Multi-Port Network Adapters for Server Consolidation and Virtualization

IT managers around the globe share a common challenge: keeping up with the unpredictable need for more servers and storage while addressing growing business continuity demands. Yet strategies to manage computing resources more effectively across sprawling enterprises-and amid constant new application development-have not always kept pace. The result is that many IT organizations are severely underutilizing their existing hardware resources while others are constantly reacting to business conditions instead of proactively planning for growth.

Server virtualization is a proven way to overcome this challenge by better utilizing computing resources to improve scalability, manageability and availability while lowering total cost of ownership (TCO). Virtualization software divides a single physical server into several independent virtual machines, each of which can host a separate operating system and applications in complete isolation from other virtual machines on the server (see Figure 1). To take full advantage of the benefits of virtualization, IT organizations need an infrastructure element to improve reliability and performance. One often overlooked infrastructure element required for successful virtualization deployment is the use of multi-port network server adapters.

 Multi-Port Network Adapters for Server Consolidation and Virtualization  About this white paper ......................................................................................................................... 2 Moving from hardware constraints to virtualization.................................................................................. 2 Implementing virtualization with VMware Infrastructure 3 ......................................................................... 3 HP NICs: Providing the glue for ProLiant-based VMware solutions ............................................................. 3 Dedicated ports for virtualization ....................................................................................................... 5 Server-class features ......................................................................................................................... 5 Extensive compatibility...................................................................................................................... 6 Increased reliability .......................................................................................................................... 6 Server expandability and business continuity....................................................................................... 6 Network segmentation...................................................................................................................... 6 Cabling advantages......................................................................................................................... 7 Centralized remote management ....................................................................................................... 7 Virtualization: Making the connection .................................................................................................... 7 Key terminology................................................................................................................................... 7 HP NC7170, NC340T and NC360T product features............................................................................. 8 VMware compatibility with HP multi-port network adapters ....................................................................... 8 Learn more about this innovative solution................................................................................................ 8   Untitled Document  2 About this white paper This white paper discusses the IT benefits that enterprises can gain from VMware  Infrastructure 3 virtualization software when using HP ProLiant multi-port network adapters with Intel technology. Having the capability to operate multiple virtual machines simultaneously on a single physical server enables enterprises to consolidate workloads from several separate physical servers onto one server, thereby reducing the number of servers required for a given workload. Unlike physical servers, virtual machines can be created in a matter of minutes and can be moved from one physical server to another without reconfiguring the operating system or applications. As a result, services can be provisioned faster and resources allocated easily to business units when needed. In addition, virtualization enables IT administrators to proactively manage their systems to help prevent unplanned downtime and increase overall availability. Gigabit Ethernet network adapters (NICs) play an essential role in the VMware Infrastructure model server networking functionality is important for secure management of VMware ESX Server 3, for enabling VMotion" technology and for meeting the network throughput requirements of multiple virtual machines. In particular, best practices for VMware ESX Server 3 call for at least three dedicated network connections. HP ProLiant multi-port adapters are the optimum solution, providing extra ports to support the VMware Infrastructure in one input/output (I/O) server slot and freeing I/O slots in the server for other purposes. HP multi-port NICs with Intel technology also allow IT administrators to configure redundant ports