HP XC System Software Hardware Preparation Guide Version 3.0

possible configuration choices. The main system administration branch of the network uses a Gigabit Ethernet
interconnect.
The Administration Network has at least one Root Administration Switch and can have multiple Branch
Administration Switches. These switches are discussed in "Switches" .
Administration Network: Console Branch
The Console Branch is part of the private Administration Network within the HP XC system that is used
primarily for managing and monitoring the consoles of the unique systems that comprise the HP XC system.
This branch of the network uses 10/100 Mbps Ethernet.
During the installation and configuration of the HP XC system, the administrative tools probe and discover
the topology of the whole Administration Network including the Console Branch. This information is used
by the tools to make recommendations for the possible configuration choices.
Your HP XC system will have at least one Root Console Switch with the potential for multiple Branch Console
Switches. Figure 1-1 shows a graphical representation of the Console Branch. On a large-scale system with
more than 512 nodes, the Root Administration switches in each region are connected to a Super Root switch.
Figure 1-1 Administration Network: Console Branch
Compute Nodes
Root Console
Switch
Head
Node
Specialized Role Nodes
Root Administration Switch
Branch Console Switches
Interconnect
The high-speed interconnect connects every node in the HP XC system and is dedicated to MPI communication
between processors and access to data in storage areas.
Large-Scale Systems
A typical HP XC system contains from 5 to 512 nodes. To allow systems of a greater size, an HP XC system
can be arranged into a large-scale configuration with up to 1024 compute nodes (larger systems may be
considered as special cases). This configuration arranges the system as a collection of HP XC systems that
are tied together through a ProCurve 2848 Ethernet switch.
The nodes of the large-scale system are divided as equally as possible between the individual HP XC systems,
which are known as regions. The head node for large-scale HP XC system is always the head node of region
1.
Administration Network: Console Branch 17