Please shed some light on Data Center design

[Thotsaphon Lueangwattanaphong]

Hi,

    I want you guys to recommend what the design should be. I'm familiar with HP blade system. Let me clarify the existing device.

1. HP Blade with Flex Fabric. It supports FCOE.

2. MDS SAN switch for the storage

3. Network Switch for IP network.

4. HP Storage.

    HP Blade has 2 interface types for IP Network(Network Switch) and Fiberchannel(SAN).

   What is the benifit for using Nexus switch and FCOE for my exising devices. What should be a new design with Nexus switch? Please guide me ideas.

THX

Toshi 

[lamav]

Toshi, with HP's Flex Fabric, the external ports that connect to the Nexus switch are 10G Ethernet, not FCoE. They are standard dot1q interfaces, so the Nexus will not be doing anything with regard to FCoE. It won't even see the FCoE traffic.

The benefit of using Flex Fabric is the same you get when using Dell's M8428-k FCoE blade. Instead of using a separate 10G Ethernet and 8G FC blade switch, along with separate Ethernet NICs and FC HBAs, you use a single Flex Fabric switch module and a CNA.

What's the benefit of using a Nexus as the Top-of-rack as far as FCoE and Flex Fabric? None. You can use any 10G dot1q  switch.

HTH

Victor

[Thotsaphon Lueangwattanaphong]

Hi Victor,

       You're still around here. Thanks for your prompt response. What if I use HP Blade G7 and Flex Fablic that supports FCoE on it. So no need to use 8G FC blade switch. Please give me an idea. Should I go for Nexus B22 to get more benifit of Nexus environment?

Nice to see you here. No one wants to answer my question.

Toshi

[lamav · Accepted solution]

Hi, Toshi:

Most of these chat boards have become quite boring. Troubleshooting OSPF LSA problems is old news. But I do pop my head in every now and then. Also, there are so many other companies out there doing exciting things in the data center. You have Dell, Brocade, Arista, Juniper, etc. So one runs the risk of developing a myopic view of the world of IT by lingering around this board for too long.

If you want to use the new B22 FEX for the HP c7000 blade chassis, you certainly can. That means the Nexus will receive the FCoE traffic and leverage its FCF functionality; either separate the Ethernet and FC traffic there, or create a VE-port instantiation with another FCF for multihop deployments. Good luck fighting the SAN team with that one! Another aspect of using the HP B22 is the fact that the FEX is largely plug and play, so you dont have to manage the Flex Fabric switches.

HTH

[Thotsaphon Lueangwattanaphong]

Victor,

       Good Job. Thanks for your information. Can we reach each other via e-mail?

Thanks

Toshi

[lamav]

toshi, send me a private message and ill answer with my email address....

[Linda Carr]

What are you planning to use to manage the systems?  Are you going full HP cloud or some other solution?  Am asking as we did the VMDC solution and added the BMC CLM 2.1 to a Vblock - on our HP implementation we did the HP cloud but there was ALOT of rework on the API to make them work.  Working together never happened...

Thanks,

Linda