Brocade Communications Systems Marine Radio 53 1002745 02 User Manual

53-1002745-02  
25 March 2013  
®
Fabric OS  
Administrator’s Guide  
Supporting Fabric OS 7.1.0  
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Contents (High Level)  
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Contents  
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Figures  
Well-known addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43  
Identifying the blades. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98  
Blade swap with Virtual Fabrics during the swap. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99  
Blade swap with Virtual Fabrics after the swap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100  
Principal ISLs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112  
New switch added to existing fabric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114  
Virtual channels on a QoS-enabled ISL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116  
Gateway link merging SANs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117  
Single host and target . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130  
Figure 10 Windows 2000 VSA configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154  
Figure 11 Example of a Brocade DCT file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161  
Figure 12 Example of the dictiona.dcm file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162  
Figure 13 DH-CHAP authentication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208  
Figure 14 Protected endpoints configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232  
Figure 15 Gateway tunnel configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232  
Figure 16 Endpoint-to-gateway tunnel configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233  
Figure 17 Switch before and after enabling Virtual Fabrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276  
Figure 18 Switch before and after creating logical switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277  
Figure 19 Fabric IDs assigned to logical switches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278  
Figure 20 Assigning ports to logical switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278  
Figure 21 Logical switches connected to devices and non-Virtual Fabrics switch . . . . . . 280  
Figure 22 Logical switches in a single chassis belong to separate fabrics. . . . . . . . . . . . 280  
Figure 23 Logical switches connected to other logical switches through physical ISLs. . 282  
Figure 24 Logical switches connected to form logical fabrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282  
Figure 25 Base switches connected by an XISL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283  
Figure 26 Logical ISLs connecting logical switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284  
Figure 27 Logical fabric using ISLs and XISLs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284  
Figure 28 Example of logical fabrics in multiple chassis and XISLs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300  
Figure 29 Zoning example. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305  
Figure 30 Broadcast zones and Admin Domains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311  
Figure 31 Traffic Isolation zone creating a dedicated path through the fabric. . . . . . . . . 346  
Figure 32 Fabric incorrectly configured for TI zone with failover disabled . . . . . . . . . . . . 348  
Figure 33 Dedicated path is the only shortest path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349  
Figure 34 Dedicated path is not the shortest path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350  
Figure 35 Enhanced TI zones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350  
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Figure 36 Illegal ETIZ configuration: two paths from one port to two devices on the same remote  
domain 351  
Figure 37 Illegal ETIZ configuration: two paths from one port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352  
Figure 38 Traffic Isolation Zoning over FCR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353  
Figure 39 TI zone in an edge fabric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354  
Figure 40 TI zone in a backbone fabric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355  
Figure 41 TI zone misconfiguration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357  
Figure 42 Dedicated path with Virtual Fabrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361  
Figure 43 Creating a TI zone in a logical fabric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362  
Figure 44 Creating a TI zone in a base fabric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362  
Figure 45 Example configuration for TI zones over FC routers in logical fabrics . . . . . . . 363  
Figure 46 Logical representation of TI zones over FC routers in logical fabrics . . . . . . . . 363  
Figure 47 TI over FCR example. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371  
Figure 48 Affected seconds for bottleneck detection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383  
Figure 49 Encryption and compression on 16 Gbps ISLs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394  
Figure 50 EX_Ports, E_Ports, IFLs, and ISLs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411  
Figure 51 Fabric-assigned port world wide name provisioning scenarios. . . . . . . . . . . . . 427  
Figure 52 Fabric with two Admin Domains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 434  
Figure 53 Filtered fabric views when using Admin Domains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 434  
Figure 54 Fabric with AD0 and AD255. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 438  
Figure 55 Fabric showing switch and device WWNs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441  
Figure 56 Filtered fabric views showing converted switch WWNs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441  
Figure 57 AD0 and two user-defined Admin Domains, AD1 and AD2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 452  
Figure 58 AD0 with three zones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 452  
Figure 59 Minimum configuration for 64 Gbps ICLs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 492  
Figure 60 DCX-4S allowed ICL connections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 494  
Figure 61 ICL triangular topology with Brocade DCX 8510-8 chassis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495  
Figure 62 Full nine-mesh topology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 496  
Figure 63 64 Gbps ICL core-edge topology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 497  
Figure 64 Setting end-to-end monitors on a port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 502  
Figure 65 Mask positions for end-to-end monitors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 504  
Figure 66 Fabric mode Top Talker monitors on FC router do not monitor any flows . . . . 512  
Figure 67 Fabric mode Top Talker monitors on FC router monitor flows over the E_Port 512  
Figure 68 QoS traffic prioritization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 526  
Figure 69 QoS with E_Ports enabled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 527  
Figure 70 Traffic prioritization in a logical fabric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 529  
Figure 71 Trunk group configuration for the Brocade 5100 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 535  
Figure 72 Switch in Access Gateway mode without F_Port masterless trunking . . . . . . . 544  
Figure 73 Switch in Access Gateway mode with F_Port masterless trunking. . . . . . . . . . 544  
Figure 74 A metaSAN with inter-fabric links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 572  
Figure 75 A metaSAN with edge-to-edge and backbone fabrics and LSAN zones . . . . . . 573  
Figure 76 Edge SANs connected through a backbone fabric. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 575  
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Figure 77 MetaSAN with imported devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 576  
Figure 78 Sample topology (physical topology) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 577  
Figure 79 EX_Port phantom switch topology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 578  
Figure 80 Example of setting up Speed LSAN tag. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 596  
Figure 81 LSAN zone binding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 599  
Figure 82 EX_Ports in a base switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 607  
Figure 83 Logical representation of EX_Ports in a base switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 608  
Figure 84 Backbone-to-edge routing across base switch using FC router in legacy mode 609  
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Tables  
Daemons that are automatically restarted. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53  
Terminal port parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57  
Help topic contents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59  
fabricShow fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73  
Core and CP blade terminology and platform support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93  
Port blade terminology, numbering, and platform support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94  
Blade compatibility within Brocade Backbone families. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96  
Duplicate PWWN behavior: First login takes precedence over second login . . 109  
Duplicate PWWN behavior: Second login overrides first login . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110  
Duplicate PWWN behavior: Port type determines which login takes precedence 110  
Combinations of routing policy and IOD with Lossless DLS enabled . . . . . . . . 126  
Default Fabric OS roles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134  
Permission types. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135  
Maximum number of simultaneous sessions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136  
Default local user accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138  
LDAP options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151  
Authentication configuration options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151  
Syntax for VSA-based account roles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153  
Entries in dictionary.brocade file. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154  
Brocade custom TACACS+ attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172  
Secure protocol support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177  
Items needed to deploy secure protocols. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178  
Main security scenarios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178  
SSL certificate files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185  
Blocked listener applications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192  
Access defaults. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192  
Port information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193  
Valid methods for specifying policy members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196  
FCS policy states. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199  
FCS switch operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200  
Distribution policy states . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202  
DCC policy states . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203  
DCC policy behavior with FA-PWWN when created using lockdown support . . 205  
DCC policy behavior when created manually with PWWN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206  
SCC policy states . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206  
FCAP certificate files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215  
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Supported services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220  
Implicit IP Filter rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222  
Default IP policy rules. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222  
Interaction between fabric-wide consistency policy and distribution settings. 225  
Supported policy databases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225  
Fabric-wide consistency policy settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228  
Merging fabrics with matching fabric-wide consistency policies. . . . . . . . . . . . 229  
Examples of strict fabric merges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230  
Fabric merges with tolerant and absent combinations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230  
Algorithms and associated authentication policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234  
CLI commands to display or modify switch configuration information . . . . . . . 247  
Brocade configuration and connection form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253  
Backbone HA sync states. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258  
Blade and port types supported on logical switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287  
Virtual Fabrics interaction with Fabric OS features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288  
Maximum number of logical switches per chassis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288  
Approaches to fabric-based zoning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305  
Considerations for zoning architecture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309  
Zone merging scenarios: Defined and effective configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . 339  
Zone merging scenarios: Different content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340  
Zone merging scenarios: Different names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340  
Zone merging scenarios: TI zones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341  
Zone merging scenarios: Default access mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341  
Zone merging scenarios: Mixed Fabric OS versions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342  
Traffic behavior when failover is enabled or disabled in TI zones . . . . . . . . . . 347  
Number of ports supported per chip or per trunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395  
Example ISL connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406  
Number of supported NPIV devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 420  
AD user types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 436  
Ports and devices in CLI output. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 455  
Admin Domain interaction with Fabric OS features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457  
Configuration upload and download scenarios in an AD context . . . . . . . . . . . 460  
Available Brocade licenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 464  
License requirements and location name by feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 467  
Base to Upgrade license comparison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 470  
List of available ports when implementing PODs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 484  
Number of logical switches that support performance monitors . . . . . . . . . . . 500  
Maximum number of frame monitors and offsets per port. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 506  
Predefined values at offset 0. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 507  
Comparison between CS_CTL-based and QoS zone-based prioritization. . . . . 520  
Fabric resources assigned to QoS priority for frame prioritization in CS_CTL default  
mode 521  
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VCs assigned to QoS priority for frame prioritization in CS_CTL auto mode . . 521  
Trunking over long-distance for the Backbones and blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 541  
F_Port masterless trunking considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 546  
PWWN format for F_Port and N_Port trunk ports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 548  
Fibre Channel data frames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 558  
Total FC ports, ports per port group, and unreserved buffer credits per port group 563  
Configurable distances for Extended Fabrics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 564  
LSAN information stored in FC routers, with and without LSAN zone binding . 600  
Zeroization behavior. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 615  
FIPS mode restrictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 617  
FIPS and non-FIPS modes of operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 618  
Active Directory keys to modify . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 620  
Decimal-to-hexadecimal conversion table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 628  
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About This Document  
In this chapter  
How this document is organized  
The document is divided into two sections; the first, “Standard Features,” contains the following  
topics:  
Chapter 1, “Understanding Fibre Channel Services,” provides information on the Fibre Channel  
services on Brocade switches.  
Chapter 2, “Performing Basic Configuration Tasks,” gives a brief overview of Fabric OS,  
explains the Fabric OS CLI Help feature, and provides typical connection and configuration  
procedures.  
configuration procedures.  
Chapter 4, “Routing Traffic,” provides information and procedures for using switch routing  
features.  
Chapter 5, “Managing User Accounts,” provides information and procedures on managing  
authentication and user accounts for the switch management channel.  
Chapter 6, “Configuring Protocols,” provides procedures for basic password and user account  
management.  
Chapter 7, “Configuring Security Policies,” provides information and procedures for configuring  
ACL policies for FC port and switch binding and managing the fabric-wide consistency policy.  
and backing up your switch configurations.  
Chapter 9, “Installing and Maintaining Firmware,” provides preparations and procedures for  
performing firmware downloads.  
Chapter 10, “Managing Virtual Fabrics,” describes the concepts and provides procedures for  
using Virtual Fabrics.  
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Chapter 11, “Administering Advanced Zoning,” provides procedures for use of the Brocade  
Advanced Zoning feature.  
Chapter 12, “Traffic Isolation Zoning,” provides concepts and procedures for use of Traffic  
Isolation Zones within a fabric.  
Chapter 13, “Bottleneck Detection,” describes how you can detect and configure alert  
thresholds for latency and congestion bottlenecks in the fabric.  
procedures for configuring encryption and compression on 16 Gbps ports that connect to other  
switches using ISLs.  
Chapter 15, “NPIV,” provides procedures for enabling and configuring N-Port ID Virtualization  
(NPIV).  
Fabric Provisioning feature using the fabric-assigned port World Wide Name (FA-PWWN).  
Chapter 17, “Managing Administrative Domains,” describes the concepts and provides  
procedures for using administrative domains.  
The second section, “Licensed Features,” contains the following topics:  
Chapter 18, “Administering Licensing,” provides information about Brocade licenses and their  
implementation on SAN switches.  
Chapter 19, “Inter-chassis Links,” describes the two different types of ICLs between Brocade  
Backbones.  
Chapter 20, “Monitoring Fabric Performance,” provides procedures for use of the Brocade  
Advanced Performance Monitoring licensed feature.  
Chapter 21, “Optimizing Fabric Behavior,” provides procedures for use of the Brocade Adaptive  
Networking suite of tools, including Traffic Isolation, QoS Ingress Rate Limiting, and QoS  
SID/DID Traffic Prioritization.  
Chapter 22, “Managing Trunking Connections,” provides procedures for use of the Brocade ISL  
Trunking licensed feature.  
Chapter 23, “Managing Long-Distance Fabrics,” provides procedures for use of the Brocade  
Extended Fabrics licensed feature.  
Chapter 24, “Using FC-FC Routing to Connect Fabrics,” provides information for setting up and  
using the FC-FC Routing Service.  
The appendices provide special procedures or information for Fabric OS.  
Supported hardware and software  
In those instances in which procedures or parts of procedures documented here apply to some  
switches but not to others, this guide identifies exactly which switches are supported and which are  
not.  
Although many different software and hardware configurations are tested and supported by  
Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. for Fabric OS v7.1.0, documenting all possible  
configurations and scenarios is beyond the scope of this document.  
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The following hardware platforms are supported by this release of Fabric OS:  
Fixed-port switches:  
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Brocade 300 switch  
Brocade 5100 switch  
Brocade 5300 switch  
Brocade 5410 embedded switch  
Brocade 5424 embedded switch  
Brocade 5430 embedded switch  
Brocade 5450 embedded switch  
Brocade 5460 embedded switch  
Brocade 5470 embedded switch  
Brocade 5480 embedded switch  
Brocade 6505 switch  
Brocade 6510 switch  
Brocade 6520 switch  
Brocade 7800 extension switch  
Brocade 8000 FCoE switch  
Brocade VA-40FC  
Brocade Encryption Switch  
Brocade DCX Backbone family:  
-
-
Brocade DCX  
Brocade DCX-4S  
Brocade DCX 8510 Backbone family:  
-
-
Brocade DCX 8510-4  
Brocade DCX 8510-8  
What’s new in this document  
Information that was modified:  
Added a high-level Table of Contents.  
In “Switch and Backbone shutdown” on page 76, changed the advice about performing  
graceful shutdowns from a recommendation to a “must”.  
configuring the behavior. The third option takes the port type into account when determining  
which login to use.  
ChassisRole to the list of accepted keys.  
In “Installing a switch certificate” on page 185, added an example of installing a certificate in  
noninteractive mode.  
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In “Encryption and compression restrictions” on page 394, clarified the restriction about the  
number of ports supported.  
so that you activate authentication after setting up the DH-CHAP secret.  
In “Frame monitoring” on page 505, added information about static offsets.  
In “License requirements for trunking” on page 535, removed the note that said the Brocade  
6520 did not require a Trunking license. The Brocade 6520 does require the Trunking license.  
In “Buffer credit recovery over an E_Port” on page 566, clarified that for an ISL between a  
device that supports 16 Gbps and a device that supports only 8 Gbps, buffer credit recovery is  
disabled.  
Document conventions  
This section describes text formatting conventions and important notice formats used in this  
document.  
Text formatting  
The narrative-text formatting conventions that are used are as follows:  
bold text  
italic text  
codetext  
Identifies command names  
Identifies the names of user-manipulated GUI elements  
Identifies keywords and operands  
Identifies text to enter at the GUI or CLI  
Provides emphasis  
Identifies variables  
Identifies paths and Internet addresses  
Identifies document titles  
Identifies CLI output  
Identifies command syntax examples  
For readability, command names in the narrative portions of this guide are presented in mixed  
lettercase: for example, switchShow. In actual examples, command lettercase is often all  
lowercase. Otherwise, this manual specifically notes those cases in which a command is case  
sensitive.  
Command syntax conventions  
Command syntax in this manual follows these conventions:  
command  
--option, option  
-argument, arg  
[ ]  
Commands are printed in bold.  
Command options are printed in bold.  
Arguments.  
Optional element.  
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variable  
Variables are printed in italics. In the help pages, values are underlined or  
enclosed in angled brackets < >.  
...  
Repeat the previous element, for example “member[;member...]”  
value  
Fixed values following arguments are printed in plain font. For example,  
--show WWN  
|
Boolean. Elements are exclusive. Example: --show -mode egress | ingress  
Notes, cautions, and warnings  
The following notices and statements are used in this manual. They are listed below in order of  
increasing severity of potential hazards.  
NOTE  
A note provides a tip, guidance or advice, emphasizes important information, or provides a reference  
to related information.  
ATTENTION  
An Attention statement indicates potential damage to hardware or data.  
CAUTION  
A Caution statement alerts you to situations that can be potentially hazardous to you or cause  
damage to hardware, firmware, software, or data.  
DANGER  
A Danger statement indicates conditions or situations that can be potentially lethal or extremely  
hazardous to you. Safety labels are also attached directly to products to warn of these conditions  
or situations.  
Key terms  
For definitions specific to Brocade and Fibre Channel, see the Brocade Glossary.  
For definitions of SAN-specific terms, visit the Storage Networking Industry Association online  
dictionary at:  
Notice to the reader  
This document may contain references to the trademarks of the following corporations. These  
trademarks are the properties of their respective companies and corporations.  
These references are made for informational purposes only.  
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Corporation  
Referenced Trademarks and Products  
Microsoft Corporation  
Mozilla Corporation  
Windows, Windows NT, Internet Explorer  
Mozilla, Firefox  
Netscape Communications Corporation  
Red Hat, Inc.  
Netscape  
Red Hat, Red Hat Network, Maximum RPM, Linux Undercover  
Sun, Solaris  
Sun Microsystems, Inc.  
Additional information  
This section lists additional Brocade and industry-specific documentation that you might find  
helpful.  
Brocade resources  
To get up-to-the-minute information, go to http://my.brocade.com and register at no cost for a user  
ID and password.  
For practical discussions about SAN design, implementation, and maintenance, you can obtain  
Building SANs with Brocade Fabric Switches through:  
For additional Brocade documentation, visit the Brocade SAN Info Center and click the Resource  
Library location:  
Release notes are available on the My Brocade website and are also bundled with the Fabric OS  
firmware.  
Other industry resources  
For additional resource information, visit the Technical Committee T11 website. This website  
provides interface standards for high-performance and mass storage applications for Fibre  
Channel, storage management, and other applications:  
For information about the Fibre Channel industry, visit the Fibre Channel Industry Association  
website:  
Getting technical help  
Contact your switch support supplier for hardware, firmware, and software support, including  
product repairs and part ordering. To expedite your call, have the following information available:  
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1. General Information  
Switch model  
Switch operating system version  
Error numbers and messages received  
supportSave command output  
Detailed description of the problem, including the switch or fabric behavior immediately  
following the problem, and specific questions  
Description of any troubleshooting steps already performed and the results  
Serial console and Telnet session logs  
syslog message logs  
2. switch serial number  
The switch serial number and corresponding bar code are provided on the serial number label,  
as illustrated below.:  
ꢀꢁꢂꢃꢃꢄꢃꢃꢅꢆ ꢇꢀ  
FT00X0054E9  
The serial number label is located as follows:  
Brocade 5424 — On the bottom of the switch module.  
Brocade 300, 5100, and 5300 — On the switch ID pull-out tab located on the bottom of  
the port side of the switch.  
Brocade 6510, and 6520 — On the switch ID pull-out tab located inside the chassis on the  
port side on the left.  
Brocade 7800 and 8000 — On the bottom of the chassis.  
Brocade DCX-4S and DCX 8510-4 — On the nonport side of the chassis, on the lower left  
side.  
Brocade DCX and DCX 8510-8 — On the port side of the chassis, on the lower right side  
and directly above the cable management comb.  
3. World Wide Name (WWN)  
Use the wwn command to display the switch WWN.  
If you cannot use the wwn command because the switch is inoperable, you can get the WWN  
from the same place as the serial number, except for the Brocade DCX enterprise class  
platform. For the Brocade DCX enterprise class platform, access the numbers on the WWN  
cards by removing the Brocade logo plate at the top of the nonport side of the chassis.  
For the Brocade 5424 embedded switch: Provide the license ID. Use the licenseIdShow  
command to display the WWN.  
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Document feedback  
Quality is our first concern at Brocade and we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy and  
completeness of this document. However, if you find an error or an omission, or you think that a  
topic needs further development, we want to hear from you. Forward your feedback to:  
Provide the title and version number of the document and as much detail as possible about your  
comment, including the topic heading and page number and your suggestions for improvement.  
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Chapter  
Understanding Fibre Channel Services  
1
In this chapter  
Fibre Channel services overview  
Fibre Channel services define service functions that reside at well-know addresses, as illustrated in  
Figure 1. A well-known address is a reserved three-byte address for each service. Services are  
provided to either nodes or management applications in the fabric.  
FIGURE 1  
Well-known addresses  
Fabric Login — The Fabric Login server assigns a fabric address to a fabric node, which allows it to  
communicate with services on the switch or other nodes in the fabric. The fabric address is a 24-bit  
address (0x000000) containing three 3-byte nodes. Reading from left to right, the first node  
(0x000000) represents the domain ID, the second node (0x000000) the port area number of the  
port where the node is attached, and the third node (0x000000) the arbitrated loop physical  
address (AL_PA), if applicable.  
Directory server — The directory server or name server registers fabric and public nodes and  
conducts queries to discover other devices in the fabric.  
Fabric controller — The fabric controller provides State Change Notifications (SCNs) to registered  
nodes when a change in the fabric topology occurs.  
Time server — The time server sends the time to the member switches in the fabric from either the  
principal switch or, if configured, the primary fabric configuration server (FCS) switch.  
Refer to Chapter 7, “Configuring Security Policies,” for additional information on FCS policies.  
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Management server  
1
Management server — The management server provides a single point for managing the fabric.  
This is the only service that users can configure. See “Management server” below for more details  
Alias server — The alias server keeps a group of nodes registered as one name to handle multicast  
groups.  
Broadcast server — The broadcast server is optional. When frames are transmitted to this address,  
they are broadcast to all operational N_ and NL_Ports.  
When registration and query frames are sent to a well-known address, a different protocol service,  
Fibre Channel Common Transport (FC-CT), is used. This protocol provides a simple, consistent  
format and behavior when a service provider is accessed for registration and query purposes.  
Management server  
The Brocade Fabric OS management server (MS) allows a SAN management application to retrieve  
information and administer interconnected switches, servers, and storage devices. The  
management server assists in the autodiscovery of switch-based fabrics and their associated  
topologies.  
A client of the management server can find basic information about the switches in the fabric and  
use this information to construct topology relationships. The management server also allows you to  
obtain certain switch attributes and, in some cases, modify them. For example, logical names  
identifying switches can be registered with the management server.  
The management server provides several advantages for managing a Fibre Channel fabric:  
It is accessed by an external Fibre Channel node at the well-known address FFFFFAh, so an  
application can access information about the entire fabric management with minimal  
knowledge of the existing configuration.  
It is replicated on every Brocade switch within a fabric.  
It provides an unzoned view of the overall fabric configuration. This fabric topology view  
exposes the internal configuration of a fabric for management purposes; it contains  
interconnect information about switches and devices connected to the fabric. Under normal  
circumstances, a device (typically an FCP initiator) queries the name server for storage devices  
within its member zones. Because this limited view is not always sufficient, the management  
server provides the application with a list of the entire name server database.  
Platform services  
By default, all management services except platform services are enabled; the MS platform service  
and topology discovery are disabled.  
You can activate and deactivate the platform services throughout the fabric. Activating the platform  
services attempts to activate the MS platform service for each switch in the fabric. The change  
takes effect immediately and is committed to the configuration database of each affected switch.  
MS activation is persistent across power cycles and reboots.  
NOTE  
The commands msplMgmtActivate and msplMgmtDeactivate are allowed only in AD0 and AD255.  
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Management server database  
1
Platform services and Virtual Fabrics  
Each logical switch has a separate platform database. All platform registrations done to a logical  
switch are valid only in that particular logical switch’s Virtual Fabric.  
Activating the platform services on a switch activates the platform services on all logical switches in  
a Virtual Fabric. Similarly, deactivating the platform services deactivates the platform service on all  
logical switches in a Virtual Fabric. The msPlatShow command displays all platforms registered in a  
Virtual Fabric.  
Enabling platform services  
When FCS policy is enabled, the msplMgmtActivate command can be issued only from the primary  
FCS switch.  
The execution of the msplMgmtActivate command is subject to Admin Domain restrictions that may  
be in place.  
Use the following procedure to enable platform services:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Enter the msCapabilityShow command to verify that all switches in the fabric support the MS  
platform service; otherwise, the next step fails.  
3. Enter the msplMgmtActivate command, as in the following example.  
switch:admin> msplmgmtactivate  
Request to activate MS Platform Service in progress......  
*Completed activating MS Platform Service in the fabric!  
Disabling platform services  
Use the following procedure to disable platform services:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Enter the msplMgmtDeactivate command.  
3. Enter y to confirm the deactivation, as in the following example.  
switch:admin> msplmgmtdeactivate  
MS Platform Service is currently enabled.  
This will erase MS Platform Service configuration  
information as well as database in the entire fabric.  
Would you like to continue this operation? (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
Request to deactivate MS Platform Service in progress......  
*Completed deactivating MS Platform Service in the fabric!  
Management server database  
You can control access to the management server database.  
An access control list (ACL) of WWN addresses determines which systems have access to the  
management server database. The ACL typically contains those WWNs of host systems that are  
running management applications.  
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Management server database  
1
If the list is empty (the default), the management server is accessible to all systems connected  
in-band to the fabric. For more access security, you can specify WWNs in the ACL so that access to  
the management server is restricted to only those WWNs listed.  
NOTE  
The management server is logical switch-capable. All management server features are supported  
within a logical switch.  
Displaying the management server ACL  
Use the following procedure to display the management server ACL:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Enter the msConfigure command.  
The command becomes interactive.  
3. At the “select” prompt, enter 1 to display the access list.  
A list of WWNs that have access to the management server is displayed.  
Example of an empty access list  
switch:admin> msconfigure  
0
1
2
3
Done  
Display the access list  
Add member based on its Port/Node WWN  
Delete member based on its Port/Node WWN  
select : (0..3) [1] 1  
MS Access list is empty.  
0
1
2
3
Done  
Display the access list  
Add member based on its Port/Node WWN  
Delete member based on its Port/Node WWN  
select : (0..3) [1] 0  
done ...  
Adding a member to the ACL  
Use the following procedure to add a member to the ACL:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Enter the msConfigure command.  
The command becomes interactive.  
3. At the “select” prompt, enter 2 to add a member based on its port/node WWN.  
4. At the “Port/Node WWN” prompt, enter the WWN of the host to be added to the ACL.  
5. At the “select” prompt, enter 1 to display the access list so you can verify that the WWN you  
entered was added to the ACL.  
6. After verifying that the WWN was added correctly, enter 0 at the prompt to end the session.  
7. At the “Update the FLASH?” prompt, enter y.  
8. Press Enter to update the nonvolatile memory and end the session.  
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Management server database  
1
Example of adding a member to the management server ACL  
switch:admin> msconfigure  
0
1
2
3
Done  
Display the access list  
Add member based on its Port/Node WWN  
Delete member based on its Port/Node WWN  
select : (0..3) [1] 2  
Port/Node WWN (in hex): [00:00:00:00:00:00:00:00] 20:00:00:20:37:65:ce:aa  
*WWN is successfully added to the MS ACL.  
0
1
2
3
Done  
Display the access list  
Add member based on its Port/Node WWN  
Delete member based on its Port/Node WWN  
select : (0..3) [2] 1  
MS Access List consists of (14): {  
20:00:00:20:37:65:ce:aa  
20:00:00:20:37:65:ce:bb  
20:00:00:20:37:65:ce:ff  
20:00:00:20:37:65:ce:11  
20:00:00:20:37:65:ce:22  
20:00:00:20:37:65:ce:33  
20:00:00:20:37:65:ce:44  
10:00:00:60:69:04:11:24  
10:00:00:60:69:04:11:23  
21:00:00:e0:8b:04:70:3b  
10:00:00:60:69:04:11:33  
20:00:00:20:37:65:ce:55  
20:00:00:20:37:65:ce:66  
00:00:00:00:00:00:00:00  
}
0
1
2
3
Done  
Display the access list  
Add member based on its Port/Node WWN  
Delete member based on its Port/Node WWN  
select : (0..3) [1] 0  
done ...  
Update the FLASH? (yes, y, no, n): [yes] y  
*Successfully saved the MS ACL to the flash.  
Deleting a member from the ACL  
When you delete a member from the ACL, that member no longer has access to the management  
server.  
NOTE  
If you delete the last member of the ACL, leaving the ACL list is empty, then the management server  
will be accessible to all systems connected in-band to the fabric.  
Use the following procedure to delete a member from the ACL:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the msConfigure command.  
The command becomes interactive.  
3. At the “select” prompt, enter 3 to delete a member based on its port/node WWN.  
4. At the “Port/Node WWN” prompt, enter the WWN of the member to be deleted from the ACL.  
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Management server database  
1
5. At the “select” prompt, enter 1 to display the access list so you can verify that the WWN you  
entered was deleted from the ACL.  
6. After verifying that the WWN was deleted correctly, enter 0 at the “select” prompt to end the  
session.  
7. At the “Update the FLASH?” prompt, enter y.  
8. Press Enter to update the nonvolatile memory and end the session.  
Example of deleting a member from the management server ACL  
switch:admin> msconfigure  
0
1
2
3
Done  
Display the access list  
Add member based on its Port/Node WWN  
Delete member based on its Port/Node WWN  
select : (0..3) [1] 3  
Port/Node WWN (in hex): [00:00:00:00:00:00:00:00] 10:00:00:00:c9:29:b3:84  
*WWN is successfully deleted from the MS ACL.  
0
1
2
3
Done  
Display the access list  
Add member based on its Port/Node WWN  
Delete member based on its Port/Node WWN  
select : (0..3) [3] 1  
MS Access list is empty  
0
1
2
3
Done  
Display the access list  
Add member based on its Port/Node WWN  
Delete member based on its Port/Node WWN  
select : (0..3) [1] 0  
Viewing the contents of the management server database  
Use the following procedure to view the contents of the management server database:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Enter the msPlatShow command.  
Example of viewing the contents of the management server platform database  
switch:admin> msplatshow  
-----------------------------------------------------------  
Platform Name: [9] "first obj"  
Platform Type: 5 : GATEWAY  
Number of Associated M.A.: 1  
[35] "http://java.sun.com/products/plugin"  
Number of Associated Node Names: 1  
Associated Node Names:  
10:00:00:60:69:20:15:71  
-----------------------------------------------------------  
Platform Name: [10] "second obj"  
Platform Type: 7 : HOST_BUS_ADAPTER  
Number of Associated M.A.: 1  
Associated Management Addresses:  
[30] "http://java.sun.com/products/1"  
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1
Number of Associated Node Names: 1  
Associated Node Names:  
10:00:00:60:69:20:15:75  
Clearing the management server database  
Use the following procedure to clear the management server database:  
NOTE  
The command msPlClearDB is allowed only in AD0 and AD255.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Enter the msplClearDb command.  
3. Enter y to confirm the deletion.  
The management server platform database is cleared.  
Topology discovery  
The topology discovery feature can be displayed, enabled, and disabled; it is disabled by default.  
The commands mstdEnable and mstdDisable are allowed only in AD0 and AD255.  
Displaying topology discovery status  
Use the following procedure to display the status of the topology discovery:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the mstdReadConfig command.  
switch:admin> mstdreadconfig  
*MS Topology Discovery is Enabled.  
Enabling topology discovery  
Use the following procedure to enable topology discovery:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the appropriate following command based on how you want to enable discovery:  
For the local switch, enter the mstdEnable command.  
For the entire fabric, enter the mstdEnable all command.  
Example of enabling discovery  
switch:admin> mstdenable  
Request to enable MS Topology Discovery Service in progress....  
*MS Topology Discovery enabled locally.  
switch:admin> mstdenable ALL  
Request to enable MS Topology Discovery Service in progress....  
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Topology discovery  
1
*MS Topology Discovery enabled locally.  
*MS Topology Discovery Enable Operation Complete!!  
Disabling topology discovery  
Use the following procedure to disable topology discovery:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the appropriate following command based on how you want to disable discovery:  
For the local switch, enter the mstdDisable command.  
For the entire fabric, enter the mstdDisable all command.  
A warning displays stating that all NID entries might be cleared.  
3. Enter y to disable the Topology Discovery feature.  
NOTE  
Topology discovery is disabled by default.  
ATTENTION  
Disabling discovery of management server topology might erase all node ID entries.  
If Admin Domains are enabled, you must be in the AD0 or AD255 context. Refer to Chapter 17,  
“Managing Administrative Domains,” for additional information.  
Example of disabling discovery  
switch:admin> mstddisable  
This may erase all NID entries. Are you sure? (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
Request to disable MS Topology Discovery Service in progress....  
*MS Topology Discovery disabled locally.  
switch:admin> mstddisable all  
This may erase all NID entries. Are you sure? (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
Request to disable MS Topology Discovery Service in progress....  
*MS Topology Discovery disabled locally.  
*MS Topology Discovery Disable Operation Complete!!  
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Device login  
1
Device login  
A device can be storage, a host, or a switch. When new devices are introduced into the fabric, they  
must be powered on and, if a host or storage device, connected to a switch. Switch-to-switch logins  
(using the E_Port) are handled differently than storage and host logins. E_Ports exchange different  
frames than the ones listed below with the Fabric Controller to access the fabric. Once storage and  
host devices are powered on and connected, the following logins occur:  
1. FLOGIFabric Login command establishes a 24-bit address for the device logging in, and  
establishes buffer-to-buffer credits and the class of service supported.  
2. PLOGI—Port Login command logs the device into the name server to register its information  
and query for devices that share its zone. During the PLOGI process, information is exchanged  
between the new device and the fabric. Some of the following types of information exchanges  
occur:  
SCR—State Change Registration registers the device for State Change Notifications. If a  
change in the fabric occurs, such as a zoning change or a change in the state of a device  
to which this device has access, the device receives a Registered State Change  
Notification (RSCN).  
Registration—A device exchanges registration information with the name server.  
Query—Devices query the name server for information about the device it can access.  
Principal switch  
In a fabric with multiple switches, and one inter-switch link (ISL) exists between any two switches, a  
principal switch is automatically elected. The principal switch provides the following capabilities:  
Maintains time for the entire fabric. Subordinate switches synchronize their time with the  
principal switch. Changes to the clock server value on the principal switch are propagated to all  
switches in the fabric.  
Manages domain ID assignment within the fabric. If a switch requests a domain ID that has  
been used before, the principal switch grants the same domain ID unless it is in use by another  
switch.  
E_Port login process  
An E_Port does not use a FLOGI to log in to another switch. Instead, the new switch exchanges  
frames with the principal switch to establish that the new switch is an E_Port and that it has  
information to exchange. If everything is acceptable to the principal switch, it replies to the new  
switch with an SW_ACC (accept) frame. The initializing frame is an Exchange Link Parameters (ELP)  
frame that allows an exchange of parameters between two ports, such as flow control,  
buffer-to-buffer credits, RA_TOV, and ED_TOV. This is not a negotiation. If one or the other port’s link  
parameters do not match, a link does not occur. Once an SW_ACC frame is received from the  
principal switch, the new switch sends an Exchange Switch Capabilities (ESC) frame. The two  
switches exchange routing protocols and agree on a common routing protocol. An SW_ACC frame is  
received from the principal switch and the new switch sends an Exchange Fabric Parameters (EFP)  
frame to the principal switch, requesting principal switch priority and the domain ID list.  
Buffer-to-buffer credits for the device and switch ports are exchanged in the SW_ACC command  
sent to the device in response to the FLOGI.  
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Device login  
1
Fabric login process  
A device performs a fabric login (FLOGI) to determine if a fabric is present. If a fabric is detected  
then it exchanges service parameters with the fabric controller. A successful FLOGI sends back the  
24-bit address for the device in the fabric. The device must issue and successfully complete a  
FLOGI command before communicating with other devices in the fabric.  
Because the device does not know its 24-bit address until after the FLOGI, the source ID (SID) in  
the frame header of the FLOGI request are zeros (0x000000).  
Port login process  
The steps in the port initialization process occur as the result of a protocol that functions to  
discover the type of device connected and establish the port type and negotiate port speed. See  
“Port Types” on page 84 for a discussion of available port types.  
The Fibre Channel protocol (FCP) auto discovery process enables private storage devices that  
accept the process login (PRLI) to communicate in a fabric.  
If device probing is enabled, the embedded port performs a PLOGI and attempts a PRLI into the  
device to retrieve information to enter into the name server. This enables private devices that do  
not perform a FLOGI, but accept a PRLI, to be entered in the name server and receive full fabric  
access.  
A fabric-capable device registers its information with the name server during a FLOGI. These  
devices typically register information with the name server before querying for a device list. The  
embedded port still performs a PLOGI and attempts a PRLI with these devices.  
If a port decides to end the current session, it initiates a logout. A logout concludes the session and  
terminates any work in progress associated with that session.  
To display the contents of a switch’s name server, use the nsShow or nsAllShow command.  
For more information about these commands, refer to the Fabric OS Command Reference.  
RSCNs  
A Registered State Change Notification (RSCN) is a notification frame that is sent to devices that  
are zoned together and are registered to receive a State Change Notification (SCN). The RSCN is  
responsible for notifying all devices of fabric changes. The following general list of actions can  
cause an RSCN to be sent through your fabric:  
A new device has been added to the fabric.  
An existing device has been removed from the fabric.  
A zone has changed.  
A switch name has changed or an IP address has changed.  
Nodes leaving or joining the fabric, such as zoning, powering on or shutting down a device, or  
zoning changes.  
NOTE  
Fabric reconfigurations with no domain change do not cause an RSCN.  
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High availability of daemon processes  
1
Duplicate Port World Wide Name  
According to Fibre Channel standards, the Port World Wide Name (PWWN) of a device cannot  
overlap with that of another device, thus having duplicate PWWNs within the same fabric is an  
illegal configuration.  
If a PWWN conflict occurs with two devices attached to the same domain, Fabric OS handles device  
login in such a way that only one device may be logged in to the fabric at a time. For more  
If a PWWN conflict occurs and two duplicate devices are attached to the fabric through different  
domains, the devices are removed from the Name Server database and a RASlog is generated.  
Device recovery  
To recover devices that have been removed from the Name Server database due to duplicate  
PWWNs, the devices must re-login to the fabric. This is true for any device—for example, a device on  
an F_Port, NPIV devices, or devices attached to a switch in Access Gateway mode.  
High availability of daemon processes  
Starting non-critical daemons is automatic; you cannot configure the startup process. The following  
sequence of events occurs when a non-critical daemon fails:  
1. A RASlog and AUDIT event message are logged.  
2. The daemon is automatically started again.  
3. If the restart is successful, then another message is sent to RASlog and AUDIT reporting the  
successful restart status.  
4. If the restart fails, another message is sent to RASlog and no further attempts are made to  
restart the daemon.  
Schedule downtime and reboot the switch at your convenience. Table 1 lists the daemons that are  
considered non-critical and are automatically restarted on failure.  
TABLE 1  
Daemons that are automatically restarted  
Description  
Daemon  
arrd  
Asynchronous Response Router, which is used to send management data to hosts when the switch is  
accessed through the APIs (FA API or SMI-S).  
cald  
Common Access Layer daemon, which is used by manageability applications.  
raslogd  
Reliability, Availability, and Supportability daemon logs error detection, reporting, handling, and  
presentation of data into a format readable by you and management tools.  
rpcd  
Remote Procedure Call daemon, which is used by the API (Fabric Access API and SMI-S).  
Simple Network Management Protocol daemon.  
snmpd  
traced  
Trace daemon provides trace entry date and time translation to Trace Device at startup and when  
date/time changed by command. Maintains the trace dump trigger parameters in a Trace Device.  
Performs the trace Background Dump, trace automatic FTP, and FTP “aliveness check” if auto-FTP is  
enabled.  
trafd  
Traffic daemon implements Bottleneck detection.  
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High availability of daemon processes  
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TABLE 1  
Daemons that are automatically restarted (Continued)  
Daemon  
Description  
webd  
Webserver daemon used for WebTools (includes httpd as well).  
weblinkerd Weblinker daemon provides an HTTP interface to manageability applications for switch management  
and fabric discovery.  
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Chapter  
Performing Basic Configuration Tasks  
2
In this chapter  
Fabric OS overview  
This chapter describes how to configure your Brocade SAN using the Fabric OS command line  
interface (CLI). Before you can configure a storage area network (SAN), you must power up the  
Backbone platform or switch and blades, and then set the IP addresses of those devices. Although  
this chapter focuses on configuring a SAN using the CLI, you can also use the following methods to  
configure a SAN:  
Web Tools  
For Web Tools procedures, refer to Web Tools Administrator’s Guide.  
Brocade Network Advisor  
For additional information, refer to the Brocade Network Advisor User Manual for the version  
you have.  
A third-party application using the API  
For third-party application procedures, refer to the third-party API documentation.  
Because of the differences between fixed-port and variable-port devices, procedures sometimes  
differ among Brocade models. As new Brocade models are introduced, new features sometimes  
apply only to those models.  
When procedures or parts of procedures apply to some models but not others, this guide identifies  
the specifics for each model. For example, a number of procedures that apply only to variable-port  
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Fabric OS command line interface  
2
Although many different software and hardware configurations are tested and supported by  
Brocade Communications Systems, Inc., documenting all possible configurations and scenarios is  
beyond the scope of this document. In some cases, earlier releases are highlighted to present  
considerations for interoperating with them.  
The hardware reference manuals for Brocade products describe how to power up devices and set  
their IP addresses. After the IP address is set, you can use the CLI procedures contained in this  
guide. For additional information about the commands used in the procedures, refer to the Fabric  
OS Command Reference.  
Fabric OS command line interface  
Fabric OS uses Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) to control access to all Fabric OS operations.  
Each feature is associated with an RBAC role and you need to know which role is allowed to run a  
command, make modifications to the switch, or view the output of the command. To determine  
which RBAC role you need to run a command, review the section “Role-Based Access Control” on  
Notes  
Commands are shown and can be entered either in all lower case or using Java-style  
capitalization. This means that while bannershow and bannerShow will both work,  
BANNERSHOW and BannerShow will not.  
When command examples in this guide show user input enclosed in quotation marks, the  
quotation marks are required. Example: zonecreate "zonename" requires that the value for  
zonename be in quotation marks.  
Console sessions using the serial port  
Be aware of the following behaviors for serial connections:  
Some procedures require that you connect through the serial port; for example, setting the IP  
address or setting the boot PROM password.  
Brocade DCX and DCX 8510 Backbone families: You can connect to CP0 or CP1 using either of  
the two serial ports.  
Connecting to Fabric OS through the serial port  
Use the following procedure to connect to the Fabric OS using the serial port:  
1. Connect the serial cable to the serial port on the switch and to an RS-232 serial port on  
the workstation.  
If the serial port on the workstation is an RJ-45 port, instead of RS-232, remove the adapter on  
the end of the serial cable and insert the exposed RJ-45 connector into the RJ-45 serial port on  
the workstation.  
