• Allows you to change servers in minutes, not days. You can add, replace, and recover servers
quickly without affecting SANs or LANs.
• Provides connectivity to multiple fabric types (B-series, C-series, H-series, M-series), without inter-
operability constraints.
• Does not use a domain ID, preventing issues with the switch count scalability limit in a fabric and
eliminating the additional hop between switches.
• Reduces the number of cables and SFPs compared to a Pass-thru solution.
HP VC-FC connectivity guidelines
Deploy HP VC-FC in environments where you need to manage servers without impacting SAN
management (that is, the server administrator manages the entire configuration). There are several
customer configurations with varying numbers of VC-FC modules and blade enclosures. The actual
configurations depend on customer connectivity requirements, availability of existing equipment, and
future growth requirements. Table 90 describes the HP VC-FC rules and Figure 48 shows an HP VC-FC
example.
Table 90 HP Virtual Connect Fibre Channel guidelines and rules
Description
Rule
nl
number
For high availability, configure two redundant fabrics and two VC-FC modules, with each HBA
connecting to one fabric through one VC-FC module.
1
VC-FC is supported with B-series, C-series, H-series, and M-series fabrics. The VC-FC module
must connect to a switch model that supports NPIV F_Port connectivity. Certain switch models
may require a license.
2
HP supports a maximum of 4 VC-FC modules per blade enclosure.3
N_Ports (NPIV) (uplinks)
Blade
enclosure
with
16 servers
Server Bay 1
Server Bay 2
Server Bay 3
Server Bay 4
Server Bay 5
Server Bay 6
Server Bay 7
Server Bay 8
Server Bay 9
Server Bay 10
Server Bay 11
Server Bay 12
Server Bay 13
Server Bay 14
Server Bay 15
Server Bay 16
VC-FC Module- VC-FC Module-
Blade enclosure/
Server management
SAN/
Storage management
25271c
Fabric (B-, C-, H-, or M-series)
(with NPIV F_Port support)
Fabric (B-, C-, H-, or M-series)
(with NPIV F_Port support)
Figure 48 HP Virtual Connect Fibre Channel configuration
.
Heterogeneous server rules188
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