InfiniBand Architecture Specification Volume 1 Release 1.4 Includes Faster Network Signaling Rate, New Telemetry and Configuration Capabilities and an Integration of the RoCE and Virtualization Annexes
BEAVERTON, Ore. – April 21, 2020 – The InfiniBand® Trade Association (IBTA), a global organization dedicated to maintaining and furthering the InfiniBand specification, today announced the public availability of the InfiniBand Architecture Specification Volume 1 Release 1.4 and Volume 2 Release 1.4. With these updates in place, the InfiniBand ecosystem will continue to grow and address the needs of the next generation of high performance computing (HPC), artificial intelligence, cloud and enterprise data center compute and storage connectivity needs. The InfiniBand Architecture Specification Volume 1 Release 1.4 and Volume 2 Release 1.4 are available for download here.
Volume 1 defines the core InfiniBand Architecture, information required for operation of switches, routers, server or storage adapters, and management. Release 1.4 enhancements improve manageability by enhancing quality of service with virtual lane arbitration, accelerating access to switch port state information for advanced telemetry capabilities, and encompassing support of features added to Volume 2 as well as integrating previously released RoCE and Virtualization Annexes. Volume 1 also improved its compliance statements to simplify members efforts to deliver compliant InfiniBand products.
Volume 2 specifies the electrical and mechanical configurations, defining the requirements for physical media and signaling rates. Release 1.4 includes support for 50Gb/s per lane throughput, PAM-4 signaling, and adjustable forward error correction to enable the fastest and most reliable server and storage connectivity. It also adds support for 2X link width, enabling more options for switch and adapter network configurations and high switch radix product implementations.
“The ever-increasing need for higher performance in the world of supercomputing demands interconnect solutions provide continuously faster speeds, lower latency and advanced telemetry and configuration options. The IBTA continues to meet these industry demands by providing enhancements to InfiniBand scalability and optimization,” said Bill Magro, co-chair of the IBTA Technical Working Group. “Our two new InfiniBand Architecture Specification updates provide end users with optimal bandwidth, power and latency while improving overall functionality and implementer access.”
About the InfiniBand® Trade Association
The InfiniBand® Trade Association was founded in 1999 and is chartered with maintaining and furthering the InfiniBand and the RoCE specifications. The IBTA is led by a distinguished steering committee that includes Broadcom, HPE, IBM, Intel Corporation, Marvell Technology Group, Mellanox Technologies and Microsoft. Other members of the IBTA represent leading enterprise IT vendors who are actively contributing to the advancement of the InfiniBand and RoCE specifications. The IBTA markets and promotes InfiniBand and RoCE from an industry perspective through online, marketing and public relations engagements, and unites the industry through IBTA-sponsored technical events and resources. For more information on the IBTA, visit www.infinibandta.org.
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