HP NG1 Bookmarked2
HP NG1 Bookmarked2
HP NG1 Bookmarked2
HP FlexNetwork
Architecture Guide
Simplicity and performance
for tomorrow’s networks
Teresa Stover
HP FlexNetwork Architecture Guide
Simplicity and performance for tomorrow’s networks
Published by:
HP Press
660 4th Street, #802
San Francisco, CA 94107
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage
and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher, except for the inclusion of
brief quotations in a review.
The information is provided on an “as is” basis. The author, HP Press, and Hewlett-Packard
Development Company, L.P., shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity
with respect to any loss or damages arising from the information contained in this book or from
the use of the discs or programs that may accompany it.
The opinions expressed in this book belong to the author and are not necessarily those of
Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
Readers should be aware that Internet websites offered as citations and/or sources for further
information may have changed or disappeared between the time this is written and when it is
read.
HP Headquarters
Hewlett-Packard Company
3000 Hanover Street
Palo Alto, CA
94304-1185
USA
HP, COMPAQ and any other product or service name or slogan or logo contained in the HP Press
publications or web site are trademarks of HP and its suppliers or licensors and may not be copied,
imitated, or used, in whole or in part, without the prior written permission of HP or the applicable
trademark holder. Ownership of all such trademarks and the goodwill associated therewith
remains with HP or the applicable trademark holder.
a. Microsoft, Windows and Windows Vista are either US registered trademarks or trademarks of
Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries; and
b. Celeron, Celeron Inside, Centrino, Centrino Inside, Core Inside, Intel, Intel Logo, Intel Atom,
Intel Atom Inside, Intel Core, Intel Core Inside, Intel Inside Logo, Intel Viiv, Intel vPro, Itanium,
Itanium Inside, Pentium, Pentium Inside, ViiV Inside, vPro Inside, Xeon, and Xeon Inside are
trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries.
Contents
Chapter 5 Mobility.......................................................................................... 43
Creating flexible wireless networks................................................. 44
Managing unified wired and wireless
security and policy..................................................................... 45
Optimizing wireless performance and
client density support............................................................... 46
Planning WLAN deployment......................................................... 47
Managing your BYOD solution.......................................................... 48
Controlling network access.......................................................... 48
Managing and securing mobile devices and users................... 48
vi Contents
Introduction to
HP Networking
In this chapter
With the combined portfolio of HP and 3Com, along with a rich history of
innovation (see the inside back cover for the HP networking timeline), HP now
offers a comprehensive core-to-edge portfolio of networking solutions for
the data center, campus, and branch.
Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product, or service depicted in its research
publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors
with the highest ratings. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of
Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of
fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this
research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular
purpose.
In this book, you will get an overview of the HP FlexNetwork architecture and
portfolio with a focus on three key technology challenges facing organiza-
tions today:
zz Mobility
Reference
1 Zimmerman, Tim, and Mark Fabbi. “Magic Quadrant for the Wired and Wireless
LAN Access Infrastructure,” Gartner, Inc., June 13, 2012. www.gartner.com/
DisplayDocument?doc_cd=234282
Chapter 2
Networking trends
and solutions
In this chapter
Many businesses, however, continue to limp along with legacy networks that
cannot keep up with today’s technology challenges. In addition, these legacy
networks can actually create problems that hold enterprises back and cause
them to risk missing the next wave of opportunity—something no business
can afford. When legacy networks are pushed to the limit, they become frag-
ile, complex, difficult to manage, vulnerable to security threats, and expen-
sive to maintain.
Figure 2-1 Networking trends, including cloud computing and mobile
devices
Cloud computing
The revolution of cloud computing, anything as a service (XaaS), and desktop
virtualization have provided businesses and their customers with unprec-
edented flexibility and cost efficiencies. Business applications and services,
including content, collaboration, and even networking infrastructure, are
increasingly being delivered from private, public, and hybrid clouds.
