Overview of IBM zEnterprise 196 I/O subsystem with focus on new PCI express infrastructure

  • Authors:

  • T. A. Gregg;D. Craddock;D. J. Stigliani;F. E. Bosco;E. E. Cruz;M. F. Scanlon;P. Sciuto;G. Bayer;M. Jung;C. Raisch

  • Affiliations:

  • IBM Systems and Technology Group, Poughkeepsie, NY;IBM Systems and Technology Group, Poughkeepsie, NY;IBM Systems and Technology Group, Poughkeepsie, NY;IBM Systems and Technology Group, Poughkeepsie, NY;IBM Systems and Technology Group, Poughkeepsie, NY;IBM Systems and Technology Group, Poughkeepsie, NY;IBM Systems and Technology Group, Poughkeepsie, NY;IBM Systems and Technology Group, IBM Deutschland Research and Development GmbH, Boeblingen, Germany;IBM Systems and Technology Group, IBM Deutschland Research and Development GmbH, Boeblingen, Germany;IBM Systems and Technology Group, IBM Deutschland Researchand Development GmbH, Boeblingen, Germany

  • Venue:
  • IBM Journal of Research and Development
  • Year:
  • 2012

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Abstract

IBM zEnterprise® 196 introduces a new input/output (I/O) s5ubsystem, including a new I/O drawer that is largely based on a greatly expanded exploitation of industry-standard high-volume PCI Express® (PCIe®) links and switches. The System z® qualities of reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS) are preserved and enhanced by combining the PCIe RAS capabilities with new System z capabilities. PCIe ports connecting the processor book to the I/O drawer are provided by a new IBM-designed PCIe fan-out card. This fan-out card and its firmware (Licensed Internal Code) support both traditional System z I/O and new I/O paradigms. In the new PCIe I/O drawer, PCIe switches provide fan-out and the well-established System z I/O failover function referred to as redundant I/O interconnect. This is the third generation of the I/O drawer/cage to be used in System z platforms. The PCIe I/O drawer design is extremely compact and provides enhanced I/O port granularity and density. It has been designed to provide performance extendibility for future I/O advancements. Traditional I/O such as FICONA, Fibre Channel Protocol, and Ethernet are provided with enhanced functionality and are packaged in this new PCIe I/O drawer. The advent of this new infrastructure opens up the possibility of attaching native PCIe adapters while allowing them to be controlled by system firmware or by the operating systems directly.