HP Cisco MDS 8/12c HP Virtual Connect: Common Myths, Misperceptions, and Objec
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- HP Cisco MDS 8/12c | HP Virtual Connect: Common Myths, Misperceptions, and Objec - Page 1
HP switch and may not be interoperable with 3rd party network switches ...7 #3: VC Ethernet doesn't support support support problems with VC deployment consistency 10 #13: VC doesn't support non-disruptive firmware upgrades ("hot code load 10 #14: HP support support user configurable Quality of Service - HP Cisco MDS 8/12c | HP Virtual Connect: Common Myths, Misperceptions, and Objec - Page 2
on FC uplinks to the SAN 17 #31: All VC-FC uplinks have to be connected to the same SAN fabric 17 #32: VC-FC does not support Cisco's VSAN or Brocades Virtual Fabric features 17 #33: VC implements an immature loop avoidance mechanism 18 #34: VC Uplink failures require re-convergence on the - HP Cisco MDS 8/12c | HP Virtual Connect: Common Myths, Misperceptions, and Objec - Page 3
basics of HP BladeSystem c-Class enclosures, HP BladeSystem c-Class server blades, and HP BladeSystem Virtual Connect. For additional information on these HP BladeSystem c-Class components, please visit: http://www.hp.com/go/bladesystem and http://www.hp.com/go/bladesystem/interconnects. Recommended - HP Cisco MDS 8/12c | HP Virtual Connect: Common Myths, Misperceptions, and Objec - Page 4
Ethernet or Fibre Channel switches to manage. a. Presents the entire c-Class enclosure to the LAN fabrics). As with any new product that introduces a new way of solving old problems Cisco and Brocade networks. HP provides extensive installation and integration documentation and professional services - HP Cisco MDS 8/12c | HP Virtual Connect: Common Myths, Misperceptions, and Objec - Page 5
an endpoint (like a server), it is incorrect to call VC a "switch". Important: Even though VC and server virtualization hypervisor networking technology similarities are being discussed, the two products provide a solution for completely different problems in the data center. As such, VC and server - HP Cisco MDS 8/12c | HP Virtual Connect: Common Myths, Misperceptions, and Objec - Page 6
VC uplink ports from VC-Enet modules residing in the I/O bays on the c-Class enclosure. The vNets can have one or more VC uplinks assigned to them to single host running a hypervisor. In other words, VC allows an entire c-Class blade enclosure to look to the network like one big hypervisor host. From - HP Cisco MDS 8/12c | HP Virtual Connect: Common Myths, Misperceptions, and Objec - Page 7
switch, will interoperate with any networking device that is also IEEE compliant. Virtual Connect provides network-vendor-independent connectivity for an HP BladeSystem c-Class enclosure. #3: VC Ethernet doesn't support VC domain. To ensure that this problem does not occur, customers have the - HP Cisco MDS 8/12c | HP Virtual Connect: Common Myths, Misperceptions, and Objec - Page 8
details on the supported MIBs and traps, please refer to the Virtual Connect User Guide for the switches. For additional information, see the section entitled "ACLs, VLAN ACLs and Private VLANs" of the whitepaper "Virtual Connect for the Cisco Network Administrator". 3 Not Supported by the HP - HP Cisco MDS 8/12c | HP Virtual Connect: Common Myths, Misperceptions, and Objec - Page 9
1.31 and above provides full support for VLAN Trunking to HP server blade NICs. Using Cisco switch port mode descriptions, VC supports "access" mode, "trunk" mode check pointing/synchronization across adjacent VC Ethernet modules within each c-Class enclosure. In the unlikely case a VC module fails - HP Cisco MDS 8/12c | HP Virtual Connect: Common Myths, Misperceptions, and Objec - Page 10
VC Manager interface (analogous to a supervisor module on a Cisco 6500) and the individual VC modules (analogous to the individual switch modules inserted into a Cisco 6500 chassis). The VC Ethernet modules in bay 1 and bay 2 of the c-Class enclosure work together to provide redundancy for the VC - HP Cisco MDS 8/12c | HP Virtual Connect: Common Myths, Misperceptions, and Objec - Page 11
blades. In addition, any LAN or SAN switch available for any vendor's blade chassis is unique, and therefore proprietary to that vendor's chassis. For instance, the Cisco Catalyst 3120G4 only works in the HP BladeSystem c-Class family of enclosures. The Cisco Catalyst 3130G5 only works in the DELL - HP Cisco MDS 8/12c | HP Virtual Connect: Common Myths, Misperceptions, and Objec - Page 12
IOS upgrade for full L3 routing) or using one of the other HP c-Class GbE2c blade switch options providing Layer 3 routing capabilities (for example, HP GbE2c Layer 2/3 Ethernet Blade Switch). Cisco's Data Center Infrastructure 2.5 Design Guide (link: see page 79) advises that data center access - HP Cisco MDS 8/12c | HP Virtual Connect: Common Myths, Misperceptions, and Objec - Page 13
or VACL configuration from external switches. For additional information, see the section entitled "ACLs and VLAN ACLs" on page NN of the whitepaper "Virtual Connect for the Cisco Network Administrator". #22: VC Ethernet doesn't support user configurable Quality of Service (QoS) features Correct: VC - HP Cisco MDS 8/12c | HP Virtual Connect: Common Myths, Misperceptions, and Objec - Page 14
Cisco 31208). The use of the IEEE standard version, LLDP, is recommended by HP supported maximums and what minimum firmware version required. Table 2. Nested NPIV Support cisco.com/en/US/docs/switches/blades/3120/software/release/12.2_46_se/release/configuration/guide/swl ldp.html 9 http://www.cisco - HP Cisco MDS 8/12c | HP Virtual Connect: Common Myths, Misperceptions, and Objec - Page 15
