Using Flex 10 Modules in HP C7000 Blade Chassis And Organizational Responses to Virtualization

Cisco 3020 Switches

2x1Gbps
Onboard NICs

2x1Gbps

2x1Gbps

3020

1Gbps

1Gbps

3020 Chassis
4x4Gbps

Blade
Mezzanine Slot 1 - FC

4x4Gbps

FC Switch

4/8 Gbps

4/8 Gbps

FC Switch

Mezzanine Slot 2 -NICs

2x1Gbps

2x1Gbps

3020
1Gbps

1Gbps

1Gbps

3020
1Gbps

2x1Gbps

3020 Anatomy
1. Switch Module 2. Release latch 3. UID LED 4. SFP Module Port LED 5. SFP Module Ports for SX/LX Fiber 6. Gigabit Ethernet Port LEDs 7. Gigabit Ethernet RJ-45 Ports 8. Health LED 9. Mode Button 10. Switch LED Panel

3020 Port Descriptions

Port Ports 1 to 16 Ports 17 to 20 and Ports 17x to 20x Description Internal Gigabit Ethernet 1000BASE-X downlink ports. Dual-purpose SFP module/RJ-45 copper Ethernet uplink ports. The SFP module ports support only Cisco 1000BASE-SX fiber-optic modules. By default, the switch module dynamically selects the interface type that first links up. SFP modules have precedence if both SFP module and copper Ethernet interface types are in link-up state. You can also specifically configure each port for either copper Ethernet or SFP modules if you do not want to use auto-detection. The copper Ethernet ports support automatic medium-dependent interface crossover (auto-MDIX) and auto-negotiation. For information about configuring speed and duplex settings for a dual-purpose uplink port, see the switch module software configuration guide. Ports 21x to 22x External 10/100/1000BASE-T copper Gigabit Ethernet uplink ports that support auto-MDIX, and auto-negotiation. Ports 23x to 24x Dual-purpose external/internal 10/100/1000BASE-T copper Gigabit Ethernet uplink ports. These ports can be configured for internal 1000BASE-X cross-connection with a corresponding switch module. When ports 23x and 24x are in external operation mode, they support auto-MDIX and autonegotiation. The default is external operation mode. Internal This port (fa0) is used only for switch module management traffic, not for data traffic. It is connected 100BASE-T to the Onboard Administrator through the blade server backplane connector. Ethernet port Console port RJ-45 switch module management port.

Flex 10 Modules
2x10Gbps Stacking Links
Onboard NICs

10Gbps

10Gbps

Flex 10

10Gbps

10Gbps

Flex 10

4x FlexNic

4x FlexNic

Blade
Mezzanine Slot 1 - FC

Chassis
4x4Gbps

4x4Gbps

FC Switch

4/8 Gbps

4/8 Gbps

FC Switch

Mezzanine Slot 2

Concepts
Stacking Links VirtualConnect Domain Shared Uplink Sets Networks FlexNics Server Profiles

Stacking Links
Directly connecting ports between Flex 10 modules causes these ports to be declared as stacking links. Any Network not associated with a shared uplink set will traverse stacking links Stacked Flex10s behave as a VirtualConnect Domain

Virtual Connect Domains

A Virtual Connect Domain is the collection of C7000 blade chassis that a set of stacked Flex 10s spans. Can be presented as a cluster alias from stacked Flex-10s Can be configured by the Onboard Administrator of the Blade Chassis

FlexNics
FlexNics can be assigned 0 bps capacity to 10Gbps in 100Mbps increments FlexNics with 0 capacity cannot be configured at the OS but still appear as devices Default is the first FlexNic is 10Gbps and the remaining 3 FlexNics on an interface are assigned 0bps Assignments are done via VirtualConnect

Networks
A network has an associated VLAN May or may not be associated with shared uplink sets Several different networks may be associated with the same VLAN

Shared Uplink Set

Is a set of one or more uplinks to an adjacent switch or switches Is associated with one or more Networks Can span stacked Flex 10 modules In auto mode, a Flex 10, or stack of Flex 10s will attempt to create an LACP port group from the associated uplinks Failover mode merely created a failover set of links

Server Profiles
Associated with no, or one, actual blade NICs can be added to the profile
Only checked vs physical when applied to a server FlexNICs can have their bandwidth specified between 0 and 10Gbps in 100Mbit increments Can have one or more networks associated with each FlexNIC Can define which, if any, is the network to have native, ie, untagged, traffic Can be copied to apply to other servers

What else?
Virtual Connect allows: HBA wwns to be virtualized Server Serial Numbers to be virtualized NIC MAC addresses attached to Flex10s to be virtualized

Greg Draws

The Main Game

Time to deploy
A Domain takes about 10 minutes to configure from Factory Configuration System Administrators (SAs) can choose required networks without the need to involve network groups Allows SAs to choose default VLANs as necessary to get PXE deployment to work

The main game

Time to repair
Virtualized MAC (+Storage) -> ease of redeployment Relocation of a failed service ease of network reconfiguration Storage reconfiguration if using virtual wwns

The main game

Ease of maintenance by non-disruptively Bringing maintenance to prime time by leveraging tested high availability
Firmware on device or adjacent device Changing connections to replacement or alternative devices

Use LACP or Etherchannel even if only using one port for ease of upgrade of capacity

Whats changed
Rate of change (duh!) VM sprawl exceeds consolidation of existing hosts Many VMs puts pressure on address space Vmotion networks require care Clusters in Vmware arent pretty Lots of switches, lots of AM&C VLANS spanning data centres gives broader scope to change effort Far more systems to support also The march of technology has had some big steps almost concurrently

Human and Professional behaviour

Resist change
Challenge the need to the change

Pride in service quality

Fear of loss of control Concerns for fault detection, diagnosis and rectification

What business wants

The usual suspects Flexibity Agility Reliability Security

Dealing with the change

If you always do what you always did then you will always get what you always got. Go for the nett organizational benefit rather than the sectional stated demands that are really probably wants Describe and discuss the benefit sought Ensure all sectional concerns, wants and needs are visible and understood Adopt a how can we or what is required to enable approach rather than why not

Remember Kepner-Tregoe Techniques

There has been a decision made Analyse the potential opportunities

Analyse the potential problems

And decide and act on which opportunities warrant realization and which problems and risks warrant managing

Getting things done

Systems, Network, Facilities must work in unison on big ticket agenda items Dont let areas take it on board but work in an insular way. This is often a passive-aggressive response. Get face to face it is easy to point fingers at another group if there if physical separation and when people dont interact face to face Use the fuel that the university and managers give you