HP and FCoE Support

[ex-engineer]

I have a Nexus 5000 at the Top of Rack. I want to run FCoE.

Does the HP blade system have chassis I/O that can move FCoE traffic to the Top of Rack N5K? So what I am saying is that I need an FCoE pass-through device for the HP blade system that will do nothing more than move the FCoE to the FCF at the ToR.

Does HP have I/O to do this?

Thanks

[ex-engineer]

Hi - anybody out there? :-)

[Johan Guldmyr]

It's weekend :)

I am not too familiar with this, but I took a peak at the quickspecs of the Flex 10 Virtual Connect module:

http://h18004.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/13127_div/13127_div.html

This mentions a several "Converged Network Adapter".

At one of them

http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/blades/components/emulex/nc551m/index.html

it says "10Gb Ethernet Pass-thru Module support for connectivity to external CEE switches."

So based on that I will say: yes it is supported. You will need a pass-thru module or at least some kind of interconnect in the back of the c-class. And then a cable to your ToR.

In the quickspecs of the nc551m it even says that the nexus 5000 is supported! woop woop

As you're new to the forum: don't forget to assign points when you feel it applies ;)

[ex-engineer]

Hi, yeah, youre right - the weekend.

I think you are right with regard to the 10G Ethernet pass-throughs (not to be confused with the FCoE pass-through, which would be a FIP snoooping bridge)

Of course you will need an I/O blade for the enclosure...my question is which one? :-)

Its weird that HP doesn't have an I/O blade SWITCH that can give port aggregation for FCoE, but simply just a 10G Pass-through. Thats an ugly baby, for sure... :-)

[Bart_Heungens]

Hi,
I understood that the FlexFabric Virtual Connect modeules also support FCoE, only don't find directly the documents to proof it...
Pass-through modules are indeed not the way to go these times... Much nicer solutions with Virtual Connect...

[ex-engineer]

Thanks, Bart. I sort of get confused with the names they give...Flex-10, Flex connect, virtual connect....their marketing people need some lessons on marketing to people. But anyway, its one thing to "support FCoE", its another to be able to pass the FCoE traffic to the Top-of-rack. A chassis-bases FCoE can "support FCoE" in that it will do what a Nexus 5K does, but it will do it at the chassis instead. Thats like a Dell M8428-K. Its a FCF, but it cannot simply pass FCoE to the ToR.

[peyrache]

hi
Today Virtual Connect FlexFabric
support only one Hop FCOE configuration
so you can connect directly San storage
to Flexfabric external ports
and run FCOE on Blade's Cna
JYP