this problem since the server image (OS) will always see the VC managed MAC address and WWN regardless of which physical server the image is running on. • No Performance impact on network and storage devices Virtualized MAC addresses and WWN can require that a network device (for example, switch - HP Cisco MDS 8/12c | HP Virtual Connect: Common Myths, Misperceptions, and Objec - Page 16
using the VC managed address. No device on the network (VC or switch) is required to manipulate the server's frames. This results in absolutely server MAC addresses the same after hardware replacement. o Can cause problems with application licensing if application uses server's MAC address as part - HP Cisco MDS 8/12c | HP Virtual Connect: Common Myths, Misperceptions, and Objec - Page 17
o Prevents problems with application server from HP means things support Cisco's VSAN or Brocades Virtual Fabric features Incorrect: Virtual Connect can support both Cisco's VSAN and Brocades Virtual Fabric solutions. The Storage Administrator can create a VC SAN Fabric with the upstream FC switch - HP Cisco MDS 8/12c | HP Virtual Connect: Common Myths, Misperceptions, and Objec - Page 18
of as a traditional Fibre Channel switch. This reduces domain ID proliferation. Virtual Connect also supports this feature for reducing domain ID Cisco VFrame Data Center are products that target different problems within a customer's data center. Cisco VFrame Data Center is a network-driven service - HP Cisco MDS 8/12c | HP Virtual Connect: Common Myths, Misperceptions, and Objec - Page 19
on the VC module will still have connectivity through the alternate Cisco 6500 switch/module. #38: VC Ethernet does not support Unidirectional Link Detection (UDLD) Correct: UDLD is necessary to prevent a loop for switch ports using Spanning Tree to manage Layer 2 redundancy. VC, like hypervisors - HP Cisco MDS 8/12c | HP Virtual Connect: Common Myths, Misperceptions, and Objec - Page 20
Table 5. Supported SNMP objects Dot1dBasePortDelayExceededDiscards LAN and SAN switches. These HP designed and engineered features are provided to enhance HP server blade deployment and management for HP customers. These features are not provided by traditional LAN and SAN switches because they don't - HP Cisco MDS 8/12c | HP Virtual Connect: Common Myths, Misperceptions, and Objec - Page 21
administrator to any physical server blade in the c-Class blade enclosure. If using Virtual Connect Enterprise Manager, example, 10 server profiles in Virtual Connect for 10 new HP server blades that will be ordered in the future. Each profile switch nor provided by any other server blade vendor in - HP Cisco MDS 8/12c | HP Virtual Connect: Common Myths, Misperceptions, and Objec - Page 22
problems only affect a single blade enclosure - not the entire network. In addition, Virtual Connect's loop avoidance mechanism allows an entire c-Class consolidate their BladeSystem networking architecture, and provide more expansion capabilities than any other BladeSystem switch solution. Virtual - HP Cisco MDS 8/12c | HP Virtual Connect: Common Myths, Misperceptions, and Objec - Page 23
not have to change switch port settings (VLAN Supports centralized user management Provides VLAN tagging/trunking on server downlinks and uplinks Provides redundant and load balanced connectivity for c-Class enclosure to external LAN & SAN Provides network troubleshooting - HP Cisco MDS 8/12c | HP Virtual Connect: Common Myths, Misperceptions, and Objec - Page 24
external network Does not require configuration & management of traditional switches inside each blade enclosure Maintains consistent UUID for OS server admin moves server profile, an HBA's SAN fabric assignment automatically follows Maintains consistent PXE setting for - HP Cisco MDS 8/12c | HP Virtual Connect: Common Myths, Misperceptions, and Objec - Page 25
Table 6. Virtual Connect versus Traditional Ethernet or Fibre Channel Switches Description Virtual Connect Traditional Switches Device mis-configurations only affect network connectivity for blade enclosure and won't cause problems for external devices on the network (see #3) Enables - HP Cisco MDS 8/12c | HP Virtual Connect: Common Myths, Misperceptions, and Objec - Page 26
Connect Firmware: www.hp.com/go/bladesystemupdates HP NIC Teaming for Windows Whitepaper: ftp://ftp.compaq.com/pub/products/servers/networking/TeamingWP.pdf HP Services: www.hp.com/go/bladesystem/services BladeSystem Solutions: www.hp.com/go/bladesystem/solutions c-Class Port Mappings: • c7000 - HP Cisco MDS 8/12c | HP Virtual Connect: Common Myths, Misperceptions, and Objec - Page 27
Q2: Can I manually choose which port channel is the preferred channel for a vNet? A2: No, VC does not currently support setting the 'port Cisco's PAgP is not supported by VC. Future versions of VC may add additional features to enhance this functionality. For LACP to work properly on a Cisco switch - HP Cisco MDS 8/12c | HP Virtual Connect: Common Myths, Misperceptions, and Objec - Page 28
and VC does not support STP on the VC uplink ports. Q14: Should I expect BPDUs to be sent from the VC uplink ports to my external Cisco switch ports? A14: if you are using our Integrity blades with INP for Windows/Linux, APA for HP-UX, or Smart Load Balancing in Linux on x86. There are currently no - HP Cisco MDS 8/12c | HP Virtual Connect: Common Myths, Misperceptions, and Objec - Page 29