2. Open a terminal emulator application (such as HyperTerminal on a PC, TERM, TIP, or Kermit in  
a UNIX environment), and configure the application as follows:  
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In a Windows environment enter the following parameters:  
TABLE 2  
Terminal port parameters  
Value  
Parameter  
Bits per second  
Databits  
9600  
8
Parity  
None  
1
Stop bits  
Flow control  
None  
In a UNIX environment, enter the following string at the prompt:  
tip /dev/ttyb -9600  
If ttyb is already in use, use ttya instead and enter the following string at the prompt:  
tip /dev/ttya -9600  
Telnet or SSH sessions  
You can connect to the Fabric OS through a Telnet or SSH connection or by using a console session  
on the serial port. The switch must also be physically connected to the network. If the switch  
network interface is not configured or the switch has been disconnected from the network, use a  
console session on the serial port as described in “Console sessions using the serial port” on  
NOTE  
To automatically configure the network interface on a DHCP-enabled switch, plug the switch into the  
network and power it on. The DHCP client automatically gets the IP and gateway addresses from the  
DHCP server. The DHCP server must be on the same subnet as the switch. Refer to “DHCP  
Rules for Telnet connections  
The following rules must be observed when making Telnet connections to your switch:  
Never change the IP address of the switch while two Telnet sessions are active; if you do, your  
next attempt to log in fails. To recover, gain access to the switch by one of these methods:  
-
You can use Web Tools to perform a fast boot. When the switch comes up, the Telnet quota  
is cleared. (For instructions on performing a fast boot with Web Tools, see the Web Tools  
Administrator’s Guide.)  
-
If you have the required privileges, you can connect through the serial port, log in as  
admin, and use the killTelnet command to identify and kill the Telnet processes without  
disrupting the fabric.  
For accounts with an admin role, Fabric OS limits the number of simultaneous Telnet sessions  
per switch to two. For more details on session limits, refer to Chapter 5, “Managing User  
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Connecting to Fabric OS using Telnet  
Use the following procedure to connect to the Fabric OS using Telnet:  
1. Connect through a serial port to the switch that is appropriate for your fabric:  
If Virtual Fabrics is enabled, log in using an admin account assigned the chassis-role  
permission.  
If Virtual Fabrics is not enabled, log in using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Verify the switch’s network interface is configured and that it is connected to the IP network  
through the RJ-45 Ethernet port.  
Switches in the fabric that are not connected through the Ethernet port can be managed  
through switches that are using IP over Fibre Channel. The embedded port must have an  
assigned IP address.  
3. Log off the switch’s serial port.  
4. From a management station, open a Telnet connection using the IP address of the switch to  
which you want to connect.  
The login prompt is displayed when the Telnet connection finds the switch in the network.  
5. Enter the account ID at the login prompt.  
6. Enter the password.  
If you have not changed the system passwords from the default, you are prompted to change  
them. Enter the new system passwords, or press Ctrl+C to skip the password prompts. For  
more information on system passwords, refer to “Default account passwords” on page 61.  
7. Verify the login was successful.  
The prompt displays the switch name and user ID to which you are connected.  
login: admin  
password: xxxxxxx  
Getting help on a command  
You can display a list of all command help topics for a given login level. For example, if you log in as  
user and enter the help command, a list of all user-level commands that can be executed is  
displayed. The same rule applies to the admin, securityAdmin, and the switchAdmin roles.  
Use the following procedure to get help on a command:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Enter the help [|more] command with no specific command and all commands are displayed.  
The optional |more argument displays the commands one page at a time.  
For command-specific information, you can enter help command |more, where command is  
the name of the command for which you need specific information.  
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The commands in the following table provides help files for the indicated specific topics.  
TABLE 3  
Help topic contents  
Help contents description  
Topic name  
diagHelp  
Diagnostic help information  
FICON help information  
ficonHelp  
fwHelp  
Fabric Watch help information  
iSCSI help information  
iscsiHelp  
licenseHelp  
perfHelp  
License help information  
Performance Monitoring help information  
Routing help information  
routeHelp  
trackChangesHelp  
zoneHelp  
Track Changes help information  
Zoning help information  
Viewing a history of command line entries  
The CLI command history log file saves the last 512 commands from all users on a FIFO basis, and  
this log is persistent across reboots and firmware downloads. This command is also supported for  
standby CPs.  
The log records the following information whenever a command ins entered in the switch CLI:  
Timestamp  
Username  
IP address of the telnet session  
Options  
Arguments  
Use the following procedure to view the CLI command log:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in.  
2. Enter the cliHistory command with the desired argument (see below for arguments).  
Entering no specific argument displays only the command line history of the currently logged-in  
user.  
cliHistory  
Entering the cliHistory command with no arguments displays the command line history for the  
currently logged-in user only (even for the root user).  
Example cliHistory command output from root login  
switch:root> clihistory  
CLI history  
Date & Time  
Message  
Thu Sep 27 04:58:00 2012  
Thu Sep 27 04:58:19 2012  
Thu Sep 27 05:25:45 2012  
switch:root>  
root, 10.70.12.101, firmwareshow -v  
root, 10.70.12.101, telnet 127.1.10.1  
root, 10.70.12.101, ipaddrshow]  
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Example cliHistory command output from admin login  
switch:admin> clihistory  
CLI history  
Date & Time  
Message  
Thu Sep 27 10:14:41 2012  
Thu Sep 27 10:14:48 2012  
switch:admin>  
admin, 10.70.12.101, clihistory  
admin, 10.70.12.101, clihistory --show  
cliHistory --show  
Using the “--show” argument displays the same results as entering “cliHistory” without any  
arguments.  
cliHistory --showuser <username>  
Using the “--showuser <username>” argument displays the command line history of the named  
user. This argument is available only to Root, Admin, Factory and Securityadmin RBAC roles.  
Example cliHistory command output showing username  
switch:root> clihistory --showuser admin  
CLI history  
Date & Time  
Message  
Thu Sep 27 10:14:41 2012  
Thu Sep 27 10:14:48 2012  
Thu Sep 27 10:15:00 2012  
swd77:root>  
admin, 10.70.12.101, clihistory  
admin, 10.70.12.101, clihistory --show  
admin, 10.70.12.101, clihistory  
cliHistory --showall  
Using the “--showall” argument displays the command line history for all users. With this option,  
admin/factory/securityadmin users can see the root user command history.  
This argument is available only to Root, Admin, Factory and Securityadmin RBAC roles.  
Example cliHistory showing history of all users  
swd77:admin> clihistory --showall  
CLI history  
Date & Time  
Message  
Thu Sep 27 04:58:00 2012  
Thu Sep 27 04:58:19 2012  
Thu Sep 27 05:25:45 2012  
Thu Sep 27 05:25:48 2012  
swd77:admin>  
root, 10.70.12.101, firmwareshow -v  
root, 10.70.12.101, telnet 127.1.10.1  
root, 10.70.12.101, ipaddrshow]  
root, 10.70.12.101, ipaddrshow  
cliHistory - -help  
Using the “-- help” argument displays a list of the available command arguments.  
swd77:admin> clihistory --help  
clihistory usage:  
clihistory:  
Displays the CLI History of the current user  
clihistory --show:  
Displays the CLI History of the current user  
clihistory --showuser <username>:  
Displays the CLI History of the given user  
clihistory --showall:  
Displays the CLI History of all users  
clihistory --help:  
Displays the command usage  
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Password modification  
2
Notes:  
SSH login CLI logs are not recorded in the command line history.  
The CLI command log will be collected as part of any “supportsave” operation.  
The command long record of such an operation will be the equivalent of running  
“cliHistory --showall”.  
For CLI commands that require a password (Examples: firmwaredownload,  
configupload/download, supportsave, and so on), only the command (no arguments) is stored  
(see below for an illustration).  
sw0:FID128:root> firmwaredownload -s -p scp 10.70.4.109,fvt,/dist,pray4green  
Server IP: 10.70.4.109, Protocol IPv4  
Checking system settings for firmwaredownload...  
Failed to access scp://fvt:**********@10.70.4.109//dist/release.plist  
sw0:FID128:root> clihistory  
Date & Time  
Message  
Wed May 23 03:39:37 2012  
root, console, firmwaredownload  
Password modification  
The switch automatically prompts you to change the default account passwords after logging in for  
the first time. If you do not change the passwords, the switch prompts you after each subsequent  
login until all the default passwords have been changed.  
NOTE  
The default account passwords can be changed from their original values only when prompted  
immediately following the login; the passwords cannot be changed using the passwd command later  
in the session. If you skip the prompt, and then later decide to change the passwords, log out and  
then back in.  
The default accounts on the switch are admin, user, root, and factory. Use the “admin” account to  
log in to the switch for the first time and to perform the basic configuration tasks. The password for  
all of these accounts is “password”.  
There is only one set of default accounts for the entire chassis. The root and factory default  
accounts are reserved for development and manufacturing. The user account is primarily used for  
system monitoring. For more information on default accounts, refer to “Default accounts” on  
Default account passwords  
The change default account passwords prompt is a string that begins with the message “Please  
change your passwords now”. User-defined passwords can have from 8 through 40 characters.  
They must begin with an alphabetic character and can include numeric characters, the period (.),  
and the underscore ( _ ). They are case-sensitive, and they are not displayed when you enter them  
on the command line.  
Record the passwords exactly as entered and store them in a secure place because recovering  
passwords requires significant effort and fabric downtime. Although the root and factory accounts  
are not meant for general use, change their passwords if prompted to do so and save the  
passwords in case they are needed for recovery purposes.  
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The switch Ethernet interface  
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Changing the default account passwords at login  
Use the following procedure to change the default account passwords:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using the default administrative account.  
2. At each of the “Enter new password” prompts, either enter a new password or skip the prompt.  
To skip a single prompt, press Enter. To skip all of the remaining prompts, press Ctrl-C.  
Example output of changing passwords  
login: admin  
Password:  
Please change your passwords now.  
Use Control-C to exit or press 'Enter' key to proceed.  
for user - root  
Changing password for root  
Enter new password: <hidden>  
Password changed.  
Saving password to stable storage.  
Password saved to stable storage successfully.  
(output truncated)  
The switch Ethernet interface  
The Ethernet (network) interface provides management access, including direct access to the  
Fabric OS CLI, and allows other tools, such as Web Tools, to interact with the switch. You can use  
either Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) or static IP addresses for the Ethernet network  
interface configuration.  
Brocade Backbones  
On Brocade Backbones, you must set IP addresses for the following components:  
Both Control Processors (CP0 and CP1)  
Chassis management IP  
Brocade switches  
On Brocade switches, you must set the Ethernet and chassis management IP interfaces.  
Setting the chassis management IP address eliminates the need to know which CP is active and  
automatically connects the requestor to the currently active CP.  
You can continue to use a static Ethernet addressing system or allow the DHCP client to  
automatically acquire Ethernet addresses. Configure the Ethernet interface IP address, subnet  
mask, and gateway addresses in one of the following manners:  
Using static Ethernet addresses (refer to “Static Ethernet addresses” on page 64)  
Activating DHCP (refer to “DHCP activation” on page 66)  
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NOTE  
When you change the Ethernet interface settings, open connections such as SSH or Telnet may be  
dropped. Reconnect using the new Ethernet IP address information or change the Ethernet settings  
using a console session through the serial port to maintain your session during the change. You  
must connect through the serial port to set the Ethernet IP address if the Ethernet network interface  
is not configured already. For details, refer to “Connecting to Fabric OS through the serial port” on  
Virtual Fabrics and the Ethernet interface  
On the Brocade DCX and DCX-4S, the single-chassis IP address and subnet mask are assigned to  
the management Ethernet ports on the front panels of the CPs. These addresses allow access to  
the chassis—more specifically, the active CP of the chassis—and not individual logical switches. The  
IP addresses can also be assigned to each CP individually. This allows for direct communication  
with a CP, including the standby CP. On the Brocade DCX and DCX-4S Backbones, each CP has two  
management Ethernet ports on its front panel. These two physical ports are bonded together to  
create a single, logical Ethernet port, and it is the logical Ethernet port to which IP addresses are  
assigned.  
IPv4 addresses assigned to individual Virtual Fabrics are assigned to IP over Fibre Channel (IPFC)  
network interfaces. In Virtual Fabrics environments, a single chassis can be assigned to multiple  
fabrics, each of which is logically distinct and separate from one another. Each IPFC point of  
connection to a given chassis needs a separate IPv4 address and prefix to be accessible to a  
management host. For more information on how to set up these IPFC interfaces to your Virtual  
Displaying the network interface settings  
If an IP address has not been assigned to the network interface (Ethernet), you must connect to the  
Fabric OS CLI using a console session on the serial port. For more information, see “Console  
sessions using the serial port” on page 56. Otherwise, connect using SSH.  
Use the following procedure to display the network interface settings:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Enter the ipAddrShow command.  
ipAddrShow  
Example output for a Brocade Backbone  
ecp:admin> ipaddrshow  
SWITCH  
Ethernet IP Address: 10.1.2.3  
Ethernet Subnetmask: 255.255.240.0  
CP0  
Ethernet IP Address: 10.1.2.3  
Ethernet Subnetmask: 255.255.240.0  
Host Name: ecp0  
Gateway IP Address: 10.1.2.1  
CP1  
Ethernet IP Address: 10.1.2.4  
Ethernet Subnetmask: 255.255.240.0  
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Host Name: ecp1  
Gateway IP Address: 10.1.2.3  
IPFC address for virtual fabric ID 123: 11.1.2.3/24  
IPFC address for virtual fabric ID 45: 13.1.2.4/20  
Slot 7  
eth0: 11.1.2.4/24  
Gateway: 11.1.2.1  
Backplane IP address of CP0 : 10.0.0.5  
Backplane IP address of CP1 : 10.0.0.6  
IPv6 Autoconfiguration Enabled: Yes  
Local IPv6 Addresses:  
sw 0 stateless fd00:60:69bc:70:260:69ff:fe00:2/64 preferred  
sw 0 stateless fec0:60:69bc:70:260:69ff:fe00:2/64 preferred  
cp 0 stateless fd00:60:69bc:70:260:69ff:fe00:197/64 preferred  
cp 0 stateless fec0:60:69bc:70:260:69ff:fe00:197/64 preferred  
cp 1 stateless fd00:60:69bc:70:260:69ff:fe00:196/64 preferred  
cp 1 stateless fec0:60:69bc:70:260:69ff:fe00:196/64 preferred  
IPv6 Gateways:  
cp 0 fe80:60:69bc:70::3  
cp 0 fe80:60:69bc:70::2  
cp 0 fe80:60:69bc:70::1  
cp 1 fe80:60:69bc:70::3  
If the Ethernet IP address, subnet mask, and gateway address are displayed, then the network  
interface is configured. Verify the information on your switch is correct. If DHCP is enabled,  
the network interface information was acquired from the DHCP server.  
NOTE  
You can use either IPv4 or IPv6 with a classless inter-domain routing (CIDR) block notation (also  
known as a network prefix length) to set up your IP addresses.  
Static Ethernet addresses  
Use static Ethernet network interface addresses on Brocade DCX and DCX-4S Backbones, and in  
environments where DHCP service is not available. To use static addresses for the Ethernet  
interface, you must first disable DHCP. You can enter static Ethernet information and disable DHCP  
at the same time. For more information, refer to “DHCP activation” on page 66.  
If you choose not to use DHCP or to specify an IP address for your switch Ethernet interface, you  
can do so by entering “none” or “0.0.0.0” in the Ethernet IP address field.  
On an application blade, configure the two external Ethernet interfaces to two different subnets.  
If two subnets are not present, configure one of the interfaces and leave the other unconfigured.  
Otherwise, the following message displays and blade status may go into a faulty state after a  
reboot.  
Neighbor table overflow.  
print: 54 messages suppressed  
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Setting the static addresses for the Ethernet network interface  
Use the following procedure to set the Ethernet network interface static addresses:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Perform the appropriate action based on whether you have a switch or Backbone:  
If you are setting the IP address for a switch, enter the ipAddrSet command.  
If you are setting the IP address for a Backbone, enter the ipAddrSet command specifying  
either CP0 or CP1. You must set the IP address for both CP0 and CP1.  
Example of setting an IPv4 address  
switch:admin> ipaddrset  
Ethernet IP Address [10.1.2.3]:  
Ethernet Subnetmask [255.255.255.0]:  
Fibre Channel IP Address [220.220.220.2]:  
Fibre Channel Subnetmask [255.255.0.0]:  
Gateway IP Address [10.1.2.1]:  
DHCP [OFF]: off  
Example of setting an IPv6 address on a switch  
switch:admin> ipaddrset -ipv6 --add 1080::8:800:200C:417A/64  
IP address is being changed...Done.  
For more information on setting up an IP address for a Virtual Fabric, refer to Chapter 10,  
3. Enter the network information in dotted-decimal notation for the Ethernet IPv4 address or in  
semicolon-separated notation for IPv6.  
4. Enter the Ethernet Subnetmask at the prompt.  
5. The Fibre Channel prompts are not relevant; you can skip them by pressing Enter.  
The Fibre Channel IP address is used for management.  
6. Enter the Gateway Address at the prompt.  
7. Disable DHCP by entering off.  
Setting the static addresses for the chassis management IP interface  
Use the following procedure to set the chassis management IP interface static addresses:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Enter the ipAddrSet -chassis command.  
switch:admin> ipaddrset -chassis  
Ethernet IP Address [192.168.166.148]:  
Ethernet Subnetmask [255.255.255.0]:  
Committing configuration...Done.  
3. Enter the network information in dotted-decimal notation for the Ethernet IPv4 address or in  
semicolon-separated notation for IPv6.  
4. Enter the Ethernet Subnet mask at the prompt.  
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DHCP activation  
Some Brocade switches have DHCP enabled by default. Fabric OS support for DHCP functionality is  
only provided for Brocade fixed-port switches. These are listed in the Preface.  
NOTE  
The Brocade DCX and Brocade DCX-4S Backbones do not support DHCP.  
The Fabric OS DHCP client supports the following parameters:  
External Ethernet port IP addresses and subnet masks  
Default gateway IP address  
The DHCP client uses a DHCP vendor-class identifier that allows DHCP servers to determine that  
the discover/request packet are coming from a Brocade switch. The vendor-class identifier is the  
string “BROCADE” followed by the SWBD model number of the platform. For example, the  
vendor-class identifier for a request from a Brocade 5300 is “BROCADESWBD64.”  
NOTE  
The client conforms to the latest IETF Draft Standard RFCs for IPv4, IPv6, and DHCP. DHCP can  
obtain stateful IPv6 addresses.  
Enabling DHCP for IPv4  
When you connect a DHCP-enabled switch to the network and power on the switch, the switch  
automatically obtains the Ethernet IP address, Ethernet subnet mask, and default gateway address  
from the DHCP server.  
NOTE  
The DHCP client can only connect to a DHCP server on the same subnet as the switch. Do not enable  
DHCP if the DHCP server is not on the same subnet as the switch.  
Enabling DHCP after the Ethernet information has been configured releases the current Ethernet  
network interface settings. These include the Ethernet IP address, Ethernet subnet mask, and  
gateway IP address. The Fibre Channel IP address and subnet mask are static and are not affected  
by DHCP; for instructions on setting the FC IP address, see “Static Ethernet addresses” on  
Use the following procedure to enable DHCP for IPv4:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Enter the ipAddrSet command.  
ipaddrset  
NOTE  
Alternatively, you can enable DHCP for IPv4 by entering “ipaddrset –ipv4 -add -dhcp ON“as  
a single command. If you do so, you do not need to complete the following steps.  
3. If already set up, you can skip the Ethernet IP address, Ethernet subnet mask, Fibre Channel IP  
address, and Fibre Channel subnet mask prompts by pressing Enter.  
Otherwise, enter the network information in dotted-decimal notation for the IPv4 address.  
4. Enable DHCP by entering on.  
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The switch Ethernet interface  
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5. You can confirm that the change has been made using the ipAddrShow command.  
Example of enabling DHCP for IPv4 interactively:  
switch:admin> ipaddrset  
Ethernet IP Address [10.1.2.3]:  
Ethernet Subnetmask [255.255.255.0]:  
Fibre Channel IP Address [220.220.220.2]:  
Fibre Channel Subnetmask [255.255.0.0]:  
Gateway IP Address [10.1.2.1]:  
DHCP [Off]:on  
switch:admin>  
Example of enabling DHCP for IPv4 using a single command:  
switch:admin> ipaddrset –ipv4 -add -dhcp ON  
switch:admin> ipaddrshow  
SWITCH  
Ethernet IP Address: 10.20.134.219  
Ethernet Subnetmask: 255.255.240.0  
Gateway IP Address: 10.20.128.1  
DHCP: On  
switch:admin>  
Disabling DHCP for IPv4  
When you disable DHCP, enter the static Ethernet IP address and subnet mask of the switch and  
default gateway address. Otherwise, the Ethernet settings may conflict with other addresses  
assigned by the DHCP server on the network.  
Use the following procedure to disable DHCP for IPv4:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Enter the ipAddrSet command.  
ipaddrset  
NOTE  
Alternatively, you can disable DHCP for IPv4 by entering “ipaddrset –  
ipv4 -add -dhcp OFF“as a single command. If you do so, you do not need to complete the  
following steps.  
3. Enter the network information using IPv4 dotted-decimal notation.  
NOTE  
If a static Ethernet address is not available when you disable DHCP, enter 0.0.0.0 at the  
Ethernet IP address prompt.  
4. You can skip the Fibre Channel prompts by pressing Enter.  
5. When you are prompted for DHCP[On], disable it by entering off.  
6. You can confirm that the change has been made using the ipAddrShow command.  
Example of disabling DHCP for IPv4 interactively:  
switch:admin> ipaddrset  
Ethernet IP Address [10.1.2.3]:  
Ethernet Subnetmask [255.255.255.0]:  
Gateway IP Address [10.1.2.1]:  
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DHCP [On]:off  
switch:admin>  
Example of disabling DHCP for IPv4 using a single command:  
switch:admin> ipaddrset –ipv4 -add -dhcp OFF  
switch:admin> ipaddrshow  
SWITCH  
Ethernet IP Address: 10.20.134.219  
Ethernet Subnetmask: 255.255.240.0  
Gateway IP Address: 10.20.128.1  
DHCP: Off  
switch:admin>  
IPv6 autoconfiguration  
IPv6 can assign multiple IP addresses to each network interface. Each interface is configured with  
a link local address in almost all cases, but this address is only accessible from other hosts on the  
same network. To provide for wider accessibility, interfaces are typically configured with at least  
one additional global scope IPv6 address. IPv6 autoconfiguration allows more IPv6 addresses, the  
number of which is dependent on the number of routers serving the local network and the number  
of prefixes they advertise.  
There are two methods of autoconfiguration for IPv6 addresses: stateless autoconfiguration and  
stateful autoconfiguration. Stateless allows an IPv6 host to obtain a unique address using the  
IEEE 802 MAC address; stateful uses a DHCPv6 server, which keeps a record of the IP address and  
other configuration information for the host. Whether a host engages in autoconfiguration and  
which method it uses is dictated by the routers serving the local network, not by a configuration of  
the host. There can be multiple routers serving the network, each potentially advertising multiple  
network prefixes. Thus, the host is not in full control of the number of IPv6 addresses that it  
configures, much less the values of those addresses, and the number and values of addresses can  
change as routers are added to or removed from the network.  
When IPv6 autoconfiguration is enabled, the platform engages in stateless IPv6 autoconfiguration.  
When IPv6 autoconfiguration is disabled, the platform relinquishes usage of any autoconfigured  
IPv6 addresses that it may have acquired while it was enabled. This same enable or disable state  
also enables or disables the usage of a link local address for each managed entity, though a link  
local address continues to be generated for each nonchassis-based platform and for each CP of a  
chassis-based platform because those link local addresses are required for router discovery. The  
enabled or disabled state of autoconfiguration is independent of whether any static IPv6 addresses  
have been configured.  
Setting IPv6 autoconfiguration  
Use the following procedure to enable IPv6 autoconfiguration:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Take the appropriate following action based on whether you want to enable or disable IPv6  
autoconfiguration:  
Enter the ipAddrSet -ipv6 -auto command to enable IPv6 autoconfiguration for all  
managed entities on the target platform.  
Enter the ipAddrSet -ipv6 -noauto command to disable IPv6 autoconfiguration for all  
managed entities on the target platform.  
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Date and time settings  
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Date and time settings  
Switches maintain the current date and time inside a battery-backed real-time clock (RTC) circuit  
that receives the date and time from the fabric’s principal switch. Date and time are used for  
logging events. Switch operation does not depend on the date and time; a switch with an incorrect  
date and time value functions properly. However, because the date and time are used for logging,  
error detection, and troubleshooting, you must set them correctly.  
In a Virtual Fabric, there can be a maximum of eight logical switches per Backbone. Only the  
default switch in the chassis can update the hardware clock. When the date command is issued  
from a non-principal pre-Fabric OS v6.2.0 or earlier switch, the date command request is dropped  
by a Fabric OS v6.2.0 and later switch and the pre-Fabric OS v6.2.0 switch or earlier does not  
receive an error.  
Authorization access to set or change the date and time for a switch is role-based. For an  
understanding of role-based access, refer to “Role-Based Access Control” on page 134.  
Setting the date and time  
Use the following procedure to set the device date and time:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Enter the date command, using the following syntax:  
date "mmddHHMMyy"  
The values represent the following:  
mm is the month; valid values are 01 through 12.  
dd is the date; valid values are 01 through 31.  
HH is the hour; valid values are 00 through 23.  
MM is minutes; valid values are 00 through 59.  
yy is the year, valid values are 00 through 37 and 70 through 99 (year values from 70  
through 99 are interpreted as 1970 through 1999, year values from 00 through 37 are  
interpreted as 2000 through 2037).  
Example of showing and setting the date  
switch:admin> date  
Fri Sep 29 17:01:48 UTC 2007  
Stealth200E:admin> date "0204101008"  
Mon Feb 4 10:10:00 UTC 2008  
Time zone settings  
You can set the time zone for a switch by name. You can specify the setting using country and city  
or time zone parameters. Switch operation does not depend on a date and time setting. However,  
having an accurate time setting is needed for accurate logging and audit tracking.  
If the time zone is not set with new options, the switch retains the offset time zone settings. The  
tsTimeZone command includes an option to revert to the prior time zone format. For more  
information about the tsTimeZone command, refer to the Fabric OS Command Reference.  
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Date and time settings  
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When you set the time zone for a switch, you can perform the following tasks:  
Display all of the time zones supported in the firmware.  
Set the time zone based on a country and city combination or based on a time zone ID,  
such as PST.  
The time zone setting has the following characteristics:  
Users can view the time zone settings. However, only those with administrative  
permissions can set the time zones.  
The setting automatically adjusts for Daylight Savings Time.  
Changing the time zone on a switch updates the local time zone setup and is reflected in  
local time calculations.  
By default, all switches are set to Greenwich Mean Time (0,0). If all switches in a fabric are  
in one time zone, it is possible for you to keep the time zone setup at the default setting.  
System services that have already started reflect the time zone changes after the next  
reboot.  
Time zone settings persist across failover for high availability.  
Setting the time zone on any dual domain Backbone has the following characteristics:  
Updating the time zone on any switch updates the entire Backbone.  
The time zone of the entire Backbone is the time zone of switch 0.  
Setting the time zone  
The following procedure describes how to set the time zone for a switch. You must perform the  
procedure on all switches for which the time zone must be set. However, you only need to set the  
time zone once on each switch because the value is written to nonvolatile memory.  
Use the following procedure to set the device time zone:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account assigned to the admin role and with the  
chassis-role permission.  
2. Enter the tsTimeZone command.  
Use tsTimeZone with no parameters to display the current time zone setting.  
Use --interactive to list all of the time zones supported by the firmware.  
Use timeZone_fmt to set the time zone by Country/City or by time zone ID, such as Pacific  
Standard Time (PST).  
Example of displaying and changing the time zone to US/Central  
switch:admin> tstimezone  
Time Zone : US/Pacific  
switch:admin> tstimezone US/Central  
switch:admin> tstimezone  
Time Zone : US/Central  
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Date and time settings  
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Setting the time zone interactively  
Use the following procedure to set the current time zone to PST using interactive mode:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account assigned to the admin role and with the  
chassis-role permission.  
2. Enter the tsTimeZone --interactive command.  
You are prompted to select a general location.  
Please identify a location so that time zone rules can be set correctly.  
3. Enter the appropriate number or press Ctrl-D to quit.  
4. Select a country location at the prompt.  
5. Enter the appropriate number at the prompt to specify the time zone region of Ctrl-D to quit.  
Network time protocol  
You can synchronize the local time of the principal and primary FCS switch to a maximum of eight  
external Network Time Protocol (NTP) servers. To keep the time in your SAN current, it is  
recommended that the principal or primary FCS switch has its time synchronized with at least one  
external NTP server. The other switches in the fabric automatically take their time from the principal  
All switches in the fabric maintain the current clock server value in nonvolatile memory. By default,  
this value is the local clock server (LOCL) of the principal or primary FCS switch. Changes to the  
clock server value on the principal or primary FCS switch are propagated to all switches in the  
fabric.  
In a Virtual Fabric, all the switches in the fabric must have the same NTP clock server configured.  
This includes any Fabric OS v6.2.0 or earlier switches in the fabric. This ensures that time does not  
go out of sync in the logical fabric. It is not recommended to have LOCL in the server list.  
When a new switch enters the fabric, the time server daemon of the principal or primary FCS switch  
sends out the addresses of all existing clock servers and the time to the new switch. When a switch  
enters the fabric, it stores the list and the active servers.  
NOTE  
In a Virtual Fabric, multiple logical switches can share a single chassis. Therefore, the NTP server  
list must be the same across all fabrics.  
Synchronizing the local time with an external source  
The tsClockServer command accepts multiple server addresses in IPv4, IPv6, or Domain Name  
System (DNS) name formats. When multiple NTP server addresses are passed, tsClockServer sets  
the first obtainable address as the active NTP server. The rest are stored as backup servers that  
can take over if the active NTP server fails. The principal or primary FCS switch synchronizes its  
time with the NTP server every 64 seconds.  
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Domain IDs  
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Use the following procedure to synchronize the local time with an external source:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Enter the tsClockServer command.  
switch:admin>tsclockserver "ntp1;ntp2"  
In this syntax, ntp1 is the IP address or DNS name of the first NTP server, which the switch  
must be able to access. The second variable, ntp2, is the second NTP server and is optional.  
The operand “ntp1;ntp2” is optional; by default, this value is LOCL, which uses the local clock  
of the principal or primary FCS switch as the clock server.  
Example of setting the NTP server  
switch:admin> tsclockserver  
LOCL  
switch:admin> tsclockserver "10.1.2.3"  
Example of displaying the NTP server  
switch:admin> tsclockserver  
10.1.2.3  
Example of setting up more than one NTP server using a DNS name  
switch:admin> tsclockserver "10.1.2.4;10.1.2.5;ntp.localdomain.net"  
Updating Clock Server configuration...done.  
Updated with the NTP servers  
Changes to the clock server value on the principal or primary FCS switch are propagated to all  
switches in the fabric.  
Domain IDs  
Although domain IDs are assigned dynamically when a switch is enabled, you can change them  
manually so that you can control the ID number or resolve a domain ID conflict when you merge  
fabrics.  
If a switch has a domain ID when it is enabled, and that domain ID conflicts with another switch in  
the fabric, the conflict is automatically resolved if the other switch’s domain ID is not persistently  
set. The process can take several seconds, during which time traffic is delayed. If both switches  
have their domain IDs persistently set, one of them needs to have its domain ID changed to a  
domain ID not used within the fabric.  
The default domain ID for Brocade switches is 1.  
Domain ID issues  
Keep the following restrictions in mind when working with domain IDs.  
Do not use domain ID 0. Using this domain ID can cause the switch to reboot continuously.  
Avoid changing the domain ID on the FCS switch in secure mode.  
To minimize downtime, change the domain IDs on the other switches in the fabric.  
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Domain IDs  
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Displaying the domain IDs  
Use the following procedure to display device domain IDs:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Enter the fabricShow command.  
Example output of fabric information, including the domain ID (D_ID)  
The principal switch is determined by the arrow ( > ) next to the name of the switch. In this  
output, the principal switch appears in blue boldface.  
switch:admin> fabricshow  
Switch ID  
Worldwide Name  
Enet IP Addr  
FC IP Addr  
Name  
"ras001"  
"ras002"  
"ras005"  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------  
2: fffc02  
3: fffc03  
5: fffc05  
10:00:00:60:69:e0:01:46  
10:00:00:60:69:e0:01:47  
10:00:00:05:1e:34:01:bd  
10.3.220.1  
10.3.220.2  
10.3.220.5  
0.0.0.0  
0.0.0.0  
0.0.0.0  
fec0:60:69bc:63:205:1eff:fe34:1bd  
6: fffc06  
7: fffc07  
10: fffc0a  
15: fffc0f  
19: fffc13  
10:00:00:05:1e:34:02:3e  
10:00:00:05:1e:34:02:0c  
10:00:00:05:1e:39:e4:5a  
10:00:00:60:69:80:47:74  
10:00:00:05:1e:34:00:ad  
10.3.220.6  
10.3.220.7  
10.3.220.10  
10.3.220.15  
10.3.220.19  
0.0.0.0  
0.0.0.0  
0.0.0.0  
0.0.0.0  
0.0.0.0  
"ras006"  
"ras007"  
"ras010"  
"ras015"  
"ras019"  
fec0:60:69bc:63:219:1eff:fe34:1bd  
20: fffc14  
25: fffc19  
30: fffc1e  
35: fffc23  
40: fffc28  
45: fffc2d  
46: fffc2e  
47: fffc2f  
50: fffc32  
10:00:00:05:1e:40:68:78  
10:00:00:05:1e:37:23:c6  
10:00:00:60:69:90:04:1e  
10:00:00:05:1e:07:c7:26  
10:00:00:60:69:50:06:7f  
10:00:00:05:1e:35:10:72  
10:00:00:05:1e:34:c5:17  
10:00:00:05:1e:02:aa:f7  
10:00:00:60:69:c0:06:64  
10.3.220.20  
10.3.220.25  
10.3.220.30  
10.3.220.35  
10.3.220.40  
10.3.220.45  
10.3.220.46  
10.3.220.47  
10.1.220.50  
0.0.0.0  
0.0.0.0  
0.0.0.0  
0.0.0.0  
0.0.0.0  
0.0.0.0  
0.0.0.0  
0.0.0.0  
0.0.0.0  
"ras020"  
"ras025"  
"ras030"  
"ras035"  
"ras040"  
"ras045"  
"ras046"  
"ras047"  
"ras050"  
(output truncated)  
The Fabric has 26 switches  
Table 4 displays the fabricShow fields.  
TABLE 4  
fabricShow fields  
Description  
Field  
Switch ID  
The switch domain_ID and embedded port D_ID. The numbers are broken down as follows:  
Example 64: fffc40  
64 is the switch domain_ID  
fffc40 is the hexadecimal format of the embedded port D_ID.  
World Wide Name The switch WWN.  
Enet IP Addr  
The switch Ethernet IP address for IPv4- and IPv6-configured switches. For IPv6 switches, only  
the static IP address displays.  
FC IP Addr  
Name  
The switch Fibre Channel IP address.  
The switch symbolic or user-created name in quotes.  
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Switch names  
2
Setting the domain ID  
Use the following procedure to set the domain ID:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in on an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Enter the switchDisable command to disable the switch.  
3. Enter the configure command.  
4. Enter y after the Fabric Parameters prompt.  
Fabric parameters (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
5. Enter a unique domain ID at the Domain prompt. Use a domain ID value from 1 through 239  
for normal operating mode (FCSW-compatible).  
Domain: (1..239) [1] 3  
6. Respond to the remaining prompts, or press Ctrl-D to accept the other settings and exit.  
7. Enter the switchEnable command to re-enable the switch.  
Switch names  
Switches can be identified by IP address, domain ID, World Wide Name (WWN), or by customized  
switch names that are unique and meaningful.  
Restrictions  
Switch names can be from 1 through 30 characters long.  
All switch names must begin with a letter, and can contain letters, numbers, or the underscore  
character.  
Switch names must be unique across logical switches.  
Changing the switch name causes a domain address format RSCN to be issued and may be  
disruptive to the fabric.  
Customizing the switch name  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Enter the switchName command and enter a new name for the switch.  
syntax: admin> switchname newname  
dilbert:FID128:# admin> switchname dogbert  
Committing configuration...  
Done.  
Switch name has been changed.Please re-login into the switch for the change to  
be applied.  
dilbert:FID128:# admin>  
NOTE  
The prompt does not change to the new switch name until AFTER you re-login.  
3. Record the new switch name for future reference.  
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Chassis names  
2
Chassis names  
Brocade recommends that you customize the chassis name for each platform. Some system logs  
identify devices by platform names; if you assign meaningful platform names, logs are more useful.  
All chassis names supported by Fabric OS v7.0.0 allow 31 characters. Chassis names must begin  
with an alphabetic character and can include alphabetic and numeric characters, and the  
underscore ( _ ).  
Customizing chassis names  
Use the following procedure to customize the chassis name:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Enter the chassisName command.  
ecp:admin> chassisname newname  
3. Record the new chassis name for future reference.  
Fabric name  
You can assign a alphanumeric name to identify and manage a logical fabric that formerly could  
only be identified by a fabric ID. The fabric name does not replace the fabric ID or its usage.  
The fabric continues to have a fabric ID, in addition to the assigned alphanumeric fabric name.  
The following considerations apply to fabric naming:  
Each name must be unique for each logical switch within a chassis; duplicate fabric names are  
not allowed.  
A fabric name can be from 1 through 128 alphanumeric characters.  
All switches in a logical fabric must be running Fabric OS v7.1.0. Switches running earlier  
versions of the firmware can co-exist in the fabric, but do not show the fabric name details.  
You must have admin permissions to configure the fabric name.  
Configuring the fabric name  
To set and display the fabric name, use the fabricName command as shown here:  
switch:user> fabricname --set myfabric@1  
Using the fabricName --set command without a fabric name takes the existing fabric name and  
synchronizes it across the entire fabric. An error message displays if no name is configured.  
To set a fabric name that includes spaces, enclose the fabric name in quotes, as shown here:  
switch:user> fabricname --set "my new fabric"  
To set a fabric name that includes bash special meta-characters or spaces, use the command  
fabricName as shown in the following example:  
switch:user> fabricname --set 'red fabric $$'  
To clear the fabric name, use the fabricName --clear command.  
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Switch activation and deactivation  
2
High availability considerations for fabric names  
Fabric names locally configured or obtained from a remote switch are saved in the configuration  
database, and then synchronized to the standby CP on dual-CP-based systems.  
Upgrade and downgrade considerations for fabric names  
Fabric names are lost during a firmware downgrade. No default fabric name is provided. If a fabric  
name is needed, it must be configured after the upgrade.  
Config file upload and download considerations for fabric names  
A new key, “fabric name” is added to store the user configuration. You can only configure fabric  
names using config download when the switch is offline.  
Switch activation and deactivation  
By default, the switch is enabled after power is applied and diagnostics and switch initialization  
routines have finished. You can disable and re-enable the switch as necessary.  
Disabling a switch  
Use the following procedure to disable a switch:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Enter the switchDisable command.  
All Fibre Channel ports on the switch are taken offline. If the switch is part of a fabric, the fabric  
is reconfigured.  
Enabling a switch  
Use the following procedure to enable a switch:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Enter the switchEnable command.  
All Fibre Channel ports that passed Power On Self Test (POST) are enabled. If the switch has  
inter-switch links (ISLs) to a fabric, it joins the fabric.  
Switch and Backbone shutdown  
To avoid corrupting your file system, you must perform graceful shutdowns of Brocade switches and  
Backbones.  
Warm reboot (also known as graceful shutdown) refers to shutting down the switch or platform by  
way of the following instructions. Cold boot (also known as a hard boot) refers to shutting down the  
switch or platform by suddenly shutting down power and powering on again.  
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Switch and Backbone shutdown  
2
Powering off a Brocade switch  
Use the following procedure to gracefully shut down a Brocade switch.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Enter the sysShutdown command.  
3. Enter y at the prompt.  
switch:admin> sysshutdown  
This command will shutdown the operating systems on your switch.  
You are required to power-cycle the switch in order to restore operation.  
Are you sure you want to shutdown the switch [y/n]?y  
4. Wait until the following message displays:  
Broadcast message from root (ttyS0) Wed Jan 25 16:12:09 2006...  
The system is going down for system halt NOW !!  
INIT: Switching to runlevel: 0  
INIT: Sending processes the TERM signal  
Unmounting all filesystems.  
The system is halted  
flushing ide devices: hda  
Power down.  
5. Power off the switch.  
Powering off a Brocade Backbone  
Use the following procedure to power off a Brocade Backbone device:  
1. From the active CP in a dual-CP platform, enter the sysShutdown command.  
NOTE  
When the sysShutdown command is issued on the active CP, the active CP, the standby CP, and  
any application blades are all shut down.  
2. Enter y at the prompt.  
3. Wait until the following message displays:  
DCX:FID128:admin> sysshutdown  
This command will shutdown the operating systems on your switch.  
You are required to power-cycle the switch in order to restore operation.  
Are you sure you want to shutdown the switch [y/n]?y  
HA is disabled  
Stopping blade 10  
Shutting down the blade....  
Stopping blade 12  
Shutting down the blade....  
Broadcast message from root (pts/0) Fri Oct 10 08:36:48 2008...  
The system is going down for system halt NOW !!  
4. Power off the switch.  
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Basic connections  
2
Basic connections  
Before connecting a switch to a fabric that contains switches running different firmware versions,  
you must first set the same port identification (PID) format on all switches. The presence of  
different PID formats in a fabric causes fabric segmentation.  
For information on PID formats and related procedures, refer to Chapter 3, “Performing  
For information on configuring the routing of connections, refer to Chapter 4, “Routing Traffic”.  
For information on configuring extended inter-switch connections, refer to Chapter 23,  
Device connection  
To minimize port logins, power off all devices before connecting them to the switch. When powering  
the devices back on, wait for each device to complete the fabric login before powering on the next  
one.  
For devices that cannot be powered off, first use the portDisable command to disable the port on  
the switch, connect the device, and then use the portEnable command to enable the port.  
Switch connection  
See the hardware reference manual of your specific switch for ISL connection and cable  
management information. The standard or default ISL mode is L0. ISL mode L0 is a static mode,  
with the following maximum ISL distances:  
10 km at 1 Gbps  
5 km at 2 Gbps  
2.5 km at 4 Gbps  
1 km at 8 Gbps  
1 km at 10 Gbps  
1 km at 16 Gbps  
For more information on extended ISL modes, which enable long distance inter-switch links, refer to  
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Chapter  
Performing Advanced Configuration Tasks  
3
In this chapter  
Port Identifiers (PIDs) and PID binding overview  
Port identifiers (PIDs, also called Fabric Addresses) are used by the routing and zoning services in  
Fibre Channel fabrics to identify ports in the network. All devices in a fabric must use the same PID  
format. When you add new equipment to the SAN, you might need to change the PID format on  
legacy equipment.  
