HP Virtual Connect Version 3.18 Release Notes Abstract This document provides Virtual Connect release information for version 3.18. This document supersedes the information in the documentation set released with version 2.3x, 3.0x, 3.10, 3.15, and 3.17. This document is intended for the person who installs, administers, and troubleshoots servers and storage systems.
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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 3.18) contains the following firmware versions: • HP VC FlexFabric 10Gb/24-Port version 3.18 • HP VC-Enet version 3.18 (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, v3.18 VC 4Gb FC firmware within Virtual Connect 1.20 1.21 1.30 1.32 1.40 1.41 1.
For more information on required firmware versions and to download firmware upgrades, see the HP website (http://www.hp.com/go/bladesystemupdates). 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.
• Although 320 VLANs can be supported within each module, the overall number of VLANs within the VC domain is also restricted because of performance limitations of the VCM during module restore or recovery. The limits are defined based on usage scenarios. • New GUI components The VCM GUI introduces a new visual component in 3.0x. Data grids add simplicity and pleasant tone by accessing available operations through a right-click context menu.
On HP B-series (Brocade) FC switches, use the portCfgFillWord (portCfgFillWord ) command to configure this setting: Mode Link Init/Fill Word Mode 0 IDLE/IDLE Mode 1 ARBF/ARBF Mode 2 IDLE/ARBF Mode 3 If ARBF/ARBF fails, use IDLE/ARBF 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).
New features The VC 3.18 release includes no 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.
between the enclosures and resulted in an outage. A change has been introduced in VC release 3.17 to properly deal with the configuration synchronization during a NO-COMM state. • Resolved a GUI issue where renaming the associated network on the Edit Ethernet Network screen cleared the native property.
• Resolved an HP Integrity BL8x0c i2 Series Server Blade issue where there were problems disconnecting Flex-10 ports with I/O modules that do not support Flex-10, which could result in disabled network ports appearing as enabled. • Resolved a GUI issue where titles on the Device Bay Summary screen were not displayed consistently. • Resolved an issue where an SNMP trap configuration with only FC traps selected could not have an associated set of severities.
when the aggregation group dissolved and was reformed. This resulted from all legs of the LAG not properly being reenabled in association with the Private Network. The servers that could experience the disruption where those whose transmissions were distributed (load balanced) to a leg of the LAG that was not reenabled for the Private Network. • Resolved an issue where the stacking links showed a failed status after a module recovered from a NO-COMM state, even though no operational problem existed.
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, v3.17, and v3.18. • For VCEM availability and full product details, visit the HP website (http://www.hp.com/go/vcem) or contact your HP representative.
