HP Virtual Connect Version 2.
© Copyright 2009 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein. Confidential computer software.
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 2.10) contains the following firmware versions: • HP VC-Enet version 2.10 • HP VC 4Gb FC version 1.32 • HP VC 8Gb FC version 1.00 The HP BladeSystem c-Class Virtual Connect Firmware v2.10 is available with the following packages: • Ethernet plus 4Gb FC Edition—contains the firmware for the VC-Enet modules and the VC 4Gb FC modules.
o HP ProLiant BL460c G6 Server Blade o HP ProLiant BL465c Server Blade o HP ProLiant BL465c G5 Server Blade o HP ProLiant BL480c Server Blade o HP ProLiant BL490c G6 Server Blade o HP ProLiant BL495c G5 Server Blade o HP ProLiant BL680c G5 Server Blade o HP ProLiant BL685c Server Blade o HP ProLiant BL685 G5 Server Blade o HP ProLiant BL685c G6 Server Blade o HP ProLiant xw460c Blade Workstation Only the two embedded Ethernet ports are supported; Ethernet and Fibre Channel mezzanine car
For the latest list of supported hardware, see the HP website (http://www.hp.com/go/bladesystemupdates). Firmware upgrade requirements IMPORTANT: For optimal operation of HP Virtual Connect, use the recommended firmware versions.
Upgrade to or downgrade from To VC 1.30 To VC 1.31 (VC-FC 1.20) (VC-FC 1.20) To VC 1.32/1.34 (VC-FC 1.21) To VC 2.00/2.01/2. 02 To VC 2.10 (VC-FC 1.32) (VC FC 1.30) VC 1.32 Normal Normal — Fabric outage* Fabric outage* VC 2.00/ 2.01/2.02 Fabric outage* Fabric outage* Fabric outage* — Normal VC 2.10 Fabric outage* Fabric outage* Fabric outage* Normal — * Always reset the module after the upgrade or downgrade. The current version of Virtual Connect firmware is v2.10.
Product Recommended firmware version Minimum firmware version BL460c G6 Any HP released version — BL465c and BL685c System ROM 2007.09.23 or higher — BL490c G6 Any HP released version — BL495c System ROM 2008.08.04 — xw460c System ROM 2007.04.03 Rev A or higher — BL680c G5 System ROM 2007.08.09 or higher — BL685c G6 Any HP released version — BL860c System Firmware 04.05 or higher — BL870c System Firmware 04.05 or higher — BL495c G5 System ROM 2008.08.
Product Recommended firmware version Minimum firmware version HP Emulex LPe 1205-HP 8Gb FC HBA BIOS 3.03a9 — * Use the HP Gigabit Server Adapter Firmware Upgrade Utility for c-Class Blades version 1.10 on the HP website (http://www.hp.com/cgi-bin/hpsupport/index.pl) or one of the online methods available for the OS. To find the online update method for your OS, go to the HP website (http://www.hp.com/go/bladesystemupdates) and search for Server Blade Software & Updates. Version 2.
HP Virtual Connect Fibre Channel Module Compatibility Matrix For the most up-to-date support information, see the HP website (http://www.hp.com/storage/spock). Simple registration is required.
New features VC-Enet version 2.
Resolved issues The following issues that existed in previous versions of Virtual Connect have been resolved in Virtual Connect v2.10: • Resolved a potential VC GUI hang issue that occurred if an Internet browser was used and an uplink port cable was disconnected from a VC Ethernet module. • Resolved several unexpected pop-up error messages that appeared on the VC GUI when the VC GUI browser was open on the Profile page and a server was powered on.
Important notes and recommendations When using a c-Class enclosure with Virtual Connect v2.10 and higher, the following configuration restrictions and guidelines apply: • HP recommends using the HP BladeSystem c-Class Virtual Connect Support Utility version 1.4.0 or higher to install the HP VC-Enet version 2.10, the HP VC 4Gb FC version 1.32, and the HP VC 8Gb FC version 1.00 firmware.
Connect cannot 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.
• Virtual Connect Manager uses the enclosure serial number to associate a Virtual Connect domain with a particular enclosure. The enclosure serial number can be altered for maintenance procedures such as replacing the enclosure midplane. For more information, see SET ENCLOSURE SERIAL_NUMBER in the HP BladeSystem Onboard Administrator Command Line Interface User Guide. Enclosure serial numbers are unique as shipped from the factory, and must remain unique for proper Virtual Connect Manager operation.
Behavior differences with VC 8Gb and 4Gb FC modules • For the VC 8Gb FC module, an interruption occurs when changing the VC fabric type from Static Login Distribution to Dynamic. This interruption occurs because the module, in reacting to the change, logs out server HBAs and expects the HBAs to log back in. No interruption occurs for the similar operation with the VC 4Gb FC module. • VMware—For the VC 8Gb FC module, all virtual machines log in only through the same uplink the Physical HBA uses to log in.
Known issues General • After a configuration is changed, the VC Manager can take up to 90 seconds to save the new information to non-volatile storage. If power is removed during this update, configuration information might be lost. A new icon on the Virtual Connect Manager banner line indicates that a configuration update is in progress or that the backup module has not been updated to the current configuration changes.
• When scripting CLI commands, only a single scripting client should perform remote management operations to a remote VC Manager. If multiple scripting clients are used to perform a heavy load of CLI commands to a single VC Manager, some management commands might fail. In some cases, the primary module might need to be reset to recover properly.
• VC currently supports up to 8 ports in a single Link Aggregation Groups (LAG) using LACP protocol. LAGs are created on Ethernet network uplinks using "auto" mode, or automatically created when connecting multiple ports of the same speed between two VC-Enet modules to form stacking links. Although up to 8 ports can be aggregated, attempting to form a LAG with more than 40G total throughput results in the LAG becoming unusable.
Firmware update HP recommends using the HP BladeSystem c-Class Virtual Connect Support Utility version 1.4.0 or higher to install the HP VC-Enet version 2.10, the HP VC 4Gb FC version 1.32, and the HP VC 8Gb FC version 1.00 firmware. For more information on installing the firmware, see the HP BladeSystem c-Class Virtual Connect Support Utility version 1.4.0 or higher release notes on the HP website (http://www.hp.com/go/bladesystem/documentation). IMPORTANT: With the HP VC 4Gb FC upgrade for version 1.
Virtual Connect Enterprise Manager Support • Virtual Connect Enterprise Manager (VCEM) v1.30 provides full compatibility and support for VC firmware v1.3x, v2.x, and v2.10 • For VCEM availability and full product details, visit the HP website (http://www.hp.com/go/vcem) or contact your HP representative.
