User's Manual

Design Guide

The data center core is a mechanism to replicate and horizontally scale the data center

environment. In the recommended design the aggregation and access layers are regarded as a

module that can be duplicated to extend the enterprise. Each data center module provides its own

network services locally in the aggregation switches. This approach allows the network

administrator to determine the limits of each data center module and replicate as necessary.

Figure 9 depicts the design of the data center core. The aggregation switches for each data center

module are attached at Layer 3 to the core. In addition, the aggregation switches house the service

modules required to support the server farms.

Figure 9. Design of Data Center Core

Management

The Cisco Catalyst Blade Switch 3020 is accessible for management and configuration by any of

the following traffic paths:

●

Out-of-band (OOB) management

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In-band management

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Serial console port

These traffic paths provide three different management options for network administration and

support different user and application interfaces to the Cisco Catalyst Blade Switch 3020. The

remote management of the blade servers within the HP c-Class BladeSystem is critical to an

efficient and scalable data center. This section discusses these topics, as well as the iLO

connectivity options provided using the enclosure to the blade servers.

Out-of-Band Management

OOB management is the practice of dedicating an interface on the managed device for carrying

management traffic. It is also the recommended management method for blade systems. OOB

management isolates the management and data traffic and provides a more secure environment.