HP FlexFabric 5900CP Series Instruction Manual

Frequently asked questions
HP FlexFabric 5900CP
SwitchSeries

2
General
Q: What is being announced?
A: HP is expanding its data center access oering with the new converged top-of-rack HP FlexFabric 5900CP Switch
Series. The unmatched simplicity and versatility of the new switch series brings true convergence to data centers.
Q. When will the FlexFabric 5900CP be available?
A. It will be available starting February 18, 2014.
HP FlexFabric 5900CP Switch Series
Q: What is the HP FlexFabric solution?
A: The HP FlexFabric solution is the data center component of the HP FlexNetwork architecture. FlexFabric delivers a
simple, scalable, and automated Ethernet fabric for data centers, enabling customers to lower costs, enhance network
performance, and work smarter with automation.
Q: What is the FlexFabric 5900CP Switch Series?
A: The FlexFabric 5900CP comprises next-generation data center switches, designed to support converged networking
and storage environments.
The FlexFabric 5900CP is a 1RU top-of-rack switch that comes standard with 48 converged ports, which support 1/10GbE
and 4/8Gb/s Fibre Channel (FC) speeds. The switch also provides four QSFP+ uplink ports each, delivering 40GbE of
networking bandwidth.
Q: Can the 40GbE ports be used as 10GbE ports?
A: Yes. All the four QSFP+ ports of the FlexFabric 5900CP switch can be used as 10GbE ports, using breakout cables.
Inother words, the FlexFabric 5900CP is capable of delivering up to 64 10GbE ports.
Q: How do the converged ports of the FlexFabric 5900CP dier from standard ports?
A: The dierence between the standard and converged port lies in the protocols and corresponding transceivers that
each port supports.
Standard ports are generally dedicated to either supporting Ethernet or storage protocols such as FC. On the other
hand, converged ports of the FlexFabric 5900CP are designed to support 1/10GbE Ethernet protocols and 4/8 FC
protocols. Theconverged ports can accommodate SFP+ 10GbE transceivers or FC optical transceivers. To simplify things
for customers, HP oers a universal transceiver that is capable of working as an Ethernet or FC transceiver, without
requiringcustomer intervention.
Figure 1. Converged ports and optics—versatile connectivity
1/10/40GbE LA
N
FC
SAN
FC
storage
Converged ports
Converged optics
First to market
with converged
optics
FCoE
storage
iSCSI or
NAS storage
All ports are converged
Connect to LANs & SANs
Wire-once optics
One OS license for all features
Frequently asked questions | HP FlexFabric 5900CP Switch Series

3
Q: What are the key features of the FlexFabric 5900CP?
A: The FlexFabric 5900CP brings convergence, simplicity, and high performance in a 1RU top-of-rack form factor. It
delivers an impressive set of features:
• Comware v7 modular operating system
• 48 converged ports: 1/10GbE or 4/8 FC
• 4*40GbE QSFP+ ports: 16*10GbE ports with breakout cables
• 10GbE latency < 1.5 µs (64B packets)
• 1.28 Tb/s switching capacity
• 952.32 mp/s throughput
• Nine switches IRF fabric
• F/B or B/F airow for data center deployments
• OpenFlow 1.3 support
• L2/L3. IPv4/IPv6 dual stack, FCoE, TRILL, DCB, and VEPA
• Direct FC storage or FC SAN fabric connectivity
• Native FCoE or NPV/NPIV support
Q: How does the FlexFabric 5900CP support the HP FlexFabric solution?
A: The FlexFabric 5900CP delivers unprecedented levels of simplicity, convergence, and automation to the FlexFabric
data center.
With support for up to nine device Intelligent Resilient Fabric (IRF) domains, the FlexFabric 5900CP improves network
management by more than 75 percent. In addition to that, the utilization of universal transceivers that automatically
work with Ethernet and FC makes wire-once networks a reality.
The FlexFabric 5900CP delivers versatile connectivity with converged-ports support for local FC storage, FC fabrics,
native FCoE storage, NPV/NPIV FCoE, iSCSI, and NAS storage. More importantly, the FlexFabric 5900CP utilizes universal
SFP+ transceivers that support 1/10GbE Ethernet and 4/8Gb/s FC. This simplies connectivity and helps eliminate
confusion about optics andcables.
The FlexFabric 5900CP takes advantage of the automation capabilities of the HP Intelligent Management Center (IMC)
and software-dened networking (SDN) to enhance the customer experience. With IMC and VEPA, the FlexFabric 5900CP
enables unied management of physical and virtual networks.
Q: How will customers benet from FlexFabric 5900CP?
A: Customers can reduce their CapEx by replacing separate purpose-built networks with one converged network for
data and storage trac. Server I/O consolidation reduces the number of I/O devices, cables, and switch ports. This in
turn reduces operating costs associated with deploying and managing smaller sets of devices and lower ongoing costs,
including cooling expenses.
Customers can reduce the complexity of their networks with HP innovative wire-once universal transceivers. Along with
the active converged ports, the auto-sensing transceivers simplify network installation and operations.
Customers will nd the HP licensing policy very valuable. Unlike competing products, the FlexFabric 5900CP converged
products are active and ready for use. No special licenses are needed to take advantage of advanced L3 features
or FCoEcapabilities. As in all HP data center switches, there are no hidden licenses for advanced network operating
systemfeatures.
Customers can take advantage of the HP IRF fabric to simplify network management, enhance network performance,
andbuild resilient enterprise environments.
Frequently asked questions | HP FlexFabric 5900CP Switch Series

