IBM Storage Networking b-type Gen7 Directors From Brocade/Broadcom

IBM Storage Networking b-type Gen7 directors offer additional blade features

Technology is evolving at an incredible pace, and businesses are demanding more from their IT resources and infrastructure. Rapid adoption of flash storage and the rise of NVMe-based storage unleash advancements in application design that drive new levels of performance and capacity requirements, such as advanced analytics, business intelligence, and data-intensive workloads. With the integration of new technologies that are accelerating the delivery of data and services, the network will need to evolve to keep pace with innovations in storage and the demands of modern applications to maximize the full value of investments in next-gen data center infrastructures.

To meet the demand for faster, more reliable data access, it is essential for organizations to deploy a modernized infrastructure that reduces latency, increases bandwidth, and ensures continuous availability. Unprecedented performance is not enough on its own. Powerful analytics and advanced automation capabilities are required to transform current storage networks into an autonomous SAN. This requires a network that is able to deliver these capabilities to maximize performance, simplify management, and reduce operational costs.

Legacy infrastructure was not designed to support the performance requirements of evolving workloads and NVMe-based storage. In fact, an aging network will impede the performance of the on-demand data center. By modernizing the storage network with IBM Storage Networking b-type Gen 7, organizations will enable a faster, more intelligent, and more resilient network. This will maximize the performance, productivity, and efficiency of their storage investments and resources, even as they rapidly scale their environments.

Additional 48-port 32Gbp/s blade bundled with 48x32Gb/s short wavelength small form-factor pluggable transceivers (SFPs) (feature code 3249) and 48-port 32Gb/s blade bundled with 48x32Gb/s long wavelength SFPs (feature code 3250) are available for IBM Storage Networking b-type Gen7 directors (8961-F74 and 8961-F78).

Key requirements: Fabric OS 9.0.1a, or later

Planned availability date: July 23, 2021