HP FlexNetwork Architecture Guide 7
The network plays an all-important role in delivering secure and reliable cloud
services to all users. The cloud engenders a whole new set of technology
requirements across servers, storage, and networking domains. Geographic
dispersion of computing and storage environments demands greater resil-
iency, capacity, and control. The network must support the constantly increas-
ing bandwidth demands to support high performance and workload flexibility
associated with virtualization and cloud computing, while ensuring security
and maximizing energy efficiency.
Mobility
The consumerization of IT is driving an ever-increasing number of mobile
devices, such as laptops, smartphones, and tablets deployed throughout the
workplace, with each generation of device having more powerful processors
than before. Users expect instant access to the network and cloud-based
applications.
zz Open
zz Scalable
zz Secure
zz Agile
zz Consistent
Figure 2-2 HP FlexNetwork architecture
HP FlexNetwork Architecture Guide 9
Open
Businesses are no longer forced to settle for networks based on proprietary
protocols that are difficult to manage and expensive to maintain. Because of
the challenging global economy, businesses of all sizes are seeking innova-
tive new ways to limit and control investments in network infrastructure.
According to Gartner research, organizations are rapidly embracing a multi-
vendor, best-of-breed approach to building enterprise networks.1 In fact, add-
ing a second network vendor can significantly reduce capital costs, but if not
done properly, it can drive up operating costs due to interoperability issues
and increased management complexity. For these reasons, it is important to
choose a network vendor committed to open protocols, industry standards,
interoperability, and reduced complexity while providing functional and fea-
ture-rich solutions.
Scalable
Large enterprises often have sophisticated needs in network connectivity
and capabilities in some locations, but require only basic connectivity in other
locations. Therefore, a one-size-fits-all solution throughout the enterprise
typically does not fit very well at all. They pay for functionality they do not
need and often do not achieve the scale they require.
10 Chapter 2: Networking trends and solutions
This flexibility lowers costs in bigger networks that require large numbers
of access switches with basic functionality, while smaller networks can use
feature-rich functionality to create a competitive advantage. Businesses can
continue to scale up in features, port count, and capacity without sacrificing
performance or wasting capital along the way.
Secure
The sophistication of attacks on operating system and application vulnerabilities
continues to rise. One seemingly small misstep can result in the theft of private
customer data, tarnish the corporate brand, and risk substantial regulatory
penalties and fines. Enterprises must secure more applications and operating
systems than ever before, not only within the data center and cloud, but also
across the entire network and even with individual users’ personal devices.
Agile
With open standard protocols, businesses expand their solution choices.
Along with streamlined network management and orchestration tools, this
creates business agility that ultimately can lower IT costs.
An intelligent network that is more agile, flexible, and “smart” can support
new applications and services in a way that is responsive to network demands
by performing and adjusting to future business needs.
Through the VAN framework using the OpenFlow protocol, HP delivers SDN
solutions in which the network can accommodate the challenge of rapid
growth in the number of users, as well as with the number and types of
devices that must be supported.
Consistent
Finally, with HP FlexNetwork architecture, IT ends “swivel-chair management,”
in which staff is forced to use an array of tools to manage the entire network.
products and protocols, as well as more than 6,000 network devices from
more than 220 manufacturers, including about 1,400 network resources from
Cisco.2 When enterprises migrate to HP FlexNetwork architecture, they have a
single control point for their HP and legacy networks.
References
1 Fabbi, Mark, and Debra Curtis. “The Disaggregation of the Enterprise Network,”
Gartner Foundational, November 22, 2011. www.gartner.com/technology/reprints.
do?id=1-18437T1&ct=111129&st=sb
Building on an
HP Networking foundation
In this chapter
This networking model ensures sufficient bandwidth and low enough latency
between server connections and users to support the new demands on net-
works in a way that is not viable for legacy client-server network architectures.
