HP Insight Virtualization Manager with Logical Server Management 6.1 User Guide

5 Managing fluid cross-technology logical servers
Heterogeneous server environments (multiple vendors, server types, product generations, and
product families) exist in most datacenters. Cross-technology logical servers allow you to choose
server configurations that make sense for your environment without having to consider the
mechanics of moving images and the underlying technologies.
HP Insight Dynamics 6.1 includes a technology preview of cross-technology logical servers,
which introduces the ability to move between servers with Virtual Connect and ESX virtual
machines, and between servers with Virtual Connect with unlike configurations. For more
information, including instructions about enabling the technology preview, send email to
[e-mail].
Following are limitations of the technology preview.
• Valid targets for activating or moving a cross-technology logical server:
— Proliant C-class Virtual Connect server blades
— ESX Hosts: 3.5 and 4.0 (embedded(i) and non-embedded versions)
• Storage:
— One SAN based storage volume (ESX refers to these as an RDM volume)
— Data store on SAN, SAS, iSCSI (VM host location for VM configuration files)
— Not supported: SPM-based storage volumes
• Network: one network connection
New and enhanced features that allow you to create cross-technology logical servers (sometimes
known as portable logical servers) are described in the following sections.
Defining portability groups
Portability groups define a greater range of mobility for logical servers. When you create a logical
server and include it in a particular portability group, you can potentially move the logical server
to any target system within the portability group (as long as you choose storage and a network
that are visible across all targets) without regard to the target’s underlying technology.
Logical server resource constraints, for example, CPU and memory requirements and
network/SAN connectivity, are evaluated solely within the context of the portability group with
which the logical server is associated.
There are two classes of portability groups: Default and User-defined.
Default portability groups:
• Each Virtual Connect domain group
• All ESX hypervisors
• All Hyper-V hypervisors
• All Integrity VM hypervisors
(Optional) User-defined portability groups:
• A single Virtual Connect domain group
• A set of ESX hypervisors
• A set of Hyper-V hypervisors
• A set consisting of a single Virtual Connect domain group and a set of ESX hypervisors
A logical server created in this type of portability group is a cross-technology logical server.
You may want to create a user-defined portability group to:
Defining portability groups 61