Some Basics on Virtual Connect

FlexFabric is a particular type of Virtual Connect module and fits into the FlexNetwork portfolio.  Virtual Connect attempts to address many problems, but primarily it is about reducing the amount of physical wiring and switch ports required to cable a blade system, about reducing human-caused errors due to complex cabling, and about adding the ability to pre-wire the entire enclosure for life and pre-allocate all Ethernet and SAN requirements during first install.

The major selling point of Virtual Connect is the ability to virtualize the network MAC addresses and the Fiber Channel worldwide names/ID (WWID).  Virtual Connect allows for server profiles to be built and assigned to blade hardware and then provides the ability to move the profile from physical blade to physical blade without the need to reconfiguration.  The virtualized WWID and MAC addresses are used instead of the physically assigned addresses that are provided from the manufacturer.

When first introduced, Virtual Connect (VC) existed as separate Ethernet and Fiber Channel modules.  Installed in pairs, each VC module is physically “wired” through a mid-plane to specific blade server ports.  Both the Ethernet and Fiber Channel pairs share a 10Gb “cross connect” connection on the backplane which allows each pair of modules to talk between each other and pass traffic to uplinks from each blade port, even if the uplink is on the other module.  The cross connects also allow for rerouting traffic to the other interconnect bay should an upstream network switch lose connection or become isolated.

Incremental Advancements

The first enhancement for Virtual Connect came with the introduction of Flex-10 technology in 2009, which took a 10Gb network interface on the motherboard and split it into 4 FlexNICs which are LAN on Motherboard (LOM) interfaces and allows the ability to set a fixed amount of bandwidth per FlexNIC.  Each interface is presented to the operating system on the blade as a separate NIC.

Covered in the call last week, the newest innovation in Virtual Connect technology is the ability to condense both Fiber Channel and Ethernet all onto a single set of interconnect modules, known as FlexFabric modules.  FlexFabric allow for the FlexNICs to present either 3 NICs and 1 FCoE (Fiber Channel over Ethernet) converged port to a server or 4 NICs (like the previous Flex-10), depending on server need.  The FlexFabric module removes the need for separate Fiber Channel adapters in a mezzanine slot on a blade and instead uses a Fiber Channel over Ethernet converged LOM.  From the FlexFabric Interconnect module, Fiber Channel uplinks are sent to the Fiber Channel switches and the traditional Ethernet uplinks are sent to network switches.  As the name implies, the ports are flexible and each of the SPF ports is capable of running Ethernet or Fiber Channel uplinks.

With any new technology, practices for security and monitoring must change and adapt to the innovation.  In general, security integration appears to be an afterthought in many cutting edge enhancements, taking VMware for example.  VMware is the most common example when we think of virtualization technology, but when virtual switching was first implemented, there was no way to view inter-VM traffic that never left the host.   In many cases, administrators were faced with a black box making it impossible to monitor, inspect or halt malicious traffic.

With Virtual Connect, some of the same issues apply, but HP has offered at least one solution to administrators and security officers.  HP’s Virtual Connect technology does allow for a network mirror port which can replicate all traffic out for inspection, so even traffic that never leaves the enclosure thanks to the way Virtual Connect implements can be inspected and send alarms accordingly.  It may not be as good as an in-line security solution that can actively block malicious traffic, but at least administrators can gain visibility.

A More Intelligent Way to Manage Network Infrastructure

As part of our call last week, we were also shown HP’s Intelligent Management Center, or IMC.  This software is a control and monitoring software for heterogenous switches and routers in the datacenter all from a single, common interface.  IMC is an impressive offering from HP, which gives network administrators a single interface to learn to provision all of their switches.  With a hardware compatibility list of over 5,000 devices, the IMC is a capable platform to control both your HP, Cisco and other vendor’s network gear.

IMC addresses the problem of swivel chair management where administrators must monitor multiple, vendor-provided management products for each different vendor or product line represented in your datacenter.  But even for a company that has standardized on non-HP network gear, IMC is a powerful interface that can be put to work for them for more than just monitoring and management.

