HP Virtual Connect for c-Class BladeSystem Version 4.01 User Guide
Table Of Contents
- HP Virtual Connect for c-Class BladeSystem Version 4.01 User Guide
- Abstract
- Notice
- Contents
- Introduction
- HP Virtual Connect Manager
- Virtual Connect domains
- Understanding Virtual Connect domains
- Managing domains
- Managing SNMP
- Viewing the system log
- Managing SSL configuration
- HP BladeSystem c-Class enclosures
- Virtual Connect users and roles
- Understanding VC administrative roles
- Managing users
- Local Users screen
- Configuring LDAP, RADIUS, and TACACS+
- Minimum requirements
- LDAP Server Settings (LDAP Server) screen
- LDAP Server Settings (LDAP Groups) screen
- LDAP Server Settings (LDAP Certificate) screen
- RADIUS Settings (RADIUS Server) screen
- RADIUS Settings (RADIUS Groups) screen
- TACACS+ Settings screen
- Role Management (Role Authentication Order) screen
- Role Management (Role Operations) screen
- Virtual Connect networks
- Understanding networks and shared uplink sets
- Managing networks
- Network Access Groups screen
- Define Network Access Group screen
- Ethernet Settings (Port Monitoring) screen
- Ethernet Settings (Advanced Settings) screen
- Quality of Service
- IGMP Settings (IGMP Configuration) screen
- IGMP Settings (Multicast Filter Set) screen
- Define Ethernet Network screen
- Ethernet Networks (External Connections) screen
- Ethernet Networks (Server Connections) screen
- Managing shared uplink sets
- Virtual Connect fabrics
- Virtual Connect server profiles
- Understanding server profiles
- Managing MAC, WWN, and server virtual ID settings
- Managing server profiles
- Define Server Profile screen
- Creating FCoE HBA connections for a BL890c i4
- Limited Ethernet connections when using HP Virtual Connect Flex-10/10D modules
- Creating iSCSI connections
- Flex-10 iSCSI connections
- Define Server Profile screen (multiple enclosures)
- Multiple network connections for a server port
- Defining server VLAN mappings
- Fibre Channel boot parameters
- Server Profiles screen
- Edit Server Profile screen
- Assigning a server profile with FCoE connections to an HP ProLiant BL680c G7 Server Blade
- Unassigning a server profile with FCoE connections to an HP ProLiant BL680c G7 Server Blade and deleting the SAN fabric
- General requirements for adding FC or FCoE connections
- Define Server Profile screen
- Virtual Connect and Insight Control Server Deployment
- Virtual Connect modules
- Firmware updates
- Stacking Links screen
- Throughput Statistics screen
- Enclosure Information screen
- Enclosure Status screen
- Interconnect Bays Status and Summary screen
- Causes for INCOMPATIBLE status
- Ethernet Bay Summary (General Information) screen
- Ethernet Bay Summary (Uplink Port Information) screen
- Ethernet Bay Summary (Server Port Information) screen
- Ethernet Bay Summary (MAC Address Table) screen
- Ethernet Bay Summary (IGMP Multicast Groups) screen
- Ethernet Bay Summary (Name Server) screen
- Ethernet Port Detailed Statistics screen
- FC Port Detailed Statistics screen
- FC Bay Summary screen
- Interconnect Bay Overall Status icon definitions
- Interconnect Bay OA Reported Status icon definitions
- Interconnect Bay VC Status icon definitions
- Interconnect Bay OA Communication Status icon definitions
- Server Bays Summary screen
- Server Bay Status screen
- Port status conditions
- Interconnect module removal and replacement
- Virtual Connect modules
- Upgrading to an HP Virtual Connect 8Gb 24-Port FC Module
- Upgrading to an HP Virtual Connect 8Gb 20-Port FC Module
- Upgrading or removing an HP Virtual Connect Flex-10, HP Virtual Connect FlexFabric, or HP Virtual Connect Flex-10/10D module
- Upgrading to an HP Virtual Connect FlexFabric module from a VC-FC module
- Onboard Administrator modules
- Maintenance and troubleshooting
- Appendix: Using Virtual Connect with nPartitions
- Support and other resources
- Acronyms and abbreviations
- Documentation feedback
- Index
Virtual Connect fabrics 139
Virtual Connect fabrics
Understanding FC fabrics
Beginning with Virtual Connect 3.70, there are two supported VC SAN fabric types, FabricAttach fabrics
and DirectAttach fabrics. A FabricAttach fabric uses the traditional method of connecting VC-FC and VC
FlexFabric modules, which requires an upstream NPIV-enabled SAN switch. A DirectAttach fabric reduces
storage networking costs and removes the complexity of FC switch management by enabling you to directly
connect a VC FlexFabric module to a supported HP 3PAR Storage System (HP 3PAR P10000 V400/800,
T400/800, StoreServ7000, or F200/400).
A VC SAN fabric can only contain uplink ports of one type, either attached to an external SAN switch or
directly connected to a supported storage device. VC isolates ports that do not match the specified fabric
type. The isolated port causes the VC SAN fabric status to become Degraded, as well as all associated server
profiles and the overall VC domain status.
FabricAttach VC SAN fabrics
The VC-FC and FlexFabric modules enable the c-Class administrator to reduce FC cabling by using N_Port_ID
virtualization (NPIV). The HP VC-FC and FlexFabric modules act as an FC connectivity aggregator, where
each NPIV-enabled N-port uplink can carry the FC traffic for multiple HBAs or FlexFabric adapters.
Because the uplink ports for VC-FC and FlexFabric modules are N-ports, the modules can be connected to
any data center Brocade, McData, Cisco, or Qlogic FC switch that supports the NPIV protocol. When the
server blade HBAs or FlexFabric adapters log in to the fabric through the VC-FC or FlexFabric modules, the
adapter WWN is visible to the FC switch name server and can be managed as if it was connected directly.
IMPORTANT: The VC-FC modules and FlexFabric FC-capable ports must be connected to a data
center Fibre Channel switch that supports NPIV. Most switches support NPIV by default and no
additional configuration is necessary. See the switch firmware documentation for information to
determine whether a specific switch supports NPIV and for instructions on enabling this support.
The VC-FC and FlexFabric modules have either four or eight uplinks. Each uplink is independent of the other
uplinks and can use NPIV to aggregate up to 255 N-port connections into a single N-port uplink. If NPIV
capability of a SAN fabric switch port is lost, the disabled uplink port of the VC-FC or FlexFabric module
remains disabled until the NPIV capability is restored. HP requires connectivity to NPIV-enabled switches for
all VC-FC modules and FlexFabric FC uplink ports.
You can group multiple VC-FC or FlexFabric module uplinks logically into a Virtual Connect SAN fabric when
the uplinks are attached to the same Fibre Channel SAN fabric. You can also create multiple Virtual Connect
fabrics on the same VC-FC or FlexFabric module, and each of these fabrics can connect to a different
physical SAN fabric. You can connect to up to four SAN fabrics to a single 20-port VC-FC module or
FlexFabric module, and up to eight SAN fabrics to a single 24-port VC-FC module. When creating
FabricAttach VC SAN fabrics, consider the following:
• By default, all of the VC-FC module uplinks are grouped into a single fabric, distributing connectivity
from all server blades in the enclosure.