IBM Blade RackSwitch G8124 / G8124R

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PigLover

Moderator
Jan 26, 2011
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It looks - to the smallest detail - identical to the Juniper EX-2500 I have in my rack. Different silkscreening/logos/etc but otherwise you couldn't tell them apart. Since Juniper and IBM have OEM agreements in place I'd bet it actually is a EX-2500 in IBM colors...

And if it is - I can confirm the EX is pretty lenient on what SFP/SFP+ modules you plug in. I've used almost everything from passive-DAC copper, real Juniper SFP+, Intel SFP+ and cheap unbranded Chinese units.
 

s0lid

Active Member
Feb 25, 2013
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Tampere, Finland
But it's different story if IBM has made their own firmware with SFP restrictions, but it would be interesting if you could use junipers firmware in G8124.
 

Patrick

Administrator
Staff member
Dec 21, 2010
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Making me ponder picking one up for the colo. I am a bit worried about moving replication to 1GbE after it has been on a faster network.
 

NetWise

Active Member
Jun 29, 2012
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Edmonton, AB, Canada
They do what they're supposed to. The usb console cable was a PITA to find. There's some learning curves but a current contract I'm on has similar in IBM blade chassis so I had people I could ask. I'd stick with the Dell 8024's if I was doing it again but I have no complaints. Seems to like all the DAC cabling I've thrown at it so far and passes traffic. So they're fine ;)
 

lmk

Member
Dec 11, 2013
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@NetWise

Does the switch allow any configuration/management without the USB console cable? Can you connect via WebGUI without it?

Wondering if you can do anything without having the console cable. And since console cables can be so 'implementation specific' do you happen to have the part number?

Thanks
 

NetWise

Active Member
Jun 29, 2012
596
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Edmonton, AB, Canada
No, without the USB, you can't assign a management IP to it - as it is with most switches I've ever seen. I have to suggest I don't have a lot of experience with any WebGUI, all command line for consistency. Switch GUI's are kind of a pain in my opinion, but that's a preference.

IBM RackSwitch–10GbE comes to the lab. | vNetWise
Part numbers and details can be found in my post there.

You really can't do anything without the console cable to start.
 

Xeppo

New Member
Nov 13, 2013
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So I just got really lucky and managed to pick one of these up on ebay for $380. Anyway, it came without rack ears.

Can anyone provide me a source for the rack ears for this thing? I would prefer not to pay the $200+ for the rack rails, and nobody seems to have stock on the ears.
 

NetWise

Active Member
Jun 29, 2012
596
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Edmonton, AB, Canada
$380???? I should make you build ears out of spite! ;). Let me go check mine and see what they look like. The g8264's use the same as Nortel 5520-48t's, I was happy to learn....
 
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PithyChats

Active Member
Feb 3, 2015
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So I just got really lucky and managed to pick one of these up on ebay for $380. Anyway, it came without rack ears.

Can anyone provide me a source for the rack ears for this thing? I would prefer not to pay the $200+ for the rack rails, and nobody seems to have stock on the ears.
Ah, so it was you. I was wondering who got that one. Nice snag, glad someone here got it.
 

Xeppo

New Member
Nov 13, 2013
28
11
3
I got lucky - I saw it hit my email on one of the eBay alerts I have set up, and it was listed as "for parts or not working". The seller said that the fans ran when they plugged it in, but had no way to test it. I assumed that this was because they didn't have that proprietary console cable, so I took the gamble.

Turns out that it paid off really well. Also got 11 gigabit SFPs as part of the bundle. They're all incompatible with the switch, but they seem to function. Should be worth about $100 if sold individually on ebay.
 

PnoT

Active Member
Mar 1, 2015
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Texas
I have both of these switches now and wanted to know where I can find a cable. Out of stock 99% of the places I've looked with on 1 in the UK that says they have it. I'd rather not have to order from there.

What I find odd about this switch is the fans say they are PWM but operate at 7900-8000 RPM even when the switch is in the 40C range when my G8000 idles like a kitten at the same temperature and is around 1000-1200 RPM..
 

PithyChats

Active Member
Feb 3, 2015
173
85
28
I have both of these switches now and wanted to know where I can find a cable. Out of stock 99% of the places I've looked with on 1 in the UK that says they have it. I'd rather not have to order from there.

What I find odd about this switch is the fans say they are PWM but operate at 7900-8000 RPM even when the switch is in the 40C range when my G8000 idles like a kitten at the same temperature and is around 1000-1200 RPM..

Core4 solutions should have them for around $45.


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