6.2 HP IBRIX 9000 Storage Network Best Practices Guide (TA768-96069, December 2012)

Unified network
The unified network is the recommended default configuration for IBRIX 9730 networking. This
configuration combines the cluster, user, and management networks onto a single IP network.
Subnets segregate the management network from the cluster and user networks, while still allowing
access for remote management. Modern high-speed networking hardware makes this combination
possible without unduly affecting performance. The unified approach provides ease of configuration,
improved remote management, and good performance.
Motivation
Benefits of the unified network:
• Simplified network configuration.
• Simplified initial cabling, with LACP trunking support for additional bandwidth.
• Easier customer integration into an existing network infrastructure. The customer no longer
needs to integrate a potentially foreign switch technology into the existing infrastructure.
• Remote access to c7000 management interfaces from the customer network, without requiring
an intermediate gateway. Enabling remote customer access to the server iLOs is especially
important.
• Better integration with central management servers such as HP-SIM.
• Best dynamic utilization of available network bandwidth.
Reasons to choose a different configuration:
• Physically separate the management network from the user and cluster networks for increased
security, better traffic management, and so on.
• Allocate maximum bandwidth utilization based on physical network segregation.
• Implement user network segregation based on the physical segregation of networks instead
of the use of virtual LANs.
• Accommodate customer implementations where the management and user networks have very
different physical bandwidths.
28 IBRIX 9730 platform networking