HP 4 Gb Fibre Channel Pass-Thru Module for c-Class BladeSystem & 8 Gb SFP+ transceiver

The HP 4Gb Fibre Channel Pass-Thru Module for c-Class BladeSystem (PN 403626-B21) is a interconnect module for the HP BladeSystem c-Class. It’s a simple pass-thru module, which provides a 1:1 non-switched, non-blocking paths between the server blade and a Fibre Channel Fabric. There are several Fibre Channel interconnect modules, like the Virtual Connect 8 Gb Fibre Channel modules (20 or 24 ports) or the Brocade and Cisco 8Gb SAN Switches for HP BladeSystem c-Class. The pass-thru modules is a good choice if the customer has a good Fibre Channel infrastructure and the number of servers is manageable. It’s much cheaper than the Virtual Connect Fibre Channel modules (which require a Virtual Connect Ethernet module for management) or the Brocade or Cisco MDS Fibre Channel switches for HP BladeSystem c-Class. But it also has disadvantages. it only provides a 4 Gb Fibre Channel link! Even if HP delivers the modules with 8 Gb SFP+ transceivers, only a maximum of 4 Gb are possible. Neither the Quick Specs, nor the HP support could make a statement which SFP+ transceivers are included. That 8Gb SFP+ transceivers are included, was a chance finding. Unfortunately HP doesn’t provide a 8 Gb pass-thru module and the 4 Gb pass-thru module doesn’t support 8 Gb connections, even with 8 Gb SFP+ transceivers. If you need a 8 Gb connection you have to use Virtual Connect or Brocade or Cisco MDS Fibre Channel switches.