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HP Brocade 8/24c HP Virtual Connect: Common Myths, Misperceptions, and Objecti - Page 14

: VC Fibre Channel doesn't support nested NPIV

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Cisco 31208). The use of the IEEE standard version, LLDP, is recommended by HP to ensure customers are not locked into a proprietary protocol. #25: VC requires a separate web management window to manage each VC module Incorrect: A single Web management window or CLI prompt is used to manage all VC modules in the same VC Domain. If using Virtual Connect Enterprise Manager (VCEM), a single VCEM User Interface can be used to manage server profile management (creation, deletion, movement, etc.) across up to 100 VC Domains. #26: VC doesn't support IGMP Snooping Incorrect: VC supports IGMP snooping for IGMP versions 1 and 2. #27: VC Fibre Channel doesn't support nested NPIV Incorrect: This feature is provided in VC version 1.31 and above. Below is a table outlining the supported maximums and what minimum firmware version required. Table 2. Nested NPIV Support Module VC-FC 4Gb module (409513-B21) VC-FC 4Gb module (409513-B22) VC-FC 8Gb 24-port (466482-B21) VC-FC 8Gb 20-port (572018-B21) NPIV Logins 16 per uplink; 12 per server downlink 255 per uplink, 128 per server downlink 255 per uplink and server downlink 255 per uplink and server downlink Minimum Module Firmware 1.20 1.20 1.00 1.40 #28: Virtualized MAC and WWN (NAT) features on some switches (for example, Cisco's FlexAttach9 feature) provide the same benefits as VC's Managed MAC addresses and WWNs Incorrect: One of the many features provided by Virtual Connect is the ability to "manage" the server blade MAC addresses. Specifically, Virtual Connect 'manages' the server blade MAC & WWN addresses. Virtual Connect does not "virtualize" the server blade addresses. Many VC administrators don't appreciate the difference between 'virtualized' addresses and 'managed' addresses. 8 http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/switches/blades/3120/software/release/12.2_46_se/release/configuration/guide/swl ldp.html 9 http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/ps4159/ps6409/ps5989/solution_overview_c22-489466.html 14

Section	Page
Abstract	3
Target Audience	3
Prerequisites and Versioning	3
Introduction	3
Myths, Misconceptions and Objections	5
#1: VC Ethernet is just another switch	5
Comparing VC and Server Virtualization Hypervisor Networking Technology	5
A Description of the Hypervisor Components	5
A Comparative Description of the VC Components	6
#2: VC Ethernet is really a ProCurve switch and may not be interoperable with 3rd party network switches	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
#25: VC requires a separate web management window to manage each VC module	14
#26: VC doesn’t support IGMP Snooping	14
#27: VC Fibre Channel doesn’t support nested NPIV	14
#28: Virtualized MAC and WWN (NAT) features on some switches (for example, Cisco’s FlexAttach8F feature) provide the same benefits as VC’s Managed MAC addresses and WWNs	14
#29: DHCP Option 82 provides the same server redundancy features as Virtual Connect	16
#30: VC-FC doesn’t provide login distribution and failover 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 external network and may cause dropped server sessions	18
#35: Cisco’s N-Port Virtualization (NPV10F ) or Brocade Access Gateway11F provide all the same advantages as VC-FC	18
#36: Cisco VFrame Data Center provides the same capabilities as VC	18
#37: VC Ethernet can’t be connected to Cisco 6500 switches using Virtual Switching System (VSS)	19
#38: VC Ethernet does not support Unidirectional Link Detection (UDLD)	19
#39: VC Ethernet only provides port counters on uplinks	19
#40: QoS can provide the same functionality of VC Flex-10	20
Unique Features Provided By HP Virtual Connect	20
Managed Server Identities	21
Internal Server Identity	21
External Server Identity	21
Preprovisioning Using Managed Server Identities	21
“LAN Safe” Network Connectivity	22
Consolidate Network Infrastructure with VC Flex-10	22
Server Adds, Moves, and Replacements are Transparent to LAN & SAN	22
Summary of the Virtual Connect Capabilities	23
Additional Resources and References	26
Appendixes	27
Appendix A: Frequently Asked Questions	27