Virtual Connect SAN Cookbook.pdf - Sallustio.ch

HP Virtual Connect Fibre Channel Networking 

Scenarios 

Cookbook 

Part Number c01702940 

Second Edition (May 2011)

© 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. 

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or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. UNIX is a registered trademark of The 

Open Group. 

Intended audience 

This document is for the person who installs, administers, and troubleshoots HP BladeSystem c-Class products. Only persons experienced in 

server blade technology and configuration should attempt these procedures. HP assumes you are qualified in the servicing of computer 

equipment and trained in recognizing hazards in products with hazardous energy levels.

Contents 

About this document ...................................................................................................................... 6 

Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 6 

Considerations and concepts ......................................................................................................... 7 

Key takeaways ............................................................................................................................................ 7 

Description of the VC SAN modules ............................................................................................................... 8 

Virtual Connect Fibre Channel support ........................................................................................................... 9 

Supported VC SAN Fabric configuration ...................................................................................................... 11 

Multi-enclosure VC Domain configuration ..................................................................................................... 13 

Multiple-fabric Support ................................................................................................................................ 15 

NPIV ......................................................................................................................................................... 17 

Port Group ................................................................................................................................................ 19 

Scenario 1: Simplest scenario with multipathing ............................................................................. 25 

Overview .................................................................................................................................................. 25 

Benefits ..................................................................................................................................................... 26 

Considerations ........................................................................................................................................... 26 

Requirements ............................................................................................................................................. 26 

Installation and configuration ...................................................................................................................... 27 

Switch configuration ......................................................................................................................... 27 

VC CLI commands ............................................................................................................................ 27 

Configuring the VC module ............................................................................................................... 27 

Defining a new VC SAN Fabric via GUI ............................................................................................. 27 

Defining a new VC SAN Fabric via CLI .............................................................................................. 30 

Blade Server configuration .......................................................................................................................... 31 

Verification ................................................................................................................................................ 31 

Summary ................................................................................................................................................... 31 

Scenario 2: VC SAN fabrics with Dynamic Login Balancing connected to the same redundant SAN fabric 

................................................................................................................................................ 32 

Overview .................................................................................................................................................. 32 

Benefits ..................................................................................................................................................... 35 


Requirements ............................................................................................................................................. 36 








Verification ................................................................................................................................................ 41 

Summary ................................................................................................................................................... 41 

Scenario 3: Multiple VC SAN fabrics with Dynamic Login Balancing connected to the same redundant 

SAN fabric with different priority tiers ........................................................................................... 42 

Overview .................................................................................................................................................. 42 

Benefits ..................................................................................................................................................... 43 

Contents 3


Requirements ............................................................................................................................................. 44 








Verification ................................................................................................................................................ 50 

Summary ................................................................................................................................................... 52 

Scenario 4: Multiple VC SAN fabrics with Dynamic Login Balancing connected to several redundant SAN 

fabric with different priority tiers ................................................................................................... 53 

Overview .................................................................................................................................................. 53 

Benefits ..................................................................................................................................................... 54 


Requirements ............................................................................................................................................. 55 








Verification ................................................................................................................................................ 61 

Summary ................................................................................................................................................... 63 

Scenario 5: SAN connectivity with HP Virtual Connect FlexFabric 10Gb/24-Port module ................... 64 

Overview .................................................................................................................................................. 64 

Virtual connect FlexFabric Uplink Port Mappings ........................................................................................... 66 

Requirements ............................................................................................................................................. 68 




Configuring the VC FlexFabric module ............................................................................................... 68 




Verification ................................................................................................................................................ 76 

Summary ................................................................................................................................................... 76 

Scenario 6: Adding VC Fabric uplink ports with Dynamic Login Balancing to an existing VC SAN fabric 

................................................................................................................................................ 77 

Overview .................................................................................................................................................. 77 

Benefits ..................................................................................................................................................... 77 

Initial configuration..................................................................................................................................... 77 

Adding an additional uplink port ................................................................................................................. 82 

Via the GUI ..................................................................................................................................... 82 

Via the CLI....................................................................................................................................... 83 

Login Redistribution .................................................................................................................................... 84 

Manual Login Redistribution via the GUI ............................................................................................. 86 

Manual Login Redistribution via the CLI .............................................................................................. 87 

Verification ................................................................................................................................................ 88 

Contents 4

Summary ................................................................................................................................................... 89 

Scenario 6: Cisco MDS Dynamic Port VSAN Membership ............................................................... 90 

Overview .................................................................................................................................................. 90 

Benefits ..................................................................................................................................................... 90 

Requirements ............................................................................................................................................. 90 


Summary ................................................................................................................................................... 94 

Appendix A: Blade Server configuration with Virtual Connect Fibre Channel Modules ........................ 95 

Defining a Server Profile with FC Connections, via GUI .................................................................................. 95 

Defining a Server Profile with FC Connections, via CLI ................................................................................... 99 

Defining a Boot from SAN Server Profile via GUI .......................................................................................... 99 

Defining a Boot from SAN Server Profile via CLI .......................................................................................... 102 

Appendix B: Blade Server configuration with Virtual Connect FlexFabric Modules ............................ 103 

Defining a Server Profile with FCoE Connections, via GUI ............................................................................ 103 

Defining a Server Profile with FCoE Connections, via CLI ............................................................................. 107 

Defining a Boot from SAN Server Profile via GUI ........................................................................................ 107 

Defining a Boot from SAN Server Profile via CLI .......................................................................................... 110 

Appendix C: Brocade SAN switch NPIV configuration .................................................................. 111 

Enabling NPIV using the GUI ..................................................................................................................... 111 

Enabling NPIV using the CLI ...................................................................................................................... 112 

Recommendations .................................................................................................................................... 114 

Appendix D: Cisco MDS SAN switch NPIV configuration .............................................................. 115 



Appendix E: Cisco Nexus Switch NPIV configuration .................................................................... 120 



Appendix F: Static Login Distribution Scenario with VC Firmware 1.24 and earlier .......................... 127 

Overview ................................................................................................................................................ 127 

Benefits ................................................................................................................................................... 127 

Requirements ........................................................................................................................................... 127 

Installation and configuration .................................................................................................................... 128 

Verification .............................................................................................................................................. 130 

Summary ................................................................................................................................................. 131 

Appendix G: Connectivity verification and testing ........................................................................ 132 

Connectivity verification on the VC module ................................................................................................. 132 

Connectivity verification on the upstream SAN switch .................................................................................. 136 

Testing the loss of uplink ports ................................................................................................................... 139 

Appendix H: Boot from SAN troubleshooting ............................................................................... 144 

Verification during POST ........................................................................................................................... 144 

Boot from SAN not activated ........................................................................................................... 144 

Boot from SAN activated ................................................................................................................ 146 

Boot from SAN misconfigured ......................................................................................................... 148 

Troubleshooting ....................................................................................................................................... 148 

Acronyms and abbreviations ...................................................................................................... 149 

Reference ................................................................................................................................. 151 

Contents 5

About this document 

Introduction 

This guide details the concepts and implementation steps for integrating HP Virtual Connect Fibre Channel 

modules and HP Virtual Connect FlexFabric Modules into an existing SAN Fabric. 

The scenarios in this guide are simplistic while covering a range of typical building blocks to use when 

designing a solution. 

For more information on BladeSystem and Virtual Connect, see the HP website 

http://www.hp.com/go/blades/ 

About this document 6

Considerations and concepts 

Key takeaways 

The most important points to remember when using the Virtual Connect Fiber Chanel Module or the Virtual 

Connect FlexFabric module are: 

 

 

 

 

The HP VC-FC Module requires an HP Virtual Connect Ethernet Module to also be installed in 

order to be managed (it‘s not the case for HP VC FlexFabric). This is because the VC Ethernet 

module contains the processor on which the Virtual Connect Manager firmware runs. 

The lack of some special features that is available in standard FC switches like ISL Trunking, QoS, 

long-distance support, and so on, for the external links from VC-FC to the core switch. ISL 

Trunking, Port Channeling between a VC module and an upstream Fibre Channel switch are not 

supported because Virtual Connect Fibre Channel modules must be connected to a data center 

Fibre Channel switch that supports N_Port_ID virtualization (NPIV). The NPIV standard requires 

external ports to be N_Ports and not E_Ports or F_Ports required for trunking. 

NPIV support is required in the FC switches that connect to the HP VC-FC and HP FlexFabric 

Modules —an issue if the FC switches cannot be upgraded to latest firmware. 

Does not support direct storage attachment (requires at least one external FC switch) because VC 

uses an N-port uplink requires to be connected to a FC switch, it can be connected to data center 

Brocade, McData, Cisco, and Qlogic FC switches that support the NPIV protocol. 

Considerations and concepts 7

Description of the VC SAN modules 

HP Virtual Connect 4Gb 20-Port Fibre Channel Module 

4 Uplink ports 4Gb FC [1/2/4 Gb] 

16 Downlink ports [1/2/4 Gb] 

Up to 128 virtual machines running on the 

same physical server to access separate 

storage resources 



16 Downlink ports [1/2/4/8 Gb] 






16 Downlink ports [1/2/4/8 Gb] 




HP Virtual Connect FlexFabric 10Gb/24-Port Module 

X1 – X4 

Uplink ports available 

for FC connection 

[2/4/8 Gb] 


16 Downlink ports [FlexHBA: any speed] 




Can be configurable 

as well as 

Ethernet 10Gb 


Virtual Connect Fibre Channel support 

Virtual Connect connectivity Stream documents describing the different configuration supported by HP are 

available on www.hp.com/storage/spock (HP Passport is required; if you are a new user, please click on 

―please register‖). 

For any specific supported Fabric OS, SAN-OS & NX-OS versions for SANs involving 3rd-party 

equipment, please consult your 3rd-party vendor. 

Virtual Connect 

From the HP StorageWorks SPOCK homepage, select Virtual Connect on the bottom left menu in the 

‗Other Hardware‘ section or use the following link to access directly to the VC web page: 

http://h20272.www2.hp.com/Pages/spock2Html.aspx?htmlFile=hw_virtual_connect.html 

Three connectivity stream documents are currently available, one for each Virtual Connect model type: 

FC and FCoE switches 

It‘s interesting as well to visit the SPOCK SWITCH page to get the supported configurations of the 

upstream switch connected to Virtual Connect. Details about firmware and OS versions are usually 

provided. 

From the HP StorageWorks SPOCK homepage, select Switch on the bottom left menu in the ‗Other 

Hardware‘ section or use the following link to access directly to the switch web page: 

http://h20272.www2.hp.com/Pages/spock2Html.aspx?htmlFile=hw_switches.html 



Supported VC SAN Fabric configuration 

To form a Virtual Connect SAN fabric correctly, participating uplinks must be connected to the same SAN 

fabric: 

VC SAN 1 VC SAN 2 

VC SAN 1 

VC SAN Fabrics defined 

in the VC Domain 

VC-FC Module 

VC-FC Module 

Fabric 1 Fabric 2 


External Datacenter 

SAN Fabrics 

Different Virtual Connect SAN fabrics can be connected to the same SAN fabric: 

VC SAN 1 VC SAN 2 

VC-FC Module 

Fabric 1 

This configuration gives you more granular control over which server blades use each VC-FC port, while 

also enabling the distribution of servers according to their I/O workloads. 


