Specifications

HP Virtual Connect for Cisco Network Administrators (version 1.2x) page 49
A10: No. Regardless of which VC module is running the active Virtual Connect Manager, all VC modules can
be used simultaneously to provide network connectivity.
Q11: Does VC support iSCSI?
A11: Yes VC is compatible with iSCSI. Since VC is a layer 2 device and iSCSI is an upper layer protocol, above
TCP/IP, VC does not implement any features specific to iSCSI. However, VC can provide network connectivity
for a server running iSCSI just like any other protocol.
Q12: Why are failovers taking longer than expected to restore connectivity for the blade servers (taking 20
seconds or longer)?
A12: Make sure the upstream Cisco switch ports connected to the VC uplink ports are configured with PortFast
enabled (“spanning-tree portfast” or “spanning-tree portfast trunk”)
Q13: Does VC interact with STP on my network?
A13: No. VC uplink ports look just like server NIC ports (ex. Physical NIC ports on an ESX server) and VC does not
support STP on the VC uplink ports.
Q14: Should I expect BPDUs to be sent from the VC uplink ports to my external Cisco switch ports?
A14: No. VC uplink ports do not transmit BPDUs.
Q15: Can I extend any of my L3 routing protocols through the VC domain?
A15: Since VC is a layer 2 device, it does not support any routing protocols. However, layer 3 routing protocols
such as OSPF, RIP, RIP2, etc. can be used on the servers and operate transparently through VC.
Q16: Can I configure transmit and receive load balancing NIC teaming with full redundancy throughout the
VC domain?
A16: Yes, only if you are using our Integrity blades with INP for Windows/Linux, APA for HP-UX, or Smart Load
Balancing in Linux on x86. There are currently no solutions for Windows on x86.
Q17: Can I mix VC 1/10 Gb-F and VC 1/10Gb in the same enclosure?
A17: yep. great way to increase bandwidth while further minimizing cable and port usage
Q18: Does VC support VMware and other OSs that support host-based VLAN tagging?
A18: Yes. See appropriate sections above.
Q19: Can I use third party branded SFPs and XFPs in a VC 1/10 Gb-F module?
A19: No, only HP branded SFP and XFP modules are supported.
Q20: Will upgrading the VC firmware require an outage?
A20: In general, HP recommends upgrading VC firmware during a scheduled maintenance window. However,
VC is able to perform a rolling, non-intrusive upgrade of all modules so long as redundancy is configured
throughout the solution.
Q21: How fast should I expect a failed VC uplink port to failover to a standby VC uplink port?
A21: 5 seconds or less for an optimized configuration
Q22: How fast should I expect a port channel (LAG) to failover?
A22: 5 seconds or less for an optimized configuration.
Q23: How fast should I expect my teamed NICs to failover when a vNet fails over between uplinks?
A23: 5 seconds or less for an optimized configuration.
Q24: Can I connect VC-Enet’s XFP ports to XENPACK or X2 ports on a Cisco switch?
A24: Cisco states that XENPACK, X2, and XFP modules are compatible if using the same port type. Since VC
only supports 10GB-LR and 10GB-SR, Virtual Connect should be compatible with XENPACK, X2, and XFP
modules from Cisco as long as they are using 10GBASE-LR or 10GBASE-SR modules. Since Cisco supports several
port types, several transceiver types, and many different interface modules for their switches, HP does not test
every combination.
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/modules/ps5455/prod_brochure0900aecd8034bba6.pdf
Q25: Is Virtual Connect compatible with layer 3 protocols other than IP? For instance, does VC support IPv6,