are using 10GBASE-LR or 10GBASE-SR modules. Since Cisco supports several port types, several transceiver types, and many different interface modules for their switches, HP does not test every combination. http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/modules/ps5455/prod_brochure0900aecd8034bba6.pdf - HP Cisco MDS 8/12c | HP Virtual Connect: Common Myths, Misperceptions, and Objec - Page 30
Port Trunk (Channel Group) Quality of Service (QoS) Definition Access Control List or frame exchanged between switches in the same spanning 100Mb to 10Gb. Only supported with Virtual Connect Flex-10 I/O modules. A that allows multiple WWNs to login to the fabric over a single N-Port. A group of two - HP Cisco MDS 8/12c | HP Virtual Connect: Common Myths, Misperceptions, and Objec - Page 31
and remove Spanning Tree as a loop management technology in largescale L2 Ethernet networks. Only available with the Cisco Nexus line of products. A hypervisor virtual switch. A software implementation of a layer 2 bridge as used by virtual server hypervisors. World Wide Name: Equivalent to a MAC - HP Cisco MDS 8/12c | HP Virtual Connect: Common Myths, Misperceptions, and Objec - Page 32
to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors
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Table of contents
Abstract
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3
Target Audience
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3
Prerequisites and Versioning
........................................................................................................................
3
Introduction
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3
Myths, Misconceptions and Objections
..........................................................................................................
5
#1: VC Ethernet is just another switch
........................................................................................................
5
Comparing VC and Server Virtualization Hypervisor Networking Technology
.................................
5
#2: VC Ethernet is really a ProCurve switch and may not be interoperable with 3rd party network
switches
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7
#3: VC Ethernet doesn’t support Spanning Tree (STP)
..............................................................................
7
#4: VC can cause duplicate MACs and WWNs on the network.
..........................................................
7
#5: VC users cannot leverage existing network management tools (for example, CiscoWorks)
........
8
#6: VC doesn’t provide secure external management
..............................................................................
8
#7: VC Ethernet doesn’t support Private VLANs
........................................................................................
8
#8: VC doesn’t provide deterministic load balancing for multiple LACP channels
...............................
9
#9: VC Ethernet doesn’t support VLAN Trunking to Server Blade NICs
.................................................
9
#10: VC Ethernet and Fibre Channel modules require a clunky hardware failure recovery (RMA)
process
............................................................................................................................................................
9
#11: VC doesn’t provide network visibility into the VC Domain for network administrators
.............
10
#12: Many customers experience problems with VC deployment consistency
...................................
10
#13: VC doesn’t support non-disruptive firmware upgrades (“hot code load”)
..................................
10
#14: HP server blade NICs stay active even after VC Ethernet uplink failure
.....................................
11
#15: VC is proprietary to HP; VC locks a user to a single blade vendor
.............................................
11
#16: VC modules form a master/slave relationship with separate IP addresses that aren’t
transferred during a failover. When multiple VC modules are present, only one module is elected to
forward traffic
..............................................................................................................................................
11
#17: VC only supports a limited number of VLANs
................................................................................
12
#18: VC Ethernet doesn’t provide Layer 3 routing capabilities
.............................................................
12
#19: VC’s CX4 cables are not ideal for 10Gbe uplinks because of distance limitation
....................
12
#20: VC doesn’t support stacking multiple VC modules
........................................................................
13
#21: VC doesn’t offer Access Control Lists or VLAN Access Control Lists (ACLs or VACLs)
..............
13
#22: VC Ethernet doesn’t support user configurable Quality of Service (QoS) features
....................
13
#23: VC Ethernet doesn’t provide diagnostic tools (SPAN)
...................................................................
13
#24: VC Ethernet doesn’t support the Cisco Discovery Protocol (CDP)
................................................
13
HP Virtual Connect: Common Myths,
Misperceptions, and Objections, Second Edition
A technical discussion of common myths, misperceptions, and objections to the
deployment and use of HP Virtual Connect technology