Ethernet switch module configuration planning

One Ethernet switch module or copper pass-thru module is required in switch module bay 1 of your BladeCenter S chassis to enable communication between the blade servers and an external Ethernet network.

You have the option of installing an addition Ethernet switch module in I/O module bay 2. Remember that if you do, you will also need to install an Ethernet expansion card option in each blade server that will access the external Ethernet network through the switch module in I/O module bay 2.

There are several options to consider, depending on the Ethernet switch module that you are installing:

Switch settings
Port settings
SNMP
User accounts
TFTP
VLANs
Important: The default VLAN ID 4095 is used for internal communications between the advanced management module and the blade servers. Do not remove this VLAN.
Multicasting
Mirroring
Spanning tree
Class of service
Link aggregation
Enable external ports for management

For more information about Ethernet switch modules, see the Ethernet switch module documentation. To determine which Ethernet switch modules are compatible with the BladeCenter S chassis, see the IBM ServerProven Web site.

Important: The BladeCenter S system ships with the external ports of the Ethernet Switch module set to disabled. Before any communication with the ports is possible, the ports must first be enabled through the advanced management module configuration panels. After the Ethernet Switch module ports are enabled, a system management workstation can communicate with the Ethernet switch module using the Web user interface or Telnet commands.