Overview Networks Solutions Products Tech Resources Get Started InfiniBand has emerged as the high-performance alternative to Ethernet, thanks in large part to its openness. Supported by the InfiniBand Trade Association (IBTA), this network fabric is vendor-neutral and offers excellent investment protection. Like Ethernet and Fibre Channel, InfiniBand continues to evolve quickly, from 10Gbps (Single Data Rate) to 20Gbps (Dual Data Rate) to 40Gbps (Quad Data Rate), and Sun solutions are ready to keep you up to speed. Ethernet Fibre Channel InfiniBand Ethernet The flexibility and compatibility of Ethernet networking has served datacenters well over the years. As bandwidth has increased from 10Mbps to 100Mbps to 1Gbps, it has been relatively easy for administrators to upgrade their infrastructures to take advantage of the speed bumps. Now with 10Gbps on the horizon, Sun is ready to help customers take advantage of the next era in Ethernet. Key Attributes Ethernet is the standard for most datacenters Enterprise "workhorse" Extremely adaptable Highly cost-effective Minimal impact to existing cabling Rapid rise of 10 Gbps in the datacenters Sun Advantages Zero-management virtualized 10GbE NEMs HPC-capable blades and switches with the Sun Constellation System Support of all Operating Systems Ethernet adapters designed for rackmount and blade servers Low Profile cards for rack servers ExpressModules and Fabric Expansion Module for blade servers Networking in Solaris 10 Fibre Channel Fibre Channel has evolved as the "fabric of choice" for Storage Area Networks (SANs). With the introduction and adoption of virtualized servers and storage, Fibre Channel continues to play a key role in datacenters. With the recent introduction of 8Gb Fibre Channel, FC continues to deliver the highest performance, superior application uptime, investment protection, and continuous innovation. With new features introduced like virtualization (NPIV, VSAN) and security, 8Gb FC HBAs continues to address server customer advanced requirements. Sun is ready to help customers make a seamless transition to next-generation 8Gbps Fibre Channel network. Key Attributes Ideal for datacenter SANs, including virtualized storage Lossless and highly secure Ideal for virtual server environments 8Gbps technology now available Sun Advantages A complete line of HBAs, routers, switches and directors based on strong partnerships with Fibre Channel industry leaders Robust, high-performance switches and host bus adapters (HBAs) A complete family of HBAs available in PCIe and ExpressModule versions enabling Sun server connectivity Ready for 8Gbps technology InfiniBand After numerous proprietary solutions failed to gain traction. InfiniBand has emerged as the high-performance alternative to Ethernet, thanks in large part to its openness. Supported by the InfiniBand Trade Association (IBTA), this network fabric is vendor-neutral and offers excellent investment protection. Like Ethernet and Fibre Channel, InfiniBand continues to evolve quickly, from 10Gbps (SDR) to 20Gbps (DDR) to 40Gbps (QDR), and Sun solutions are ready to keep you up to speed. Key Attributes Server-to-server communication Ultra-low latency Ideal for high-performance computing (HPC) Open industry standard Investment protection Off-the-shelf solution 40Gbps technology becoming available Sun Advantages Blade servers designed for HPC deployments with the Sun Blade X6275 Blade Server Module, industry's first blade with on-board InfiniBand End-to-end QDR InfiniBand solution includes ultra-dense, low latency Sun Datacenter InfiniBand Switches 648 and 72 for HPC, and Sun Datacenter InfiniBand Switch 36 for enterprise, line of QDR Host Channel Adapters, and QDR Network Express Modules IB Fabric Interconnect Reduction in cost, power, and footprint by eliminating hundreds of discrete switches and thousands of cables Virtually limitless scalability up to 5,000 QDR server nodes and beyond

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