to improve throughput and reliability. With VMware Infrastructure 3 server virtualization software, traffic that was once hosted on multiple physical servers can now be handled by a set of virtual machines on a single physical server, all sharing a pool of network connections as long as that server is properly equipped with the required network connections. Moving from hardware constraints to virtualization IT managers around the globe share a common challenge: keeping up with the unpredictable need for more servers and storage while addressing growing business continuity demands. Yet strategies to manage computing resources more effectively across sprawling enterprises and amid constant new application development have not always kept pace. The result is that many IT organizations are severely underutilizing their existing hardware resources while others are constantly reacting to business conditions instead of proactively planning for growth. Server virtualization is a proven way to overcome this challenge by better utilizing computing resources to improve scalability, manageability and availability while lowering total cost of ownership (TCO). Virtualization software divides a single physical server into several independent virtual machines, each of which can host a separate operating system and applications in complete isolation from other virtual machines on the server (see Figure 1). To take full advantage of the benefits of virtualization, IT organizations need an infrastructure element to improve reliability and performance. One often overlooked infrastructure element required for successful virtualization deployment is the use of multi-port network server adapters.  Untitled Document 3  Figure 1. VMware enables enterprises to create a virtual infrastructure, providing a layer of abstraction between the computing, storage and networking hardware and the software that operates on it. With a virtual infrastructure, users see resources as if they were dedicated to them. The administrator manages and optimizes resources transparently across the data center.   Implementing virtualization with VMware Infrastructure 3 Today, 99 of the Fortune 100 companies are VMware customers.1 No matter how large or small the enterprise, adopting VMware Infrastructure enables IT departments to be responsive to business needs while controlling costs. At the core of VMware Infrastructure 3 is VMware ESX Server 3 a platform for virtualizing servers, storage and networking. VMware ESX Server 3 provides a virtualization layer, allowing multiple virtual machines to operate simultaneously on a single physical server. ESX Server 3 software typically enables organizations to run one to eight virtual machines per processor on 2-way, 4-way and 8-way x86 architecture based servers, up to a maximum of 128 virtual machines. VMware VirtualCenter 2 management software is used by system administrators to manage virtual machines across many physical systems. In addition, VMware VMotion technology allows administrators using VirtualCenter to migrate a live virtual machine to a different physical server without service interruption, making dynamic workload balancing and zero-downtime hardware maintenance possible (see Figure 2). HP NICs: Providing the glue for ProLiant-based VMware solutions Often taken for granted in servers, NIC capacity must be carefully maintained on ProLiant servers hosting multiple virtual machines. As the number of virtual machines per server increases, utilization of the host CPU resources also increases. In addition, there are more applications competing for the available NIC hardware resources. Best practices for VMware Infrastructure 3 require a minimum of three network adapters as follows:    1 VMware Inc., internal research, March 13, 2006. Untitled Document 4 " One for the virtual machines and their applications " One for the VMware service console to enable system administration " One for VMotion to enable dynamic workload balancing Failover, network segmentation and bandwidth needs may necessitate additional ports. This can be challenging if servers are PCI slot constrained.  Figure 2. VMware VMotion technology moves live, operating virtual machines from one physical system to another while maintaining continuous service availability. VMotion allows fast reconfiguration and optimization of resources across the virtual infrastructure.   Every IT administrator also needs to mitigate reliability risks. On a ProLiant server that is operating multiple applications on multiple virtual machines, a connection failure can be a costly business interruption that is time-consuming to fix. If redundant network connections are desired to enhance the reliability of servers hosting many applications, the issue intensifies six or more ports could be required per server. In addition, IT administrators must be able to segment traffic to maintain a flexible and secure network. The flexibility to assign NICs to servers and virtual machines enables administrators to increase performance quickly during peak times. Server workloads are always growing in size as well, which means that enterprises need multiple network connections that provide the throughput to respond immediately to employee and customer requests for data. All of these requirements consume server networking ports. For that reason, HP multi-port network adapters with Intel technology are optimized for HP ProLiant servers to provide the foundation for a flexible and reliable virtual infrastructure. The HP NC7170, NC340T, and NC360T multi-port Gigabit Ethernet network adapters conserve valuable PCI slots in ProLiant servers while helping to eliminate network bottlenecks especially in connection-dense virtual machine environments. Migration to Gigabit Ethernet can also be achieved easily and cost-effectively using multi-port NICs.  