4
Q: Which are the customer segments that will benet from the FlexFabric 5900CP?
A: The FlexFabric 5900CP is targeted at three market segments. As shown in the product positioning diagram, the focus
on these three segments varies, based on the adoption potential and benets to each segment.
Primary segment: The benets of the FlexFabric 5900CP are most pronounced in data centers with FCoE converged
environments. As a result, it makes more sense to focus on sales opportunities with FCoE convergence.
Secondary segment: Many customers would like peace of mind and investment protection by purchasing switches
with FCoE support that can be utilized in the future. In this case, the FlexFabric 5900CP is a great t for customer needs.
However, if customers are only looking for 1/10GbE switches, then they should consider the HP FlexFabric 5900AF as a
more suitable alternative.
Tertiary segment: As the FlexFabric 5900CP is a converged switch, some customers may consider deploying it as a pure
FC switch in storage environments. In these cases, please consult your sales architect or product manager to verify that
the desired deployment model has been tested and is supported.
Q: What are the key advantages of the FlexFabric 5900CP over the competition?
A: The FlexFabric 5900CP oers several advantages over competing oerings:
• All converged ports are activated and ready for use.
• There are no hidden costs. All Comware 7 operating system features are licensed and ready for use. There are no special
licenses required for taking advantage of FCoE, advanced L3 features, or OpenFlow support.
• Wire-once simplicity is delivered by converged ports and universal transceiver optics.
• Versatile connectivity to native FCoE and FC storage, iSCSI and NAS storage, as well as 1/10GbE networks is enabled.
All48 ports are converged, with no confusing congurations or port options.
• Unied management of physical and virtual networks, using VEPA and IMC, is delivered.
• Resilient and eld-tested IRF Ethernet fabric delivers network resilience and simplied management. When coupled with
industry-standard TRILL, IRF delivers high scalability.
• The FlexFabric 5900CP is built on Comware version 7, a modular network operating system, supported across all
HPFlexFabric products. Comware 7 is an enterprise-grade OS that delivers high-availability software features such as
ISSU, control-plane/data-plane separation, and graceful restart.
Q: How many FlexFabric 5900CP switches can be used in one IRF domain?
A: Up to nine FlexFabric 5900CP switches can be used to build one IRF fabric that can be managed as a single virtual
switch, using one IP address. This capability simplies network management by more than 75 percent.
Q: Can I use IRF on the FlexFabric 5900CP switches in storage environments?
A: Yes. IRF is an Ethernet fabric that enhances the capabilities of data networks without altering the fundamentals of
the underlying Ethernet transport. Both iSCSI and FCoE are encapsulation protocols that run over TCP/IP and Ethernet
respectively. Special attention should be paid to conguring storage SANs when using IRF. Please consult your sales
architect or product manager for best practices in this area.
Figure 2. HP FlexFabric 5900CP product positioning
Primary: Converged data center opportunities with FCoE.
Secondary: 10GbE networks or iSCSI SANs. Lead with
the HP FlexFabric 5900 series.
Tertiary: FC storage & SANs. Consult your product manager.
Converged:
FCoE and iSCSI
Networking:
10GbE
Storage
&
SANs
Frequently asked questions | HP FlexFabric 5900CP Switch Series

