS WWN addresses so that any compute nodes plugged into those
bays take on the assigned addresses. This configuration enables the Ethernet and Fibre
Channel infrastructure to be configured once and before any compute nodes are connected
to the chassis.
For information about IBM Fabric Manager, see the following website:
http://www.ibm.com/systems/flex/fabricmanager
The operating systems that IBM Fabric Manager supports are listed in the IBM Flex System
Information Center at the following website:
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/flexsys/information/topic/com.ibm.acc.iof
m.doc/dw1li_supported_os.html
The next two tables lists the adapters that support IBM Fabric Manager and the compute
nodes that they can be installed in:
Table 3-3 lists support for x86-based compute nodes
Table 3-4 on page 45 lists support for Power Systems compute nodes
Table 3-3 IBM Fabric Manager support - adapters and x86 compute nodes
Feature codesa
Part
number

x86
nodes

786310X
only

Description

x220

x222

x240

x440

Ethernet expansion cards
88Y5920

A4K3

None


Yesb

N/Ac

Yesb

Yesb

90Y3554

A1R1

1759


Yes

N/Ac

Yes

Yes

00Y3306

A4K2

None


Yes

N/Ac

Yes

Yes

49Y7900

A10Y

1763


Yes

N/Ac

Yes

Yes

90Y3466

A1QY

EC2D


Yes

N/Ac

Yes

Yes

90Y3482

A3HK

EC31


Yes

N/Ac

Yes

Yes

Fibre Channel expansion cards
95Y2375

A2N5

EC25


Yes

N/Ac

Yes

Yes

69Y1938

A1BM

1764


Yes

N/Ac

Yes

Yes

88Y6370

A1BP

EC2B


Yes

N/Ac

Yes

Yes

44


Feature codesa
Part
number

x86
nodes

786310X
only

Description

x220

x222

x240

x440

95Y2379

A3HU

None


N/Ac

Yes

N/Ac

N/Ac

95Y2386

A45R

None


Yes

N/Ac

Yes

Yes

95Y2391

A45S

None


Yes

N/Ac

Yes

Yes

69Y1942

A1BQ

None


Yes

N/Ac

Yes

Yes

InfiniBand expansion cards
90Y3454

A1QZ

EC2C


No

N/Ac

No

No

90Y3486

A365

None


N/Ac

No

N/Ac

N/Ac

a. The two Feature Code columns are as follows:
* x86 nodes: For all x86 compute nodes in both XCC (x-config) and AAS (e-config), except for x240 7863-10X
* 7863-10X only: For x240 model 7863-10X in AAS (e-config) only
b. Planned for IFM v4.1 in 4Q/2013
c. Not applicable. This combination of adapter and compute node is not supported.
Table 3-4 IBM Fabric Manager support - adapters in Power Systems compute nodes
Feature
code

Description

p24L

p260

p270

p460

Ethernet expansion cards
1762


Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

1763


Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

EC24


Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

EC26


Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Fibre Channel expansion cards
1764


Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

EC23


Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

EC2E


Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

No

InfiniBand expansion cards
1761



45

Table 3-5 lists the supported switches.
Table 3-5 IBM Fabric Manager support - switches
Description

