Datasheet

FLEXIBLE DEPLOYMENT
The Brocade M5424 combines cost-
effective deployment with highly scalable
Ports on Demand capabilities for up to 24
8 Gbit/sec Fibre Channel ports. It has a
minimum of 12 ports enabled and is easily
expandable to 24 through software license
upgrade. The Brocade M5424 provides a
modular “pay-as-you-grow” approach for
dynamic and expanding environments.
ADVANCED FABRIC SERVICES
FOR ENTERPRISES
The Enterprise Performance Pack is optional
software that adds robust SAN fabric services
and value for 8 Gbit/sec Brocade fabrics. It is
available bundled with the Brocade M5424
or as a standalone option. The software
package includes:
ISL Trunking: Combines up to eight ISLs •
into a single, logical 64 Gbit/sec trunk
to optimize performance, bandwidth
and availability
Adaptive Networking: Specify trafc ow •
control between individual hosts and
targets using QoS priorities to improve
overall SAN performance
Advanced Performance Monitoring: •
End-to-end performance visibility into the
fabric for more effective design, planning,
tuning and optimization
Fabric Watch: Health Monitoring and •
proactive notication of changes in fabric
simplies failure and disruption detection
BROCADE ACCESS GATEWAY,
INNOVATIVE FLEXIBILITY
The Brocade M5424 can be congured as a
full-fabric switch or Access Gateway mode.
Brocade Access Gateway is an innovative
solution for blade systems to overcome
heterogeneous network and fabric com-
plexity challenges. Brocade Access Gateway
leverages N_Port ID Virtualization (NPIV)
switch standards to virtualize physical and
logical devices connected to the SAN fabric.
Interoperability Simplied
Brocade Access Gateway eliminates
traditional heterogeneous switch-to-switch
interoperability challenges. It utilizes NPIV
to present server Fibre Channel connections
as logical devices directly to SAN fabrics.
This enables Brocade Access Gateway
to connect Dell blades to heterogeneous
NPIV-enabled switches and directors for
seamless interoperability with Brocade,
McDATA, Cisco and other SAN fabrics.
Fabric Complexity Simplied
Each Dell M1000e blade enclosure
connected to a SAN in full-fabric switch
mode adds two switch domains to the fabric.
In large fabrics, additional switch domains
can create complexity and disrupt fabric
operations during the deployment process.
To address this challenge, Brocade Access
Gateway simplies server-to-SAN connec tivity
by presenting Fibre Channel connections
(rather than switch domains) to the SAN
fabric. In this mode, the Brocade M5424
is managed as a logical device, elimi nating
switch conguration and fabric changes.
By increasing the number of logical device
ports that can be connected to a single
fabric port, the Brocade Access Gateway
enables a much larger fabric with a greater
number of blade servers and enclosures.
Unlike Fibre Channel pass-through solutions,
it can do so without substantially increasing
the number of switches.
PRODUCT OPTIONS
Brocade M5424 Product Congurations
Enterprise 24-Port Mid-Level 24-Port Entry-Level 12-Port
Active Ports 24 24 12 (12-port upgrade)
Included Optics Eight 8 Gbit/sec SFP+ Four 8 Gbit/sec SFP+ Two 8 Gbit/sec SFP+
Adaptive Networking Included Optional Optional
ISL Trunking Included Optional Optional
Advance Performance
Monitoring
Included Optional Optional
Fabric Watch Included Optional Optional