HP BladeSystem c-Class architecture Technology brief, 4th edition

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Virtual Connect FlexFabric
HP Virtual Connect FlexFabric interconnect modules and FlexFabric adapters extend Flex 10
technology to include data and storage traffic within each 10 Gb server connection. This allows you
to allocate LAN and SAN fabrics of a single 10 GbE data stream into four separate connections—
one connection for each server port can be allocated to storage (FlexHBA) for either FCoE or iSCSI.
You can adjust the bandwidth and routing information of each connection (Figure 15). A FlexFabric
adapter functions as a standard NIC, a Flex-10 NIC, or a converged network adapter (CNA). To
aggregate the LAN and SAN data, the FlexFabric adapter encapsulates Fibre Channel frames as
FCoE or uses iSCSI along with the Ethernet LAN data. You can configure FlexFabric adapters to
support either FCoE or iSCSI, but not concurrent streams of both. When the data stream enters the
Virtual Connect FlexFabric interconnect module, the converged LAN and SAN traffic separate. Data
streams leaving the BladeSystem enclosure use traditional Ethernet and storage (FC or SCSI)
protocols. As a result, Flex-10 technology with FlexFabric adapters and VC FlexFabric modules
provides a significant reduction in cabling, switches, and required ports at the server edge.
Figure 15: Using FlexFabric adapters with Fibre Channel (FCoE) and IP traffic
Managing Virtual Connect
The Virtual Connect Manager, which controls single Virtual Connect domains, is a simple web
console built into the firmware of Virtual Connect Ethernet modules. You can also access the Virtual
Connect Manager through the Onboard Administrator. This option can be used for environments with
up to four enclosures.
HP Virtual Connect Enterprise Manager is a software application that simplifies the management of
large BladeSystem environments using Virtual Connect to control LAN and SAN connectivity. It lets
you manage multiple Virtual Connect Domains using a single console application.