Virtual Connect Enterprise Manager (VCEM)
Get the muscle you need to centrally manage server connections and workloads across the data centre. Manage your Virtual Connect Environment from one console
HP Virtual Connect is an interconnect option for BladeSystem c-Class that provides the smartest way to connect your blade servers to LANs, SANs and converged networks. By virtualising I/O connections, cable count is reduced, management is simplified and everyone – system, network and storage administrators – work smarter.
Virtual Connect Flex-10 and FlexFabric technologies build even more flexibility into each server blade by allocating 10Gb bandwidth across four connections and converging physical networks, which reduces the number of NICs, managed switches and power costs.
Use VCEM to complete core data centre tasks quickly, reliably and without disrupting production networks:
- Deploy new Virtual Connect domains, HP BladeSystem c-Class servers and enclosures
- Modify network connections and configurations for groups of Virtual Connect domains
- Perform fast and cost-effective server recovery
- Complete planned system maintenance with minimal downtime
- Add, migrate and repurpose server blades to meet changing workload and business priorities
Create a change-ready environment
Built on the Virtual Connect architecture and integrated management delivered with every HP BladeSystem c-Class enclosure, VCEM provides a central console to administer network address assignments, perform group-based configuration management and to rapidly deploy, move and failover server blades connections and workloads for up to 250 Virtual Connect domains – that equates to 1,000 enclosures and 16,000 servers when used with Virtual Connect Ethernet multi-enclosure configurations.
This scalable solution is designed to meet the growing needs of both small and large data centres. The core VCEM operations are accessed through a dedicated homepage that can be installed in a variety of configurations that includes a physical standalone console, as a plug-in to HP Systems Insight Manager and as a virtual server guest.
Together, Virtual Connect and VCEM create a change ready infrastructure that enables you to add, replace and recover servers across the data centre in minutes without impacting production networks. This helps your organisation to increase productivity, respond faster to change and reduce operating costs. This flexible infrastructure also provides foundation technology for the systems orchestration delivered with HP Insight Dynamics Software.
Key features and benefits
Simplify management
VCEM centralises network connection management and workload mobility for hundreds of Virtual Connect domains and thousands of HP BladeSystem servers.
- Use a single console to manage up to 250 Virtual Connect domains from a single console
- Administer 256K Media Access Control (MAC) addresses and World Wide Names (WWN) programmatically from a central repository – simplifies address assignments and reduces the risk of conflicts
- Manage groups of Virtual Connect domains using master configuration profiles – simplifies system deployment and change management for hundreds of Virtual Connect domains
- Add, change and replace servers across the data centre in minutes without impacting LANs and SANs
- Pre-assign network connections to empty enclosures for rapid server deployment as your infrastructure grows
- Role-based access provides security and control
- Scalable across small and large data centres