HP BL460c G7 & HP 3G SAS Blade Switch & MSA2012sa - connectivity and firmware issues

[Miguel Angel Burdalo]

Hi all,

I've just received a new blade server BL460c G7 to insert in a C3000 chassis, I have two HP 3G SAS Blade Switches to connect the chassis to a MSA2012sa.

I've some questions about this environment.

1.- According to the recommendations from our provider, it's not necessary to include a mezzazine adapter to connect the blade to the MSA, but once I have configured the FlexFabric I can only see the server in the SAS Blade Switch, but not in the MSA... I've read that it's necessary a virtual connect module in the chassis to use the FlexFabric features... Is it true?, If not, How should I configure the system to communicate the blade with the MSA?.

2.- I'm going to add more disks to the MSA and I would like to have the system updated... I've seen that there are several recommended updates and I would like to know the best way to update the system.

There are updates for the controllers and for the disks... I suppose that both updates mean to stop the service. What do you recommend, update first the disk firmware (Is it difficult, danger??), and later the controllers or the opposite?.

Thanks a lot.

Regards.

[Johan Guldmyr · Accepted solution]

Hello,

1.-

the FlexFabric is only for Ethernet and Fibre Channel.
http://h18004.www1.hp.com/products/blades/components/ethernet/10gb24/index.html

As the MSA2012sa is a SAS disk array you only need to have the appropriate SAS mezzanine card in the blades.

http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/13170_div/13170_div.html

As far as the quickspecs for the 3G SAS blade switch, you need the p700m in each blade server.

The SAS switch has a 'Virtual SAS Manager' that you can access by first going to the OA and then clicking to the SAS interconnects.

2.-

There ought to be quite a few posts about updating these. A lot of people like to disable partner-upgrade on the MSA2000 because there's often been some kind of problem with the firmware upgrade that put the controllers in a loop.
I'd say upgrade the controller firmware first before the HDDs.