.Part 3 Host and Storage System Rules HP SAN Design Reference Guide 785353-001

Virtual Connect FlexFabric modules are more efficient than traditional and other converged network
solutions because they do not require multiple Ethernet and Fibre Channel switches, extension
modules, cables, and software licenses. Also, built-in Virtual Connect wire-once connection
management enables you to add, move, or replace servers in minutes.
For more information, see the product QuickSpecs at:
http://h18004.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/13652_div/13652_div.html
Virtual Connect Direct-attach Fibre Channel for 3PAR storage
The Virtual Connect FlexFabric 10 Gb/24-port Module supports direct-connection of HP 3PAR
StoreServ Storage Fibre Channel ports. This provides the option to deploy configurations with
c-Class BladeSystems and 3PAR storage without an intermediate Fibre Channel switch or fabric.
The result is a significant reduction in infrastructure costs and storage provisioning time, and an
increase in performance due to reduced latency.
NOTE: Virtual Connect Direct-attach Fibre Channel for 3PAR storage has minimum Virtual Connect
firmware and 3PAR firmware requirements. For more information, see the Virtual Connect and HP
3PAR storage documentation at www.hp.com/go/3PAR.
HP Virtual Connect Flex10/10D Ethernet Module for c-Class Blade System
The Virtual Connect Flex-10/10D Module simplifies server connections by separating the server
enclosure from the LAN, simplifies networks by reducing cables without adding switches to manage,
allows changes to servers in minutes, and tailors network connections and speeds based on
application needs. HP Flex-10 technology significantly reduces infrastructure costs by increasing
the number of NICs per connection without adding extra blade I/O modules, reducing cabling
uplinks to the data center network.
• Dual-hop FCoE support allows FCoE traffic to be propagated out of the enclosure to an external
FCoE-capable bridge
• Simplifies networks by reducing cables without adding switches to manage
• Allows you to wire once, then add, move and change network connections to thousands of
servers in minutes instead of days or weeks from one console without affecting LAN and SAN
• Each module has 30 ports for a total effective full-duplex bandwidth of 600 Gb and 10
dedicated SFP+ uplink ports, which can be 1GbE or 10GbE
• Reduces network overhead costs by wiring once and making changes dynamically without
additional network administrative support. Unlike other network virtualization offerings, Virtual
Connect does not require manual changes to network connections each time a server is added
or moved
• Eliminates network sprawl at the server edge and saves up to 47% on upstream ToR switch
cable connections. For more information, see the product QuickSpecs available at http://
h18000.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/14408_na/14408_na.html
HP Virtual Connect 8 Gb 20-Port Fibre Channel Module for c-Class BladeSystem
The HP Virtual Connect 8 Gb 20-port FC Module offers enhanced Virtual Connect capabilities,
allowing up to 128 virtual machines running on the same physical server to access separate storage
resources. With this module:
• Provisioned storage resource is associated directly to a specific virtual machine, even if the
virtual server is re-allocated within the BladeSystem.
• Storage management of virtual machines is no longer limited by the single physical HBA on
a server blade; SAN administrators can now manage virtual HBAs with the same methods
and viewpoint of physical HBAs.
168 Heterogeneous server rules