HP Virtual Connect Version 2.
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Contents Hardware and firmware requirements ............................................................................................. 4 HP Virtual Connect firmware....................................................................................................................... 4 Supported hardware.................................................................................................................................. 4 Firmware upgrade requirements .........................................
Hardware and firmware requirements HP Virtual Connect firmware The latest HP Virtual Connect firmware package (version 2.12) contains the following firmware versions: HP VC-Enet version 2.12 HP VC 4Gb FC version 1.32 HP VC 8Gb FC version 1.00 The HP BladeSystem c-Class Virtual Connect Firmware v2.
Server blades and workstation blades o HP ProLiant BL2x220c G5 Server Blade o HP ProLiant BL260c G5 Server Blade o HP ProLiant BL280c G6 Server Blade o HP ProLiant BL460c Server Blade o HP ProLiant BL460c G5 Server Blade o HP ProLiant BL460c G6 Server Blade o HP ProLiant BL465c Server Blade o HP ProLiant BL465c G5 Server Blade o HP ProLiant BL480c Server Blade o HP ProLiant BL490c G6 Server Blade o HP ProLiant BL495c G5 Server Blade o HP ProLiant BL680c G5 Server Blade o HP ProLi
o HP Emulex LPe1105-HP 4Gb FC HBA for c-Class BladeSystem o HP QLogic QMH2562 8Gb FC HBA for c-Class BladeSystem o HP Emulex LPe 1205-HP 8Gb FC HBA for c-Class BladeSystem o HP Embedded Dual Port NC532i 10Gb Multifunction Gigabit Server Adapter o HP NC362i Integrated Dual Port Gigabit Server Adapter For the latest list of supported hardware, see the HP website (http://www.hp.com/go/bladesystemupdates).
Upgrade to or downgrade from To VC 1.30 To VC 1.31 (VC-FC 1.20) (VC-FC 1.20) To VC 1.32/1.34 (VC-FC 1.21) To VC 2.00/2.01/2. 02 (VC FC 1.30) To VC 2.10/2.12 (VC-FC 1.32) VC 1.30 — — Normal Fabric outage* Fabric outage* VC 1.31 — — Normal Fabric outage* Fabric outage* VC 1.32 Normal Normal — Fabric outage* Fabric outage* VC 2.00/ 2.01/2.02 Fabric outage* Fabric outage* Fabric outage* — Normal VC 2.10/2.
Product Recommended firmware version Minimum firmware version BL2x220c G5 System ROM 2008.03.03 or higher — BL260c G5 System ROM 2008.02.14 or higher — BL280c G6 Any HP released version — BL460c and BL480c System ROM 2007.08.21 or higher — BL460c G6 Any HP released version — BL465c and BL685c System ROM 2007.09.23 or higher — BL490c G6 Any HP released version — BL495c System ROM 2008.08.04 — xw460c System ROM 2007.04.03 Rev A or higher — BL680c G5 System ROM 2007.08.
Product Recommended firmware version Minimum firmware version QLogic QMH2462 4Gb FC HBA For ProLiant server blades, use QLogic multiboot image 1.64 (with BIOS 1.26) or higher. — HP Emulex LPe 1105-HP 4Gb FC Emulex boot-pair 6.00a2 and 3.2a1 HBAnywhere or higher — QLogic QMH2562 8Gb FC HBA BIOS 2.08 — HP Emulex LPe 1205-HP 8Gb FC HBA BIOS 3.03a9 — * Use the HP Gigabit Server Adapter Firmware Upgrade Utility for c-Class Blades version 1.10 on the HP website (http://www.hp.
QLogic QMH2562 8Gb FC HBA and HP Emulex LPe 1205-HP 8Gb FC HBA are supported only with G6 servers.
HP Virtual Connect Fibre Channel Module Compatibility Matrix For the most up-to-date support information, see the HP website (http://www.hp.com/storage/spock). Simple registration is required.
