HP released recently the latest version of Virtual Connect firmware 4.01. Some great features are in there, like improved network intelligence, expanded Quality of Service QoS, bandwidth optimization and Dual-hop FCoE support.
Dual-Hop FCoE support allows FCoE traffic to be propagated out of the enclosure to an external bridge, which will handle the conversion of FCoE to FC traffic.
The Dual-Hop FCoE solution has several advantages when compared to a traditional FC + Ethernet design. With FCoE, there are fewer cables, resulting in a reduced overall solution
cost. Read more about this in this technical white paper.
Due to this new firmware release, also a new Cookbook is released. Download here the latest release of the Virtual Connect iSCSI Cookbook (fourth edition).
The new content includes Gen8, FlexFabric NC554, VC Flex-10/10D, a “low cost” Direct-Attach scenario (scenario 3-C), Windows Server 2012 information, and ESX 5.
All the other information (including the great Virtual Connect for Dummies) can be found on the Virtual Connect pages at www.hp.com/go/virtualconnect
Happy reading and updating!