IBM RackSwitch G8264 Product Manual page 7

switch for improved performance, availability, and security.
VM-Aware Networking

VMready software on the switch simplifies configuration and improves security in virtualized
environments. VMready automatically detects virtual machine movement between physical
servers and instantly reconfigures each VM's network policies across VLANs to keep the
network up and running without interrupting traffic or impacting performance. VMready works
with all leading VM providers, such as VMware, Citrix, Xen, IBM PowerVM®, and Microsoft.
Layer 3 functionality

The G8264 includes Layer 3 functionality, which provides security and performance benefits,
as inter-VLAN traffic stays within the switch. This switch also provides the full range of Layer 3
protocols from static routes for technologies such as Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) and
Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) for enterprise customers.
Seamless interoperability

IBM switches perform seamlessly with other vendors' upstream switches.
Fault tolerance

These IBM switches learn alternate routes automatically and perform faster convergence in
the unlikely case of a link, switch, or power failure. The switch uses proven technologies like
L2 trunk failover, advanced VLAN-based failover, VRRP, and HotLink.
Multicast

The G8264 supports IGMP Snooping v1, v2, and v3 with 2 K IGMP groups. It also supports
Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM), such as PIM Sparse Mode or PIM Dense Mode.
Converged fabric

The IBM switch supports CEE and connectivity to FCoE gateways. CEE helps enable clients
to combine storage, messaging traffic, VoIP, video, and other data on a common data center
Ethernet infrastructure. FCoE helps enable highly efficient block storage over Ethernet for
consolidating server network connectivity. As a result, clients can deploy a single server
interface for multiple data types, which can simplify both deployment and management of
server network connectivity, while maintaining the high availability and robustness required for
storage transactions.
OpenFlow enabled

The RackSwitch G8264 is the first 10 GbE switch to offer benefits of OpenFlow. OpenFlow is
the new open API that enables the network administrator to easily configure and manage
virtual networks that control traffic on a "per-flow" basis. It creates multiple independent virtual
networks and related policies without dealing with the complexities of the underlying physical
network and protocols. The G8264 is also the ideal switch to use with our OpenFlow
compliant network controller, the IBM Programmable Network Controller.
Transparent networking capability

With a simple configuration change to Easy Connect Mode, the RackSwitch G8264 becomes
a transparent network device, invisible to the core, eliminating network administration
concerns of Spanning Tree Protocol configuration/interoperability, VLAN assignments and
avoids any possible loops.
By emulating a host NIC to the data center core, it accelerates the provisioning of VMs by
eliminating the need to configure the typical access switch parameters.
IBM System Networking RackSwitch G8264 7