HP Virtual Connect for the Cisco Network Administrator

HP Virtual Connect for Cisco Network Administrators (version 4.x)
Document Number: C01386629 Date: January 2014
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both servers, NIC 1 represents VLANs 2 thru 4.
• All other NICs are not using VLAN tagging. All of these NICs are connected to a single
VLAN (see color for VLAN association). NIC 1 on Server 1 can talk directly to NIC 1 on
Server 2 without leaving the VC Domain. In order for NIC 2 on Server 1 to talk to NIC 2
on Server 2, the frames must first exit the VC Domain via VC uplink 1, transit the
external switch on VLAN 2, and then re-enter the VC Domain on VC uplink 3.
Shared Uplink Sets manage uplink redundancy the same as individual vNets do. In other words,
when multiple uplinks are assigned to a Shared Uplink Set, the uplinks can operate in failover-only
mode or they can operate in port channeling (EtherChannel) mode. Also, all VLANs and associated
vNets within a single Shared Uplink Set use the same active uplink or same active port channel.
Note:
For a sample configuration showing VC uplinks connected to a Cisco switch configured for VLAN
trunking, see the section below entitled “Sample Virtual Connect Ethernet and Cisco
Configurations”. The Cisco switch commands are the same for VC in VLAN Trunking mode or VC in
VLAN Tunneling mode.
Unsupported Cisco VLAN Protocols
There are two proprietary Cisco VLAN protocols that Virtual Connect does not support – VTP
and DTP.
VTP, or VLAN Trunking Protocol, is a Cisco proprietary protocol used to manage a single
VLAN database across multiple switches within the same domain. Since VC is not a Cisco device,
VC does not support VTP. As such, there is no possibility that an improperly configured VC Domain
can cause harm to the VTP Domain. Since VC does not support VTP, an administrator is required to
add every VLAN that needs to be trunked on a VC uplink port.
DTP, or Dynamic Trunking Protocol, is a Cisco proprietary protocol used for automating the
VLAN trunking configuration between a pair of directly connected Cisco ports. With DTP enabled,
one Cisco switch port can be configured for VLAN trunking and the partner switch port can
automatically configure its VLAN trunking configuration to match. Since VC is not a Cisco device,
VC does not support DTP. HP recommends that the Administrator disable DTP on the directly
connected Cisco switch ports using the command “switchport nonegotiate”.
Virtual Connect and NIC Teaming
Virtual Connect supports NIC Teaming (or NIC bonding) on server NIC ports. For Windows on x86,
VC supports Network Fault Tolerance (NFT) and Transmit Load Balancing (TLB) but does not
support Switch-assisted Load Balancing (SLB). For Windows on Integrity, VC supports Network Fault
Tolerance (NFT), Transmit Load Balancing (TLB), and static Dual Channel with only two NIC
ports in the team, but does not support Switch-assisted Load Balancing (SLB). For Linux, VC
supports any NIC bonding type that does not require 802.3ad (static or dynamic using LACP) on the