Specifications

HP Virtual Connect for Cisco Network Administrators (version 1.2x) page 5
console.
VC Uplink Visible ports on the VC-Enet module faceplate that provide external
connectivity for the enclosure.
VLAN Trunk A single physical port or a single port channel with VLAN tagging
enabled. Used to provide connectivity to one or more VLANs over the
same logical path.
XFP A hot-pluggable modular 10 Gbit port. Pluggable modules allow for
electrical or optical connectivity at 10 Gbit speeds
HP BladeSystem Architecture Overview
The HP BladeSystem c-Class system includes an enclosure, server blades, storage blades, PCI
expansion blade, interconnect modules (switches, Virtual Connect, and pass-thru modules), a
NonStop signal midplane that connects blades to the interconnect modules, a shared power
backplane, power supplies, fans, front LCD screen, and enclosure management controllers
(Onboard Administrator modules). The BladeSystem c-Class uses redundant and hot-pluggable
components extensively to provide maximum uptime to the enclosure. Figure 1 shows the c7000
implementation of the architecture.
The HP BladeSystem architecture is available in two enclosure form factors: the c7000 and the
c3000. The HP BladeSystem c7000 enclosure will accommodate up to 16 half-height server or other
device blades, or up to eight full-height server blades, or a combination of the two blade form
factors. The c7000 also provides eight rear bays for interconnect modules. The HP BladeSystem
c3000 enclosure will accommodate up to 8 half-height server or other device blades, or up to 4 full-
height server blades, or a combination of the two blade form factors. The c3000 also provides four
rear bays for interconnect modules.
Optional mezzanine cards within the server blades provide network connectivity to the interconnect
modules. The connections between server blades and the network fabric can be fully redundant.
Customers install their choice of mezzanine cards in the mezzanine slots inside the blades, and
interconnect modules in the interconnect bays at the rear of the enclosure to create their network
fabric connectivity. Mezzanine card options include Ethernet, Fibre Channel, and Infiniband.
However, Fibre Channel and Infiniband are outside the scope of this paper.
The enclosure houses either one or two Onboard Administrator modules. Onboard Administrator
provides enclosure-base management and intelligence throughout the infrastructure to monitor
power and thermal conditions, ensure hardware configurations are correct, and simplify network
configuration. The Insight Display panel on the front of the enclosure simplifies configuration and
maintenance. Customers have the option of installing a second Onboard Administrator module that
acts as a completely redundant controller in an active-standby mode.
The c7000 enclosure can use either single-phase or three-phase power inputs and can hold up to six
2250 W power supplies. The power supplies connect to a passive power backplane that distributes
the power to all the components in a shared manner.
To cool the enclosure, HP designed a fan known as the Active Cool fan. The c7000 enclosure can
hold up to ten hot-pluggable Active Cool fans. The Active Cool fans are designed for high
efficiency and performance to provide redundant cooling across the enclosure as well as providing
ample capacity for future cooling needs.