Setup and Install

Planning the installation 9
A basic VC domain includes a single HP c-Class BladeSystem c7000 Enclosure for a total of 16 servers (or
up to 32 servers if the double-dense option is enabled), or a single HP c-Class BladeSystem c3000 Enclosure
for a total of 8 servers (or up to 16 servers if the double-dense option is enabled). For more information on
the double-dense option, see "Double-dense server bay option." Within the domain, any server blade with
the requisite LAN or SAN devices can access any LAN or SAN connected to a VC module, and a server
blade of a given processor type (Integrity or X86) can be used as a spare for any server blade of the same
processor type within the same enclosure, as long as the server has the requisite number and type of
connections. Using the network access groups feature, the network administrator can clearly define a
separation of networks based on their allowed functionality and prevent the server administrator from
assigning specific network combinations in the same server profile.
By stacking (cabling) the VC-Enet modules together within the domain and connecting the VC-FC or
FlexFabric module FC uplinks on the same bay of all enclosures to the same FC switch, every server blade in
the domain can be configured to access any external network or fabric connection. With this configuration,
you can use VCM to deploy and migrate a server blade profile to any server in the Virtual Connect domain
without changing external LAN or SAN configurations.
Beginning with VC 4.10, the FTP service on VC-Enet modules is disabled by default. The VCSU software
temporarily enables and disables the FTP service during firmware upgrades of VC-FC modules as needed.
More recent versions of VC use SFTP instead of FTP for firmware upgrades.
Each version of VC is tested and supported with one or more SPPs. For a list of supported SPPs that must be
installed, see the VC release notes.
VC module supported firmware
The following table lists all Virtual Connect modules and the highest firmware supported on that module.
Module Highest VC firmware supported
HP Virtual Connect FlexFabric-20/40 F8 Module
4.31
HP Virtual Connect Flex-10/10D Module
4.31
HP Virtual Connect FlexFabric 10Gb/24-port Module
4.31
HP Virtual Connect Flex-10 10Gb Ethernet Module
4.31
HP Virtual Connect 8Gb 24-Port Fibre Channel Module
4.31
HP Virtual Connect 8Gb 20-Port Fibre Channel Module
4.31
HP Virtual Connect 4Gb Fibre Channel Module
4.31
HP 4Gb Virtual Connect Fibre Channel Module
4.01
HP 1/10Gb-F Virtual Connect Ethernet Module
3.61
HP 1/10Gb Virtual Connect Ethernet Module
3.61
Using multiple enclosures
Observe the following information:
• A single domain supports up to four c7000 enclosures.
c3000 enclosures are not supported in multiple enclosure domains.
• If double-dense mode is enabled in the Domain Setup Wizard, each enclosure can support a total of
128 servers.