User guide

Introduction 11
NOTE: Using a Flex-10 capable NIC with an HP VC Flex-10 or FlexFabric module provides the
ability to divide a 10Gb NIC into four FlexNICs with configurable bandwidth.
• VC-FC modules
o HP VC 4Gb Fibre Channel Module for BladeSystem c-Class (enhanced NPIV)
o HP VC 8Gb 24-Port Fibre Channel Module for BladeSystem c-Class
o HP VC 8Gb 20-Port Fibre Channel Module for BladeSystem c-Class
• HP VCM
NOTE: Beginning with VC 4.10, the HP 4GB Virtual Connect Fibre Channel Module is no longer
supported.
VC implements server edge virtualization between the server and the data center infrastructure so networks
can communicate with individual servers or pools of HP BladeSystem servers. Upgrade, replace, or move
server blades within the enclosures without visible changes to the external LAN and SAN environments. The
external networks connect to a shared resource server pools rather than to individual servers. VC cleanly
separates server enclosure administration from LAN and SAN administration.
VCM is embedded on VC-Enet modules. Access VCM through a web-based GUI or CLI. The Onboard
Administrator provides a web link to the VC GUI. The CLI can be accessed remotely through any SSH session
or through the Onboard Administrator CLI.
The VC modules support the HP BladeSystem c7000 Enclosure, the HP BladeSystem c3000 Enclosure, and
all server blades and networks contained within the enclosure. FlexFabric modules are supported only in
BladeSystem c7000 enclosures with G6 or newer server blades or Integrity i2 and i4 server blades with VC
firmware v3.15 and later.
VC-Enet modules enable connectivity to data center Ethernet switches. VC-Enet modules can also be directly
connected to other types of devices, such as printers, laptops, rack servers, and network storage devices.
The VC-FC and FlexFabric modules enable connectivity of the enclosure to data center FC switches. Every FC
fabric is limited in the number of switches it can support, but the VC-FC modules do not appear as switches
to the FC fabric and do not count against FC fabric limits.
A basic VC domain includes a single HP c-Class BladeSystem c7000 Enclosure for a total of 16 servers (or
up to 32 servers if the double-dense option is enabled), or a single HP c-Class BladeSystem c3000 Enclosure
for a total of 8 servers (or up to 16 servers if the double-dense option is enabled). For more information on
the double-dense option, see "Double-dense server bay option (on page 251)" . Within the domain, any
server blade with the requisite LAN or SAN devices can access any LAN or SAN connected to a VC module,
and a server blade of a given processor type (Integrity or X86) can be used as a spare for any server blade
of the same processor type within the same enclosure, as long as the server has the requisite number and type
of connections. Using the network access groups feature, the network administrator can clearly define a
separation of networks based on their allowed functionality and prevent the server administrator from
assigning specific network combinations in the same server profile.
By stacking (cabling) the VC-Enet modules together within the domain and connecting the VC-FC or
FlexFabric module FC uplinks on the same bay of all enclosures to the same FC switch, every server blade in
the domain can be configured to access any external network or fabric connection. With this configuration,
you can use VCM to deploy and migrate a server blade profile to any server in the Virtual Connect domain
without changing external LAN or SAN configurations.
Beginning with VC 4.10, the FTP service on VC-Enet modules is disabled by default. The VCSU software
temporarily enables and disables the FTP service during firmware upgrades of VC-FC modules as needed.