Multi-enclosure features VC-Enet 2.12 supports the multi-enclosure feature, which allows up to four enclosures to be managed as one Virtual Connect domain. Key notes of this feature include: Up to four c7000 enclosures are supported as part of a single VC domain c3000 enclosures in a multi-enclosure environment are not supported in 2.12. HP 1/10Gb Virtual Connect Ethernet Modules cannot be installed in bay 1 or bay 2 of the base enclosure in a multi-enclosure environment.
Resolved issues The following issue that existed in previous versions of Virtual Connect has been resolved in Virtual Connect v2.12: Resolved an issue with some server links mapped to the VC Flex-10 Ethernet module that were unable to link up using certain enclosure and server configurations. Due to this fix, it might take an additional 30 seconds for a VC Flex-10 Ethernet module to become ready after the initial module power-up.
Important notes and recommendations When using a c-Class enclosure with Virtual Connect v2.12 and higher, the following configuration restrictions and guidelines apply: HP recommends using the HP BladeSystem c-Class Virtual Connect Support Utility version 1.4.0 or higher to install the HP VC-Enet version 2.12, the HP VC 4Gb FC version 1.32, and the HP VC 8Gb FC version 1.00 firmware.
Connect cannot verify firmware revisions for all components, so a server blade component can be incompatible even if the server blade is not listed as incompatible. To improve network performance and prevent unnecessary Spanning Tree Topology Change Notifications (TCN) on the network, configure Ethernet switches connected to Virtual Connect with the same Spanning Tree settings you would use when connecting to a server blade NIC.
Virtual Connect Manager uses the enclosure serial number to associate a Virtual Connect domain with a particular enclosure. The enclosure serial number can be altered for maintenance procedures such as replacing the enclosure midplane. For more information, see SET ENCLOSURE SERIAL_NUMBER in the HP BladeSystem Onboard Administrator Command Line Interface User Guide. Enclosure serial numbers are unique as shipped from the factory, and must remain unique for proper Virtual Connect Manager operation.
Behavior differences with VC 8Gb and 4Gb FC modules For the VC 8Gb FC module, an interruption occurs when changing the VC fabric type from Static Login Distribution to Dynamic. This interruption occurs because the module, in reacting to the change, logs out server HBAs and expects the HBAs to log back in. No interruption occurs for the similar operation with the VC 4Gb FC module. VMware—For the VC 8Gb FC module, all virtual machines log in only through the same uplink the Physical HBA uses to log in.
Known issues General After a configuration is changed, the VC Manager can take up to 90 seconds to save the new information to non-volatile storage. If power is removed during this update, configuration information might be lost. A new icon on the Virtual Connect Manager banner line indicates that a configuration update is in progress or that the backup module has not been updated to the current configuration changes.
When scripting CLI commands, only a single scripting client should perform remote management operations to a remote VC Manager. If multiple scripting clients are used to perform a heavy load of CLI commands to a single VC Manager, some management commands might fail. In some cases, the primary module might need to be reset to recover properly.
VC currently supports up to 8 ports in a single Link Aggregation Groups (LAG) using LACP protocol. LAGs are created on Ethernet network uplinks using "auto" mode, or automatically created when connecting multiple ports of the same speed between two VC-Enet modules to form stacking links. Although up to 8 ports can be aggregated, attempting to form a LAG with more than 40G total throughput results in the LAG becoming unusable.
Firmware update HP recommends using the HP BladeSystem c-Class Virtual Connect Support Utility version 1.4.0 or higher to install the HP VC-Enet version 2.12, the HP VC 4Gb FC version 1.32, and the HP VC 8Gb FC version 1.00 firmware. For more information on installing the firmware, see the HP BladeSystem c-Class Virtual Connect Support Utility version 1.4.0 or higher release notes on the HP website (http://www.hp.com/go/bladesystem/documentation). IMPORTANT: With the HP VC 4Gb FC upgrade for version 1.
Virtual Connect Enterprise Manager Support Virtual Connect Enterprise Manager (VCEM) v1.30 provides full compatibility and support for VC firmware v1.3x, v2.x, and v2.1x. For VCEM availability and full product details, visit the HP website (http://www.hp.com/go/vcem) or contact your HP representative.
