IBM Virtual Fabric for System X

IBM Virtual Fabric for System x is a high-performance I/O virtualization solution that simplifies data center infrastructure. By leveraging Emulex adapters and IBM BNT RackSwitches, it enables a single physical 10GbE connection to be partitioned into up to eight virtual NICs (vNICs).

This hardware-based approach eliminates the overhead of software switching, providing ultra-low latency (approx. 680ns) and massive I/O throughput. Administrators can dynamically adjust the bandwidth for each vNIC in 100 Mbps increments without rebooting the server. Virtual Fabric is specifically designed to solve the "I/O bottleneck" in virtualized environments, allowing for a 75% reduction in cables and switch ports while maintaining the security and isolation of traditional physical adapters.

Key Features:

• Infrastructure Simplification: Replaces multiple 1GbE NICs with a single, flexible 10GbE fabric.

• Scalability: Choose exactly how many ports (2 to 8) and how much bandwidth each application needs.

• High Availability: Features intelligent failover and automatic link monitoring between physical and virtual ports.

• Optimized for VMs: Supports up to 20% more virtual machines per server compared to standard 10Gb adapters.