In this chapter, you will learn about the advantages of using the HP FlexNetwork
architecture framework to build your network. You will learn the building
blocks of this architecture, which includes the HP FlexFabric data center solu-
tion, HP FlexCampus campus networks solution, and HP FlexBranch branch
networks solution. You will also learn about network management through
14 Chapter 3: Building on an HP Networking foundation
Figure 3-1 HP Converged Infrastructure
HP FlexNetwork Architecture Guide 15
HP Converged Infrastructure
HP FlexNetwork Architecture is a key underpinning of the larger HP Converged
Infrastructure solutions that make the data center simpler, more flexible, more
efficient, and less expensive to operate.
HP Converged Infrastructure is achieved through a consolidation of manage-
ment tools, policies, and processes that brings together all server, storage, and
networking resources.
This model enables you to transform yesterday’s rigid technology silos into
adaptive pools of resources that can be shared by all deployed applications and
managed as a service. HP Converged Infrastructure helps IT organizations move
from a products-centric approach to a services-centric approach.
In this services-centric approach, you easily converge multiple network infra-
structure technologies—LAN, WAN, wireless, UC&C, and security—that can be
managed remotely. Such streamlining accelerates the ability to deliver efficient
and secure business services to its users.
As business volumes rise, traffic levels are exploding. Virtualization has taken
root across businesses of all sizes. According to Gartner, by 2016, 71 percent
of server workloads will be virtualized, from 46 percent in 2011.1 Traffic within
the server rack is expected to grow by 25 times. Business workers, accus-
tomed to new technology at home, have quickly acclimated to a rich-media
16 Chapter 3: Building on an HP Networking foundation
experience and are rapidly adopting video and interactive collaboration tools.
Other research predicts that by 2013, more than 25 percent of the informa-
tion that workers see in a day will be rich media dominated by pictures, video,
or audio. New video applications push network capacity needs by 4 to 10
times above current levels.
Within the enterprise, the preferred way to connect to the network will soon
be via a wireless LAN (WLAN or Wi-Fi), rather than wired access ports. Workers
need to access applications and content from anywhere to stay productive,
and that means applications must be delivered seamlessly from virtual data
centers to virtual workplaces.
zz The HP FlexFabric solution converges and secures the data center net-
work with compute and storage in the physical and virtual worlds.
ated with cloud computing. They must also be able to administer and secure
virtual resources, and orchestrate on-demand services. HP FlexNetwork
architecture helps enterprises securely deploy and centrally orchestrate col-
laboration, video, cloud, and mobile-optimized architectures that scale from
the data center to the network edge.
All switches in a stack or domain are managed as a single entity using one IP
address by the primary managing logical switch. If the primary switch fails,
a new switch is instantly selected, which prevents service interruption and
helps ensure highly reliable application and network continuity.
HP FlexNetwork Architecture Guide 19
The HP FlexFabric solution is the only network solution that delivers optimized
one- and two-tier networks, as well as integration with legacy three-tier net-
works. The result is simplified and scalable switching, network security, and
network services.
The HP FlexFabric solution supports modular and top-of-rack switches for core
and access layers with switching speeds ranging from 1 gigabit Ethernet (GbE)
to 10 GbE and 40 GbE. It also leverages and supports the industry’s leading
blade servers interconnect module, the HP Virtual Connect technology along
with blade switches.
You can flatten your organization’s network from the legacy three-tier
architectures to an optimized two-tier or single-tier network using the HP
FlexFabric switching solution. By eliminating the need for an aggregation
layer, you improve the agility and performance of data center networks,
simplify virtual machine (VM) mobility, enable virtual domain security, and
improve performance of federating applications.
Eliminating the aggregation layer frees up stranded capital and reduces net-
work elements by up to 85 percent, saving more than $180,000 per rack in
networking equipment costs. An IDC report estimates that companies spend
more than $1 billion annually on the aggregation layer of the data center
network, and half the ports in a legacy three-tier network are used to inter-
connect switches.4 The three-tier architecture adds latency, which impedes
HP FlexNetwork Architecture Guide 21
If you are setting up cloud computing and virtualization in your data center,
you can use the HP VAN to quickly transform a physical enterprise network
into an applicable-aware virtual network. Within this, you can use OpenFlow-
enabled switches to make the network programmable to support SDN.
