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© Copyright IBM Corp. 1998 xiii
Preface
The GRF is a high-performance switched IP Router which provides
high-speed data communication links between IBM RS/6000 SP and external
networks or hosts. It acts as a special-purpose SP node that routes IP traffic
between SP nodes on the SP Switch and the outside world. Connected
directly to the SP Switch, the router offers significantly improved SP I/O
performance. When packaged with an IBM SP system, the GRF router is
referred to as the SP Switch Router.
This redbook helps you install, tailor and configure the SP Switch Router, IBM
machine type 9077. The SP Switch Router is also known as the "Gigarouter"
or High Performance Gateway Node (HPGN).
The first part of the book gives an overview of the GRF architecture and how
the router was integrated into the SP. It emphasizes the advantages of
choosing a dedicated router node in some configurations, as opposed to
using standard nodes for the routing task. This part also describes some
routing fundamentals, particularly focusing on concepts like IP- and
switch-routing.
The second part presents sample configurations that were carefully chosen to
match frequently occurring customer situations. The basic configurations
shown are building blocks for more complex networking topologies that
include the SP Switch Router and may inspire more sophisticated
configurations. All configurations described were tested and provide some
comparable performance figures.
This publication is intended to give IBM customers, system engineers, and
marketing personnel a broad understanding of this new architecture and what
it is used for.
The Team That Wrote This Redbook
This redbook was produced by a team of specialists from around the world
working at the International Technical Support Organization, Poughkeepsie
Center.
Dr Hajo Kitzhöfer is an Advisory International Technical Support
Organization (ITSO) Specialist for RS/6000 SP at the Poughkeepsie Center.
He holds a Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from the Ruhr-University of
Bochum (RUB). Before joining ITSO, he worked as an SP Specialist at the
RS/6000 and AIX Competence Center, IBM Germany. He has worked at IBM