Networking And Input/Output; Embedded Nics/Lan On Motherboard; Input/Output - Dell PowerEdge M1000e Technical Manual

7 Networking and Input/Output

Embedded NICs/LAN on Motherboard

For information on embedded NICs/LAN on Motherboard (LOM), see the
Technical Guide
on Dell.com/PowerEdge

Input/Output

The Dell PowerEdge M-series servers provide complete, snap-in FLEX™ I/O scalability down to the
switch interconnects. FLEX I/O technology is the foundation of the M1000e I/O subsystem. You can
mix and match I/O modules from a wide variety of options including Cisco, Dell PowerConnect,
Fibre Channel, and InfiniBand options. The I/O modules may be installed singly or in redundant pairs.
For more information, see the
Dell.com/Support/Manuals.
I/O modules connect to the blades through three redundant I/O fabrics. The enclosure was
designed for 5+ years of I/O bandwidth and technology.
The I/O system offers a wide variety of options to meet nearly any network need:

Complete, on-demand switch design

Easily scale to provide additional uplink and stacking functionality

No need to waste your current investment with a rip-and-replace upgrade

Flexibility to scale Ethernet stacking and throughput

Partnered Solutions with Cisco, Emulex, and Brocade

QDR, FDR10 and FDR InfiniBand switch options available for HPCC

Up to 8 high-speed ports

Cisco virtual blade switch capability

Ethernet port aggregator

Virtualization of Ethernet ports for integration into any Ethernet fabric

Fibre Channel products from Brocade and Emulex offering powerful connectivity to Dell
Compellent SAN fabrics

High-availability clustering inside a single enclosure or between two enclosures (for details go to
Dell.com/Support/Manuals
Each server module connects to traditional network topologies while providing sufficient bandwidth
for multi-generational product lifecycle upgrades. I/O fabric integration encompasses networking,
storage, and interprocessor communications (IPC).
Definitions:

A fabric is defined as a method of encoding, transporting, and synchronizing data between
devices. Examples of fabrics are Gigabit Ethernet (GbE), Fibre Channel (FC) or InfiniBand (IB).
Fabrics are carried inside the M1000e system, between server module and I/O modules through
the midplane. They are also carried to the outside world through the physical copper or optical
interfaces on the I/O modules.

A lane is defined as a single fabric data transport path between I/O end devices. In modern high
speed serial interfaces each lane is comprised of one transmit and one receive differential pair. In
reality, a single lane is four wires in a cable or traces of copper on a printed circuit board, a
PowerEdge M1000e Technical Guide
25
for each of the compatible blade servers.
Dell PowerEdge M1000e Enclosure Owner's Manual
for documentation on clustering, organized by type of storage)
Dell PowerEdge Mxxx
®
on