Understanding the Virtual Connect Enterprise Manager

Server profile failover

VCEM server profile failover is a fast-recovery tool that can help you minimize unplanned downtime. You can use

VC server profile failover to perform rapid and cost-effective recovery of physical servers within the same VC

domain group with minimal administrator intervention. When a failover event occurs, VCEM provides an automated

method to restore availability levels.

In contrast, manually moving a VC server profile requires four steps:

1. Power down the original or source server.

2. Select a new target server from the VC Domain Group spare pool.

3. Move the VC server profile to the target server.

4. Power up the new server.

VCEM server profile failover combines these steps into a single operation. It activates automated movement of VC

server profiles and associated network connections to user-defined spare servers in a VC domain group. You can

manually initiate profile failover from the VCEM GUI as a one-button operation, or from the VCEM failover CLI. The

failover CLI lets you script server profile moves within the same VC domain group.

VC server profile failover operations require configuring the source and target servers to boot-from-SAN. You can

use the VCEM failover CLI in conjunction with HP SIM automatic event handling to automatically trigger a VC server

profile failover. You can also incorporate server profile failover into customized scripts so that you can build

solutions that are even more powerful using VCEM as a trusted component.

You have the option to rely on the automated failover operation upon receipt of an event, or you can take action

regardless of whether the automated failover is active or just event notification. For more information on VCEM

server profile failover operations, see “HP Virtual Connect Enterprise Manager Profile Failover and Profile Moves” at

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c03173921/c03173921.pdf

VC domain maintenance

VC domain maintenance is a useful way to update a particular VC domain without removing it from a VC domain

group. It also lets you apply common domain, network, and storage configuration changes automatically to all other

VC domains within the same VC domain group. VCEM temporarily enables domain, network, and storage changes

through the local VCM for the selected domain. Some of the useful domain-level operations available during VC

domain maintenance include:

 Upgrading firmware

 Backing up VC Domain configuration

 Administering local user accounts

 Changing VC domain, networks or fabrics configuration

During VC domain maintenance, you can perform network-level operations such as monitoring network ports and

changing network configurations. Storage level operations enabled during VC domain maintenance include

changing storage configuration and storage management credentials.

VCEM solution use cases

Exploring a VCEM solution use case is a helpful way to illustrate how VCEM addresses the management challenges

of data center infrastructures. The three use cases we present include moving server profiles to a different VC

domain group, propagating changes in a VC domain group, and adding a new enclosure. These cases show how

VCEM allows you to accomplish common management tasks efficiently within the VC environment.