HP Virtual Connect Version 3.17 Release Notes Abstract This document provides Virtual Connect release information for version 3.17. This document supersedes the information in the documentation set released with version 2.3x, 3.0x, 3.10, and 3.15. This document is intended for the person who installs, administers, and troubleshoots servers and storage systems. HP assumes you are qualified in the servicing of computer equipment and trained in recognizing hazards in products with hazardous energy levels.
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Contents Hardware and firmware requirements ............................................................................................. 4 HP Virtual Connect firmware ....................................................................................................................... 4 Firmware upgrade requirements .................................................................................................................. 4 Recommended firmware versions for this release ............................
Hardware and firmware requirements HP Virtual Connect firmware The latest HP Virtual Connect firmware package (version 3.17) contains the following firmware versions: • HP VC FlexFabric 10Gb/24-Port version 3.17 • HP VC-Enet version 3.17 (VCM is part of the HP VC-Enet component of the HP Virtual Connect firmware package) • HP VC 4Gb FC version 1.41 • HP VC 8Gb 24-Port FC version 1.04 • HP VC 8Gb 20-Port FC version 1.
IMPORTANT: When upgrading the HP VC 4Gb FC firmware from version VC-FC 1.2x to version VC-FC 1.4x, the VC-FC module can drop connectivity temporarily during the activation process. A redundant customer configuration experiences a failover with no loss of application connectivity to the fabric. Virtual Connect firmware v1.31 v1.32, v1.34 v2.01, v2.02 v2.10, v2.12 v2.30 – v2.34 v2.33 v3.0x v3.10, v3.15 v3.17 VC 4Gb FC firmware within Virtual Connect 1.20 1.21 1.30 1.32 1.40 1.41 1.40 1.41 1.
Versions 3.15 and higher of HP Virtual Connect Manager check the server ROM image version and display an incompatible state only for server blades that have a VC Server Profile assigned and are using incompatible server ROM versions. Version checking of mezzanine card firmware is not available, so be sure to verify that the mezzanine card firmware is up-to-date.
(such as a connection or a profile), select the row and then right-click the row to access the context menu. Some properties displayed in a data grid are editable. An editable indicator provides feedback on which items can be edited inside a data grid. The editable indicator underlines a property when you move the cursor over the property. If the property is underlined, left-click the property to edit.
Modes 2 and 3 are compliant with FC-FS-3 specifications (standards specify the IDLE/ARBF behavior of Mode 2, which is used by Mode 3 if ARBF/ARBF fails after 3 attempts). For most environments, Brocade recommends using Mode 3, as it provides more flexibility and compatibility with a wide range of devices. In the event that the default setting or Mode 3 does not work with a particular device, contact your switch vendor for further assistance.
New features The VC 3.17 release includes the following new features: • HP Virtual Connect FlexFabric 10Gb/24-port Module FCoE support for HP Integrity BL8x0c i2 Series Server Blades with HP NC551m FlexFabric Converged Network Adapters. The VC 3.
Resolved issues The following issues have been resolved in the VC 3.17 release: • Resolved an issue where the primary VC module could not communicate with other modules due to an implementation problem in the reverse DNS lookup support function when DNS was enabled in the VC infrastructure. With VC 3.
• Resolved a loss of FC connectivity issue when a VC 8Gb 24-Port FC Module received a multi-sequence frame from an in-band storage management application (the application was executing on a server within the c7000 enclosure). This resulted in a VC 8Gb 24-Port FC Module reset and loss of FC connectivity. • Resolved an issue where the VC 8Gb 24-Port FC Module might not recover from a NO-COMM state after an OA failover.
• Resolved an issue found in an Integrity FlexFabric environment where the HP-UX boot path was lost while unassigning and reassigning a profile. • Resolved an issue for a race condition between module recovery and enclosure recovery when an enclosure was recovering from an enclosure NO-COMM state. • Resolved an issue when recovering from a module NO-COMM state where the correct module state is properly tracked to avoid unnecessary failure for LANIO calls and GenNumber requests.
configuration changes are made at the same time that the memory limit is exceeded, all configuration changes are saved. The following issues have been resolved in the VC 3.15 release: • Resolved an issue where a profile with multiple networks defined in a connection had no configured network. If the profile was edited without making any changes, and then the profile was applied to a server with a Flex-10 LOM, a VCM failure and restart would occur.
Known issues General • iSCSI Boot from SAN is supported only on the NC551i Dual Port FlexFabric 10Gb Adapter and NC553i/m 10Gb 2-port FlexFabric Converged Network Adapter. The boot LUN IDs must be in the range of 0 to 8. • No System Log message is logged for FC contact name changes. • If an enclosure import is attempted with a server blade in a failed state, VC Manager might report an erroneous error. If the import completes, close the browser and log in again to verify that the import was successful.
a multi-blade server, even though VC-assigned values exist. This problem does not affect the operation of the server. The server blades have and operate with the correct VC-assigned WWNs and MAC addresses. To work around this issue, do the following: a. Power off the server blade, if necessary. b. Unassign the VC profile. c. Reassign the VC profile. d. Power on the server blade. • In Virtual Connect release 3.0x, the Server Admin user is not able to modify the IGMP Snooping settings.
• When multiple Internet Explorer 7 browser sessions are open to the Virtual Connect Manager application, the VC GUI might hang. To avoid this issue, add the following registry value: [HKLM\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Intern et Settings] "MaxConnectionsPerServer"=dword:6 By default, this registry value does not exist and Internet Explorer 7 defaults to the value of 2. Increasing the value to 6 resolves the hanging issue.
o Use ports X5-X8 for SFP-DAC and SFP-LR modules when possible. o Use the SNMP capability to capture the statistics: — To get the switch MAC address, use the following command: snmpwalk -c public A.B.C.D dot1dBaseBridgeAddress — To get the port number, (X2, for example), use the following command: snmpwalk -c public A.B.C.D ifName | grep X2 — To get the port statistics, (X2, for example), use the following command: -c public A.B.C.
• VC returns an exception when VCEM attempts to retrieve module information in a compatibility mode. • During VC enclosure recovery (such as when communication with the OA has been lost), for HP Integrity BL870c i2 and BL890c i2 Series Server Blades, network and SAN connections can potentially be taken down and then reestablished exactly as they had been configured before the enclosure recovery.
Virtual Connect Enterprise Manager Support • Virtual Connect Enterprise Manager (VCEM) v6.2 provides full compatibility and support for VC firmware v2.x, v2.1x, v2.3x, v3.0x, v3.10, v3.15, and v3.17. • For VCEM availability and full product details, visit the HP website (http://www.hp.com/go/vcem) or contact your HP representative.