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HP 4Gb VC-FC Module 

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SHARED: UPLINK or X-LINK 

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Remove management modules before ejecting sleeve 

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The following diagrams show two typical supported configurations for Virtual Connect Fibre Channel 

8Gb 20-port and Virtual Connect FlexFabric modules: 

Figure 1: Typical FC configuration with VC-FC 8Gb 20-port modules - Redundant paths - server-to-Fabric 

uplink ratio 4:1 

Storage Array 

Storage Controller 


Fabric-1 

Fabric-2 

SAN Switch A 

SAN uplink 

connection 

SAN Switch B 

LAN Switch A 

LAN Switch B 

FAN 

1 

FAN 

5 

Ethernet uplink 

connection 

SUS-1 

1 

3 

2 

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SUS-2 


connection 

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OA1 

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FAN 

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FAN 

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HP BladeSystem c7000 


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HP VC FlexFabric 10Gb/24-Port Module 

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S H A R E D : U P L I N K o r X - L I N K 

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Figure 2: Typical FC configuration with VC FlexFabric modules - Redundant paths - server-to- Fabric uplink 

ratio 4:1 

Storage Array 



Fabric-1 

Fabric-2 



connection 





connection 

SUS-1 

FAN 

1 

1 

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connection 

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HP BladeSystem c7000 

For more information about enclosure support, configuration guidelines, see the Virtual Connect Setup 

and Installation Guide 

http://bizsupport2.austin.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c01732252/c01732252.pdf 

Multi-enclosure VC Domain configuration 

Virtual Connect version 2.10 and higher supports the connection of up to four c7000 enclosures, which 

can reduce the number of network connections per rack and also enables a single VC manager to control 

multiple enclosures. 

A single set of cables can be used to carry all external Ethernet traffic from a single rack but the Fibre 

Channel data packets are not transmitted between modules therefore each Virtual Connect Fiber Channel 

module must be connected to the SAN Fabrics. 

Also when VC-FC is implemented in a multi-enclosure domain, all enclosures must have identical VC-FC 

module placement and cabling. This ensures that the profile mobility is maintained, so that when a profile 

is moved from one enclosure to another within the stacked VC Domain, SAN connectivity is preserved. 


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Console 

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52 

51 

50 

49 

Unit 

20% 

40% 

60% 

80% 

100% 

Mode 

RPS 

PWR 

Flashing=PoE 

Yellow=Duplex 

Green=Speed 

Figure 3: Multi-Enclosure Stacking requires all VC-FC modules to be connected to the SAN. 

Storage Array 



Fabric-1 

Fabric-2 




connection 



connection 

SUS-1 

1 

3 

2 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

1 

3 

5 

2 

4 

6 


connection 


7 

8 

SUS-2 

: 10Gb Stack Links 

For more information, see the Virtual Connect Multi-Enclosure Stacking Reference Guide 

http://bizsupport2.austin.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c02102153/c02102153.pdf 


Multiple-fabric Support 

Support for multiple SAN fabrics per VC-FC module is provided in VC firmware 1.31 and above. This 

feature allows the Storage administrator to assign any of the available VC-FC uplinks to a different SAN 

fabric and dynamically assign server HBAs to the desired SAN fabric. 

Server 1 

Server 2 

Server 3 

Server 4 

HBA1 HBA2 HBA1 HBA2 HBA1 HBA2 

HBA1 

HBA2 

VC SAN 1 VC SAN 2 VC SAN 3 VC SAN 4 

VC Domain 

VC-FC Module 

Fabric 1 

Fabric 4 


The Virtual Connect 4Gb and 8Gb 20-Port Fibre Channel modules support up to 4 SAN fabrics: 

VC-FC 20-port Module 

Fabric 1 

Fabric 4 



The Virtual Connect 8Gb 24-Port Fibre Channel module supports up to 8 SAN fabrics: 


Fabric 5 

Fabric 8 

VC-FC 8Gb 24-Port Module 

Fabric 1 

Fabric 4 


The Virtual Connect FlexFabric module supports up to 4 SAN fabrics: 

VC-FlexFabric Module 

Fabric 1 

Fabric 4 



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BL460c 

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NPIV 

For Fibre Channel connections, HP VC 4Gb FC module, HP VC 8Gb 24-Port FC module, HP VC 8Gb 20- 

Port FC module or HP VC FlexFabric 10Gb/24-port module uplinks can be connected only to Fibre 

Channel switch ports that support N_port_ID virtualization (NPIV). 

The use of NPIV allows the VC-FC modules to be connected to any switch supporting the NPIV protocol 

like data center Brocade, McData, Cisco, and Qlogic FC switches. 

To verify that NPIV support is provided and for instructions on enabling this support see the firmware 

documentation that ships with the Fibre Channel switch. 

The SAN switch ports connecting to the VC Fabric uplink ports must be sometimes configured to accept 

NPIV logins, see "Appendix C: Brocade SAN switch NPIV configuration" or "Appendix D: Cisco SAN 

switch NPIV configuration" or "Appendix E: Cisco NEXUS SAN switch NPIV configuration" depending on 

your switch model. 

Figure 4: NPIV requires a SAN switch between the VC Fabric uplink ports and the Storage Disk Array 

Storage Array 

Fabric-1 

Fabric-2 

HBA 1 HBA 2 

Blade Server 


UID 


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BL460c 

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Mgmt 

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Cntrl 2 

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Figure 5: VC Fabric uplink ports cannot be connected directly to a Storage Array (no NPIV support) 

Storage Array 

HBA 1 HBA 2 

Blade Server 

The VC-FC and VC FlexFabric modules are FC standards-based and are compatible with all other NPIV 

standard–compliant switch products. 

Due to the use of NPIV, special features that are available in standard FC switches like ISL Trunking, QoS, 

extended distances, etc. are not supported with VC-FC and VC FlexFabric. 


Port Group 

Beginning with version 1.31 of Virtual Connect Manager, users can group multiple VC Fabric uplinks 

logically into a Virtual Connect fabric when attached to the same Fibre Channel SAN fabric. 

VC Domain 



VC-FC Module 

VC-FC Module 

Fabric 1 

Fabric 2 

There are several benefits with Fabric port grouping; the bandwidth is increased, the server-to-uplink ratio 

is improved, a better redundancy is provided with automatic port failover. 

Increased bandwidth 

Depending on the VC Fiber Channel module and the number of uplinks used, the server-to-uplink ratio 

(i.e. oversubscription ratio) is adjustable to 2:1, 4:1, 8:1, or 16:1. So as few as two or as many as 16 

servers share one physical link on a fully populated enclosure with 16 servers. 

The use of multiple uplinks can truly reduce the risk of congestion. 

2:1 oversubscription with 24-port VC-FC modules: 

2:1 

VC-FC 

16 servers 24-port 8 Uplinks 


4:1 oversubscription with 20-port VC-FC modules and with VC FlexFabric modules: 

4:1 

VC-FC 

16 servers 20-port 4 Uplinks 

Dynamic Logins Load Balancing and increased redundancy 

When VC Fabric uplinks are grouped into a single fabric, the module uses dynamic login distribution to 

load balance the server connections across all available uplink ports. 

The port with the least number of logins across the VC SAN Fabric is used, when the number of logins is 

equal, VC makes a round-robin decision. 

Static Uplink Login Distribution has been removed since VC 3.00. 

Server 1 

Server 2 

Server 3 

Server 4 


HBA1 

HBA2 

VC Domain 


VC-FC Module 

Server 3 

Server 2 

Server 1 

Server 4 

Fabric 1 


Uplink port path failover: 

The module uses dynamic login distribution to provide an uplink port path failover that enables server 

connections to fail over within the Virtual Connect fabric. 

If a fabric uplink port in the group becomes unavailable, hosts logged in through that uplink are 

reconnected automatically to the fabric through the remaining uplink(s) in the group, resulting in autofailover. 

Server 1 

Server 2 

Server 3 

Server 4 


HBA1 

HBA2 

VC Domain 


VC-FC Module 

Server 3 

Server 2 

Server 1 

Server 4 

Fabric 1 

This automatic failover saves time and effort whenever there is a link failure between an uplink port on 

VC and an external fabric, and allows smooth transition without much disruption to the traffic. However, 

the hosts will have to perform re-login before resuming their I/O operations. 


Login Redistribution 

If a failed port becomes available again, the logins redistribution (or logins failback) is not automatic 

except if the Automatic Login Redistribution available with the VC FlexFabric modules is used. 

Server 1 

Server 2 

Server 3 

Server 4 


HBA1 

HBA2 

VC Domain 


VC-FC Module 

Server 3 

Server 2 

Server 1 

Server 4 

Fabric 1 

There are two Login redistribution modes: 

 

 

Manual Login Re-Distribution: When configured, a user is expected to initiate a Login Re- 

Distribution request via VC GUI or CLI interfaces. 

Automatic Login Re-Distribution: When configured, the VC FlexFabric module initiates Login Re- 

Distribution automatically when the time interval specified expires. 

Table 1: Manual and Automatic Logins Redistribution support 

Login Re-Distribution 

Mode 

Auto-failover* 

Auto-failback** 

VC-FC 

support 

MANUAL YES NO YES 

AUTOMATIC 

YES 

YES after link 

stability delay 

NO 

FlexFabric 

support 

YES 

(default) 

YES 

*: when a port in the SAN Fabric group becomes unavailable 

**: when a failed port returns to a good working condition 


Link stability 

This interval defines the number of seconds that the VC fabric uplink(s) have to stabilize before the VC FC 

module attempts to load-balance the logins. 

The administrator can configure the link stability interval parameter on a VC domain basis. 

Automatic Login Redistribution can be enabled for VC FlexFabric. For all legacy VC-FC modules, the 

Login Redistribution is manual only. 


Manual Logins redistribution 

To manually redistribute logins on a VC SAN fabric, select the VC SAN Fabric, then ‗Server connections‘ 

tab then click ‗Redistribute Logins‘. 

'Redistribute Logins' is only valid for a VC SAN fabric with Manual Login Distribution. 


Scenario 1: Simplest scenario with multipathing 

Overview 

This scenario covers the setup and configuration of two VC SAN Fabrics, each utilizing a single uplink 

connected to a redundant Fabric. 

Figure 6: Logical view 

on a fully populated enclosure with 16 servers 

Server 1 

Server 2 

Server 3 

… 

Server 16 

HBA1 HBA2 

HBA1 HBA2 

HBA1 HBA2 

… 

HBA1 

HBA2 

VC Domain 

Fabric--1 

Fabric--2 

VC-FC 8Gb 

20-port Module 

Fabric 1 

Fabric 2 

Scenario 1: Simplest scenario with multipathing 25

12Vdc 



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16 20 17 21 18 2 19 23 

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UID 


PS 1 

Cntrl 1 

1 2 DP1-A DP1-B 

1 2 DP1-A DP1-B 

1 2 3 4 

12Vdc 

UID 

Mfg 

Mgmt 

HP ProLiant 

BL460c 

UID 

NIC 

1 

NIC 

2 

UID 

Cntrl 2 


UID 

UID 

12Vdc 

Mfg 

PS 2 



0 4 1 5 2 6 3 7 

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16 20 17 21 18 2 19 23 

24 28 25 29 26 30 27 31 

1 2 3 4 

12Vdc 

Figure 7: Physical view 

Storage Array 

Fabric-1 

Fabric-2 

HBA 1 HBA 2 

Blade Server 

Benefits 

This configuration offers the simplicity of managing only one redundant fabric with a single uplink. 

Transparent failover is managed by a multipathing I/O driver running in the server Operation System. 

This scenario maximizes the use of the VC Fabric uplink ports, reduces the total number of switch ports 

needed in the datacenter and saves money as Fabric ports can be expensive. 

Considerations 

In a fully populated c7000 enclosure, the server-to-uplink ratio is 16:1; this configuration may result in 

poor response time and may require particular performance monitoring attention. 

A failure somewhere between VC and the external fabric can disrupt all server I/O operations if a 

properly configured multipathing I/O driver running in the server Operating System is not used. 

