The IBM eServere BladeCentert system physically consolidates the server and network into a common chassis. It was introduced as a new server architecture that provides many benefits over the traditional data center model of clustered independent systems linked by a network fabric. This paper describes the BladeCenter networking architecture and relates it to user requirements for multi-tier servers, scale-out models, networking technology advances, and industry trends. Design decisions and challenges, the switch subsystem and input/output technology options, services that are currently supported by the architecture, and future enhancements and extensions are addressed.

Technical innovations such as large-scale integrated circuit technology and distributed operating systems have respectively reduced the cost of computing and provided a basis for large networks within the confines of a single building or cluster of buildings in close proximity to one another. Local area networks can provide a systematic approach for interconnecting personal workstations, control units, and central processing units, thereby providing a means for these machines to pass information from one to the other. This paper describes a local area network based on the fundamental concepts of a token-ring. Two main ideas are presented. The first idea concerns the physical topology of the wiring network and its star-ring organization. Next, the logical data flows are overlaid on the physical network to provide control procedures for exchanging data through the network. The resulting system has unique features that produce a local area network with good performance and reliability characteristics.T he present trend toward distributed data processing, coupled with the increased emphasis on office automation and the widespread use of automated office terminals, displays, and computers, has created a demand for a more comprehensive approach to terminal interconnection systems. Personal workstations can increase overall productivity by allowing the individual office workers, both clerical and professional, to share access to host systems, common data bases, peripheral print-

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract