BL20p G4 and enclosure

[Learn_1]

Hi
currently we have bl20pg2 servers installed in enclosure bearing product number 281404-B21
(enclosure + 8 RDP licenses). Now we have purchased bl20p G4 servers and have installed in existing enclusres 281404-B21
(enclosure + 8 RDP licenses). These servers does not contain optional mezzanine card for NIC.therefore these servers only have 2 embedded NICs. I have connected all the network cables.ILO and one NIC are working fine but second NIC sshows cable disconnected. I have checked cables and rest of the network and everything seems OK.
Now i want to ask is this because of not using enhanced backplan for bl20p G4 servers or there is anything i need to do to make second NIC functional.

Thanks.

[Rob Leadbeater · Accepted solution]

Hi,

According to the compatibility matrix here:

http://h18004.www1.hp.com/products/blades/components/Compatibility-Matrix.html

the BL20p G4 is only supported on an enclosure with an enhanced backplane. I would expect that you would have to upgrade the backplane to get the second NIC to work.

Cheers,

Rob

[Jeff Allen_5]

Rob's right - that 2nd NIC is most likely routed to no where. The signalling difference between the classic and enhanced backplanes is that iLO was moved off the interconnect and put on a single port in the rear of the enclosure. This opened the ability to add a 4th DATA NIC (we originally only had 3 NICs in the 20p G1 and G2 pClass servers) and route it to the interconnect. So, your enclosure expects an iLO to be routed to this interconnect port (which I would assume does in fact still work) and the DATA NIC has no where to go to. Had you added the mezzanine NIC card, you would see that 3 out of 4 of your NICs would work. However, as Rob Mentioned, HP doesn't support using the G4 (and most G3) servers in the classic -B21 enclosure. I believe there is an upgrade kit available to upgrade the enclousre from classic the enhanced.

[Learn_1]

Hi Guys,
Thanks for your input. I will proceed to upgrade the backplan to enhanced backplan to resolve this problem.

[Oleg Koroz]

... for those who curios: when G4 used with standard enclosure, with additional NIC mezzanine card you get only 2 NIC ports, and if I recall that correctly both will be at A side