Untitled Document 5 Dedicated ports for virtualization The HP NC7170 and NC360T dual-port adapters have two Gigabit Ethernet connections in a single PCI-X and PCI Express card, respectively. These adapters deliver increased port density for high-density, slot-constrained ProLiant servers. The NC7170 and NC360T utilize a single, integrated, dual-port Gigabit Ethernet Intel controller that provides high performance and reliability along with low power consumption. The HP NC340T quad-port Gigabit network adapter features four 10/100/1000T Gigabit Ethernet ports on a single card, saving valuable ProLiant server I/O slots for other purposes. The four Gigabit ports offer the greatest bandwidth in an HP NC Series Ethernet adapter, making it ideal for virtualization applications requiring maximum throughput and port density. For servers using VMware server virtualization software, ESX Server best practices strongly recommend extra ports to establish separate physical networks for application production traffic, management and VMotion virtual machine migration (see Figure 3).  Figure 3. Recommended network configuration for ProLiant servers with VMware ESX Server virtual machine monitor installed. ESX Server takes ownership of two ports for security, availability and segmentation. The remaining ports are then available to virtual machine traffic.   Server-class features  HP ProLiant Gigabit Ethernet adapters with Intel technology can improve system throughput and increase processor utilization. In addition, HP adapters include support for advanced performance features including jumbo frames, TCP checksum and segmentation offload, interrupt coalescence, dual address cycles and 802.1p quality of service (QoS) tagging. Untitled Document 6  Extensive compatibility HP NC7170, NC340T and NC360T multi-port adapters are completely integrated, tested and validated solutions optimized for a wide variety of HP ProLiant servers. This approach provides a more robust and reliable networking solution than offerings from other vendors. Furthermore, users have a single point of contact for both servers and network adapters. Increased reliability HP network adapters include ProLiant Network Adapter Teaming to provide fault tolerance and load balancing across a team of two or more network adapters. The team of adapters works together as a single virtual adapter. Several different types of teaming are included, giving the IT administrator a choice in the desired level of redundancy. Optional advanced teaming capabilities are further supported through the ProLiant Essentials Intelligent Networking Pack. Server expandability and business continuity Proactively including an HP multi-port NIC at time of server purchase or installation of your first virtual machine ensures server expandability by helping avoid the cost of taking a server offline to install a new NIC when adding servers or virtual machines. HP multi-port adapters with Intel technology also enable business continuity by allowing IT administrators to dedicate ports for remote storage and management, including storage area network/network-attached storage (SAN/NAS).  Figure 4. VMware network best practices require the creation of network labels for each virtual NIC through VMware ESX Server 3. Network labels should be global across server farms, and VMware VMotion automatically maps virtual machines to appropriate virtual NICs based on network labels. Virtual machines must have access to the necessary subnets on the target ESX Server. VMware recommends a Gigabit Ethernet connection between the ESX Server based platform, the VMware service console and VMotion. While consuming minimal server I/O slots, HP multi-port NICs can provide the necessary number of networking ports to meet this requirement, in addition to dedicated ports for each virtual machine on a server.   Network segmentation To help IT organizations support unpredictable network demands, such as heavy traffic on Web servers and intranets, IT departments are increasingly segmenting enterprise networks. Segmentation helps provide better data security and uptime for each network. Within dedicated subsystems, hardware and software operating environments cannot be modified without proper authentication. Employing HP multi-port network adapters with Intel technology can provide platform flexibility to respond to evolving needs for segmentation and enable connections to multiple switches to segment traffic on a network. Untitled Document 7 Cabling advantages HP offers multi-port adapters with copper connections. The HP NC7170, NC340T and NC360T adapters support cost-effective 10/100/1000 Mbps transmission rates over existing category 5 (Cat5) cabling. The 10/100/1000 Mbps capability enables these adapters to be used in Ethernet or Fast Ethernet legacy wiring plants. IT administrators can upgrade Fast Ethernet connections to Gigabit Ethernet using HP multi-port NICs. This added flexibility reduces training costs associated with the upgrade and expedites the Gigabit Ethernet rollout. Centralized remote management HP adapters support a full suite