The SAN switch ports connecting to the VC-FC modules must be configured to accept NPIV logins. 

Requirements 

This configuration requires two VC SAN fabrics with two SAN switches that support NPIV, at least two 

VC-FC modules, and at least two VC fabric uplink ports connected to the redundant SAN fabric. 


For more information about configuring FC switches for NPIV, see "Appendix C: Brocade SAN switch 

NPIV configuration" or "Appendix D: Cisco SAN switch NPIV configuration" or "Appendix E: Cisco 

NEXUS SAN switch NPIV configuration" depending on your switch model. 

Installation and configuration 

Switch configuration 

Appendices B, C and D provide the steps required to configure NPIV on the upstream SAN switch in a 

Brocade, Cisco Nexus or Cisco MDS Fiber Channel infrastructure. 

VC CLI commands 

In addition to the GUI, many of the configuration settings within VC can be also be accomplished via a 

CLI command set. In order to connect to VC via a CLI, open an SSH connection to the IP address of the 

active VCM. Once logged in, VC provides a CLI with help menus. The Virtual Connect CLI guide also 

provides many useful examples. Throughout this scenario the CLI commands to configure VC for each 

setting are provided. 

Configuring the VC module 

Physically connect Port 1 on the first VC-FC module to switch port in SAN Fabric 1 

Physically connect Port 1 on the second VC-FC module to switch port in SAN Fabric 2 

Defining a new VC SAN Fabric via GUI 

To configure the VC-FC modules from the HP Virtual Connect Manager GUI: 


1. Create a VC SAN Fabric by selecting Define SAN Fabric from the VC Home page 

The Define Fabric screen appears. 

2. Provide the VC Fabric Name, in this case Fabric-1 and add the Fabric uplink Port 1 from the first VC- 

FC module. 

3. On the SAN Fabrics screen, right-click with the mouse above a row to access the context menu and 

select Add 


4. Create a new VC Fabric named Fabric_2. Under Enclosure Uplink Ports, add Port 1 from the second 

VC-FC module, and then click Apply. 

Two VC SAN fabrics have been created, each with one uplink port allocated from one VC module. 


Defining a new VC SAN Fabric via CLI 

To configure the VC-FC modules from the CLI: 

1. Log in to the Virtual Connect Manager CLI using your favorite tool. 

2. Enter the following commands to create the fabrics and assign the uplink ports: 

add fabric Fabric_1 Bay=5 Ports=1 

add fabric Fabric_2 Bay=6 Ports=1 

3. When complete, run the show fabric command. 


Blade Server configuration 

Server profile configuration steps can be found in Appendix A. 

Verification 

Verifications and troubleshooting steps are covered in Appendix G. 

Summary 

In this scenario we have created two FC SAN Fabrics, utilizing a single uplink each; this is the simplest 

scenario that can be used to maximize the use of the VC-FC uplink ports and reduce the number of 

datacenter SAN ports. A multipathing driver will be required for transparent failover between the two 

server HBA ports. 

Additional uplinks could be added to the SAN fabrics which could increase performance and/or 

availability. This will be covered in the following scenario. 


Scenario 2: VC SAN fabrics with Dynamic Login 

Balancing connected to the same redundant 

SAN fabric 

Overview 

This scenario covers the setup and configuration of two VC SAN Fabrics with Dynamic Login Balancing 

Distribution, each utilizing two to eight uplink ports connected to a redundant Fabric. 

Figure 8 : 8:1 oversubscription with VC-FC 8Gb 20-Port modules using 4 uplink ports 


Server 1 

Server 2 

Server 3 

… 

Server 16 

HBA1 HBA2 

HBA1 HBA2 

HBA1 HBA2 

… 

HBA1 

HBA2 

VC Domain 

Fabric--1 

Fabric--2 

VC-FC 8Gb 


Fabric 1 

Fabric 2 

Scenario 2: VC SAN fabrics with Dynamic Login Balancing connected to the same redundant SAN fabric 32

NOTE: Static Login Distribution has been removed since VC firmware 3.00 but is the 

only method available in VC firmware 1.24 and earlier. Dynamic Login Balancing 

capabilities are included in VC firmware 1.3x and later. 

Figure 9: 4:1 oversubscription with VC-FC 8Gb 20-Port modules using 8 uplink ports 


Server 1 

Server 2 

Server 3 

… 

Server 16 

HBA1 HBA2 

HBA1 HBA2 

HBA1 HBA2 

… 

HBA1 

HBA2 

VC Domain 

Fabric--1 

Fabric--2 

VC-FC 8Gb 


Fabric 1 

Fabric 2 


Figure 10: 2:1 oversubscription with VC-FC 8Gb 24-Port modules using 16 uplink ports 


Server 1 

Server 2 

Server 3 

… 

Server 16 

HBA1 HBA2 

HBA1 HBA2 

HBA1 HBA2 

… 

HBA1 

HBA2 

VC Domain 

Fabric--1 

Fabric--2 

VC-FC 8Gb 


Fabric 1 

Fabric 2 


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1 2 DP1-A DP1-B 

1 2 3 4 

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BL460c 

UID 

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NIC 

2 

UID 

Cntrl 2 


UID 

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Mfg 

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24 28 25 29 26 30 27 31 

1 2 3 4 

12Vdc 


Storage Array 

Fabric-1 

Fabric-2 

HBA 1 HBA 2 

Blade Server 

Benefits 

The use of multiple ports in each VC SAN Fabric allows to dynamically distribute server logins across the 

ports using a round robin format. Dynamic Login Distribution performs auto-failover for the server logins if 

the corresponding uplink port becomes unavailable. Servers that were logged in to the failed port are 

reconnected to one of the remaining ports in the VC SAN fabric. 

This configuration offers increase performance and better availability. The server-to-uplink ratio is 

adjustable, up to 2:1 with the VC-FC 8Gb 24-port module (as few as two servers share one physical 

Fabric uplink) and up to 4:1 with the VC-FC 20-port and FlexFabric modules. 






The automatic failover allows smooth transition without much disruption to the traffic. However, the hosts 

will have to perform re-login before resuming their I/O operations. Only a redundant SAN fabric with a 

multipathing I/O driver running in the server Operation System can provide a complete transparent 

transition. 

Requirements 

This configuration requires two VC SAN fabrics with two SAN switches that support NPIV, at least two 

VC-FC modules, and at least four VC fabric uplink ports connected to the redundant SAN fabric. 







Brocade, Cisco MDS or Cisco Nexus Fiber Channel infrastructure. 








Physically connect the uplink ports on the first VC-FC module to switch port in SAN Fabric 1 

Physically connect the uplink ports on the second VC-FC module to switch port in SAN Fabric 2 


To configure the VC-FC modules from the HP Virtual Connect Manager home screen: 





2. Provide the VC Fabric Name, in this case Fabric_1 and add the uplink ports that will be connected 

to this fabric, and then click Apply. The following example uses Port 1, Port 2, Port 3 and Port 4 

from the first VC-FC module (Bay 5). 

3. On the SAN Fabrics screen, select a row and right-click to access the context menu and select Add. 


4. Create a new VC Fabric named Fabric_2 and add the uplink ports that will be connected to this 

fabric, and then click Apply. The following example uses Port 1, Port 2, Port 3 and Port 4 from the 

second VC-FC module (Bay 6). 

5. Two VC SAN fabrics have been created each with four uplink ports allocated from a VC module in 

Bay 5 and a VC module in Bay6. 






add fabric Fabric_1 Bay=5 Ports=1,2,3,4 

add fabric Fabric_2 Bay=6 Ports=1,2,3,4 





Verification 


Summary 

In this scenario we have created two FC SAN Fabrics with multiple uplink ports utilizing Dynamic Login 

Distribution which allows for login balancing and host connectivity auto failover. This configuration 

enables increased performance and improved availability. Host login connections to the VC Fabric uplink 

ports are handled dynamically, and the load is balanced across all available ports in the group. 

A multipathing driver will be required for transparent failover between the two server HBA ports. 


Scenario 3: Multiple VC SAN fabrics with 

Dynamic Login Balancing connected to the same 

redundant SAN fabric with different priority tiers 

Overview 

This scenario covers the setup and configuration of four VC SAN fabrics with Dynamic Login Balancing 

Distribution that are all connected to the same redundant SAN fabric. 

Figure 12 : Multiple VC SAN Fabrics with different priority tiers connected to the same fabrics 



Server 1 

Server 2 

Server 3 

Server 4 

… 

Server 15 

Server 16 

HBA1 HBA2 

HBA1 HBA2 

HBA1 HBA2 

HBA1 HBA2 

… 

HBA1 HBA2 

HBA1 HBA2 

VC Domain 

Fabric_1-Tier1 




VC-FC 8Gb 


Fabric 1 

Fabric 2 

Scenario 3: Multiple VC SAN fabrics with Dynamic Login Balancing connected to the same redundant SAN fabric with different 

priority tier 42

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UID 


PS 1 

Cntrl 1 

1 2 DP1-A DP1-B 

1 2 DP1-A DP1-B 

1 2 3 4 

HP ProLiant 

BL460c 

UID 

NIC 

1 

NIC 

2 

HP ProLiant 

BL460c 

UID 

NIC 

1 

NIC 

2 

HP ProLiant 

BL460c 

UID 

NIC 

1 

NIC 

2 

HP ProLiant 

BL460c 

UID 

NIC 

1 

NIC 

2 

12Vdc 

UID 

Mfg 

Mgmt 

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Cntrl 2 


UID 

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12Vdc 

Mfg 

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0 4 1 5 2 6 3 7 

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24 28 25 29 26 30 27 31 

1 2 3 4 

HP ProLiant 

BL460c 

UID 

NIC 

1 

NIC 

2 

12Vdc 


Storage Array 

Fabric-1 

Fabric-2 

HBA 1 HBA 2 

HBA 1 HBA 2 

HBA 1 HBA 2 

HBA 1 HBA 2 

HBA 1 HBA 2 

Blade Servers 

1 to 15 

Blade 16 




Benefits 

This configuration offers the ability to guarantee non-blocking throughput for a particular application or 

set of blades by creating a separate VC SAN Fabric for that important traffic, and ensuring that the total 

aggregate uplink throughput for that particular fabric is greater than or equal to the throughput for the 

HBAs used. 

In other words, this is a way to adjust the server-to-uplink ratio, to control more granularly which server 

blades use which VC uplink port, and also to enable the distribution of servers according to their I/O 

workloads. 


priority tier 43





The automatic failover allows smooth transition without much disruption to the traffic. However, the hosts 

will have to perform re-login before resuming their I/O operations. Only a redundant SAN fabric with a 

multipathing I/O driver running in the server Operation System can provide a complete transparent 

transition. 

Requirements 

This configuration requires four VC SAN fabrics with two SAN switches that support NPIV, at least two 

VC-FC modules, and at least four VC fabric uplink ports connected to the redundant SAN fabric. 




Additional information, such as over subscription rates and server I/O statistics, is important to help with 

server workload distribution across VC-FC ports. 












Physically connect the uplink ports on the first VC-FC module to switch port in SAN Fabric 1 

Physically connect the uplink ports on the second VC-FC module to switch port in SAN Fabric 2 


priority tier 44






priority tier 45

2. Provide the VC Fabric Name, in this case Fabric_1-Tier1 and add the uplink ports that will be 

connected to this fabric, and then click Apply. The following example uses Port 1, Port 2 and Port 3 

from the first VC-FC module (Bay 5). 



priority tier 46

4. Create a new VC Fabric named Fabric_1-Tier2. Under Enclosure Uplink Ports, add Bay 5, Port 4, 

and then click Apply. 

