IBM 88Y6046 — Flex System EN4091 10Gb Ethernet Pass-thru Module (Service Part)
Identity
This listing is for an OEM service part carrying the printed part number 88Y6046, an IBM Flex System component. Resellers consistently identify 88Y6046 as the service number for the IBM/Lenovo Flex System EN4091 10Gb Ethernet Pass-thru Module, whose option (marketing) part number is 88Y6043. The functional detail below is taken from Lenovo Press product guide TIPS0865 for the EN4091, which is official vendor documentation for the module — but note that TIPS0865 documents the module under option number 88Y6043, not under 88Y6046. The 88Y6043-to-88Y6046 mapping rests on consistent reseller data. T.E.S confirms the exact model from the unit label before dispatch.
What is confirmed about 88Y6046
The printed part number is 88Y6046, an IBM Flex System service part.
It is identified across the reseller market as the service number matching Flex System option part number 88Y6043, the EN4091 10Gb Ethernet Pass-thru Module.
Per Lenovo Press TIPS0865, the EN4091 has fourteen internal full-duplex Ethernet ports that operate at 1 Gb or 10 Gb.
Per the same guide, it has fourteen external 1 Gb or 10 Gb SFP+ uplinks — hence the 28-port figure used in reseller listings (14 internal plus 14 external).
It is a pass-thru module, not a switch. It gives each compute node a direct Ethernet path to an external top-of-rack switch rather than switching traffic inside the chassis.
Per Lenovo Press, it supports 1 Gb and 10 Gb Ethernet signalling including Converged Enhanced Ethernet (CEE) and FCoE transport.
What is not yet confirmed
This list is deliberate. It is what T.E.S could not establish from documentation, and it is read off the physical unit before dispatch rather than guessed at here.
Whether this physical unit carries 88Y6046 as its own printed number or 88Y6043 — option-boxed and service-boxed units of the same module are both in circulation.
Firmware level of the unit.
Which Flex System chassis it was pulled from, and the running hours behind it.
Cosmetic and mechanical condition of the fourteen SFP+ cages until the unit is inspected for your order.
SFP and SFP+ transceivers and DAC cables are not included and are not implied. Lenovo Press states explicitly that they must be purchased separately for this module.
Request label photos before you order
Ask us for photographs of this unit's product label and we will send them before you commit to anything. There are 2 units of 88Y6046 in this lot. We will photograph the printed number and the SFP+ cage face of the specific units allocated to your order. If the label does not match what is described on this page, we say so and re-quote or cancel — we do not ship a substitute and hope it fits. Quote part number 88Y6046 when you contact us.
Frequently asked questions
What exactly am I buying with 88Y6046?
A refurbished IBM Flex System service part whose printed number is 88Y6046, identified across the market as the service number for the Flex System EN4091 10Gb Ethernet Pass-thru Module (option number 88Y6043). Lenovo Press TIPS0865 documents that module as having fourteen internal 1/10 Gb Ethernet ports and fourteen external 1/10 Gb SFP+ uplinks. The 88Y6046-to-88Y6043 mapping comes from reseller data rather than Lenovo documentation, so T.E.S reads the unit label before dispatch.
Is 88Y6046 a switch?
No, and this matters. The EN4091 is a pass-thru module: it provides a direct one-to-one Ethernet path from each compute node to an external top-of-rack switch. It does not switch traffic inside the chassis, has no switch management interface and cannot replace a Flex System EN4093 or EN6131 switch module. If your design assumes in-chassis switching, this is the wrong part.
Will T.E.S confirm the exact model before shipping 88Y6046?
Yes, as a standard dispatch step. We read the printed part number and the module marking off the physical unit before it leaves. If it is not the EN4091 pass-thru module described here, we contact you before shipping rather than after.
What if 88Y6046 turns out not to be what I need?
Tell us the Flex System chassis and the I/O bay you are filling before you order and we check the unit against it first. If the label shows a different module we re-quote or cancel. If a unit ships and we misread the label, it comes back at our cost.
Is the 88Y6046 module tested?
It is cleaned, visually inspected and bench-tested where a suitable test topology is available. For a Flex System I/O module that requires a matching chassis on the bench, which is not always available. Ask what was actually done to the unit allocated to you and we will tell you rather than implying more than was done.
Are SFP+ transceivers included with 88Y6046?
No. Lenovo Press states that SFP and SFP+ transceivers and DAC cables are not included with the EN4091 and must be purchased separately. This listing is for the module only. T.E.S carries SFP+ transceivers and DAC cables separately — ask and we will quote them alongside.
Why T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS supplies refurbished enterprise networking and server hardware from EU stock to a B2B market. On OEM service parts whose exact model is not established by the part number alone, we publish what we can verify and name what we cannot, instead of filling the gap with plausible-sounding specifications. Every unit is photographed and its label read before dispatch. If the unit differs from this page, we tell you before we ship.