HP Virtual Connect Version 1.
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Contents Hardware and firmware requirements ............................................................................................. 4 HP Virtual Connect firmware....................................................................................................................... 4 Supported hardware.................................................................................................................................. 4 Firmware upgrade requirements .........................................
Hardware and firmware requirements HP Virtual Connect firmware The latest HP Virtual Connect firmware package (version 1.31) contains the following firmware versions: • HP VC-Enet version 1.31 • HP 4Gb VC-FC version 1.20 Supported hardware Version 1.
o HP NC326m PCI Express Dual Port Multifunction Gigabit Server Adapter o HP NC325m PCI Express Quad Port Gigabit Server Adapter o HP NC360M Dual Port 1GbE BL-c Adapter o HP NC364M Quad Port 1GbE BL-c Adapter o HP QLogic QMH2462 4Gb FC HBA for c-Class BladeSystem o HP Emulex LPe1105-HP 4Gb FC HBA for c-Class BladeSystem For the latest list of supported hardware, see the HP website (http://www.hp.com/go/bladesystemupdates).
Product Recommended firmware version Minimum firmware version xw460c System ROM 2007.04.03 Rev A or higher — BL680c G5 System ROM 2007.08.09 or higher — BL860c System Firmware 04.05 or higher — BL870c System Firmware 04.05 or higher — NC370i, NC373i, and NC373m Boot code version 1.9.6 and C Class option ROM 1.1.3* or higher — To use NC373m with the BL680c G5 server blade, the option ROM must be updated to NC373m Boot code version 1.9.6 and C Class option ROM 1.2.7 or higher.
HP Virtual Connect Fibre Channel Module Compatibility Matrix The following table lists the switches and firmware versions that are supported with HP Virtual Connect Fibre Channel interconnect modules. Switch family Supported versions Unsupported switches Brocade and FOS 5.3.1, 5.3.0, 5.3.0a, 5.3.0b, 5.3.0c, 5.3.0d, 5.2.1b, 5.2.0b, 6.0.
New features Virtual Connect version 1.31 features include the following: • Mapping of server VLAN tags (shared server links) enables sharing of server links on multiple Virtual Connect networks. The administrator defines a shared link set that identifies mappings between VLAN tagged packets on a link and internal VC networks. Two options are provided: Tunnel VLAN tags or Map VLAN tags. • Private Network mode for VC Networks provides additional security using functionality similar to private VLANs.
• Fibre Channel SNMP enhancement to support SNMPv1. Fibre Channel now supports SNMPv1 and SNMPv2. • Fibre Channel support dump option for enhanced Fibre Channel debug analysis • Beta release support for the multi-enclosure stacking feature, which allows up to four enclosures in a VC domain and up to 16 Ethernet and 16 Fibre Channel modules within a single domain. Requires a beta agreement and activation key to be enabled.
Important notes and recommendations When a c-Class enclosure is used with Virtual Connect v1.31 and higher, the following configuration restrictions and guidelines apply: • HP recommends using HP BladeSystem c-Class Virtual Connect Support Utility v1.3.0 or higher to install the HP VC-Enet v1.31 and HP 4Gb VC-FC v1.20 firmware. For the procedures, be sure to read the instructions on the HP website (http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/SoftwareDescription.
Connect is not able to verify firmware revisions for all components, so a server blade component can be incompatible even if the server blade is not listed as incompatible. • To improve network performance and prevent unnecessary Spanning Tree Topology Change Notifications (TCN) on the network, configure Ethernet switches connected to Virtual Connect with the same Spanning Tree settings you would use when connecting to a server blade NIC.
• The VC Manager CLI command show fabric X displays only the Port (Connected From) WWN for the physical uplink ports of a Virtual Connect fabric. The term "WWN" in the display output refers to the Port WWN and not the Node WWN. • Support for double-dense server blades (BL2x220c) in a Virtual Connect domain requires the domain to be created or imported using VC v1.31 firmware or higher. If a domain was created in v1.2x or lower and then updated to v1.31, double-dense server blades are not supported.
Known issues General • For configuration changes, the VC Manager can take up to 90 seconds for the new information to be saved to non-volatile storage. Configuration information might be lost if power is removed during this update. A new icon has been added to the Virtual Connect Manager banner line that indicates a configuration update is in progress or if the backup module has not been updated to the current configuration changes. • The VC Manager domain configuration database in v1.
any servers are rebooted or power cycled while the credential recovery is occurring, the MAC addresses and WWNs might be returned to the factory default settings. • 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 the import was successful. The working state of all server blades can be verified using the OA.
• Cisco MSD 9134 requires minimum firmware revision of 3.2(2)c, or higher. • The Fibre Channel login sequence can be delayed by approximately 20 seconds when more than one server blade HBA is aggregated through the same VC-FC uplink port attached to a Cisco switch and these HBAs are in the same zone. To avoid this problem, do not place server HBAs in the same zone on the fabric switch.
IMPORTANT: With the HP 4Gb VC-FC upgrade for version 1.20, 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. • If the internal GUI-based firmware update support within VC v1.2x is used to perform either a manual or automated firmware update for the HP 4Gb VC-FC v1.
• In some circumstances, the primary module might fail to activate after an Automated firmware update. If the primary module fails to activate and the firmware update page shows the new firmware version under the "Installed" tab, reset the primary module to activate the new firmware version. Virtual Connect Enterprise Manager Support • VCEM v1.10 does not import and manage Virtual Connect domains configured with firmware v1.31. • An attempt to import a VC domain running v1.
Resolved issues The following issues that existed in Virtual Connect v1.24 have been resolved in Virtual Connect v1.31: • The VC Manager CLI set ldap command IpAddress option now supports both IP address and the DNS name of the directory server as stated in the Command Line help and CLI user guide. • The number of SNMP trap destination addresses is no longer limited to one trap destination for VCFC modules. Five trap addresses are now supported.