Part
number

Feature
codes

Support IBM
Fabric Manager

Flex System Fabric CN4093 10Gb Converged Scalable Switch

00D5823

A3HH / ESW2

Yes - VLAN failovera

Flex System Fabric EN4093R 10Gb Scalable Switch

95Y3309

A3J6 / ESW7


Flex System Fabric EN4093 10Gb Scalable Switch

49Y4270

A0TB / 3593


Flex System EN2092 1Gb Ethernet Switch

49Y4294

A0TF / 3598


Flex System EN4023 10Gb Scalable Switch

94Y5212

ESWD / ESWD

No

Flex System EN4091 10Gb Ethernet Pass-thru

88Y6043

A1QV / 3700

Yesb

Flex System Fabric SI4093 System Interconnect Module

95Y3313

A45T / ESWA


Cisco Nexus B22 Fabric Extender for IBM Flex System

94Y5350

ESWB / ESWB

Yesb

Flex System EN6131 40Gb Ethernet Switch

90Y9346

A3HJ / ESW6


Flex System FC5022 16Gb SAN Scalable Switch

88Y6374

A1EH / 3770

Yesb

Flex System FC5022 16Gb 24-port SAN Scalable Switch

00Y3324

A3DP / ESW5

Yesb

Flex System FC5022 16Gb ESB Switch

90Y9356

A2RQ / 3771

Yesb

Flex System FC3171 8Gb SAN Switch

69Y1930

A0TD / 3595

Yesb

Flex System FC3171 8Gb SAN Pass-thru

69Y1934

A0TJ / 3591

Yesb

90Y3450

A1EK / 3699

No

Ethernet switches

Fibre Channel switches

InfiniBand switches
Flex System IB6131 InfiniBand Switch

a. VLAN failover (port based or untagged only) is supported
b. IBM Fabric Manager is transparent to the Cisco B22, pass-thru module, and Fibre Channel switch modules. There
is no dependency between IBM Fabric Manager and these modules.

IBM Fabric Manager V4.0 is supported on the following operating systems (see 3.1,
“Operating system support” on page 42 for operating systems supported by each compute
node):
Microsoft Windows 7 (client only)
Microsoft Windows Server 2003
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11
IBM Fabric Manager V4.0 is supported on the following web browsers:
Internet Explorer 8
Internet Explorer 9
46


Firefox 17 ESR
IBM Fabric Manager V4.0 is supported on Java Runtime Edition 1.7.


47

48


4

Chapter 4.

Storage interoperability
This chapter describes storage subsystem compatibility.
4.1, “Unified NAS storage” on page 50
4.2, “FCoE support” on page 51
4.3, “iSCSI support” on page 53
4.4, “NPIV support” on page 54
4.5, “Fibre Channel support” on page 54
Tip: Use these tables only as a starting point. Configuration support must be verified
through the IBM System Storage Interoperation Center (SSIC) found at the following
website:
http://ibm.com/systems/support/storage/ssic/interoperability.wss
The tables in this chapter and in SSIC are used primarily to document Fibre Channel SAN
and FCoE-attached block storage interoperability and iSCSI storage when a hardware iSCSI
initiator host adapters are used.


49

4.1 Unified NAS storage
NFS, CIFS and iSCSI protocols on storage products such as IBM N series, IBM Storwize®
V7000 Unified, and SONAS are supported with IBM Flex System based on the requirements
including operating system levels.
See the following interoperability documentation provided for those products for specific
support:
N series interoperability:
http://ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=ssg1S7003897
IBM Storwize V7000 Unified
http://ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=ssg1S1003911
IBM Storwize V7000
SVC 6.4: http://ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=ssg1S1004113
SVC 6.3: http://ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=ssg1S1003908
SONAS
http://pic.dhe.ibm.com/infocenter/sonasic/sonas1ic/index.jsp?topic=%2Fcom.ibm.s
onas.doc%2Fovr_nfssupportmatrix.html
Software iSCSI: Generally iSCSI would be supported with all types of storage as long as
software iSCSI initiators are used on the servers running supported OS and device driver
levels.

50


4.2 FCoE support
This section lists FCoE support. Table 4-1 lists FCoE support using native FCoE targets (that
is, end-to-end FCoE). Table 4-2 on page 52 lists FCoE support using Fibre Channel targets.
In the tables, we use the following abbreviations for the vNIC modes:
through the IBM System Storage Interoperation Center (SSIC) web site:

Table 4-1 FCoE support using FCoE targets (end-to-end FCoE)
Ethernet adapter

Flex System I/O
module

Operating
systems

Storage targets

10Gb onboard LOM (x240, x440,
x222) + FCoE upgrade, 90Y9310
CN4054 10Gb Adapter, 90Y3554
+ FCoE upgrade, 90Y3558

CN4093 10Gb
Converged Switch
(VFM, SIM, and
pNIC)

Windows Server 2012
SLES 10
SLES 11
RHEL 5
RHEL 6
ESX 4.1
vSphere 5.0
vSphere 5.1

Adapter, EC24

CN4093 10Gb
Converged Switch
(pNIC only)

AIX 6.1
AIX 7.1
VIOS 2.2
RHEL 6.4
SLES 11.2

V7000 Storage
Node (FCoE)

V7000 Storage
Node (FCoE)

Chapter 4. Storage interoperability

51

Table 4-2 FCoE support using FC targets
Ethernet
adapter

10Gb
onboard
LOM (x240,
x440, x222)
+ FCoE
upgrade,
90Y9310
CN4054
10GbE
90Y3554
+ FCoE
upgrade,
90Y3558

