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Mellanox VMware® ESX Server 3.5 InfiniBand Drivers
DOWNLOAD SECTION
As a result of the VMware Community Source co-development effort with Mellanox Technologies, Mellanox is pleased to announce the availability ofthe InfiniBand adapter support package for VMware Virtual Infrastructure, comprised of VMware ESX Server 3.5 and VirtualCenter 2.5 virtual infrastructure management software.
| Supported Adapters | Details |
| MT25204 [InfiniHost III Lx HCA] | InfiniHost III HCA/TCA IC, single-port, SDR/DDR, PCIe x8/x4, mem-free, A0, RoHS |
| MT25208 InfiniHost III Ex (Tavor / InfiniHost compatibility mode) | InfiniHost™ III HCA/TCA IC, dual-port, SDR/DDR, PCIe x8, DDR memory interface, RoHS |
| MT25208 InfiniHost III Ex | InfiniHost™ III HCA/TCA IC, dual-port, SDR/DDR, PCIe x8, mem-free, RoHS |
| ConnectX IB | ConnectX™ IB Dual-Port InfiniBand Adapter Cards SDR/DDR with PCI Express 2.0 |
Solution Benefits
- The software drivers are based on OpenFabrics Enterprise Distribution (OFED) version 1.2.5 enabling broad interoperability with other operating systems and the ecosystem of OEM supplied servers, switches, gateways and storage systems
- LAN and SAN functionality is available over unified server I/O using high bandwidth InfiniBand connectivity. This reduces cabling complexity and reduces I/O cost (50 – 60%) and power (25-30%) significantly
- LAN performance (from VMs) of close to 3X Gigabit Ethernet has been achieved
- SAN performance (from VMs) of close to 10X 2Gb/s Fibre Channel has been achieved
- LAN and SAN performance scales linearly across multiple VMs
- Completely transparent to VMs as applications in VMs continue to work over legacy NIC and HBA interfaces that have been already qualified on
- All VMware functionality including migration, high availability and others are available over the InfiniBand fabric (just as they are available over Ethernet and Fibre Channel fabrics)
- All VMware ESX Server 3.5 supported guest operating systems are supported
- Management and configuration using VMware VirtualCenter 2.5 maintains the look an feel of configuring NICs and HBAs, making it easier for IT managers to configure the allocation and management of LAN and SAN resources over InfiniBand
- InfiniBand to Ethernet and InfiniBand to Fibre Channel gateways from leading OEMs are supported, ensuring end to end connectivity with Ethernet LANs and Fibre Channel SANs respectively. Some native InfiniBand attached storage solutions are also being qualified – contact your Mellanox account representative for more details.
- View Presentation: InfiniBand: Enhancing Virtualization ROI With New Data Center Efficiencies
InfiniBand Channel I/O Virtualization (CIOV) Technology
The Mellanox driver implementation within the VMware Virtual Infrastructure, comprised of VMware ESX Server 3.5 and VirtualCenter 2.5, framework follows the software-based I/O virtualization model and implements Mellanox InfiniBand CIOV technology. By doing so, all critical value adds provided by VMware are preserved while bringing in the benefits of unified I/O and higher performance.
Software and Documentation
The software package includes binary RPMs for enabling networking and storage (SAN) support form VMware based virtual machines.
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