IMC is a modules that can be added in for user access management which can centralize user accounts with a full-featured RADIUS server that can be used 802.1X, VPN, and wireless authentication.  In addition the UAM module adds features to lock down and secure corporate devices by preventing IP and user account spoofing and prevent address conflicts.  The same package can also be used to lock down corporate PC’s to prevent use of USB and external storage devices.  Another module that plugs into IMC is Endpoint Admission Defense tools, which can be used to policy control clients and ensure that devices on the network are safe for the network, patched and have up to date antivirus definitions.

IMC provides a great view into virtualized networking (as in VMware) and can monitor the virtualized networking to a very granular level. It exposes what has been a black box of virtual networking using vendor provided API’s.    At present, IMC support VMware and Hyper-V but will grow to include XenServer and KVM in 2012, if things go as planned.

Recap

All in all, the entire series for the Blogger Reality Show has focused on ways to converge infrastructure for simplicity and ease of management.  Each of the HP offerings approaches convergence on different sections of the IT puzzle. In HP’s product line, we have seen the basic building blocks of convergence with servers and the Bladesystem, we have seen converged storage solutions built on x86 hardware, we have seen these solutions built into larger solutions for virtualization and cloud, and finally we have investigated the solutions HP has to converge and management networking.

The Reality Show has been a very cool thing to take part of.  From a blogging perspective, it has been very cool to get judges feedback and to learn and stretch myself by trying new ways to promote the blog and posts.  The winner will be named next week at VMworld and I’ll try to post an expanded post about the contest after we wrap next week.  So, now it is your turn again…  Vote and comment.

This is the third and final post for Thomas Jones’ Blogger Reality Show sponsored by HP and Ivy Worldwide. I ask that readers be as engaged and responsive as possible during this contest.  I would like to see comments and conversations that these entries spark, tweets and retweets if it interests you and I also request that you vote for this entry using the thumbs up/thumbs at the top of this page.  As I said earlier, our readers play a large part in scoring, so participate in my blog and all the others!

But it begs the question, why do this?  To answer that, you have to understand that USAA is not your standard bank.  USAA caters mostly to military families and their dependants.  Its members are widespread and not concentrated in any one area (except maybe military bases).  It also has members all around the globe.   USAA doesn’t have physical branches.  Everything is done over the phone or via the internet.

USAA.com is an excellent banking site, the best in my opinion because of the functionality at your reach as a customer.  You can do almost everything you’re normally do after waiting in line at the local branch online.  New accounts are setup online easily and quickly, mortgage applications and more.  USAA is also an investment and insurance carrier and those products are available online.

So, the online deposit wass the next logical extension.  For a bank with no branches and no tellers, extending the convenience of an instant deposit  is great (something, not even available in a local branch — remmber got to wait til 2pm or next day).  Some checks don’t deposit, if they are too light or if they are illegible.  For those, you put it into a postage-paid envelope and mail it off to their processing center.  This was the only method of deposit several years ago when we joined.   USAA has experimented with other methods in the past, including a method utilizing UPS to deliver the deposits overnight.  That trial only lasted a few months, and I can imagine, it was costly for the bank.  Even the snail-mail method only took two to three business days for the deposit to appear.

And I’ve said it before, USAA is a stand-up, top-notch organization and its always a pleasure to do business with them.  They really understand customer service, whether its speaking with you on the phone or whether its extending technology into your hands to better serve you.  So, now I’m awaiting the updated iPhone application (I already have the current one installed!) to try out deposit from iPhone, or whatever they’ll brand it.

USAA is a bank/insurance/financial company which is a member’s only corporation serving active and former members of the armed forces and their families. Once you’re a member, you are a member for life and your children can inherit membership, along with their children and so on. My wife and I are members thanks to her grandfather Fischer, who served in the Air Force for many years.

Background aside, I can’t remember when I’ve been more impressed with a company. USAA is not only a financial company that really has great products to offer. I think there are lots of those companies out there. USAA just gets customer service. That is what makes this company so different.

