## Gen 6 Fibre Channel 

IBM Storage Networking b-type Gen 6 Fibre Channel is the purpose-built network infrastructure for mission-critical storage, delivering NVMe-ready performance, advanced automation, and comprehensive management to accelerate application performance and drive always-on business operations. The IBM Storage Networking SAN128B-6 Switch with Gen 6 Fibre Channel and Fabric Vision technology delivers outstanding 32/128 Gbps performance, industry-leading port density, and automated operations to support storage growth, demanding workloads, and data center consolidation. 

## Accelerate business operations with NVMe and automation 

Data centers are under pressure to deliver maximum performance, business intelligence, and operational efficiency to address exponential data growth and dynamic business demands. To gain the performance required, organizations are transitioning to the all-flash data center, which requires a modern storage network that can keep pace with innovations in compute and storage resources. By modernizing the SAN, organizations will be able to maximize productivity and increase the efficiency of their storage investments, even as they rapidly scale their environments. Moreover, the addition of automation technology to Gen 6 Fibre Channel will transform SAN management by simplifying operations and freeing up resources to focus on business optimization and revenue opportunities. 

The IBM® Storage Networking SAN128B-6 Fibre Channel switch provides the tools to optimize NVMe storage and automate SAN management tasks. It is a high port density building block with a management platform designed to support application, data, and storage growth. As an NVMe-ready switch, the SAN128B-6 allows organizations to seamlessly integrate b-type Gen 6 Fibre Channel networks with the next generation of flash storage, without a disruptive rip-and-replace. In addition, the SAN128B-6 features integrated network sensors for advanced monitoring of NVMe workloads, helping to ensure optimal performance. 

The SAN128B-6 also delivers new automation capabilities that enable DevOps resources to automate and orchestrate SAN resources through open APIs and the Ansible automation engine. With IBM b-type storage network automation, organizations can quickly and reliably perform resource-intensive tasks, such as provisioning, and operationalize the continuous monitoring of the network, so that tasks can be completed in a fraction of the time. By combining b-type robust set of data collecting capabilities with b-type storage networking automation, organizations can automate repetitive daily tasks and deliver consistent performance by eliminating human error. 

With the SAN128B-6, organizations can seamlessly transition to an all-flash data center and build a foundation to support future innovation and operational efficiency. 

## Simple and Elegant Scalability with Industry -Leading Port Density 

The SAN128B-6 enterprise-class switch delivers industry-leading port density with 128 Fibre Channel ports in an elegant 2U form factor. Organizations can both increase scalability and optimize space utilization. With 96 32 Gbps SFP+ ports and 8 4×32 Gbps Q-Flex ports, the compact design of the switch enables data centers to scale efficiently and deliver more connectivity with fewer switches. Built to support maximum flexibility and dense Fibre Channel fabrics, the SAN128B-6 Switch offers cost-effective pay-as-you-grow scalability, expanding from 48 to 128 ports with Ports on Demand (PoD). 

