About uplink sets

An uplink set defines a single, dedicated network or a group of networks and physical ports on a set of interconnects in an enclosure. An uplink set enables you to attach the interconnects to the data center networks. An uplink set enables multiple ports to support port aggregation (multiple ports connected to a single external interconnect) and link failover with a consistent set of VLAN networks.

Uplink sets that support connections to Image Streamer in a multiframe configuration must be assigned the type Image Streamer to correctly configure the associated ports. Image Streamer uplink sets consist of one network and four uplink ports. An uplink set in a single-frame Image Streamer configuration must be assigned the type Ethernet and use one uplink port.

  • For tagged Ethernet networks, an uplink set enables you to identify interconnect uplinks that carry multiple networks over the same cable.

  • For untagged or tunnel Ethernet networks, an uplink set identifies interconnect uplinks that are dedicated to a single network.

  • For Fibre Channel networks, you can add one network to an uplink set. Fibre Channel does not allow virtual networks or VLANs.

  • For Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) networks, an uplink set enables you to carry multiple Fibre Channel and tagged Ethernet networks over the same set of Ethernet cables.

  • The total number of ports you assign to uplink sets or use as a network analyzer port must not exceed 12 ports per interconnect for the following modules:
    • HPE Virtual Connect SE 16Gb FC Module for Synergy
    • HPE Virtual Connect SE 32Gb FC Module for Synergy

An uplink set is part of a logical interconnect. The initial configuration of the uplink sets for a logical interconnect is determined by the configuration of the uplink sets for the Logical Interconnect Groups, but you can change (override) the uplink sets for a specific logical interconnect.

Changes you make to the uplink sets for a logical interconnect group are not automatically propagated to existing logical interconnects. For example, to propagate a newly added VLAN to a logical interconnect group uplink set to its existing logical interconnects, you must individually update each logical interconnect configuration from the logical interconnect group.

An uplink set with multiple ports connecting an HPE Virtual Connect FC Module interconnect to a Brocade top-of-rack (ToR) switch is capable of trunking. Trunking provides improved traffic flow to and from the servers in the enclosure and the data center SAN fabric. Trunking also allows for nondisruptive failover for port faults. The following HPE Virtual Connect FC Modules support trunking:
  • HPE Virtual Connect SE 16Gb FC Module for Synergy
  • HPE Virtual Connect SE 32Gb FC Module for Synergy

For each logical interconnect:

  • You can define zero or more uplink sets. See networking limits in the HPE OneView Support Matrix for the maximum number of supported uplink sets and the maximum network types supported in an uplink set.

    If you do not define any uplink sets, the servers in the enclosure cannot connect to data center networks.

  • A network can be a member of one uplink set per logical interconnect group only.

  • An uplink set can contain one or more tagged Ethernet networks. An uplink set for an untagged or a tunnel network can only contain that one untagged or tunnel network.

  • An uplink set can contain one or more FCoE networks, but the uplinks must be contained within a single FCoE-capable interconnect. See firmware requirements in About Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) networks.

  • Within a logical interconnect group or logical interconnect, all VLAN IDs must be unique across uplink sets and internal networks.

  • Internal networks allow server-to-server connectivity within the logical interconnect. Internal networks are created by adding existing networks to the internal networks set. Internal networks can be added to uplink sets which automatically remove them from the internal networks set.

  • Ethernet networks in an uplink set must be specified individually and cannot be specified by selecting a network set. The use of network sets in uplink sets is not supported for the following reasons:

    • The network configuration is intended to be managed by users with a role of Network administrator. Because users with a role of Server administrator can create and edit network sets, allowing network sets to be members of uplink sets could result in server administrators changing the mapping of networks to uplink ports without the knowledge of the network administrator.

    • Because a network can be a member of more than one network set, allowing network sets to be members of uplink sets would make it more difficult to ensure that no single network is a member of more than one uplink set, especially as the network set configurations change over time.