HP Virtual Connect for c-Class BladeSystem Version 3.00 Setup and Installation Guide for HP Integrity BL8x0c i2 Series Server Blades

Installation 40
Firmware requirements
IMPORTANT: HP recommends that each type of VC module in the domain use the same VC
firmware revision level. Some versions of the Virtual Connect firmware might not be
compatible. The active Virtual Connect Manager does not allow incompatible modules to be
managed as part of the Virtual Connect domain.
IMPORTANT: For optimal operation of HP Virtual Connect, use the recommended firmware
versions.
Install the recommended firmware for the following items:
• Server blade system ROMs
• Ethernet mezzanines
• Converged network adapter mezzanines
• HP BladeSystem Onboard Administrator
For additional information on recommended firmware versions and to download firmware upgrades, see
the HP website (
http://www.hp.com/go/bladesystemupdates).
Virtual Connect and EBIPA
Enclosure Bay IP Addressing is used to specify IP addresses for the interconnect modules, which are then
provided to the modules by the Onboard Administrator.
Because Virtual Connect communicates with other components through the Onboard Administrator,
special considerations are required when using EBIPA with Virtual Connect Ethernet modules:
• The Onboard Administrator must be on the same IP subnet as all Virtual Connect modules.
• The Onboard Administrator IP address must be set properly before changing the IP addresses of the
Virtual Connect modules.
The Onboard Administrator must have an IP address on the same subnet as the Virtual Connect module
before the administrator sets the EBIPA mode. Changing the EBIPA address for a module causes the OA
to reset the module when the change is applied, resulting in an outage. If EBIPA addresses are changed
for multiple modules, all modules experience the outage at approximately the same time.
Connecting multiple enclosures
Multiple enclosure support allows up to four c7000 enclosures to be managed within a single Virtual
Connect domain. This configuration supports up to 16 VC-Enet modules or up to 16 VC-FC modules in the
domain.
Stacking multiple enclosures enables the management of up to four enclosures from a single control point.
VC Manager operates in the primary enclosure, and it allows up to three additional remote enclosures of
the same type to be added as part of a single VC domain. The locally managed, primary enclosure must
be imported into the domain before importing additional (remote) enclosures. If a failure occurs, the
standby module in Bay 2 of the primary enclosure takes over.
The VC manager in the primary enclosure accesses all remote modules and OAs over the management
network. The OAs for each enclosure to be managed as part of a VC domain must be on the same
management subnet along with all of the VC-Enet and VC-FC modules that are in each of the enclosures.