Datacenter Design II (Blades, Scaling, Bandwidth)

Blade Server design

• Overleg with the server team connectivity.
• Many blade servers enter de “enterprise switch” market with an integrated switch.
• Pass-through cabling or integrated switches.
• Significant impact on power – cooling – weight.

Connecting the blade to the network

• If you use the integrated blade switch, use a layer3 access layer.
• Avoid a double Layer 2 design:
  •  [Layer 2 on the access layer] connected to a [layer 2 domain within the bladeswitch].
• If you use passthrough, use a layer2 or layer3 access layer.

Scaling the Datacenter Architecture

Items to consider when choosing an access layer platform

• Stackable / Modular configuration
• Cabling design consideration
• Cooling requirements
• Power requirement
• Equipment Density
• Resiliency Support
• 10G / 40G uplink support