User manual HP 1GB ETHERNET PASS-THRU MODULE FOR C-CLASS BLADESYSTEM SERVER VIRTUALIZATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR X86-BASED BLADESYSTEM AND PROLIANT SERV

[. . . ] 4 Software virtualization layer along with hardware assistance from processors . Virtual machine technology is a powerful capability that can reduce costs and power use while improving resource utilization. in x86 environments , there are two basic approaches to virtual machine technology: full virtualization , and paravirtualization. This technology brief describes both methods and explains how the virtualization technologies within x86-based processors assist virtual machine software. [. . . ] 9 Also , HP and HP reseller partners offer capacity assessment services using tools such as the VMware CapacityPlanner (formerly AOG CapacityPlanner). A capacity assessment service allows enterprises to determine which systems are candidates for server consolidation. The HP BladeSystem c-Class 10 provides a natural complement to virtual machine technology because of its flexibility, its redundant and reliable design, its ability to aggregate power and cooling, and the HP Virtual Connect capabilities. BladeSystem server models are available with a variety of processors (single-core, multi-core, AMD Opteron, Intel Xeon, Intel Itanium), memory technologies, and I/O technologies. Administrators can easily scale the BladeSystem c7000 enclosure from the minimum of a single server blade to the maximum of 16 half-height server blades. Thus, the infrastructure can provide a natural environment for a "farm" of virtual machines that allows IT administrators to move virtual machines from host to host, redistributing workloads as necessary to accommodate fluctuating resource demands. Furthermore, this infrastructure provides a level of hardware consistency (network, power, etc. For additional information about multiport NICS and virtual machine solutions, see the white paper titled "MultiPort Network Adapters for Server Consolidation and Virtualization, " available at http://h71028. Planning guides for VMware are available at: http://h71019. Ease requirements for disaster recovery scenarios, even while providing a variety of server blades with different processor and memory capabilities. To ensure uptime for multiple virtual machines, the BladeSystem c-Class provides a fully redundant system in the enclosure including redundant cooling, power supplies, power paths into the enclosure, and network connections (interconnect modules), plus the capability for redundant Onboard Administrator modules. 11 The BladeSystem c-Class is specifically engineered for high reliability, by splitting apart the power backplane and interconnect signal midplane. the interconnect signal midplane provides the highest signal integrity possible for high-speed , high-bandwidth connections without any active components on the midplane. The separate power backplane is fabricated from a solid sheet of copper to provide the highest possible reliability and headroom for future power upgrades. The BladeSystem c-Class aggregates power and cooling resources so that they can be shared across the entire infrastructure. The ability to share these resources and the intelligence built into the BladeSystem c-Class for controlling power and cooling provides significant cost savings compared to traditional rack servers. This provides a natural extension and enhancement for customers who are moving to virtual machines to reduce overall power and cooling costs. finally , the Virtual Connect technology in the BladeSystem c-Class extends server virtualization to the edge of the network. Virtual Connect technology can provide a virtualized pool of server connections to the Ethernet and storage networks. Virtual Connect technology is built into the architecture of every BladeSystem c-Class enclosure, and can be extended with standard Ethernet and Fibre Channel modules. It puts a virtualization layer between the servers and the local area network (LAN) or storage area network (SAN), so that the external networks connect to a pool of servers rather than to individual servers (Figure 4 and Figure 5). As of this writing, the BladeSystem c7000 Enclosure supports redundant Onboard Administrator modules; support for redundant modules is planned for the BladeSystem c3000 Enclosure. [. . . ] HP Virtual Connect technology in the BladeSystem c-Class architecture brings server virtualization to a new level by extending virtualization technology into the server/network edge. The combination of HP Virtual Connect and virtual machine technology provides IT administrators with new capabilities for simplifying day-to-day operations, changing server resources quickly, and increasing productivity. HP continues to introduce new tools, such as HP Insight Dynamics ­ VSE software, that help ease server management, especially in heterogeneous environments of physical and virtual machines. HP plans to further expand the capabilities of server hardware to virtualize other hardware resources inside the server. [. . . ]