HP Virtual Connect 1Gb Ethernet Cookbook

Introduction to Virtual Connect 1Gb Ethernet Networking 7
Tunneled VLAN and Mapped VLANS
Readers that are familiar with earlier releases of Virtual Connect firmware features will realize that VC 3.30
firmware removed the need to configure VC in Mapped vs. Tunneled mode. As of VC 3.30 firmware release, VC
now provides the ability to simultaneously take advantage of the features and capabilities that were provided in
either mapped or tunneled modes, there is no need to choose the domain’s mode of operation. The key feature
gained here is the ability to now use Mapped VLANs (multiple networks) and Tunneled networks within the same
profile.
Virtual Connect VLAN Support – Shared Uplink Set
Shared Uplink Sets provide administrators with the ability to distribute VLANs into discrete and defined Ethernet
Networks (vNet.) These vNets can then be mapped logically to a Server Profile Network Connection allowing only
the required VLANs to be associated with the specific server NIC port. This also allows the flexibility to have
various (multiple) network connections for different physical Operating System instances (i.e. VMware ESX host
and physical Windows host.)
When installing Virtual Connect, the default domain configuration is Legacy VLAN Capacity mode, however,
Multiple Networks and the Tunnel mode can still be used simultaneously. After Expanded VLAN Capacity mode is
configured, you must delete the VC domain to return to Legacy VLAN Capacity mode.
Note: Expanded VLAN Capacity mode is not supported on the following 1Gb based VC Ethernet modules, such as:
 HP 1/10Gb VC-Enet Module
 HP 1/10Gb-F VC-Enet Module
Legacy VLAN Capacity
Legacy VLAN capacity mode allows up to 320 VLANs per domain and 128 VLANs per Shared Uplink Set. In
addition, up to 28 VLANs are allowed per server NIC port. Care must be taken not to exceed the limit per physical
server port, an error message will be display if this value is exceeded.
The following Shared Uplink Set rules apply to legacy capacity mode:
 320 VLANs per Virtual Connect Ethernet domain,
 128 VLANs per Shared Uplink Set (single uplink port).
 28 VLANs per server NIC port
The above configuration rules apply only to a Shared Uplink set. If support for additional VLANs is required, a
VLAN Tunnel can be configured to support a large number of VLANs.
Please see the Virtual Connect Release Notes for future details.
Expanded VLAN Capacity – New in VC 3.30
Note: Expanded VLAN Capacity mode is not supported on the following 1Gb based VC Ethernet modules, such as:
 HP 1/10Gb VC-Enet Module
 HP 1/10Gb-F VC-Enet Module
This mode allows up to 1000 VLANs per domain when implementing a Share Uplink Set (SUS). In addition, up to
162 VLANs are allowed per physical server port, with no restriction on how those VLANs are distributed among
the server connections mapped to the same physical server port. Care must be taken not to exceed the limit per
physical server port. The following Shared Uplink Set rules apply:
 1000 VLANs per Virtual Connect Ethernet domain, 162 VLANs per Ethernet server port.
 The above configuration rules apply only to a Shared Uplink set. If support for a larger numbers of
VLANs is required, a VLAN Tunnel can be configured to support a large number of VLANs.
Please see the Virtual Connect 3.30 Release Notes for future details.
When installing Virtual Connect, the default configuration is Legacy VLAN Capacity, however, Multiple Networks
and the Tunnel mode can now be used simultaneously. After Expanded VLAN Capacity mode is configured, you
must delete the VC domain to return to Legacy VLAN Capacity mode.