Many scenarios cause a device to receive a new PID; for example, unplugging the device from one  
port and plugging it into a different port as part of fabric maintenance, or changing the domain ID  
of a switch, which might be necessary when merging fabrics, or changing compatibility mode  
settings.  
Some device drivers use the PID to map logical disk drives to physical Fibre Channel counterparts.  
Most drivers can either change PID mappings dynamically, also called dynamic PID binding, or use  
the WWN of the Fibre Channel disk for mapping, also called WWN binding.  
Some older device drivers behave as if a PID uniquely identifies a device; they use static PID  
binding. These device drivers should be updated, if possible, to use WWN binding or dynamic PID  
binding instead, because static PID binding creates problems in many routine maintenance  
scenarios. Fortunately, very few device drivers still behave this way. Many current device drivers  
enable you to select static PID binding as well as WWN binding. You should only select static PID  
binding if there is a compelling reason, and only after you have evaluated the effect of doing so.  
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Port Identifiers (PIDs) and PID binding overview  
3
Core PID addressing mode  
Core PID is the default PID format for Brocade platforms. It uses the entire 24-bit address space of  
the domain, area ID, and AL_PA to determine an object’s address within the fabric.  
The Core PID is a 24-bit address built from the following three 8-bit fields:  
Domain ID, written in hex and the numeric range is from 01–ee (1–239)  
Area ID, written in hex and the numeric range is from 01–ff (1–255)  
AL_PA  
For example, if a device is assigned an address of 0f1e00, the following would apply:  
0f is the domain ID.  
1e is the area ID.  
00 is the assigned AL_PA.  
From this information, you can determine which switch the device resides on from the domain ID,  
which port the device is attached to from the area ID, and if this device is part of a loop from the  
AL_PA number.  
For more information on reading and converting hexadecimal, refer to Appendix C, “Hexadecimal  
Fixed addressing mode  
Fixed addressing mode is the default addressing mode used in all platforms that do not have  
Virtual Fabrics enabled. When Virtual Fabrics is enabled on the Brocade Backbone, fixed  
addressing mode is used only on the default logical switch. With fixed addressing mode enabled,  
each port has a fixed address assigned by the system based on the port number. This address  
does not change unless you choose to swap the address using the portSwap command.  
10-bit addressing mode  
The 10-bit addressing mode is the default mode for all the logical switches created in the Brocade  
Backbones. This addressing scheme is flexible to support a large number of F_Ports. In the regular  
10-bit addressing mode, the portAddress --auto command supports addresses from 0x00 to 0x8F.  
NOTE  
The default switch in the Brocade Backbones uses the fixed addressing mode.  
The 10-bit addressing mode utilizes the 8-bit area ID and the borrowed upper two bits from the  
AL_PA portion of the PID. Areas 0x00 through 0x8F use only 8 bits for the port address and support  
up to 256 NPIV devices. A logical switch can support up to 144 ports that can each support 256  
devices. Areas 0x90 through 0xFF use an additional two bits from the AL_PA for the port address.  
Therefore, these ports support only 64 NPIV devices per port.  
10-bit addressing mode provides the following features:  
A PID is dynamically allocated only when the port is first moved to a logical switch and  
thereafter it is persistently maintained.  
PIDs are assigned in each logical switch starting with 0xFFC0, and can go to 0x8000 in the  
case of 64-port blades.  
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Port Identifiers (PIDs) and PID binding overview  
3
Shared area limitations are removed on 48-port and 64-port blades.  
Any port on a 48-port or 64-port blade can support up to 256 NPIV devices (in fixed addressing  
mode, only 128 NPIV devices are supported in non-VF mode and 64 NPIV devices in VF mode  
on a 48-port blade).  
Any port on a 48-port blade can support loop devices.  
Any port on a 48-port or 64-port blade can support hard port zoning.  
Port index is not guaranteed to be equal to the port area ID.  
256-area addressing mode  
This configurable addressing mode is available only in a logical switch on the Brocade Backbone.  
In this mode, only 256 ports are supported and each port receives a unique 8-bit area address.  
This mode can be used in FICON environments, which have strict requirements for 8-bit area  
FC addresses.  
There are two types of area assignment modes in the 256-area addressing mode: zero-based and  
port-based.  
Zero-based mode assigns areas as ports are added to the logical switch, beginning at area  
0x00. When a port is assigned to a logical switch, the next free PID starting from 0x00 is  
assigned. This mode allows FICON customers to make use of the upper ports of a 48-port or  
64-port blade.  
Zero-based mode is supported on the default switch.  
Port-based mode is a bit more complex:  
Port-based mode is not supported on the default switch.  
48-port cards are supported in port-based addressing mode (mode 2) on both DCX-4S and  
8510-4 devices. However, the upper 16 ports of a 64-port card are not supported.The  
Brocade DCX does not support port-based addressing (mode 2) on the FC8-48 blade, but  
does support zero-based addressing (mode 1).  
The Brocade DCX-4S supports port-based addressing (mode 2) on the FC8-48 blade.  
The Brocade 8510-4 supports port-based addressing (mode 2) on the FC16-48 blade.  
The Brocade 8510-8 does not support port based addressing (mode 2) on the FC16-48  
blade, but does support zero-based addressing (mode 1).  
ATTENTION  
The DCX and 8510-8 Backbones have safeguards that disable all 49 port cards if FMS is enabled.  
See the FICON Administrator’s Guide for more details if needed.  
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Port Identifiers (PIDs) and PID binding overview  
3
WWN-based PID assignment  
WWN-based PID assignment is disabled by default. When the feature is enabled, bindings are  
created dynamically; as new devices log in, they automatically enter the WWN-based PID database.  
The bindings exist until you explicitly unbind the mappings through the CLI or change to a different  
addressing mode. If there are any existing devices when you enable the feature, you must manually  
enter the WWN-based PID assignments through the CLI.  
This feature also allows you to configure a PID persistently using a device WWN. When the device  
logs in to the switch, the PID is bound to the device WWN. If the device is moved to another port in  
the same switch, or a new blade is hot plugged, the device receives the same PID (area) at its next  
login.  
Once WWN-based PID assignment is enabled, you must manually enter the WWN-based PID  
assignments through the CLI for any existing devices.  
ATTENTION  
When WWN-based PID assignment is enabled, the area assignment is dynamic and does not  
guarantee any order in the presence of static WWN-area binding or when the devices are moved  
around.  
PID assignments are supported for a maximum of 4096 devices; this includes both point-to-point  
and NPIV devices. The number of point-to-point devices supported depends on the areas available.  
For example, 448 areas are available on Backbones and 256 areas are available on switches.  
When the number of entries in the WWN-based PID database reaches 4096 areas are used up, the  
oldest unused entry is purged from the database to free up the reserved area for the new FLOGI.  
Virtual Fabrics considerations for WWN-based PID assignment  
WWN-based PID assignment is disabled by default and is supported in the default switch on the  
Brocade DCX and DCX 8510 Backbone families. This feature is not supported on application blades  
such as the FS8-18, FX8-24, and the FCOE10-24. The total number of ports in the default switch  
must be 256 or less.  
When the WWN-based PID assignment feature is enabled and a new blade is plugged into the  
chassis, the ports for which the area is not available are disabled.  
NPIV  
If any NPIV devices have static PIDs configured and the acquired area is not the same as the one  
being requested, the FDISC coming from that device is rejected and the error is noted in the  
RASlog.  
If the NPIV device has Dynamic Persistent PID set, the same AL_PA value in the PID is used. This  
guarantees NPIV devices get the same PID across reboots and AL_PAs assigned for the device do  
not depend on the order in which the devices come up. For more information on NPIV, refer to  
Enabling automatic PID assignment  
NOTE  
To activate the WWN-based PID assignment, you do not need to disable the switch.  
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Port Identifiers (PIDs) and PID binding overview  
3
Use the following procedure to enable automatic PID assignment:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the configure command.  
3. At the Fabric Parameters prompt, type y.  
4. At the WWN Based persistent PID prompt, type y.  
5. Press Enter to bypass the remaining prompts without changing them.  
Example of activating PID assignments  
switch: admin> configure  
Configure...  
Fabric parameters (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
WWN Based persistent PID (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
System services (yes, y, no, n): [no]  
ssl attributes (yes, y, no, n): [no]  
rpcd attributes (yes, y, no, n): [no]  
cfgload attributes (yes, y, no, n): [no]  
webtools attributes (yes, y, no, n): [no]  
Custom attributes (yes, y, no, n): [no]  
system attributes (yes, y, no, n): [no]  
Assigning a static PID  
Use the following procedure to assign a static PID:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the wwnAddress -bind command to assign a 16-bit PID to a given WWN.  
Clearing PID binding  
Use the following procedure to clear a PID binding:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the wwnAddress -unbind command to clear the PID binding for the specified WWN.  
Showing PID assignments  
Use the following procedure to display PID assignments:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Based on what you want to display, enter the appropriate command:  
wwnAddress –show displays the assigned WWN-PID bindings.  
wwnAddress –findPID wwn displays the PID assigned to the device WWN specified.  
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Ports  
3
Ports  
Ports provide either a physical or virtual network connection point for a device. Brocade devices  
support a wide variety of ports.  
Port Types  
The following is a list of port types that may be part of a Brocade device:  
D_Port — A diagnostic port lets an administrator isolate the inter-switch link (ISL) to diagnose  
link level faults. This port runs only specific diagnostics tests and does not carry any fabric  
traffic. Refer to the Fabric OS Troubleshooting and Diagnostics Guide for more information on  
this port type.  
E_Port — An expansion port that is assigned to ISL links to expand a fabric by connecting it to  
other switches. Two connected E_Ports form an Inter-Switch Link (ISL). When E_Ports are used  
to connect switches, those switches merge into a single fabric without an isolation  
demarcation point. ISLs are non-routed links.  
EX_Port — A type of E_Port that connects a Fibre Channel router to an edge fabric.  
From the point of view of a switch in an edge fabric, an EX_Port appears as a normal E_Port.  
It follows applicable Fibre Channel standards as other E_Ports. However, the router terminates  
EX_Ports rather than allowing different fabrics to merge as would happen on a switch with  
regular E_Ports. An EX_Port cannot be connected to another EX_Port.  
F_Port — A fabric port that is assigned to fabric-capable devices, such as SAN storage devices.  
G_Port — A generic port that acts as a transition port for non-loop fabric-capable devices.  
L_/FL_Port — A loop or fabric loop port that connects loop devices. L_Ports are associated with  
private loop devices and FL_Ports are associated with public loop devices.  
M_Port — A mirror port that is configured to duplicate (mirror) the traffic passing between a  
specified source port and destination port. This is only supported for pairs of F_Ports.  
Refer to the Fabric OS Troubleshooting and Diagnostics Guide for more information on  
port mirroring.  
U_Port — A universal Fibre Channel port. This is the base Fibre Channel port type, and all  
unidentified or uninitiated ports are listed as U_Ports.  
VE_Port — A virtual E_Port that is a gigabit Ethernet switch port configured for an FCIP tunnel.  
VEX_Port — A virtual EX_Port that connects a Fibre Channel router to an edge fabric. From the  
point of view of a switch in an edge fabric, a VEX_Port appears as a normal VE_Port. It follows  
the same Fibre Channel protocol as other VE_Ports. However, the router terminates VEX_Ports  
rather than allowing different fabrics to merge as would happen on a switch with regular  
VE_Ports.  
Backbone port blades  
Because Backbones contain interchangeable port blades, their procedures differ from those for  
fixed-port switches. For example, fixed-port models identify ports only by the port number, while  
Backbones identify ports by slot/port notation.  
NOTE  
For detailed information about the Brocade DCX and DCX 8510 Backbone families, refer to the  
hardware reference manuals.  
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The different blades that can be inserted into a chassis are described as follows:  
Control processor blades (CPs) contain communication ports for system management, and are  
used for low-level, platform-wide tasks.  
Core blades are used for intra-chassis switching as well as interconnecting two Backbones.  
Port blades are used for host, storage, and interswitch connections.  
AP blades are used for Fibre Channel Application Services and Routing Services, FCIP,  
Converged Enhanced Ethernet, and encryption support.  
NOTE  
On each port blade, a particular port must be represented by both slot number and port number.  
The Brocade DCX and DCX 8510-8 each have 12 slots that contain control processor, core, port,  
and AP blades:  
Slot numbers 6 and 7 contain CPs.  
Slot numbers 5 and 8 contain core blades.  
Slot numbers 1 through 4 and 9 through 12 contain port and AP blades.  
The Brocade DCX-4S and DCX 8510-4 each have 8 slots that contain control processor, core, port,  
and AP blades:  
Slot numbers 4 and 5 contain CPs.  
Slot numbers 3 and 6 contain core blades.  
Slot numbers 1 and 2, and 7 and 8 contain port and AP blades.  
When you have port blades with different port counts in the same Backbone (for example, 16-port  
blades and 32-port blades, or 16-port blades and 18-port blades with 16 FC ports and 2 GbE ports,  
or 16-port and 48-port blades), the area IDs no longer match the port numbers.  
Table 6 on page 94 lists the port numbering schemes for the blades.  
Configuring two Ethernet ports on one CP8 blade  
This feature bonds the two external Ethernet ports of a CP8 blade together as a single logical  
network interface. This uses an active-standby failover model to provide automatic failover support  
for the primary Ethernet port on the blade. Basically, if the primary Ethernet port fails (due to  
something other than power loss), the second Ethernet port immediately takes over to ensure link  
layer communication is retained  
The bonding functions as follows: the bonding driver selects one of the physical ports as an active  
interface by inspecting the physical link state reported by the PHY. Once this is done, all traffic is  
transmitted over the active interface. The second interface is set as the standby interface and no  
traffic is transmitted over it unless the active interface is determined to be no longer connected; at  
this point the second interface is made active.  
When active, all the Fabric OS kernel modules and applications on the CP8 will use this logical  
network interface named “bond0” instead of “eth0”.  
NOTE  
On bootup, physical port eth0 is always made active if it is connected.  
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Upgrade and Downgrade considerations  
For an upgrade, unless both CP8 external Ethernet ports are upgraded and rebooted, the bonding  
feature will not be enabled. On a downgrade, the first physical port named eth0 has to be  
connected for the device to initialize correctly; the bonding feature will not be available.  
Supported devices  
This feature is available on a CP8 blade when it is installed on a Brocade DCX, Brocade DCX-4S,  
Brocade DCX 8510-8 or Brocade DCX 8510-4.  
Setting up the second Ethernet port on a CP8 blade  
To set up the second Ethernet port on a CP8 blade for bonding:  
1. Make sure that the speed and link operating mode settings are the same for both eth3 and  
eth0. See “Setting port modes” on page 90 for instructions on setting port modes, and  
“Setting port speeds” on page 92 for instructions on setting port speeds.  
2. Physically connect the second Ethernet port to the same network as the primary Ethernet port.  
Notes:  
The port speed and duplex mode between these Ethernet ports should always match with both  
either set at a fixed speed or both set to autonegotiate.  
The CP8 blade actually contains multiple Ethernet devices, including eth0 and eth3 which map  
to the two Ethernet ports on the front of the CP8 blade. Other Ethernet devices on the blade  
are reserved for use by the operating system.  
The CP blade enables eth0 by default. If errors are encountered on eth0, these are treated the  
same as for any other port, except if the error causes the eth0 port to go down.  
If eth0 goes down, the eth3 interface becomes active (as described above) and will remain  
active even if eth0 comes back up. The only ways to restore eth0 as the active interface are to:  
-
-
-
Unplug the network cable, wait 5 seconds, and then plug it back in.  
Perform a HA failover routine.  
Take the entire switch down and then power it back up again (see note above).  
ATTENTION  
The second two options will cause a disruptive delay in content delivery.  
Setting port names  
Perform the following steps to specify a port name. For Backbones, specify the slot number where  
the blade is installed.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the portName command.  
Example of naming port 0  
ecp:admin> portname 1/0 trunk1  
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Port identification by slot and port number  
The port number is a number assigned to an external port to give it a unique identifier in a switch.  
To select a specific port in the Backbones, you must identify both the slot number and the port  
number using the format slot number/port number. No spaces are allowed between the slot  
number, the slash (/), and the port number.  
Example of enabling port 4 on a blade in slot 2  
ecp:admin> portenable 2/4  
Port identification by port area ID  
The relationship between the port number and area ID depends upon the PID format used in the  
fabric. When Core PID format is in effect, the area ID for port 0 is 0, for port 1 is 1, and so forth.  
For 32-port blades (FC8-32, FC8-32E, FC16-32), the numbering is contiguous up to port 15; from  
port 16, the numbering is still contiguous, but starts with 128. For example, port 15 in slot 1 has a  
port number and area ID of 15; port 16 has a port number and area ID of 128; port 17 has a port  
number and area ID of 129.  
For 48-port blades (FC8-48, FC8-48E, FC16-48), the numbering is the same as for 32-port blades  
for the first 32 ports on the blade. For ports 32 through 47, area IDs are not unique and port index  
should be used instead of area ID.  
For the 64-port blade (FC8-64), the numbering is the same as for 32-port blades for the first 32  
ports on the blade. For ports 32 through 64, area IDs are not unique and port index should be used  
instead of area ID.  
If you perform a port swap operation, the port number and area ID no longer match. On 48-port  
blades, port swapping is supported only on ports 0–15.  
To determine the area ID of a particular port, enter the switchShow command. This command  
displays all ports on the current (logical) switch and their corresponding area IDs.  
Port identification by index  
With the introduction of 48-port blades, indexing was introduced. Unique area IDs are possible for  
up to 255 areas, but beyond that there needed to be some way to ensure uniqueness.  
A number of fabric-wide databases supported by Fabric OS (including ZoneDB, the ACL DDC, and  
Admin Domain) allow a port to be designated by the use of a “D,P” (domain,port) notation. While  
the “P” component appears to be the port number, for up to 255 ports it is actually the area  
assigned to that port.  
ATTENTION  
Port area schema does not apply to the Brocade DCX-4S and DCX 8510-4 Backbones.  
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Configuring a device-switch connection  
To configure an 8G (and 8G only) connection between a device and a switch, use the  
portCfgFillWord command. This command provides the following configuration options:  
Mode Link Init/Fill Word  
Mode 0 IDLE/IDLE  
Mode 1 ARBF/ARBF  
Mode 2 IDLE/ARBF  
Mode 3 If ARBF/ARBF fails use IDLE/ARBF  
ATTENTION  
Although this setting only affects devices logged in at 8G, changing the mode is disruptive regardless  
of the speed at which the port is operating.  
The setting is retained and applied any time an 8G device logs in. Upgrades from prior releases  
which supported only modes 0 and 1 will not change the existing setting, but switches reset to  
factory defaults with Fabric OS v6.3.1 or later will be configured to Mode 0 by default. The default  
setting on new units may vary by vendor.  
Modes 2 and 3 are compliant with FC-FS-3 specifications (standards specify the IDLE/ARBF  
behavior of Mode 2, which is used by Mode 3 if ARBF/ARBF fails after 3 attempts). For most  
environments, Brocade recommends using Mode 3, as it provides more flexibility and compatibility  
with a wide range of devices. In the event that the default setting or Mode 3 does not work with a  
particular device, contact your switch vendor for further assistance.  
For more information on using this command, refer to the Fabric OS Command Reference.  
Swapping port area IDs  
If a device that uses port binding is connected to a port that fails, you can use port swapping to  
make another physical port use the same PID as the failed port. The device can then be plugged  
into the new port without the need to reboot the device.  
If two ports are changed using the portSwap command, their respective areas and “P” values are  
exchanged.  
For ports that are numbered above 255, the “P” value is actually a logical index. The first 256 ports  
continue to have an index value equal to the area ID assigned to the port. If a switch is using Core  
PID format, and no port swapping has been done, the port index value for all ports is the same as  
the physical port numbers. Using portSwap on a pair of ports will exchange those ports’ area ID  
and index values.  
NOTE  
The portSwap command is not supported for ports above 256.  
Use the following procedure to swap the port area IDs of two physical switch ports. In order to swap  
port area IDs, the port swap feature must be enabled, and both switch ports must be disabled. The  
swapped area IDs for the two ports remain persistent across reboots, power cycles, and failovers.  
ATTENTION  
Brocade DCX and DCX 8510 Backbone families only: You can swap only ports 0 through 15 on the  
FC8-48 port blades. You cannot swap ports 16 through 47.  
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1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enable the portSwapEnable command to enable the feature.  
3. Enter the portDisable command on each of the source and destination ports to be swapped.  
switch:admin>portdisable 1  
ecp:admin>portdisable 1/2  
4. Enter the portSwap command.  
switch:admin>portswap 1 2  
ecp:admin>portswap 1/1 2/2  
5. Enter the portSwapShow command to verify that the port area IDs have been swapped.  
A table shows the physical port numbers and the logical area IDs for any swapped ports.  
6. Enter the portSwapDisable command to disable the port swap feature.  
Port activation and deactivation  
By default, all licensed ports are enabled. You can disable and re-enable them as necessary. Ports  
that you activate with the Ports on Demand license must be enabled explicitly, as described in  
If ports are persistently disabled and you use the portEnable command to enable a disabled port,  
the port will revert to being disabled after a power cycle or a switch reboot. To ensure the port  
remains enabled, use the portCfgPersistentEnable command as shown in the following  
instructions.  
CAUTION  
The fabric will be reconfigured if the port you are enabling or disabling is connected to another  
switch.  
The switch with a port that has been disabled will be segmented from the fabric and all traffic  
flowing between it and the fabric will be lost.  
Enabling a port  
Use the following procedure to enable a port:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the appropriate command based on the current state of the port and on whether it is  
necessary to specify a slot number:  
To enable a port that is disabled, enter the command portEnable portnumber or  
portEnable slotnumber/portnumber. You can also use the -x option to enter the value in  
hexadecimal if you prefer. See the Fabric OS Command Reference for more details on this  
command.  
To enable a port that is persistently disabled, enter the command portCfgPersistentEnable  
portnumber or portCfgPersistentEnable slotnumber/portnumber.  
If you change port configurations during a switch failover, the ports may become disabled. To  
bring the ports online, re-issue the portEnable command after the failover is complete.  
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Disabling a port  
Use the following procedure to disable a port:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the appropriate command based on the current state of the port and on whether it is  
necessary to specify a slot number:  
To disable a port that is enabled, enter the command portDisable portnumber or  
portDisable slotnumber/portnumber. You can also use the -x option to enter the value in  
hexadecimal if you prefer. See the Fabric OS Command Reference for more details on this  
command.  
To disable a port that is persistently enabled, enter the command  
portCfgPersistentDisable portnumber or portCfgPersistentDisable  
slotnumber/portnumber.  
Port decommissioning  
Fabric OS 7.0.0 and later provides an automated mechanism to remove an E_Port or E_Port trunk  
port from use. This feature identifies the target port and communicates the intention to  
decommission the port to those systems within the fabric affected by the action. Each affected  
system can agree or disagree with the action, and these responses are automatically collected  
before a port is decommissioned.  
NOTE  
All members of a trunk group must have an equal link cost value in order for any of the members to  
be decommissioned. If any member of a trunk group does not have an equal cost, requests to  
decommission a trunk member will fail and an error reminding the caller of this requirement is  
produced.  
The following restrictions apply to port decommissioning:  
The local switch and the remote switch on the other end of the E_Port must both be running  
Fabric OS 7.0.0 or later.  
Port decommissioning is not supported on links configured for encryption or compression.  
Port decommissioning is not supported on ports with DWDM, CWDM, or TDM.  
Port decommissioning requires that the lossless feature is enabled on both the local switch  
and the remote switch.  
Use the portDecom [slot/]port command to begin the decommission process.  
Setting port modes  
Ports can be set to use one of three link operating modes: full duplex, half duplex, or autonegotiate,  
subject to the following conditions and restrictions:  
Changing the link operating mode is not supported for all network interfaces or for all Ethernet  
network interfaces. On the CP in a Brocade DCX, DCX-4S, DCX 8510-4, or DCX 8510-8, this  
command supports eth0 and eth3 as interface parameters. On all other platforms, only eth0 is  
supported.  
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When selecting autonegotiation, you can choose the specific link operating modes that are  
advertised to the link partner. At least one mode must be advertised in common by both sides  
of the link.  
When forcing the link operating mode, both sides of the link must be forced to the same mode.  
A link will not work reliably if one side is set to autonegotiate and the other side is set to a  
forced mode.  
For dual-CP systems, the ifModeSet command affects only the CP you are currently logged in  
to. Therefor, to set the link operating mode on the active CP, you must issue this command on  
the active CP; and to set the mode on the standby CP, you must issue this command on the  
standby CP. During failover, the mode is retained separately for each CP, because the physical  
links might be set to operate in different modes.  
Active link operating mode values are confirmed by entering y or yes at the prompt. Entering n  
or no deactivates that mode. If the mode selected is the same as the current mode, nothing is  
changed and the command moves to the next option. If the mode selected differs from the  
current mode, the change is saved and the command moves to the next option.  
ATTENTION  
Forcing the link to an operating mode not supported by the network equipment to which it is  
attached might result in an inability to communicate with the system through its Ethernet interface.  
It is recommended that this command be used only from the serial console port. When used through  
an interface other than the serial console port, the command displays a warning message and  
prompts for verification before continuing. This warning is not displayed and you are not prompted  
when the command is used through the serial console port. See the examples below for illustrations.  
NOTE  
This command may be subject to Virtual Fabric or Admin Domain restrictions. Refer to the Fabric OS  
Command Reference for details.  
Use the following procedure to set the mode of a port:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the ifModeSet command.  
Example of setting the port mode to full autonegotiate  
The following example sets the mode for eth3 to autonegotiate, and permits both full and  
half-duplex modes to be selected at both 10 and 100 Mbps:  
switch:admin> ifmodeset eth3  
Exercise care when using this command. Forcing the link to an operating mode  
not supported by the network equipment to which it is attached may result in an  
inability to communicate with the system through its ethernet interface.  
It is recommended that you only use this command from the serial console port.  
Are you sure you really want to do this? (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
Proceed with caution.  
Auto-negotiate (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
Advertise 100 Mbps / Full Duplex (yes, y, no, n): [yes] y  
Advertise 100 Mbps / Half Duplex (yes, y, no, n): [yes] y  
Advertise 10 Mbps / Full Duplex (yes, y, no, n): [yes] y  
Advertise 10 Mbps / Half Duplex (yes, y, no, n): [yes] y  
Committing configuration...done.  
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Example of setting the port mode to 10 Mbps half-duplex operation  
To force the link for the eth0 interface from autonegotiation to 10 Mbps half-duplex operation,  
when entering this command through the serial console port:  
switch:admin> ifmodeset eth0  
Auto-negotiate (yes, y, no, n): [yes] n  
Force 100 Mbps / Full Duplex (yes, y, no, n): [no] n  
Force 100 Mbps / Half Duplex (yes, y, no, n): [no] n  
Force 10 Mbps / Full Duplex (yes, y, no, n): [no] n  
Force 10 Mbps / Half Duplex (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
Committing configuration...done.  
switch:admin>  
NOTE  
The caution shown in the first example is not displayed when the command is entered using the  
serial console port  
Setting port speeds  
Use the following procedure to set port speeds:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the portCfgSpeed command.  
Example of setting the port speed  
The following example sets the speed for port 3 on slot 2 to 4 Gbps:  
ecp:admin> portcfgspeed 2/3 4  
done.  
The following example sets the speed for port 3 on slot 2 to autonegotiate:  
ecp:admin> portcfgspeed 2/3 0  
done.  
Setting all ports on a switch to the same speed  
Use the following procedure to set all ports on a switch to the same speed:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the switchCfgSpeed command.  
Example of setting the switch speed  
The following example sets the speed for all ports on the switch to 8 Gbps:  
switch:admin> switchcfgspeed 8  
Committing configuration...done.  
The following example sets the speed for all ports on the switch to autonegotiate:  
switch:admin> switchcfgspeed 0  
Committing configuration...done.  
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Setting port speed for a port octet  
You can use the portCfgOctetSpeedCombo command to configure the speed for a port octet.  
Be aware that in a Virtual Fabrics environment, this command applies chassis-wide and not just to  
the logical switch.  
Use the following procedure to set the port speed for a port octet:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the portCfgOctetSpeedCombo command.  
Example  
The following example configures the ports in the first octet for combination 3  
(support autonegotiated or fixed port speeds of 16 Gbps and 10 Gbps):  
switch:admin> portcfgoctetspeedcombo 1 3  
NOTE  
For information on how encryption and compression can affect port speed, see “Port speed and  
Blade terminology and compatibility  
Before configuring a chassis, familiarize yourself with the platform CP blade and port blade  
nomenclature, as well as the port blade compatibilities. Table 5 includes core and CP blade  
terminology and descriptions. Table 6 on page 94 includes port blade terminology and  
descriptions.  
TABLE 5  
Core and CP blade terminology and platform support  
Supported on:  
Blade  
Blade ID  
DCX family  
DCX 8510 family  
Definition  
(slotshow)  
CP8  
50  
Yes  
Yes  
Brocade DCX and DCX 8510 Backbone family control  
processor blade. This CP supports all blades used in the  
DCX and DCX 8510 Backbone families.  
CORE8  
52  
Yes  
DCX only  
No  
No  
A 16-port blade that provides 8 Gbps connectivity  
between port blades in the Brocade DCX chassis.  
CR4S-8 46  
CR16-8 98  
CR16-4 99  
Yes  
DCX-4S only  
A 16-port blade that provides 8 Gbps connectivity  
between port blades in the Brocade DCX-4S chassis.  
No  
Yes  
A core blade that has 16x4 QSFPs per blade. It can be  
connected to another CR16-8 or CR16-4 core blade.  
DCX 8510-8 only.  
No  
Yes  
A core blade that has 8x4 QSFPs per blade. It can be  
connected to another CR16-4 or a CR16-8 core blade.  
DCX 8510-4 only  
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TABLE 6  
Port blade terminology, numbering, and platform support  
Supported on:  
Blade  
Blade ID  
(slotshow)  
DCX family DCX 8510 Ports  
family  
Definition  
1
FC8-16  
21  
Yes  
No  
16  
8-Gbps port blade supporting 1, 2, 4, and 8 Gbps port speeds.  
Ports are numbered from 0 through 15 from bottom to top.  
FC8-32  
55  
Yes  
No  
32  
8-Gbps port blade supporting 1, 2, 4, and 8 Gbps port speeds.  
Ports are numbered from 0 through 15 from bottom to top on the left set of  
ports and 16 through 31 from bottom to top on the right set of ports.  
FC8-32E  
125  
51  
No  
Yes  
No  
32  
48  
48  
64  
8-Gbps port blade supporting 2, 4, and 8 Gbps port speeds.  
Ports are numbered from 0 through 15 from bottom to top on the left set of  
ports and 16 through 31 from bottom to top on the right set of ports.  
FC8-48  
Yes  
No  
8-Gbps port blade supporting 1, 2, 4, and 8 Gbps port speeds.  
Ports are numbered from 0 through 23 from bottom to top on the left set of  
ports and 24 through 47 from bottom to top on the right set of ports.  
FC8-48E  
FC8-64  
126  
77  
Yes  
Yes  
8-Gbps port blade supporting 2, 4, and 8 Gbps port speeds.  
Ports are numbered from 0 through 23 from bottom to top on the left set of  
ports and 24 through 47 from bottom to top on the right set of ports.  
Yes  
8-Gbps port blade supporting 2, 4, and 8 Gbps port speeds. The Brocade  
DCX and Brocade DCX 8510 Backbone families support loop devices on  
64-port blades in a Virtual Fabric-enabled environment. The loop devices  
can only be attached to ports on a 64-port blade that is not a part of the  
default logical switch.  
Ports are numbered from 0 through 31 from bottom to top on the left set of  
ports and 32 through 63 from bottom to top on the right set of ports.  
FC16-32  
FC16-48  
FS8-18  
97  
96  
68  
No  
No  
Yes  
Yes  
Yes  
Yes  
32  
48  
A 32-port, 16-Gbps port blade supporting 2, 4, 8, 10, and 16 Gbps port  
speeds.  
NOTE: 10 Gbps speed for FC16-xx blades requires the 10G license.  
Ports are numbered from 0 through 15 from bottom to top on the left set of  
ports and 16 through 31 from bottom to top on the right set of ports.  
A 48-port, 16-Gbps port blade supporting 2, 4, 8, 10, and 16 Gbps port  
speeds.  
NOTE: 10 Gbps speed for FC16-xx blades requires the 10G license.  
Ports are numbered from 0 through 23 from bottom to top on the left set of  
ports and 24 through 47 from bottom to top on the right set of ports.  
16 FC  
2 GbE  
Brocade Encryption blade that provides high performance 32-port  
auto-sensing 8-Gbps Fibre Channel connectivity with data cryptographic  
(encryption/decryption) and data compression capabilities.  
Ports are numbered from 0 through 15 from bottom to top.  
GbE ports are numbered ge0 through ge1 from top to bottom.  
Going from top to bottom, the 2 GbE ports appear on the top of the blade  
followed by the 16 FC ports.  
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TABLE 6  
Port blade terminology, numbering, and platform support (Continued)  
Supported on:  
Blade  
Blade ID  
(slotshow)  
DCX family DCX 8510 Ports  
family  
Definition  
FCOE10-24 74  
Yes  
Yes  
‘No  
Yes  
24  
10-GbE  
DCB ports  
An application blade that provides Converged Enhanced Ethernet to bridge  
a Fibre Channel and Ethernet SAN.  
Ports are numbered from 0 through 11 from bottom to top on the left set of  
ports and 12 through 23 from bottom to top on the right set of ports.  
FX8-24  
75  
12 FC  
Extension blade with 8-Gbps Fibre Channel, FCIP, and 10-GbE technology.  
10 1-GbE Port numbering on this blade is as follows.  
2 10-GbE On the left side of the blade going from bottom to top:  
Six FC ports numbered from 0 through 5  
Two 10-GbE ports numbered xge0 and xge1  
Four 1-GbE ports numbered from ge0 through ge3  
On the right side of the blade going from bottom to top:  
Six FC ports numbered from 6 through 11  
Six 1-GbE ports numbered from ge4 through ge9  
1. The Brocade DCX and DCX-4S support loop devices on this blade in a Virtual Fabrics-enabled environment.  
CP blades  
The control processor (CP) blade provides redundancy and acts as the main controller on the  
Brocade Backbone. The Brocade DCX and DCX 8510 Backbone families support the CP8 blades.  
The CP blades in the Brocade DCX and DCX 8510 Backbone families are hot-swappable. The CP8  
blades are fully interchangeable among Brocade DCX, DCX-4S, DCX 8510-4, and DCX 8510-8  
Backbones.  
Brocade recommends that each CP (primary and secondary partition) should maintain the same  
firmware version.  
For more information on maintaining firmware in your Backbone, refer to Chapter 9, “Installing and  
Core blades  
Core blades provide intra-chassis switching and ICL connectivity, between DCX/DCX-4S platforms  
and between DCX 8510 platforms.  
Brocade DCX supports two CORE8 core blades.  
Brocade DCX-4S supports two CR4S-8 core blades.  
Brocade DCX 8510-8 supports two CR16-8 core blades.  
Brocade DCX 8510-4 supports two CR16-4 core blades.  
The core blades for each platform are not interchangeable or hot-swappable with the core blades  
for any other platform. If you try to interchange the blades they become faulty.  
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Enabling and disabling blades  
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Port and application blade compatibility  
Table 6 on page 94 identifies which port and application blades are supported for each Brocade  
Backbone.  
NOTE  
During power up of a Brocade DCX or DCX-4S Backbone, if an FCOE10-24 is detected first before any  
other AP blade, all other AP and FC8-64 blades are faulted. If a non-FCOE10-24 blade is detected  
first, then any subsequently-detected FCOE10-24 blades are faulted. Blades are powered up  
starting with slot 1.  
The maximum number of intelligent blades supported on a Brocade DCX or DCX 8510-8 is eight.  
The maximum number of intelligent blades supported on a Brocade DCX-4S or DCX 8510-4 is four.  
Table 7 lists the maximum supported limits of each blade for a specific Fabric OS release. Software  
functions are not supported across application blades.  
TABLE 7  
Blade compatibility within Brocade Backbone families  
Intelligent blade Fabric OS v6.3.0 Fabric OS v6.4.0 Fabric OS v7.0.0  
DCX  
DCX-4S  
DCX  
DCX-4S  
DCX  
DCX-4S  
DCX 8510-8 DCX 8510-4  
FS8-18  
4
2
2
4
2
4
4
2
4
4
2
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
0
4
4
0
4
1
FCOE10-24  
2
FX8-24  
1. Not compatible with other application blades or with the FC8-64 in the same chassis.  
2. The hardware limit is enforced by software.  
FX8-24 compatibility notes  
Follow these guidelines when using an FX8-24 in the Brocade DCX and DCX-4S Backbones:  
Brocade 7500 GbE ports cannot be connected to either the FX8-24 or Brocade 7800 GbE  
ports. The ports may come online, but they will not communicate with each other.  
If an FX8-24 blade is replaced by another FX8-24 blade, the previous IP configuration data  
would be applied to the new FX8-24.  
The FX8-24 and FS8-18 blades cannot co-exist with the FCOE10-24 blade.  
Enabling and disabling blades  
Port blades are enabled by default. In some cases, you will need to disable a port blade to perform  
diagnostics. When diagnostics are executed manually (from the Fabric OS command line), many  
commands require the port blade to be disabled. This ensures that diagnostic activity does not  
interfere with normal fabric traffic.  
If you need to replace an application blade with a different application blade, there may be extra  
steps you need to take to ensure that the previous configuration is not interfering with your new  
application blade.  
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Blade swapping  
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Enabling blades  
Use the following procedure to enable a blade:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the bladeEnable command with the slot number of the port blade you want to enable.  
ecp:admin> bladeenable 3  
Slot 3 is being enabled  
FC8-48, FC8-48E, FC8-64, and FC16-48 port blade enabling exceptions  
Because the area IDs are shared with different port IDs, the FC8-48, FC8-48E, FC8-64, and  
FC16-48 blades support only F_ and E_Ports. They do not support FL_Ports.  
Port swapping on an FC8-48, FC8-48E, FC8-64, and FC16-48 is supported only on ports 0–15. For  
the FC8-32, FC8-32E, and FC16-32 port blades, port swapping is supported on all 32 ports. This  
means that if you replace a 32-port blade where a port has been swapped on ports 16–31 with a  
48-port blade, the 48-port blade faults. To correct this, reinsert the 32-port blade and issue  
portSwap to restore the original area IDs to ports 16–31.  
Disabling blades  
Use the following procedure to disable a blade:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the bladeDisable command with the slot number of the port blade you want to disable.  
ecp:admin> bladedisable 3  
Slot 3 is being disabled  
Blade swapping  
Blade swapping allows you to swap one blade with another of the same type; in this way, you can  
replace a FRU with minimal traffic disruption. The entire operation is accomplished when the  
bladeSwap command runs on the Fabric OS. The Fabric OS then validates each command before  
actually implementing the command on the Backbone. If an error is encountered, the blade swap  
quits without disrupting traffic flowing through the blades. If an unforeseen error does occur during  
the bladeSwap command, an entry will be made into the RASlog and all ports that have been  
swapped as part of the blade swap operation will be swapped back. On successful completion of  
the command, the source and destination blades are left in a disabled state, allowing you to  
complete the cable move.  
Blade swapping is based on port swapping and has the same restrictions:  
Shared area ports cannot be swapped.  
Ports that are part of a trunk group cannot be swapped.  
GbE ports cannot be swapped.  
Swapping ports between different logical switches is not supported. The ports on the source  
and destination blades must be in the same logical switch.  
Undetermined board types cannot be swapped. For example, a blade swap will fail if the blade  
type cannot be identified.  
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Blade swapping  
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Blade swapping is not supported when swapping to a different model of blade or a different  
port count. For example, you cannot swap an FC8-32 blade with an FC8-48 port blade.  
How blades are swapped  
The bladeSwap command performs the following operations:  
1. Blade selection  
The selection process includes selecting the switch and the blades to be affected by the swap  
operation. Figure 2 shows the source and destination blades identified to begin the process.  
FIGURE 2  
Identifying the blades  
2. Blade validation  
The validation process includes determining the compatibility between the blades selected for  
the swap operation:  
Blade technology. Both blades must be of compatible technology types (for example, Fibre  
Channel to Fibre Channel, Ethernet to Ethernet, application to application, and so on).  
Port count. Both blades must support the same number of front ports (for example, 16  
ports to 16 ports, 32 ports to 32 ports, 48 ports to 48 ports, and so on).  
Availability. The ports on the destination blade must be available for the swap operation  
and not attached to any other devices.  
3. Port preparation  
The process of preparing ports for a swap operation includes basic operations such as  
ensuring the source and destination ports are offline, or verifying that none of the destination  
ports have failed.  
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Blade swapping  
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The preparation process also includes any special handling of ports associated with logical  
switches. For example Figure 3 shows the source blade has ports in a logical switch or logical  
fabric, then the corresponding destination ports must be included in the associated logical  
switch or logical fabric of the source ports.  
FIGURE 3  
Blade swap with Virtual Fabrics during the swap  
4. Port swapping  
The swap ports action is effectively an iteration of the portSwap command for each port on the  
source blade to each corresponding port on the destination blade.  
In Figure 4 shows Virtual Fabrics, where the blades can be carved up into different logical  
switches as long as they are carved the same way. If slot 1 and slot 2 ports 0-7 are all in the  
same logical switch, then blade swapping slot 1 to slot 2 will work. The entire blade does not  
need to be in the same partition.  
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Enabling and disabling switches  
3
FIGURE 4  
Blade swap with Virtual Fabrics after the swap  
Swapping blades  
Use the following procedure to swap blades:  
1. Connect to the Backbone and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the bladeSwap command.  
If no errors are encountered, the blade swap will complete successfully. If errors are  
encountered, the command is interrupted and the ports are set back to their original  
configurations.  
3. Once the command completes successfully, move the cables from the source blade to the  
destination blade.  
4. Enter the bladeEnable command on the destination blade to enable all user ports.  
Enabling and disabling switches  
Switches are enabled by default. In some cases, you may need to disable a switch to perform  
diagnostics. This ensures that diagnostic activity does not interfere with normal fabric traffic.  
Use the following procedure to disable a switch:  
1. Connect to the Backbone and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the command switchCfgPersistentDisable --setdisablestate.  
This sets the switch to the disabled state without actually disabling it. However, on reset, the switch  
will be in a disabled state, and will need to be enabled.  
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Power management  
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Using switchCfgPersistentDisable  
Entering switchCfgPersistentDisable with no arguments disables the switch immediately.  
