The IBM® b-type Gen 5 Fibre Channel directors and switches provide reliable, scalable, and secure high-performance foundations for high-density server virtualization, cloud architectures, and next generation flash and SSD storage. They are designed to meet the demands of highly virtualized private cloud storage and data center environments.

This IBM Redbooks® publication helps administrators learn how to implement or migrate to an IBM Gen 5 b-type SAN. It provides an overview of the key hardware and software products and explains how to install, monitor, tune, and troubleshoot your storage area network (SAN).

Read this publication to learn about fabric design, managing and monitoring your network, key tools such as IBM Network Advisor and Fabric Vision, and troubleshooting.

Chapter 1. Introduction

Chapter 2. Fabric design overview

Chapter 3. Management and monitoring tools

Chapter 4. IBM Network Advisor

Chapter 5. Product hardware

Chapter 6. B-type SAN monitoring and management with IBM Spectrum Control

Chapter 7. Fabric Vision

Chapter 8. Virtual Fabrics

Chapter 9. Implementation and migration strategies

Chapter 10. Fabric administration

Chapter 11. Security

Chapter 12. Troubleshooting