Lenovo RackSwitch G8264 Product Manual page 3

VM-aware networking
VMready software on the switch simplifies configuration and improves security in virtualized
environments. VMready automatically detects VM movement between physical servers and
instantly reconfigures each VM's network policies across VLANs to keep the network up and
running without interrupting traffic or affecting performance. VMready works with all leading VM
providers, such as VMware, Citrix Xen, and Microsoft Hyper-V.
Layer 3 functionality
The G8264 includes Layer 3 functionality, which provides security and performance benefits as
inter-VLAN traffic stays within the switch. This switch also provides the full range of Layer 3
protocols from static routes for technologies, such as Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) and Border
Gateway Protocol (BGP) for enterprise customers.
Seamless interoperability
RackSwitch switches perform seamlessly with other vendors' upstream switches.
Fault tolerance
RackSwitch switches learn alternative routes automatically and perform faster convergence if there
is a link, switch, or power failure. The switch uses proven technologies, such as L2 trunk failover,
advanced VLAN-based failover, VRRP, and Hot Links.
Multicast
The G8264 supports IGMP Snooping v1, v2, and v3 with 2 K IGMP groups. It also supports
Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM), such as PIM Sparse Mode or PIM Dense Mode.
Converged fabric
The G8264 switch supports CEE and connectivity to FCoE gateways. CEE helps enable clients to
combine storage, messaging traffic, VoIP, video, and other data on a common data center Ethernet
infrastructure. FCoE helps enable highly efficient block storage over Ethernet for consolidating
server network connectivity. As a result, clients can deploy a single server interface for multiple data
types, which can simplify deployment and management of server network connectivity while
maintaining the high availability and robustness that is required for storage transactions.
OpenFlow enabled
The RackSwitch G8264 is the first 10 GbE switch to offer benefits of OpenFlow. OpenFlow is the
new open API that enables the network administrator to easily configure and manage virtual
networks that control traffic on a "per-flow" basis. It creates multiple independent virtual networks
and related policies without dealing with the complexities of the underlying physical network and
protocols. The G8264 is also the ideal switch to use with industry compliant OpenFlow controllers.
Transparent networking capability
With a simple configuration change to Easy Connect Mode, the RackSwitch G8264 becomes a
transparent network device that is invisible to the core and eliminates network administration
concerns of Spanning Tree Protocol configuration and interoperability and VLAN assignments and
avoids any possible loops.
By emulating a host NIC to the data center core, it accelerates the provisioning of VMs by
eliminating the need to configure the typical access switch parameters.
Lenovo RackSwitch G8264 3