Example of using switchCfgPersistentDisable command output without arguments  
switch:admin> switchCfgPersistentDisable  
Switch's persistent state set to 'disabled'  
Using switchCfgPersistentDisable - -disable  
Using the - -disable argument disables the switch immediately. This is the same as entering  
switchCfgPersistentDisable without any arguments.  
Example of using switchCfgPersistentDisable command output from admin login  
switch:admin> switchCfgPersistentDisable --disable  
Switch's persistent state set to 'disabled'  
Switch persistent disable set  
Using switchCfgPersistentDisable - -setDisableState  
Using the - -setDisableState argument sets the status of the switch to ‘disabled’.  
Example of using switchCfgPersistentDisable command output from admin login  
switch:admin> switchCfgPersistentDisable --setdisablestate  
Switch's persistent state set to 'disabled'  
Switch persistent disable set  
Using switchCfgPersistentDisable --help  
Using the - - help argument displays a list of the available command arguments.  
Example of using switchCfgPersistentDisable command output from admin login  
switch:admin> switchCfgPersistentDisable --help  
switchCfgPersistentDisable usage:  
switchCfgPersistentDisable:  
Disables the switch immediately.  
switchCfgPersistentDisable --disable:  
Disables the switch immediately.  
switchCfgPersistentDisable --setdisablestate:  
sets the status of the switch to ’disabled’.  
switchCfgPersistentDisable --help:  
Displays the command usage.  
Power management  
All blades are powered on by default when the switch chassis is powered on. Blades cannot be  
powered off when POST or AP initialization is in progress.  
To manage power and ensure that more critical components are the least affected by power  
changes, you can specify the order in which the components are powered off, using the  
powerOffListSet command.  
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Equipment status  
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The power monitor compares the available power with the power required to determine if there will  
be enough power to operate. If it is predicted to be less power available than required, the  
power-off list is processed until there is enough power for operation. By default, the processing  
begins with slot 1 and proceeds to the last slot in the chassis. As power becomes available, slots  
are powered up in the reverse order. During the initial power up of a chassis, or using the  
slotPowerOn command, or the insertion of a blade, the available power is compared to required  
power before power is applied to the blade.  
NOTE  
Some FRUs in the chassis may use significant power, yet cannot be powered off through software.  
The powerOffListShow command displays the power off order.  
NOTE  
In the Backbones, the core blades and CP blades cannot be powered off from the CLI. You must  
manually power off the blades by lowering the slider or removing power from the chassis. If there is  
no CP up and running, then physical removal or powering off the chassis is required.  
Powering off a port blade  
Use the following procedure to power off a port blade:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the slotPowerOff command with the slot number of the port blade you want to power off.  
ecp:admin> slotpoweroff 3  
Slot 3 is being powered off  
Powering on a port blade  
Use the following procedure to power on a port blade:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the slotPowerOn command with the slot number of the port blade you want to power on.  
ecp:admin> slotpoweron 3  
Powering on slot 3  
Equipment status  
You can check the status of switch operation, High Availability features, and fabric connectivity.  
Checking switch operation  
Use the following procedure to check switch operation:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the switchShow command. This command displays a switch summary and a port  
summary.  
3. Check that the switch and ports are online.  
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Equipment status  
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4. Use the switchStatusShow command to further check the status of the switch.  
Verifying High Availability features (Backbones only)  
High Availability (HA) features provide maximum reliability and nondisruptive management of key  
hardware and software modules.  
Use the following procedure to verify High Availability features for a Backbone:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the chassisShow command to verify the model of the DCX and obtain a listing of all  
field-replaceable units (FRUs).  
3. Enter the haShow command to verify HA is enabled, the heartbeat is up, and that the HA state  
is synchronized between the active and standby CP blades.  
4. Enter the fanShow command to display the current status and speed of each fan in the system.  
Refer to the hardware reference manual of your system to determine the appropriate values.  
5. Enter the psShow command to display the current status of the switch power supplies. Refer to  
the hardware reference manual of your system to determine the appropriate values.  
6. Enter the slotShow -m command to display the inventory and the current status of each slot in  
the system.  
Example of the slot information displayed for a DCX chassis  
DCX:FID128:admin> slotshow -m  
Slot  
Blade Type  
ID  
Model Name  
Status  
--------------------------------------------------  
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
SW BLADE  
SW BLADE  
SW BLADE  
SW BLADE  
CORE BLADE  
CP BLADE  
CP BLADE  
CORE BLADE  
SW BLADE  
AP BLADE  
SW BLADE  
AP BLADE  
55  
51  
39  
51  
52  
50  
50  
52  
37  
43  
55  
24  
FC8-32  
FC8-48  
FC8-16  
FC8-48  
CORE8  
CP8  
ENABLED  
ENABLED  
ENABLED  
ENABLED  
ENABLED  
ENABLED  
ENABLED  
ENABLED  
ENABLED  
ENABLED  
ENABLED  
ENABLED  
CP8  
CORE8  
FC8-16  
FS8-18  
FC8-32  
FS8-18  
10  
11  
12  
Verifying fabric connectivity  
Use the following procedure to verify fabric connectivity:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the fabricShow command. This command displays a summary of all the switches in the  
fabric.  
The output of the fabricShow command is discussed in “Domain IDs” on page 72.  
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Track and control switch changes  
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Verifying device connectivity  
Use the following procedure to verify device connectivity:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Optional: Enter the switchShow command to verify devices, hosts, and storage are connected.  
3. Optional: Enter the nsShow command to verify devices, hosts, and storage have successfully  
registered with the name server.  
4. Enter the nsAllShow command to display the 24-bit Fibre Channel addresses of all devices in  
the fabric.  
switch:admin> nsallshow  
{
010e00 012fe8 012fef 030500 030b04 030b08 030b17 030b18  
030b1e 030b1f 040000 050000 050200 050700 050800 050de8  
050def 051700 061c00 071a00 073c00 090d00 0a0200 0a07ca  
0a07cb 0a07cc 0a07cd 0a07ce 0a07d1 0a07d2 0a07d3 0a07d4  
0a07d5 0a07d6 0a07d9 0a07da 0a07dc 0a07e0 0a07e1 0a0f01  
0a0f02 0a0f0f 0a0f10 0a0f1b 0a0f1d 0b2700 0b2e00 0b2fe8  
0b2fef 0f0000 0f0226 0f0233 0f02e4 0f02e8 0f02ef 210e00  
211700 211fe8 211fef 2c0000 2c0300 611000 6114e8 6114ef  
611600 620800 621026 621036 6210e4 6210e8 6210ef 621400  
621500 621700 621a00  
75 Nx_Ports in the Fabric }  
The number of devices listed should reflect the number of devices that are connected.  
Track and control switch changes  
The track changes feature allows you to keep a record of specific changes that may not be  
considered switch events, but may provide useful information. The output from the track changes  
feature is dumped to the system messages log for the switch. Use the errDump or errShow  
command to view the log.  
Items in the log created from the track changes feature are labeled TRCK.  
Trackable changes are:  
Successful login  
Unsuccessful login  
Logout  
Track changes on  
Track changes off  
Enabling the track changes feature  
Use the following procedure to enable the track changes feature:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the trackChangesSet 1 command to enable the track changes feature.  
A message displays, verifying that the track changes feature is on:  
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Track and control switch changes  
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switch:admin> trackchangesset 1  
Committing configuration...done.  
3. View the log using the commands errDump |more to display a page at a time or errShow to  
view one line at a time.  
2008/10/10-08:13:36, [TRCK-1001], 5, FID 128, INFO, ras007, Successful login  
by user admin.  
Displaying the status of the track changes feature  
Use the following procedure to display the status of the track changes feature:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the trackChangesShow command.  
The status of the track changes feature is displayed as either on or off. The display includes  
whether or not the track changes feature is configured to send SNMP traps.  
switch:admin> trackchangesshow  
Track changes status: ON  
Track changes generate SNMP-TRAP: NO  
Viewing the switch status policy threshold values  
The policy parameter determines the number of failed or inoperable units for each contributor that  
triggers a status change in the switch.  
Each parameter can be adjusted so that a specific threshold must be reached before that  
parameter changes the overall status of a switch to MARGINAL or DOWN. For example, if the  
FaultyPorts DOWN parameter is set to 3, the status of the switch will change if three ports fail. Only  
one policy parameter needs to pass the MARGINAL or DOWN threshold to change the overall status  
of the switch.  
For more information about setting policy parameters, see the Fabric Watch Administrator’s Guide.  
Use the following procedure to view the switch status policy threshold values:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the switchStatusPolicyShow command.  
Whenever there is a switch change, an error message is logged and an SNMP  
connUnitStatusChange trap is sent.  
The output is similar to the following:  
ecp:admin> switchstatuspolicyshow  
switch:admin> switchstatuspolicyshow  
The current overall switch status policy parameters:  
Down  
Marginal  
----------------------------------  
PowerSupplies  
Temperatures  
Fans  
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
WWN  
CP  
Blade  
CoreBlade  
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Track and control switch changes  
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Flash  
0
0
MarginalPorts 0.00%[0]  
FaultyPorts 0.00%[0]  
MissingSFPs 0.00%[0]  
ErrorPorts 0.00%[0]  
Number of ports: 4  
0.00%[0]  
0.00%[0]  
0.00%[0]  
0.00%[0]  
Setting the switch status policy threshold values  
Use the following procedure to set the switch status policy threshold values:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the switchStatusPolicySet command.  
The current switch status policy parameter values are displayed. You are prompted to enter  
values for each DOWN and MARGINAL threshold parameter.  
NOTE  
By setting the DOWN and MARGINAL values for a parameter to 0,0 that parameter is no longer  
used in setting the overall status for the switch.  
3. Verify the threshold settings you have configured for each parameter.  
Enter the switchStatusPolicyShow command to view your current switch status policy  
configuration.  
Example output from a switch  
The following example displays what is typically seen from a Brocade switch, but the quantity and  
types vary by platform.  
switch:admin> switchstatuspolicyshow  
To change the overall switch status policy parameters  
The current overall switch status policy parameters:  
Down  
Marginal  
-----------------------------------  
PowerSupplies  
Temperatures  
Fans  
2
2
2
0
1
1
1
1
Flash  
MarginalPorts  
FaultyPorts  
MissingSFPs  
ErrorPorts  
25.00%[12]  
25.00%[12]  
0.00%[0]  
0.00%[0]  
10.00%[5]  
10.00%[5]  
0.00%[0]  
0.00%[0]  
Number of ports: 48  
Note that the value, 0, for a parameter, means that it is  
NOT used in the calculation.  
** In addition, if the range of settable values in the prompt is (0..0),  
** the policy parameter is NOT applicable to the switch.  
** Simply hit the Return key.  
The minimum number of  
Bad PowerSupplies contributing to DOWN status: (0..2) [2]  
Bad PowerSupplies contributing to MARGINAL status: (0..2) [1]  
Bad Temperatures contributing to DOWN status: (0..4) [2]1  
Bad Temperatures contributing to MARGINAL status: (0..4) [1]2  
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Audit log configuration  
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Bad Fans contributing to DOWN status: (0..2) [2]  
Bad Fans contributing to MARGINAL status: (0..2) [1]  
(output truncated)  
NOTE  
On the Brocade Backbones, the command output includes parameters related to CP blades.  
Audit log configuration  
When managing SANs you may want to audit certain classes of events to ensure that you can view  
and generate an audit log for what is happening on a switch, particularly for security-related event  
changes. These events include login failures, zone configuration changes, firmware downloads,  
and other configuration changes; in other words, critical changes that have a serious effect on the  
operation and security of the switch.  
Important information related to event classes is also tracked and made available. For example,  
you can track changes from an external source by the user name, IP address, or type of  
management interface used to access the switch.  
Auditable events are generated by the switch and streamed to an external host through a  
configured system message log daemon (syslog). You specify a filter on the output to select the  
event classes that are sent through the system message log. The filtered events are streamed  
chronologically and sent to the system message log on an external host in the specified audit  
message format. This ensures that they can be easily distinguished from other system message log  
events that occur in the network. Then, at some regular interval of your choosing, you can review  
the audit events to look for unexpected changes.  
Before you configure audit event logging, familiarize yourself with the following audit event log  
behaviors and limitations:  
By default, all event classes are configured for audit; to create an audit event log for specific  
events, you must explicitly set a filter with the class operand and then enable it.  
Audited events are generated specific to a switch and have no negative impact on  
performance.  
The last 256 events are persistently stored on the switch and are streamed to a system  
message log.  
The audit log depends on the system message log facility and IP network to send messages  
from the switch to a remote host. Because the audit event log configuration has no control over  
these facilities, audit events can be lost if the system message log and IP network facilities fail.  
If too many events are generated by the switch, the system message log becomes a bottleneck  
and audit events are dropped by the Fabric OS.  
If the user name, IP address, or user interface is not transported, None is used instead for  
each of the respective fields.  
For High Availability, the audit event logs exist independently on both active and standby CPs.  
The configuration changes that occur on the active CP are propagated to the standby CP and  
take effect.  
Audit log configuration is also updated through a configuration download.  
Before configuring an audit log, you must select the event classes you want audited.  
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Audit log configuration  
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NOTE  
Only the active CP can generate audit messages because event classes being audited occur only on  
the active CP. Audit messages cannot originate from other blades in a Backbone.  
Switch names are logged for switch components and Backbone names for Backbone components.  
For example, a Backbone name may be FWDL or RAS and a switch component name may be zone,  
name server, or SNMP.  
Pushed messages contain the administrative domain of the entity that generated the event. Refer  
to the Fabric OS Message Reference for details on event classes and message formats. For more  
information on setting up the system error log daemon, refer to the Fabric OS Troubleshooting and  
Diagnostics Guide.  
NOTE  
If an AUDIT message is logged from the CLI, any environment variables will be initialized with proper  
values for login, interface, IP and other session information. Refer to the Fabric OS Message  
Reference for more information.  
Verifying host syslog prior to configuring the audit log  
Audit logging assumes that your syslog is operational and running. Before configuring an audit log,  
you must perform the following steps to ensure that the host syslog is operational.  
1. Set up an external host machine with a system message log daemon running to receive the  
audit events that will be generated.  
2. On the switch where the audit configuration is enabled, enter the syslogdIpAdd command to  
add the IP address of the host machine so that it can receive the audit events.  
You can use IPv4, IPv6, or DNS names for the syslogdIpAdd command.  
3. Ensure the network is configured with a network connection between the switch and the  
remote host.  
4. Check the host syslog configuration. If all error levels are not configured, you may not see some  
of the audit messages.  
Configuring an audit log for specific event classes  
Use the following procedure to configure an audit log for specific event classes:  
1. Connect to the switch from which you want to generate an audit log and log in using an account  
with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the auditCfg --class command, which defines the specific event classes to be filtered.  
switch:admin> auditcfg --class 2,4  
Audit filter is configured.  
3. Enter the auditCfg --enable command, which enables audit event logging based on the classes  
configured in step 2.  
switch:admin> auditcfg --enable  
Audit filter is enabled.  
To disable an audit event configuration, enter the auditCfg --disable command.  
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Duplicate PWWN handling during device login  
3
4. Enter the auditCfg --show command to view the filter configuration and confirm that the  
correct event classes are being audited, and the correct filter state appears (enabled or  
disabled).  
switch:admin> auditcfg --show  
Audit filter is enabled.  
2-SECURITY  
4-FIRMWARE  
5. Issue the auditDump -s command to confirm that the audit messages are being generated.  
Example of the syslog (system message log) output for audit logging  
Oct 10 08:52:06 10.3.220.7 raslogd: AUDIT, 2008/10/10-08:20:19 (GMT),  
[SEC-3020], INFO, SECURITY, admin/admin/10.3.220.13/telnet/CLI,  
ad_0/ras007/FID 128, , Event: login, Status: success, Info: Successful login  
attempt via REMOTE, IP Addr: 10.3.220.13.  
Oct 10 08:52:23 10.3.220.7 raslogd: 2008/10/10-08:20:36, [CONF-1001], 13, WWN  
10:00:00:05:1e:34:02:0c | FID 128, INFO, ras007, configUpload completed  
successfully. All config parameters are uploaded.  
Oct 10 09:00:04 10.3.220.7 raslogd: AUDIT, 2008/10/10-08:28:16 (GMT),  
[SEC-3021], INFO, SECURITY, admin/NONE/10.3.220.13/None/CLI, None/ras007/FID  
128, , Event: login, Status: failed, Info: Failed login attempt via REMOTE, IP  
Addr: 10.3.220.13.  
Duplicate PWWN handling during device login  
If a device attempts to log in with the same PWWN as another device on the switch, you can  
configure whether the new login or the existing login takes precedence.  
You can configure how duplicate PWWNs are handled by selecting an option in the Enforce  
FLOGI/FDISC login prompt of the configure command.  
Setting 0: First login takes precedence over second login (default behavior).  
Setting 1: Second login overrides first login.  
Setting 2: The port type determines whether the first or second login takes precedence.  
Setting 0, First login precedence  
When setting 0 is selected, the first login takes precedence over the second. This is the default  
behavior. Table 8 describes the behavior when setting 0 is selected.  
TABLE 8  
Duplicate PWWN behavior: First login takes precedence over second login  
Input port  
First port login is NPIV port  
First port login is F_Port  
FLOGI received The new login is rejected and the new port is  
persistently disabled.  
The new login is rejected and the new port is  
persistently disabled.  
FDISC received The new FDISC is rejected.  
The new FDISC is rejected.  
Setting 1, Second login precedence  
When setting 1 is selected, the second login takes precedence over the first. Table 9 describes the  
behavior when setting 1 is selected.  
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TABLE 9  
Duplicate PWWN behavior: Second login overrides first login  
Input port  
First port login is F_Port  
First port login is NPIV port  
FLOGI received New login forces an explicit logout of original  
login on the previous F_Port.  
New login forces an explicit logout of original  
FDISC on the previous NPIV port.  
The previous F_Port is persistently disabled.  
FDISC received New FDISC forces an explicit logout of original  
login on the previous F_Port.  
New FDISC forces an explicit logout of original  
FDISC on the previous NPIV port.  
The previous F_Port is persistenly disabled.  
Setting 2, Mixed precedence  
When setting 2 is selected, the precedence depends on the port type of the first login.  
If the previous port is an F_Port, the first login takes precedence.  
If the previous port is an NPIV port, the second login overrides the first login.  
TABLE 10  
Duplicate PWWN behavior: Port type determines which login takes precedence  
Input port  
First port login is NPIV port  
First port login is F_Port  
FLOGI received New login forces an explicit logout of original  
FDISC on the previous NPIV port.  
New login is rejected and the new port is  
persistently disabled.  
FDISC received New FDISC forces an explicit logout of original  
FDISC on the previous NPIV port.  
New FDISC is rejected.  
Setting the behavior for handling duplicate PWWNs  
Use the following procedure to set the behavior for handling duplicate PWWNs:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the switchDisable command to disable the switch.  
3. Enter the configure command.  
4. Enter y after the F_Port login parameters prompt.  
F-Port login parameters (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
5. Enter one of the following options at the Enforce FLOGI/FDISC login prompt to select the  
behavior for handling duplicate PWWNs.  
Enter 0 to have the first login take precedence over the second login (default).  
Enter 1 to have the second login override the first login.  
Enter 2 to have the port type determine the behavior.  
If a duplicate login is received on an F_Port, the duplicate login is rejected and the old  
login is preserved; if a duplicate login is received on an NPIV port the newer login is  
accepted.  
Enforce FLOGI/FDISC login: (0..2) [0] 1  
6. Respond to the remaining prompts, or press Ctrl-D to accept the other settings and exit.  
7. Enter the switchEnable command to re-enable the switch.  
With any of these settings, detection of duplicate PWWNs results in a RASLog. Ports that are  
restricted become persistently disabled, marked with the reason “Duplicate Port WWN detected”.  
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Chapter  
Routing Traffic  
4
In this chapter  
Routing overview  
Data moves through a fabric from switch to switch and from storage to server along one or more  
paths that make up a route. Routing policies determine the path for each frame of data.  
Before the fabric can begin routing traffic, it must discover the route a packet should take to reach  
the intended destination. Route tables are lists that indicate the next hop to which packets are  
directed to reach a destination. Route tables include network addresses, the next address in the  
data path, and a cost to reach the destination network. There are two kinds of routing protocols on  
intranet networks, distance vector and link state.  
Distance vector is based on hop count. This is the number of switches that a frame passes  
through to get from the source switch to the destination switch.  
Link state is based on a metric value based on a cost. The cost could be based on bandwidth,  
line speed, or round-trip time.  
With the link-state protocol, switches that discover a route identify the networks to which they are  
attached, receiving an initial route table from the principal switch. After an initial message is sent  
out, the switch only notifies the others when changes occur.  
It is recommended that no more than seven hops occur between any two switches. This limit is not  
required or enforced by Fabric Shortest Path First (FSPF). Its purpose is to ensure that a frame is  
not delivered to a destination after Resource Allocation TimeOut Value (R_A_TOV) has expired.  
Fabric OS v7.1.0 supports unicast Class 2 and 3 traffic, multicast, and broadcast traffic. Broadcast  
and multicast are supported in Class 3 only.  
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Paths and route selection  
Paths are possible ways to get from one switch to another. Each inter-switch link (ISL) has a metric  
cost based on bandwidth. The cumulative cost is based on the sum of all costs of all traversed ISLs.  
Route selection is the path that is chosen. Paths that are selected from the routing database are  
chosen based on the minimal cost.  
FSPF  
Fabric Shortest Path First (FSPF) is a link state path selection protocol that directs traffic along the  
shortest path between the source and destination based upon the link cost. FSPF is also referred  
to as Layer 2 routing. FSPF detects link failures, determines the shortest route for traffic, updates  
the routing table, provides fixed routing paths within a fabric, and maintains correct ordering of  
frames. FSPF also keeps track of the state of the links on all switches in the fabric and associates a  
cost with each link. The protocol computes paths from a switch to all the other switches in the  
fabric by adding the cost of all links traversed by the path, and chooses the path that minimizes the  
costs. This collection of the link states, including costs, of all the switches in the fabric constitutes  
the topology database or link state database.  
Once established, FSPF programs the hardware routing tables for all active ports on the switch.  
FSPF is not involved in frame switching. FSPF uses several frames to perform its functions.  
Because it may run before fabric routing is set up, FSPF does not use the routing tables to  
propagate the frames, but floods the frames throughout the fabric hop-by-hop. Frames are first  
flooded on all the ISLs; as the protocol progresses, it builds a spanning tree rooted on the principal  
switch. Frames are only sent on the principal ISLs that belong to the spanning tree. When there are  
multiple ISLs between switches, the first ISL to respond to connection requests becomes the  
principal ISL. Only one ISL from each switch is used as the principal ISL. Figure 5 shows the thick  
red lines as principal ISLs, and thin green lines as regular ISLs.  
FIGURE 5  
NOTE  
Principal ISLs  
FSPF only supports 16 routes in a zone, including Traffic Isolation Zones.  
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FSPF makes minimal use of the ISL bandwidth, leaving virtually all of it available for traffic. In a  
stable fabric, a switch transmits 64 bytes every 20 seconds in each direction. FSPF frames have  
the highest priority in the fabric. This guarantees that a control frame is not delayed by user data  
and that FSPF routing decisions occur very quickly during convergence.  
FSPF guarantees a routing loop-free topology at all times. It is essential for a fabric to include many  
physical loops because, without loops, there would not be multiple paths between switches, and  
consequently no redundancy. Without redundancy, if a link goes down, part of the fabric is isolated.  
FSPF ensures both that the topology is loop-free and that a frame is never forwarded over the same  
ISL more than once.  
FSPF calculates paths based on the destination domain ID. The fabric protocol must complete  
domain ID assignments before routing can begin. ISLs provide the physical pathway when the  
Source ID (SID) address has a frame destined to a port on a remote switch Destination ID (DID).  
When an ISL is attached or removed from a switch, the FSPF updates the route tables to reflect the  
addition or deletion of the new routes.  
As each host transmits a frame to the switch, the switch reads the SID and DID in the frame  
header. If the domain ID of the destination address is the same as the switch (intra-switch  
communications), the frame buffer is copied to the destination port and a credit R_RDY message is  
sent to the host. The switch only needs to read word zero and word one of the Fibre Channel frame  
to perform what is known as cut-through routing. A frame may begin to emerge from the output  
port before it has been entirely received by the input port. The entire frame does not need to be  
buffered in the switch.  
If the destination domain ID is different than the source domain ID, then the switch consults the  
FSPF route table to identify which local E_Port provides the Fabric Shortest Path First (FSPF) to the  
remote domain.  
Fibre Channel NAT  
Within an edge fabric or across a backbone fabric, the standard Fibre Channel FSPF protocol  
determines how frames are routed from the source Fibre Channel (FC) device to the destination FC  
device. The source or destination device can be a proxy device.  
Fibre Channel fabrics require that all ports be identified by a unique port identifier (PID). In a single  
fabric, FC protocol guarantees that domain IDs are unique, and so a PID formed by a domain ID and  
area ID is unique within a fabric. However, the domain IDs and PIDs in one fabric may be duplicated  
within another fabric, just as IP addresses that are unique to one private network are likely to be  
duplicated within another private network.  
In an IP network, a network router can maintain network address translation (NAT) tables to replace  
private network addresses with public addresses when a packet is routed out of the private  
network, and to replace public addresses with private addresses when a packet is routed from the  
public network to the private network. The Fibre Channel routing equivalent to this IP-NAT is the  
Fibre Channel network address translation (FC-NAT). Using FC-NAT, the proxy devices in a fabric can  
have PIDs that are different from the real devices they represent, allowing the proxy devices to have  
appropriate PIDs for the address space of their corresponding fabric.  
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Inter-switch links  
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Inter-switch links  
An inter-switch link (ISL) is a link between two switches, E_Port-to-E_Port. The ports of the two  
switches automatically come online as E_Ports once the login process finishes successfully. For  
more information on the login process, refer to Chapter 1, “Understanding Fibre Channel Services”.  
FIGURE 6  
New switch added to existing fabric  
You can expand your fabric by connecting new switches to existing switches. Figure 6 shows a new  
switch being added into an existing fabric. The thick red line is the newly formed ISL.  
When connecting two switches together, Brocade recommends the best practice that the following  
parameters are differentiated:  
Domain ID  
Switch name  
Chassis name  
You must also verify the following fabric parameters are identical on each switch for a fabric to  
merge:  
R_A_TOV (Resource Allocation TimeOut Value)  
E_D_TOV (Error Detect TimeOut Value)  
Data Field Size  
Sequence Level Switching  
Disable Device Probing  
Suppress Class F Traffic  
Per-frame Route Priority  
There are non-fabric parameters that must match as well, such as zoning. Some fabric services,  
such as management server, must match. If the fabric service is enabled in the fabric, then the  
switch you are introducing into the fabric must also have it enabled. If you experience a segmented  
fabric, refer to the Fabric OS Troubleshooting and Diagnostics Guide to fix the problem.  
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Inter-switch links  
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Buffer credits  
In order to prevent the dropping of frames in the fabric, a device can never send frames without the  
receiving device being able to receive them, so an end-to-end flow control is used on the switch.  
Flow control in Fibre Channel uses buffer-to-buffer credits, which are distributed by the switch.  
When all buffer-to-buffer credits are utilized, a device waits for a VC_RDY or an R_RDY primitive  
from the destination switch before resuming I/O. The primitive is dependent on whether you have  
R_RDYs enabled on your switch using the portCfgISLMode command. When a device logs in to a  
fabric, it typically requests from two to sixteen buffer credits from the switch, depending on the  
device type, driver version, and configuration. This determines the maximum number of frames the  
port can transmit before receiving an acknowledgement from the receiving device.  
For more information on how to set the buffer-to-buffer credits on an extended link, refer to Chapter  
Congestions versus over-subscription  
Congestions occurs when a channel is bottlenecked and fully utilized. This kind of bottleneck is a  
congestion bottleneck. You should be aware that “over-subscription” does not have the same  
meaning as “congestion”. Over-subscription refers only to the potential for congestion; an  
over-subscribed link may go through a lifetime of normal operation and never be congested. The  
term over-subscription is not to be used in place of congestion, which is the actual contention for  
bandwidth by devices through an ISL.  
Virtual channels  
Virtual channels create multiple logical data paths across a single physical link or connection. They are  
allocated their own network resources such as queues and buffer-to-buffer credits. Virtual channel  
technology is the fundamental building block used to construct Adaptive Networking services. For  
more information on Adaptive Networking services, refer to Chapter 21, “Optimizing Fabric Behavior”  
.
Virtual channels are divided into three priority groups. P1 is the highest priority, which is used for  
Class F, F_RJT, and ACK traffic. P2 is the next highest priority, which is used for data frames. The data  
virtual channels can be further prioritized to provide higher levels of Quality of Service. P3 is the  
lowest priority and is used for broadcast and multicast traffic. This example is illustrated in Figure 7.  
Quality of Service (QoS) is a licensed traffic shaping feature available in Fabric OS. QoS allows the  
prioritization of data traffic based on the SID and DID of each frame. Through the use of QoS zones, traffic  
can be divided into three priorities: high, medium, and low, as shown in Figure 7. The seven data virtual  
channels (VC8 through VC14) are used to multiplex data frames based upon QoS zones when congestion  
occurs. For more information on QoS zones, refer to Chapter 21, “Optimizing Fabric Behavior”  
.
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Inter-switch links  
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FIGURE 7  
Virtual channels on a QoS-enabled ISL  
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Gateway links  
4
Gateway links  
A gateway merges SANs into a single fabric by establishing point-to-point E_Port connectivity  
between two Fibre Channel switches that are separated by a network with a protocol such as IP or  
SONET.  
Except for link initialization, gateways are transparent to switches; the gateway simply provides  
E_Port connectivity from one switch to another. Figure 8 shows two separate SANs, A-1 and A-2,  
merged together using a gateway.  
FIGURE 8  
Gateway link merging SANs  
By default, switch ports initialize links using the Exchange Link Parameters (ELP) mode 1. However,  
gateways expect initialization with ELP mode 2, also referred to as ISL R_RDY mode. Therefore, to  
enable two switches to link through a gateway, the ports on both switches must be set for ELP mode 2.  
Any number of E_Ports in a fabric can be configured for gateway links, provided the following  
guidelines are followed:  
All switches in the fabric use the core PID format, as described in “Configuring a link through a  
The switches connected to both sides of the gateway are included when determining  
switch-count maximums.  
Extended links (those created using the Extended Fabrics licensed feature) are not supported  
through gateway links.  
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Routing policies  
4
Configuring a link through a gateway  
1. Connect to the switch at one end of the gateway and log in using an account assigned to the  
admin role.  
2. Enter the portCfgIISLMode command.  
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for any additional ports that are connected to the gateway.  
4. Repeat this procedure on the switch at the other end of the gateway.  
Example of enabling a gateway link on slot 2, port 3  
ecp:admin> portcfgislmode 2/3, 1  
Committing configuration...done.  
ISL R_RDY Mode is enabled for port 3. Please make sure the PID  
formats are consistent across the entire fabric.  
Routing policies  
By default, all routing protocols place their routes into a routing table. You can control the routes  
that a protocol places into each table and the routes from that table that the protocol advertises by  
defining one or more routing policies and then applying them to the specific routing protocol.  
The routing policy is responsible for selecting a route based on one of two user-selected routing  
policies:  
Port-based routing  
Exchange-based routing  
Notes  
On the Brocade 300, 5100, 5300, 5410, 5430, 5450, 5460, 5470, 5480, 6505, 6510, 6520,  
7800, 8000, and VA-40FC switches, and also the Brocade DCX and DCX 8510 Backbone  
families, routing is handled by the FSPF protocol and either the port-based or exchange-based  
routing policy.  
Each switch can have its own routing policy and different policies can exist in the same fabric.  
ATTENTION  
For most configurations, the default routing policy is optimal and provides the best performance. You  
should change the routing policy only if there is a significant performance issue, or a particular fabric  
configuration or application requires it.  
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Routing policies  
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Displaying the current routing policy  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the aptPolicy command with no parameters.  
The current policy is displayed, followed by the supported policies for the switch.  
Example of the output from the aptPolicy command  
In the following example, the current policy is exchange-based routing (3) with the additional AP  
dedicated link policy.  
switch:admin> aptpolicy  
Current Policy: 3  
3 : Default Policy  
1: Port Based Routing Policy  
2: Device Based Routing Policy (FICON support only)  
3: Exchange Based Routing Policy  
0: AP Shared Link Policy  
1: AP Dedicated Link Policy  
Port-based routing  
The choice of routing path is based only on the incoming port and the destination domain. To  
optimize port-based routing, DLS can be enabled to balance the load across the available output  
ports within a domain.  
NOTE  
For FC routers only: When an FC router is in port-based routing mode, the backbone traffic is  
load-balanced based on SID and DID. When an FC router is in exchange-based routing mode, the  
backbone traffic is load-balanced based on SID, DID, and OXID.  
Whatever routing policy a switch is using applies to the VE_Ports as well. For more information on  
VE_Ports, refer to the Fibre Channel over IP Administrator’s Guide.  
Exchange-based routing  
The choice of routing path is based on the Source ID (SID), Destination ID (DID), and Fibre Channel  
originator exchange ID (OXID) optimizing path utilization for the best performance. Thus, every  
exchange can take a different path through the fabric. Exchange-based routing requires the use of  
the Dynamic Load Sharing (DLS) feature; when this policy is in effect, you cannot disable the DLS  
feature.  
Exchange-based routing is also known as Dynamic Path Selection (DPS). DPS is where exchanges  
or communication between end devices in a fabric are assigned to egress ports in ratios  
proportional to the potential bandwidth of the ISL or trunk group. When there are multiple paths to  
a destination, the input traffic is distributed across the different paths in proportion to the  
bandwidth available on each of the paths. This improves utilization of the available paths, thus  
reducing possible congestion on the paths. Every time there is a change in the network (which  
changes the available paths), the input traffic can be redistributed across the available paths.  
This is a very easy and non-disruptive process when the exchange-based routing policy is engaged.  
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Routing policies  
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Device-based routing  
Device-based routing optimizes routing path selection and utilization based on the Source ID (SID)  
and Destination ID (DID) of the path source and destination ports. As a result, every distinct flow in  
the fabric can take a different path through the fabric. Effectively, device based routing works the  
same as exchange-based routing but does not use the OXID field. This helps to ensure that the  
exchanges between a pair of devices stay in order.  
NOTE  
Device-based routing requires the use of the Dynamic Load Sharing (DLS) feature; when this policy  
is in effect, you cannot disable the DLS feature.  
Device-based routing is also a form of Dynamic Path Selection (DPS). DPS assigns communication  
paths between end devices in a fabric to egress ports in ratios proportional to the potential  
bandwidth of the ISL, ICL, or trunk group. When there are multiple paths to a destination, the input  
traffic is distributed across the different paths in proportion to the bandwidth available on each of  
the paths. This improves utilization of the available paths and reduces possible path congestion.  
NOTE  
Device-based routing is supported in FICON environments only.  
AP route policies  
Two additional AP policies are supported under exchange-based routing:  
AP Shared Link policy (default)  
AP Dedicated Link policy  
NOTE  
AP policies are independent of routing policies. Every routing policy supports both AP policies.  
The AP Dedicated Link policy relieves internal congestion in an environment where:  
There is a large amount of traffic going through both directions at the same time.  
There is a reduction of the effect of slow devices on the overall switch performance.  
It is recommended that the default AP Shared Link policy be used for most environments. Also, it is  
recommended that you design a SAN that localizes host-to-target traffic by reducing the amount of  
traffic through the router.  
ATTENTION  
Setting either AP route policy is a disruptive process.  
Routing in Virtual Fabrics  
Virtual Fabrics support DPS on all partitions. DPS is limited where multiple paths are available for a  
logical fabric frame entering a Virtual Fabrics chassis from a base fabric that is sent out using one  
of the dedicated ISLs in a logical switch.  
The AP policy affecting the DPS behavior, whether it is exchange-based, device-based, or  
port-based, is configured on a per-logical switch basis. In-order delivery (IOD) and DLS settings are  
set per logical switch as well. IOD and DLS settings for the base switch affect all traffic going over  
the base fabric including any logical fabric traffic that uses the base fabric.  
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Routing policies  
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CAUTION  
Setting the routing policy is disruptive to the fabric because it requires that you disable the switch  
where the routing policy is being changed.  
Setting the routing policy  
Use the following procedure to set the routing policy:  
1. Connect to the VF switch and log in as admin.  
2. Enter the setcontext command for the correct Fabric ID or switch name.  
- The fabricID parameter is the FID of the logical switch you just created.  
- The switchname parameter is the name assigned to the logical switch.  
- You can only use one parameter at a time.  
switch:admin> setcontext 20  
3. Enter the switchDisable command to disable the switch.  
4. Take the appropriate following action based on the AP route policy you choose to implement:  
If the exchange-based policy is required, enter the aptPolicy 3 command.  
If the port-based policy is required, enter the aptPolicy 1 command.  
Setting up the AP route policy  
The AP route policy can only be set in the base switches that are using Virtual Fabrics.  
Use the following procedure to set the AP route policy:  
1. Connect to the base switch and log in as admin.  
2. Enter the switchDisable command to disable the switch.  
3. Take the appropriate following action based on the AP route policy you choose to implement:  
If the AP Shared Link policy (default) is required, enter the aptPolicy -ap 0 command.  
If the AP Dedicated Link policy is required, enter the aptPolicy -ap 1 command.  
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Route selection  
4
Route selection  
Selection of specific routes can be dynamic, so that the router can constantly adjust to changing  
network conditions; or it may be static, so that data packets always follow a predetermined path.  
Dynamic Load Sharing  
The exchange-based routing policy depends on the Fabric OS Dynamic Load Sharing (DLS) feature  
for dynamic routing path selection. When using the exchange-based routing policy, DLS is enabled  
by default and cannot be disabled. In other words, you cannot enable or disable DLS when the  
exchange-based routing policy is in effect.  
When the port-based policy is in force, you can enable DLS to optimize routing. When DLS is  
enabled, it shares traffic among multiple equivalent paths between switches. DLS recomputes load  
sharing when any of the following occurs:  
A switch boots up  
An E_Port goes offline and online  
An EX_Port goes offline  
A device goes offline  
Setting DLS  
Use the following procedure to set up DLS:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the dlsShow command to view the current DLS setting.  
One of the following messages appears:  
“DLS is set” indicates that DLS is turned on.  
“DLS is not set” indicates that DLS is turned off.  
”DLS is set with Lossless enabled.” DLS is enabled with the Lossless feature. Load sharing  
is recomputed with every change in the fabric, and existing routes can be moved to  
maintain optimal balance. In Lossless mode, no frames are lost during this operation.  
“DLS is set by default with current routing policy. DLS is set with Lossless enabled.” The  
current routing policy (exchange-based) requires DLS to be enabled by default. In addition,  
the Lossless option is enabled. Frame loss is prevented during a load sharing  
recomputation. If you get this message, you cannot perform step 3, so you are done with  
this procedure.  
3. Enter the dlsSet command to enable DLS or enter the dlsReset command to disable it.  
Example of setting and resetting DLS  
switch:admin> dlsshow  
DLS is not set  
switch:admin> dlsset  
switch:admin> dlsshow  
DLS is set  
switch:admin> dlsreset  
switch:admin> dlsshow  
DLS is not set  
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Frame order delivery  
4
Frame order delivery  
The order in which frames are delivered is maintained within a switch and determined by the  
routing policy in effect. The frame delivery behaviors for each routing policy are:  
Port-based routing  
All frames received on an incoming port destined for a destination domain are guaranteed to  
exit the switch in the same order in which they were received.  
Exchange-based routing  
All frames received on an incoming port for a given exchange are guaranteed to exit the switch  
in the same order in which they were received. Because different paths are chosen for  
different exchanges, this policy does not maintain the order of frames across exchanges.  
If even one switch in the fabric delivers out-of-order exchanges, then exchanges are delivered to the  
target out of order, regardless of the policy configured on other switches in the fabric.  
NOTE  
Some devices do not tolerate out-of-order exchanges; in such cases, use the port-based routing  
policy.  
In a stable fabric, frames are always delivered in order, even when the traffic between switches is  
shared among multiple paths. However, when topology changes occur in the fabric (for example, if  
a link goes down), traffic is rerouted around the failure, and some frames could be delivered out of  
order. Most destination devices tolerate out-of-order delivery, but some do not.  
By default, out-of-order frame-based delivery is allowed to minimize the number of frames dropped.  
Enabling in-order delivery (IOD) guarantees that frames are either delivered in order or dropped.  
You should only force in-order frame delivery across topology changes if the fabric contains  
destination devices that cannot tolerate occasional out-of-order frame delivery.  
Forcing in-order frame delivery across topology changes  
Use the following procedure to force in-order frame delivery across topology changes:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the iodSet command.  
NOTE  
The iodSet command can cause a delay in the establishment of a new path when a topology  
change occurs; use it with care.  
3. Confirm the in-order delivery has been set by entering the iodShow command.  
Restoring out-of-order frame delivery across topology changes  
Use the following procedure to restore out-of-order frame delivery across topology changes:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the iodReset command.  
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Frame order delivery  
4
Using Frame Viewer to understand why frames are dropped  
When a frame is unable to reach its destination due to timeout, it is discarded. You can use  
Frame Viewer to find out which flows contained the dropped frames, which in turn can help you  
determine which applications might be impacted. Frame Viewer allows you to see the exact time  
(within one second) that the frames were dropped.  
You can view and filter up to 20 discarded frames per chip per second for 1200 seconds using a  
number of fields with the frameLog command.  
Use the following procedure to view frames.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Type frameLog --show.  
Example output of framelog --show  
EDCX16_114064:root> framelog --show  
==================================================================================================  
Fri Jul 13 23:47:08 UTC 2012  
==================================================================================================  
Log  
TX  
RX  
timestamp  
port  
port  
SID  
DID  
SFID  
DFID  
Type  
Count  
===============================================================================================  
Jul 13 23:47:07  
Jul 13 23:47:07  
Jul 13 23:47:07  
Jul 13 23:47:07  
Jul 13 23:47:07  
11/45 11/45  
11/45 11/45  
11/45 11/45  
11/45 11/45  
11/45 11/45  
0xfffffd  
0xfffffc  
0xfffffc  
0xfffc40  
0xfffc40  
0x40e580  
0x40e580  
0x40e580  
0x40e580  
0x40e580  
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
timeout  
timeout  
timeout  
timeout  
timeout  
2
5
3
2
1
Notes  
The output of --show displays the type of each discard.  
Syntax  
framelog --show [-type <discard_type>] [-txport <[slot/]port>] [-rxport  
<[slot/]port>] [-sid <source_PID>] [-did <destination_PID>] [-sfid <source_FID>]  
[-dfid <destination_FID>] [-mode summary | dump] [-n <num_items>]  
Constraints  
The following constraint applies to the frameLog --show command:  
The -type option requires an argument; currently only timeout is supported, this specifies that  
only timeout discards be shown  
Filtering Results by Back-End Port in Frame Viewer  
The Frame Viewer --show command supports specifying that the TX port or RX port of displayed  
frames should be a back-end port. To filter by TX port or RX port, you issue a command like:  
framelog --show -txport [<slot>/]<port>  
or  
framelog --show -rxport [<slot>/]<port>  
or  
framelog --show -txport [<slot>/]<port> -rxport [<slot>/]<port>  
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Lossless Dynamic Load Sharing on ports  
4
The -txport and -rxport options accept the arguments “-1” (for fixed-port switches) or “-1/-1”  
(for modular switches). These stand for “any back-end port.”. Using this notation you can select  
specifically those discarded frames that have a back-end port in the TX port or RX port field.  