5. Two VC fabrics have been created, each with uplink ports allocated from one VC module in Bay 5. 

One of the fabrics is configured with three 4Gb uplinks, and one is configured with one 4Gb uplink. 


priority tier 47

6. Then identically, create two VC SAN Fabrics, Fabric_2-Tier1 and Fabric_2-Tier2 attached this time to 

the second VC-FC module, Fabric_2-Tier1 with 3 ports: 

and Fabric_2-Tier2 with one port: 


priority tier 48

7. Four VC fabrics have been created, two for the server group Tier1 with three uplink ports and two 

for the guaranteed throughput server Tier2 with one uplink port. 





add fabric Fabric_1-Tier1 Bay=5 Ports=1,2,3 

add fabric Fabric_1-Tier2 Bay=5 Ports=4 




priority tier 49




Verification 

After you have configured the VC SAN fabrics, you can select a Server Profile and choose the VC fabric 

to which you would like your HBA ports to connect. 

1. Select the server profile, in this case "Profile_1" 


priority tier 50

2. Under FC SAN Connections, select the FC SAN fabric name to which you would like Port 1 Bay 5 to 

connect. 

3. Make sure all the SAN fabrics belonging to the same Bay are connected to the same core FC SAN 

fabric switch. 


priority tier 51

View the SAN Fabrics screen. The upstream SAN fabric switch to which the VC module uplink ports 

are connected display in the Connected To column. Verify that the entries from the same Bay number 

are all the same, indicating a single SAN fabric. 

Same upstream fabric 

More verifications and troubleshooting steps are covered in Appendix G. 

Summary 

This scenario shows how you can create multiple VC SAN fabrics that are all connected to the same 

redundant SAN fabric. This configuration enables you to control the throughput for a particular 

application or set of blades. 


priority tier 52

Scenario 4: Multiple VC SAN fabrics with 

Dynamic Login Balancing connected to several 

redundant SAN fabric with different priority tiers 

Overview 

This scenario covers the setup and configuration of four VC SAN fabrics with Dynamic Login Balancing 

Distribution that are all connected to the different redundant SAN fabric. 

Figure 14 : Multiple VC SAN Fabrics with different priority tiers connected to different SAN Fabrics 



Server 1 

Server 2 

Server 3 

Server 4 

… 

Server 15 

Server 16 

HBA1 HBA2 

HBA1 HBA2 

HBA1 HBA2 

HBA1 HBA2 

… 

HBA1 HBA2 

HBA1 HBA2 

VC Domain 

Fabric_A-1 

Fabric_A-2 

Fabric_B-1 

Fabric_B-2 

VC-FC 8Gb 


Fabric 1A 

Fabric 2A 

Fabric 1B 

Fabric 2B 

Scenario 4: Multiple VC SAN fabrics with Dynamic Login Balancing connected to several redundant SAN fabric with different 

priority tiers 53

12Vdc 



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UID 


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1 2 DP1-A DP1-B 

12Vdc 

Cntrl 1 

12Vdc 



1 2 3 4 

HP ProLiant 

BL460c 

UID 

NIC 

1 

NIC 

2 

HP ProLiant 

BL460c 

UID 

NIC 

1 

NIC 

2 

UID 

Mfg 

HP ProLiant 

BL460c 

UID 

NIC 

1 

NIC 

2 

Mgmt 

0 4 1 5 2 6 3 7 

8 12 9 13 10 14 1 15 

16 20 17 21 18 2 19 23 

24 28 25 29 26 30 27 31 

HP ProLiant 

BL460c 

UID 

NIC 

1 

NIC 

2 

Cntrl 2 

UID 

UID 

Mfg 

PS 2 

UID 


12Vdc 

C I S C O S Y S T E M S 

DS-C9140-K9 

STATUS 

PS 

FAN 

Console 

MGMT 

10/1 0 

LINK ACT 

1 

5 

2 

6 

3 

7 

4 

8 

9 12 

9 

10 

25 28 

1 2 3 4 

25 

26 

1 

27 

12 

28 

13 16 17 20 

13 

14 

15 

16 

29 32 3 36 

29 

30 

31 

32 

17 

3 

18 

34 

19 

35 

20 

36 

21 24 

21 

2 

37 40 

37 

MDS 9140 MULTILAYER INTE LIGENT FC SWITCH 

38 

23 

39 

24 

40 

C I S C O S Y S T E M S 

DS-C9140-K9 

STATUS 

PS 

FAN 

Console 

MGMT 

10/1 0 

LINK ACT 

RS232 

4Gb 

2Gb 

1 

5 

1Gb 

2 

6 

3 

7 

4 

8 

1Gb 

2Gb 

4Gb 

RS232 

9 12 

9 

10 

25 28 

25 

26 

1 

27 

Invalid 

Address 

ID 

Hub 

Mode 

12 

28 

2Gb 

13 16 17 20 

13 

14 

15 

16 

29 32 3 36 

29 

30 

31 

32 

17 

3 

18 

34 

19 

35 

20 

36 

21 24 

21 

2 

37 40 

37 

MDS 9140 MULTILAYER INTE LIGENT FC SWITCH 

38 

23 

39 

24 

40 


Storage Array 1 

HP EVA HSV300 

Storage Array 2 

Host 3 

Host 2 

Host 0 Host 1 Fault 

Host 2 

Host 3 

1 

Host 0 Host 1 Fault 

Fabric 1A 

Fabric 1B 

HP 3PAR F-class 

Fabric 2A 

Fabric 2B 

HBA 1 HBA 2 

HBA 1 HBA 2 

HBA 1 HBA 2 

HBA 1 HBA 2 

HBA 1 

HBA 1 

HBA 2 

HBA 2 

Blade Servers 

1 to 14 

Blade 15 to 16 




Benefits 

This configuration offers the ability to connect different redundant SAN Fabrics to the VC-FC module 

which gives you more granular control over which server blades use each VC-FC port, while also 

enabling the distribution of servers according to their I/O workloads. 


priority tiers 54


Each Virtual Connect 4Gb 20-Port Fibre Channel module, 8Gb 20-Port Fibre Channel module and 

FlexFabric module support up to 4 SAN fabrics. Each Virtual Connect 8Gb 24-Port Fibre Channel module 

supports up to 8 SAN fabrics. 


Requirements 

This configuration requires at least two SAN fabrics with one or more switches that support NPIV, at least 

one VC-FC module, and at least two VC fabric uplinks connected to each of the SAN fabrics. 





server workload distribution across VC-FC ports. 












 

 

 

 

Physically connect some uplink ports on the first VC-FC module to switch port in SAN Fabric 1A 

Physically connect some uplink ports on the first VC-FC module to switch port in SAN Fabric 2A 

Physically connect some uplink ports on the second VC-FC module to switch port in SAN Fabric 1B 

Physically connect some uplink ports on the second VC-FC module to switch port in SAN Fabric 2B 


priority tiers 55





2. Provide the VC Fabric Name, in this case Fabric_A-1 and add the uplink ports that will be connected 

to this fabric, and then click Apply. The following example uses Port 1, Port 2 and Port 3 from the 


priority tiers 56

first VC-FC module (Bay 5). 



priority tiers 57

4. Create a new VC Fabric named Fabric_A-2. Under Enclosure Uplink Ports, add Bay 5, Port 4, and 

then click Apply. 

5. Two VC fabrics have been created, each with uplink ports allocated from one VC module in Bay 5. 

One of the fabric is configured with three 4Gb uplinks, and one is configured with one 4Gb uplink. 


priority tiers 58

6. Then identically, create two VC SAN Fabrics, Fabric_B-1 and Fabric_B-2 attached this time to the 

second VC-FC module, Fabric_B-1 with 3 ports: 

and Fabric_B-2 with one port: 


priority tiers 59

Four VC fabrics have been created, each with uplink ports allocated from one VC module in Bay 3. 

Two of the fabrics are configured with Dynamic Login Balancing, and one is configured with Static 

Login Distribution. 





priority tiers 60


add fabric Fabric_A-1 Bay=5 Ports=1,2,3 

add fabric Fabric_A-2 Bay=5 Ports=4 

add fabric Fabric_B-1 Bay=6 Ports=1,2,3 

add fabric Fabric_B-2 Bay=6 Ports=4 




Verification 

After you have configured the VC SAN fabrics, you can select a Server Profile and choose the VC fabric 

to which you would like your HBA ports to connect. 

1. Select the server profile, in this case "Profile_1" 


priority tiers 61

2. Under FC SAN Connections, select the FC SAN fabric name to which you would like Port 1 Bay 5 to 

connect. 

Make sure all the SAN fabrics belonging to the same Bay are connected to a different core FC SAN 

fabric switch. 

3. View the SAN Fabrics screen. The upstream SAN fabric switch to which the VC module uplink ports 

are connected display in the Connected To column. 


priority tiers 62

The VC module uplink ports are physically connected to four independent FC SAN switches: 

Different upstream fabrics 

The first redundant Fabric is connected to two Brocade Silkworm 300 SAN switches: 

 

 

Fabric_A-1 uplink ports are connected to FC switch 10:00:00:05:1E:5B:2C:14 

Fabric_B-1 uplink ports are connected to FC switch 10:00:00:05:1E:5B:DC:82 

The second redundant Fabric is connected to two Cisco Nexus 5010 switches: 

 

 

Fabric_A-2 uplink ports are connected to FC switch 20:01:00:0D:EC:CD:F1:C1 

Fabric_B-2 uplink ports are connected to FC switch 20:01:00:0D:EC:CF:B4:C1 

More verifications and troubleshooting steps are covered in Appendix G. 

Summary 

This scenario shows how you can create multiple VC SAN fabrics that are connected to independent SAN 

fabric switches, for example a first VC SAN Fabric can be connected to a Brocade SAN environment 

while a second one is connected to a Cisco SAN Fabric. This configuration enables you to granularly 

control the server connections to independent SAN fabrics. 


priority tiers 63

Scenario 5: SAN connectivity with HP Virtual 

Connect FlexFabric 10Gb/24-Port module 

Overview 

Virtual Connect FlexFabric is an extension to Virtual Connect Flex-10 which leverages the new Fibre 

Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) protocols. By leveraging FCoE for connectivity to existing Fibre Channel 

SAN networks, we can reduce the number of HBAs required within the server blade and the Fibre 

Channel modules usually required with Virtual Connect are not necessary anymore. This in turn further 

reduces cost, complexity, power and administrative overhead. 

Figure 16: Multiple VC SAN Fabrics with different priority tiers connected to the same fabrics 



Server 1 

Server 2 

Server 3 

Server 4 

… 

Server 15 

Server 16 

HBA1 HBA2 

HBA1 HBA2 

HBA1 HBA2 

HBA1 HBA2 

… 

HBA1 HBA2 

HBA1 HBA2 

VC Domain 





VC FlexFabric 

Module 

Fabric 1 

Ethernet 

only ports! 

Fabric 2 

This scenario is the same as scenario 3 with multiple VC SAN fabrics with Dynamic Login Balancing 

connected to the same redundant SAN fabric with different priority tiers but instead of using the legacy 

Virtual Connect Fibre Channel modules, it uses the VC FlexFabric modules. However, all scenarios from 1 

to 4 included in this cookbook can be implemented with the VC FlexFabric modules. 


priority tier 64

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1 2 DP1-A DP1-B 


X1 X2 X3 X4 

X5 X6 X7 X8 

HP ProLiant 

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BL460c 

UID 

NIC 

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HP ProLiant 

BL460c 

UID 

NIC 

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NIC 

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HP ProLiant 

BL460c 

UID 

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Mfg 

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UID 

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UID 

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0 4 1 5 2 6 3 7 

8 12 9 13 10 14 1 15 

16 20 17 21 18 2 19 23 

24 28 25 29 26 30 27 31 


X1 X2 X3 X4 

X5 X6 X7 X8 

12Vdc 


Storage Array 

Fabric-1 

Fabric-2 

Native Fibre Channel 



DCB/FCoE 

CNA 1 CNA 2 

CNA 1 CNA 2 

CNA 1 CNA 2 

CNA 1 CNA 2 

CNA 1 CNA 2 

Blade Servers 

1 to 15 

Blade 16 


priority tier 65

Virtual connect FlexFabric Uplink Port Mappings 

It is important to note how the external uplink ports on the FlexFabric module are configured. The graphic 

below outlines the type and speed each port can be configured as. 

