18-port Non-blocking Managed 56Gb/s InfiniBand/VPI SDN Switch System

SX6018 switch system provides the highest performing fabric solution in a 1U form factor by delivering up to 2Tb/s of non-blocking bandwidth with 200ns port-to-port latency.

Scaling-Out Data Centres with Fourteen Data Rate (FDR) InfiniBand

Faster servers based on PCIe 3.0, combined with high-performance storage and applications that use increasingly complex computations, are causing data bandwidth requirements to spiral upward. AS servers are deployed with next generation processors, High-Performance Computing (HPC) environments and Enterprise Data Centres (EDC) will need every last bit of bandwidth delivered with Mellanox's next generation of FDR InfiniBand high-speed smart switches.

FDR

FDR InfiniBand technology moves from 8b/10b encoding to a more efficient 64/66 encoding while increasing the per lane signalling rate to 14Gb/s. Mellanox end-to-end systems can also take advantage of the efficiency of 64/66 encoding using Mellanox FDR 10 supporting 20% more bandwidth over QDR using the same cables/connectors designed for 40GbE.

Sustained Network Performance

Built with Mellanox's sixth generation SwitchX-2 InfiniBand switch device, the SX6018 provides up to eighteen 56Gb/s full bi-directional bandwidth per port. These stand-alone switches are an ideal choice for top-of-rack leaf connectivity or for building small to extremely large sized clusters.

Why Software Defined Network (SDN)?

Data centre networks have become exceedingly complex. IT managers cannot optimise the networks for their applications leading to high CAPEX/OPEX, low ROI and IT headaches. Mellanox InfiniBand SDN Switches ensure separation between control and data planes. InfiniBand enables centralised management and view of network. Programmability of the network by external applications and enable cost effective, simple and flat interconnect infrastructure. The SX6018 enables efficient computing with features such as static routing, adaptive routing, and congestion control. These features ensure the maximum effective fabric bandwidth by eliminating congestion hot spots.

Virtual Protocol Interconnect (VPI)

Virtual Protocol Interconnect (VPI) flexibility enables any standard networking, clustering, storage, and management protocol to seamlessly operate over any converged network leveraging a consolidated software stack. VPI simplifies I/O system design and makes it easier for IT managers to deploy infrastructure that meets the challenges of a dynamic data centre.

Management

SX6018 comes with an onboard subnet manager, enabling simple, out-of-the-box fabric bring-up for up to 648 nodes. The MLNX-OS software delivers complete chassis management, to manage the firmware, power supplies, fans, ports and other interfaces. MLNX-OS provides a license activated embedded diagnostic tool called Fabric Inspector to check node-to-node, node-to-switch connectivity and ensures fabric health.

SX6018 can also be coupled with Mellanox's Unified Fabric Manager (UFM) software for managing scale-out InfiniBand computing environments. UFM enables data centre operators to efficiently provision, monitor and operate the modern data centre fabric.