VCEM Profile Failover and Profile Moves

Important Notes concerning hardware compatibility
VCEM Profile Failover is built on the concept of Virtual Connect Domain Groups. These VC
Domain Groups ensure that a VC server profile running within them will have access to the
same IP and SAN networks, regardless of what VC Domain they are currently running in.
However, within any given Virtual Connect Domain Group, the HP BladeSystem servers may
not be interchangeable. A Domain Group can include servers which have different
processor types and memory configurations. Servers may also be equipped with different
mezzanine cards, potentially providing different access to LAN and SAN network
connectivity.
Other differences between source and target servers may impact the operation of the
operating system or applications after a move. When moving an image based on a blade
server, HP recommends the following:
• Run the latest versions of firmware on each system component of the source and target
system, particularly system ROM, ILO and HBA firmware.
• Include drivers in each system image for all mezzanine cards on each system. Mezzanine
cards on the target server which are not on the source server may interfere with a boot
process by causing the OS to prompt for the installation of different drivers. Mezzanine
cards should be in the same slot for both the source and target system.
• Standardize hardware configurations as much as possible. Subtle differences in system
hardware which are not reflected in the model or version number, such as changes within
network interface cards or host bus adapters, may interfere with a boot process by
requiring different drivers or configuration changes.
For maximum portability, some datacenter architects choose to configure each server blade
in the enterprise according to a single specification chosen to accommodate the demands of
most application workloads, and then test likely moves in pre-production situations. HP
recommends testing your workload on all target hardware platforms prior to production
deployment.
Installation and configuration checklist
This section covers what is installed and configured in advance of running VCEM.
All installations
All items must be installed and configured as described in the HP Virtual Connect User
Guide, please refer to 2 Installing and Configuring VCEM and 3 Managing VC Domains.
In addition to the requirements above, please note: Every enclosure name also must be
unique in VCEM.