NOTE  
Individual back-end ports cannot be specified, only the quality of being a back-end port can be  
specified.  
Lossless Dynamic Load Sharing on ports  
Lossless Dynamic Load Sharing (DLS) allows you to rebalance port paths without causing  
input/output (I/O) failures. For devices where in-order delivery (IOD) of frames is required, you can  
set IOD separately. You can use this feature with the following hardware:  
Brocade 300  
Brocade 5100  
Brocade 5300  
Brocade 6505  
Brocade 6510  
Brocade 6520  
Brocade VA-40FC  
Brocade FC8-16, FC8-32, FC8-48, and FC8-64 port blades  
Brocade DCX 8510 Backbone family and supported blades  
Brocade FC16-32 and FC16-48 port blades  
Brocade FC8-32E and FC8-48E port blades  
Brocade FX8-24 application blades in the Brocade DCX and DCX-4S Backbones  
On the Brocade 7800 switch and the FX8-24 application blade, Lossless DLS is supported only on  
FC-to-FC port flows.  
ATTENTION  
When you implement Lossless DLS, the switches in the fabric must have either Fabric OS v6.3.0 or  
Fabric OS v6.4.0 or later installed to guarantee no frame loss.  
Lossless DLS must be implemented along the path between the target and initiator. You can use  
Lossless DLS on ports connecting switches to perform the following functions:  
Eliminate dropped frames and I/O failures by rebalancing the paths going over the ISLs  
whenever there is a fabric event that might result in suboptimal utilization of the ISLs.  
Eliminate the frame delay caused by establishing a new path when a topology change occurs.  
Lossless mode means no frame loss during a rebalance and only takes effect if DLS is enabled.  
Lossless DLS can be enabled on a fabric topology in order to have zero frame drops during  
rebalance operations. If the end device also requires the order of frames to be maintained during  
the rebalance operation, then IOD must be enabled. However this combination of Lossless DLS and  
IOD is supported only in specific topologies, such as in a FICON environment.  
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Lossless Dynamic Load Sharing on ports  
4
You can disable or enable IOD when Lossless DLS is enabled. You can also choose between  
exchange- or port-based policies with Lossless DLS. Events that cause a rebalance include the  
following:  
Adding an E_Port  
Adding a slave E_Port  
Removing an E_Port (However, frame loss occurs on traffic flows to this port.)  
Removing an F_Port (However, frame loss occurs on traffic flows to this port.)  
Lossless DLS does the following whenever paths need to be rebalanced:  
1. Pauses ingress traffic by not returning credits. Frames that are already in transit are not  
dropped.  
2. Changes the existing path to a more optimal path.  
3. If IOD is enabled, waits for sufficient time for frames already received to be transmitted. This is  
needed to maintain IOD.  
4. Resumes traffic.  
Table 11 shows the effect of frames when you have a specific routing policy turned on with IOD.  
TABLE 11  
Combinations of routing policy and IOD with Lossless DLS enabled  
Policy  
IOD  
Rebalance result with Lossless DLS enabled  
Port-based  
Port-based  
Disabled  
Enabled  
No frame loss, but out-of-order frames may occur.  
No frame loss and no out-of-order frames. Topology restrictions apply. Intended  
for FICON environment.  
Exchange-based Disabled  
Exchange-based Enabled  
No frame loss, but out-of-order frames may occur.  
No frame loss and no out-of-order frames. Topology restrictions apply. Intended  
for FICON environment.  
Device-based  
Device-based  
Disabled  
Enabled  
No frame loss, but out-of-order frames may occur.  
No frame loss and no out-of-order frames. Topology restrictions apply. Intended  
for FICON environment.  
Lossless core  
Lossless core works with the default configuration of the Brocade DCX 8510-8 and DCX 8510-4  
hardware to prevent frame loss during a core blade removal and insertion. This feature is on by  
default and cannot be disabled. Lossless core has the following limitations:  
Only supported with IOD disabled, which means Lossless core cannot guarantee in-order  
delivery of exchanges  
ICL limitations  
Traffic flow limitations  
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ICL limitations  
If ICL ports are connected during a core blade removal, it is equivalent to removing external E_Ports  
which may cause I/O disruption on the ICL ports that have been removed.  
If ICL ports are connected during a core blade insertion, it is equivalent to adding external E_Ports  
which may cause I/O disruption due to reroutes. Lossless DLS, if enabled, takes effect to prevent  
I/O disruption.  
Traffic flow limitations  
FA4-18 AP blades, which are supported on the Brocade DCX and DCX-4S devices, may continue to  
experience frame drops after core blade removal or insertion. The path between an FA4-18 blade  
and an FX8-24 blade, or vice versa, experiences I/O disruption because the FA4-18 blades do not  
support this feature.  
Configuring Lossless Dynamic Load Sharing  
You configure Lossless DLS switch- or chassis-wide by using the dlsSet command to specify that no  
frames are dropped while rebalancing or rerouting traffic.  
Use the following procedure to configure Lossless Dynamic Load Sharing:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the appropriate dlsSet command to enable or disable Lossless Dynamic Load Sharing.  
switch:admin> dlsset --enable -lossLess  
switch:admin> dlsset --disable -lossLess  
Lossless Dynamic Load Sharing in Virtual Fabrics  
Enabling Lossless Dynamic Load Sharing is optional on logical switches in Virtual Fabrics. If you  
enable this feature, it must be on a per-logical switch basis and can affect other logical switches in  
the fabric. XISL use must be disabled for Lossless DLS to be enabled.  
How DLS affects other logical switches in the fabric  
On a Brocade DCX platform, logical switch 1 consists of ports 0 through 5 in slot 1. Logical switch 2  
consists of ports 6 through 10 in slot 1. The Lossless DLS feature is enabled on logical switch 1.  
Because ports 0 through 10 in slot 1 belong to a logical switch where Lossless DLS is enabled, the  
traffic in logical switch 2 is affected whenever traffic for logical switch 1 is rebalanced.  
ATTENTION  
Although Lossless DSL is enabled for a specific logical switch, you must have chassis-level  
permissions to use this feature.  
This effect on logical switch 2 is based on the configuration on logical switch 2:  
If logical switch 2 has IOD enabled (iodSet only), IOD is enforced.  
If logical switch 2 has Lossless DLS enabled, traffic is paused and resumed.  
If logical switch 2 has no IOD (iodReset), traffic is paused and resumed.  
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Enabling forward error correction (FEC)  
4
To avoid this behavior, it is recommended to define your logical switches as follows:  
Define logical switches that require Lossless DLS at the blade boundary.  
Define logical switches that require Lossless DLS only using supported blades. For example,  
do not use blades that support IOD, but do not support Lossless DLS.  
For more information on Virtual Fabrics and chassis-level permissions, refer to Chapter 10,  
Enabling forward error correction (FEC)  
Forward error correction provides a data transmission error control method by including redundant  
data (error-correcting code) to ensure error-free transmission on a specified port or port range.  
When FEC is enabled, it can correct one burst of up to 11-bit errors in every 2112-bit transmission,  
whether the error is in a frame or a primitive. FEC is enabled by default, and is supported on  
E_Ports on 16 Gbps-capable switches and on the N_Ports and F_Ports of an access gateway using  
RDY, Normal (R_RDY), or Virtual Channel (VC_RDY) flow control modes. It enables automatically  
when negotiation with a switch detects FEC capability. This feature is enabled by default and  
persists after driver reloads and system reboots. It functions with features such as QoS, trunking,  
and BB_Credit recovery.  
Limitations  
The following are limitations of this feature:  
FEC is configurable only on 16 Gbps-capable switches (Brocade 6505, 6510, 6520, and the  
Brocade DCX 8510 Backbone family).  
FEC is supported only on 1860 and 1867 Fabric Adapter ports operating in HBA mode  
connected to 16 Gbps Brocade switches running Fabric OS 7.1 and later  
FEC is not supported  
-
when the HBA port is running on a 16 Gbps link. When HBA port speed changes to less  
than this, this feature is disabled.  
-
-
for HBA ports operating in loop mode or in direct-attach configurations.  
on ports with DWDM.  
Use the portCfgFec command to enable, disable and view FEC on a port.  
Syntax:  
portCfgFec --disable(this disables the PortFecCap feature)  
portCfgFec --enable(this enables the PortFecCap feature)  
portCfgFec --help(this displays the command usage)  
portCfgFec --show(this displays the PortFecCap feature for the port)  
Usage: portCfgFec mode [slot/]port  
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Enabling forward error correction (FEC)  
4
Use the following procedure to enable and disable FEC:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the portCfgFec command, specifying the port or range of ports on which FEC is to be  
enabled.  
portcfgfec --enable slot/port  
To enable the FEC feature on a single port and display the configuration, enter the following  
commands.  
switch:admin> portcfgfec --enable 1  
switch:admin> portcfgfec --show 1  
Port: 1  
FEC Capable: YES  
FEC Configured: ON  
Enabling forward error correction  
To enable the FEC feature on a port range, enter the portCfgFec --enable command. In this  
example, port 1 already has FEC enabled, and so it remains enabled.  
switch:admin> portcfgfec --enable 0-8  
Same configuration for port 1  
Disabling forward error correction  
To disable the FEC feature on a port range, enter the portCfgFec --disable command.  
switch:admin> portcfgfec --disable 0-8  
Enabling and Disabling FEC for long distance ports  
To enable or disable FEC for long distance ports, use portCfgLongDistance with the -fecEnable or  
-fecDisable parameter as required.  
switch:admin> portcfglongdistance [slot/]port,[other parameters]  
<-fecenable/-fecdisable>  
See Chapter 23, “Managing Long-Distance Fabrics” for more details on working with long distance  
ports.  
Viewing current FEC settings  
Use portCfgFec --show to display the current FEC configuration.  
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Frame Redirection  
4
Frame Redirection  
Frame Redirection provides a means to redirect traffic flow between a host and a target that use  
virtualization and encryption applications, such as the Brocade SAS blade and Brocade Data  
Migration Manager (DMM), so that those applications can perform without having to reconfigure  
the host and target. You can use this feature if the hosts and targets are not directly attached.  
Frame Redirection depends on the wide distribution of the Defined Zone Database. The Defined  
Zone Database on Fabric OS switches is pushed out to all other Fabric OS switches in the fabric  
that support Frame Redirection. Redirection zones exist only in the defined configuration and  
cannot be added to the effective configuration.  
NOTE  
Fabric OS v7.1.0 is not supported on the Brocade 7600 or Brocade SAS blade. However, this  
hardware can run in a pre-Fabric OS v7.1.0 system and attach to a Fabric OS v7.1.0 fabric.  
Frame Redirection uses a combination of special frame redirection zones and name server  
changes to spoof the mapping of real device WWNs to virtual PIDs.  
FIGURE 9  
Single host and target  
Figure 9 demonstrates the flow of Frame Redirection traffic. A frame starts at the host with a  
destination to the target. The port where the appliance is attached to the host switch acts as the  
virtual initiator and the port where the appliance is attached to the target switch is the virtual target.  
Creating a frame redirect zone  
The first time the zone –-rdcreate command is run, the following zone objects are created by default:  
The base zone object, “red_______base”.  
The redirect (RD) zone configuration, “r_e_d_i_r_c__fg”.  
NOTE  
Frame redirect zones are not supported with D or I initiator target zones.  
Use the following procedure to create a frame redirect zone:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Prior to creating the frame redirect zone, the user has to create a Layer 2 zone for the Initiator  
(host) and Target (storage). This zone must be part of the effective configuration and must be  
defined using port worldwide name. Please see “Creating a zone” on page 316, and “Enabling  
3. Enter the zone –-rdcreate command.  
4. Enter the cfgSave command to save the frame redirect zones to the defined configuration.  
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Frame Redirection  
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Example of creating a frame redirect zone  
The following example creates a redirect zone, given a host (10:10:10:10:10:10:10:10), target  
(20:20:20:20:20:20:20:20), virtual initiator (30:30:30:30:30:30:30:30), and virtual target  
(40:40:40:40:40:40:40:40):  
switch:admin>zone --rdcreate 10:10:10:10:10:10:10:10 20:20:20:20:20:20:20:20 \  
30:30:30:30:30:30:30:30 40:40:40:40:40:40:40:40 restartable noFCR  
Deleting a frame redirect zone  
Use the following procedure to delete a frame redirect zone:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the zone --rdDelete command to remove the base redirect zone object,  
“red_______base”.  
NOTE  
When the base zone is removed, the redirect zone configuration “r_e_d_i_r_c__fg” is removed  
as well.  
3. Enter the cfgSave command to save changes to the defined configuration.  
Example of deleting a frame redirect zone  
switch:admin> zone --rddelete \  
red_0917_10_10_10_10_10_10_10_10_20_20_20_20_20_20_20_20  
Viewing frame redirect zones  
Use the following procedure to view frame redirect zones:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the cfgShow command.  
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Chapter  
Managing User Accounts  
5
In this chapter  
User accounts overview  
In addition to the default permissions assigned to the roles of root, factory, admin, and user,  
Fabric OS supports up to 252 additional user accounts on the chassis. These accounts expand  
your ability to track account access and audit administrative activities.  
Each user account is associated with the following:  
Admin Domain list — Specifies the Administrative Domains to which a user account is allowed  
to log in.  
Home Admin Domain — Specifies the Admin Domain that the user is logged into by default. The  
home Admin Domain must be a member of the user’s Admin Domain list.  
Permissions — Associate roles with each user account to determine the functional access  
levels within the bounds of the user’s current Admin Domain.  
Virtual Fabric list — Specifies the Virtual Fabric a user account is allowed to log in to.  
Home Virtual Fabric — Specifies the Virtual Fabric that the user is logged into, if available. The  
home Virtual Fabric must be a member of the user’s Virtual Fabric list. If the fabric ID is not  
available, the next-lower valid fabric ID is used.  
LF Permission List — Determines functional access levels within the bounds of the user’s  
Virtual Fabrics.  
Chassis role — Similar to switch-level roles, but applies to a different subset of commands.  
NOTE  
Admin Domains are mutually exclusive from Virtual Fabrics permissions when you set up user  
accounts. You will need to set up different user accounts for each feature.  
You cannot have Admin Domain mode and Virtual Fabrics mode enabled at the same time.  
For more information about Admin Domains, refer to Chapter 17, “Managing Administrative  
For more information about Virtual Fabrics, refer to Chapter 10, “Managing Virtual Fabrics”.  
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User accounts overview  
5
Fabric OS provides four options for authenticating users: remote RADIUS service, remote LDAP  
service, remote TACACS+ service, and the local-switch user database. All options allow users to be  
managed centrally by means of the following methods:  
Remote RADIUS service: Users are managed in a remote RADIUS server. All switches in the  
fabric can be configured to authenticate against the centralized remote database.  
Remote LDAP service: Users are managed in a remote LDAP server. All switches in the fabric  
can be configured to authenticate against the centralized remote database. The remote LDAP  
server can run Microsoft Active Directory or OpenLDAP.  
Remote TACACS+ service. Users are managed in a remote TACACS+ server. All switches in the  
fabric can be configured to authenticate against the centralized remote database.  
Local user database: Users are managed by means of the local user database. The local user  
database is manually synchronized by means of the distribute command to push a copy of the  
switch’s local user database to all other switches in the fabric running Fabric OS v5.3.0 and  
later, but the distribute command is blocked if users with user-defined roles exist on the  
sending switch or on any remote, receiving switch.  
Role-Based Access Control  
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) specifies the permissions that a user account has on the basis  
of the role the account has been assigned. For each role, a set of predefined permissions  
determines the jobs and tasks that can be performed on a fabric and its associated fabric  
elements. Fabric OS uses RBAC to determine which commands a user is allowed to access.  
When you log in to a switch, your user account is associated with a predefined role or a  
user-defined role. The role that your account is associated with determines the level of access you  
have on that switch and in the fabric. The chassis role can also be associated with user-defined  
roles; it has permissions for RBAC classes of commands that are configured when user-defined  
roles are created. The chassis role is similar to a switch-level role, except that it affects a different  
subset of commands. You can use the userConfig command to add this permission to a user  
account.  
Table 12 outlines the Fabric OS predefined (default) roles.  
TABLE 12  
Default Fabric OS roles  
Duties  
Role name  
Description  
Admin  
All administration  
All administrative commands  
BasicSwitchAdmin Restricted switch administration Mostly monitoring with limited switch (local) commands  
FabricAdmin  
Fabric and switch administration All switch and fabric commands, excluding user  
management and Admin Domains commands  
Operator  
General switch administration  
Security administration  
Routine switch-maintenance commands.  
SecurityAdmin  
SwitchAdmin  
All switch security and user management functions  
Local switch administration  
Most switch (local) commands, excluding security, user  
management, and zoning commands  
User  
Monitoring only  
Nonadministrative use, such as monitoring system  
activity  
ZoneAdmin  
Zone administration  
Zone management commands only  
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User accounts overview  
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Admin Domain considerations  
Legacy users with no Admin Domain specified and whose current role is admin will have access to  
AD0 through AD255 (physical fabric admin); otherwise, they will have access to AD0 only.  
If some Admin Domains have been defined for the user and all of them are inactive, the user will  
not be allowed to log in to any switch in the fabric. If no Home Domain is specified for a user, the  
system provides a default home domain.  
The default home domain for the predefined account is AD0. For user-defined accounts, the default  
home domain is the Admin Domain in the user’s Admin Domain list with the lowest ID.  
Role permissions  
Table 13 describes the types of permissions that are assigned to roles.  
TABLE 13  
Permission types  
Abbreviation Definition  
Description  
O
Observe  
The user can run commands by using options that display information only, such as  
running userConfig --show -a to show all users on a switch.  
M
Modify  
The user can run commands by using options that create, change, and delete  
objects on the system, such as running userConfig --change username -r rolename  
to change a user’s role.  
OM  
N
Observe and The user can run commands by using both observe and modify options; if a role has  
Modify  
modify permissions, it almost always has observe permissions.  
None  
The user is not allowed to run commands in a given category.  
To view the permission type for categories of commands, use the classConfig command:  
1. Enter the classConfig --show -classlist command to list all command categories.  
2. Enter the classConfig --showroles command with the command category of interest as the  
argument.  
This command shows the permissions that apply to all commands in a specific category. For  
example:  
> classconfig --showroles authentication  
Roles that have access to the RBAC Class ‘authentication’ are:  
Role name  
---------  
Admin  
Factory  
Root  
Permission  
----------  
OM  
OM  
OM  
OM  
Security Admin  
You can also use the classConfig --showcli command to show the permissions that apply to a  
specific command.  
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The management channel  
The management channel is the communication established between the management  
workstation and the switch. Table 14 shows the number of simultaneous login sessions allowed for  
each role when authenticated locally. The roles are displayed in alphabetic order, which does not  
reflect their importance. When LDAP, RADIUS, or TACACS+ are used for authentication, the total  
number of sessions on a switch may not exceed 32.  
TABLE 14  
Maximum number of simultaneous sessions  
Maximum sessions  
Role name  
Admin  
2
BasicSwitchAdmin  
FabricAdmin  
Operator  
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
SecurityAdmin  
SwitchAdmin  
User  
ZoneAdmin  
Managing user-defined roles  
Fabric OS provides an extensive toolset for managing user-defined roles:  
The roleConfig command is available for defining new roles, deleting created roles, or viewing  
information about user-defined roles.  
The classConfig command is available for displaying RBAC information about each category or  
class of commands, and includes an option to show all roles associated with a given RBAC  
command category.  
The userConfig command can be used to assign a user-defined role to a user account.  
Creating a user-defined role  
You can define a role as long as it has a unique name that is not the same as any of the Fabric OS  
default roles, any other user-defined role, or any existing user account name.  
The following conditions also apply:  
A role name is case-insensitive and contains only letters.  
The role name should have a minimum of 4 letters and can be up to 16 letters long.  
The maximum number of user-defined roles that are allowed on a chassis is 256.  
The roleConfig command can be used to define unique roles. You must have chassis-level access  
and permissions to execute this command. The following example creates a user-defined role  
called mysecurityrole. The RBAC class Security is added to the role, and the Observe permission is  
assigned:  
> roleconfig --add mysecurityrole -class security -perm O  
Role added successfully  
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Local database user accounts  
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The assigned permissions can be no higher than the admin role permission assigned to the class.  
The admin role permission for the Security class is Observe/Modify. Therefore, the Observe  
permission is valid.  
The roleConfig --show command is available to view the permissions assigned to a user-defined  
role. You can also use the classConfig --showroles command to see that the role was indeed  
added with Observe permission for the security commands:  
> classConfig --showroles security  
Roles that have access to RBAC Class ‘security’ are:  
Role Name  
---------  
User  
Permissions  
-----------  
O
Admin  
Factory  
Root  
SwitchAdmin  
FabricAdmin  
BasicSwitchAdmin  
SecurityAdmin  
mysecurityrole  
OM  
OM  
OM  
O
OM  
O
OM  
O
To delete a user-defined role, use the roleConfig --delete command.  
Assigning a user-defined role to a user  
You can assign a user-defined role to a user by using one of the following options of the userConfig  
command:  
userConfig --add with the -r option to create a new user account and assign a role.  
userConfig --change with the -r option to add or change a user-defined role for an existing user  
account.  
userConfig --add with the -c option to create a new user account and assign a chassis role.  
userConfig --change with the -c option to add a chassis role to an account.  
The following example assigns the mysecurityrole role to the existing anewuser account and adds  
the admin chassis role:  
> userConfig --change anewuser -r mysecurityrole -c admin  
Local database user accounts  
User add, change, and delete operations are subject to the subset rule: an admin with ADlist 0–10  
or LFlist 1–10 cannot perform operations on an admin, user, or any role with ADlist 11–25 or LFlist  
11–128. The user account being changed must have an ADlist or LFlist that is a subset of the  
account that is making the change.  
In addition to the default administrative and user accounts, Fabric OS supports up to 252  
user-defined accounts in each switch (domain). These accounts expand your ability to track  
account access and audit administrative activities.  
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Local database user accounts  
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Default accounts  
Table 15 lists the predefined accounts offered by Fabric OS that are available in the local-switch  
user database. The password for all default accounts should be changed during the initial  
installation and configuration of each switch.  
TABLE 15  
Default local user accounts  
Account name  
Role  
Admin Domain  
Logical Fabric  
Description  
admin  
factory  
root  
Admin  
AD0–255  
home: 0  
LF1–128  
home: 128  
Most commands have  
Observe/Modify permission.  
Factory AD0–255  
home: 0  
LF1–128  
home: 128  
Reserved  
Reserved.  
Root  
AD0-255  
home: 0  
LF1-128  
home: 128  
user  
User  
AD0  
LF-128  
Most commands have observe-only  
home: 0  
permission.  
home: 128  
Admin Domain and Virtual Fabrics considerations: Administrators can act on other accounts only if  
that account has an Admin Domain or Logical Fabric list that is a subset of the administrator.  
Displaying account information  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions, or an account  
associated with a user-defined role with permissions for the UserManagement class of  
commands.  
2. Enter the appropriate show operands for the account information you want to display:  
userConfig --show -a to show all account information for a switch  
userConfig --show username to show account information for the specified account  
userConfig --showad -a adminDomain_ID to show all accounts permitted to select the  
specified adminDomain_ID  
userConfig --showlf -l logicalFabric_ID for each LF in an LF_ID_list, displays a list of users  
that include that LF in their LF permissions.  
Creating an account  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions, or an account  
associated with a user-defined role with permissions for the UserManagement class of  
commands.  
2. Enter the userConfig --add command. For example:  
> userconfig --add metoo -l 1-128 -h 128 -r admin -c admin  
This example creates a user account for the user metoo with the following properties:  
Access to Virtual Fabrics 1 through 128  
Default home logical switch to 128  
Admin role permissions  
Admin chassis role permissions  
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Local database user accounts  
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3. In response to the prompt, enter a password for the account.  
The password is not displayed when you enter it on the command line.  
Deleting an account  
This procedure can be performed on local user accounts.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions, or an account  
associated with a user-defined role with permissions for the UserManagement class of  
commands.  
2. Enter the userConfig --delete command.  
You cannot delete the default accounts. An account cannot delete itself. All active CLI sessions  
for the deleted account are logged out.  
3. At the prompt for confirmation, enter y.  
Changing account parameters  
This procedure can be performed on local user accounts.  
When changing account parameters, if you change the ADlist for the user account, all of the  
currently active sessions for that account will be logged out. For more information about changing  
the Admin Domain on an account, refer to Chapter 17, “Managing Administrative Domains”.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions, or an account  
associated with a user-defined role with permissions for the UserManagement class of  
commands.  
2. Enter the userConfig --change command.  
Local account passwords  
The following rules apply to changing passwords:  
Users can change their own passwords.  
To change the password for another account requires admin permissions or an account  
associated with a user-defined role with Modify permissions for the LocalUserEnvironment  
RBAC class of commands. When changing an admin account password, you must provide the  
current password.  
An admin with ADlist 0–10 or LFlist 1–10 cannot change the password on an account with  
admin, user, or any permission with an ADlist 11–25 or LFlist 11–128. The user account being  
changed must have an ADlist that is a subset of the account that is making the change.  
A new password must have at least one character different from the previous password.  
You cannot change passwords by using SNMP.  
Changing the password for the current login account  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the passwd command.  
3. Enter the requested information at the prompts.  
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Local user account database distribution  
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Changing the password for a different account  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the passwd command specifying the name of the account for which the password is  
being changed.  
3. Enter the requested information at the prompts.  
Local user account database distribution  
Fabric OS allows you to distribute the user database and passwords to other switches in the fabric.  
When the switch accepts a distributed user database, it replaces the local user database with the  
user database it receives.  
By default, switches accept the user databases and passwords distributed from other switches.  
The ‘Locked’ status of a user account is not distributed as part of local user database distribution.  
When the user database is distributed, it may be rejected by a switch for one of the following  
reasons:  
One of the target switches does not support local account database distribution.  
One of the target switch’s user database is protected.  
One of the remote switches has logical switches defined.  
Either the local switch or one of the remote switches has user accounts associated with  
user-defined roles.  
Distributing the local user database  
When the local user database is distributed, all user-defined accounts residing in the receiving  
switches are logged out of any active sessions.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the distribute -p PWD -d command.  
NOTE  
If Virtual Fabrics mode is enabled and there are logical switches defined other than the default  
logical switch, then distributing the password database to switches is not supported.  
Distributing the password database to switches is not allowed if there are users associated with user  
defined roles in either the sending switch or remote switch  
Accepting distributed user databases on the local switch  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the fddCfg --localaccept PWD command.  
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Password policies  
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Rejecting distributed user databases on the local switch  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the fddCfg --localreject PWD command.  
Password policies  
The password policies described in this section apply to the local-switch user database only.  
Configured password policies (and all user account attribute and password state information) are  
synchronized across CPs and remain unchanged after an HA failover. Password policies can also be  
manually distributed across the fabric (see “Local user account database distribution” on  
page 140). A list of the configurable password policies follows.  
Password strength  
Password history  
Password expiration  
Account lockout  
All password policies are enforced during logins to the standby CP. However, you may observe that  
the password enforcement behavior on the standby CP is inconsistent with prior login activity; this  
is because password state information from the active CP is automatically synchronized with the  
standby CP, thereby overwriting any password state information that was previously stored there.  
Also, password changes are not permitted on the standby CP.  
Password authentication policies configured using the passwdCfg command are not enforced  
during initial prompts to change default passwords.  
Password strength policy  
The password strength policy is enforced across all user accounts, and enforces a set of format  
rules to which new passwords must adhere. The password strength policy is enforced only when a  
new password is defined. The total of the other password-strength policy parameters (lowercase,  
uppercase, digits, and punctuation) must be less than or equal to the value of the MinLength  
parameter.  
Use the following attributes to the passwdCfg command to set the password strength policy:  
Lowercase  
Specifies the minimum number of lowercase alphabetic characters that must appear in the  
password. The default value is zero. The maximum value must be less than or equal to the  
MinLength value.  
Uppercase  
Specifies the minimum number of uppercase alphabetic characters that must appear in the  
password. The default value is zero. The maximum value must be less than or equal to the  
MinLength value.  
Digits  
Specifies the minimum number of numeric digits that must appear in the password. The  
default value is zero. The maximum value must be less than or equal to the MinLength value.  
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Password policies  
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Punctuation  
Specifies the minimum number of punctuation characters that must appear in the password.  
All printable, non-alphanumeric punctuation characters except the colon ( : ) are allowed. The  
default value is zero. The maximum value must be less than or equal to the MinLength value.  
MinLength  
Specifies the minimum length of the password. The minimum can be from 8 to 40 characters.  
New passwords must be between the minimum length specified and 40 characters. The  
default value is 8. The maximum value must be greater than or equal to the MinLength value.  
Repeat  
Specifies the length of repeated character sequences that will be disallowed. For example, if  
the “repeat” value is set to 3, a password “passAAAword” is disallowed because it contains the  
repeated sequence “AAA”. A password of “passAAword” would be allowed because no repeated  
character sequence exceeds two characters. The range of allowed values is 1 through 40. The  
default value is 1.  
Sequence  
Specifies the length of sequential character sequences that will be disallowed. A sequential  
character sequence is defined as a character sequence in which the ASCII value of each  
contiguous character differs by one. The ASCII value for the characters in the sequence must  
all be increasing or decreasing. For example, if the “sequence” value is set to 3, a password  
“passABCword” is disallowed because it contains the sequence “ABC”. A password of  
“passABword” would be allowed because it contains no sequential character sequence  
exceeding two characters. The range of allowed values is 1 through 40. The default value is 1.  
When set to 1, sequential characters are not enforced.  
Example of a password strength policy  
The following example shows a password strength policy that requires passwords to contain at  
least 3 uppercase characters, 4 lowercase characters, and 2 numeric digits; the minimum  
length of the password is 9 characters.  
> passwdcfg --set -uppercase 3 -lowercase 4 -digits 2 -minlength 9  
Password history policy  
The password history policy prevents users from recycling recently used passwords, and is enforced  
across all user accounts when users are setting their own passwords. The password history policy is  
enforced only when a new password is defined.  
Specify the number of past password values that are disallowed when setting a new password. Allowable  
password history values range between 0 and 24. If the value is set to 0, it means that the new password  
cannot be set to the current password, but can be set to the most recent password. The default value  
is 1, which means the current and one previous password cannot be reused. The value 2 indicates that  
the current and the two previous passwords cannot be used (and so on, up to 24 passwords).  
This policy does not verify that a new password meets a minimal standard of difference from prior  
passwords; rather, it only determines whether or not a newly specified password is identical to one  
of the specified number (1–24) of previously used passwords.  
The password history policy is not enforced when an administrator sets a password for another  
user; instead, the user’s password history is preserved and the password set by the administrator  
is recorded in the user’s password history.  
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Password expiration policy  
The password expiration policy forces the expiration of a password after a configurable period of  
time. The expiration policy can be enforced across all user accounts or on specified users only.  
A warning that password expiration is approaching is displayed when the user logs in. When a  
password expires, the user must change the password to complete the authentication process and  
open a user session. You can specify the number of days prior to password expiration during which  
warnings will commence. Password expiration does not disable or lock out the account.  
Use the following attributes to the passwdCfg command to set the password expiration policy:  
MinPasswordAge  
Specifies the minimum number of days that must elapse before a user can change a  
password. MinPasswordAge values range from 0 through 999. The default value is zero.  
Setting this parameter to a nonzero value discourages users from rapidly changing a password  
in order to circumvent the password history setting to select a recently used password. The  
MinPasswordAge policy is not enforced when an administrator changes the password for  
another user.  
MaxPasswordAge  
Specifies the maximum number of days that can elapse before a password must be changed,  
and is also known as the password expiration period. MaxPasswordAge values range from 0  
through 999. The default value is zero. Setting this parameter to zero disables password  
expiration.  
Warning  
Specifies the number of days prior to password expiration that a warning about password  
expiration is displayed. Warning values range from 0 through 999. The default value is 0 days.  
NOTE  
When MaxPasswordAge is set to a nonzero value, MinPasswordAge and Warning must be set  
to a value that is less than or equal to MaxPasswordAge.  
Example password expiration policies  
The following example configures a password expiration policy for the metoo user account. This  
user must change the password within 90 days of setting the current password and no sooner than  
10 days after setting the current password. The user will start to receive warning messages 3 days  
before the 90-day limit, if the password is not already changed.  
> passwdcfg --setuser metoo -minpasswordage 10 -maxpasswordage 90 -warning 3  
The following example configures a password expiration policy for all users.  
> passwdcfg --set -minpasswordage 5 -maxpasswordage 30 -warning 5  
Account lockout policy  
The account lockout policy disables a user account when that user exceeds a specified number of  
failed login attempts, and is enforced across all user accounts. You can configure this policy to  
keep the account locked until explicit administrative action is taken to unlock it, or the locked  
account can be automatically unlocked after a specified period. Administrators can unlock a locked  
account at any time.  
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A failed login attempt counter is maintained for each user on each switch instance. The counters  
for all user accounts are reset to zero when the account lockout policy is enabled. The counter for  
an individual account is reset to zero when the account is unlocked after a lockout duration period  
expires, or when the account user logs in successfully.  
The admin account can also have the lockout policy enabled on it. The admin account lockout  
policy is disabled by default and uses the same lockout threshold as the other permissions. It can  
be automatically unlocked after the lockout duration passes or when it is manually unlocked by  
either a user account that has a securityAdmin or other admin permissions.  
Virtual Fabrics considerations: The home logical fabric context is used to validate user enforcement  
for the account lockout policy.  
Note that the account-locked state is distinct from the account-disabled state.  
Use the following attributes to set the account lockout policy:  
LockoutThreshold  
Specifies the number of times a user can attempt to log in using an incorrect password before  
the account is locked. The number of failed login attempts is counted from the last successful  
login. LockoutThreshold values range from 0 through 999, and the default value is 0. Setting  
the value to 0 disables the lockout mechanism.  
LockoutDuration  
Specifies the time, in minutes, after which a previously locked account is automatically  
unlocked. LockoutDuration values range from 0 through 99999, and the default value is 30.  
Setting the value to 0 disables lockout duration, and would require a user to seek  
administrative action to unlock the account. The lockout duration begins with the first login  
attempt after the LockoutThreshold has been reached. Subsequent failed login attempts do  
not extend the lockout period.  
Enabling the admin lockout policy  
1. Log in to the switch using an account that has admin or securityAdmin permissions.  
2. Enter the passwdCfg --enableadminlockout command.  
Unlocking an account  
1. Log in to the switch using an account that has admin or securityAdmin permissions.  
2. Enter the userConfig --change account_name -u command specifying the name of the user  
account that is locked out.  
Disabling the admin lockout policy  
1. Log in to the switch using an account that has admin or securityAdmin permissions.  
2. Enter the passwdCfg --disableadminlockout command.  
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The boot PROM password  
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Denial of service implications  
The account lockout mechanism may be used to create a denial of service condition when a user  
repeatedly attempts to log in to an account by using an incorrect password. Selected privileged  
accounts are exempted from the account lockout policy to prevent users from being locked out  
from a denial of service attack. However, these privileged accounts may then become the target of  
password guessing attacks. Audit logs should be examined to monitor if such attacks are  
attempted.  
The boot PROM password  
The boot PROM password provides an additional layer of security by protecting the boot PROM from  
unauthorized use. Setting a recovery string for the boot PROM password enables you to recover a  
lost boot PROM password by contacting your switch service provider. Without the recovery string, a  
lost boot PROM password cannot be recovered.  
Although you can set the boot PROM password without also setting the recovery string, it is strongly  
recommended that you set both the password and the recovery string. If your site procedures  
dictate that you set the boot PROM password without the recovery string, see “Setting the boot  
To set the boot PROM password with or without a recovery string, refer to the section that applies to  
your switch or Backbone model.  
CAUTION  
Setting the boot PROM password requires accessing the boot prompt, which stops traffic flow  
through the switch until the switch is rebooted. Perform this procedure during a planned  
downtime.  
Setting the boot PROM password for a switch with a recovery string  
This procedure applies to the following switch models: Brocade 300, 5410, 5424, 5450, 5460,  
5470, 5480, 5100, 5300, 6505, 6510, 6520, 7800, 8000, and 8510 switches, as well as the  
Brocade Encryption Switch and VA-40FC. If your switch is not listed, please contact your switch  
support provider for instructions.  
1. Connect to the serial port interface as described in “Connecting to Fabric OS through the serial  
2. Reboot the switch.  
3. Press Esc within four seconds after the message “Press escape within 4 seconds...” is  
displayed.  
The following options are available:  
Option  
Description  
1
2
3
Start system.  
Continues the system boot process.  
Recovery password.  
Enter command shell.  
Lets you set the recovery string and the boot PROM password.  
Provides access to boot parameters.  
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The boot PROM password  
4. Enter 2.  
5
If no password was previously set, the following message is displayed:  
Recovery password is NOT set. Please set it now.  
If a password was previously set, the following messages is displayed:  
Send the following string to Customer Support for password recovery:  
afHTpyLsDo1Pz0Pk5GzhIw==  
Enter the supplied recovery password.  
Recovery Password:  
5. Enter the recovery password (string).  
The recovery string must be between 8 and 40 alphanumeric characters. A random string that  
is 15 characters or longer is recommended for higher security. The firmware prompts for this  
password only once. It is not necessary to remember the recovery string, because it is  
displayed the next time you enter the command shell.  
The following prompt is displayed:  
New password:  
6. Enter the boot PROM password, and then reenter it when prompted. The password must be  
eight alphanumeric characters (any additional characters are not recorded). Record this  
password for future use.  
The new password is automatically saved.  
7. Reboot the switch by typing the reset command at the prompt.  
Setting the boot PROM password for a Backbone with a recovery string  
This procedure applies to the Brocade DCX, DCX-4S, DCX 8510-4, and DCX 8510-8 Backbones. The  
boot PROM and recovery passwords must be set for each CP blade.  
1. Connect to the serial port interface on the standby CP blade, as described in “Connecting to  
2. Connect to the active CP blade over a serial or Telnet connection and enter the haDisable  
command to prevent failover during the remaining steps.  
3. Reboot the standby CP blade by sliding the On/Off switch on the ejector handle of the standby  
CP blade to Off, and then back to On.  
4. Press Esc within four seconds after the message “Press escape within 4 seconds...” is  
displayed.  
The following options are available:  
Option  
Description  
1
2
3
Start system.  
Continues the system boot process.  
Recovery password.  
Lets you set the recovery string and the boot PROM password.  
Provides access to boot parameters.  
Enter command shell.  
5. Enter 2. Take the following appropriate action based on whether you find the password was  
previously set:  
If no password was previously set, the following message is displayed:  
Recovery password is NOT set. Please set it now.  
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If a password was previously set, the following messages are displayed:  
Send the following string to Customer Support for password recovery:  
afHTpyLsDo1Pz0Pk5GzhIw==  
Enter the supplied recovery password.  
Recovery Password:  
6. Enter the recovery password (string).  
The recovery string must be between 8 and 40 alphanumeric characters. A random string that  
is 15 characters or longer is recommended for higher security. The firmware only prompts for  
this password once. It is not necessary to remember the recovery string because it is displayed  
the next time you enter the command shell.  
The following prompt is displayed:  
New password:  
7. Enter the boot PROM password, and then reenter it when prompted. The password must be  
eight alphanumeric characters (any additional characters are not recorded). Record this  
password for future use.  
The new password is automatically saved (the saveEnv command is not required).  
8. Connect to the active CP blade over a serial or Telnet connection and enter the haEnable  
command to restore high availability, and then fail over the active CP blade by entering the  
haFailover command.  
Traffic flow through the active CP blade resumes when the failover is complete.  
9. Connect the serial cable to the serial port on the new standby CP blade (previously the active  
CP blade).  
10. Repeat step 2 through step 7 for the new standby CP blade (each CP blade has a separate  
boot PROM password).  
11. Connect to the active CP blade over a serial or Telnet connection and enter the haEnable  
command to restore high availability.  
Although you can set the boot PROM password without also setting the recovery string, it is strongly  
recommended that you set both the password and the string as described in “Setting the boot  
that you must set the boot PROM password without the string, follow the procedure that applies to  
your switch model.  
Setting the boot PROM password for a switch without a recovery string  
This procedure applies to the fixed-port switch models.  
The password recovery instructions provided within this section are only for the switches listed in  
the Preface. If your switch is not listed, contact your switch support provider for instructions.  
1. Create a serial connection to the switch as described in “Connecting to Fabric OS through the  
2. Reboot the switch by entering the reboot command.  
3. Press Esc within four seconds after the message “Press escape within 4 seconds...” is  
displayed.  
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The following options are available:  
Option  
Description  
1
2
3
Start system.  
Continues the system boot process.  
Recovery password.  
Lets you set the recovery string and the boot PROM password.  
Provides access to boot parameters.  
Enter command shell.  
4. Enter 3.  
5. At the shell prompt, enter the passwd command.  
The passwd command only applies to the boot PROM password when it is entered from the  
boot interface.  
6. Enter the boot PROM password at the prompt, and then reenter it when prompted. The  
password must be eight alphanumeric characters (any additional characters are not recorded).  
Record this password for future use.  
7. Enter the saveEnv command to save the new password.  
8. Reboot the switch by entering the reset command.  
Setting the boot PROM password for a Backbone without a recovery  
string  
This procedure applies to the Brocade DCX, DCX-4S, DCX 8510-4, and DCX 8510-8 Backbones.  
On the Brocade DCX Backbone, set the password on the standby CP blade, fail over, and then set  
the password on the previously active (now standby) CP blade to minimize disruption to the fabric.  
1. Determine the active CP blade by opening a Telnet session to either CP blade, connecting as  
admin, and entering the haShow command.  
2. Connect to the active CP blade over a serial or Telnet connection and enter the haDisable  
command to prevent failover during the remaining steps.  
3. Create a serial connection to the standby CP blade as described in “Connecting to Fabric OS  
4. Reboot the standby CP blade by sliding the On/Off switch on the ejector handle of the standby  
CP blade to Off, and then back to On.  
This causes the blade to reset.  
5. Press Esc within four seconds after the message Press escape within 4 seconds...is  
displayed.  
The following options are available:  
Option  
Description  
1
2
3
Start system.  
Continues the system boot process.  
Recovery password.  
Lets you set the recovery string and the boot PROM password.  
Provides access to boot parameters.  
Enter command shell.  
6. Enter 3.  
7. Enter the passwd command at the shell prompt.  
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The passwd command applies only to the boot PROM password when it is entered from the  
boot interface.  
