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HPE Virtual Connect FlexFabric 10Gb/24-Port Module - switch - 24 ports - pl

Mfg # 571956-B21 CDW # 2166857

Quick tech specs

  • Port Module
  • 16 x 10Gb Ethernet (backplane) + 4 x 10Gb Ethernet/8Gb Fibre Channel SFP+ + 4 x 10Gb Ethernet SFP+
  • for BLc3000 Enclosure; Integrity BL860c i4; ProLiant BL2x220c G6
  • BL495c G6
  • Switch
  • plug-in module
  • BL465c G6
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Know your gear

HPE Virtual Connect FlexFabric 10Gb/24-port Modules are the simplest, most converged and flexible way to connect virtualized server blades to any data or storage network. VC FlexFabric modules eliminate up to 95% of network sprawl at the server edge with one device that converges traffic inside enclosures and directly connects to LANs and SANs. Using Flex-10 technology with Fibre Channel over Ethernet and Accelerated iSCSI, these modules converge traffic over high speed 10 Gb connections to servers with HPE FlexFabric Adapters. Each module provides four adjustable connections (three data and one storage or all data) to each 10 Gb server port. Avoid the confusion of traditional and other converged network solutions by eliminating the need for multiple Ethernet and Fibre Channel switches, extension modules, cables and software licenses. Also, Virtual Connect wire-once connection management is built-in, enabling server adds, moves, and replacement in minutes instead of days.