of Web-based enterprise management utilities and ProLiant Essentials software (including SmartStart and HP Systems Insight Manager) that greatly simplify network management. The NC7170, NC360T and NC340T multi-port adapters include drivers and agents that can be managed from HP ProLiant Essentials Systems Insight Manager and other SNMP-based management systems. HP Systems Insight Manager can recognize the NICs individually or in teams and can collect and report SNMP statistics on adapter events. Integrated Management Log (IML) support is provided by the adapters for critical event logging on HP servers. Each NIC ships with a suite of operating system (OS) tailored configuration utilities that allow the user to enable initial diagnostics and configure HP ProLiant adapter teaming. This includes a patented teaming graphical user interface (GUI) for Microsoft Windows 2000 and 2003 operating systems. Support for scripted team installation in a Microsoft Windows environment allows for unattended OS installations. Virtualization: Making the connection To improve return on investment and reduce TCO, organizations need to make the most of what is already in place. Virtual IT infrastructure has become a powerful enabler for consolidating servers, running applications in multiple OS environments, simplifying administration and lowering operating costs. VMware Infrastructure 3 software on HP ProLiant servers provides a robust virtualization platform, and HP NICs with Intel technology provide the connections to make the virtual IT infrastructure a reality. Together, VMware and HP help IT managers reach their common goal: serving enterprise needs in the most efficient and responsive way possible. Key terminology Network interface card (NIC) is a computer circuit board that is installed in a computer to connect the computer to a network. Network interface cards provide a dedicated, full-time network connection for enterprise desktop PCs and servers. Virtualization is the basis for flexible, scalable and low-cost enterprise IT that has the capability to respond immediately to changing business needs. Virtualization decouples application workloads completely from underlying physical hardware. This allows applications to be deployed across a pool of physical servers to improve hardware utilization and management flexibility. The key building block of VMware Infrastructure is a platform that abstracts the physical resources of an industry standard server to provide a set of virtual resources to an application. VMware ESX Server 3 provides that virtualization platform, and VMware VirtualCenter 2 manages the virtual machines on physical servers running VMware ESX Server 3. VMware VMotion permits the migration of applications running on virtual machines across this pool of virtual resources without service interruption. Virtual machine is a virtualized server environment on which a guest operating system and associated application software can run. Multiple virtual machines can operate on the same host machine concurrently. Untitled Document 8 HP NC7170, NC340T and NC360T product features " PCI-X v1.0 and PCI v2.2 supporting up to 64-bit, 133MHz PCI-X slots (NC7170 and NC340T) " PCI Express v1.0a supporting up to x4 PCI Express slots (NC360T) " Remote management via SmartStart, HP Systems Insight Manager, other SNMP-based managers " OS-tailored configuration utilities to enable initial diagnostics " Adapter teaming configurator with patented teaming GUI for Windows 2000 and 2003 " Scripted installations of teams within Windows environments for unattended installation " Integrated Management Log (IML) support " Pre-boot execution environment (PXE) " Wake-on-LAN (WOL) functionality " Linux, Windows, NetWare and UNIX operating system support, 32-bit and 64-bit OS dependent " Link integrity and network activity LED indicators " Extensive HP ProLiant integration, testing and validation " Advanced Configuration and Power Interface Specification (ACPI) v2.0 " Interrupt coalescence " Large send offload (TCP segmentation offload) and TCP checksum offload " Jumbo frames " Dual address cycles " IEEE 802.3ad link aggregation, 802.1Q virtual LAN (VLAN) tagging, and 802.1p quality of service " Auto-negotiation, full-duplex capable " RoHS and FCC class B compliant " Microsoft WHQL (Windows Hardware Quality Labs) certification " Copper cable distances to 100 m (328 feet) " PCI Hot Plug " Network Fault Tolerance and Transmit Load Balancing ProLiant Teaming " Switch-assisted Load Balancing (Fast EtherChannel, Gigabit EtherChannel) ProLiant Teaming* " Optional ProLiant Essentials Intelligent Networking Pack * Available when used with a capable switch. VMware compatibility with HP multi-port network adapters VMware Infrastructure 3 supports HP NC7170, NC340T and NC360T multi-port network adapters. For a representative list of VMware-qualified adapters, see the VMware ESX Server 3 I/O Compatibility Guide at www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_io_guide.pdf. VMware may add support for drivers and devices between releases of the product. Check the VMware Web site for current information at www.vmware.com/support/pubs/vi_pubs.html. Learn more about this innovative solution For general information about the products described in this white paper, visit www.vmware.com, www.hp.com/servers/networking, and www.intel.com.           2006 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. 4AA0-0665ENW, October 2006 308083-002US