C H A P T E R 1

Introduction

This chapter provides an overview of the Sun IB switch hardware and software, including the hardware and software requirements for using the switch. This chapter includes the following sections:

Switch Description

Hardware and Software Requirements

Key Features

Switch Description

The Sun IB switch is a nine-port, rack-dense, standalone switch optimized for scaling systems and building clusters and distributed I/O systems based on InfiniBand.

The Sun nine-port, 12x/4x InfiniBand switch is housed in a 19-inch 1RU chassis with two redundant hot-plug power supply units (PSU) and cooling modules. Both the InfiniBand Subnet Management and Sun Advanced Lights Out Manager (ALOM) software are preinstalled. ALOM is a system controller that enables you to remotely manage and administer the switch.

Front Panel LED Displays

Two sets of LEDs are displayed on the front panel of the Sun IB switch. TABLE 1-1 describes the meaning of each LED. FIGURE 1-1 shows the location of the LEDs.

TABLE 1-1 Front Panel LEDs for the Sun Nine-Port InfiniBand Switch
Location	Color	Meaning if Lit	Meaning if Blinking
Front panel status	White Green Amber	Switch is up and running Switch requires attention	Locate function started
PSU and fan module	Green Green Amber Blue	AC on DC on Fault--the PSU requires attention Ready-to-remove

FIGURE 1-1 Front Panel LEDs

Illustration showing front panel LEDs on the Sun Nine-Port InfiniBand switch.

Rear LED Displays

Three sets of LEDs are displayed on the rear of the Sun IB switch. TABLE 1-2 describes the meaning of each LED. FIGURE 1-2 shows the location of the LEDs.

TABLE 1-2 Rear Display LEDs for the Sun Nine-Port InfiniBand Switch
Location	Color	Meaning if Lit	Meaning if Blinking
IB ports	Green Amber	Operational/Link up Fault--port requires attention	Traffic activity
RJ-45/Ethernet link status	Green Amber	Operational Status/Fault
Rear status	White Green Amber	Operational Status/Fault	Locate function started

FIGURE 1-2 Sun Nine-Port Infiniband Switch Showing Rear LEDs

Illustration showing the rear LEDs on the Sun Nine-Port InfiniBand switch.

Hardware and Software Requirements

Before installing the Sun IB switch, ensure that your system meets the following hardware and software requirements:

Hardware and Software	Requirements
Hardware	Sun Fire V240, V440, V490, V890, V1280, E2900, E4900, E6900 V20z, V40z, X4100, T1000, T2000, X2100, and X4200
Sun Dual Port 4x IB Host Channel Adapter PCI-E	Sun Dual Port 4x IB Host Channel Adapter PCI-E
Software	Solaris 10 1/06 Operating System and future compatible releases

Key Features

Nine 12x/4x InfiniBand ports

True non-blocking switch fabric with aggregate bandwidth of 540Gbps

All removable modules are hot-swappable

Intelligent switch with embedded Sun Advanced Lights Out Management (ALOM) system controller and integrated InfiniBand management