8. Enter the boot PROM password at the prompt, and then re-enter it when prompted.  
The password must be eight alphanumeric characters (any additional characters are not  
recorded). Record this password for future use.  
9. Enter the saveEnv command to save the new password.  
10. Reboot the standby CP blade by entering the reset command.  
11. Connect to the active CP blade by serial or Telnet and enter the haEnable command to restore  
high availability, and then fail over the active CP blade by entering the haFailover command.  
Traffic resumes flowing through the newly active CP blade after it has completed rebooting.  
12. Connect the serial cable to the serial port on the new standby CP blade (previously the active  
CP blade).  
13. Repeat step 3 through step 10 for the new standby CP blade.  
14. Connect to the active CP blade over a serial or Telnet connection and enter the haEnable  
command to restore high availability.  
NOTE  
To recover lost passwords refer to the Fabric OS Troubleshooting and Diagnostics Guide.  
Remote authentication  
Fabric OS supports user authentication through the local user database or one of the following  
external authentication services:  
Remote authentication dial-in user service (RADIUS)  
Lightweight directory access protocol (LDAP) using Microsoft Active Directory in Windows or  
OpenLDAP in Linux.  
Terminal Access Controller Access-Control System Plus (TACACS+)  
Remote Authentication Configuration  
A switch can be configured to try one of the supported remote authentication services (RADIUS,  
LDAP, or TACACS+) and local switch authentication. The switch can also be configured to use only a  
remote authentication service, or only local switch authentication.  
Client/server model  
When configured to use one of the supported remote authentication services, the switch acts as a  
network access server (NAS) and RADIUS, LDAP, or TACACS+ client. The switch sends all  
authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) service requests to the authentication server.  
The authentication server receives the request, validates the request, and sends its response back  
to the switch.  
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The supported management access channels that integrate with RADIUS, LDAP, and TACACS+  
include serial port, Telnet, SSH, Web Tools, and API. All these access channels require the switch IP  
address or name to connect. RADIUS, LDAP, and TACACS+ servers accept both IPv4 and IPv6  
address formats. For accessing both the active and standby CP, and for the purpose of HA failover,  
both CP IP addresses of a Backbone should be included in the authentication server configuration.  
NOTE  
For systems such as the Brocade DCX Backbone, the switch IP addresses are aliases of the physical  
Ethernet interfaces on the CP blades. When specifying client IP addresses for the logical switches in  
such systems, make sure that the CP IP addresses are used.  
Authentication server data  
When configured for remote authentication, a switch becomes a RADIUS, LDAP, or TACACS+ client.  
In any of these configurations, authentication records are stored in the authentication host server  
database. Login and logout account name, assigned permissions, and time-accounting records are  
also stored on the authentication server for each user.  
Switch configuration  
By default, the remote authentication services are disabled, so AAA services default to the switch’s  
local database.  
To enable remote authentication, it is strongly recommended that you access the CLI through an  
SSH connection so that the shared secret is protected. Multiple login sessions can configure  
simultaneously, and the last session to apply a change leaves its configuration in effect. After a  
configuration is applied, it persists after a reboot or an HA failover.  
To enable the secure LDAP service, you need to install a certificate from the Microsoft Active  
Directory server or the OpenLDAP server. By default, the LDAP service does not require certificates.  
The configuration applies to all switches. On a Backbone, the configuration replicates itself on a  
standby CP blade if one is present. It is saved in a configuration upload and applied in a  
configuration download.  
Brocade recommends configuring at least two authentication servers, so that if one fails the other  
will assume service. Up to five servers are supported.  
You can set the configuration with any one of the supported authentication services and local  
authentication enabled, so that if the authentication servers do not respond because of a power  
failure or network problems, the switch uses local authentication.  
Consider the effects of the use of a remote authentication service on other Fabric OS features. For  
example, when a remote authentication service is enabled, all account passwords must be  
managed on the authentication server. The Fabric OS mechanisms for changing switch passwords  
remain functional; however, such changes affect only the involved switches locally. They do not  
propagate to the authentication server, nor do they affect any account on the authentication server.  
Authentication servers also support notifying users of expiring passwords.  
When RADIUS, LDAP, or TACACS+ is set up for a fabric that contains a mix of switches with and  
without RADIUS, LDAP, and TACACS+ support, the way a switch authenticates users depends on  
whether a RADIUS, LDAP, or TACACS+ server is set up for that switch. For a switch with remote  
authentication support and configuration, authentication bypasses the local password database.  
For a switch without remote authentication support or configuration, authentication uses the  
switch’s local account names and passwords.  
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Supported LDAP options  
Table 16 summarizes the various LDAP options and Brocade support for each.  
TABLE 16  
LDAP options  
Description  
Protocol  
Channel type Default port  
URL  
Brocade  
supported?  
LDAPv3  
LDAP over TCP  
Unsecured  
Secured  
389  
389  
ldap://  
ldap://  
No  
LDAPv3 with TLS  
extension  
LDAPv3 over TLS  
Yes  
LDAPv3 with TLS  
and Certificate  
LDAPv3 over TLS channel and  
authenticated using a certificate  
Secured  
389  
ldap://  
Yes  
1
LDAPv2 with SSL  
LDAPv2 over SSL. Port 636 is used for Secured  
SSL. Port 389 is for connecting to  
LDAP.  
636 and 389 ldaps:// No  
1. This protocol was deprecated in 2003 when LDAPv3 was standardized.  
Command options  
Table 17 outlines the aaaConfig command options used to set the authentication mode.  
TABLE 17 Authentication configuration options  
aaaConfig options  
Description  
Equivalent setting in  
Fabric OS v5.1.0 and  
earlier  
1
--radius  
--switchdb  
--authspec “local”  
Default setting. Authenticates management  
connections against the local database only.  
If the password does not match or the user is  
not defined, the login fails.  
Off  
On  
Off  
not  
--authspec “radius”  
Authenticates management connections  
against any RADIUS databases only.  
If the RADIUS service is not available or the  
credentials do not match, the login fails.  
On  
--authspec “radius;local”  
--authspec “radius;local” --backup  
Authenticates management connections  
against any RADIUS databases first.  
If RADIUS fails for any reason, authenticates  
against the local user database.  
not  
supported supported  
Authenticates management connections  
against any RADIUS databases. If RADIUS fails  
because the service is not available, it then  
authenticates against the local user database.  
The --backup option directs the service to try  
the secondary authentication database only if  
the primary authentication database is not  
available.  
On  
On  
--authspec “ldap”  
Authenticates management connections  
against any LDAP databases only. If LDAP  
service is not available or the credentials do  
not match, the login fails.  
n/a  
n/a  
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TABLE 17  
Authentication configuration options (Continued)  
aaaConfig options  
Description  
Equivalent setting in  
Fabric OS v5.1.0 and  
earlier  
1
--radius  
--switchdb  
--authspec “ldap; local”  
Authenticates management connections  
against any LDAP databases first. If LDAP fails  
for any reason, it then authenticates against  
the local user database.  
n/a  
On  
--authspec “ldap; local” --backup  
Authenticates management connections  
against any LDAP databases first. If LDAP fails  
for any reason, it then authenticates against  
the local user database. The --backup option  
states to try the secondary authentication  
database only if the primary authentication  
database is not available.  
n/a  
On  
--authspec “tacacs+”  
Authenticates management connections  
against any TACACS+ databases only. If  
TACACS+ service is not available or the  
credentials do not match, the login fails.  
not  
not  
supported supported  
--authspec “tacacs+; local”  
Authenticates management connections  
against any TACACS+ databases first. If  
TACACS+ fails for any reason, it then  
not  
not  
supported supported  
authenticates against the local user database.  
--authspec “tacacs+; local” --backup Authenticates management connections  
against any TACACS+ databases first. If  
TACACS+ fails for any reason, it then  
not  
not  
supported supported  
authenticates against the local user database.  
The --backup option states to try the  
secondary authentication database only if the  
primary authentication database is not  
available.  
--authspec -nologout  
Prevents users from being logged out when  
you change authentication. Default behavior is  
to log users out when you change  
authentication.  
n/a  
n/a  
1. Fabric OS v5.1.0 and earlier aaaConfig --switchdb <on | off> setting.  
Setting the switch authentication mode  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the aaaConfig --authspec command.  
Fabric OS user accounts  
RADIUS, LDAP, and TACACS+ servers allow you to set up user accounts by their true network-wide  
identity rather than by the account names created on a Fabric OS switch. With each account name,  
assign the appropriate switch access permissions. For LDAP servers, you can use the  
ldapCfg -–maprole ldap_role name switch_role command to map LDAP server permissions.  
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RADIUS, LDAP, and TACACS+ support all the defined RBAC roles described in Table 12 on  
Users must enter their assigned RADIUS, LDAP, or TACACS+ account name and password when  
logging in to a switch that has been configured with remote authentication. After the remote  
authentication (RADIUS, LDAP, or TACACS+) server authenticates a user, it responds with the  
assigned switch role in a Brocade Vendor-Specific Attribute (VSA). If the response does not have a  
VSA permissions assignment, the user role is assigned. If no Administrative Domain is assigned,  
then the user is assigned to the default Admin Domain AD0.  
You can set a user password expiration date and add a warning for RADIUS login and TACACS+  
login. The password expiry date must be specified in UTC and in MM/DD/YYYY format. The  
password warning specifies the number of days prior to the password expiration that a warning of  
password expiration notifies the user. You either specify both attributes or none. If you specify a  
single attribute or there is a syntax error in the attributes, the password expiration warning will not  
be issued. If your RADIUS server maintains its own password expiration attributes, you must set the  
exact date twice to use this feature, once on your RADIUS server and once in the VSA attribute. If  
the dates do not match, then the RADIUS server authentication fails.  
Table 18 describes the syntax used for assigning VSA-based account switch roles on a RADIUS  
server.  
TABLE 18  
Syntax for VSA-based account roles  
Item  
Value  
Description  
Type  
26  
1 octet  
Length  
7 or higher 1 octet, calculated by the server  
Vendor ID  
Vendor type  
1588  
1
4 octet, Brocade SMI Private Enterprise Code  
1 octet, Brocade-Auth-Role; valid attributes for the Brocade-Auth-Role are:  
Admin  
BasicSwitchAdmin  
FabricAdmin  
Operator  
SecurityAdmin  
SwitchAdmin  
User  
ZoneAdmin  
2
Optional: Specifies the Admin Domain or Virtual Fabric member list. For  
more information on Admin Domains or Virtual Fabrics, see “RADIUS  
Brocade-AVPairs1  
3
4
5
6
7
Brocade-AVPairs2  
Brocade-AVPairs3  
Brocade-AVPairs4  
Brocade Password ExpiryDate  
Brocade Password ExpiryWarning  
Vendor length  
2 or higher 1 octet, calculated by server, including vendor-type and vendor-length  
Attribute-specific data ASCII string Multiple octet, maximum 253, indicating the name of the assigned role and  
other supported attribute values such as Admin Domain member list.  
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Fabric OS users on the RADIUS server  
All existing Fabric OS mechanisms for managing local-switch user accounts and passwords remain  
functional when the switch is configured to use RADIUS. Changes made to the local switch  
database do not propagate to the RADIUS server, nor do the changes affect any account on the  
RADIUS server.  
Windows 2000 IAS  
To configure a Windows 2000 internet authentication service (IAS) server to use VSA to pass the  
admin role to the switch in the dial-in profile, the configuration specifies the Vendor code (1588),  
Vendor-assigned attribute number (1), and attribute value (admin), as shown in Figure 10.  
FIGURE 10 Windows 2000 VSA configuration  
Linux FreeRADIUS server For the configuration on a Linux FreeRADIUS server, define the  
values outlined in Table 19 in a vendor dictionary file called dictionary.brocade.  
TABLE 19  
Entries in dictionary.brocade file  
Key  
Include  
Value  
VENDOR  
Brocade  
1588  
ATTRIBUTE  
Brocade-Auth-Role  
Brocade-AVPairs1, 2, 3, 4  
1 string Brocade  
2, 3, 4, 5 string  
Admin Domain or Virtual Fabric member list  
Brocade-Passwd-ExpiryDate  
Brocade-Passwd-WarnPeriod  
6 string MM/DD/YYYY in UTC  
7 integer in days  
After you have completed the dictionary file, define the permissions for the user in a configuration  
file. For example, to grant the user jsmith admin permissions, you would add the following  
statement to the configuration file:  
swladmin  
Auth-Type := Local, User-Password == "myPassword"  
Brocade-Auth-Role = "admin",  
Brocade-AVPairs1 = "HomeLF=70",  
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Brocade-AVPairs2 =  
"LFRoleList=admin:2,4-8,70,80,128;ChassisRole=admin",  
Brocade-Passwd-ExpiryDate = "11/10/2011",  
Brocade-Passwd-WarnPeriod = "30"  
RADIUS configuration with Admin Domains or Virtual Fabrics  
When configuring users with Admin Domains or Virtual Fabrics, you must also include the Admin  
Domain or Virtual Fabric member list. This section describes the way that you configure attribute  
types for this configuration.  
The values for these attribute types use the syntax key=val[;key=val], where key is a text description  
of attributes, value is the attribute value for the given key, the equal sign (=) is the separator  
between key and value, and the semicolon (;) is an optional separator for multiple key-value pairs.  
Multiple key-value pairs can appear for one Vendor-Type code. Key-value pairs with the same key  
name may be concatenated across multiple Vendor-Type codes. You can use any combination of  
the Vendor-Type codes to specify key-value pairs. Note that a switch always parses these attributes  
from Vendor-Type code 2 to Vendor-Type code 4.  
Only the following keys are accepted; all other keys are ignored.  
HomeAD is the designated home Admin Domain for the account. The valid range of values is  
from 0 to 255. The first valid HomeAD key-value pair is accepted by the switch, and any  
additional HomeAD key-value pairs are ignored.  
ADList is a comma-separated list of Administrative Domain numbers to which this account is a  
member. Valid numbers range from 0 to 255. A dash between two numbers specifies a range.  
Multiple ADlist key-value pairs within the same or across the different Vendor-Type codes are  
concatenated. Multiple occurrences of the same Admin Domain number are ignored.  
HomeLF is the designated home Virtual Fabric for the account. The valid values are between 1  
to 128 and chassis context. The first valid HomeLF key-value pair is accepted by the switch,  
additional HomeLF key-value pairs are ignored.  
LFRoleList is a comma-separated list of Virtual Fabric ID numbers to which this account is a  
member. Valid numbers range from 1 to 128. A dash between two numbers specifies a range.  
Multiple Virtual Fabric list key-value pairs within the same or across different Vendor-Type  
codes are concatenated. Multiple occurrences of the same Virtual Fabric ID number are  
ignored.  
ChassisRole is the account access permission at the chassis level. The chassis role allows the  
user to execute chassis-related commands in a Virtual Fabrics-enabled environment. Valid  
chassis roles include the default roles and any of the user-defined roles.  
RADIUS authentication requires that the account have valid permissions through the attribute type  
Brocade-Auth-Role. The additional attribute values ADList, HomeAD, HomeLF, and LFRoleList are  
optional. If they are unspecified, the account can log in with AD0 as its member list and home  
Admin Domain or VF128 as its member list and home Virtual Fabric. If there is an error in the  
ADlist, HomeAD, LFRoleList, or HomeLF specification, the account cannot log in until the AD list or  
Virtual Fabric list is corrected; an error message is displayed.  
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For example, on a Linux FreeRADIUS Server, the user (user-za) with the following settings takes the  
“zoneAdmin” permissions, with AD member list: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12; the Home Admin Domain  
will be 1.  
user-za Auth-Type := Local, User-Password == "password"  
Brocade-Auth-Role = "ZoneAdmin",  
Brocade-AVPairs1 = "ADList=1,2,6,"  
Brocade-AVPairs2 = "ADList=4-8;ADList=7,9,12"  
In the next example, on a Linux FreeRADIUS Server, the user has the “operator” permissions, with  
ADList 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 20 and HomeAD 2.  
user-opr Auth-Type := Local, User-Password == "password"  
Brocade-Auth-Role = "operator",  
Brocade-AVPairs1 = "ADList=1,2;HomeAD=2",  
Brocade-AVPairs2 = "ADList=-4-8,20;ADList=7,9,12"  
In the next example, on a Linux FreeRADIUS Server, the user has the “zoneAdmin” permissions,  
with VFlist 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15 17, 19, 22, 23, 24, 25, 29, 31 and HomeLF 1.  
user300 Auth-Type := Local, User-Password == "password"  
Brocade-Auth-Role = "zoneadmin",  
Brocade-AVPairs1 = "HomeLF=1;LFRoleList=securityadmin:2,4-8,10”  
Brocade-AVPairs2 = "LFRoleList=admin:11-13, 15, 17, 19;user:22-25,29,31"  
Brocade-AVPairs3 = "ChassisRole=switchadmin"  
Setting up a RADIUS server  
NOTE  
To set up the RADIUS server, you must know the switch IP address, in either IPv4 or IPv6 notation,  
or the name to connect to switches. Use the ipAddrShow command to display a switch IP address.  
For Brocade Backbones, the switch IP addresses are aliases of the physical Ethernet interfaces on  
the CP blades. When specifying client IP addresses for the logical switches in these systems, make  
sure the CP blade IP addresses are used. For accessing both the active and standby CP blade, and  
for the purpose of HA failover, both of the CP blade IP addresses must be included in the RADIUS  
server configuration.  
User accounts should be set up by their true network-wide identity rather than by the account  
names created on a Fabric OS switch. Along with each account name, the administrator must  
assign appropriate switch access permissions. To manage a fabric, one can set these permissions  
to user, admin, and securityAdmin.  
Configuring RADIUS server support with Linux  
The following procedures work for FreeRADIUS on Solaris and Red Hat Linux. FreeRADIUS is a  
freeware RADIUS server that you can find at the following website:  
Follow the installation instructions at the website. FreeRADIUS runs on Linux (all versions),  
FreeBSD, NetBSD, and Solaris. If you make a change to any of the files used in this configuration,  
you must stop the server and restart it for the changes to take effect.  
FreeRADIUS installation places the configuration files in $PREFIX/etc/raddb. By default, the  
PREFIX is /usr/local.  
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Configuring RADIUS service on Linux consists of the following tasks:  
Adding the Brocade attributes to the server  
Creating the user  
Enabling clients  
Adding the Brocade attributes to the server  
1. Create and save the file $PREFIX/etc/raddb/dictionary.brocade with the following information:  
# dictionary.brocade  
#
VENDOR Brocade 1588  
#
# attributes  
#
ATTRIBUTE  
ATTRIBUTE  
ATTRIBUTE  
ATTRIBUTE  
ATTRIBUTE  
ATTRIBUTE  
ATTRIBUTE  
Brocade-Auth-Role  
Brocade-AVPairs1  
Brocade-AVPairs2  
Brocade-AVPairs3  
Brocade-AVPairs4  
Brocade-Passwd-ExpiryDate  
Brocade-Passwd-WarnPeriod  
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
string Brocade  
string Brocade  
string Brocade  
string Brocade  
string Brocade  
string Brocade  
string Brocade  
This information defines the Brocade vendor ID as 1588, Brocade attribute 1 as  
Brocade-Auth-Role, Brocade attribute 6 as Brocade-Passwd-ExpiryDate, and Brocade attribute  
7 as Brocade-Passwd-WarnPeriod.  
2. Open the file $PREFIX/etc/raddb/dictionary in a text editor and add the line:  
$INCLUDE dictionary.brocade  
As a result, the file dictionary.brocade is located in the RADIUS configuration directory and  
loaded for use by the RADIUS server.  
Creating the user  
1. Open the $PREFIX/etc/raddb/user file in a text editor.  
2. Add the user names and their permissions for users accessing the switch and authenticating  
through RADIUS.  
The user logs in using the permissions specified with Brocade-Auth-Role. The valid permissions  
include root, admin, switchAdmin, zoneAdmin, securityAdmin, basicSwitchAdmin, fabricAdmin,  
operator, and user. You must use quotation marks around “password” and “role”.  
Example of adding a user name to the RADIUS authentication  
For example, to set up an account called JohnDoe with admin permissions with a password  
expiry date of May 28, 2008 and a warning period of 30 days:  
JohnDoe Auth-Type := Local  
User-Password == "johnPassword",  
Brocade-Auth-Role = "admin",  
Brocade-Passwd-ExpiryDate = "05/28/08",  
Brocade-Passwd-WarnPeriod = "30"  
Example of using the local system password to authenticate users  
The next example uses the local system password file to authenticate users.  
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Auth-Type := System  
Brocade-Auth-Role = "admin",  
swadmin  
Brocade-AVPairs1 = "HomeLF=70",  
Brocade-AVPairs2 = "LFRoleList=admin:2,4-8,70,80,128",  
Brocade-AVPairs3 = "ChassisRole=switchadmin",  
Brocade-Passwd-ExpiryDate = "11/10/2008",  
Brocade-Passwd-WarnPeriod = "30"  
When you use network information service (NIS) for authentication, the only way to enable  
authentication with the password file is to force the Brocade switch to authenticate using password  
authentication protocol (PAP); this requires the -a pap option with the aaaConfig command.  
Enabling clients  
Clients are the switches that will use the RADIUS server; each client must be defined. By default, all  
IP addresses are blocked.  
The Brocade Backbones send their RADIUS requests using the IP address of the active CP. When  
adding clients, add both the active and standby CP IP addresses so that, in the event of a failover,  
users can still log in to the switch.  
1. Open the $PREFIX/etc/raddb/client.config file in a text editor and add the switches that are to  
be configured as RADIUS clients.  
For example, to configure the switch at IP address 10.32.170.59 as a client:  
client 10.32.170.59  
secret  
= Secret  
shortname  
nastype  
= Testing Switch  
= other  
In this example, shortname is an alias used to easily identify the client. Secret is the shared  
secret between the client and server. Make sure the shared secret matches that configured on  
2. Save the file $PREFIX/etc/raddb/client.config, and then start the RADIUS server as follows:  
$PREFIX/sbin/radiusd  
Configuring RADIUS server support with Windows 2000  
The instructions for setting up RADIUS on a Windows 2000 server are listed here for your  
convenience but are not guaranteed to be accurate for your network environment. Always check  
with your system administrator before proceeding with setup.  
NOTE  
All instructions involving Microsoft Windows 2000 can be obtained from www.microsoft.com or your  
Microsoft documentation. Confer with your system or network administrator prior to configuration  
for any special needs your network environment may have.  
Configuring RADIUS service on Windows 2000 consists of the following steps:  
1. Installing Internet Authentication Service (IAS)  
For more information and instructions on installing IAS, refer to the Microsoft website.  
2. Enabling the Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP)  
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If CHAP authentication is required, then Windows must be configured to store passwords with  
reversible encryption. Reverse password encryption is not the default behavior; it must be  
enabled.  
NOTE  
If a user is configured prior to enabling reverse password encryption, then the user’s password  
is stored and cannot utilize CHAP. To use CHAP, the password must be reentered after  
encryption is enabled. If the password is not re-entered, then CHAP authentication will not work  
and the user will be unable to authenticate from the switch.  
Alternatives to using CHAP are Password Authentication Protocol (PAP), or PEAP-MSCHAPv2.  
3. Configuring a user  
IAS is the Microsoft implementation of a RADIUS server and proxy. IAS uses the Windows  
native user database to verify user login credentials; it does not list specific users, but instead  
lists user groups. Each user group should be associated with a specific switch role. For  
example, you should configure a user group for root, admin, factory, switchAdmin, and user,  
and then add any users whose logins you want to associate to the appropriate group.  
4. Configuring the server  
For more information and instructions on configuring the server, refer to the Microsoft website.  
Below is the information you will need to configure the RADIUS server for a Brocade switch. A  
client is the device that uses the RADIUS server; in this case, it is the switch.  
a. For the Add RADIUS Client window, provide the following:  
Client address (IP or DNS) Enter the IP address of the switch.  
Client-Vendor — Select RADIUS Standard.  
Shared secret — Provide a password. Shared secret is a password used between the client  
device and server to prevent IP address spoofing by unwanted clients. Keep your shared  
secret password in a safe place. You will need to enter this password in the switch  
configuration.  
After clicking Finish, add a new client for all switches on which RADIUS authentication will  
be used.  
b. In the Internet Authentication Service window, right-click the Remote Access Policies  
folder, and then select New Remote Access Policy from the pop-up window.  
A remote access policy must be created for each group of Brocade login permissions (root,  
admin, factory, switchAdmin, and user) for which you want to use RADIUS. Apply this policy  
to the user groups that you already created.  
c. In the Vendor-Specific Attribute Information window, enter the vendor code value 1588.  
Click the Yes. It conforms radio button, and then click Configure Attribute.  
d. In the Configure VSA (RFC compliant) window, enter the following values, and then click  
OK.  
Vendor-assigned attribute number — Enter the value 1.  
Attribute format — Enter String.  
Attribute value — Enter the login role (root, admin, switchAdmin, user, and so on) that the  
user group must use to log in to the switch.  
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e. After returning to the Internet Authentication Service window, add additional policies for all  
Brocade login types for which you want to use the RADIUS server. After this is done, you  
can configure the switch.  
NOTE  
Windows 2008 RADIUS (NPS) support is also available.  
RSA RADIUS server  
Traditional password-based authentication methods are based on one-factor authentication, where  
you confirm your identity using a memorized password. Two-factor authentication increases the  
security by using a second factor to corroborate identification. The first factor is either a PIN or  
password and the second factor is the RSA SecurID token.  
RSA SecurID with an RSA RADIUS server is used for user authentication. The Brocade switch does  
not communicate directly with the RSA Authentication Manager, so the RSA RADIUS server is used  
in conjunction with the switch to facilitate communication.  
To learn more about how RSA SecurID works, visit www.rsa.com for more information.  
Setting up the RSA RADIUS server  
For more information on how to install and configure the RSA Authentication Manager and the RSA  
RADIUS server, refer to your documentation or visit www.rsa.com.  
1. Create user records in the RSA Authentication Manager.  
2. Configure the RSA Authentication Manager by adding an agent host.  
3. Configure the RSA RADIUS server.  
Setting up the RSA RADIUS server involves adding RADIUS clients, users, and vendor specific  
attributes to the RSA RADIUS server.  
a. Add the following data to the vendor.ini file:  
vendor-product = Brocade  
dictionary = brocade  
ignore-ports = no  
port-number-usage = per-port-type  
help-id = 2000  
b. Create a brocade.dct file that needs to be added into the dictiona.dcm file located in the  
following path:  
C:\Program Files\RSA Security\RSA RADIUS\Service  
Figure 11 on page 161 shows what the brocade.dct file should look like and Figure 12 on  
page 162 shows what needs to be modified in the brocade.dcm file.  
NOTE  
The dictionary files for RSA RADIUS server must remain in the installation directory. Do not  
move the files to other locations on your computer.  
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c. Add Brocade-VSA macro and define the attributes as follows:  
vid (Vendor-ID): 1588  
type1 (Vendor-Type): 1  
len1 (Vendor-Length): >=2  
#######################################################################  
# brocade.dct -- Brocade Dictionary  
#
# (See readme.dct for more details on the format of this file)  
#######################################################################  
#
# Use the Radius specification attributes in lieu of the Brocade one:  
#
@radius.dct  
MACRO Brocade-VSA(t,s) 26 [vid=1588 type1=%t% len1=+2 data=%s%]  
ATTRIBUTE Brocade-Auth-Role  
ATTRIBUTE Brocade-Passwd-ExpiryDate  
ATTRIBUTE Brocade-Passwd-WarnPeriod  
Brocade-VSA(1,string) r  
Brocade-VSA(6,string) r  
Brocade-VSA(7,integer) r  
#######################################################################  
# brocade.dct -- Brocade Dictionary  
#######################################################################  
FIGURE 11 Example of a Brocade DCT file  
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#######################################################################  
# dictiona.dcm  
#######################################################################  
# Generic Radius  
@radius.dct  
#
# Specific Implementations (vendor specific)  
#
@3comsw.dct  
@aat.dct  
@acc.dct  
@accessbd.dct  
@agere.dct  
@agns.dct  
@airespace.dct  
@alcatel.dct  
@altiga.dct  
@annex.dct  
@aptis.dct  
@ascend.dct  
@ascndvsa.dct  
@axc.dct  
@bandwagn.dct  
@brocade.dct <-------  
FIGURE 12 Example of the dictiona.dcm file  
d. When selecting items from the Add Return List Attribute, select Brocade-Auth-Role and  
type the string Admin. The string will equal the role on the switch.  
e. Add the Brocade profile.  
f. In RSA Authentication Manager, edit the user records that will be authenticating using RSA  
SecurID.  
LDAP configuration and Microsoft Active Directory  
LDAP provides user authentication and authorization using the Microsoft Active Directory service or  
using Open LDAP in conjunction with LDAP on the switch. This section discusses authentication  
and authorization using Microsoft Active Directory. For information about authentication and  
authorization using OpenLDAP, refer to “LDAP configuration and OpenLDAP” on page 165.  
Two operational modes exists in LDAP authentication, FIPS mode and non-FIPS mode. This section  
discusses LDAP authentication in non-FIPS mode. For more information on LDAP in FIPS mode,  
refer to Chapter 7, “Configuring Security Policies”. The following are restrictions when using LDAP in  
non-FIPS mode:  
There is no password change through Active Directory.  
There is no automatic migration of newly created users from the local switch database to  
Active Directory. This is a manual process explained later.  
Only IPv4 is supported for LDAP on Windows 2000 and LDAP on Windows Server 2003.  
For LDAP on Windows Server 2008, both IPv4 and IPv6 are supported.  
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LDAP authentication is used on the local switch only and not for the entire fabric.  
You can use the User-Principal-Name and not the Common-Name for AD LDAP authentication.  
To provide backward compatibility, authentication based on the Common Name is still  
supported for Active Directory LDAP 2000 and 2003. Common Name based-authentication is  
not recommended for new installations.  
A user can belong to multiple groups as long as one of the groups is the primary group. The  
primary group in the AD server should not be set to the group corresponding to the switch role.  
You can choose any other group.  
A user can be part of any Organizational Unit (OU).  
Active Directory LDAP 2000, 2003, and 2008 are supported.  
When authentication is performed by User-Principal-Name, in Fabric OS 7.1.0 and later releases,  
the suffix part of the name (the @domain-name part) can be omitted when the user logs in. If the  
suffix part of the User-Principal-Name name is omitted, the domain name configured for the LDAP  
server (in the aaaConfig --add server -d domain command) is added and used for authentication  
purposes.  
Roles for Brocade-specific users can be added through the Microsoft Management Console.  
Groups created in Active Directory must correspond directly to the RBAC user roles on the switch.  
Role assignments can be achieved by including the user in the respective group. A user can be  
assigned to multiple groups like Switch Admin and Security Admin. For LDAP servers, you can use  
the ldapCfg -–maprole ldap_role_name switch_role command to map an LDAP server permissions  
to one of the default roles available on a switch. For more information on RBAC roles, see  
NOTE  
All instructions involving Microsoft Active Directory can be obtained from www.microsoft.com or your  
Microsoft documentation. Confer with your system or network administrator prior to configuration  
for any special needs your network environment may have.  
Configuring Microsoft Active Directory LDAP service  
The following is an overview of the process used to set up LDAP.  
1. If your Windows Active Directory server for LDAP needs to be verified by the LDAP client (that is,  
the Brocade switch), then you must install a Certificate Authority (CA) certificate on the  
Windows Active Directory server for LDAP.  
Follow Microsoft instructions for generating and installing CA certificates on a Windows server.  
2. Create a user in Microsoft Active Directory server.  
For instructions on how to create a user, refer to www.microsoft.com or Microsoft  
documentation to create a user in your Active Directory.  
3. Create a group name that uses the switch’s role name so that the Active Directory group’s  
name is the same as the switch’s role name.  
or  
Use the ldapCfg -–maprole ldap_role_name switch_role command to map an LDAP server role  
to one of the default roles available on the switch.  
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4. Associate the user to the group by adding the user to the group.  
For instructions on how to create a user refer to www.microsoft.com or Microsoft  
documentation to create a user in your Active Directory.  
5. Add the user’s Administrative Domains or Virtual Fabrics to the CN_list by either editing the  
adminDescription value or adding the brcdAdVfData attribute to the existing Active Directory  
schema.  
This action maps the Admin Domains or Virtual Fabrics to the user name. Multiple Admin  
Domains can be added as a string value separated by the underscore character ( _ ). Virtual  
Fabrics are added as a string value separate by a comma ( , ) and entered as a range.  
Creating a user  
To create a user in Active Directory, refer to www.microsoft.com or Microsoft documentation. There  
are no special attributes to set. You can use a fully qualified name for logging in, for example you  
can log in as "user@domain.com".  
Creating a group  
To create a group in Active Directory, refer to www.microsoft.com or Microsoft documentation. You  
will need to verify that the group has the following attributes:  
The name of the group has to match the RBAC role.  
The Group Type must be Security.  
The Group Scope must be Global.  
The primary group in the AD server should not be set to the group corresponding to the switch  
role. You can choose any other group.  
If the user you created is not a member of the Users OU then the User Principal Name, in the  
format of "user@domain", is required to login.  
Assigning the group (role) to the user  
To assign the user to a group in Active Directory, refer to www.microsoft.com or Microsoft  
documentation. You will need to verify that the user has the following attributes:  
Update the memberOf field with the login permissions (root, admin, switchAdmin, user, and so  
on) that the user must use to log in to the switch.  
or  
If you have a user-defined group, then use the ldapCfg -–maprole ldap_role_name switch_role  
command to map an LDAP server permissions to one of the default roles available on a switch.  
Adding an Admin Domain or Virtual Fabric list  
1. From the Windows Start menu, select Programs> Administrative Tools> ADSI.msc  
ADSI is a Microsoft Windows Resource Utility. This utility must be installed to proceed with the  
rest of the setup. For Windows 2003, this utility comes with Service Pack 1 or you can  
download this utility from the Microsoft website.  
2. Go to CN=Users.  
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3. Right click on select Properties. Click the Attribute Editor tab.  
4. Double-click the adminDescription attribute.  
The String Attribute Editor dialog box opens.  
5. Perform the appropriate action based on whether you are using Administrative Domains or  
Virtual Fabrics:  
If you are using Administrative Domains, enter the value of the Admin Domain separated  
by an underscore ( _ ) into the Value field.  
Example for adding Admin Domains  
adlist_0_10_200_endAd  
Home Admin Domain (homeAD) for the user will be the first value in the adlist (Admin  
Domain list). If a user has no values assigned in the adlist attribute, then the homeAD ‘0’  
will be the default administrative domain for the user.  
If you are using Virtual Fabrics, enter the value of the logical fabric separated by an  
semi-colon ( ; ) into the Value field.  
Example for adding Virtual Fabrics  
HomeLF=10;LFRoleList=admin:128,10;ChassisRole=admin  
In this example, the logical switch that would be logged into by default is 10. If 10 is not  
available then the lowest FID available will be chosen. You would have permission to enter  
logical switch 128 and 10 in an admin role and you would also have the chassis role  
permission of admin.  
NOTE  
You can perform batch operations using the Ldifde.exe utility. For more information on  
importing and exporting schemas, refer to your Microsoft documentation or visit  
Adding attributes to the Active Directory schema  
To create a group in Active Directory, refer to www.microsoft.com or Microsoft documentation. You  
will need to verify that the schema has the following attributes:  
Add a new attribute brcdAdVfData as Unicode String.  
Add brcdAdVfData to the person’s properties.  
LDAP configuration and OpenLDAP  
Fabric OS provides user authentication and authorization by means of OpenLDAP or the Microsoft  
Active Directory service in conjunction with LDAP on the switch. This section discusses  
authentication and authorization using OpenLDAP. For information about authentication and  
authorization using Microsoft Active Directory, refer to “LDAP configuration and Microsoft Active  
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Two operational modes exist in LDAP authentication: FIPS mode and non-FIPS mode. This section  
discusses LDAP authentication in non-FIPS mode. For information on LDAP in FIPS mode, refer to  
Chapter 7, “Configuring Security Policies”. The following restrictions exist when using OpenLDAP in  
non-FIPS mode:  
You must use the Common-Name for OpenLDAP authentication. User-Principal-Name is not  
supported in OpenLDAP.  
OpenLDAP 2.4.23 is supported.  
When a user is authenticated, the role of the user is obtained from the memberOf attribute, which  
determines group membership. This feature is supported in OpenLDAP through the memberOf  
overlay. You must use this overlay on the OpenLDAP server to assign membership information.  
For OpenLDAP servers, you can use the ldapCfg -–maprole ldap_role_name switch_role command  
to map LDAP server permissions to one of the default roles available on a switch. For more  
information on RBAC roles, see “Role-Based Access Control” on page 134.  
OpenLDAP server configuration overview  
For complete details about how to install and configure an OpenLDAP server, refer to the OpenLDAP  
user documentation at http://www.openldap.org/doc/. A few key steps for the Brocade  
environment are outlined here.  
1. If your OpenLDAP server needs to be verified by the LDAP client (that is, the Brocade switch),  
then you must install a Certificate Authority (CA) certificate on the OpenLDAP server.  
Follow OpenLDAP instructions for generating and installing CA certificates on an OpenLDAP  
server.  
2. Enable group membership through the memberOf mechanism by including the memberOf  
overlay in the slapd.conf file.  
3. Create entries (users) in the OpenLDAP Directory.  
4. Assign users to groups by using the member attribute.  
5. Use the ldapCfg -–maprole ldap_role_name switch_role command to map an LDAP server role  
to one of the default roles available on the switch.  
6. Add the user’s Administrative Domains or Virtual Fabrics to the user entry by performing the  
following steps.  
a. Add the brcdAdVfData attribute to the existing OpenLDAP schema,  
b. Add the brcdAdVfData attribute to the user entry in the LDAP directory with a value that  
identifies the Administrative Domains or Virtual Fabrics with which to associate the user.  
Enabling group membership  
Group membership in OpenLDAP is specified by an overlay called memberOf. Overlays are helpful  
in customizing the backend behavior without requiring changes to the backend code. The  
memberOf overlay updates the memberOf attribute whenever changes occur to the membership  
attribute of entries of the groupOfNames objectClass. To include this overlay, add “overlay  
memberof” to the slapd.conf file, as shown in the following example.  
overlay memberof  
Example file:  
include  
/usr/local/etc/openldap/schema/core.schema  
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include  
include  
/usr/local/etc/openldap/schema/cosine.schema  
/usr/local/etc/openldap/schema/local.schema  
###############################################  
TLSCACertificateFile /root/sachin/ldapcert/cacert.pem  
TLSCertificateFile  
/root/sachin/ldapcert/serverCert.pem  
TLSCertificateKeyFile /root/sachin/ldapcert/serverKey.pem  
TLSVerifyClient never  
pidfile  
argsfile  
/usr/local/var/run/slapd.pid  
/usr/local/var/run/slapd.args  
database  
suffix  
rootdn  
rootpw  
bdb  
"dc=mybrocade,dc=com"  
"cn=Manager,dc=mybrocade,dc=com"  
{SSHA}HL8uT5hPaWyIdcP6yAheMT8n0GoWubr3  
# The database directory MUST exist prior to running slapd AND  
# should only be accessible by the slapd and slap tools.  
# Mode 700 recommended.  
directory  
# Indices to maintain  
index objectClass  
/usr/local/var/openldap-data  
eq  
overlay memberof  
Adding entries to the directory  
To add entries in the OpenLDAP directory, perform the following steps:  
1. Using an editor of your choice, create a .ldif file and enter the information for the entry.  
The following example defines an organizational role for the Directory Manager in a .ldif file for  
an organization with the domain name mybrocade.com.  
# Organization for mybrocade Corporation  
dn: dc=mybrocade,dc=com  
objectClass: dcObject  
objectClass: organization  
dc: mybrocade  
o: Mybrocade Corporation  
description: Mybrocade Corporation  
############################################################################  
# Organizational Role for Directory Manager  
dn: cn=Manager,dc=mybrocade,dc=com  
objectClass: organizationalRole  
cn: Manager  
description: Directory Manager  
2. Enter the ldapadd command to add the contents of the .ldif file to the Directory, where test.ldif  
is the file you created in step 1.  
> ldapadd -D cn=Manager,dc=mybrocade,dc=com -x -w secret -f test.ldif  
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Assigning a user to a group  
Before you can assign a user to a group, the memberOf overlay must be added to the slapd.conf  
file. Refer to “Enabling group membership” on page 166 for details.  
To create a group and assign a member:  
1. In a .ldif file, create a “groupOfNames” objectClass entry with the name of the group, for  
example, “admin,” to create a group.  
2. Set a “member” attribute for the group instance to identify the member, as in this example:  
“cn=Sachin,cn=Users,dc=mybrocade,dc=com”  
Automatically the “memberOf” attribute of entry Sachin will have value  
“cn=admin,ou=groups,dc=mybrocade,dc=com”, which assigns Sachin to the admin group.  
3. Enter the ldapadd command.  
For example, the .ldif file might contain something like the following:  
#Groups in organization  
dn: ou=groups,dc=mybrocade,dc=com  
objectclass:organizationalunit  
ou: groups  
description: generic groups branch  
dn: cn=admin,ou=groups,dc=mybrocade,dc=com  
objectclass: groupofnames  
cn: admin  
description: Members having admin permission  
#Add members for admin group  
member: cn=sachin,cn=Users,dc=mybrocade,dc=com  
Assigning the LDAP role to a switch role  
Use the ldapCfg -–maprole ldap_role_name switch_role command to map LDAP server  
permissions to one of the default roles available on a switch.  
Modifying an entry  
To modify a directory entry, perform the following steps:  
1. Create a .ldif file containing the information to be modified.  
2. Enter the ldapmodify -f filename command, where filename is the .ldif file you edited in step 1.  
Example to delete a user attribute  
1. Create or edit a .ldif file with an entry similar to the following.  
#########Deleting an attr  
#dn: cn=Sachin,cn=Users,dc=mybrocade,dc=com  
#changetype: modify  
#delete: memberof  
2. Enter the following ldapmodify command, where test.ldif is the name of the file you edited in  
step 1.  
> ldapmodify -D cn=Sachin,dc=mybrocade,dc=com –x -w secret -f test.ldif  
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Example to add a group member  
1. Create or edit a .ldif file with an entry similar to the following.  
##########Adding an attr value  
dn: cn=admin,ou=groups,dc=mybrocade,dc=com  
changetype: modify  
add: member  
member: cn=test1,cn=Users,dc=mybrocade,dc=com  
2. Enter the following ldapmodify command, where test1.ldif is the name of the file you edited in  
step 1.  
> ldapmodify -D cn=admin,dc=mybrocade,dc=com –x -w secret -f test1.ldif  
Example to delete a group member  
1. Create or edit a .ldif file with contents similar to the following.  
########Deleting an attr value  
#dn: cn=admin,ou=groups,dc=mybrocade,dc=com  
#changetype: modify  
#delete: member  
#member: cn=Sachin,cn=Users,dc=mybrocade,dc=com  
2. Enter the following ldapmodify command, where test2.ldif is the name of the file you edited in  
step 1.  
