Building a c7000 enclosure and Blade Systems

[ReynierPM]

Hi:
I'm trying to build a solution based on a c7000 enclosure and BL640c G6 blade servers. I have been reading in the HP site there are several technologies for connecting Ethernet and SAN: Flex, Virtual Connect, SAS, ProCurve Switch SAN and some others. Then it isn't clear to me that I should put (for redundandance) to connect this to an Ethernet Switches (Switch Cisco) and a EVA6400. Exists some documentation about it or can someone clarify this doubts?

[Michal Kapalka (mikap)]

hi,

you could check this site :

"HP BladeSystem literature"

http://h71028.www7.hp.com/enterprise/cache/81454-0-0-225-121.html

mikap

[Adrian Clint]

Well for your networking you want two for redundancy of any the following
Virtual Connect Flex-10, Cisco 3020 switch, Procurve 6120 switch, Gbe L2/3 switch or 1Gb passthru.
For your SAN you want two of the following
Virtual Connect SAN (only if you have Flex-10), Brocade 4/x SAN switch, Cisco 91xx SAN switch, or FC Pass-thru

How many NICs do you want in your server?

[ReynierPM]

Well I will buy a pre-configured BL460c G6 server wich have one DualPort network card, now thinking forward it's better to buy another DualPort card for redundancy or just with one I can resolve redundancy in my system?

[gregersenj · Accepted solution]

Well you need to define redundancy.
What do mean?

Like any (or most) other Proliant server, the blade has a 2 port NIC embedded / Onboard. These days the term LOM is used - LAN On Motherboard.
LOM's now are or will be Flex 10.

The C7000 enclosure got 8 Inteconnect bays.
These interconnect bays, can hold switches or passthroug modules.
The interconnect bays give you redundancy.
The ICB's are numbered from 1 to eight,
starting from top left:
IC.B. 1 - 2
IC.B. 3 - 4
IC.B. 5 - 6
IC.B. 7 - 8

IC.B. 1 and 2 are for the LOM's
LOM Port 1 is routet to IC.B. 1
LOM Port 2 is routet to IC.B. 2

So you put a ethernet switch in IC.B. 1 and 2. Then you have got redundant LAN.
Also IC.B. 1 and 2, are interconnected on the midplane, so you have got redundancy crossed.
So are 3 and 4, 5 and 6, and 7 and 8.

The servers got 2 mezzanin slots.
Mezzanin slot 1, is connected to IC.B. 3 and 4
Mezz. slot 2 is connected to IC.B. 5, 6, 7 and 8.

So if you want to use cisco switces and Brocade Switches for the SAN.
You will need the number of server's you have a need for.
2 Cisco C-Class switches
2 Brocade C-Class switches
1 C-Class FC HBA, for each server, that need SAN connection.

Put the FC HBA in Mezz slot 1, put the Cisco switches in IC.B. 1 and 2
put the Brocade switches in IC.B. 3 and 4.

Now you can connect the Cisco switches to the excisting LAN switches, like any other Cisco switch.
You can connect the Brocade switches directly to the EVA and create 2 fabrics, or connect them to the excisting SAN fabrics.

There's serveral switch options to choose from.
LAN: GBE2-c wich is a Nortel, Cisco, Virtual Connect or passthrough modules.
I don't know if you can have ProCurve now.
There's also Infiniband.

SAN: Brocade or Virtual Connect.

SAS Switches, that is SAS interconnect, for ei. storage, HDD boxes, Tape Libraies / Auto loaders.

You should take a look at the Virtual Connect options.

Note: There's a difference on halfhight and Fullhight servers.

You can have 8 full hight servers or 16 halfhight servers in a C7000 enclosure.

Full Hight Servers got:
4 CPU sockets.
4 LOM's. 2 connections each to IC B. 1 and 2.
Mezz slot 1, got 4 connections, 2 each to IC.B. 3 and 4.
Mezz slot 2 got 4 connections. 1 each to IC.B. 5, 6, 7 and 8.
Mezz slot 3 got 4 connections. 1 each to IC.B. 5, 6, 7 and 8.

Half Hight Servers
2 CPU sockets.
2 LOM's. 1 connections each to IC B. 1 and 2.
Mezz slot 1, got 2 connections, 1 each to IC.B. 3 and 4.
Mezz slot 2 got 4 connections. 1 each to IC.B. 5, 6, 7 and 8.

HP do have a Blade Community, I recommend you join it.
http://h18004.www1.hp.com/products/blades/components/bladeconnect.html

BR
/jag

[ReynierPM]

Hi and thanks all of you for help me to understand this great world.

@gregersenj wich are the better solution no matter prices?

@Michal the documents behind the link you leave doesn't work unfortunately.

[gregersenj]

Virtual connect is the cheapest, and Cisco is the most expensive.

BR
/jag

[ReynierPM]

Ok, so Cisco are the better in functionalities?

[gregersenj]

Depends who you ask.

Cisco is tradtional, old fashion.
Virtual connect is the cool stuff.

LAN is not my best knowledge area.

BR
/jag

[Michal Kapalka (mikap)]

hi,

if you have the network infrastructure on CISCO, the best wasy for your network admins is to put CISCO switches in the blade, but as already was mentioned, cisco is really expensive.

most company asking for the price and them for the functionalities.

mikap