 

 

 

 

 

Ports X1 – X4; Can be configured as 10Gb Ethernet or Fibre Channel, 

FC speeds supported = 2Gb, 4Gb or 8Gb using 4Gb or 8Gb FC SFP modules, please refer to 

the FlexFabric Quick Spec for a list of supported SFP modules 

Ports X5 – X8: Can be configured as 1Gb or 10Gb Ethernet 

Ports X7 – X8; Are also shared as internal cross connect 

Uplink ports X1-X4 support 0.5–5m length DAC as stacking or uplink 

Uplink Ports X5-X8 support 0.5–7m length DAC as stacking or uplink 

NOTE: Even though the Virtual Connect FlexFabric module supports Stacking, stacking only applies 

to Ethernet traffic. FC uplinks cannot be consolidated, as it is not possible to stack the FC ports, nor 

provide a multi-hop DCB bridging fabric today. 


priority tier 66

Figure 18: FlexFabric Module port configuration, speeds and types 

Four Flexible Uplink Ports (X1-X4) 

‣ Individually configurable as FC or Ethernet 

‣ Ethernet 10Gb (only), Fibre Channel: 2/4/8 Gb 

‣ FC uplinks - N_Ports, just like legacy VC-FC module uplinks 

Four Ethernet Uplink Ports (X5-X8) 

‣ Ethernet only (1/10 GbE) 

‣ SFP+ SR/LR/ELR/LRM/Copper DAC 

‣ Stacking supported for Ethernet Only (FCoE future upgrade) 

LAN 

SAN 

LAN 

Ports that can be enabled 

for SAN connection 

X1 X2 X3 X4 

16 connections to 

FlexFabric CNA‘s 

Individually Configurable 

10Gb Ethernet or Flex-10/FCoE or Flex-10/iSCSI 

NOTE: The Virtual Connect FlexFabric SAN uplinks cannot be connected today to an 

upstream DCB port because FlexFabric supports only a single FCoE hop at this time of 

writing. 

Legacy Ethernet and 

Fibre Channel networks 

Lossless Ethernet (DCB) 

DCB 


priority tier 67

Requirements 

This configuration with Virtual Connect FlexFabric requires four VC SAN fabrics with two SAN switches 

that support NPIV, at least two VC FlexFabric modules, and at least four VC fabric uplink ports connected 

to the redundant SAN fabric. 





server workload distribution across VC FlexFabric FC ports. 











Configuring the VC FlexFabric module 

With Virtual Connect FlexFabric modules, only uplink ports X1, X2, X3 and X4 can be used for Fiber 

Channel connectivity. 

 

 

 

 

Physically connect some uplink ports (X1, X2, X3 or X4) on the first VC FlexFabric module to switch 

ports in SAN Fabric 1A 

Physically connect some uplink ports (X1, X2, X3 or X4) on the first FlexFabric module to switch ports 

in SAN Fabric 2A 

Physically connect some uplink ports (X1, X2, X3 or X4) on the second FlexFabric module to switch 

ports in SAN Fabric 1B 

Physically connect some uplink ports (X1, X2, X3 or X4) on the second FlexFabric module to switch 

ports in SAN Fabric 2B 


priority tier 68


To configure the VC FlexFabric module from the HP Virtual Connect Manager home screen: 




priority tier 69

2. Provide the VC Fabric Name, in this case Fabric_1-Tier1 and add the uplink ports that will be 

connected to this fabric, and then click Apply. The following example uses Port X1, Port X2 and Port 

X3 from the first Virtual Connect FlexFabric module (Bay 1). 

3. The ‗Show Advanced Settings‘ only available with VC FlexFabric modules, gives the option to 

enable the Automatic Login Re-Distribution 

The Automatic Login Re-distribution method allows FlexFabric modules to fully control the login 

allocation between the servers and Fibre uplink ports. A FlexFabric module will automatically rebalance 

the server logins once every time interval defined in the Fibre Channel Setting ‣ 

Miscellaneous tab 


priority tier 70

4. Select either Manual or Automatic and click Apply 

Please note that if Manual Login Re-Distribution is selected, the login allocation between the servers 

and Fabric uplink ports will never change even after the recovery of a port failure and this will 

remain true until an administrator decide to initiate the server login re-balancing by pressing the 

Redistribute Logins button, accessed via the SAN Fabrics menu ‣ Server Connections tab. 


priority tier 71


6. Create a new VC Fabric named Fabric_1-Tier2. Under Enclosure Uplink Ports, add Bay 5, Port X4, 

and then click Apply. 


priority tier 72

7. Two VC fabrics have been created, each with uplink ports allocated from one VC FlexFabric module 

in Bay 1. One of the fabrics is configured with three 4Gb uplinks, and one is configured with one 

4Gb uplink. 

8. Then identically, create two VC SAN Fabrics, Fabric_2-Tier1 and Fabric_2-Tier2 attached this time to 

the second VC FlexFabric module, Fabric_2-Tier1 with 3 ports: 


priority tier 73

and Fabric_2-Tier2 with one port: 

9. Four VC fabrics have been created, two for the server group Tier1 with three uplink ports and two 

for the guaranteed throughput server Tier2 with one uplink port. 


priority tier 74


To configure the VC FlexFabric modules from the CLI: 









priority tier 75


Server profile configuration steps with VC FlexFabric can be found in Appendix B. 

Verification 


Summary 

This VC FlexFabric scenario shows how you can create multiple VC SAN fabrics that are all connected to 

the same redundant SAN fabric. This configuration enables you to control the throughput for a particular 

application or set of blade. 


priority tier 76

Scenario 6: Adding VC Fabric uplink ports with 

Dynamic Login Balancing to an existing VC SAN 

fabric 

Overview 

Benefits 

This scenario covers the steps to add VC Fabric uplink ports to an existing VC SAN fabric and manually 

redistribute the server blade HBA logins. 

This configuration offers the ability to hot add additional VC Fabric uplink ports to an existing VC SAN 

fabric and redistribute the server blade HBA logins. Ports can be added to decrease the number of server 

blades accessing the VC fabric uplinks to provide increased bandwidth. 

Initial configuration 

Two uplink ports per VC-FC modules are used to connect to a redundant SAN fabric. 

Figure 19: Initial configuration with 2 uplink ports 

Server 1 

Server 2 

Server 3 

HBA1 HBA2 

HBA1 HBA2 

HBA1 HBA2 

VC Domain 

Fabric--1 

Fabric--2 

VC-FC 8Gb 


Fabric 1 

Fabric 2 

Scenario 6: Adding VC Fabric uplink ports with Dynamic Login Balancing to an existing VC SAN fabric 77

1. Under Interconnect Bays on the left side of the screen, click a VC-FC module. The screen displays the 

server Blades currently logged in and provides as well the HBA WWN used by the servers: 

Two Uplink 

Ports 

NOTE: Since VC Firmware 3.00 release, the ―Connected To‖ information has been 

removed. In order to identify which uplink port a server is using, it is now necessary to 

look on the upstream SAN switch port information. 

2. To verify which VC SAN uplink port each server‘s HBA is using, from a Command Prompt, open a 

Telnet session to the upstream SAN switch (notice that the WWN of the upstream switch is shown in 

the screen, i.e. 10:00:00:05:1E:5B:2C:14) then enter: 


a. For a Brocade SAN switch: 

Portshow 

Figure 20: server WWN discovered for the first uplink port 

Two 

servers 

Port WWN of the VC-FC 

Figure 21: server WWN discovered for the second uplink port 

One 

server 


. For a Cisco MDS SAN switch (valid also for Cisco Nexus switches): 

show flogi database interface 

Figure 22: server WWN discovered for the first uplink port 


Two 

servers 

Figure 23: server WWN discovered for the second uplink port 

One 

server 


3. The upstream SAN switch shows that two servers (50:06:0B:00:00:C2:62:14 and 

50:06:0B:00:00:C2:62:20) are currently logged in to VC Uplink port 1 of the VC-FC module and 

that 1 server (50:06:0B:00:00:C2:62:18) to port 2 

Figure 24: Actual distributed logins across the VC-FC uplink ports 

Server 1 

Server 2 

Server 3 

HBA1 HBA2 

HBA1 HBA2 

HBA1 HBA2 

VC Domain 

Fabric--1 

Fabric--2 

VC-FC 8Gb 


Server 2 

Server 1 

Server 3 

Server 2 

Server 1 

Server 3 

Fabric 1 

Fabric 2 


Adding an additional uplink port 

An additional uplink port will be hot added to the VC SAN Fabric to increase the server bandwidth. 

Figure 25: Configuration with 3 uplink ports 

Server 1 

Server 2 

Server 3 

HBA1 HBA2 

HBA1 HBA2 

HBA1 HBA2 

VC Domain 

Fabric--1 

Fabric--2 

VC-FC 8Gb 



Via the GUI 

To add an additional uplink port from the GUI: 

1. Select the VC-FC SAN fabric to which you want to add a port. 


2. Click Add Port, select the port you want to add, and then click Apply. 

Via the CLI 

To add an additional uplink port from the CLI: 


2. Enter the following command to add one uplink port (port 3) to the existing fabric (MyFabric) with 

port 1 and 2 already member of that fabric : 

set fabric MyFabric Ports=1,2,3 


Login Redistribution 

The login redistribution is not automatic with the Manual ‗Login Re-Distribution‘ mode. So the current 

logins may not have changed yet on the module if you are using this mode. Connect to the upstream 

switch port information to see that WWNs have not changed for any of the uplink ports: 

Two 

servers 

One 

server 

NOTE: When Automatic Login Re-Distribution is configured (only supported with the 

FlexFabric modules), the login redistribution is automatically initiated when the defined 

time interval expires (for more information, see the Consideration and concepts 

section). 


Figure 26: Hot adding one uplink port to the existing VC SAN fabric do not automatically 

redistributed the server logins with VC-FC (except with VC FlexFabric) 

Server 1 

Server 2 

Server 3 

HBA1 HBA2 

HBA1 HBA2 

HBA1 HBA2 

VC Domain 

Fabric--1 

Fabric--2 

VC-FC 8Gb 


Server 2 

Server 1 

Server 3 

Server 2 

Server 1 

Server 3 



Manual Login Redistribution via the GUI 

1. To manually redistribute the logins, click SAN Fabrics on the left side of the screen to display the 

currently configured fabrics: 


2. Click on the Server connections tab, select the SAN Fabrics checkbox, and then click Redistribute 

Logins. 