Learn more about HP VAN and SDN in the section, “Automating virtualized data
center management,” in “Chapter 4: Cloud computing and virtualization.”
Figure 3-3 The HP FlexCampus solution for a secure and flexible campus LAN
Energy-use intelligence is also built into the switch to reduce power costs and
consumption, either by powering down or turning network ports on and off
manually or automatically.
For greater simplicity and savings, IT staff can manage the entire network
from IMC.
With the HP FlexCampus solution, organizations are free to build their campus
networks to support user requirements for flexibility and mobility.
Despite the critical nature of the branch office, legacy infrastructures often
impede customer service with slow, unreliable access to information and
applications. Poor WAN performance can prompt employees to store data
locally, preventing the data from being backed up and therefore putting the
business and its regulatory compliance at risk if a local device fails.
Figure 3-4 HP FlexBranch for reliable access to the network from branch
offices
Using the HP FlexBranch solution, you can consolidate your network infra-
structure, including Ethernet switch, firewall, virtual private network (VPN),
wireless LAN, Session Border Controller (SBC), WAN optimization, Enterprise
IP Video, and virtualized application services in a single device resulting in an
all-in-one “branch in a box.”
Additional network services, like WAN router, 3G WAN, and voice gateway, are
also available.
Figure 3-5 The HP DVPN solution across branch offices, campus, and data
center
The DVPN solution is implemented with HP routers and the IMC. This solution
can scale to more than 3,000 sites on a single router on a DVPN domain and can
easily scale for very large networks with multiple DVPN domains. The IMC com-
ponents include HP Branch Intelligent Management System (BIMS) and IPSec
VPN Manager (IVM).
26 Chapter 3: Building on an HP Networking foundation
IT staff can use IMC to manage their HP and legacy networks. IMC integrates
with HP Software solutions, and its open and extensible APIs allows federa-
tion with other network management and orchestration tools.
IMC manages more than 6,000 network devices from more than 220 manufac-
turers, including about 1,400 network resources from Cisco.
HP FlexNetwork Architecture Guide 27
In the data center, IMC bridges the gap between managing physical and vir-
tual networks (a significant challenge) by providing a unified view with status
indicators for networks, workloads, and virtual machines. This allows IT to
simplify operations and accelerate application and service delivery. HP IMC
helps IT overcome the challenges of administering the new virtual server
edge through template policy-based provisioning and automated network
orchestration.
zz Firewalls
zz VPNs
zz A broad and rich set of security filters that can serve as virtual patches
for your vulnerable software.
zz Network applications and services can make your network easier to man-
age and control while offering additional services. They are integral to the
fabric, foundation, or workings of the network and may use information
embedded within the network—such as location and usage data. Load
balancing applications automatically adjust and optimize network per-
formance. Many aspects of security applications benefit from network
integration, protecting the network and users from threats and defend-
ing against attacks. Location-based systems allow you to track the loca-
tion of wirelessly connected end points, enabling business applications
such as asset management.
AllianceOne benefits
zz Choice―A choice of secure best-in-class solutions.
References
1 Hardcastle, Jonathon. “Forecast Analysis: Data Center, Worldwide, 2010-2016, 2Q12
Update,” Gartner, Inc., August 31, 2012. www.gartner.com/id=2143816
2 “HP 3800 Switch Series Competitive Performance, Power Consumption and TCO
Evaluation Versus Cisco Catalyst 3750-X and Juniper EX4200 Series,” Tolly Report,
September 27, 2011. tolly.com/DocDetail.aspx?DocNumber=211127
Cloud computing
and virtualization
In this chapter
With an open, standards-based solution, you can help your enterprise migrate
from legacy architectures to advanced architectures to help it meet new busi-
ness challenges, including cloud computing, federated applications, and
virtual machine mobility. And using standards-based networks will make it
simpler for you to move your applications to public and private cloud services.
With SDN, IT can orchestrate network services and automate control of the
network according to high-level policies rather than low-level network device
configurations. By eliminating manual device-by-device configuration, IT
resources can be optimized to lower costs and increase competitiveness.
