Flex10 NIC +10g switch

[Bob_Vance]

From the Flex10 Q&A:

Q3. Can I use the HP 10Gb Ethernet BL-c Switch with 10Gb FlexNIC's?
A3. No. The HP 10Gb Ethernet BL-c Switch must be paired with the NC512m Dual Port 10GbE Adapter.

This statement implies that *no* NIC will work the the 10g switch, at all, except the NC512m. That is surprising to me -- it won't even work with 1g??
and I'm not clear whether the Flex10 won't work with the 10Gb Ethernet BL-c
a. as a Flex NIC
b. at 10g, but does at 1g
c. at all (1g or 10g)

So, it the answer really (c) ?

I would have guessed that the Flex10 would work as a simple 10g NIC,
as it does as a 1g NIC w passthru.

bv

[JonathanT · Accepted solution]

I think part of the issue with not listing NC532i as a supported NIC is the requirement that this module go into the following bays:

The HP 10Gb Ethernet BL-c switch can be installed only in Bays 5/6 and 7/8 of the c7000 enclosure.
The HP 10Gb Ethernet BL-c switch can be installed only in Bays 3/4 of the c3000 enclosure.

Without the ability to install this module into bays 1/2 of the enclosure there is no way for it to talk with the built in nc532i in most of the new servers. At this point in time the only way it looks like you can use the integrated 10GB nics on the server is with the Virtual Connect Flex-10 module. It seems kind of lame that they don't make a more simple networking module that is 16 10GB down and 4 10GB up on each side. Right now you're paying about 20K street to get 10GB networking to the blades. I would think they could get 10GB only switching down to 5K/piece or 10K for a pair and have a nice market. Anything to lower the barrier of entry into blades and make the ecosystem continue to thrive I'm all for.

[Bob_Vance]

I did not know that bay limitation of the 10g switch. That certainly rules out the built-in.

[rick jones]

The (now legacy?) HP 10Gb Ethernet BL-c switch used backplane signalling also used by:

*) NC512m
*) Chelsio S320m
*) A certain Server Engines NIC I cannot recall
*) at least one other NIC I cannot recall

(both of which were part of the Blade Solutions Partner Program along with the S320m).

They never spoke, nor does that switch module support, 1G operation. ISTR there may be one other 10G NIC that speaks with that switch across the c-class backplane, but I do know that it is *not* a/the Flex-10 NIC.

The Flex-10 NIC(s) and switch module(s) use completely different signalling across the c-class chassis backplane.