3. A confirmation window appears, click Yes 

Manual Login Redistribution via the CLI 

1. Enter the following command to redistribute the logins via the VC CLI : 

set fabric MyFabric -loadBalance 


Verification 

Go back to the upstream switch port information to check again which server(s) is connected to each port: 

Figure 27: Brocade Port information 

One 

server 

One 

server 

One 

server 

The following diagram displays the newly distributed logins: 

Server 1 

Server 2 

Server 3 

HBA1 HBA2 

HBA1 HBA2 

HBA1 HBA2 

VC Domain 

Fabric--1 

Fabric--2 

VC-FC 8Gb 


Server 3 

Server 2 

Server 1 

Server 3 

Server 2 

Server 1 

Fabric 1 

Fabric 2 


Summary 

This scenario demonstrates how to add an uplink port to an existing VC-FC fabric with Dynamic Login 

Balancing enabled. VCM allows you to manually redistribute the HBA host logins to balance the FC traffic 

through a newly added uplink port. New logins will go to the newly added port until the number of logins 

becomes equal. After this, the login distribution uses a round robin method of assigning new host logins. 

Logins are not redistributed if you do not use this manual method. There is one exception with the Virtual 

connect FlexFabric module where an automatic logins redistribution is available with the possibility to 

configure a link stability interval parameter. This interval defines the number of seconds that the VC Fabric 

uplink(s) have to stabilize before the FC-FC module will attempt to re-load balanced the server logins. 

Logins redistribution can impact the server traffic as the hosts will have to perform re-login before 

resuming their I/O operations. However smooth transition without much disruption to the traffic can be 

obtained with a redundant Fabric connection and appropriate server MPIO driver. 


Scenario 6: Cisco MDS Dynamic Port VSAN 

Membership 

Overview 

Benefits 

This scenario covers the steps to configure Cisco MDS family FC switches to operate in Dynamic Port 

VSAN Membership mode. This allows you to configure VSAN membership based on the WWN of an 

HBA instead of the physical port, which allows an NPIV-based VC fabric uplink with multiple WWNs to 

be set up on separate VLANs. With standard VSAN membership configuration that is based on physical 

ports, you must configure all the HBAs on the uplink port to the same VSAN. 

Knowledge of Cisco Fabric Manager is needed to complete this scenario. More information can be found 

at the Cisco website (http://www.cisco.com). 

Additional information about setting up this scenario can be found in the MDS Cookbook 3.x 

(http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/storage/san_switches/mds9000/sw/rel_3_x/cookbook/MDScook 

book31a.pdf). 

This configuration offers the ability to configure the VC-FC fabric hosts to be assigned to different VSANs. 

Requirements 

This configuration requires a single SAN fabric with one or more switches that support NPIV, at least one 

VC-FC module, at least one VC fabric uplink connected to the SAN fabric, and a Cisco MDS switch 

running San-OS 2.x or 3.x, or NX-OS 4.x. Additional information, such as over subscription rates and 

server I/O statistics, is important to help with server workload distribution across VC-FC ports. For more 

information about configuring SAN switches for NPIV, see "Appendix B: Cisco SAN switch NPIV 

configuration (on page 115)." 


1. Log in to Fabric Manager for the MDS FC Switch. 

Scenario 6: Cisco MDS Dynamic Port VSAN Membership 90

2. Click the DPVM Setup icon. 

The DVPM Setup Wizard appears. 

3. Select the Master Switch, and then click Next. 

4. To enable the manual selection of device WWN to VSAN assignment, be sure that the Create 

Configuration from Currently Logged in End Devices is unchecked. 

-or- 

If you want to accept the current VSAN assignments, then check the box. This presents all the 

WWNs and VSAN assignments from the fabric. 


5. Click Next. 

6. Click Insert to add the WWN and VSAN assignments. 


7. Select all VC-FC fabric devices in the fabric for interface FC2/10. You must configure each one 

individually and assign the VSAN ID to which you want that WWN associated. 

8. After all WWNs are configured, click Finish to activate the database. DPVM database configuration 

overrides any settings made in the VSAN port configuration at the physical port. 


Summary 

This scenario gives a quick glance on how to follow the DVPM Setup Wizard to enable the MDS switch 

for the assignment of VSANs based on the WWN of the device logging into the fabric, and not by the 

configuration of the physical port. To get more details and steps not covered here, see the MDS 3.x 

Cookbook 

(www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/storage/san_switches/mds9000/sw/rel_3_x/cookbook/MDScookbook3 

1.pdf ). 


Appendix A: Blade Server configuration with 

Virtual Connect Fibre Channel Modules 

Defining a Server Profile with FC Connections, via 

GUI 

1. On the Virtual Connect Manager screen, click Define, Server Profile to create a Server Profile 

2. Enter a Profile name 

Appendix A: Blade Server configuration with Virtual Connect Fibre Channel Modules 95

3. In the Network Connections section, select the required networks 

4. Expand the FC Connections box, for Port 1, select Fabric_1 

5. Expand the FC Connections box for Port 2, select Fabric_2 


12Vdc 



0 4 1 5 2 6 3 7 

8 12 9 13 10 14 1 15 

16 20 17 21 18 2 19 23 

24 28 25 29 26 30 27 31 

UID 


PS 1 

Cntrl 1 

1 2 DP1-A DP1-B 

1 2 DP1-A DP1-B 

1 2 3 4 

12Vdc 

UID 

Mfg 

Mgmt 

HP ProLiant 

BL460c 

UID 

NIC 

1 

NIC 

2 

UID 

Cntrl 2 


UID 

UID 

12Vdc 

Mfg 

PS 2 



0 4 1 5 2 6 3 7 

8 12 9 13 10 14 1 15 

16 20 17 21 18 2 19 23 

24 28 25 29 26 30 27 31 

1 2 3 4 

12Vdc 

NOTE: The use of redundant FC connections is highly recommended for failover to 

improve the availability. In the event of a SAN failure, the multipath connection will use 

the alternate path so that servers can still access their data. 

Storage Array 

Fabric-1 

Fabric-2 

HBA 1 HBA 2 

Blade Server 

Also the FC performance can be improved with I/O load balancing mechanism. 


6. The following screen illustrates the creation of the Profile_1 server profile. 

NOTE: WWNs for the domain are provided by Virtual Connect. You can override 

this setting and use the WWNs that were assigned to the hardware during 

manufacture by selecting the Use Server Factory Defaults for Fibre Channel WWNs 

checkbox. This action applies to every Fibre Channel connection in the profile. 

7. Assign the Profile to a Server Bay and apply 


Defining a Server Profile with FC Connections, via 

CLI 

The following command(s) can be copied and pasted into an SSH based CLI session with Virtual Connect 

v3.10 (note that the command syntax might be different with an earlier VC version): 

# Create and Assign Server Profile ―Profile_1‖ to server bay 1 

add profile Profile_1 

set enet-connection Profile_1 1 pxe=Enabled Network=1-management-vlan 

set enet-connection Profile_1 2 pxe=Disabled Network=2-management-vlan 

set fc-connection Profile_1 1 Fabric=Fabric_1 Speed=Auto 

set fc-connection Profile_1 2 Fabric=Fabric_2 Speed=Auto 

assign profile Profile_1 enc0:1 

Defining a Boot from SAN Server Profile via GUI 

1. On the Virtual Connect Server Profile screen, click the Fibre Channel Boot Parameters checkbox to 

configure the Boot from SAN parameters 

2. A new section, the FC SAN Connections pops up, click the drop-down arrow in the SAN Boot box 

for Port 1, then select the boot order: Primary 

3. Enter a valid Boot Target name and LUN number for the Primary Port 


4. Optionally, select the second port, click the drop-down arrow in the SAN Boot box, then select the 

boot order: Secondary 

5. Then enter a valid Boot Target name and LUN number for the Secondary Port 

NOTE: Target Port name can be entered with the following format: 

mm-mm-mm-mm-mm-mm-mm-mm or mm:mm:mm:mm:mm:mm:mm:mm 

or mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm 

6. Then click Apply 


7. Assign the profile to a server bay then click Apply to save the profile 

8. The server can now be powered on (using the OA, the iLO, or the Power button) 

NOTE: A press on ‗Any key‘ for servers with recent System BIOS is required 

to view the Option ROM boot details. 


9. While the server starts up, a screen similar to this one should be displayed: 

Boot from SAN 

disk correctly 

detected 

during POST 

Defining a Boot from SAN Server Profile via CLI 


v3.10: (note that the command syntax might be different with an earlier VC version): 

# Create and Assign Server Profile ―Profile_1‖ Booting from SAN to server bay 1 

add profile BfS_Profile_1 

set enet-connection BfS_Profile_1 1 pxe=Enabled Network=1-management-vlan 

set enet-connection BfS_Profile_1 2 pxe=Disabled Network=2-management-vlan 

set fc-connection BfS_Profile_1 1 Fabric=Fabric_1 Speed=Auto 

set fc-connection BfS_Profile_1 1 BootPriority=Primary 

BootPort=50:01:43:80:02:5D:19:78 BootLun=1 

set fc-connection BfS_Profile_1 2 Fabric=Fabric_2 Speed=Auto 

set fc-connection BfS_Profile_1 2 BootPriority=Secondary 

BootPort=50:01:43:80:02:5D:19:7D BootLun=1 


Appendix B: Blade Server configuration with 

Virtual Connect FlexFabric Modules 

Defining a Server Profile with FCoE Connections, via 

GUI 

1. On the Virtual Connect Manager screen, click Define, Server Profile to create a Server Profile 

2. Enter a Profile name 

Appendix B: Blade Server configuration with Virtual Connect FlexFabric Modules 103

3. In the Network Connections section, select the required networks 

4. Expand the FCoE Connections box, for Port 1, select Fabric_1 

5. Expand the FCoE Connections box for Port 2, select Fabric_2 


12Vdc 



0 4 1 5 2 6 3 7 

8 12 9 13 10 14 1 15 

16 20 17 21 18 2 19 23 

24 28 25 29 26 30 27 31 

UID 

PS 1 


Cntrl 1 

1 2 DP1-A DP1-B 

1 2 DP1-A DP1-B 

12Vdc 


X1 X2 X3 X4 

X5 X6 X7 X8 

UID 

Mfg 

Mgmt 

HP ProLiant 

BL460c 

UID 

NIC 

1 

NIC 

2 

UID 

Cntrl 2 

UID 

UID 

PS 2 


12Vdc 

Mfg 



0 4 1 5 2 6 3 7 

8 12 9 13 10 14 1 15 

16 20 17 21 18 2 19 23 

24 28 25 29 26 30 27 31 


X1 X2 X3 X4 

X5 X6 X7 X8 

12Vdc 

NOTE: The use of redundant Fabric connections is highly recommended for failover to 

improve the availability. In the event of a SAN failure, the multipath connection will use 

the alternate path so that servers can still access their data. 

Storage Array 

Fabric-1 

Fabric-2 

HBA 1 HBA 2 

Blade Server 

Also the FC performance can be improved with I/O load balancing mechanism. 

6. Do not configure any iSCSI Connection when using a single CNA because the CNA Physical 

Function 2 can be configured as Ethernet or FCoE or iSCSI. 


7. The following screen illustrates the creation of the Profile_1 server profile. 

NOTE: WWNs for the domain are provided by Virtual Connect. You can override 

this setting and use the WWNs that were assigned to the hardware during 

manufacture by selecting the Use Server Factory Defaults for Fibre Channel WWNs 

checkbox. This action applies to every Fibre Channel connection in the profile. 

