HP VMA-series Memory Arrays VMA3205 & VMA3210 PCIe Direct-Connect Release Notes - August, 2012

For Direct Connect of the VMA-series Memory Arrays a single PCIe direct-connection to a ProLiant
DL980 G7 server is supported when running one of the following operating environments:
• DL980 running RHEL 5.7, 6.2
• DL980 running SLES 11 SP1
• DL980 running OL (RHCK & UEK) 5.7
• DL980 running Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1
Table 1: Support Matrix:
Server
Model:
Operating System:
Server
BIOS:
VMA Driver and
Utilities version **
VMA Array
Firmware
DL980 G7 Windows Server
2008 R2 &
Windows Server
2008 R2 SP1
BIOS
2012.05.01
• driver-storport-
D4.5.3
• driver-utils- D4.5.3
A5.1.3
DL980 G7 RHEL 5.7, 6.2
SLES 11 SP1
OL 5.7
BIOS
2012.05.01
• vtms-linux-driver-
D5.2.0.4
• vtms-linux-utils-
D5.2.0.4
A5.1.3
** NOTE: there are two binaries required, a driver and a driver utility binary; both must be
downloaded and installed on the OS for the VMA to function properly and have the CLI commands
to manage the array.
PCI-e cables and pass-thru adapter are not hot-pluggable. Direct connection to the VMA-series
array will require you to power down or reboot hosts when you have power-cycled VMA array. In
order to have the PCIe busses to the VMA array correctly connect to the hosts PCIe bus
electronically, you need to first power up the VMA array, wait until the PCIe indicators light (about a
minute) and then power up the server/host. If the host is powered up or rebooted before the PCIe
bus to the VMA array is up and stable, the VMA array may not identify and be discovered by the
host.
Blade servers cannot support direct-connect since there is no PCI-e pass-thru capability available
with blade server enclosures.
Not all VMA Features Initially Supported by HP
The VMA-series memory arrays (VMA) are external Flash memory (solid state) storage arrays
manufactured by Violin Memory. Not all features and configurations of the VMA-series arrays and
SAN gateway have been fully tested to expected level from HP and considered unsupported until a
later time. While the following features and configurations are described in the manuals, they are
not initially supported by HP:
• iSCSI or IB connectivity with the SAN Gateway are not supported at this time.
• Dual PCIe cables from a single array; this causes the PCIe cables to operate in slower x4
mode. Only single PCIe connect to an array via the Primary PCIe connection on the array is
supported. Up to eight VMAs can be connected to a DL980 G7 with appropriate
configuration and placement of the PCIe pass-thru cards in the server I/O slots.
• HP is not supporting connectivity to all the host OS’s mentioned in the manuals; only those
listed in Table 1 have been fully tested to the level of HP quality and are considered
supported.
• Only the VMA3205 (5TB) and VMA3210 (10TB) models are supported; other models with
other capacity and memory module capacities are not supported by HP at this time.