> ldapmodify -D cn=admin,dc=mybrocade,dc=com –x -w secret -f test2.ldif  
Example to change the value of an attribute  
1. Create or edit a .ldif file with contents similar to the following.  
#######Replacing an attribute value  
dn: cn=test,cn=Users,dc=mybrocade,dc=com  
changetype: modify  
replace: uid  
uid: test  
2. Enter the following ldapmodify command, where test3.ldif is the name of the file you edited in  
step 1.  
> ldapmodify -D cn=admin,dc=mybrocade,dc=com –x -w secret -f test3.ldif  
The value of the uid attribute is changed to “test”.  
Adding an Admin Domain or Virtual Fabric list  
If your network uses Admin Domains, you can specify a list of Admin Domain numbers to which the  
user has access.  
Use the brcdAdVfData attribute to map a role to a Virtual Fabric or Admin Domain. To perform this  
operation, you must modify the schema to include the definition of the brcdAdVfData attribute and  
the definition of a user class that can use this attribute. You can then add this attribute to user  
entries in the LDAP directory.  
1. In a schema file, assign the brcdAdVfData attribute to a user class.  
The following sample schema file defines a new objectClass named “user” with optional  
attributes “brcdAdVfData” and “description”.  
#New attr brcdAdVfData  
attributetype ( 1.3.6.1.4.1.8412.100  
NAME ( 'brcdAdVfData' )  
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DESC 'Brocade specific data for LDAP authentication'  
EQUALITY caseIgnoreIA5Match  
SUBSTR caseIgnoreIA5SubstringsMatch  
SYNTAX 1.3.6.1.4.1.1466.115.121.1.26{256} )  
objectclass ( 1.3.6.1.4.1.8412.110 NAME 'user'  
DESC 'Brocade switch specific person'  
SUP top AUXILIARY  
MAY ( brcdAdVfData $ description ) )  
2. Include the schema file in the slapd.conf file.  
The following example slapd.conf line assumes that local.schema contains the attribute  
definition provided in step 1.  
include  
/usr/local/etc/openldap/schema/local.schema  
3. Include the brcdAdVfData attribute in a user entry in the LDAP Directory.  
If you are using Administrative Domains, enter the value of each Admin Domain separated  
by an underscore ( _ ). Each number represents the number of the Admin Domain to which  
the user has access. The first such number represents the user’s Home domain.  
Example for adding Admin Domains  
In the following example, the user is granted access to Admin Domains 0, 10, and 200.  
Admin Domain 0 is the domain that the user initially logs into.  
brcdAdVfData: adlist_0_10_200_endAd  
If you are using Virtual Fabrics, enter the value of the logical fabrics to which the user has  
access. Up to three value fields can be specified, separated by an semicolons ( ; ):  
The HomeLF field specifies the user’s home Logical Fabric.  
The LFRole list field specifies the additional Logical Fabrics to which the user has  
access and the user’s access permissions for those Logical Fabrics. Logical Fabric  
numbers are separated by commas ( , ). A hyphen ( - ) indicates a range.  
The ChassisRole field designates the permissions that apply to the ChassisRole  
subset of commands.  
Example for adding Virtual Fabrics  
In the following example, the logical switch that would be logged into by default is 10. If 10  
is not available then the lowest FID available will be chosen.The user is given permission to  
enter logical switches 1 through 128 in an admin role and is also given the chassis role  
permission of admin.  
brcdAdVfData: HomeLF=10;LFRoleList=admin:1-128;ChassisRole=admin  
The following fragment from a file named test4.ldif provides an entry for a user with Virtual Fabric  
access roles.  
# Organizational Role for Users  
dn: cn=Users,dc=mybrocade,dc=com  
objectClass: organizationalRole  
cn: Users  
description: User  
# User entries  
dn: cn=Sachin,cn=Users,dc=mybrocade,dc=com  
objectClass: user  
objectClass: person  
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objectClass: uidObject  
cn: Sachin  
sn: Mishra  
description: First user  
brcdAdVfData: HomeLF=30;LFRoleList=admin:1-128;ChassisRole=admin  
userPassword: pass  
uid: mishras@mybrocade.com  
The following command adds the user to the LDAP directory.  
> ldapadd -D cn=Sachin,dc=mybrocade,dc=com -x -w secret -f test4.ldif  
TACACS+ service  
FabricOS can authenticate users with a remote server using the Terminal Access Controller  
Access-Control System Plus (TACACS+) protocol. TACACS+ is a protocol used in AAA server  
environments consisting of a centralized authentication server and multiple Network Access  
Servers (NAS) or clients. Once configured to use TACACS+, a Brocade switch becomes a Network  
Access Server (NAS).  
The following authentication protocols are supported by the TACACS+ server for user  
authentication:  
Password Authentication Protocol (PAP)  
Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP)  
TACACS+ is not a FIPS-supported protocol, so you cannot configure TACACS+ in FIPS mode. To  
enable FIPS, any TACACS+ configuration must be removed.  
The TACACS+ server can be a Microsoft Windows server or a LINUX server. For LINUX servers, use  
TACACS+ 4.0.4 or later from Cisco. For Microsoft Windows servers, use any TACACS+ freeware that  
uses TACACS+ protocol v1.78 or later.  
TACACS+ configuration overview  
Configuration is required on both the TACACS+ server and the Brocade switch. On the TACACS+  
server, you should assign a role for each user and, if Admin Domains or Virtual Fabrics are in use,  
provide lists of Admin Domains or Virtual Fabrics to which the user should have access. For details,  
On the Brocade switch, use the aaaConfig command to configure the switch to use TACACS+ for  
authentication. The aaaConfig command also allows you to specify up to five TACACS+ servers.  
When a list of servers is configured, failover from one server to another server happens only if a  
TACACS+ server fails to respond. It does not happen when user authentication fails.  
Failover to another TACACS+ server is achieved by means of a timeout. You can configure a timeout  
value for each TACACS+ server, so that the next server can be used in case the first server is  
unreachable. The default timeout value is 5 seconds.  
Retry is also allowed for each server. The default value is 5. If authentication is rejected or times  
out, FabricOS will try again. The retry value can also be customized for each user.  
configuring the Brocade switch for authenticating users with a TACACS+ server.  
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Configuring the TACACS+ server on LINUX  
FabricOS software supports TACACS+ authentication on a LINUX server running the Open Source  
TACACS+ LINUX package v4.0.4 from Cisco. To install and configure this software, perform the  
following steps.  
1. Download the TACACS+ software from http://www.cisco.com and install it.  
Refer to the Cisco documentation for installation instructions.  
2. Configure the TACACS+ server by editing the tac_plus.cfg file.  
Refer to “The tac_plus.cfg file” (below) for details.  
3. Run the tac_plus daemon to start and enable the TACACS+ service on the server.  
Example  
> tac_plus -d 16 /usr/local/etc/mavis/sample/tac_plus.cfg  
The tac_plus.cfg file  
All configuration of the TACACS+ server is done in the tac_plus.cfg file. Open the file by using the  
editor of your choice and customize the file as needed.  
You must add users into this file and provide some attributes specific to the Brocade  
implementation. Table 20 lists and defines attributes specific to Brocade.  
TABLE 20  
Brocade custom TACACS+ attributes  
Purpose  
Attribute  
brcd-role  
Role assigned to the user account  
brcd-AV-Pair1  
The Admin Domain or Virtual Fabric member list, and chassis role  
The Admin Domain or Virtual Fabric member list, and chassis role  
The date on which the password expires  
brcd-AV-Pair2  
brcd-passwd-expiryDate  
brcd-passwd-warnPeriod The time before expiration for the user to receive a warning message  
Adding a user and assigning a role  
When adding a user to the tac_plus.cfg file, you should at least provide the brcd-role attribute. The  
value assigned to this attribute should match a role defined for the switch. When a logon is  
authenticated, the role specified by the brcd-role attribute represents the permissions granted to  
the account. If no role is specified, or if the specified role does not exist on the switch, the account  
is granted user role permissions only.  
Refer to “Role-Based Access Control” on page 134 for details about roles.  
The following fragment from a tac_plus.cfg file adds a user named fosuser1 and assigns the  
securityAdmin role to the account.  
user = fosuser1 {  
chap = cleartext "my$chap$pswrd"  
pap = cleartext "pap-password"  
service = exec {  
brcd-role = securityAdmin;  
}
}
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Configuring Admin Domain lists  
If your network uses Admin Domains, you should create Admin Domain lists for each user to  
identify the Admin Domains to which the user has access.  
Assign the following key-value pairs to the brcd-AV--Pair1 and, optionally, brcd-AV-Pair2 attributes to  
grant the account access to the Admin Domains:  
HomeAD is the designated home Admin Domain for the account. The valid range of values is  
from 0 through 255. The first valid HomeAD key-value pair is accepted by the switch, and any  
additional HomeAD key-value pairs are ignored.  
ADList is a comma-separated list of Administrative Domain numbers to which this account is a  
member. Valid numbers range from 0 through 255. A dash between two numbers specifies a  
range.  
The following example sets the home Admin Domain for the fosuser4 account to 255 and grants  
the account access to Admin Domains 1, 2, 3, and 200 through 255.  
user = fosuser4 {  
pap = clear "password"  
chap = clear "password"  
password = clear "password"  
service = shell {  
set brcd-role = securityAdmin  
set brcd-AV-Pair1 = "homeAD=255;ADList=1,2,3";  
set brcd-AV-Pair2 = “ADList=200-255”;  
}
}
Configuring Virtual Fabric lists  
If your network uses Virtual Fabrics, you should create Virtual Fabric lists for each user to identify  
the Virtual Fabrics to which the account has access.  
Assign the following key-value pairs to the brcd-AV--Pair1 and, optionally, brcd-AV-Pair2 attributes to  
grant access to the Virtual Fabrics:  
HomeLF is the designated home Virtual Fabric for the account. The valid values are from 1  
through 128 and chassis context. The first valid HomeLF key-value pair is accepted by the  
switch. Additional HomeLF key-value pairs are ignored.  
LFRoleList is a comma-separated list of Virtual Fabric ID numbers to which this account is a  
member, and specifies the role the account has on those Virtual Fabrics. Valid numbers range  
from 1 through 128. A dash between two numbers specifies a range.  
The following example sets the home Virtual Fabric for the userVF account to 30 and allows the  
account admin role access to Virtual Fabrics 1, 2, 3, and 4 and securityAdmin access to Virtual  
Fabrics 5 and 6.  
user = userVF {  
pap = clear “password”  
service = shell {  
set brcd-role = zoneAdmin  
set brcd-AV-Pair1 = “homeLF=30;LFRoleList=admin:1,3,4;securityAdmin:5,6”  
set brcd-AV-Pair2 = “chassisRole=admin”  
}
}
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Configuring the password expiration date  
FabricOS lets you configure a password expiration date for each user account and to configure a  
warning period for notifying the user that the account password is about to expire. To configure  
these values, set the following attributes:  
brcd-passwd-expiryDate sets the password expiration date in mm/dd/yyyy format.  
brcd-passwd-warnPeriod sets the warning period as a number of days.  
The following example sets the password expiration date for the fosuser5 account. It also specifies  
that a warning be sent to the user 30 days before the password is due to expire.  
user = fosuser5 {  
pap = clear "password"  
chap = clear "password"  
password = clear "password"  
service = shell {  
set brcd-role = securityAdmin  
set brcd-passwd-expiryDate = 03/21/2014;  
set brcd-passwd-warnPeriod = 30;  
}
}
Configuring a Windows TACACS+ server  
FabricOS is compatible with any TACACS+ freeware for Microsoft Windows that uses TACACS+  
protocol version v1.78. Refer to the vendor documentation for configuration details.  
Remote authentication configuration on the switch  
At least one RADIUS, LDAP, or TACACS+ server must be configured before you can enable a remote  
authentication service. You can configure the remote authentication service even if it is disabled on  
the switch. You can configure up to five RADIUS, LDAP, or TACACS+ servers. You must be logged in  
as admin or switchAdmin to configure the RADIUS service.  
NOTE  
On dual-CP Backbones (Brocade DCX, DCX-4S, DCX 8510-4, and DCX 8510-8 devices), the switch  
sends its RADIUS, LDAP, or TACACS+ request using the IP address of the active CP. When adding  
clients, add both the active and standby CP IP addresses so that users can still log in to the switch  
in the event of a failover.  
RADIUS, LDAP, or TACACS+ configuration is chassis-based configuration data. On platforms  
containing multiple switch instances, the configuration applies to all instances. The configuration is  
persistent across reboots and firmware downloads. On a chassis-based system, the command  
must replicate the configuration to the standby CP.  
Multiple login sessions can invoke the aaaConfig command simultaneously. The last session that  
applies the change is the one whose configuration is in effect. This configuration is persistent after  
an HA failover.  
The authentication servers are contacted in the order they are listed, starting from the top of the  
list and moving to the bottom.  
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Adding an authentication server to the switch configuration  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the aaaConfig --add command.  
At least one authentication server must be configured before you can enable the RADIUS, LDAP, or  
TACACS+ service.  
If no RADIUS, LDAP, or TACACS+ configuration exists, turning on the authentication mode triggers  
an error message. When the command succeeds, the event log indicates that the configuration is  
enabled or disabled.  
Enabling and disabling remote authentication  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the aaaConfig --authspec command to enable or disable RADIUS, LDAP, or TACACS+.  
You must specify the type of service as one of RADIUS, LDAP, or TACACS+. Local is used for  
local authentication if the user authentication fails on the authentication server.  
Example enabling RADIUS  
switch:admin> aaaconfig --authspec "radius;local" --backup  
Example enabling LDAP  
switch:admin> aaaconfig --authspec "ldap;local" --backup  
Example enabling TACACS+  
switch:admin> aaaconfig --authspec "tacacs+;local" --backup  
Deleting an authentication server from the configuration  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the aaaConfig --remove command.  
When the command succeeds, the event log indicates that the server is removed.  
Changing an authentication server configuration  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the aaaConfig --change command.  
Changing the order in which authentication servers are contacted for service  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the aaaConfig --move command.  
When the command succeeds, the event log indicates that a server configuration is changed.  
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Displaying the current authentication configuration  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the aaaConfig --show command.  
If a configuration exists, its parameters are displayed. If the RADIUS, LDAP, or TACACS+ service  
is not configured, only the parameter heading line is displayed. Parameters include:  
Position  
Server  
The order in which servers are contacted to provide service.  
The server names or IPv4 or IPv6 addresses. IPv6 is not supported when using PEAP  
authentication.  
Port  
The server ports.  
Secret  
The shared secrets.  
Timeouts  
Authentication  
The length of time servers have to respond before the next server is contacted.  
The type of authentication being used on servers.  
Configuring local authentication as backup  
It is useful to enable local authentication, so that the switch can take over authentication locally if  
the RADIUS or LDAP servers fail to respond because of power outage or network problems.  
Example of enabling local authentication as a backup for RADIUS  
switch:admin> aaaconfig --authspec "radius;local" --backup  
Example for LDAP  
switch:admin> aaaconfig --authspec "ldap;local" --backup  
Example for TACACS+  
switch:admin> aaaconfig --authspec "tacacs+;local" --backup  
For details about this command see Table 17 on page 151.  
When local authentication is enabled and the authentication servers fail to respond, you can log in  
to the default switch accounts (admin and user) or any user-defined account. You must know the  
passwords of these accounts.  
When the aaaConfig command succeeds, the event log indicates that local database  
authentication is disabled or enabled.  
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Configuring Protocols  
6
In this chapter  
Security protocols  
Security protocols provide endpoint authentication and communications privacy using  
cryptography. Typically, you are authenticated to the switch while the switch remains  
unauthenticated to you. This means that you can be sure with what you are communicating. The  
next level of security, in which both ends of the conversation are sure with whom they are  
communicating, is known as two-factor authentication. Two-factor authentication requires public  
key infrastructure (PKI) deployment to clients.  
Fabric OS supports the secure protocols shown in Table 21.  
TABLE 21  
Secure protocol support  
Protocol Description  
HTTPS HTTPS is a Uniform Resource Identifier scheme used to indicate a secure HTTP connection. Web Tools  
supports the use of Hypertext Transfer Protocol over SSL (HTTPS).  
IPsec  
Internet Protocol Security (IPsec) is a framework of open standards for providing confidentiality,  
authentication and integrity for IP data transmitted over untrusted links or networks.  
LDAPS Lightweight Directory Access Protocol over SSL (LDAPS) uses a certificate authority (CA). By default,  
LDAP traffic is transmitted unsecured. You can make LDAP traffic confidential and secure by using  
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) / Transport Layer Security (TLS) technology in conjunction with LDAP.  
SCP  
Secure Copy (SCP) is a means of securely transferring computer files between a local and a remote host  
or between two remote hosts, using the Secure Shell (SSH) protocol. Configuration upload and download  
support the use of SCP.  
SNMP  
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is used in network management systems to monitor  
network-attached devices for conditions that warrant administrative attention. Supports SNMPv1, v2,  
and v3.  
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TABLE 21  
Secure protocol support (Continued)  
Protocol Description  
SSH  
SSL  
Secure Shell (SSH) is a network protocol that allows data to be exchanged over a secure channel  
between two computers. Encryption provides confidentiality and integrity of data. SSH uses public-key  
cryptography to authenticate the remote computer and allow the remote computer to authenticate the  
user, if necessary.  
Fabric OS uses Secure Socket Layer (SSL) to support HTTPS. A certificate must be generated and  
installed on each switch to enable SSL. Supports SSLv3, 128-bit encryption by default.  
Table 22 describes additional software or certificates that you must obtain to deploy secure  
protocols.  
TABLE 22  
Items needed to deploy secure protocols  
Host side  
Protocol  
Switch side  
SSHv2  
HTTPS  
Secure shell client  
None  
No requirement on host side except a browser Switch IP certificate for SSL  
that supports HTTPS  
SCP  
SSH daemon, SCP server  
None  
None  
None  
SNMPv1, SNMPv2, SNMPv3  
The security protocols are designed with the four main use cases described in Table 23.  
TABLE 23  
Main security scenarios  
Fabric  
Management interfaces Comments  
Nonsecure Nonsecure  
Nonsecure Secure  
No special setup is needed to use Telnet or HTTP.  
Secure protocols may be used. An SSL switch certificate must be installed if  
HTTPS is used.  
Secure  
Secure  
Secure  
Switches running earlier Fabric OS versions can be part of the secure fabric,  
but they do not support secure management.  
Secure management protocols must be configured for each participating  
switch. Nonsecure protocols may be disabled on nonparticipating switches.  
If SSL is used, then certificates must be installed. For more information on  
Nonsecure  
You must use SSH because Telnet is not allowed with some features.  
Secure Copy  
The Secure Copy protocol (SCP) runs on port 22. It encrypts data during transfer, thereby avoiding  
packet sniffers that attempt to extract useful information during data transfer. SCP relies on SSH to  
provide authentication and security.  
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Setting up SCP for configuration uploads and downloads  
Use the following procedure to configure SCP for configuration uploads and downloads.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the configure command.  
3. Enter y or yes at the cfgload attributes prompt.  
4. Enter y or yes at the Enforce secure configUpload/Download prompt.  
Example of setting up SCP for configUpload/download  
switch:admin# configure  
Not all options will be available on an enabled switch.  
To disable the switch, use the "switchDisable" command.  
Configure...  
System services (yes, y, no, n): [no] n  
ssl attributes (yes, y, no, n): [no] n  
http attributes (yes, y, no, n): [no] n  
snmp attributes (yes, y, no, n): [no] n  
rpcd attributes (yes, y, no, n): [no] n  
cfgload attributes (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
Enforce secure config Upload/Download (yes, y, no, n): [no]# y  
Enforce signature validation for firmware (yes, y, no, n): [no]#  
Secure Shell protocol  
To ensure security, Fabric OS supports Secure Shell (SSH) encrypted sessions. SSH encrypts all  
messages, including the client transmission of the password during login. The SSH package  
contains a daemon (sshd), which runs on the switch. The daemon supports a wide variety of  
encryption algorithms, such as Blowfish-Cipher block chaining (CBC) and Advanced Encryption  
Standard (AES).  
NOTE  
To maintain a secure network, you should avoid using Telnet or any other unprotected application  
when you are working on the switch.  
Commands that require a secure login channel must originate from an SSH session. If you start an  
SSH session, and then use the login command to start a nested SSH session, commands that  
require a secure channel will be rejected.  
Fabric OS supports OpenSSH protocol v2.0 (ssh2) version 5.2p1. For more information on SSH,  
refer to the SSH IETF website:  
You can also refer to SSH, The Secure Shell: The Definitive Guide by Daniel J. Barrett, Ph. D.,  
Richard E. Silverman, and Robert G. Byrnes.  
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SSH public key authentication  
OpenSSH public key authentication provides password-less logins, known as SSH authentication,  
that uses public and private key pairs for incoming and outgoing authentication. This feature allows  
only one allowed-user to be configured to utilize outgoing OpenSSH public key authentication.Any  
admin user can perform incoming Open SSH public key authentication. Using OpenSSH RSA and  
DSA, the authentication protocols are based on a pair of specially generated cryptographic keys,  
called the private key and the public key. The advantage of using these key-based authentication  
systems is that in many cases, it is possible to establish secure connections without having to  
depend on passwords for security. RSA asynchronous algorithms are FIPS-compliant.  
Incoming authentication is used when the remote host needs to authenticate to the switch.  
Outgoing authentication is used when the switch needs to authenticate to a server or remote host,  
such as when running the configUpload or configDownload commands, or performing firmware  
download. Both password and public key authentication can coexist on the switch.  
Allowed-user  
For outgoing authentication, the default admin user must set up the allowed-user with admin  
permissions. By default, the admin is the configured allowed-user. While creating the key pair, the  
configured allowed-user can choose a passphrase with which the private key is encrypted. Then the  
passphrase must always be entered when authenticating to the switch. The allowed-user must  
have admin permissions to perform OpenSSH public key authentication, import and export keys,  
generate a key pair for an outgoing connection, and delete public and private keys.  
Configuring incoming SSH authentication  
1. Log in to your remote host.  
2. Generate a key pair for host-to-switch (incoming) authentication by verifying that SSH v2 is  
installed and working (refer to your host’s documentation as necessary) by entering the  
following command:  
ssh-keygen -t dsa  
Example of RSA/DSA key pair generation  
anyuser@mymachine: ssh-keygen -t dsa  
Generating public/private dsa key pair.  
Enter file in which to save the key (/users/anyuser/.ssh/id_dsa):  
Enter passphrase (empty for no passphrase):  
Enter same passphrase again:  
Your identification has been saved in /users/anyuser/.ssh/id_dsa.  
Your public key has been saved in /users/anyuser/.ssh/id_dsa.pub.  
The key fingerprint is:  
32:9f:ae:b6:7f:7e:56:e4:b5:7a:21:f0:95:42:5c:d1 anyuser@mymachine  
3. Import the public key to the switch by logging in to the switch as any user with the admin role  
and entering the sshUtil importpubkey command to import the key.  
Example of adding the public key to the switch  
switch:anyuser> sshutil importpubkey  
Enter user name for whom key is imported: aswitchuser  
Enter IP address:192.168.38.244  
Enter remote directory:~auser/.ssh  
Enter public key name(must have .pub suffix):id_dsa.pub  
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Enter login name:auser  
Password:  
Public key is imported successfully.  
4. Test the setup by logging in to the switch from a remote device, or by running a command  
remotely using SSH.  
Configuring outgoing SSH authentication  
After the allowed-user is configured, the remaining setup steps must be completed by the  
allowed-user.  
Use the following procedure to configure outgoing SSH authentication:  
1. Log in to the switch as the default admin.  
2. Change the allowed-user’s permissions to admin, if applicable.  
switch:admin> userconfig --change username -r admin  
where the username variable is the name of the user who can perform SSH public key  
authentication, and who can import, export, and delete keys.  
3. Set up the allowed-user by typing the following command:  
switch:admin> sshutil allowuser username  
where the username variable is the name of the user who can perform SSH public key  
authentication, and who can import, export, and delete keys.  
4. Generate a key pair for switch-to-host (outgoing) authentication by logging in to the switch as  
the allowed user and entering the sshUtil genkey command.  
You may enter a passphrase for additional security.  
Example of generating a key pair on the switch  
switch:alloweduser> sshutil genkey  
Enter passphrase (empty for no passphrase):  
Enter same passphrase again:  
Key pair generated successfully.  
5. Export the public key to the host by logging in to the switch as the allowed-user and entering  
the sshUtil exportpubkey command to export the key.  
Example of exporting a public key from the switch  
switch:alloweduser> sshutil exportpubkey  
Enter IP address:192.168.38.244  
Enter remote directory:~auser/.ssh  
Enter login name:auser  
Password:  
public key out_going.pub is exported successfully.  
6. Append the public key to a remote host by logging in to the remote host, locating the directory  
where authorized keys are stored, and appending the public key to the file.  
You may need to refer to the host’s documentation to locate where the authorized keys are  
stored.  
7. Test the setup by using a command that uses SCP and authentication, such as  
firmwareDownload or configUpload.  
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Deleting public keys on the switch  
Use the following procedure to delete public keys from the switch.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Use the sshUtil delpubkeys command to delete public keys.  
You will be prompted to enter the name of the user whose the public keys you want to delete.  
Enter all to delete public keys for all users.  
For more information on IP filter policies, refer to Chapter 7, “Configuring Security Policies”.  
Deleting private keys on the switch  
Use the following procedure to delete private keys from the switch.  
1. Log in to the switch as the allowed-user.  
2. Use the sshUtil delprivkey command to delete the private key.  
For more information on IP filter policies, refer to Chapter 7, “Configuring Security Policies”.  
Secure Sockets Layer protocol  
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol provides secure access to a fabric through web-based  
management tools such as Web Tools. SSL support is a standard Fabric OS feature.  
Switches configured for SSL grant access to management tools through Hypertext Transfer Protocol  
over SSL links (which begin with https://) instead of standard links (which begin with http://).  
SSL uses public key infrastructure (PKI) encryption to protect data transferred over SSL  
connections. PKI is based on digital certificates obtained from an Internet Certificate Authority (CA)  
that acts as the trusted key agent.  
Certificates are based on the switch IP address or fully qualified domain name (FQDN), depending  
on the issuing CA. If you change a switch IP address or FQDN after activating an associated  
certificate, you may have to obtain and install a new certificate. Check with the CA to verify this  
possibility, and plan these types of changes accordingly.  
Browser and Java support  
Fabric OS supports the following web browsers for SSL connections:  
Internet Explorer v7.0 or later (Microsoft Windows)  
Mozilla Firefox v2.0 or later (Solaris and Red Hat Linux)  
NOTE  
Review the release notes for the latest information and to verify if your platform and browser are  
supported.  
In countries that allow the use of 128-bit encryption, you should use the latest version of your  
browser. For example, Internet Explorer 7.0 and later supports 128-bit encryption by default. You  
can display the encryption support (called “cipher strength”) using the Internet Explorer Help:About  
menu option. If you are running an earlier version of Internet Explorer, you may be able to download  
an encryption patch from the Microsoft website at http://www.microsoft.com.  
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You should upgrade to the Java 1.6.0 plug-in on your management workstation. To find the Java  
version that is currently running, open the Java console and look at the first line of the window.  
For more details on levels of browser and Java support, refer to the Web Tools  
Administrator’s Guide.  
SSL configuration overview  
You configure SSL access for a switch by obtaining, installing, and activating digital certificates.  
Certificates are required on all switches that are to be accessed through SSL.  
Also, you must install a certificate in the Java plug-in on the management workstation, and you may  
need to add a certificate to your web browser.  
Configuring for SSL involves these main steps, which are shown in detail in the next sections.  
1. Choose a certificate authority (CA).  
2. Generate the following items on each switch:  
a. A public and private key by using the secCertUtil genkey command.  
b. A certificate signing request (CSR) by using the secCertUtil gencsr command.  
3. Store the CSR on a file server by using the secCertUtil export command.  
4. Obtain the certificates from the CA.  
You can request a certificate from a CA through a web browser. After you request a certificate,  
the CA either sends certificate files by e-mail (public) or gives access to them on a remote host  
(private).  
5. On each switch, install the certificate. Once the certificate is loaded on the switch, HTTPS  
starts automatically.  
6. If necessary, install the root certificate to the browser on the management workstation.  
7. Add the root certificate to the Java plug-in keystore on the management workstation.  
Certificate authorities  
To ease maintenance and allow secure out-of-band communication between switches, consider  
using one certificate authority (CA) to sign all management certificates for a fabric. If you use  
different CAs, management services operate correctly, but the Web Tools Fabric Events button is  
unable to retrieve events for the entire fabric.  
Each CA (for example, Verisign or GeoTrust) has slightly different requirements; for example, some  
generate certificates based on IP address, while others require an FQDN, and most require a 1024-bit  
public/private key pair while some may accept a 2048-bit key. Consider your fabric configuration,  
check CA websites for requirements, and gather all the information that the CA requires.  
Generating a public-private key pair  
Use the following procedure to generate a public-private key pair.  
NOTE  
You must perform this procedure on each switch.  
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1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the secCertUtil genkey command to generate a public/private key pair.  
The system reports that this process will disable secure protocols, delete any existing CSR, and  
delete any existing certificates.  
3. Respond to the prompts to continue and select the key size.  
Example of generating a key  
Continue (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
Select key size [1024 or 2048]: 1024  
Generating new rsa public/private key pair  
Done.  
Because CA support for the 2048-bit key size is limited, you should select 1024 in most cases.  
Generating and storing a Certificate Signing Request  
After generating a public/private key pair, you must generate and store a certificate signing request  
(CSR).  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the secCertUtil gencsr command.  
3. Enter the requested information.  
Example of generating a CSR  
Country Name (2 letter code, eg, US):US  
State or Province Name (full name, eg, California):California  
Locality Name (eg, city name):San Jose  
Organization Name (eg, company name):Brocade  
Organizational Unit Name (eg, department name):Eng  
Common Name (Fully qualified Domain Name, or IP address): 192.1.2.3  
Generating CSR, file name is: 192.1.2.3.csr  
Done.  
Your CA may require specific codes for Country, State or Province, Locality, Organization, and  
Organizational Unit names. Make sure that your spelling is correct and matches the CA  
requirements. If the CA requires that the Common Name be specified as an FQDN, make sure  
that the fully qualified domain name is set on the domain name switch/director. The IP  
address or FQDN is the switch where the certificate gets installed.  
4. Enter the secCertUtil export command to store the CSR.  
5. Enter the requested information. You can use either FTP or SCP.  
Example of exporting a CSR  
Select protocol [ftp or scp]: ftp  
Enter IP address: 192.1.2.3  
Enter remote directory: path_to_remote_directory  
Enter Login Name: your account  
Enter Password: your password  
Success: exported CSR.  
If you are set up for Secure Copy Protocol (SCP), you can select it; otherwise, select FTP. Enter  
the IP address of the switch on which you generated the CSR. Enter the remote directory name  
of the FTP server to which the CSR is to be sent. Enter your account name and password on the  
server.  
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Obtaining certificates  
Once you have generated a CSR, you will need to follow the instructions on the website of the  
certificate issuing authority that you want to use; and then obtain the certificate.  
Fabric OS and HTTPS support the following types of files from the Certificate Authority(CA):  
.cer (binary)  
.crt (binary)  
.pem (text)  
Typically, the CA provides the certificate files listed in Table 24.  
TABLE 24  
SSL certificate files  
Description  
Certificate file  
name.pem  
The switch certificate.  
nameRoot.pem The root certificate. Typically, this certificate is already installed in the browser, but if not, you  
must install it.  
nameCA.pem  
The CA certificate. It must be installed in the browser to verify the validity of the server certificate  
or server validation fails.  
NOTE  
You must perform this procedure for each switch.  
Use the following procedure to obtain a security certificate.  
1. Generate and store the CSR as described in “Generating and storing a Certificate Signing  
2. Open a web browser window on the management workstation and go to the CA website. Follow  
the instructions to request a certificate. Locate the area in the request form into which you are  
to paste the CSR.  
3. Through a Telnet window, connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin  
permissions.  
4. Enter the secCertUtil showcsr command. The contents of the CSR are displayed.  
5. Locate the section that begins with “BEGIN CERTIFICATE REQUEST” and ends with “END  
CERTIFICATE REQUEST”.  
6. Copy and paste this section (including the BEGIN and END lines) into the area provided in the  
request form; then, follow the instructions to complete and send the request.  
It may take several days to receive the certificates. If the certificates arrive by e-mail, save them to  
an FTP server. If the CA provides access to the certificates on an FTP server, make note of the path  
name and make sure you have a login name and password on the server.  
Installing a switch certificate  
Use the following procedure to install a security certificate on a switch.  
NOTE  
You must perform this procedure on each switch.  
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1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the secCertUtil import command.  
3. Select a protocol, enter the IP address of the host on which the switch certificate is saved, and  
enter your login name and password.  
Example of installing a switch certificate in interactive mode  
switch:admin> seccertutil import -config swcert -enable https  
Select protocol [ftp or scp]: ftp  
Enter IP address: 192.10.11.12  
Enter remote directory: path_to_remote_directory  
Enter certificate name (must have ".crt", ".cer", \  
".pem" or “.psk” suffix): 192.1.2.3.crt  
Enter Login Name: your_account  
Enter Password: *****  
Success: imported certificate [192.1.2.3.crt].  
Example of installing a switch certificate in noninteractive mode  
switch:admin> seccertutil import -config swcert -enable https \  
-protocol ftp -ipaddr 192.10.11.12 -remotedir path_to_remote_directory \  
-certname 192.1.2.3.crt -login your_account -password passwd  
Success: imported certificate [192.1.2.3.crt].  
Certificate file in configuration has been updated.  
Secure http has been enabled.  
Important Notes  
Certificate Authorities may provide their certificates in different encodings and different  
extensions. Be sure to save the certificate with the applicable file extension before you import  
the certificate to the switch:  
For example, certificates that contain lines similar to the following are usually .pem encoded:  
“----BEGIN REQUEST----” and “----END REQUEST---- (and may include the  
strings "x509" or "certificate")  
For Certificate Authorities that request information regarding the type of web server, Fabric OS  
uses the Apache web server running on Linux.  
The browser  
The root certificate may already be installed on your browser, if not, you must install it. To see  
whether it is already installed, check the certificate store on your browser.  
The next procedures are guides for installing root certificates to Internet Explorer and Mozilla  
Firefox browsers. For more detailed instructions, refer to the documentation that came with the  
certificate.  
Checking and installing root certificates on Internet Explorer  
Use the following procedure to check and install a root security certificate on a switch using IE:  
1. Select Tools > Internet Options.  
2. Click the Content tab.  
3. Click Certificates.  
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4. Click the Intermediate or Trusted Root tab and scroll the list to see if the root certificate is  
listed. Take the appropriate following action based on whether you find the certificate:  
If the certificate is listed, you do not need to install it. You can skip the rest of this  
procedure.  
If the certificate is not listed, click Import.  
5. Follow the instructions in the Certificate Import wizard to import the certificate.  
Checking and installing root certificates on Mozilla Firefox  
Use the following procedure to check and install a root security certificate on a switch using Firefox:  
1. Select Tools > Options.  
2. Click Advanced.  
3. Click the Encryption tab.  
4. Click View Certificates > Authorities tab and scroll the list to see if the root certificate is listed.  
For example, its name may have the form nameRoot.crt. Take the appropriate following action  
based on whether you find the certificate:  
If the certificate is listed, you do not need to install it. You can skip the rest of this  
procedure.  
If the certificate is not listed, click Import.  
5. Browse to the certificate location and select the certificate. For example, select nameRoot.crt.  
6. Click Open and follow the instructions to import the certificate.  
Root certificates for the Java plugin  
For information on Java requirements, refer to “Browser and Java support” on page 182.  
This procedure is a guide for installing a root certificate to the Java plugin on the management  
workstation. If the root certificate is not already installed to the plugin, you should install it.  
For more detailed instructions, refer to the documentation that came with the certificate and to the  
Sun Microsystems website (www.sun.com).  
Installing a root certificate to the Java plugin  
Use the following procedure to install a root certificate to the Java plugin.  
1. Copy the root certificate file from its location on the FTP server to the Java plugin bin directory.  
For example, the bin location may be:  
C: \program files\java\j2re1.6.0\bin  
2. Open a Command Prompt window and change the directory to the Java plugin bin directory.  
3. Enter the keyTool command and respond to the prompts.  
Example of installing a root certificate  
C:\Program Files\Java\j2re1.6.0\bin> keytool -import -alias RootCert -file  
RootCert.crt -keystore ..\lib\security\RootCerts  
Enter keystore password: changeit  
Owner: CN=Brocade, OU=Software, O=Brocade Communications, L=San Jose,  
ST=California, C=US  
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Issuer: CN=Brocade, OU=Software, O=Brocade Communications, L=San Jose,  
ST=California, C=US  
Serial number: 0  
Valid from: Thu Jan 15 16:27:03 PST 2007 until: Sat Feb 14 16:27:03 PST 2007  
Certificate fingerprints:  
MD5: 71:E9:27:44:01:30:48:CC:09:4D:11:80:9D:DE:A5:E3  
SHA1: 06:46:C5:A5:C8:6C:93:9C:FE:6A:C0:EC:66:E9:51:C2:DB:E6:4F:A1  
Trust this certificate? [no]: yes  
Certificate was added to keystore  
In the example, changeit is the default password and RootCert is an example root certificate name.  
Simple Network Management Protocol  
The Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is a standard method for monitoring and  
managing network devices. Using SNMP components, you can program tools to view, browse, and  
manipulate Brocade switch variables and set up enterprise-level management processes.  
Every Brocade switch carries an SNMP agent and management information base (MIB). The agent  
accesses MIB information about a device and makes it available to a network management station.  
You can manipulate information of your choice by trapping MIB elements using the Fabric OS  
command line interface (CLI), Web Tools, or Brocade Network Advisor.  
The SNMP access control list (ACL) provides a way for the administrator to restrict SNMP get, set,  
trap, and inform operations to certain hosts and IP addresses. This is used for enhanced  
management security in the storage area network.  
For details on Brocade MIB files, naming conventions, loading instructions, and information about  
using Brocade's SNMP agent, refer to the Fabric OS MIB Reference.  
You can configure SNMPv3 and SNMPv1 for the automatic transmission of SNMP information to  
management stations.  
The configuration process involves configuring the SNMP agent and configuring SNMP traps. Use  
the snmpConfig command to configure the SNMP agent and traps for SNMPv3 or SNMPv1  
configurations, and the security level. You can specify no security, authentication only, or  
authentication and privacy.  
The SNMP trap configuration specifies the MIB trap elements to be used to send information to the  
SNMP management station. There are two main MIB trap choices:  
Brocade-specific MIB trap  
Associated with the Brocade-specific MIB (SW-MIB), this MIB monitors Brocade switches  
specifically.  
FibreAlliance MIB trap  
Associated with the FibreAlliance MIB (FA-MIB), this MIB manages SAN switches and devices  
from any company that complies with FibreAlliance specifications.  
If you use both SW-MIB and FA-MIB, you may receive duplicate information. You can disable the  
FA-MIB, but not the SW-MIB.  
You can also use these additional MIBs and their associated traps:  
FICON-MIB (for FICON environments)  
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SW-EXTTRAP  
Includes the swSsn (Software Serial Number) as a part of Brocade SW traps.  
For information on Brocade MIBs, refer to the Fabric OS MIB Reference.  
SNMP and Virtual Fabrics  
When an SNMPv3 request arrives with a particular user name, it executes in the home Virtual  
Fabric. From the SNMP manager, all SNMPv3 requests must have a home Virtual Fabric that is  
specified in the contextName field. When the home Virtual Fabric is specified, it will be converted to  
the corresponding switch ID and the home Virtual Fabric will be set. If the user does not have  
permission for the specified home Virtual Fabric, this request fails with an error code of noAccess.  
For an SNMPv3 user to have a home Virtual Fabric, a list of allowed Virtual Fabrics, an RBAC role,  
and the name of the SNMPv3 user should match that of the Fabric OS user in the local switch  
database. SNMPv3 users whose names do not match with any of the existing Fabric OS local users  
have a default RBAC role of admin with the SNMPv3 user access control of read/write. Their  
SNMPv3 user logs in with an access control of read-only. Both user types will have the default  
switch as their home Virtual Fabrics.  
The contextName field should have the format “VF:xxx”, where xxx is the actual VF_ID, for example  
“VF:1”. If the contextName field is empty, then the home Virtual Fabric of the local Fabric OS user  
with the same name is used. As Virtual Fabrics and Admin Domains are mutually exclusive, this  
field is considered as Virtual Fabrics context when Virtual Fabrics is enabled. You cannot specify  
chassis context in the contextName field.  
The following example shows how the VF:xxx field is used in the snmpwalk command. This  
command is executed on the host and it walks the entire MIB tree specified (.1).  
switch# snmpwalk -u admin -v 3 -n VF:4 10.168.176.181.1  
Filtering ports  
Each port can belong to only one Virtual Fabric at any time. An SNMP request coming to one Virtual  
Fabric can only view the port information of the ports belonging to that Virtual Fabric. All port  
attributes are filtered to allow SNMP to obtain the port information only from within the current  
Virtual Fabrics context.  
Switch and chassis context enforcement  
All attributes are classified into one of two categories:  
Chassis-level attributes  
Switch-level attributes  
Attributes that are specific to each logical switch belong to the switch category. These attributes are  
available in the Virtual Fabrics context and not available in the Chassis context.  
Attributes that are common across the logical switches belong to the chassis level. These attributes  
are accessible to users having the chassis-role permission. When a chassis table is queried, the  
context is set to chassis context, if the user has the chassis-role permission. The context is  
switched back to the original context after the operation is performed.  
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SNMP security levels  
Use the snmpConfig --set seclevel command to set the security level. For more information about  
using the Brocade SNMP agent, refer to the Fabric OS MIB Reference.  
SNMP configuration  
Use the snmpConfig --set command to change either the SNMPv3 or SNMPv1 configuration. You  
can also change access control, MIB capability, and system group.  
For details on Brocade MIB files, naming conventions, loading instructions, and information about  
using the Brocade SNMP agent, refer to the Fabric OS MIB Reference.  
Telnet protocol  
Telnet is enabled by default. To prevent passing clear text passwords over the network when  
connecting to the switch, you can block the Telnet protocol using an IP filter policy. For more  
information on IP filter policies, refer to “IP Filter policy” on page 217.  
ATTENTION  
Before blocking Telnet, make sure you have an alternate method of establishing a connection with  
the switch.  
Blocking Telnet  
If you create a new policy using commands with just one rule, all the missing rules have an implicit  
deny and you lose all IP access to the switch, including Telnet, SSH, and management ports.  
