HP Virtual Connect for the Cisco Network Administrator

HP Virtual Connect for Cisco Network Administrators (version 4.x)
Document Number: C01386629 Date: January 2014
page 49
Q10: I noticed that the VC Ethernet module in interconnect bay 1 is the active Virtual Connect Manager and that the VC module in
bay 2 is the standby. Does this mean that only the VC module in bay 1 is providing Ethernet connectivity for the blade servers?
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: Does Virtual Connect Support QOS
A17: VC firmware 4.01 supports priority QoS queues and is available on all VC modules compatible with this version.
The implementation of QoS and CoS in the VC module complements the enforcement of prioritization at Flex-10 based adapters.
VCM can allocate bandwidth based on up to 8traffic classes. VC will queue frames aligned to these classes, and then a VC scheduler
will prioritize the traffic on both egress and ingress. Up to 8classes of service can be activated from the following selections:
•2 Fixed –best effort and lossless(FCoE)
•2 Predefined –real time and medium (latter not enabled at this time)
•4 classes that can be user-defined
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: Depending on the upstream networking technology used - it can be as long as 2 seconds or less for an optimized
configuration
Q22: How fast should I expect a port channel (LAG) to failover? A22: 2 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: 2 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,