HP has now launched a full complement of Gen5 16Gb Fibre Channel connectivity solutions for HP BladeSystem c-Class servers

1. Un-matched Storage Networking Flexibility with
QLogic, Brocade and HP BladeSystem Servers
HP has now launched a full complement of Gen5 16Gb Fibre Channel connectivity solutions for HP
BladeSystem c-Class servers. The newest offering from HP is the HP Virtual Connect 16Gb 24-port
Fibre Channel Module for c-Class BladeSystem. This new module works in conjunction with HP Gen5
Fibre Channel mezzanine adapters andVirtual Connect manager and provides simplified management
and connectivity to Gen5 Fibre Channel fabrics.
The HP Virtual Connect 16Gb 24-port Fibre Channel Module for c-Class BladeSystem is ideal for those
customers who are utilizing HP’s industry leading Virtual Connect management platform. Virtual
Connect greatly simplifies connecting blade servers to LAN and SAN networks. IT administrators can
deploy this new module along with HP Virtual Connect Flex-10 or Flex-20 offerings to provide SAN and
LAN connectivity, all managed by HP's Virtual Connect management platform.
The new Virtual Connect Fibre Channel offering joins the HP Brocade 16Gb SAN Switch for HP
BladeSystem c-Class in the HP BladeSystem portfolio. Along with Gen5 16Gb Fibre Channel adapters
for HP BladeSystem servers like the HP QMH2672 16Gb FC HBA for BladeSystem c-Class from QLogic,
BladeSystem customers have lots of flexibility to connect to high performance SAN fabrics. The
question now is do you really need Gen 5 Fibre Channel, and which approach (Virtual Connect or
traditional SAN) do you deploy.
I'll address the second question first. HP offers BladeSystem customers flexibility in how the
implement SAN connectivity. Ultimately, this is simply a decision based on the customer preference
for keeping LAN and SAN management and networks isolated or utilizing Virtual Connect to converge
the management of LAN and SAN connectivity into a single solution. Regardless of the preference, the
good news is HP offers Gen5 technology for either approach, and customers can benefit from the new
capabilities that Gen5 Fibre Channel offers. But what are those capabilities and why should you even
consider transitioning to Gen 5 Fibre Channel?
Gen5 Fibre Channel is much more than just an increase in bandwidth for the SAN. While it is true the
bandwidth of a Gen5 16Gb Fibre Channel adapter is twice that of an 8Gb Fibre Channel solution, there
are other elements in Gen5 that enhance drive increased application performance, simplify
deployment and reduce the time required to troubleshoot issues.

2. With Gen 5 Fibre Channel, while the bandwidth (Gbps) is doubled compared to 8Gb Fibre Channel, the
IOPS performance increases by a factor of three to 1.2million IOPS. This can drive increased
application performance, VM scalability and deliver the performance required to get the most out of
the latest all-flash array storage solutions. Latency is reduced by 50% and this too leads to increased
application performance. In fact, Gen 5 Fibre Channel adapters like the HP QMH2672 16Gb FC HBA for
BladeSystem c-Class from QLogic can actually enhance IOPS performance by as much as 92%, even
when connected to 8Gb SAN environments.
To bring more capability to Gen5 Fibre Channel, QLogic and Brocade have teamed up to provide full
quality-of-service for Fibre Channel connectivity to virtual servers when using Gen5 Fibre Channel
infrastructure. Using the HP Brocade 16Gb SAN Switch for HP BladeSystem c-Class and HP QMH2672
16Gb FC HBA for BladeSystem c-Class Gen5 adapter, administrators can allocate Fibre Channel
bandwidth to specific virtual machines. This ensures the applications on those VMs have ample
bandwidth to support optimal performance.
From a deployment perspective,
Virtual Connect provides
legendary simplicity for
managing I/O and multiple
server configurations in a blade
server environment. This
continues with the HP Virtual
Connect 16Gb 24-port Fibre
Channel Module for c-Class
BladeSystem.
However, for customers with
mixed Blade and Rack/Tower
server environments connecting
to shared storage or who prefer
SAN management from the
Brocade Fabric Vision
management utilities, Gen5 Fibre
Channel provides some new
capabilities to simplify
deployment as well. Again, Brocade and QLogic have partnered to deliver Fabric Assigned WWN and
Boot-LUN functionality in Gen5, which allows the administrator to store adapter port ID information
and boot-LUN info in the FC fabric as opposed to in the server. This allows for rapid deployment and
flexibility to change server configurations without having to re-zone the SAN fabric.
Lastly, Gen5 Fibre Channel provides significant improvements in trouble-shooting capability. Brocade
and QLogic support Clearlink technology along with FC-PING and FC-Trace functionality in Gen5 for
end to end connectivity diagnostics. These new Gen5 features provide the ability to test and
troubleshoot issues much faster than prior FC generations.
If you are using HP BladeSystem servers that connect to shared FC storage and you are looking to
maximize performance, simplify management and reduce complexity, then you need to transition to
Gen5 Fibre Channel solutions. With the new HP Virtual Connect 16Gb 24-port Fibre Channel Module for
c-Class BladeSystem, HP Brocade 16Gb SAN Switch for HP BladeSystem c-Class and the HP QMH2672
16Gb FC HBA for BladeSystem c-Class, HP offers customers a full complement of flexible and high
performance offerings to provide SAN connectivity. For more information on Gen5 Fibre Channel,
contact the HP team here at QLogic athpsolutions@qlogic.com.
For More Information, please visit: Qlogic.com