Server profile templates connection settings

You can configure connections in a server profile template. Setting network connections through a server profile template is supported for .

You can add a connection to a server profile without assigning a network or network set by choosing the Unassigned selection. By selecting Unassigned from the network drop-down, you reserve the associated server port to assign networks later.

Valid networks or network sets can be selected for an active connection while the server power is on and without the need to reboot the server. Connection types, including Ethernet and Fibre Channel (FC), can be created without assigning a network using the Unassigned selection from the network drop-down.

Rack servers support FC connections on HBA adapters. FC connections can be configured in server profiles for managed DL servers containing FC Host Bus Adapters.

Manage connections

By default, the Manage connections check box is selected, which enables you to add connections to the server profile template.

Deselect Manage connections to create a server profile template without connections. Deselecting Manage connections enables you to add connections to the server profile without causing compliance issues with the server profile template.

Network

The network is about the Ethernet network, network set, Fibre Channel, FCoE, or iSCSI network for this connection. An Ethernet network or network set can be accessed by an Ethernet device. A Fibre Channel or FCoE network can be accessed by a Fibre Channel device. To access an iSCSI device with an Ethernet connection, you must select UEFI as the boot mode in the Boot Settings pane. Networks are filtered to both Fibre Channel and FCoE when Type is set to Fibre Channel.

Typically, you assign each connection in a server profile template to a single network. Network sets enable you to select multiple networks for a single connection defined in a server profile template. Network sets are useful with hypervisors, where server profile templates need the ability to define multiple networks.

For blade servers, duplicate networks are not allowed on the same port. This restriction also applies to networks that belong to a network set. For example, if Network_A is part of NetworkSet_A, the individual network and the network set containing it cannot be assigned to FlexibleLOM 1.

Port

You can place a connection on:

  • A specific FlexNIC

    NOTE:

    In an active/active configuration, you must specify the FlexNIC on the interconnect where the uplink ports correspond to the network(s) in the connection. Traffic will pass if the connection is assigned to a port that is not connected to the interconnect; however, this is not a true active/active configuration and does not provide the required functionality.

  • Any FlexNIC of a specific adapter port

  • An automatically selected FlexNIC

    NOTE:

    In an active/active configuration, Hewlett Packard Enterprise does not recommend using this option.

You specify FlexNICs by adapter, physical port number, and FlexNIC identifier. Adapter identifiers include LOM, FlexibleLOM 1, FlexibleLOM 2, Mezzanine 1, Mezzanine 2, and Mezzanine 3. FlexNIC identifiers are a, b, c, and d. For example, selecting Mezzanine 1:2-c configures the connection on the third FlexNIC (c) on the second physical port of the adapter in Mezzanine slot 1.

Some physical ports are identified by adapter, physical port number, and the suffix (Auto). For example, selecting FlexibleLOM 1:1 (Auto) places the connection on the first available FlexNIC on the first physical port of the first FlexibleLOM. These connections are assigned in order of connection ID. If both connection 5 and connection 8 specify FlexibleLOM 2:1 (Auto), and no other connections are assigned to FlexibleLOM 2, connection 5 is assigned to the first FlexNIC, and connection 8 is assigned to the second FlexNIC.

Selecting Auto assigns the connection to a FlexNIC in a predetermined order. Connections with Auto specified are assigned (in connection ID order) to FlexNICs after connections with specific FlexNICs or ports are assigned. All Fibre Channel connections are assigned to FlexNICs before Ethernet connections are assigned. Auto connections are assigned according to function type in the following order:

  1. Fibre Channel

  2. iSCSI

  3. Ethernet (with PXE)

  4. Ethernet (without PXE)

In general, you must assign a connection to the first FlexNIC on every physical port before a connection is assigned automatically to the second, third, or fourth FlexNIC of any port. The order of physical ports on HPE ProLiant Gen8 server blades is FlexibleLOM 1:1, FlexibleLOM 1:2, FlexibleLOM 2:1, FlexibleLOM 2:2, Mezzanine 1:1, Mezzanine 1:2, and so on. For HPE ProLiant G7 server blades, the FlexibleLOM entries are replaced with LOM:1, LOM:2, LOM:3, and LOM:4. Exceptions include the following:

  • If the predetermined order causes a connection to be configured on the same physical port as another connection with the same network, the FlexNIC is skipped.

  • If a FlexFabric converged network adapter (CNA) is connected to a Virtual Connect FlexFabric module, an Ethernet connection is not assigned to the FCoE-capable FlexNIC unless all other FlexNICs on the port are used.

Before you assign a connection to a FlexNIC, the following conditions must be met:

  • You cannot configure the same network on multiple FlexNICs of a single physical port. This includes networks in a network set.

  • The number of networks you configure on a single physical port cannot exceed 162.

  • The sum of the requested bandwidth values cannot exceed the capacity of the port, which is determined by the adapter.

In general, connections with an Auto FlexNIC setting are assigned to FlexNICs in a predetermined order. However, this can result in the required conditions not being met. In these cases, selecting specific FlexNICs or specific adapter ports enables you to specify a valid configuration. When you select specific ports, ensure that you do not have unused ports before the last selected FlexNIC. For example, when you select FlexNICs 1a, 1b, and 1d, the port 1c is left unused and the operating system on the server instantiates the port, but makes it unavailable for use. This may result in an invalid configuration.