8. Assign the Profile to a Server Bay and apply. 


Defining a Server Profile with FCoE Connections, via 

CLI 


v3.15 (note that the command syntax might be different with an earlier VC version): 

# Create and Assign Server Profile ―Profile_1‖ to server bay 1 

add profile Profile_1 

set enet-connection Profile_1 1 pxe=Enabled Network=1-management-vlan 

set enet-connection Profile_1 2 pxe=Disabled Network=2-management-vlan 

set fcoe-connection Profile_1:1 Fabric=Fabric_1 SpeedType=4Gb 

set fcoe-connection Profile_1:2 Fabric=Fabric_2 SpeedType=4Gb 

assign profile Profile_1 enc0:1 

Defining a Boot from SAN Server Profile via GUI 

1. On the Virtual Connect Server Profile screen, click the Fibre Channel Boot Parameters checkbox to 

configure the Boot from FCoE SAN parameters 

2. A new section, the FCoE HBA Connections pops up, click the drop-down arrow in the SAN Boot box 

for Port 1, then select the boot order: Primary 


3. Enter a valid Boot Target name and LUN number for the Primary Port 

4. Optionally, select the second port, click the drop-down arrow in the SAN Boot box, then select the 

boot order: Secondary 

5. Then enter a valid Boot Target name and LUN number for the Secondary Port 

NOTE: Target Port name can be entered with the following format: 

mm-mm-mm-mm-mm-mm-mm-mm or mm:mm:mm:mm:mm:mm:mm:mm 

or mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm 

6. Then click Apply 

7. Assign the profile to a server bay then click Apply to save the profile 


8. The server can now be powered on (using either the OA, the iLO, or the Power button) 

NOTE: A press on ‗Any key‘ for servers with recent System BIOS is required 

to view the Option ROM boot details. 

9. While the server starts up, a screen similar to this one should be displayed: 

SAN volume 

correctly detected 

during POST by the 

two adapters 


Defining a Boot from SAN Server Profile via CLI 


v3.15: (note that the command syntax might be different with an earlier VC version): 

# Create and Assign Server Profile ―Profile_1‖ Booting from SAN to server bay 1 

add profile BfS_Profile_1 

set enet-connection BfS_Profile_1 1 pxe=Enabled Network=1-management-vlan 

set enet-connection BfS_Profile_1 2 pxe=Disabled Network=2-management-vlan 

set fcoe-connection BfS_Profile_1:1 Fabric=Fabric_1 SpeedType=4Gb 

set fcoe-connection BfS_Profile_1:2 Fabric=Fabric_2 SpeedType=4Gb 

set fcoe-connection BfS_Profile_1:1 BootPriority=Primary 

BootPort=50:01:43:80:02:5D:19:78 BootLun=1 

set fcoe-connection BfS_Profile_1:2 BootPriority=Secondary 

BootPort=50:01:43:80:02:5D:19:7D BootLun=1 

assign profile BfS_Profile_1 enc0:1 


Appendix C: Brocade SAN switch NPIV 

configuration 

Enabling NPIV using the GUI 

1. Log on to the SAN switch using the IP address and a web browser. After you are authenticated, the 

switch home page appears. 

2. Click Port Admin. The Port Administration screen appears. 

3. If you are in Basic Mode, click Show Advanced Mode in the top right corner. When you are in 

Advanced Mode, the Show Basic Mode button appears. 

4. Select the port you want to enable with NPIV, in this case, Port 13. When NPIV is disabled, the 

NPIV Enabled field shows a value of false. 

Appendix C: Brocade SAN switch NPIV configuration 111

5. To enable NPIV on this port, click Enable NPIV under the General tab, and then confirm your 

selection. The NPIV Enabled entry shows a value of true. 

Enabling NPIV using the CLI 

1. Initiate a telnet session to the switch, and then authenticate your account. The Brocade Fabric OS CLI 

appears. 

2. To enable or disable NPIV on a port-by-port basis, use the portCfgNPIVPort command. 

For example, to enable NPIV on port 13, enter the following command: 

portCfgNPIVPort 13 1 

where 1 indicates that NPIV is enabled (0 indicates that NPIV is disabled). 


3. To be sure that the port is enabled, enter the switchshow command. 

NPIV is enabled and 

detected on that port 

4. To be sure that NPIV is enabled and operational on a specific port, use the portshow command. 

For example, to display information for Port 13, enter the following: 

portshow 13 

In the portWwn of device(s) connected entry, more than one HBA appears. This indicates a 

successful implementation of VC-FC. On the enclosure, two server blade HBAs are installed and 

powered on, and either an HBA driver is loaded or the HBA BIOS utility is active. 


The third WWN on the port is the VC module (currently, all VC-FC modules use the 20:00…range). 

Two servers are currently connected 


Recommendations 

When VC-FC 8Gb 20-port module or VC FlexFabric 10Gb/24-port module Fibre Channel uplink ports 

are configured to operate at 8Gb speed, and connecting to HP B-series Fibre Channel SAN switches, the 

minimum supported version of the Brocade Fabric OS (FOS) is v6.4.x. 

In addition, ―FillWord‖ on those switch ports must be configured with option Mode 3 to prevent 

connectivity issues at 8Gb speed. 

On HP B-series FC switches, use the portCfgFillWord (portCfgFillWord ) 

command to configure this setting: 

Mode 

Mode 0 

Mode 1 

Mode 2 

Mode 3 

Link Init/Fill Word 

IDLE / IDLE 

ARBF / ARBF 

IDLE / ARBF 

If ARBF / ARBF fails, use IDLE / ARBF 

Modes 2 and 3 are compliant with FC-FS-3 specifications (standards specify the IDLE/ARBG behavior of 

Mode 2, which is used by Mode 3 if ARBF/ARBFfails after 3 attempts). For most environments, Brocade 

recommends using Mode 3, as it provides more flexibility and compatibility with a wide range of 

devices. In the event that the default setting or Mode 3 does not work with a particular device, contact 

your switch vendor for further assistance. 


Appendix D: Cisco MDS SAN switch NPIV 

configuration 


Most Cisco MDS Fibre Channel switches running SAN-OS 3.1 (2a) or later support NPIV. 

To enable NPIV on Cisco Fibre Channel switches: 

1. From the Cisco Device Manager, click Admin, and then select Feature Control. 

The Feature Control screen appears. 

2. Click npiv. 

3. In the Action column select enable, and then click Apply. 

Appendix D: Cisco MDS SAN switch NPIV configuration 115

4. Click Close to return to the Device Manager screen. 

5. To verify that NPIV is enabled on a specific port, double-click the port you want to check. 


6. Click the FLOGI tab. 

In the PortName column, more than one HBA appears. This indicates a successful implementation of 

VC-FC. 



7. To verify that NPIV is enabled, enter following command: 

CiscoSANswitch# show running-config 

If the npiv enable entry does not appear in the list, NPIV is not enabled on the switch. 

8. To enable NPIV, use the following commands from global config mode: 

CiscoSANswitch# config terminal 

CiscoSANswitch# NPIV enable 

CiscoSANswitch# exit 

CiscoSANswitch# copy running-config startup-config 


NPIV is enabled globally on the switch on all ports and all VSANs 

9. To disable NPIV, enter the no npiv enable command. 

10. To verify that NPIV is enabled on a specific port, enter following command for port ext1: 

CiscoSANswitch# show flogi database interface ext1 


Four servers are 

currently connected 

In the PORT NAME column, more than one HBA appears. This indicates a successful implementation 

of VC-FC. On the enclosure, two server blade HBAs are installed and powered on, and either an 

HBA driver is loaded or the HBA BIOS utility is active. The third WWN on the port is the VC module 

(currently, all VC-FC modules use the 20:00…range). 

11. If the VC module is the only device on the port, verify that: 

a. A VC profile is applied to at least one server blade. 

b. At least one server blade with a profile applied is powered on. 

c. At least one server blade with a profile applied has an HBA driver loaded. 

d. You are using the latest BIOS version on your HBA. 


Appendix E: Cisco Nexus Switch NPIV 

configuration 


To enable NPIV on Nexus switch: 

1. From the Cisco Device Manager, click Admin, and then select Feature Control. 

The Feature Control screen appears. 

Appendix E: Cisco Nexus Switch NPIV configuration 120

2. Click npiv. 

3. In the Action column select enable, and then click Apply. 


4. Click Close to return to the Device Manager screen. 

5. Make sure you enable the FC interface you want to use to connect the VC-FC module. Right-click on 

the FC interface where VC-FC has been connected then select Enable. 

6. To verify that NPIV is enabled on a specific port, double-click the port you want to check. 


7. Click the FLOGI tab. 

In the PortName column, more than one HBA appears. This indicates a successful implementation of 

VC-FC. 


1. To verify that NPIV is enabled, enter following command: 

Nexus-switch#show npiv status 

2. You can also use: 

Nexus-switch# show running-config 


If the feature npiv entry does not appear in the list, NPIV is not enabled on the switch. 

3. To enable NPIV, use the following commands from global config mode: 

Nexus-switch# config terminal 

Nexus-switch(config)# feature NPIV 

Nexus-switch(config)# exit 

Nexus-switch# copy running-config startup-config 

Depending on the IOS version, it might be necessary sometimes to enable first FCoE to get access to 

the feature NPIV command, in this case, enter: 

Nexus-switch(config)# feature FCOE 

Nexus-switch(config)# feature NPIV 

NPIV is enabled globally on the switch on all ports and all VSANs. 

4. To disable NPIV, enter: 

Nexus-switch(config)# no feature npiv 

5. To enable a Fiber Channel interface enter: 

Nexus-switch(config)# interface fc2/1 

Nexus-switch(config-if)# no shutdown 

6. To check an FC interface status, enter: 

Nexus-switch#show interface fc2/1 


7. To verify that NPIV is properly detected on a specific port, enter following command for port fc2/1: 

Nexus-switch# show flogi database interface fc2/1 

In the PORT NAME column, more than one HBA appears (2). This indicates a successful 

implementation of VC-FC. On the enclosure, two server blade HBAs are installed and powered on, 

and either an HBA driver is loaded or the HBA BIOS utility is active. 

The third WWN on the port is the VC module (currently, all VC-FC modules use the 20:00…range). 


Two servers are 

currently connected 

If NPIV is not detected, a No flogi sessions found is return 


1. If the VC module is the only device on the fc port, verify that: 

a. A VC profile is applied to at least one server blade. 

b. At least one server blade with a profile applied is powered on. 

c. At least one server blade with a profile applied has an HBA driver loaded. 

d. You are using the latest BIOS version on your HBA. 


Appendix F: Static Login Distribution Scenario 

with VC Firmware 1.24 and earlier 

Overview 

This scenario covers the setup and configuration of a single VC fabric with Static Login Distribution. Static 

Login Distribution permanently maps the server connection to a specific uplink port. 




Benefits 

This configuration offers the simplicity of managing only one fabric and allows you to see where each 

server login will be mapped so that server login distribution can be manually balanced across the VC-FC 

uplink ports. 

Requirements 

This configuration requires a single SAN fabric with one or more switches that support NPIV, at least one 

VC-FC module, and at least one VC fabric uplink connected to the SAN fabric. Additional information, 

such as over subscription rates and server I/O statistics, is important to help with server login distribution 

across VC-FC ports. For more information about configuring SAN switches for NPIV, see "Appendix A: 

Brocade SAN switch NPIV configuration (on page 106)," or "Appendix B: Cisco SAN switch NPIV 

configuration (on page 115)," depending on your switch model. 

The following table lists the static login mappings for all server blades in an enclosure with VC firmware 

1.3x or later (login mappings are different for enclosures with VC firmware prior to 1.3x). The static 

mapping will change based on the number of VC fabric uplinks connected to the fabric switch. 

