Expertise on HP new generation servers and switch

[CougTek]

Am I alone here to work with HP rack servers? For now, we only have a few G5 and G6-era servers, as well as half a dozen switches (Procurve 2510-48G and 3800-48G). However, with our upcoming upgrade, we'll add a few more servers of the latest generation. Wether those will be blade servers of Proliant DL380p is to be determined.

I know Handruin works with Cisco equipment. I don't know about Howell and Blakerwry. Any of you work mainly with HP servers?

 

[ddrueding]

I still build my servers for the most part (SSDs and RAM are too expensive from the major vendors, and their products are too noisy). My infrastructure is simple enough that I don't need managed switches at all.

 

[Handruin]

Prior to our Cisco UCS deployment I've been managing a single HP blade deployment inside a C7000 chassis with BL460c G1, G6, and now G8 blades. We had up to 15 deployed before we decommissioned several of the G1 blades simply because of age and lack of performance. Inside the chassis we also have two Cisco network switches and two brocade SAN switches for connectivity.

This chassis has been running for several years now. Only a few minor issues over the years. Some bad RAM that threw too many warnings for ECC corrections. Several dead internal hard drives. One blade did shit the bed after several years. One of the boards went bad. It was repairable and not a big deal.

Overall the setup has been very reliable over the years and easy to manage. I wouldn't hesitate recommending it to anyone.

 

[Chewy509]

Used to do a lot with HP from the Gen3 to Gen 7 series, but since going to Uni a few years ago haven't really touched their server stuff. (Where I work now, we custom build the desktops and the servers are either HP Gen6 based or Supermicro based, and not scheduled for replacement for 1-2 years).

 

[CougTek]

None of you ever used an HP StoreVirtual 4000? Configured two Procurve switches with stacking modules and with single IP management?

Handruin's experience with the BL c7000 chassis will certainly be helpful eventually. We are more targetting the c3000 right now, because feeding the servers with 240V would be problematic (it's an old building that's been through many reconfigurations, cabling is a mess).

I'm asking about the StoreVirtual 4000 because a) A 3PAR SAN is too expensive and b) It comes with data replication/backup software that would come in handy in order to be fully redundant. The model B7E30A is also made specifically to work with blade setups. It's a little sad though that it's preconfigured with 900GB drives without the option to upgrade to the newer 1.2TB drives.

 

[CougTek]

The StoreVirtual 4000 looks like it's nothing more than a Proliant DL380p with a nice software bundle. Not that it's a bad thing. I've considered using a DL380p as a NAS, with OpenFiler. HP's software is probably better than Openfiler in an all-HP setup.

 

[CougTek]

I've read that 8Gb fibre channel has a significantly lower latency than 10Gbps SFP+ connection, so the former is preferable to connect a SAN. However, how does the latency of 16Gb fibre channel compares to 40Gbps QDR Infiniband? Both are comparable in price (if anything, Infiniband is cheaper). Last thing I want to hear once I've convinced the management to spend 6-figures on a new server setup is : "Oh, I still wait for this or that". I want to assassinate every single bottleneck. I want the fastest possible interconnection between the blade chassis and the SAN.

I hesitate between using D2220sb DAS with a bunch of SSD inside or sending everything to a P4000 VirtualStore SAN connected with either 16Gb fibre channel or QDR Infiniband. Yes, it's almost certainly overkill, but the storage part won't be upgraded for a while and it will probably last at least two blade server generations. Of course, if I end up using only DAS blade modules, I won't need Infiniband or fibre channel.

I've verified on HP's website and a QLogic 4X QDR IB switch (#505958-B21) and its management module (#505959-B21) seems to be compatible with the c3000 blade chassis I plan to use. The 16Gb fibre channel switch module I've found so far is only compatible with the c7000 chassis though.

I haven't look at Infiniband adapters for the P4000 SAN, but I would be very surprised if there wasn't any. I cannot be the first guy to think about using such a configuration.

 

[CougTek]

BTW, the #QK763A 1.2TB Flash IO Accelerator have specifications that look suspiciously similar to a certain Fusion-io IO Accelerator...

And anyone knows if I can plug both a #583210-B21 Infiniband HBA and a #684212-B21 2-port FlexFabric 10Gb adapter inside the same BL460c Gen8 server?

 

[Howell]

I've worked with HP servers in the past, non-virtualized. I have some HP switches I work with now. Cisco and Brocade sets up VRRP similarly. HP should be similar as well.