Each Q-Flex port can support 128 Gbps parallel Fibre Channel for device or ISL connectivity with  MTP/MPO cables, MTP/MPO to LC breakout cables, or patch panels, enabling administrators to  consolidate and simplify cabling infrastructure. Each Q-Flex port is capable of 4×32 Gbps, 4×16 Gbps,  4×8 Gbps, or 4×4 Gbps Fibre Channel speeds. Q-Flex ports can be used to form dense,  high-performance ISLs between the SAN128B-6 and the 32 Gbps high-density 128 port blade in the  b-type Gen 6 directors, freeing up SFP+ ports for device connectivity. The switch also provides ISL  trunking for up to 8 ports between a pair of switches to form a single logical ISL.  In addition to offering 128 32 Gbps ports, the SAN128B-6 delivers Gen 6 Fibre Channel performance to  support growing and dynamic workloads. It achieves this level of performance through a combination of  market-leading low latency and up to 566 million frames switched per second—shattering application  performance barriers with up to 200 million IOPS. At the same time, port-to-port latency is minimized to <  780 ns (including FEC) through the use of cut-through switching. As a result, the SAN128B-6 provides  both elegant scalability and powerful performance to stay ahead of the demands of flash storage  workloads. To support higher data volumes over long distance, the SAN218B-6 delivers up to 384 Gbps of combined  in-flight encryption and 192 Gbps of in-flight data compression to optimize bandwidth and minimize the  risk of unauthorized access. Moreover, internal fault-tolerant and enterprise-class RAS features help  minimize downtime to support growing mission-critical environments. Increase Productivity with Simple and Open Automation IT organizations spend nearly half of their time performing repetitive daily management tasks, such as  zoning, inventory reporting, and operational validation checks (Rob Brothers, “Market Analysis  Perspective: Worldwide Software and Hardware Support and Deployment Services, 2015,” IDC, June  2015.  http://www.servicenetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/IDC_Software-and-Hardware-Support_Deplo y-Svcs-Report_June2015.pdf). By automating these repetitive tasks, IT organizations can significantly  improve their efficiency and dramatically decrease the risk of operational mistakes. Automation in  large-scale IT environments integrates diverse infrastructure components with consistency and  predictability to deliver greater operational efficiency and agility. With more than 20 years of b-type  storage networking experience, IBM understands the nuances that go into infrastructure management  and what tasks can benefit from automation. By introducing REST APIs directly into its switch and  management products, IBM offers through its b-type Storage Networking portfolio a broad range of  choices to enable any SAN management solution. IT organizations that couple IBM´s robust data  collecting capabilities with automation and orchestration tools (such as Ansible) gain the ability to  automate configuration tasks and the visibility to monitor and detect any performance or health changes. IBM´s b-type storage networking automation solutions are based on these pillars:  Make standard REST APIs available directly from the switch to automate repetitive daily tasks, such   as fabric inventory, provisioning, and operational state monitoring. Quickly integrate systems with open source PyFOS, a Python language, to simplify common SAN   management practices.  Leverage Ansible to easily scale automation and orchestration across the entire infrastructure.  IBM Storage Networking SAN128B-6 Switch 3