ISS Technology Update, Volume 7 Number 5 - Newsletter

ISS Technology Update Volume 7, Number 5
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Figure 1-2. Brocade 4GB SAN Switches installed in a ProLiant c7000 BladeSystem enclosure
The main benefits of the Brocade 4Gb SAN Switch using AG Mode are as follows:
• It is the only NPIV solution for HP p-Class enclosures.
• It provides a 2:1 server-to-uplink ratio for a fully populated enclosure with 16 servers.
• It has a flexible licensing option (12 or 24 ports, with a 12-port upgrade option for the 12-port model)
• It can be repurposed as either Switch Mode or AG Mode, but not in both modes simultaneously.
• It is interoperable with multiple vendor fabrics (Brocade, McDATA, and Cisco).
• It does not consume a domain, thereby avoiding switch count scalability limit issues in a fabric and eliminating an additional
hop between switches.
• It reduces the number of cables and small form factor plug-ins (SFPs).
• It eliminates the need for SAN management inside the enclosure after the initial connections have been configured.
Conclusion
HP VC-FC Module solutions are best suited in customer environments where the ability to manage servers without impacting
SANs is a high priority. The Brocade 4Gb SAN Switch using AG Mode may be a better choice for customers with different
requirements:
•need more than four FC uplinks.*
• use multiple WWNs on each HBA port (NPIV) on a server running ESX 3.5.*
• are not ready to adopt VC-Enet modules.
• have standardized on a non-HP Virtual Connect LAN environment.
• need Brocade proprietary subtle performance features such as multiple levels of priority.
* This will not be an issue for future HP VC-FC models