Number of uplinks 

1 uplink 

(Either uplink 1, 2, 3, or 4) 

2 uplinks in any combination 

(1-2, 1-3, 1-4, 2-3, 2-4, or 3-4) 

3 uplinks in any combination 

(1-2-3, 1-2-4, 1-3-4, or 2-3-4) 

FC connectivity for device bays 

1-16 

Least # uplink: 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12,14,16 

Next # uplink: 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13, 15 

Least # uplink: 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16 

Next # uplink: 2, 5, 8, 11, 14 

Next # uplink: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 

Appendix F: Static Login Distribution Scenario with VC Firmware 1.24 and earlier 127

Number of uplinks 

4 uplinks 

(All uplinks 1, 2, 3, and 4) 

FC connectivity for device bays 

Uplink # 1: 1, 5, 11, 15 

Uplink #2: 2, 6, 12, 16 

Uplink #3: 3, 7, 9, 13 

Uplink #4: 4, 8, 10, 14 


To configure the VC-FC modules: 

2. Provide the Fabric Name, in this case "SAN5," and add the uplink ports that will be connected to 

this fabric. By default, every new SAN fabric is created with DYNAMIC Login Distribution. 

3. To configure the Login Distribution, click Advanced. The Advanced SAN Fabric Settings screen 

appears. 


4. Select Static Login Distribution, and then click OK. 

5. Create a VC server profile, in this case "Test3". 

6. Map the SAN fabric "SAN5" to HBA Port 1. The WWPN for HBA Port 1 is 

50:06:0B:00:00:C2:86:08. 

7. Assign the server profile "Test3" to server bay 3. 


Verification 

To verify that the server blade is logged in to the fabric using the VCM GUI: 

8. Click the Interconnect Bays link on the left of the screen. 

9. Click Bay 5. 

10. Be sure that the server in Bay 3 is logged in to the fabric with the assigned WWPN 

50:06:0B:00:00:C2:86:08. 

From the SAN switch side, you can use the Name Server to verify that the HBA port is logged in to the 

fabric. For example: 

11. Log in to the Brocade SAN switch. 


12. Click Name Server on the left side of the screen. The Name Server list appears. 

Summary 

When the VC-FC profile is assigned to a device bay, Port 1 of the HBA is connected to the specified SAN 

fabric. The host HBA port is statically mapped to the VC fabric uplink according to the bay in which the 

server blade is installed, the assigned VC fabric, and the number of uplinks associated with the VC fabric. 


Appendix G: Connectivity verification and 

testing 

Connectivity verification on the VC module 

To verify that VC Fabric uplink ports and the server Blade are logged in to the fabric using the VCM GUI: 

1. Click the Interconnect Bays link on the left of the screen. 

2. Click on the first VC-FC module (here Bay 5). 

Appendix G: Connectivity verification and testing 132

Or on the first FlexFabric module (here Bay 1). 

3. Be sure that all uplink ports are logged in to the fabric: 

i. With VC-FC module: 


ii. With FlexFabric module: 

Several reasons can lead to a VC Fabric uplink ports NOT-LOGGED-IN situation: 

i. Faulty cable, SFP+ failure, wrong or incompatible SFP used, etc. 

ii. Upstream switch does not support NPIV or NPIV is not enabled (See Appendix C, D and E 

for more information about configuring NPIV on FC switches). 

iii. Using a NON supported configuration, see the ―Supported VC SAN fabric configuration‖ 

section. 

iv. Uplink ports have been connected directly to a Storage Disk Array. 

v. You are connected to a Brocade SAN switch at 8Gb and you haven‘t configured the fill 

word of an 8G FC port, see Appendix C 

vi. Etc. 

To verify that the server blade is logged in to the fabrics using the VCM GUI: 

1. Boot the server blade. The HBA logs in to the SAN fabric right after the HBA Bios screen is shown 

during POST 


2. In the same Interconnect Bay screen, be sure that the server is logged in to the fabric: 

i. With VC-FC module: 


ii. With FlexFabric module: 

Several reasons can lead to a server ‗NOT-LOGGED-IN‘ situation: 

o The VC Fabric uplink ports are also in a NOT-LOGGED-IN state, see above. 

o Server is turned off or is rebooting… 

o Upgrade of the HBA/CNA firmware can be needed 

3. The same verification must be done also on the second VC-FC module or FlexFabric module. 

Connectivity verification on the upstream SAN 

switch 

1. You can use the Name Server to verify that the HBA port is logged in to the fabric. 

For example: Log in to the Brocade SAN switch GUI. 


2. Click Name Server on the left side of the screen. The Name Server list appears. 

3. From the Name Server screen, locate the PWWN the server uses (i.e. 50:06:0B:00:00:C2:62:2C) 

then identify the Brocade Port used by the VC-FC uplink (port 11) 

4. From a Command Prompt, open a Telnet session to the Brocade SAN switch and enter: 

switchshow 


5. The comment ―NPIV public‖ on port 11 means that port 11 is detected as using NPIV. 

6. To get more information on port 11, you can enter: 

Portshow 11 


Testing the loss of uplink ports 

In this section, we will test the loss of uplink port(s) in a VC SAN Fabric; confirm the port failover in the 

same VC SAN Fabric. Then we will test the loss of a complete VC SAN Fabric (all ports) and check the 

good working of the MPIO Driver. 

NOTE: To find more information about MPIO, visit the MPIO manuals web page 

We will make the test on a Boot from SAN server running Windows 2008 R2 with a MPIO Driver 

installed for HP EVA. This server VC profile has a redundant FCoE connection to reach the EVA: 

The WWPN of this server is 50:06:0B:00:C3:1A:04 for port 1and 50:06:0B:00:C3:1A:06 for port 2. 

Each SAN Fabric has been configured with two uplink ports (X1 & X2) belonging to two different 

modules: 

The HP MPIO for EVA properly detects the two active paths to the C:\ drive: 


The server is currently logged to the Fabric through Port 1 of the upstream Brocade SAN switch. This 

Brocade port 1 is physically connected to the VC FlexFabric module 1 uplink port X1: 

To verify the VC uplink port failover: 

1. Simulate a failure of VC fabric uplink port X1 by disabling the upstream Brocade port 1: 

NOTE: When the link is recovered from the SAN switch, there is no failback to the 

original port. The host stays logged in to the current uplink port. The next host that logs 

on is balanced to another available port on the VC-FC module. 


2. VC Uplink port X1 port status becomes Unavailable. 

3. Back to the Brocade Command Line, the port 2 information shows the new login distribution, the 

server is now using Brocade Port 2 instead of Port 1: 

This show that the server has automatically been reconnected (failed over) to another uplink port. The 

failover only takes a few seconds to complete. 

4. The server MPIO Manager shows no degraded state as the VC Fabric_1 remains good with one port 

still connected: 


5. Let‘s now disconnect the remaining port of Fabric_1, by shutting down port 2 on the Brocade SAN 

Switch: 

NOTE: Before you turn the port off, make sure both server HBA ports are correctly 

presented to the Storage Array. 

From the brocade Command Line, disable port 2: 

6. The new VC SAN Fabric status is now ‗Failed‘ as all port members have been disconnected: 


On the server side, the Boot from SAN server is still up and running with the server MPIO Manager 

showing now a ‗Degraded‘ state because half of the active path has been lost: 

The failover to the second HBA port took only a few seconds to complete and has not affected the 

Operating System. 


Appendix H: Boot from SAN troubleshooting 

Verification during POST 

If you are facing Boot from SAN problems with Virtual Connect, you can learn some interesting 

information during the server Power-On Self-Test (POST). 

Boot from SAN not activated 

During POST, the ―Bios is not installed‖ message means sometimes that Boot from SAN is not activated. 

Figure 28: Qlogic HBA showing Boot from SAN error during POST 

No SAN volume 

detected 


is not activated 

Appendix H: Boot from SAN troubleshooting 144

Figure 29: Emulex showing Boot from SAN deactivated during POST 



Figure 30: Emulex OneConnect Utility (press CTRL+E) showing Boot from SAN deactivated during POST 




Boot from SAN activated 

Figure 31: Qlogic HBA showing Boot from SAN activated and SAN volume detected during POST 


is activated 


detected 

by the adapter 


Figure 32: Emulex showing Boot from SAN activated and SAN volume detected during POST 


detected by the 

two adapters 


is activated 


Boot from SAN misconfigured 

Figure 33: A ‗Bios is not installed‘ message can be shown as well when Boot from SAN is activated but 

with a wrong Storage target WWPN 

Troubleshooting 

Main points to check when facing a Boot from SAN error: 

1. Make sure the storage presentation and zoning configuration are correct 

2. Under the VC Profile, check the Boot from SAN configuration, make sure the WWPN of the Storage 

target and LUN number are correct 

3. Make sure the VC Fabric uplink is logged-in the Fabric (see Appendix G) 

4. Make sure the FC/FCoE server port(s) are logged-in the Fabric (see Appendix G) 


Acronyms and abbreviations 

Term 

BIOS 

CLI 

CNA 

DCB 

GUI 

FC 

FCoE 

Flex-10 NIC Port* 

Flex HBA** 

FOS 

HBA 

I/O 

IOS 

IP 

iSCSI 

LACP 

LOM 

LUN 

MPIO 

MZ1 or MEZZ1; LOM 

NPIV 

NXOS 

OS 

POST 

ROM 

SAN 

SCSI 

SFP 

SSH 

VC 

VC-FC 

VCM 

Definition 

Basic Input/Output System 

Command Line Interface 

Converged Network Adapter 

Data Center Bridging (new enhanced lossless Ethernet fabric) 

Graphical User Interface 

Fibre Channel 

Fibre Channel over Ethernet 

A physical 10Gb port that is capable of being partitioned into 4 Flex NICs 

Physical function 2 or a FlexFabric CNA can act as eitheran Ethernet NIC, 

FCoE connection or iSCSI NIC with boot and iSCSI offload capabilities. 

Fabric OS, Brocade Fibre Channel operating system 

Host Bus Adapter 

Input / Output 

Cisco OS (originally Internetwork Operating System) 

Internet Protocol 

Internet Small Computer System Interface 

Link Aggregation Control Protocol (see IEEE802.3ad) 

LAN-on-Motherboard. Embedded network adapter on the system board 

Logical Unit Number 

Multipath I/O 

Mezzanine Slot 1; (LOM) LAN Motherbard/Systemboard NIC 

N_Port ID Virtualization 

Cisco OS for Nexus series 

Operating System 

Power-On Self-Test 

Read-only memory 

Storage Area Network 

Small Computer System Interface 

Small form-factor pluggable transceiver 

Secure Shell 

Virtual Connect 

Virtual Connect Fibre Channel module 

Virtual Connect Manager 

Acronyms and abbreviations 149

VLAN 

VSAN 

vNIC 

vNet 

WWN 

WWPN 

Virtual Local-area network 

Virtual storage-area network 

Virtual NIC port. A software-based NIC used by Virtualization Managers 

Virtual Connect Network used to connect server NICs to the external Network 

Worl Wide Name 

World Wide Port Name 

*This feature was added for Virtual Connect Flex-10 

**This feature was added for Virtual Connect FlexFabric 

Acronyms and abbreviations 150

Reference 

NPIV and Fibre Channel interconnect options for HP. BladeSystem c Class white paper 

http://h20195.www2.hp.com/v2/GetPDF.aspx/4AA1-2234ENW.pdf 

HP Virtual Connect 8Gb 24-Port Fibre Channel Module for BladeSystem c-Class - Data sheet 

http://h20195.www2.hp.com/v2/GetPDF.aspx/4AA2-4875ENW.pdf 

HP BladeSystem c-Class Fibre Channel networking solutions - Family Datasheet 

http://h20195.www2.hp.com/V2/GetDocument.aspx?docname=4AA1-0312ENW&cc=us&lc=en 

HP BladeSystem c-Class Fibre Channel networking solutions - Family Datasheet 

http://h20195.www2.hp.com/V2/GetDocument.aspx?docname=4AA1-0312ENW&cc=us&lc=en 

Please report comments or feedback to vcfccb@hp.com 

Reference 151

© Copyright 2011 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. 

c01702940, modified May 2011 

Reference 152

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