This item was discontinued on October 06, 2022

Enhance your purchase

HPE Virtual Connect FlexFabric 10Gb/24-Port Module - switch - 24 ports - pl is rated4.00 out of5 by14.
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Intelligent Resilient Framework (IRF) is a valuable feature.Valuable FeaturesThe feature called IRF (Intelligent Resilient Framework) is unique in HP switching.Improvements to My OrganizationSwitching functionality is the same as with other products, but the lifetime warranty makes HP preferable.Room for ImprovementCustomer support needs to improve.Use of SolutionI've used it for one year.Deployment IssuesNo issues encountered.Stability IssuesNo issues encountered.Scalability IssuesNo issues encountered.Customer Service and Technical SupportCustomer Service: 8/10.Technical Support: 6/10.Previous SolutionsI've used many products, but switching to HP depends on the customers requirement and the lifetime warranty.Initial SetupIt was straightforward with basic, simple switching and good documents available for reference.Implementation TeamWe used an in-house team assisted by easily-available technical documents and user-friendly CLI.ROIIt's the best product and has a lower failure rate.Pricing, Setup Cost and LicensingPretty good in switching, and the pricing is also good in comparison with others.Other Solutions ConsideredNo other options evaluated.Other AdviceRefer to best practices and technical documents.Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:HP Partners
Date published: 2015-07-07T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Enrollment onto our network works and there's no stability issues as we grow our workforce.Valuable FeaturesThe two biggest benefits of these switches is the performance for the price and the quality of service we get from them. They're competitively prices, especially given their performance, and the service is flawless.Improvements to My OrganizationWe're able to extend our capabilities because of the reliability of these switches. We don't need to worry about this part of our network because we know that we can depend on them working consistently.Use of SolutionWe've been using it for four to five years.Stability IssuesIt's quite stable after several years of use.Scalability IssuesThe scalability is very nice, especially with new products coming out. Enrollment onto our network works and there's no stability issues as we grow our workforce.Customer Service and Technical SupportI'm the assigned tech guy within our company on these switches. We had a few hiccups at first that HP technical support helped us with, but we've been pleased since.Initial SetupThe initial setup was fairly straightforward since I was already familiar with the CLI.Pricing, Setup Cost and LicensingIt depends on which model, but it's not really more expensive than other solutions.Other Solutions ConsideredWe didn't really evaluate other options.Other AdviceTest the specific features you’re looking for with performance, and verify that you're get the best pricing.Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2016-01-15T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Supportability is very important to us, so the fact that we can standardize on reasonably priced switches has made us more efficient.Valuable FeaturesWe're quite basic users of the product, so we like how simple it is to setup. We're standardized across the board on HP products, and we like that fact that they do have products that fit our needs. Plus, they're easy to install when we get them. They're easy to use once they're in and they're robust with a lifetime warranty.Improvements to My OrganizationWe're able to standardize on just a small number of HP products, switches included. Supportability is very important to us, so the fact that we can standardize on reasonably priced switches has made us more efficient.Room for ImprovementWe're quite basic users, but what I'd really like to see improvement on is the management. We've made an investment in the product and I'd like to better leverage it through improved management to work better for our company.Deployment IssuesIt's deployed just fine for us.Stability IssuesIt's very stable and we have very few issues with it. The fact that they come with lifetime warranties makes it even better for us.Scalability IssuesThe scalability is very good and we're using it in all 85 of our locations.Customer Service and Technical SupportI've not used technical support, and that's a good thing.Other Solutions ConsideredWe do pricing reviews to make sure that we're still getting good value for the money, and we are. We haven't really got any issues with the products, so there's not really any reason to change to those.Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2015-12-31T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from The key feature is that we can choose ProVisions for simplicity or Comware-based switches for high-end features.Valuable FeaturesFrom the low-end ProVisions up to the high-end Comware-based switches, their most valuable feature is that they actually work. Not all switches can do that, especially at a reasonable price. HP's switches offer price performance you can't find anywhere else.Improvements to My OrganizationThese switches provide us with simplicity when we need. The ProVisions have fewer features and fewer functionality, but they're simpler. If we need, we can go with the Comware-based switches which have high-end features. So with these switches we can have both sides.Deployment IssuesWe had no issues with deployment.Stability IssuesThey have been stable.Scalability IssuesWe've been able to scale with these switches.Customer Service and Technical SupportTechnical support is mostly good, but it's just like every other vendor. When you're at level 1 and you yourself are very knowledgable already, you just want to pass level 1. Level 2 is, normally, quite good, and level 1 is just a filter to take away all the stupid questions. If you're at level 3, you're probably in trouble because you have something that requires you to talk directly to the lab. So with the tiered structure for technical support, there are some inefficiencies. It would be an improvement to make technical support more efficient.Other Solutions ConsideredWe evaluated Cisco and Juniper. They are considered high-end providers, but HP can more or less do it all. For small, medium, and enterprise businesses, HP has a very good product range.Other AdviceGet some proper training.Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2015-12-31T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from They support both fiber-optic and copper modules. They should enable certain features on certain frequencies.Valuable Features:5400r are the core switches. These are recently launched and they are the newer version of the old 5400 series of switches, and we use them extensively in most of our projects as core switches. They're very, very robust, and we know if there's any major problems on these kind of switches here.Improvements to My Organization:They support different types of modules: fibre-optic and copper modules. They offer very good value for the price, and they come with some excellent XP support platforms on the background: the warranties, the care-packs, and all of that. People like these controllers compared to some of the competing products.With the 5400R, it's a very competitive price, and the product is very stable. We've seen a lot of people buying these products. Frankly, we've not seen any migrations, but people are buying it because of the good price and stability. It has got the right features for the kind of markets we are targeting.Room for Improvement:They should enable certain features on certain frequencies.Deployment Issues:We had no issues with deployment.Stability Issues:There are more than 50 of such switches we have deployed, and we are hardly facing any problems with these switches. Again, they're very stable.Scalability Issues:If a client wants to start with a lower number of modules, they can do that. And if they want to add more modules, they can do that as well and still use the same modules.Initial Setup:The 5400 is fairly simple, not very complex. But it needs proper training and certification otherwise. We've seen people deploying this product, some of the companies in Dubai, and they didn't do it the proper way.Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2016-01-12T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from The time it takes to implement them helps us work much more efficiently and customers are happy because because of the lower turnaround time to get their networks up and running.Valuable FeaturesThese switches are great because they're very easy to set up and to implement as part of network infrastructures. Most importantly, it covers all the areas that we need.Improvements to My OrganizationWe install these switches for most of our customers at their premises. The time it takes to implement them is so much less than other vendors' switches. This helps us work much more efficiently and customers are happy because because of the lower turnaround time to get their networks up and running.Room for ImprovementThe interoperability with LDAP could use some improvement.Deployment IssuesThese switches deploy usually without any issue.Stability IssuesThey are incredibly stable. We're able to use them for very challenging projects.Scalability IssuesThey scale very easily.Customer Service and Technical SupportTechnical support provides us with quick answers whenever we use them.Initial SetupThe initial setup of these is very straightforward.Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2016-01-12T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from I like the simplicity and warranty. We are a small shop, and being simple is bestWhat is our primary use case?These are core switches, so they handle the bulk of our network traffic from servers to the endpoints as well as SAN traffic.How has it helped my organization?They switch. They are capable of much more sophistication than we are able to support. The addition of Aruba looks promising.What is most valuable?Simplicity and warranty. We are a small shop, and being simple is best. These are basic managed switches and the lifetime warranty is great.What needs improvement?It would be nice to have a common OS across models so that they could be managed together. But that is more in line with higher production equipment.For how long have I used the solution?More than five years.Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2018-12-19T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Both config and replicate configs are pretty easy on HP switches.Valuable FeaturesManageability and interfacing with other various networking management platforms have been most valuable for us. We use SolarWinds and are looking at Omnivew.Improvements to My OrganizationThe warranty is great and so is lifetime on most hardware. Both config and replicate configs are pretty easy on HP switches.Room for ImprovementI would like to see a POE ability added to the devices. We’ve used a lot of POE switches recently, HP and non-HP, and we want to standardize on HP. Our requirements are often that we need a very small 8-port switch and would like a version like this.Also, I’d like to see the functionality of higher-end switches and some features of the 2900 series on the lower-end ones as well.Stability IssuesI’ve put in a few solutions, including HP and others in the past. I had problems with Extreme and Cisco, but only minimal ones with HP.Scalability IssuesIt actually has great scalability. We have high-end switches and are putting in a core switch in the next few months. We also use managed switches. Every need has a solution.Customer Service and Technical SupportIt’s been great. I’ve reached out directly to the account rep who is very willing to help. With issues, they are able to help directly when our channel partners who can’t help. Support is timely, too, and it's easy to get to a live person.Previous SolutionsWe used a mixed bag of various vendors, but wanted to standardize on one platform that we knew was stable, reputable, and easily serviced by multiple channel partners if needed. We looked at others, but HP dominated.Initial SetupWe’ve engaged with many channel partners, and it has been very straightforward. We tweaked things here and there. We forgot a parameter, etc., but nothing big.Other Solutions Considered* Extreme* Cisco* Lower end switches – LinksysOther AdviceCost, reliability, serviceability, warranty, and not needing to purchase a support pack each year are important in helping choose the right vendor.Depending on what you need to accomplish the different models of the switches, start at the bottom and work up. A lot of functionality in the lower end switches may not be a need for the higher ones. Also, look at the stacking on the lower end switches.Support is great when needed, pricing is great, warranty can’t be beat, and lots of partners out there.Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2015-06-23T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from It integrates with the IMC management platform. The OS features are not stable.What is most valuable?Its features are, in principle, quite standard and basic, so I cannot give you any extra information about these features. They integrate nicely with IMC, the management platform.How has it helped my organization?The benefit is to connect everybody in the office. You cannot imagine working nowadays without being connected to the network for computing, coding, and streaming. This is mandatory.What needs improvement?The main one would be to have more basic parameters available on the web interface. There are too many basic parameters that you have to change in the command line. This means you need to train your people regarding the command line, even when it means having to change quite basic parameters. For example, changing the parameter to give priority to voice over data traffic.The stability is an issue. We have features that lose their configurations, like a port that was configured for VLAN 5 suddenly becomes configured for VLAN 2. It's really very annoying. People lose the connectivity, and nobody knows why, including HPE support specialists.What do I think about the stability of the solution?The OS features lose their configurations from time to time and we have periodic network freezes. Nobody understands why this happens. That's the problem, actually. There are nice features, but they are not very stable.What do I think about the scalability of the solution?Scalability is nice. You can stack several of them, so no problem with scalability.How is customer service and technical support?We use technical support a lot. When we bought these features in early 2015, they were quite new in the HPE offerings, and many re-sellers, consultants, and even HPE support staff didn't know very much about how they work and how to fine-tune and configure them.We had major HPE-certified consultants on site. We even had HPE specialists connecting, and they couldn't manage to really improve the solution very quickly. Usually we are quite satisfied with HPE support. This is why we continue to buy servers from them and we just bought storage. However, the support was not as good for these specific features that were purchased by HPE, an external company.Which solutions did we use previously?We were using Nortel until two years ago. We moved to a new building, so we had to switch as there were no active network components available. We had been using Cisco before and we still use Cisco for the wireless infrastructure.What other advice do I have?When selecting a vendor of ethernet switches ( https://www.itcentralstation.com/categories/ethernet-switches ), there are not so many alternatives on the market. We wanted to work with companies we are used to. We had to choose between Cisco and HPE ( https://www.itcentralstation.com/vendors/comparison/cisco_vs_hewlett-packard-enterprise ). Because we've always been very happy with HPE and there was a brand new series of advanced features that integrated nicely with IMC, we selected the HPE product.This solution is a brand new switch series with new firmware. I hope it will be more stable over time. It's a very good solution, but I would advise others to check that aspect carefully.Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2016-12-25T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from They're dependable and we don't have to worry about them. Free and unlimited access to software for the switches would be very nice.Valuable Features:All the ProVisions and Comware-based switches work very, very well. They work and are very dependable at a reasonable price. The lifetime warranty is also a very nice feature.Improvements to My Organization:We don't have to worry about them, which means we can focus on more important things. They are dependable and the lifetime warranty is great. The price performance factor is very good.Room for Improvement:Free and unlimited access to software for the switches would be very nice.Deployment Issues:We've had no issues with deployment.Stability Issues:They have been very stable for us.Scalability Issues:They've scaled well for us.ROI:The lifetime warranty is actually what typically can make or break a deal. It figures heavily into determining return-on-investment. Not having to pay extra for the lifetime warrant is what make the deal, for us, on these switches.Other Advice:Make use of the free manuals on the HP website. Just download them. They're actually quite good.Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2016-01-07T00:00:00-05:00

This page was printed on 4/16/2024 3:59:56 AM.