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On July 22, 2009, IBM expanded its relationship with Brocade through an OEM arrangement that added two IBM-branded Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) products: the IBM Converged Switch B32 and a 10Gb Converged Network Adapter (CNA) for IBM System x. Brocade manufactured the products; IBM sold them through its networking portfolio. This was a product and channel expansion, not an acquisition.
What IBM’s expanded relationship with Brocade added
The headline change was that IBM moved beyond earlier Fibre Channel and Ethernet cooperation with Brocade to offer IBM-branded FCoE hardware. The two named products served different roles: the B32 was a converged switch, while the 10Gb CNA was a server adapter for IBM System x. IBM’s announcement described the products as its first FCoE offerings manufactured by Brocade. IBM’s July 22, 2009 announcement
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EMC MP-8000B / Brocade BR8000 FC/FCoE/10GbE MP Switch, 8FC/0-24P CEE, 2 P/S | $395.00 | Buy on Amazon |
IBM also documented Brocade hardware for its BladeCenter platform, including a two-port 10GbE CNA and a Converged 10GbE Switch Module. Those are related entries in IBM’s product documentation; they should not be confused with the specifically named B32 and System x CNA in the announcement. IBM support documentation
What FCoE was intended to do
FCoE carries Fibre Channel storage traffic over Ethernet. In a converged data-center design, this lets a server use fewer separate network connections for Ethernet and storage traffic. IBM described the CNA as combining the functions of an Ethernet network interface card (NIC) and a Fibre Channel host bus adapter (HBA), reducing the number of cables from each server. IBM’s announcement and product summary
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Convergence did not mean that every Ethernet network automatically supported storage traffic. The B32 documentation identifies Converged Enhanced Ethernet (CEE) alongside traditional Ethernet, Fibre Channel and FCoE, reflecting the switch’s role in handling the distinct traffic types involved. IBM Redbooks: IBM Converged Switch B32
B32 switch and 10Gb CNA compared
| Item | Role | Documented capabilities or configuration | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| IBM Converged Switch B32 | Converged switch | Supports FCoE, Fibre Channel, CEE and traditional Ethernet; documented configuration has eight 8Gbps Fibre Channel ports and 24 10GbE-capable CEE ports. | Data-center switching; the cited B32 documentation describes the switch rather than a System x server adapter. |
| 10Gb Converged Network Adapter | Server adapter | Dual-port 10Gb adapter supporting Enhanced Ethernet and FCoE; its OEM description includes software for configuration, monitoring, maintenance and firmware updates. | IBM System x |
The port counts and speeds above describe the documented B32 configuration, not a general claim that every configuration or deployment used those exact ports. IBM Redbooks: IBM Converged Switch B32 Brocade 10Gb CNA OEM description
How the Brocade move fit IBM’s networking strategy
IBM announced the Brocade expansion as part of a wider multi-vendor networking initiative that also involved Cisco and Juniper. IBM sellers and partners could resell Cisco Nexus 5000 switches. A separate Juniper OEM agreement covered selected EX and MX switches and routers. IBM presented the combined portfolio as giving customers more choice and as a way to integrate networking with IBM servers, storage and management software. IBM’s announcement
The Brocade arrangement was therefore distinct from the other two: it put Brocade-manufactured, IBM-branded FCoE products into IBM’s portfolio, while the Cisco portion was a resale arrangement and Juniper’s was an OEM agreement for selected products. Earlier, on April 28, 2009, Data Center Knowledge reported that IBM would rebrand and sell Brocade IP switch products, describing that step amid changes in IBM’s relationship with Cisco and Brocade’s acquisition of Foundry Networks. Data Center Knowledge, April 28, 2009
Why IBM backed FCoE
IBM’s rationale was the move toward more converged data centers: combining storage and network traffic over Ethernet could simplify server connectivity and reduce cabling. Jim Comfort, then IBM vice president of enterprise initiatives, called FCoE an emerging standard in that trend. IBM’s July 2009 announcement
The announcement documents IBM’s strategy and the products it introduced at the time; it does not establish present-day availability, support coverage, warranty terms or suitability for a new deployment. Anyone evaluating these legacy models should verify exact part numbers, platform compatibility, firmware and support status with the vendor or seller before purchase.
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