HP Virtual Connect Fibre Channel Networking Scenarios Cookbook

Virtual Connect Direct-Attach SAN Fabric support

When using the Virtual Connect Direct-Attach mode, participating uplinks can be directly connected to the same

3PAR Storage System in order to correctly form a Virtual Connect SAN fabric.

Figure 20: Direct-Attach SAN Fabric uplinks connected to a 3PAR array

VC Domain

VC SAN A-1

VC Direct-Attach SAN Fabrics

defined in the VC Domain

Direct attached

Storage System

VC Domain

VC SAN B-1

Bay 1

Bay 2

3PAR Storage

System

VC FlexFabric Module VC FlexFabric Module

Note:

 When a Virtual Connect Direct-Attach fabric is using multiple uplinks, the concept of login-balancing or login-

redistribution is not applicable. These concepts are only provided on uplinks within a VC Fabric-Attach fabric.

 The Zoning between the server ports and the VC SAN uplink ports is automatically configured based on the VC

SAN Fabric and server profile definitions. This implicit zoning restricts servers connected to a given Direct-Attach

fabric to access only the storage attached to uplinks in a same Direct-Attached fabric. Both the Name server scans

and RSCN messages are limited to this zone.

 A VC SAN fabric may only contain uplink ports of one type.

- VC isolates ports that do not match specified fabric type.

- An isolated port will degrade fabric state and all associated profiles and domain state.

 The HP 3PAR Peer Motion (allows non-disruptive data migration from any-to-any 3PAR Storage Arrays) is not

supported at this time with Direct-Attach Flat SAN. For the time being, Peer Motion requires an external SAN

fabric.

 The HP 3PAR Persistent Ports (provides transparent and uninterrupted failover in response to firmware

upgrades, in the event of a node failure, in response to an array port being taken offline administratively or as the

result of a hardware failure in the SAN fabric that results in the storage array losing physical connectivity to the

fabric) is not supported with Direct-Attach Flat SAN because Persistent Ports requires the fabric to support NPIV.

For more information, see HP 3PAR StoreServ Persistent Ports Technical white paper,

http://h20195.www2.hp.com/v2/GetPDF.aspx%2F4AA4-4545ENW.pdf