| Q1. |
What are Ports on Demand? |
| A1. |
The Ports on Demand feature is designed to enable a HP StorageWorks 8/8 SAN Switch Base and the HP StorageWorks 8/8 SAN Switch to grow to twenty-four ports to support more servers and more storage devices without taking the switch offline.
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| Q2. |
Will the HP StorageWorks 8/24 SAN Switch work with the existing Fabric OS versions in my current fabrics? |
| A2. |
The new switch is compatible with installed B-Series switches as well as installed Core Switches and SAN Director . Most customers will not need to upgrade the Fabric OS version on the installed switches. Customers who have not upgraded Fabric OS on their installed switches for over two years might need to upgrade to a more modern version. Consult the interoperability matrix for more details. |
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| Q3. |
How will customers use 8 Gbit/sec Fibre Channel performance? |
| A3. |
One of the initial use cases for the new 8 Gbit/sec FC switches will be to support server consolidation and virtual server environments. These virtual server environments need the non-blocking performance and scalability, along with the Adaptive Networking services, to ensure optimized performance and meet service levels for virtual applications.
Customers will also use 8 Gbit/sec Fibre Channel for Inter-Switch Links (ISLs) to increase fabric bandwidth or to increase the number of usable ports by reducing the number of ports needed for ISLs. 8 Gbit/sec devices (HBAs, tape devices, RAID systems) are coming to market, and organizations are looking to use 8 Gbit/sec to eliminate I/O bottlenecks in high density, blade server or virtual server environments as well as to provide a high-performance, reliable infrastructure for next generation data centers.
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| Q4. |
What is the difference between Power Pack and Power Pack+ software? |
| A4. |
Power Pack+ software includes Adaptive Networking, a family of technologies previously not available in the Power Pack bundle. Adaptive Networking allows flexible control of traffic movement within the fabric and is ideal for virtualized environments.
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| Q5. |
Does the HP StorageWorks 8/24 SAN Switch support NPIV? |
| A5. |
Yes, a HP StorageWorks 8/24 SAN Switch with 24 enabled ports supports N_Port ID Virtualization (NPIV). Access Gateway mode provides seamless connectivity to a greater number of servers—and to any vendor SAN fabric. By doing so, Access Gateway significantly improves fabric scalability, simplifies server deployment and management, improves investment protection, and provides the lowest total cost solution for SAN-attached server connectivity. |
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| Q6. |
What SFPs are supported with the HP StorageWorks 8/24 SAN Switch? |
| A6. |
Customers must purchase B-series branded SFPs for the HP StorageWorks 8/24 SAN Switch. |
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| Q7. |
What is Data Center Fabric Manager Software? |
| A7. |
HP Data Center Fabric Manager Software is a server based network management application that enables end-to-end management of B-series Storage Area Network (SAN) fabric. With unique asset tracking and reporting capabilities, Data Center Fabric Manager provides detailed visibility into performance utilization of hardware and network bandwidth. HP Offers a Professional and Enterprise version of Data Center Fabric Manager.
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| Q8. |
Who should use HP Data Center Fabric Manager Enterprise and Data Center fabric manager Professional? |
| A8. |
Data Center Fabric Manager Enterprise provides end to end management across 24 SAN fabrics. It is designed for enterprise class director based installations, FICON environments, and fabrics leveraging routing and extensions as well as virtualization. It provides full management of the DC SAN Backbone Director.
Data Center Fabric Manager Professional is designed for IT organizations that use FOS-based fabrics and want a management solution for smaller SANs based on a single SAN fabric.
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