5
Q. Does the HP FlexFabric 5900CP support IETF TRILL?
A. Yes. The FlexFabric 5900CP enables data center fabrics with greater reliability, exibility, and scale by adding mature
virtualization technology such as IRF with standards-based protocols such as SPB and TRILL. HP IRF is fully interoperable
with TRILL; and it reduces the failure domain to increase overall resiliency. These features together simplify scale and
deliver faster fail-over recovery time. Unlike competitive options from Cisco, the 5900CP oers all advanced switching
features, without additional licenses.
Q: Does the FlexFabric 5900CP support Data Center Bridging (DCB) protocols?
A: Yes. The FlexFabric 5900CP supports DCB protocols: Priority Flow Control (PFC), Enhanced Transmission Selection
(ETS), and Data Center Bridging Exchange (DCBx).
Q: Does the FlexFabric 5900CP support spine-leaf deployments?
A: Yes. The FlexFabric 5900CP is well suited for spine-leaf network conguration deployments. The FlexFabric 5900CP
serves as a high-performance leaf switch.
Q: Are the F-B and B-F fan trays of the FlexFabric 5900CP the same?
A: No. The front-to-back and back-to-front fan trays are dierent; and they deliver opposite air ows. The desired fan
trays should be specied at the time of order placement.
Fibre Channel and FCoE Support
Q. Does the FlexFabric 5900CP support FCoE?
A. Yes. All 48 1/10GbE converged ports and the 4 QSFP+ uplinks on the FlexFabric 5900CP support FCoE. The
FlexFabric5900CP ships with all ports enabled to support FCoE.
Unlike competing products, there is no license required to enable and use FCoE or activate converged ports for
FCoEsupport.
Q. Was the FlexFabric 5900CP tested for storage deployments?
A. Yes. The FlexFabric 5900CP was extensively tested in storage environments over a period of fteen months to validate
its capabilities. The tests included interoperability with HP FC, FCoE, and iSCSI storage and even third-party FC fabric
switches. The tested and validated deployment models are documented and can be found in the FlexFabric 5900CP
“deployment models” presentation.
Q. Can I use the 48 converged ports of the FlexFabric 5900CP for data and storage in any order?
A. Yes. You can designate any of the 48 converged ports as a 1/10GbE port or 4/8 Gb/s FC port. There are no restrictions
on the choice of ports or the ability to change the port type.
Q. Which operating modes are supported by the FlexFabric 5900CP converged switch?
A: The FlexFabric 5900CP supports three operating modes when deployed in storage environments:
• FC Forwarder (FCF)/switch mode
• FIP Snooping Bridge (FSB)/transit mode
• N_Port Virtualization (NPV)/gateway mode
A short description of the functions provided by the FlexFabric 5900CP when operating in each of the above mentioned
modes is given in the table below.
Table 1. HP FlexFabric 5900CP FC/FCoE switch modes
FCF/switch mode NPV/gateway mode FSB/transit mode
• Full FC Switch functionality (F/E/N_Ports)
• Supports FC fabric services
• FC/FCoE encapsulation
• DCBX, PFC, & ETS
• Needs a SAN switch
• Presents a NPIV N_Port to FC fabric
• Does not implement FC fabric services
• Snoop FCoE Initialization Protocol (FIP)
• Dynamic ACLs
• DCBX, PFC, & ETS
• Needs FCF
Frequently asked questions | HP FlexFabric 5900CP Switch Series

6
Q. Can I use the FlexFabric 5900CP converged ports as native FC ports?
A. Yes. The 48 converged ports of the FlexFabric 5900CP can be used to connect native FC storage.
Q. Should I expect any port performance degradation when I use FCoE?
A. No. The FlexFabric 5900CP oers line-rate performance, regardless of the features used. Utilizing advanced features
of the FlexFabric 5900CP should not result in performance degradation.
Q. Where can the FlexFabric 5900CP be deployed in storage environments?
A. For detailed congurations of deployments models, please refer to the FlexFabric 5900CP “deployments models”
presentation, available at the Sales Dropbox.
The FlexFabric 5900CP can be used to connect FCoE storage, FC Storage, iSCSI storage, and NAS storage. It can also be
used to connect to FC SANs and third-party FC fabrics in NPV/NPIV mode
Figure 3. HP FlexFabric 5900CP—connecting FC, FCoE, & iSCSI storage
HP FlexFabric 5900CP is qualified with HP & 3PAR storage. Consult your sales representative for tested configurations.
Native FC
Native Ethernet
FCoE
FC storage
IRF
(optional) FlexFabric 5900CP (FCF)
F_Port
VN_Port
VF_Port
N_Port
FCoE
storage
iSCSI or
NAS storage
Servers with CNAs
or FC HBAs
Frequently asked questions | HP FlexFabric 5900CP Switch Series

7
Frequently asked questions | HP FlexFabric 5900CP Switch Series
Q. Do I need a license for IMC management?
A. Yes. IMC management requires its own license. The IMC license is dierent and separate from
the Comware 7 operating system, which is fully licensed with the purchase of the FlexFabric
5900CP. You can download a 60-day free trial version of IMC from the HP website.
Q. Do I need a license for the IMC Fabric Manager?
A. Yes. The IMC Fabric Manager is an FC module that is dedicated to conguring and managing
FCoE capabilities. The IMC Fabric Manager license is separate from that of IMC.
Q. How can the FlexFabric 5900CP be called fully licensed if I need an IMC license?
A. The FlexFabric 5900CP as well as all of HP data center switches are shipped with a license
that covers all Comware network operating system features. No licenses are required for
utilizing advanced Comware features. There are no hidden costs associated with Comware
featuresupdates.
The IMC is an advanced single-pane-of-glass network management application that can be
purchased to manage data center and campus networks. Customers can setup, congure, and
use the Comware-based HP FlexFabric switches out of the box, using built-in utilities.
Learn more at
hp.com/networking/
Contacts
Global
Ahmad Zamer
Global Product Marketing Manager
[email protected]

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© Copyright 2014 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only
warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein
should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.
4AA5-1388ENW, March 2014
Frequently asked questions | HP FlexFabric 5900CP Switch Series