Multi-Enclosure - Six VC-ethernet modules per v7000 - recommended cabling scheme in and between c7000

[chuckk281]

Ron was looking for multi-enclosure stacking recommendations when you have a lot of Vitual Connect modules:

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Can anyone provide cabling recommendation for creating single vc domain consisting of stacking multiple c7000 enclosures together using six VC-Ethernet modules per c7000.

What would be the recommended cable connections between vc-ethernet modules in each c7000 and what would be the recommended cable connections between vc-ethernet modules between the two c7000.

The 2010 user guides say you can have 8 vc-ethernet per c7000 or 4 vc-fc per c7000 but nowhere does it say where to connect the cables for optimum configuration when you have more than four vc-ethernet modules per c7000 in a multi-c7000 domain.

The Multi-Enclosure Stacking Reference guide

 http://teams1.sharepoint.hp.com/teams/bladeinfo/Lists/BSRT%20Annoucments/Attachments/35/Blade%20System%20Multi%20Enclosure%20Stacking.pdf

only shows two vc-ethernet modules per c7000, what if we have six vc-ethernet modules per c7000 and a domain consisting of 2, c7000 with six vc-ethernet per c7000.

What if we have:

Three c7000

C7000 #1 has six vc-ethernet mods

C7000 #2 has six vc-ethernt mods

C7000#3 has four vc-ethernt mods

Now what would the cable connections look like.

I have read

 Virtual Connect Multi-Enclosure Stacking Reference Guide

http://bizsupport2.austin.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c02076004/c02076004.pdf

HP Virtual Connect for c-Class BladeSystem Setup and Installation Guid

http://bizsupport2.austin.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c01732252/c01732252.pdf

HP Virtual Connect for c-Class BladeSystem Version 3.01 User Guide

http://bizsupport2.austin.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c02254248/c02254248.pdf

HP Virtual Connect Version 3.01 Release Notes

http://bizsupport2.austin.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c02254266/c02254266.pdf

None of these docs address my concerns.

Many thanks in advance to any one that can point me to the appropriate docs that address my questions/concerns.

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Vincent provided some answers:

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The recommendations do not change whether you stack across multiple enclosures or not. In fact if you look at the pictures on page 56 of the VC Setup and Install Guide (also reproduced in the Quickspecs), they show recommendations for 2, 4, 6, and 8 modules without showing any enclosure: the same recommendation would apply whether the modules are in one enclosure or in several.

If you “mentally” develop the picture of the stacking connections, you will find a circle: each module is connected to exactly 2 other modules, one through the cross-links and one through a cable. To go beyond 8 modules up to the maximum of 16, you expand the circle while retaining the same topology.

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Does this help? Any other recommendations? How are you doing this?