HP Virtual Connect Fibre Channel Networking Scenarios Cookbook

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Scenario 6: Flat SAN connectivity with HP Virtual Connect
FlexFabric 10Gb/24-Port modules and HP 3PAR Storage
Systems
Overview
HP Virtual Connect provides the industry’s first direct attach connection to Fibre channel storage that does not
require dedicated Fibre Channel switches. This new technology called Flat SAN significantly reduces complexity and
cost with while reducing latency between servers and storage by eliminating the need for multitier storage area
networks (SANs). Designed for virtual and cloud workloads, this solution reduces storage networking costs by 50%
and enables 2.5X faster provisioning compared to competitive offerings.
Figure 51: HP Virtual Connect Flat SAN technology with HP 3PAR Storage Systems
Server 1
1
HBA
Server 2 Server 3 Server 4 Server 16
Direct-Attach
Fabric-1
…
…
16:1
server-to-uplink ratio
on a fully populated enclosure with 16 servers
VC FlexFabric
Modules
CNA
2
1
HBA
CNA
2
1
HBA
CNA
2
1
HBA
CNA
2
1
HBA
CNA
2
Direct-Attach
Fabric-2
VC Domain
3PAR Storage
System
Ethernet
only ports!