Lenovo ThinkSystem NE1032T RackSwitch

The NE1032T RackSwitch runs the Cloud NOS that provides a simple, open and programmable network infrastructure designed to scale for your business needs. Its intelligent, cloud-scale performance delivers a software-defined Ethernet solution that is simple to manage and easy to deploy using common management tools. Cloud NOS is based on open, industry standards for better data center interoperability, and it enables support of automation and orchestration applications for tight integration into the data center ecosystem.

With its high-performance architecture and support for an extensive set of routing protocols, Cloud NOS provides reliable, high-performance fabric for traditional, converged, and hyperscale solutions.

The NE1032T RackSwitch is considered particularly suited for the following environments:

• 10 GbE UTP Category 6a or 7 cost-efficient server connectivity with additional 10 GbE SFP+ ports for server, storage, or switch connections
• Transitioning the existing 1 GbE infrastructure to 10 GbE with investment protection
• Cloud and virtualization solutions with VM-aware network automation and integration into Lenovo and third-party IT and cloud infrastructure management tools
• Converged SAN and LAN network via NAS and iSCSI storage connectivity
  • Reduced I/O cost (CAPEX) with fewer adapters and cables to purchase
  • Reduced complexity (OPEX) with fewer components to manage and lower energy cost
• Hyperconverged solutions
• Applications demanding higher performance and lower latency

The NE1032T RackSwitch offers the following features and benefits:

• High performance

  The 10 Gb NE1032T RackSwitch provides a combination of low latency, non-blocking line-rate switching, and ease of management with 640 Gbps throughput.

• Lower power and better cooling

  The front-to-rear or rear-to-front cooling design of the NE1032T RackSwitch reduces data center air conditioning costs by having airflow match the servers in the rack. In addition, variable speed fans help reduce power consumption.

• Layer 3 functionality

  The NE1032T RackSwitch 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.

• Network virtualization

  The NE1032T switch supports VXLAN Gateway for VMware NSX integration. VMware NSX is a virtualized network software platform that offers a full set of networking services, such as logical switching, routing, firewall, load balancing, VPN, quality of service (QoS), and monitoring.

• Converged fabric

  The NE1032T RackSwitch supports Converged Enhanced Ethernet (CEE) which helps enable customers to combine storage, messaging traffic, VoIP, video, and other data on a common data center lossless Ethernet infrastructure. As a result, customers can deploy a single server interface for multiple data types, which can simplify the deployment and management of server network connectivity while maintaining the high availability and robustness that is required for storage transactions.

• Fault tolerance

  The NE1032T RackSwitch offers redundant hot-swap hardware components, learns alternate routes automatically, and performs faster convergence if there is a link, switch, or power failure.

• Seamless interoperability

  RackSwitch switches perform seamlessly with other vendors' upstream switches.

• Automated VM-aware network provisioning

  The Lenovo CNOS Network Policy Agent, a ThinkAgile Network Orchestrator feature, gives increased visibility of the Nutanix (AOS version 5.0.2 or higher [excluding 5.1.2]) and VMware vSphere virtual infrastructure, including VM and virtual network information. It provides automated VM-aware provisioning by automatically configuring VLANs in the physical network based on the auto-discovered virtual network topology. The agent also performs ongoing dynamic updates to the physical network configuration in response to new VMs, updated VMs, and deleted VMs and virtual networks, eliminating errors with manual configuration.

• Pro-active congestion monitoring

  Telemetry enables continuous monitoring of networking devices to detect potential congestion problems, such as packets dropped by the switch when ports are being used close to their line rate or switch buffers are being temporarily overflown (for example, in case of microbursts).

• Zero Touch Provisioning

  Zero Touch Provisioning (ZTP) enables a switch to automatically provision itself using the resources available on the network, without manual intervention. ZTP automatically handles the process of upgrading the switch software image and installing configuration files.

• Python Scripting

  Network administrators can create and execute local Python scripts on switches to make small programs that allow a switch to automatically provision itself, perform fault monitoring, upgrade the image files, or auto-generate configuration files. Administrators can also implement version control systems, automatically generate alerts, create custom logging tools, and automate the management of network devices.

• REST API Programming

  The Lenovo REpresentational State Transfer (REST) Application Program Interface (API) enables network administrators to remotely configure and manage a Lenovo switch using REST and HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP). It also allows switch management integration into management applications, such as Lenovo XClarity.

• Open Network Install Environment (ONIE) (Requires an optional license key)

  The ONIE is a small Linux-based operating system that provides an open install environment for networking devices without operating systems. ONIE enables a network switch ecosystem for end users to choose among different Network Operating Systems by discovering NOS installer images and loading them onto the switch.