HP Virtual Connect Flex-10 10Gb Ethernet Module for c-Class BladeSystem - Manual (Page 12)

Introduction 12
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.
Using multiple enclosures
Multiple enclosure support enables up to four c7000 enclosures to be managed within a single VC domain
for a total of 128 servers, if double-dense support is enabled while using the Domain Setup Wizard. There
are 16 half-height or 8 full-height server bays in a c7000 enclosure. A combination of full-height and
half-height servers can be used in the same enclosure.
Multiple enclosure domains are not supported on c3000 enclosures. The VC-Enet modules use stacking
cables between enclosures so that network traffic can be routed from any server Ethernet port to any uplink
within the VC domain. Since FC does not support stacking, the VC-FC or FlexFabric module FC uplinks on the
same bay of all enclosures must be connected to the same FC switch to enable profile mobility.
The management interfaces for all enclosure Onboard Administrators and VC modules within the same VC
domain must be on the same lightly loaded subnet and highly reliable network. Overloads or loss of
connectivity can disable configuration attempts until the connectivity is re-established and synchronized with
the domain. HP recommends that the Onboard Administrator IP addresses used be static. The Onboard
Administrator user credential for all enclosures must be consistent to enable VCSU firmware updates for VC
modules in the remote enclosures. All FC-capable modules in the same horizontally adjacent bay pair (bays
1-2, 3-4, and so on) must be of the same type and position in all enclosures.
Multi-enclosure double-dense domains require similar and compatible VC-FC modules in bays 5, 6, 7, and
8 in all enclosures if FC connectivity is required. If a multi-enclosure double-dense configuration contains
incompatible VC-FC modules in bays 5, 6, 7, or 8 in the local or remote enclosures, some or all of the
compatible VC-FC modules in the remote enclosures might be designated INCOMPATIBLE after import.
CLI command execution modes
The Virtual Connect Manager CLI provides two different methods for executing commands: interactive shell
mode and script mode. Script mode is the same as non-interactive mode.
Interactive Shell Mode
This mode is used to invoke CLI command operations with the dedicated management shell. The shell is
provided after you log in with valid credentials, and only accepts known VCM CLI commands as input.