Cisco Cisco Catalyst Switch Module 3110 for IBM BladeCenter Getting Started Guide

Cisco Catalyst Blade Switch Series for IBM BladeCenter

Easy, Smart and, Flexible Blade Server I/O Solution

At-A-Glance

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Figure 2:  Cisco Catalyst Switch Module 3012 for IBM BladeCenter

Virtual Blade Switch

With the Cisco Catalyst Switch Module 3110, Cisco has 
a unique technology called VBS. Much like server virtu-
alization technology, this switch virtualization technology 
treats the individual physical switches within a rack as one 
logical switch (Figure 3). As with server virtualization tech-
nology, this innovation allows the switches to deliver better 
utilization, increased performance, and greater resilience 
while simplifying operations and management.

Figure 3:  VBS Allows Up to Eight Switches to Be Treated as a Single  
 

Virtual Switch

Benefits of Cisco Catalyst Blade Switches 

Built on the market-leading Cisco hardware and Cisco 
IOS

®

 Software, the Cisco Catalyst Blade Switches are 

engineered with innovative technologies specifically 
designed to meet the rigors of blade server–based appli-
cation infrastructure. Specifically, the switch is designed 
to support blade servers in their new role by delivering 
scalable, high-performance, highly resilient connectivity 
while supporting ongoing initiatives to reduce server 
infrastructure complexity and TCO.

Easy: Easy to operate and deploy

Fewer switches to manage with VBS technology, 
which solves problem of switch sprawl 
Consistent management interface and tools 
throughout the Cisco data center and blade 
switch portfolio, which accelerates service provi-
sioning and simplifies troubleshooting
VBS technology provides operational transpar-
ency and efficiency during replacement and 
addition of switches

Smart: Feature-rich “server-smart” networking 
solution

Provides highly resilient LAN uplinks to increase 
blade server and virtual machine availability 
using innovations such as trunk failover and 
EtherChannel
Helps secure application servers and virtual 
machines by using private VLANs and access-
control lists (ACLs)
Provides intelligent congestion management 
mechanisms to optimize network bandwidth 
using QoS
Provides advanced Layer 2 and 3, IPv4, IPv6, and 
multicast capabilities to facilitate smart end-to-
end server networking in the data center

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Flexible: Flexible solution to scale resources and 
facilitate data center virtualization 

Provides flexibility with VBS to configure network 
topology based on application needs such as 
performance, scalability, and resiliency
Provides investment protection and a flexible 
transition path with VBS and the capability to 
mix and match Gigabit Ethernet and 10 Gigabit 
Ethernet switches 
Provides flexible options for configuration and 
management such as a command-line interface 
(CLI) and a GUI

Conclusion

The Cisco Catalyst Blade Switches product family 
designed for Data Center 3.0 provides the following 
benefits to server, storage, and network organizations:

Lowers costs with VBS by reducing the number of 
cables required to connect blade servers 
Increases IT productivity with simplified and consis-
tent management and troubleshooting tools
Helps ensure blade server and virtual machine 
availability after live migrations with innovative LAN 
features 
Provides faster server deployments by taking advan-
tage of an end-to-end virtualized Data Center 3.0 
architecture

For More Information

See 

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