CN4058
8-port 10Gb
Converged
Adapter,
EC24

Flex System I/O
module
EN4091 10GbE
Pass-thru (SIM
and pNIC)
EN4093 10Gb
Switch (VFM,
SIM, UFP, and
pNIC)
EN4093R
10Gb Switch
(VFM, SIM,
UFP and pNIC)
SI4093 Server
Interconnect

FC Forwarder
(FCF)
Brocade
VDX 6730
Cisco Nexus
5010, 5020,
5548, 5596

Cisco MDS

IBM
G8264CS

IBM B-type
Cisco MDS
Direct
attach

Operating
systems

Storage targets

IBM B-type

CN4093 10Gb Converged Switch
(VFM, SIM and pNIC)

IBM B-type
Cisco MDS
Direct
attach

Brocade
VDX 6730
Cisco Nexus
5010, 5020,
5548, 5596

IBM B-type
Cisco MDS
Direct
attach

DS3500
DS5000
DS8000
SVC
Storwize V7000
Storwize V3500
Storwize V3700
Storwize V7000
Storage Node (FC)
IBM XIV
TS3200, TS3310,
TS3500

AIX 6.1
AIX 7.1
VIOS 2.2
RHEL 6.4
SLES
11.2

DS3500
DS5000
DS8000
SVC
Storwize V7000
Storwize V3500
Storwize V3700
Storwize V7000
Storage Node (FC)
IBM XIV
TS3200, TS3310,
TS3500

Cisco MDS

IBM
G8264CS

Windows
Server
2008 R2
Windows
Server
2012
SLES 10
SLES 11
RHEL 5
RHEL 6
ESX 4.1
vSphere
5.0
vSphere
5.1

IBM B-type

EN4093 10Gb
Switch (pNIC
only)
EN4093R
10Gb Switch
(pNIC only)
SI4093 Server
Interconnect

CN4093 10Gb Converged Switch
(pNIC only)

52

Supported
SAN fabric


IBM B-type
Cisco MDS
Direct
attach

4.3 iSCSI support
Table 4-3 lists iSCSI support using a hardware-based iSCSI initiator.
IBM System Storage Interoperation Center normally only lists support for iSCSI storage
attached using hardware iSCSI offload adapters in the servers. Flex System compute nodes
support any type of iSCSI (1Gb or 10Gb) storage as long as software iSCSI initiator device
drivers that meet the storage requirements for operating system and device driver levels are
met.
In the table, we use the following abbreviations for the vNIC modes:
through the IBM System Storage Interoperation Center (SSIC) web site:

Table 4-3 Hardware-based iSCSI support
Ethernet adapter

10Gb onboard LOM
(x240, x440, x222)a
CN4054 10Gb
Virtual Fabric
Adapter, 90Y3554b

EN4093 10Gb Switch
(VFM, SIM, UFP, and
pNIC)
EN4093R 10Gb Switch
(VFM, SIM, UFP and
pNIC)
SI4093 Server
Interconnect
CN4093 10Gb
Converged Switch
(VFM, SIM and pNIC)

Operating systems

Windows Server 2012
SLES 10 & 11
RHEL 5
RHEL 6
ESX 4.1
vSphere 5.0
vSphere 5.1

Storage targets
DS3500
DS5000
DS8000
SVC
Storwize V7000
Storwize V3500
Storwize V3700
Storwize V7000
Storage Node (iSCSI)
IBM XIV

a. iSCSI/FCoE upgrade is required, IBM Virtual Fabric Advanced Software Upgrade (LOM), 90Y9310
b. iSCSI/FCoE upgrade is required, IBM Flex System CN4054 Virtual Fabric Adapter Upgrade, 90Y3558


53

4.4 NPIV support
NPIV is supported on all Fibre Channel and FCoE adapters that are supported in the
compute nodes. See Table 2-1 on page 22 for the list of supported adapters.
IBM i support of NPIV attachment is limited to the following SAN controllers:
For both IBM i 6.1 and 7.1:
IBM System Storage DS8000
For IBM i 7.1 only:
IBM Storewize V7000
IBM Storewize V3500
IBM Storewize V3700
IBM SVC
IBM Flex System V7000 Storage Node

4.5 Fibre Channel support
This section discusses Fibre Channel support for IBM BladeCenter. The following topics are
covered:
Tip: Use these tables only as a starting point. Not all combinations may be supported.
Configuration support must be verified through the IBM System Storage Interoperation
Center (SSIC) web site:

54


Table 4-2 on page 52 lists Fibre Channel storage support for x86 compute nodes.
Table 4-4 Fibre Channel support: x86 compute nodes
FC adapter


External SAN
fabric

FC3172 2-port 8Gb
FC Adapter,
69Y1938
FC3052 2-port 8Gb
FC Adapter,
95Y2375
FC5172 2-port 16Gb
Adapter, 69Y1942

FC3171 8Gb switch,
69Y1930
FC3171 8Gb Pass-thru,
69Y1934
FC5022 16Gb 12-port,
88Y6374
00Y3324
FC5022 16Gb 24-port
ESB, 90Y9356

Cisco MDS
IBM b-type

FC5022 2-port 16Gb
Adapter, 88Y6370
FC5024D 4-port
16Gb Adapter,
95Y2379
FC5052 2-port 16Gb
Adapter, 95Y2386
FC5054 4-port 16Gb
Adapter, 95Y2391
FC5172 2-port 16Gb
Adapter, 69Y1942

88Y6374
00Y3324
FC5022 16Gb 24-port
ESB, 90Y9356

Cisco MDS
IBM b-type

FC3172 2-port 8Gb
FC Adapter,
69Y1938
FC3052 2-port 8Gb
FC Adapter,
95Y2375

FC3171 8Gb switch,
69Y1930
69Y1934

Cisco MDS
IBM b-type

Operating
systems

FC storage
targets

Microsoft
Windows
Server 2008
Windows
Server 2012
RHEL 5
RHEL 6
SLES 10
SLES 11
ESX 4.1
vSphere 5.0
vSphere 5.1

V7000
Storage
Node (FC)
DS3000
DS5000
DS8000
SVC
V7000
V3500
V3700
XIV
Tape

Windows
Server 2008
Windows
Server 2012
RHEL 5
RHEL 6
SLES 11
ESX 4.1
vSphere 5.0
vSphere 5.1

FlashSystem


55

Table 4-5 lists Fibre Channel storage support for Power Systems compute nodes.
Table 4-5 Fibre Channel support: Power Systems compute nodes
FC expansion card