We first heard of them through friends Bill and Amy years ago. They banked with this company and raved about how wonderful they were. But they were completely online and by telephone. No branches. But you could use any ATM in the world and would be reimbursed the charges. I wasn’t immediately impressed by the no branch idea, but eventually we gave it a try.

Setting up our accounts couldn’t have been more simple. Their website is a model of efficiency and services. When we started with them back in 2002 – they were so far ahead of the curve online compared to many of the national banks.

But the first times we had to call in and speak with their phone support was really when we became smitten and amazed that a company like this existed. First, their phone support was staffed by Americans! Coming from my tech support background – that just isn’t the norm today. Second, they were friendly and actually on the phone to help serve you the best way they could. Their staff actually want to help and were knowledgeable — think Wal-Mart associates, only the exact opposite!

The real shining light for me was dealing with them for a home equity line of credit and then later for a refinance on our home. With the line of credit, my wife and I applied online on a Sunday evening. On Monday morning, I received a call from the LAWYER’S office wanting to SCHEDULE the closing! I hadn’t even heard back from USAA to know I was approved, and yet they had already begun setting up the next steps. I received a call from USAA a few minutes later and the representative walked me through everything else. Just 36 hours after my initial application, I closed on and received the ability to transfer funds from the line of credit. I DARE any other financial company to touch that!

And don’t get me wrong, in this day in age, we have to think about fraud and all the other negative, but its not that USAA was derelict or whilly nilly when lending to us – they had our financial profile and were able to make a determination that quickly due to the amount of technology they imploy. When talking with the representative that morning, she had already been able to pull an appraisal from an online resource, and although I felt the estimate appraisal was low, it was still much more than what I requested to be loaned, so it had been pushed through without question. My point is that USAA had crossed their T’s and dotted their I’s before approving the credit line, but were still able to do it in under 12 hours!

As mortgage rates hit rock bottom, we shopped for a refi to reduce our mortgage to a 15 year. Again we chose USAA. By now we knew their customer service and knew it was a great choice and we also knew that they really focused on helping their member/customers. Again, it was a wonderful experience. How may people say that about getting their Mortgage??

The verbose post is really just a few examples of how great this company is to work with. Every phone call is always pleasant and even if they aren’t able to offer a product, the representatives try and work with you every way they can. They consistently go above and beyond, making suggestions for your best interests. Each representative is always well versed in their product line and any lines attached to them, so they speak with expertise when you’re trying to make decisions.

So many companies can take a page out of this book. It instills trust in the company, loyalty and a desire for the customer to do repeat business. It also makes for customers who talk the company up to their friends and family (much like this post). So, if you or your family were members of the armed forces – you really should check out USAA – www.usaa.com.

Monday I struggled with a LUN presentation issue to a set of blades. I was trying to create a cluster for our SQL 2005 instance. I had 4 blades setup identically. I was able to have a LUN presented and bring up a cluster on two of the blade – no problem.

For the second set of blades, I setup the same configuration. I have the 1 Gig LUN presented to the SQL boxes for quorum and then rescan. Windows no see… Rescan again… Windows still no see. I troubleshot this for the rest of the afternoon to no avail. Tuesday morning, I open the support case with HP.

After being flung from one support queue to another, I realize that HP is done a fantastic job of creating silos withing their support departments – to such a degree that most of their employees only know the one particular component of a solution which they support. This has become especially true when looking at big solutions – like a blade system connected to and booting from the SAN.

After 3 and a half hours, I ended a support call which involved a total of 7 support “engineers” and at one point, I had one support guy in India who conference’d in another in India who conference’d in another in Costa Rica – talk about lag time on the phone call… My voice had to travel to India and back to the Caribbean to talk to the guy I really needed to talk to in the beginning.

Final solution – uninstall the multipathing software (MPIO) and reinstall. The servers now see the LUNs. Better than Indian support #1′s suggestion that I reinstall Windows before he troubleshot anything…