About compute plane

The compute plane, also known as data plane, hosts the virtualized network functions (VNFs) workloads or VMs. Compute servers hosting VNFs allow for greater flexibility, improved resource utilization, and convergence of networks and IT into a common infrastructure.

The compute plane can consist of the following hardware:
  • HPE ProLiant DL360

  • HPE ProLiant DL380

  • HPE ProLiant DL385

  • HPE ProLiant EL8000 (e910 Server Blades)

  • HPE Synergy 12000 SY480

For HPE ProLiant EL8000 (e910 Server Blades)

If you have opted for HPE ProLiant EL8000 (e910 Server Blades) for compute:
  • The HPE Edgeline EL8000 Chassis provides 4U of space for configuring either the HPE ProLiant e910 1U Server Blade, the HPE ProLiant e910 2U Server Blade, or a combination of both.

  • HPE ProLiant 8000 e910 server blades are physically connected to HPE Mellanox SN2100N switches (02) for data network through HPE Ethernet 10/25Gb 2-Port 640SFP28 Adapter. The chassis is connected to the HPE FlexFabric 5900 for management network.

For HPE Synergy 12000 Frames

If you have opted for HPE Synergy 12000 frames for compute:
  • You get two HPE Synergy 12000 Frames with up to 12 HPE Synergy 480 Gen10 compute modules per frame.

  • The two HPE Synergy 12000 frames are interconnected using the Master-Satellite architecture for resiliency. Each frame includes:
    • HPE Virtual Connect SE 40Gb F8 Module for Synergy

      The HPE Virtual Connect SE 40Gb F8 Module is the master module for HPE Synergy which is embedded with intelligent networking capabilities that extends connectivity to satellite frames through Interconnect Link Modules.

    • HPE Synergy 20Gb Interconnect Link Module

      The HPE Synergy 20Gb Interconnect Link Module is the satellite module which extends the fabric up to two additional satellite frames providing 20Gb connectivity to Synergy compute modules.

    • Mellanox SH2200 Switch Module for HPE Synergy

      Mellanox SH2200 Switch Module for HPE Synergy delivers high performance, high-speed 25Gb and 50Gb Ethernet connectivity to the Synergy compute modules. It also has 40/100Gb Ethernet capability for upstream network switches.

    This results in extending the fabric without any impact on performance. VCs between frames are also interconnected to provide High Availability (HA).

  • Each SY480 Gen10 has:
    • 1x 6410C NIC and each port are uplinked to a different SH2200 switch connection for redundancy/HA.

    • 1x HPE Synergy 3820C 10/20Gb Converged Network Adapter connected to HPE Virtual Connect SE 40Gb F8 Module for HPE Synergy

For compute node, both OVS-DPDK and SR-IOV are supported. For OVS-DPDK, bond modes are:
  • active-backup

  • balance-slb

  • balance-tcp