Figure 4-1 SDN architecture applying business logic to network behavior
EVI runs over the IP infrastructure so it can be deployed without changing the
existing infrastructure. Deployment is simplified, because Layer 2 connectiv-
ity is extended across the network without having to deal with Layer 3 net-
working dependencies.
With EVI, enterprises can accelerate delivery workload mobility with remote
vMotion, increase application performance with load balancing, and achieve
optimum degrees of high availability. When used with IRF switch virtualiza-
tion technology, EVI delivers greatly enhanced reliability, resilience, and faster
remote vMotion capabilities. When used with MDC, EVI brings multi-tenancy to
cloud-ready and remotely connected data centers, with an ability to scale to 128
EVI networks for different sites and applications. Learn more about DCI at www.
hp.com/networking/dci.
In other words, MDC gives customers the ability to virtualize one physical switch
into up to four logical devices, with each logical switch having its own tenants.
MDC provides complete and secure separation of logical switches between the
multiple tenants residing on the same physical switching platform. With MDC,
there is complete separation of control planes, data planes, and forwarding
capabilities of logical tenants. In addition, each tenant can take advantage of
its own VLANs, its own IRF configurations, and its own EVI networks.
The module includes a plug-in into the VMware hypervisor manager, which
enables the connection policies defined in IMC to be applied to the virtual
machine.
Reference
1 Open Networking Foundation. “Open Networking Foundation Formed to Speed
Network Innovation,” March 21, 2011. www.opennetworking.org/media/press-
releases/63-open-networking-foundation-formed-to-speed-network-innovation
Chapter 5
Mobility
In this chapter
You can deploy HP mobility solutions as part of an integrated wired and wire-
less infrastructure for low cost of operation and strong, consistent security.
All HP Networking mobility solutions are based on industry standards, are
simple to implement, and easy to manage.
In this chapter, you will learn about the three components of HP mobility solu-
tions: the wired and wireless network; mobile devices, including personally
owned devices; and security and monitoring.
44 Chapter 5: Mobility
HP mobility solutions
HP’s industry-leading and award-winning access points with dual radios and
three-spatial-stream Multiple Input, Multiple Output (MIMO) technology deliver
a 50 percent increase in user density and performance relative to 802.11n
access points with dual-spatial-stream MIMO. The extensible architecture
enables optimal application delivery, with low impact on the wired core, no sin-
gle point of failure or performance bottlenecks, cost-effective scalability, and
strong investment protection.
HP Mobility Traffic Manager helps customers optimize network performance
and service quality by tightly controlling the way WLAN traffic is managed and
distributed across the enterprise network for seamless user roaming across
subnets.
You can further leverage HP radio frequency (RF) optimization features, such
as beam forming and band steering, to optimize client network connectivity
and performance by automatically connecting 5-GHz-capable clients to the
less-congested 5-GHz spectrum. This leaves the 2.4 GHz frequency band for
clients that are not 802.11n-capable, increasing your overall network capac-
ity and providing a better client connectivity experience. IT administrators
can also use channel bonding in the 5-GHz spectrum to double the effective
throughput for high-bandwidth applications and BYOD traffic.
The new HP Wi-Fi Clear Connect software uses advanced radio resource man-
agement (RRM) to automatically monitor and tune the performance of your
WLAN and adjust to the changing RF conditions present in your environment.
These capabilities make it easier for you to deliver the WLAN experience your
users need.
RRM automatically assigns and tunes the transmit power levels and RF chan-
nels on APs to optimize the systemwide performance and reliability of your
WLAN. With HP, your WLAN is self-healing, so you do not need to worry about
users encountering dead spots or unpredictable performance when RF inter-
ference is encountered or if an AP or radio fails.
HP FlexNetwork Architecture Guide 47
Each AP simply scans all of its available radio channels to monitor and identify
RF interference from non-WLAN sources. If an AP detects persistent interfer-
ence, it chooses the best alternative channel after verifying that the interfer-
ence is not present on the alternative channel.
