ThinkSystem NE2552E Flex Switch

High-speed network connectivity for Lenovo Flex System

Industry-leading 25 / 50 / 100Gb scalability and performance. Delivers more speed for Cloud, SAP, Big Data and Database Flex System applications paired with ThinkSystem QLogic 10 / 25 / 50GbE adapters for low latency.

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ThinkSystem NE2552E Flex Switch

High-speed network connectivity for Lenovo Flex System

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Tech Specs

Attribute	Specification
Performance	Line rate performance, 2.6Tbps aggregated switching throughput, 22MB buffer size
Interface Configurations	Lenovo NE2552E Flex System Ethernet Switch 28x 10Gb / 25Gb or 14x 50Gb internal 8x 10Gb / 25Gb, 4x 100Gb QSFP28 external (breakout to 2x 50Gb or 4x 25Gb or 4x 10Gb) 10/100/1000 Base-T management port external ThinkSystem QLogic Ethernet Adapters ThinkSystem QLogic QL45214 Flex 25Gb 4-port Ethernet Adapter ThinkSystem QLogic QL45212 Flex 50Gb 2-port Ethernet Adapter ThinkSystem QLogic QL45262 Flex 50Gb 2-port Ethernet Adapter with iSCSI/FCoE
Virtualization	VLAG, NIC Partitioning (NPAR) (16PF), Single Root I/O Partitioning (SR-IOV) (240VF)
Cooling / Power	Provided by the Flex System chassis; Switch power consumption is 115W average, 153W maximum
Switch – Adapter Shared Features	CEE, Universal RDMA (IWARP, iSER, NMVe, RoCEv2), Unified Fabric Port, Data Plane Development Kit
Management Software Supported	Lenovo XClarity Administrator
Automation	Ansible
Limited Warranty	Assumes the remainder of the Flex System chassis 3-year warranty and warranty service upgrades when installed; 1-year warranty outside the chassis, or if the remainder of the chassis warranty is less than 1 year.

3D Tour
Features and Benefits
Highlights

Improved network performance

2.5x-5x greater throughput than 10Gb switch

Supports 24x 10Gb / 25Gb or 50Gb per server node

Upstream connections up to 100Gb

Paired with the ThinkSystem QLogic Ethernet adapters that provide:

Unified Fabric Port (UFP) for NIC virtualization

Universal Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) for high throughput and low latency
Overview

The Lenovo ThinkSystem NE2552E Flex Switch is part of the Lenovo Flex System embedded blade solution family, paired with ThinkSystem QLogic Ethernet adapters, providing the high-speed network connectivity needed for Data Warehouse, SAP, Cloud, and Virtual Desktop solutions.

Better together – The ThinkSystem NE2552E Flex Switch and QLogic Ethernet adapter are solution tested by Lenovo to provide the best integration possible for Lenovo compute, storage, and networking in the data center. Flex System compute, adapter, and switch options, designed to work together result in smooth installations and reliable operations.

Better interoperation – The NE2552E interoperates seamlessly with Flex System compute nodes, connecting the latest ThinkSystem SN850 and SN550 nodes and ThinkSystem QLogic Ethernet adapters to the network at speeds up to 100Gb with Universal Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) and Unified Fabric Port (UFP) for lowest latency.

Better support – The NE2552E assumes the warranty of the Flex System chassis in which it is installed. Support for all Flex System components is provided by Lenovo award-winning customer service as the single point of contact.

Better management – Lenovo XClarity hardware and software provides easy single-pane-of-glass management for Flex System and Lenovo server, storage, and networking products.
Flex System optimized networking

The NE2552E switch and QLogic Ethernet adapters extend Flex System with features, such as:

Utilization of the full high-speed chassis midplane bandwidth

UFP for NIC virtualization

RDMA for high throughput and low latency

Chassis Management Module integration

Use of efficient Flex System redundant power and adaptive cooling

Increased Flex System density with faster ports
Low cost of total ownership

The NE2552E Flex Switch is an extremely cost-effective way to expand and extend Lenovo Flex System.
Adding the NE2552E switch and QLogic Ethernet adapters multiply networking speed 2.5x – 5x vs. 10GbE switches, to connect high-speed ThinkSystem compute nodes, minimizing overbooking concerns.

Uses existing Flex System chassis, power and fans

Future-ready via the Flex System network upgrade

Upgrade compute nodes as needed