Reference Architecture Guide HP FlexFabric Reference Architecture Guide Version 3.0 Applying HP Converged Infrastructure to Data Center Networks Table of Contents Table of Contents .....................................................................................................................2 Introduction ............................................................................................................................3 Overview of the Reference Architecture .....................................................................................4 Key business and technology drivers for a new data center network architecture ..........................6 Large-scale data center consolidation .................................................................................................. 6 Blade Servers and server virtualization technologies ........................................................................... 6 New application deployment and delivery models ............................................................................... 7 Data center deployment models ........................................................................................................... 7 Key data center networking requirements ..................................................................................9 Virtualization scale-out: Layer 2 performance, scaling, high availability, and multi-site extension .... 9 Key Drivers for Layer 2 Networks ........................................................................................................ 22 Data Center Connected ........................................................................................................................ 34 Securing the virtual server edge ......................................................................................................... 37 Managing and provisioning the virtual server edge ............................................................................ 44 Converged network infrastructure: unifying data and storage networks ........................................... 52 Section Summary ................................................................................................................................ 60 Data Center Network Design - HP FlexFabric Reference Architecture (FFRA) ................................ 61 Evolving network designs ................................................................................................................... 62 Blade server one-tier design ............................................................................................................... 66 Simplified two-tier design (ToR).......................................................................................................... 69 Three-tier design ................................................................................................................................. 73 TRILL based designs ............................................................................................................................ 77 Multi-Tenancy ..................................................................................................................................... 80 HP Data Center Interconnect (DCI) - connecting geographically dispersed data centers ................ 84 Key considerations for DCI design ....................................................................................................... 85 Ethernet Virtual Interconnect (EVI) ..................................................................................................... 88 Other DCI options ................................................................................................................................ 95 Summary ........................................................................................................................................... 104 HP Data Center Networking Portfolio ..................................................................................... 106 Data center solutions portfolio overview .......................................................................................... 106 Partnering architecture ........................................................................................................ 135 Network virtualization and F5 ........................................................................................................... 135 DCI and the Alcatel-Lucent 1830 Photonic Service Switch ................................................................ 140 HP Networking Services ........................................................................................................ 148 Support, services, and partners ........................................................................................................ 148 Glossary of acronyms ........................................................................................................... 149 For more information ........................................................................................................... 156 HP FlexFabric Reference Architecture v3.0 2 Introduction The primary driver for evolving today’s enterprise data center is efficiently deploying resources to support business applications. Apparent trends in consolidation and distribution of infrastructure are side effects of addressing this core goal. In fact, enterprise data center network architects and managers are now expected to build networks that can concurrently consolidate and geographically distribute resources. These include physical and application servers, data storage, management platforms, and network devices. This evolution did not happen overnight. It has been fueled by the accelerating needs of businesses to be more agile, to do more with less, and to increase their IT efficiency. The current trend in network architecture is virtualization. Virtualization encompasses the ability to operate multiple servers concurrently on top of a single server hardware platform, sharing CPU, disk, interface, and network services. In this case, each virtual server operates as an independent entity on a single physical server. Virtualization does not dismiss the need for network convergence. Early deployments of virtualized servers operated statically on the platform they were deployed on. Today, virtualized servers are flexible in their deployment, with the ability to move to other physical server platforms. Moving with the virtualized server is their configured storage, data, and multi- modal communication functions. This type of infrastructure can now significantly reduce equipment, network facility and operational expenses. In an effort to address this opportunity, traditional data center models have stretched to support autonomous data and storage networks with separate interface cards, switches, and cabling plants. This methodology has proven to be ineffective and costly when implementing and operating both centralized and geographically dispersed data centers. To reduce complexity, data center architects adopted designs that utilize network convergence, where data and storage I/O are merged onto a single network. This converged approach can eliminate physical clutter and complexity, while making more efficient use of networking resources. However, the simplification, in many cases, is only true at the surface level. Data center networks today can be more complex below the surface than ever before. Virtualization has presented a substantial number of challenges which are driving a new evolution in data center network architecture that far exceeds the initial need for a converged network infrastructure. HP has developed the FlexNetwork architecture, a component of the HP Converged Infrastructure, to reduce the complexity of data center networks, especially now that the primary requirement is networking virtual instances. Enterprises can align their networks with their business needs -even as they change - by segmenting their networks into four interrelated modular building blocks that comprise the HP FlexNetwork Architecture: FlexFabric, FlexCampus, FlexBranch, and FlexManagement. The HP FlexFabric architecture extends the HP Converged Infrastructure to the data center and provides the following benefits: • Combines advanced, standards-based platforms and advanced networking technologies to optimize performance and latency in virtualized server environments • Converges and secures data center network, compute, and storage in the physical and virtual worlds • Reduces complexity • Enables rapid businesses-aligned network provisioning • Lowers total cost of ownership • Consolidates multiple protocols into a single fabric that can easily flex with changing workloads HP FlexFabric Reference Architecture v3.0 3 HP has developed a series of reference architecture content to define the technical aspects of the various FlexNetwork architectures. As part of that series, this document describes the HP FlexFabric reference architecture. As part of the HP FlexNetwork architecture, this reference architecture guide provides design guidelines within an architectural framework for data center environments. Key business and technology drivers are discussed along with key networking requirements for data centers. Physical infrastructure and design models are discussed. Other aspects of networking at the data center is discussed, including data center interconnect, advantages and disadvantages to 1 to 3 tier data centers, data center security,