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HP XC System Software: Hardware Preparation Guide > Chapter 2 Making Node and Switch Connections
Interconnect Connections |
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The high-speed interconnect connects every node in the HP XC system. Each node can have an interconnect card installed in the highest speed PCI-X slot (133 Mhz). Check the hardware documentation to determine which slot this is. The interconnect switch console port (or monitoring line card) also connects to the Root Administration Switch either directly or indirectly, as described in “Root Administration Switch ”. You must determine the absolute maximum number of nodes that could possibly be used with the interconnect hardware that you have. This maximum number of ports on the interconnect switch or switches (max-node) affects the naming of the nodes in the system. The documentation that came with your interconnect hardware can help you find this number.
Specific considerations for connections to the interconnect based on interconnect type are discussed in the following sections: The method for wiring the Administration network and interconnect networks allows expansion of the system within the system's initial interconnect fabric without recabling of any existing nodes. If additional switch chassis or ports are added to the system as part of the expansion, some recabling may be necessary. When the QSnetII interconnect developed by Quadrics is used, it is important that the nodes be connected to the Quadrics switch ports in a specific order. The order is affected by the order of the Administration Network and Console Network. Because the Quadrics port numbers start numbering at 0, the highest port number on the Quadrics switch is port max-node minus 1, where max-node is the maximum number of nodes possible in the system. This is the port on the Quadrics switch to which the head node must be connected. The head node is always the node connected to the highest port number of any node on the Root Administration Switch and the Root Console Switch.
The next node connected directly to the root switches (Administration and Console) should have connections to the Quadrics switch at the next highest port number on the Quadrics switch (max-node minus 2). All nodes connected to the Root Administration Switch will be connected to the next port in descending order. Nodes attached to branch switches must be connected starting at the opposite end of the Quadrics switch. The node attached to the first port of the first Branch Administration Switch should be attached to the first port on the Quadrics switch (Port 0). The HP XC System Software is not concerned with the topology of the Gigabit Ethernet interconnect, but it makes sense to structure it in parallel with the System Administration network in order to make your connections easy to maintain. Because the first logical Gigabit Ethernet port on each node is always used for connectivity to the Administration network, there must be a second Gigabit Ethernet port on each node if you are using Gigabit Ethernet as the interconnect. This may be a built-in port, as with the HP ProLiant DL145 server, the HP ProLiant DL585 server, the HP ProLiant DL360 G4 and DL380 G4 servers, and the HP Integrity rx1620, rx2620, and rx4640 servers; or it may be an installed card, as with the HP Integrity rx2600 server. Any node with an external interface must also have a third Ethernet connection of any kind to communicate with external networks. In cases where an additional Gigabit Ethernet port or switch may not be available, the HP XC System Software allows the interconnect to be configured on the Administration Network. When the interconnect is configured on the Administration Network, only a single LAN is used. However, be aware that configuring the system in this way may negatively impact system performance. To configure the interconnect on the Administration Network, you include the --ic=AdminNet option on the discover command line, which is documented in the HP XC System Software Installation Guide. If you do not specify the --ic=AdminNet option, the discover command attempts to locate the highest speed interconnect on the system with the default being a Gigabit Ethernet network that is separate from the Administration Network. The other interconnect types that are supported (such as Myrinet and InfiniBand) do not have the ordering requirements of the Quadrics interconnect, but it makes sense to structure it in parallel with the other two networks in order to make your connections easy to maintain and service. The port numbering on these other interconnect switches starts at number 1 in contrast to the port numbering on the Quadrics interconnect switch, which starts at number 0. |
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