HP Virtual Connect 8Gb 20-port Fibre Channel Module for c-Class BladeSystem - Manual (Page 146)

Virtual Connect fabrics 146
Re-distribution allows server logins to be automatically redistributed to the newly available uplink ports
to avoid an unbalanced situation. In addition, VCM enables you to manually re-distribute server logins
at any time using the GUI or the CLI. For more information, see "Login re-distribution (on page
153 )."
DirectAttach VC SAN fabrics
Virtual Connect Direct-Attach Fibre Channel for 3PAR Storage Systems transforms the efficiency of server and
storage connectivity by eliminating the need for complex, multi-tier SANs.
DirectAttach fabrics require HP VC FlexFabric modules and are supported only with 3PAR Storage Systems
(P10000, V400/800, T400/800, StoreServ 7000, or F400/200). When the uplink ports of a FlexFabric
module are configured for a DirectAttach fabric, the uplink ports employ simplified SAN fabric services
combined with auto-configured initiator-based zoning. This allows the supported storage systems to be
directly attached to the uplink ports on a module without the need for an intermediate SAN fabric. The servers
and the supported storage devices log in to the VC SAN fabric independently. As a result, when powered on,
the servers are always logged in to the FlexFabric module, even if the target storage device is not yet logged
in or is already logged out. This can be seen on the Server Ports tab of the Interconnect Bay Summary screen
and is in contrast to the FabricAttach server port information status, which shows the server port logged in
through the uplink port. When creating DirectAttach VC SAN fabrics, consider the following:
• The DirectAttach fabric is only supported with the HP VC FlexFabric 10Gb/24-port Module or HP VC
FlexFabric-20/40 F8 Module when it is connected to one or more supported HP 3PAR storage systems.
o The minimum required version of HP Virtual Connect firmware is v3.70.
o The supported storage systems are the HP 3PAR P10000 V400/800, T400/800, StoreServ 7000,
and F200/400.
o The minimum required version of HP 3PAR InForm OS is v3.1.1 MU1.
The following storage systems are not supported: HP MSA/EVA/XP storage systems, HP StoreOnce
Backup appliance, HP LeftHand Storage systems, HP Tape and Virtual Tape Libraries, and any
third-party storage solution.
• To perform a server profile migration of a SAN-booted server between enclosures directly attached to
a 3PAR storage system in the VC multi-enclosure environment, you must perform some manual steps. For
more information, see "Bay groups (on page
149 )."
• The implicit zoning between the FC initiator WWN and the WWN of the HP 3PAR target port is
automatically configured based on the VC SAN fabric and the server profile definitions. This
configuration restricts FC initiators connected to a given DirectAttach fabric to access only the storage
devices attached to uplinks of that DirectAttach fabric. Server-to-server and storage device-to-storage
device visibility is prevented within DirectAttach VC SAN fabrics.
The HP 3PAR PeerMotion, a non-disruptive data migration from any-to-any HP 3PAR Storage Array, is
not supported at this time with DirectAttach fabrics. Until support is added, PeerMotion requires an
external SAN fabric for array-to-array communication.
The HP 3PAR Data Replication services provide real-time replication and disaster recovery technology
that provides protection and sharing of data. Remote replication is delivered using either Remote Copy
over IP (RCIP) or Remote Copy over Fibre Channel (RCFC). RCIP is the recommended method for
DirectAttach configurations as it does not require a SAN fabric for array-to-array communication.