External SAN fabric

FC3171 8Gb switch,
3595
3591
3770
ESW5
FC5022 16Gb 24-port
ESB, 3771

IBM b-type
Cisco MDS

FC5054 4-port 16Gb
Adapter, EC2E
FC5172 2-port 16Gb
Adapter, EC23

3770
ESW5
FC5022 16Gb 24-port
ESB, 3771

IBM b-type
Cisco MDS

FC3172 2-port 8Gb
FC Adapter, 1764

FC3171 8Gb switch,
69Y1930
69Y1934

Cisco MDS
IBM b-type

FC3172 2-port 8Gb
FC Adapter, 1764

56

Operating
systems


AIX 6.1
AIX 7.1
VIOS 2.2
SLES 11
RHEL 5
RHEL 6

FC storage
targets

V7000
Storage
Node (FC)
DS8000
SVC
V7000
V3500
V3700
XIV
Tape

FlashSystem

Abbreviations and acronyms
APAR

Authorized Problem Analysis
Reports

DAC

dual address cycle

DIMM

dual inline memory module

ECC

error checking and correcting

ESB

Enterprise Switch Bundle

FC

Fibre Channel

FDR

fourteen data rate

GB

gigabyte

HDD

hard disk drive

HH

half-high

HPC

high performance computing

HS

hot swap

I/O

input/output

IB

RSS

receive-side scaling

SAN

storage area network

SAS

Serial Attached SCSI

SATA

Serial ATA

SDD

Subsystem Device Driver

SED

self-encrypting drive

SFF

Small Form Factor

SFP

small form-factor pluggable

SIM

switch independent mode

SLES

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server

SR

short range

SSD

solid-state drive

SSIC

System Storage Interoperation
Center

InfiniBand

SVC

SAN Volume Controller

IBM

International Business Machines

TOR

top of rack

IT

information technology

UDIMM

unbuffered DIMM

ITSO

International Technical Support
Organization

UFP

Unified Fabric Port

USB

universal serial bus

LOM

LAN on motherboard

VIOS

Virtual I/O Server

LP

low profile

VFM

virtual fabric mode

LR

long range

vNIC

virtual network interface controller

LRDIMM

load-reduced DIMM

WWN

worldwide name

MAC

media access control

MDS

Multilayer Director Switch

MLC

multilevel cell

MTP

Multi-fiber Termination Push-on

N/A

not applicable

NL

nearline

NPIV

N_Port ID Virtualization

OS

operating system

pNIC

physical network interface
controller

QDR

quad data rate

QSFP

Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable

RAID

redundant array of independent
disks

RDIMM

registered DIMM

RETAIN

Remote Electronic Technical
Assistance Information Network

RHEL

Red Hat Enterprise Linux

RPM

revolutions per minute


57

58


Related publications
The publications listed in this section are considered particularly suitable for a more detailed
discussion of the topics covered in this paper.

IBM Redbooks
The following IBM Redbooks publications provide additional information about the topic in this
document. Note that some publications referenced in this list might be available in softcopy
only.
You can search for, view, download or order these documents and other Redbooks,
Redpapers, Web Docs, draft and additional materials, at the following website:
ibm.com/redbooks
IBM PureFlex System and IBM Flex System Products and Technology, SG24-7984
IBM Flex System p260 and p460 Planning and Implementation Guide, SG24-7989
IBM Flex System Networking in an Enterprise Data Center, REDP-4834
Overview of IBM PureSystems, TIPS0892
IBM Redbooks Product Guides are also available for the following IBM Flex System
components:
Chassis and compute nodes
Switches and pass-through modules
Adapter cards
You can find these publications at the following web page:
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/portals/puresystems?Open&page=pgbycat

Other publications and online resources
These publications and websites are also relevant as further information sources:
Configuration and Option Guide, found at:
http://www.ibm.com/systems/xbc/cog/
IBM Flex System Enterprise Chassis Power Guide, found at:
http://ibm.com/support/techdocs/atsmastr.nsf/WebIndex/WP102111
IBM Flex System Information Center:
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/flexsys/information
IBM System Storage Interoperation Center:
http://www.ibm.com/systems/support/storage/ssic


59

ServerProven hardware compatibility page for IBM Flex System:
http://www.ibm.com/systems/info/x86servers/serverproven/compat/us/
xREF: IBM x86 Server Reference:
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/xref
Power Configurator
http://ibm.com/systems/bladecenter/resources/powerconfig.html
IBM System x and Cluster Solutions configurator (x-config)
https://ibm.com/products/hardware/configurator/americas/bhui/asit/install.html
IBM Configurator for e-business (e-config)
http://ibm.com/services/econfig/

Help from IBM
IBM Support and downloads
ibm.com/support
IBM Global Services
ibm.com/services

60


Back cover

®

IBM Flex System
Interoperability Guide
Redpaper
Quick reference for
IBM Flex System
Interoperability
Covers internal
components and
external connectivity
Latest updates as of
4 November 2013

To meet today’s complex and ever-changing business demands, you
need a solid foundation of compute, storage, networking, and software
resources. This system must be simple to deploy, and be able to
quickly and automatically adapt to changing conditions. You also need
to be able to take advantage of broad expertise and proven guidelines
in systems management, applications, hardware maintenance, and
more.
The IBM PureFlex System combines no-compromise system designs
along with built-in expertise and integrates them into complete and
optimized solutions. At the heart of PureFlex System is the IBM Flex
System Enterprise Chassis. This fully integrated infrastructure platform
supports a mix of compute, storage, and networking resources to meet
the demands of your applications.
The solution is easily scalable with the addition of another chassis with
the required nodes. With the IBM Flex System Manager, multiple
chassis can be monitored from a single panel. The 14 node, 10U
chassis delivers high speed performance complete with integrated
servers, storage, and networking. This flexible chassis is simple to
deploy, and scales to meet your needs in the future.
This IBM Redpaper publication is a reference to compatibility and
interoperability of components inside and connected to IBM PureFlex
System and IBM Flex System solutions.

INTERNATIONAL
TECHNICAL
SUPPORT
ORGANIZATION

BUILDING TECHNICAL
INFORMATION BASED ON
PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE
IBM Redbooks are developed
by the IBM International
Technical Support
Organization. Experts from
IBM, Customers and Partners
from around the world create
timely technical information
based on realistic scenarios.
Specific recommendations
are provided to help you
implement IT solutions more
effectively in your
environment.

For more information:
ibm.com/redbooks
REDP-FSIG-00

™

IBM Flex System Interoperability Guide

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