HP Wi-Fi Clear Connect also uses dynamic client load balancing and airtime
fairness to improve users’ WLAN experience. Dynamic client load balancing
is especially important in dense environments, such as classrooms or confer-
ence rooms, and is vital for supporting BYOD initiatives.
While RF Planner is not intended to take the place of actual “walk tests” through
the building, you can use it to estimate and plan WLAN coverage. With RF Planner,
your network architects can ensure that your 802.11n network is optimized for
the dense mobile environments that support your organization’s mobile work-
ers and their devices.
HP IMC fully supports the IEEE 802.1X Network Access Control (NAC) stan-
dard and leverages HP advanced fingerprinting technologies for Apple iOS and
Android devices, as well as the IMC iNode client for MacOS, Linux, and Windows-
based clients.
The HP RF Manager delivers a 24x7 wireless IPS solution with enhanced sup-
port for mobile device detection, classification, and automatic blocking of
unauthorized devices. The HP RF Manager works in unison with a network
security appliance and dedicated RF sensors.
In this chapter
S ophisticated tools that enhance the ability for users to effectively com-
municate and collaborate on projects and tasks are essential for businesses
to stay ahead of the competitive curve. However, the additional bandwidth
needed for applications to support voice and video can place a heavy burden
on already overtaxed networks.
In this chapter, you will learn how your network can easily accommodate and
provide an excellent user experience for rich media communications and
collaboration.
Effective communication tools are critical for the success of businesses. With
the growing trend of replacing legacy IP private branch exchange (PBX) hard-
ware with software-powered applications and cloud-based architectures,
communication tools have recently undergone significant changes, evidenced
by the emergence of powerful and easy-to-use solutions such as Microsoft
Lync. Seamless desktop integration of email, instant messaging, audio, video,
web conferencing, and presence from “softphone” clients has become an
integral part of most UC&C solutions.
Figure 6-1 Rich media communications and collaboration
Implementing UC&C
The ability for an organization’s staff to communicate and collaborate across
a myriad of devices and geographical boundaries is essential for improv-
ing business productivity in this world that is driven by globalization and a
dynamic business climate.
Reference
1 Frost & Sullivan. “Best Practices for Successful Video Collaboration—Services Make
All the Difference,” July 2010. www.frost.com
Chapter 7
Key takeaways
In this chapter
99Technical takeaways
99Summary of HP FlexNetwork architecture
zz Mobility―HP unified wired and wireless access and the HP BYOD mobil-
ity solutions deliver a robust and secure way for your users to access your
network and applications from any corporate or employee-owned laptop,
smartphone, or other mobile device, while IT can manage the networks,
access points, and security on a single management platform.
In this chapter
Services
HP offers technology consulting, outsourcing, and support services to help
enterprises plan, deploy, and operate their network infrastructure to optimize
business results. HP can identify opportunities for automation and integrate
various aspects of HP Networking into your business processes to provide
you with increased business efficiency and new business models to help you
redefine your marketplace. This includes integration expertise to incorporate
the benefits of cloud networking, IPv6, UC&C, and mobility aligned with these
business objectives.
58 Chapter 8: Resources and next steps
zz Cloud
zz Converged Infrastructure
zz Wireless Networks
zz Network Security
zz Virtualization
zz TippingPoint Security
More information
Go to the HP Networking website, www.hp.com/networking, to find a wealth
of information about HP Networking solutions and products. Resources
include white papers, videos, blogs, press releases, brochures, case studies,
fact sheets, and solution briefs.
Table 8-1 lists pages and web addresses for solutions, technologies, and
other topics specific to HP Networking.
Mobility www.hp.com/networking/mobility
HP ExpertOne www.hp.com/certification
HP Press www.hppress.com
HP FlexNetwork Architecture Guide 61
HP Contributors:
John Gray
Publisher: HP Press
HP Headquarters
Hewlett-Packard Company
3000 Hanover Street
Palo Alto, CA
94304-1185
USA