Use the following procedure to block Telnet access.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Clone the default policy by typing the ipFilter --clone command.  
switch:admin> ipfilter --clone BlockTelnet -from default_ipv4  
3. Save the new policy by typing the ipFilter --save command.  
switch:admin> ipfilter --save BlockTelnet  
4. Verify the new policy exists by typing the ipFilter --show command.  
switch:admin> ipfilter --show  
5. Add a rule to the policy, by typing the ipFilter --addrule command.  
switch:admin> ipfilter --addrule BlockTelnet -rule 1 -sip any -dp 23 -proto  
tcp -act deny  
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ATTENTION  
The rule number assigned must precede the default rule number for this protocol. For  
example, in the defined policy, the Telnet rule number is 2. Therefore, to effectively block  
Telnet, the rule number to assign must be 1.  
If you choose not to use 1, you must delete the Telnet rule number 2 after adding this rule.  
Refer to “Deleting a rule from an IP Filter policy” on page 223 for more information on deleting  
IP filter rules.  
6. Save the new IP filter policy by typing the ipfilter --save command.  
7. Verify the new policy is correct by typing the ipFilter --show command.  
8. Activate the new IP filter policy by typing the ipfilter --activate command.  
switch:admin> ipfilter --activate BlockTelnet  
9. Verify the new policy is active (the default_ipv4 policy should be displayed as defined).  
switch:admin> ipfilter --show  
Name: BlockTelnet, Type: ipv4, State: defined  
Rule  
1
Source IP  
any  
Protocol  
tcp  
Dest  
23  
Port  
Action  
deny  
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10  
11  
12  
13  
any  
any  
any  
any  
any  
any  
any  
any  
any  
any  
any  
any  
tcp  
tcp  
tcp  
tcp  
tcp  
tcp  
tcp  
udp  
udp  
udp  
tcp  
udp  
22  
22  
permit  
permit  
permit  
permit  
permit  
permit  
permit  
permit  
permit  
permit  
permit  
permit  
897  
898  
111  
80  
443  
161  
111  
123  
600 - 1023  
600 - 1023  
Name: default_ipv4, Type: ipv4, State: defined  
Rule  
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Source IP  
any  
any  
any  
any  
any  
any  
any  
any  
any  
any  
any  
any  
Protocol  
tcp  
tcp  
tcp  
tcp  
tcp  
tcp  
tcp  
udp  
udp  
udp  
tcp  
udp  
Dest  
22  
23  
Port  
Action  
permit  
permit  
permit  
permit  
permit  
permit  
permit  
permit  
permit  
permit  
permit  
permit  
897  
898  
111  
80  
443  
161  
111  
123  
9
10  
11  
12  
600 - 1023  
600 - 1023  
Unblocking Telnet  
Use the following procedure to unblock Telnet access.  
1. Connect to the switch through a serial port or SSH and log in as admin.  
2. Enter the ipfilter --delete command.  
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Refer to “Deleting a rule from an IP Filter policy” on page 223 for more information on deleting  
IP filter rules.  
3. To permanently delete the policy, type the ipfilter --save command.  
ATTENTION  
If you deleted the rule to permit Telnet, you must add a rule to permit Telnet.  
Listener applications  
Brocade switches block Linux subsystem listener applications that are not used to implement  
supported features and capabilities. Table 25 lists the listener applications that Brocade switches  
either block or do not start.  
TABLE 25  
Blocked listener applications  
Listener application Brocade DCX and DCX 8510 Backbone families  
Brocade switches  
chargen  
daytime  
discard  
echo  
Disabled  
Disabled  
Disabled  
Disabled  
Disabled  
Disabled  
Disabled  
Disabled  
Disabled  
Disabled  
Disabled  
Disabled  
Disabled  
Disabled  
Disabled  
ftp  
Disabled  
rexec  
rlogin  
rsh  
Block with packet filter  
Block with packet filter  
Block with packet filter  
Disabled  
rstats  
rusers  
time  
Disabled  
Block with packet filter  
Ports and applications used by switches  
If you are using the FC-FC Routing Service, be aware that the secModeEnable command is not  
supported.  
Table 26 lists the defaults for accessing hosts, devices, switches, and zones.  
TABLE 26  
Access defaults  
Access default  
Hosts  
Any host can access the fabric by SNMP.  
Any host can Telnet to any switch in the fabric.  
Any host can establish an HTTP connection to any switch in the fabric.  
Any host can establish an API connection to any switch in the fabric.  
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Ports and applications used by switches  
6
TABLE 26  
Devices  
Access defaults (Continued)  
Access default  
All devices can access the management server.  
Any device can connect to any FC port in the fabric.  
Any switch can join the fabric.  
Switch access  
Zoning  
All switches in the fabric can be accessed through a serial port.  
No zoning is enabled.  
Port configuration  
Table 27 provides information on ports that the switch uses. When configuring the switch for  
various policies, take into consideration firewalls and other devices that may sit between switches  
in the fabric and your network or between the managers and the switch.  
TABLE 27  
Port information  
Port  
Type  
Common use Comment  
22  
TCP  
TCP  
TCP  
UDP  
UDP  
UDP  
SSH, SCP  
23  
Telnet  
HTTP  
sunrpc  
NTP  
Use the ipfilter command to block the port.  
80  
Use the ipfilter command to block the port.  
111  
123  
161  
This port is used by Platform API. Use the ipfilter command to block the port.  
SNMP  
Disable the SNMP service on the remote host if you do not use it, or filter  
incoming UDP packets going to this port.  
443  
512  
513  
514  
897  
TCP  
TCP  
TCP  
TCP  
TCP  
HTTPS  
exec  
Use the ipfilter command to block the port.  
This port is used by the Platform API.  
login  
shell  
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Configuring Security Policies  
7
In this chapter  
ACL policies overview  
Each supported Access Control List (ACL) policy listed below is identified by a specific name, and  
only one policy of each type can exist, except for DCC policies. Policy names are case-sensitive and  
must be entered in all uppercase. Fabric OS provides the following policies:  
Fabric configuration server (FCS) policy — Used to restrict which switches can change the  
configuration of the fabric.  
Device connection control (DCC) policies — Used to restrict which Fibre Channel device ports  
can connect to which Fibre Channel switch ports.  
Switch connection control (SCC) policy — Used to restrict which switches can join with a switch.  
NOTE  
Run all commands in this chapter by logging in to Administrative Domain (AD) 255 with the  
suggested permissions. If Administrative Domains have not been implemented, log in to AD0.  
How the ACL policies are stored  
The policies are stored in a local database. The database contains the ACL policy types of FCS,  
DCC, SCC, and IPFilter. The number of policies that may be defined is limited by the size of the  
database. FCS, SCC and DCC policies are all stored in the same database.  
In a fabric with Fabric OS v6.2.0 and later switches present, the limit for security policy database  
size is set to 1Mb. The policies are grouped by state and type. A policy can be in either of the  
following states:  
Active, which means the policy is being enforced by the switch.  
Defined, which means the policy has been set up but is not enforced.  
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Policies with the same state are grouped together in a Policy Set. Each switch has the following two  
sets:  
Active policy set, which contains ACL policies being enforced by the switch.  
Defined policy set, which contains a copy of all ACL policies on the switch.  
When a policy is activated, the defined policy either replaces the policy with the same name in the  
active set or becomes a new active policy. If a policy appears in the defined set but not in the active  
set, the policy was saved but has not been activated. If a policy with the same name appears in  
both the defined and active sets but they have different values, then the policy has been modified  
but the changes have not been activated.  
Admin Domain considerations: ACL management can be done on AD255 and in AD0 only if there  
are no user-defined Admin Domains. Both AD0 (when no other user-defined Admin Domains exist)  
and AD255 provide an unfiltered view of the fabric.  
Virtual Fabric considerations: ACL policies such as DCC, SCC, and FCS can be configured on each  
logical switch. The limit for security policy database size is set to 1Mb per logical switch.  
Policy members  
The FCS, DCC and SCC policy members are specified by device port WWN, switch WWN, domain  
IDs, or switch names, depending on the policy. The valid methods for specifying policy members  
are listed in Table 28.  
TABLE 28  
Valid methods for specifying policy members  
Policy name  
Device port WWN or Switch WWN  
Fabric port WWN  
Domain ID  
Switch name  
FCS_POLICY  
No  
Yes  
No  
Yes  
Yes  
Yes  
Yes  
Yes  
Yes  
Yes  
Yes  
Yes  
DCC_POLICY_nnn  
SCC_POLICY  
ACL policy management  
All policy modifications are temporarily stored in volatile memory until those changes are saved or  
activated. You can create multiple sessions to the switch from one or more hosts. It is  
recommended you make changes from one switch only to prevent multiple transactions from  
occurring. Each logical switch will have its own access control list.  
The FCS, SCC and DCC policies in Secure Fabric OS are not interchangeable with Fabric OS FCS,  
SCC and DCC policies. Uploading and saving a copy of the Fabric OS configuration after creating  
policies is strongly recommended. For more information on configuration uploads, see Chapter 8,  
NOTE  
All changes, including the creation of new policies, are saved and activated on the local switch only—  
unless the switch is in a fabric that has a strict or tolerant fabric-wide consistency policy for the ACL  
policy type for SCC or DCC. See “Policy database distribution” on page 224 for more information on  
the database settings and fabric-wide consistency policy.  
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ACL policy management  
7
Displaying ACL policies  
You can view the active and defined policy sets at any time. Additionally, in a defined policy set,  
policies created in the same login session also appear but these policies are automatically deleted  
if the you log out without saving them.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions, or an account with  
O permission for the Security RBAC class of commands.  
2. Type the secPolicyShow command.  
switch:admin> secPolicyShow  
____________________________________________________  
ACTIVE POLICY SET  
____________________________________________________  
DEFINED POLICY SET  
Saving changes without activating the policies  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions, or an account with  
OM permissions for the Security RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter the secPolicySave command.  
Activating ACL policy changes  
You can implement changes to the ACL policies using the secPolicyActivate command. This saves  
the changes to the active policy set and activates all policy changes since the last time the  
command was issued. You cannot activate policies on an individual basis; all changes to the entire  
policy set are activated by the command. Until a secPolicySave or secPolicyActivate command is  
issued, all policy changes are in volatile memory only and are lost upon rebooting.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions, or an account with  
OM permissions for the Security RBAC class of commands.  
2. Type the secPolicyActivate command.  
Example of activating policy changes  
switch:admin> secpolicyactivate  
About to overwrite the current Active data.  
ARE YOU SURE (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
Deleting an ACL policy  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions, or an account with  
OM permissions for the Security RBAC class of commands.  
2. Type secPolicyDelete “policy_name”.  
where policy_name is the name of the ACL policy.  
3. Save and activate the policy deletion by entering the secPolicyActivate command.  
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Example of deleting an ACL policy  
switch:admin> secpolicydelete "DCC_POLICY_010"  
About to delete policy Finance_Policy.  
Are you sure (yes, y, no, n):[no] y  
Finance_Policy has been deleted.  
Adding a member to an existing ACL policy  
As soon as a policy has been activated, the aspect of the fabric managed by that policy is enforced.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions, or an account with  
OM permissions for the Security RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter the secPolicyAdd command.  
3. To implement the change immediately, enter the secPolicyActivate command.  
Example of adding to an ACL policy  
For example, to add a member to the SCC_POLICY using the switch WWN:  
switch:admin> secpolicyadd "SCC_POLICY", "12:24:45:10:0a:67:00:40"  
Member(s) have been added to SCC_POLICY.  
Example of adding members to the DCC policy  
To add two devices to the DCC policy, and to attach domain 3 ports 1 and 3 (WWNs of devices  
are 11:22:33:44:55:66:77:aa and 11:22:33:44:55:66:77:bb):  
switch:admin> secpolicyadd "DCC_POLICY_abc",  
"11:22:33:44:55:66:77:aa;11:22:33:44:55:66:77:bb;3(1,3)"  
Removing a member from an ACL policy  
As soon as a policy has been activated, the aspect of the fabric managed by that policy is enforced.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions, or an account with  
OM permissions for the Security RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter the secPolicyRemove command.  
3. To implement the change immediately, enter the secPolicyActivate command.  
Example of removing a member  
For example, to remove a member that has a WWN of 12:24:45:10:0a:67:00:40 from the  
SCC_POLICY:  
switch:admin> secpolicyremove "SCC_POLICY", "12:24:45:10:0a:67:00:40"  
Member(s) have been removed from SCC_POLICY.  
Abandoning unsaved ACL policy changes  
You can abandon all ACL policy changes that have not yet been saved.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions, or an account with  
OM permissions for the Security RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter the secPolicyAbort command.  
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FCS policies  
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Example of aborting unsaved changes  
switch:admin> secpolicyabort  
Unsaved data has been aborted.  
All changes since the last time the secPolicySave or secPolicyActivate commands were entered are  
aborted.  
FCS policies  
Fabric configuration server (FCS) policy in base Fabric OS may be performed on a local switch basis  
and may be performed on any switch in the fabric.  
The FCS policy is not present by default, but must be created. When the FCS policy is created, the  
WWN of the local switch is automatically included in the FCS list. Additional switches can be  
included in the FCS list. The first switch in the list becomes the Primary FCS switch.  
Switches in the fabric are designated as either a Primary FCS, backup FCS, or non-FCS switch. Only  
the Primary FCS switch is allowed to modify and distribute the database within the fabric.  
Automatic distribution is supported and you can either configure the switches in your fabric to  
accept the FCS policy or manually distribute the FCS policy. Changes made to the FCS policy are  
saved to permanent memory only after the changes have been saved or activated; they can be  
aborted later if you have set your fabric to distribute the changes manually.  
TABLE 29  
FCS policy states  
Policy state  
Characteristics  
No active policy  
Any switch can perform fabric-wide configuration changes.  
Active policy with one entry  
A Primary FCS switch is designated (local switch), but there are no backup  
FCS switches. If the Primary FCS switch becomes unavailable for any reason,  
the fabric is left without an FCS switch.  
Active policy with multiple entries A Primary FCS switch and one or more backup FCS switches are designated. If  
the Primary FCS switch becomes unavailable, the next switch in the list  
becomes the Primary FCS switch.  
FCS policy restrictions  
The backup FCS switches normally cannot modify the policy. However, if the Primary FCS switch in  
the policy list is not reachable, then a backup FCS switch is allowed to modify the policy.  
Once an FCS policy is configured and distributed across the fabric, only the Primary FCS switch can  
perform certain operations. Operations that affect fabric-wide configuration are allowed only from  
the Primary FCS switch. Backup and non-FCS switches cannot perform security, zoning and AD  
operations that affect the fabric configuration. The following error message is returned if a backup  
or non-FCS switch tries to perform these operations:  
Can only execute this command on the Primary FCS switch.  
Operations that do not affect the fabric configuration, such as show or local switch commands, are  
allowed on backup and non-FCS switches.  
FCS enforcement applies only for user-initiated fabric-wide operations. Internal fabric data  
propagation because of a fabric merge is not blocked. Consequently, a new switch that joins the  
FCS-enabled fabric could still propagate the AD and zone database.  
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Table 30 shows the commands for switch operations for Primary FCS enforcement.  
TABLE 30 FCS switch operations  
Allowed on FCS switches  
Allowed on all switches  
secPolicyAdd (Allowed on all switches for SCC and DCC secPolicyShow  
policies as long as it is not fabric-wide)  
secPolicyCreate (Allowed on all switches for SCC and  
DCC policies as long as it is not fabric-wide)  
fddCfg –-localaccept or fddCfg --localreject  
secPolicyDelete (Allowed on all switches for SCC and  
DCC policies as long as its not fabric-wide)  
userconfig, Passwd, Passwdcfg (Fabric-wide distribution  
is not allowed from a backup or non-FCS switch.)  
secPolicyRemove (Allowed on all switches for SCC and secPolicyActivate  
DCC policies as long as its not fabric-wide)  
fddCfg –-fabwideset  
secPolicySave  
Any fabric-wide commands  
All zoning commands except the show commands  
All AD commands  
secPolicyAbort  
SNMP commands  
configupload  
Any local-switch commands  
Any AD command that does not affect fabric-wide  
configuration  
In Fabric OS v7.1.0 and later, to avoid segmentation of ports due to a member-list order mismatch,  
security policy members are sorted based on WWN. By default, DCC and SCC policy members are  
sorted based on WWN. Switches running earlier Fabric OS versions will have the member list in the  
unsorted manner. Any older-version switch with a policy already created in unsorted order will have  
port segmentation due to order mismatch when attempting to join any switch with Fabric OS v7.1.0  
or later. To overcome the order mismatch, you can modify the member list in the switch by using the  
-legacy option. For more information about using the -legacy option in the secPolicyAdd and  
secPolicyCreate commands, refer to Fabric OS Command Reference, Supporting Fabric OS, v7.1.0.  
Ensuring fabric domains share policies  
Whether your intention is to create new FCS policies or manage your current FCS policies, you must  
follow certain steps to ensure the domains throughout your fabric have the same policy.  
The local-switch WWN cannot be deleted from the FCS policy.  
1. Create the FCS policy using the secPolicyCreate command.  
2. Activate the policy using the secPolicyActivate command.  
If the command is not entered, the changes are lost when the session is logged out.  
3. To distribute the policies, enter the distribute -p policy_list -d switch_list command to either  
send the policies to intended domains, or enter the distribute -p policy_list -d wild_card (*)  
command to send the policies to all switches.  
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FCS policies  
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Creating an FCS policy  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions, or an account with  
OM permissions for the Security RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter the secPolicyCreate “FCS_POLICY” command.  
Example of creating an FCS policy  
The following example creates an FCS policy that allows a switch with domain ID 2 to become a  
primary FCS and domain ID 4 to become a backup FCS:  
switch:admin> secpolicycreate "FCS_POLICY", "2;4"  
FCS_POLICY has been created  
3. To save or activate the new policy, enter either the secPolicySave or the secPolicyActivate  
command. Once the policy has been activated you can distribute the policy.  
NOTE  
FCS policy must be consistent across the fabric. If the policy is inconsistent in the fabric, then you  
will not be able to perform any fabric-wide configurations from the primary FCS.  
Modifying the order of FCS switches  
1. Log in to the Primary FCS switch using an account with admin permissions, or an account with  
OM permissions for the Security RBAC class of commands.  
2. Type secPolicyShow “Defined”, “FCS_POLICY”.  
This displays the WWNs of the current Primary FCS switch and backup FCS switches.  
3. Type secPolicyFCSMove; then provide the current position of the switch in the list and the  
desired position at the prompts.  
Alternatively, enter secPolicyFCSMove [From, To] command. From is the current position in the  
list of the FCS switch and To is the desired position in the list for this switch.  
Example of moving an FCS policy  
The following example moves a backup FCS switch from position 2 to position 3 in the FCS list,  
using interactive mode:  
primaryfcs:admin> secpolicyfcsmove  
Pos  
Primary WWN  
DIdswName.  
=================================================  
1
2
3
Yes  
No  
No  
10:00:00:60:69:10:02:18  
10:00:00:60:69:00:00:5a  
10:00:00:60:69:00:00:13  
1 switch5.  
2 switch60.  
3 switch73.  
Please enter position you’d like to move from : (1..3) [1] 2  
Please enter position you’d like to move to : (1..3) [1] 3  
____________________________________________________  
DEFINED POLICY SET  
FCS_POLICY  
Pos  
Primary WWN  
DId swName  
__________________________________________________  
1
2
3
Yes  
No  
No  
10:00:00:60:69:10:02:18  
10:00:00:60:69:00:00:13  
10:00:00:60:69:00:00:5a  
1 switch5.  
3 switch73.  
2 switch60.  
____________________________________________________  
4. Type the secPolicyActivate command to activate and save the new order.  
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FCS policy distribution  
The FCS policy can be automatically distributed using the fddCfg --fabwideset command or it can  
be manually distributed to the switches using the distribute -p command. Each switch that receives  
the FCS policy must be configured to receive the policy. To configure the switch to accept  
distribution of the FCS policy, refer to “Database distribution settings” on page 225.  
Database distributions may be initiated from only the Primary FCS switch. FCS policy configuration  
and management is performed using the command line or a manageability interface.  
Only the Primary FCS switch is allowed to distribute the database. The FCS policy can be manually  
distributed across the fabric using the distribute -p command. Since this policy is distributed  
manually, the command fddCfg –-fabwideset is used to distribute a fabric-wide consistency policy  
for FCS policy in an environment consisting of only Fabric OS v6.2.0 and later switches.  
FCS enforcement for the distribute command is handled differently for FCS and other databases in  
an FCS fabric:  
For an FCS database, the enforcement allows any switch to initiate the distribution. This is to  
support FCS policy creation specifying a remote switch as Primary.  
For other database distributions, only the Primary FCS switch can initiate the distribution.  
The FCS policy distribution is allowed to be distributed from a switch in the FCS list. However, if  
none of the FCS switches in the existing FCS list are reachable, receiving switches accept  
distribution from any switch in the fabric. To learn more about how to distribute policies, refer to  
Local switch configuration parameters are needed to control whether a switch accepts or rejects  
distributions of FCS policy and whether the switch is allowed to initiate distribution of an FCS policy.  
A configuration parameter controls whether the distribution of the policy is accepted or rejected on  
the local switch. Setting the configuration parameter to accept indicates distribution of the policy  
will be accepted and distribution may be initiated using the distribute -p command. Setting the  
configuration parameter to reject indicates the policy distribution is rejected and the switch may  
not distribute the policy.  
The default value for the distribution configuration parameter is accept, which means the switch  
accepts all database distributions and is able to initiate a distribute operation for all databases.  
TABLE 31  
Distribution policy states  
Fabric OS  
State  
v6.2.0 and later configured to accept Target switch accepts distribution and fabric state change occurs.  
v6.2.0 and later configured to reject Target switch explicitly rejects the distribution and the operation fails.  
The entire transaction is aborted and no fabric state change occurs.  
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Device Connection Control policies  
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Device Connection Control policies  
Multiple Device Connection Control (DCC) policies can be used to restrict which device ports can  
connect to which switch ports. The devices can be initiators, targets, or intermediate devices such  
as SCSI routers and loop hubs. By default, all device ports are allowed to connect to all switch  
ports; no DCC policies exist until they are created. For information regarding DCC policies and  
F_Port trunking, refer to the Access Gateway Administrator’s Guide.  
Each device port can be bound to one or more switch ports; the same device ports and switch  
ports may be listed in multiple DCC policies. After a switch port is specified in a DCC policy, it  
permits connections only from designated device ports. Device ports that are not specified in any  
DCC policies are allowed to connect only to switch ports that are not specified in any DCC policies.  
When a DCC violation occurs, the related port is automatically disabled and must be re-enabled  
using the portEnable command.  
Table 32 on page 203 shows the possible DCC policy states.  
TABLE 32  
DCC policy states  
Characteristics  
Policy state  
No policy  
Any device can connect to any switch port in the fabric.  
Policy with no  
entries  
Any device can connect to any switch port in the fabric. An empty policy is the same as no  
policy.  
Policy with entries  
If a device WWN or Fabric port WWN is specified in a DCC policy, that device is only allowed  
access to the switch if connected by a switch port listed in the same policy.  
If a switch port is specified in a DCC policy, it only permits connections from devices that are  
listed in the policy.  
Devices with WWNs that are not specified in a DCC policy are allowed to connect to the  
switch at any switch ports that are not specified in a DCC policy.  
Switch ports and device WWNs may exist in multiple DCC policies.  
Proxy devices are always granted full access and can connect to any switch port in the fabric.  
Virtual Fabrics considerations  
The DCC policies that have entries for the ports that are being moved from one logical switch to  
another will be considered stale and will not be enforced. You can choose to keep stale policies in  
the current logical switch or delete the stale policies after the port movements. Use the  
secPolicyDelete command to delete stale DCC policies.  
DCC policy restrictions  
The following restrictions apply when using DCC policies:  
Some older private-loop host bus adaptors (HBAs) do not respond to port login from the switch  
and are not enforced by the DCC policy. This does not create a security problem because these  
HBAs cannot contact any device outside of their immediate loop.  
DCC policies cannot manage or restrict iSCSI connections, that is, an FC Initiator connection  
from an iSCSI gateway.  
You cannot manage proxy devices with DCC policies. Proxy devices are always granted full  
access, even if the DCC policy has an entry that restricts or limits access of a proxy device.  
DCC policies are not supported on the CEE ports of the Brocade 8000.  
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Creating a DCC policy  
DCC policies must follow the naming convention “DCC_POLICY_nnn,” where nnn represents a  
unique string. The maximum length is 30 characters, including the prefix DCC_POLICY_.  
Device ports must be specified by port WWN. Switch ports can be identified by the switch WWN,  
domain ID, or switch name followed by the port or area number. To specify an allowed connection,  
enter the device port WWN, a semicolon, and the switch port identification.  
The following methods of specifying an allowed connection are possible:  
deviceportWWN;switchWWN (port or area number)  
deviceportWWN;domainID (port or area number)  
deviceportWWN;switchname (port or area number)  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions, or an account with  
OM permissions for the Security RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter the secPolicyCreate “DCC_POLICY_nnncommand.  
DCC_POLICY_nnn is the name of the DCC policy; nnn is a string consisting of up to 19  
alphanumeric or underscore characters to differentiate it from any other DCC policies.  
3. To save or activate the new policy, enter the appropriate command:  
To save the policy, enter the secPolicySave command.  
To save and activate the policy, enter the secPolicyActivate command.  
If neither of these commands is entered, the changes are lost when the session is logged out.  
Example of creating DCC policies  
To create the DCC policy “DCC_POLICY_server” that includes device 11:22:33:44:55:66:77:aa  
and port 1 and port 3 of switch domain 1:  
switch:admin> secpolicycreate  
"DCC_POLICY_server","11:22:33:44:55:66:77:aa;1(1,3)"  
DCC_POLICY_server has been created  
To create the DCC policy “DCC_POLICY_storage” that includes device port WWN  
22:33:44:55:66:77:11:bb, all ports of switch domain 2, and all currently connected devices of  
switch domain 2:  
switch:admin> secpolicycreate "DCC_POLICY_storage",  
"22:33:44:55:66:77:11:bb;2[*]"  
DCC_POLICY_storage has been created  
To create the DCC policy “DCC_POLICY_abc” that includes device 33:44:55:66:77:11:22:cc  
and ports 1 through 6 and port 9 of switch domain 3:  
switch:admin> secpolicycreate "DCC_POLICY_abc",  
"33:44:55:66:77:11:22:cc;3(1-6,9)"  
DCC_POLICY_abc has been created  
To create the DCC policy “DCC_POLICY_example” that includes devices  
44:55:66:77:22:33:44:dd and 33:44:55:66:77:11:22:cc, ports 1 through 4 of switch domain  
4, and all devices currently connected to ports 1 through 4 of switch domain 4:  
switch:admin> secpolicycreate "DCC_POLICY_example",  
"44:55:66:77:22:33:44:dd;33:44:55:66:77:11:22:cc;4[1-4]"  
DCC_POLICY_example has been created  
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Deleting a DCC policy  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions, or an account with  
OM permissions for the Security RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter the secPolicyDelete command.  
Example of deleting stale DCC policies  
switch:admin> secpolicydelete ALL_STALE_DCC_POLICY  
About to clear all STALE DCC policies  
ARE YOU SURE (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
DCC policy behavior with Fabric-Assigned PWWNs  
A DCC policy check is always performed for the physical port WWN of a device when the HBA has  
established that the device is attempting a normal FLOGI and has both a fabric-assigned port WWN  
(FA-PWWN) and a physical port WWN.  
DCC policies created with FA-PWWNs will result in the disabling of FA-PWWN assigned ports on  
subsequent FLOGI. It is therefore recommended to create policies with the physical PWWN  
DCC policies created with the lock down feature result in DCC policies with FA-PWWNs. It is  
therefore recommended to avoid using the lock down feature in fabrics that are using FA-PWWNs.  
A DCC policy created with a device WWN for a specific port allows the device to log in only on the  
same port. The same device will not be allowed to log in on a different port. For devices that log in  
across an AG, the policy should be created with all the NPIV ports, so even if failover occurs the  
device will be allowed to log in on a different NPIV port.  
Table 33 lists the behavior of the DCC policy with FA-PWWNs in the fabric when the DCC policy is  
created using lockdown support.  
TABLE 33  
DCC policy behavior with FA-PWWN when created using lockdown support  
Configuration  
WWN seen on  
DCC policy list  
Behavior when DCC policy  
activates  
Behavior on portDisable  
and portEnable  
FA-PWWN has logged into the switch  
DCC policy creation with lock down  
(uses FA-PWWN).  
FA-PWWN  
Traffic will not be  
disrupted.  
Ports will be disabled  
for security violation.  
1
2
DCC policy activation.  
DCC policy creation with lockdown  
(uses physical PWWN).  
FA-PWWN has logged into the switch  
DCC policy activation.  
Physical  
PWWN  
Traffic will not be  
disrupted.  
Ports will come up  
without security  
issues.  
DCC policy creation with lockdown  
(uses physical PWWN)  
DCC policy activation  
Physical  
PWWN  
Traffic will not be  
disrupted.  
Ports will come up  
without any security  
issues.  
FA-PWWN has logged into the switch  
1. Indicates a security concern, because devices that are logged in with FA-PWWNs will not be disabled after  
activation of DCC policies that are created with FA-PWWNs. This is done to avoid disturbing any existing  
management.  
2. Any disruption in the port will disable the port for a security violation. As the traffic is already disrupted for this  
port, you must enforce the DCC policy for a physical device WWN; otherwise, the device will not be allowed to login  
again.  
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Table 34 shows the behavior of a DCC policy created manually with the physical PWWN of a device.  
The configurations shown in this table are the recommended configurations when an FA-PWWN is  
logged into the switch.  
TABLE 34  
DCC policy behavior when created manually with PWWN  
Configuration  
WWN seen on  
DCC policy list  
Behavior when DCC policy  
activates  
Behavior on portDisable  
and portEnable  
FA-PWWN has logged into the switch. PWWN  
Traffic will not be  
disrupted.  
Ports will come up  
without security  
issues.  
DCC policy creation manually with  
physical PWWN of device.  
DCC policy activation.  
DCC policy creation. manually with  
physical PWWN  
PWWN  
Traffic will not be  
disrupted.  
Ports will come up  
without security  
issues.  
FA-PWWN has logged into the switch.  
DCC policy activation.  
DCC policy creation manually with  
physical PWWN,  
DCC policy activation.  
Physical PWWN Traffic will not be  
disrupted.  
Ports will come up  
without any security  
issues.  
FA-PWWN has logged into the switch.  
SCC Policies  
The switch connection control (SCC) policy is used to restrict which switches can join the fabric.  
Switches are checked against the policy each time an E_Port-to-E_Port connection is made. The  
policy is named SCC_POLICY and accepts members listed as WWNs, domain IDs, or switch names.  
Only one SCC policy can be created.  
By default, any switch is allowed to join the fabric; the SCC policy does not exist until it is created.  
When connecting a Fibre Channel router to a fabric or switch that has an active SCC policy, the  
front domain of the Fibre Channel router must be included in the SCC policy.  
SCC policy states are shown in Table 35.  
TABLE 35  
SCC policy states  
Policy state  
SCC policy enforcement  
No active policy  
All switches can connect to the switch with the specified policy.  
Active policy that has no members All neighboring switches are segmented.  
Active policy that has members  
The neighboring switches not specified in the SCC policy are segmented.  
Virtual Fabrics considerations: In a logical fabric environment the SCC policy enforcement is not  
done on the logical ISL. For a logical ISL-based switch, the SCC policy enforcement is considered as  
the reference and the logical ISL is formed if the SCC enforcement passes on the extended ISL. The  
following changes:  
A logical switch supports an SCC policy. You can configure and distribute an SCC policy on a  
logical switch.  
SCC enforcement is performed on a ISL based on the SCC policy present on the logical switch.  
For more information on Virtual Fabrics, refer to Chapter 10, “Managing Virtual Fabrics”.  
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Creating an SCC policy  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions, or an account with  
OM permissions for the Security RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter the secPolicyCreate “SCC_POLICY” command.  
3. Save or activate the new policy by entering either the secPolicySave or the secPolicyActivate  
command.  
If neither of these commands is entered, the changes are lost when the session is logged out.  
Example of creating an SCC policy  
For example, to create an SCC policy that allows switches that have domain IDs 2 and 4 to join  
the fabric:  
switch:admin> secpolicycreate "SCC_POLICY", "2;4"  
SCC_POLICY has been created  
switch:admin> secpolicysave  
Authentication policy for fabric elements  
By default, Fabric OS v6.2.0 and later use Diffie Hellman - Challenge Handshake Authentication  
Protocol) (DH-CHAP) or Fibre Channel Authentication Protocol (FCAP) for authentication. These  
protocols use shared secrets and digital certificates, based on switch WWN and public key  
infrastructure (PKI) technology, to authenticate switches. Authentication automatically defaults to  
FCAP if both switches are configured to accept FCAP protocol in authentication, unless ports are  
configured for in-flight encryption, in which case authentication defaults to DH-CHAP if both  
switches are configured to accept the DH-CHAP protocol in authentication. To use FCAP on both  
switches, PKI certificates have to be installed.  
NOTE  
The fabric authentication feature is available in base Fabric OS. No license is required.  
FCAP requires the exchange of certificates between two or more switches to authenticate to each  
other before they form or join a fabric. Beginning with Fabric OS v7.0.0, these certificates are no  
longer issued by Brocade, but by a third-party which is now the root CA for all of the issued  
certificates. You can use Brocade and third-party certificates between switches that are Fabric OS  
v6.4.0, but only Brocade-issued certificates (where Brocade is the root CA) for Fabric OS versions  
earlier than v6.4.0. The certificates must be in PEM (Privacy Enhanced Mail) encoded format for  
both root and peer certificates. The switch certificates issued from the third-party vendors can be  
directly issued from the root CA or from an intermediate CA authority.  
When you configure DH-CHAP authentication, you also must define a pair of shared secrets known  
to both switches as a secret key pair. Figure 13 illustrates how the secrets are configured. A secret  
key pair consists of a local secret and a peer secret. The local secret uniquely identifies the local  
switch. The peer secret uniquely identifies the entity to which the local switch authenticates. Every  
switch can share a secret key pair with any other switch or host in a fabric.  
To use DH-CHAP authentication, a secret key pair has to be configured on both switches. For more  
information on setting up secret key pairs, refer to “Setting a secret key pair” on page 214.  
When configured, the secret key pair is used for authentication. Authentication occurs whenever  
there is a state change for the switch or port. The state change can be due to a switch reboot, a  
switch or port disable and enable, or the activation of a policy.  
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Key database on switch  
Local secret B  
Key database on switch  
Local secret A  
Peer secret B  
Peer secret A  
Switch A  
Switch B  
FIGURE 13 DH-CHAP authentication  
If you use DH-CHAP authentication, then a secret key pair must be installed only in connected  
fabric elements. However, as connections are changed, new secret key pairs must be installed  
between newly connected elements. Alternatively, a secret key pair for all possible connections  
may be initially installed, enabling links to be arbitrarily changed while still maintaining a valid  
secret key pair for any new connection.  
The switch authentication (AUTH) policy initiates DH-CHAP/FCAP authentication on all E_Ports. This  
policy is persistent across reboots, which means authentication will be initiated automatically on  
ports or switches brought online if the policy is set to activate authentication. The AUTH policy is  
distributed by command; automatic distribution of the AUTH policy is not supported.  
The default configuration directs the switch to attempt FCAP authentication first, DH-CHAP second.  
The switch may be configured to negotiate FCAP, DH-CHAP, or both.  
The DH group is used in the DH-CHAP protocol only. The FCAP protocol exchanges the DH group  
information, but does not use it.  
Virtual Fabrics considerations  
If Virtual Fabrics is enabled, all AUTH module parameters such as shared secrets, and shared  
switch and device policies, are logical switch-wide. That means you must configure shared secrets  
and policies separately on each logical switch and the shared secrets and policies must be set on  
each switch prior to authentication. On logical switch creation, authentication takes default values  
for policies and other parameters. FCAP certificates are installed on a chassis, but are configured  
on each logical switch.  
E_Port authentication  
The authentication (AUTH) policy allows you to configure DH-CHAP authentication on switches with  
Fabric OS v5.3.0 and later. By default the policy is set to PASSIVE and you can change the policy. All  
changes to the AUTH policy take effect during the next authentication request. This includes  
starting authentication on all E_Ports on the local switch if the policy is changed to ON or ACTIVE,  
and clearing the authentication if the policy is changed to OFF. The authentication configurations  
will be effective only on subsequent E_ and F_Port initialization.  
ATTENTION  
A secret key pair has to be installed prior to changing the policy. For more information on setting up  
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Virtual Fabrics considerations  
The switch authentication policy applies to all E_Ports in a logical switch. This includes ISLs and  
extended ISLs. Authentication of extended ISLs between two base switches is considered  
peer-chassis authentication. Authentication between two physical entities is required, so the  
extended ISL which connects the two chassis needs to be authenticated. The corresponding  
extended ISL for a logical ISL authenticates the peer-chassis, therefore the logical ISL  
authentication is not required. Because the logical ISLs do not carry actual traffic, they do not need  
to be authenticated. Authentication on re-individualization is also blocked on logical ISLs. The  
following error message is printed on the console when you execute the authUtil –-authinit  
command on logical-ISLs, “Failed to initiate authentication. Authentication is not supported on  
logical ports <port#>”. For more information on Virtual Fabrics, refer to Chapter 10, “Managing  
Configuring E_Port authentication  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions, or an account with  
OM permissions for the Authentication RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter the authUtil command to set the switch policy mode.  
Example of configuring E_Port authentication  
The following example shows how to enable Virtual Fabrics and configure the E_Ports to perform  
authentication using the AUTH policies authUtil command.  
switch:admin> fosconfig -enable vf  
WARNING: This is a disruptive operation that requires a reboot to take  
effect.  
All EX ports will be disabled upon reboot.  
Would you like to continue [Y/N] y  
switch:admin> authutil --authinit 2,3,4  
CAUTION  
If data input has not been completed and a failover occurs, the command is terminated without  
completion and your entire input is lost.  
If data input has completed, the enter key pressed, and a failover occurs, data may or may not be  
replicated to the other CP depending on the timing of the failover. Log in to the other CP after the  
failover is complete and verify the data was saved. If data was not saved, run the command  
again.  
Example of setting the policy to active mode  
switch:admin> authutil --policy -sw active  
Warning: Activating the authentication policy requires  
either DH-CHAP secrets or PKI certificates depending  
on the protocol selected. Otherwise, ISLs will be  
segmented during next E-port bring-up.  
ARE YOU SURE (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
Auth Policy is set to ACTIVE  
NOTE  
This authentication-policy change will not affect online EX_Ports.  
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Re-authenticating E_Ports  
Use the authUtil --authinit command to re-initiate the authentication on selected ports. It provides  
flexibility to initiate authentication for specified E_Ports, a set of E_Ports, or all E_Ports on the  
switch. This command does not work on loop, NPIV and FICON devices, or on ports configured for  
in-flight encryption. The command authUtil can re-initiate authentication only if the device was  
previously authenticated. If the authentication fails because shared secrets do not match, the port  
is disabled.  
This command works independently of the authentication policy; this means you can initiate the  
authentication even if the switch is in PASSIVE mode. This command is used to restart  
authentication after changing the DH-CHAP group, hash type, or shared secret between a pair of  
switches.  
ATTENTION  
This command may bring down E_Ports if the DH-CHAP shared secrets are not installed correctly.  
1. Log in to the switch using an account with admin permissions, or an account with OM  
permissions for the Authentication RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter the authUtil –-authinit command.  
Example for specific ports on the switch  
switch:admin> authutil –-authinit 2,3,4  
Example for all E_Ports on the switch  
switch:admin> authutil –-authinit allE  
Example for Backbones using the slot/port format  
switch:admin> authutil –-authinit 1/1, 1/2  
Device authentication policy  
Device authentication policy can also be categorized as an F_Port, node port, or an HBA  
authentication policy. Fabric-wide distribution of the device authentication policy is not supported  
because the device authentication requires manual interaction in setting the HBA shared secrets  
and switch shared secrets, and most of the HBAs do not support the defined DH groups for use in  
the DH-CHAP protocol.  
NOTE  
Authentication is supported from Brocade fabric switches in native mode to Access Gateway  
switches and from Access Gateway switches to HBAs. For more information, refer to the Access  
Gateway Administrator’s Guide, Supporting Fabric OS v7.1.0  
By default the devicepolicy is in the OFF state, which means the switch clears the security bit in the  
FLOGI (fabric login). The authUtil command provides an option to change the device policy mode to  
select PASSIVE policy, which means the switch responds to authentication from any device and  
does not initiate authentication to devices. When the policy is set to ON, the switch expects a FLOGI  
with the FC-SP bit set. If not, the switch rejects the FLOGI with reason LS_LOGICAL_ERROR (0x03),  
explanation “Authentication Required”(0x48), and disables the port. Regardless of the policy, the  
F_Port is disabled if the DH-CHAP protocol fails to authenticate. If the HBA sets the FC-SP bit during  
FLOGI and the switch sends a FLOGI accept with the FC-SP bit set, then the switch expects the HBA  
to start the AUTH_NEGOTIATE. From this point on until the AUTH_NEGOTIATE is completed, all ELS  
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and CT frames, except the AUTH_NEGOTIATE ELS frame, are blocked by the switch. During this  
time, the Fibre Channel driver rejects all other ELS frames. The F_Port does not form until the  
AUTH_NEGOTIATE is completed. It is the HBA's responsibility to send an Authentication Negotiation  
ELS frame after receiving the FLOGI accept frame with the FC-SP bit set.  
Virtual Fabrics considerations  
Because the device authentication policy has switch and logical switch-based parameters, each  
logical switch is set when Virtual Fabrics is enabled. Authentication is enforced based on each  
logical switch’s policy settings.  
Configuring device authentication  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions, or an account with  
OM permissions for the Authentication RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter the authUtil command to set the device policy mode.  
Example of setting the Device policy to passive mode:  
switch:admin> authutil --policy -dev passive  
Warning: Activating the authentication policy requires  
DH-CHAP secrets on both switch and device. Otherwise,  
the F-port will be disabled during next F-port  
bring-up.  
ARE YOU SURE (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
Device authentication is set to PASSIVE  
AUTH policy restrictions  
All fabric element authentication configurations are performed on a local switch basis.  
Device authentication policy supports devices that are connected to the switch in point-to-point  
manner and is visible to the entire fabric. The following are not supported:  
Public loop devices  
Single private devices  
Private loop devices  
Mixed public and private devices in loop  
NPIV devices  
FICON channels  
Configupload and download will not be supported for the following AUTH attributes: auth type,  
hash type, group type.  
NOTE  
For information about how to use authentication with Access Gateway, refer to the Access Gateway  
Administrator’s Guide Supporting Fabric OS v7.1.0.  
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Authentication protocols  
Use the authUtil command to perform the following tasks:  
Display the current authentication parameters.  
Select the authentication protocol used between switches.  
Select the DH (Diffie-Hellman) group for a switch.  
Run the authUtil command on the switch you want to view or change. Below are the different  
options to specify which DH group you want to use.  
00 – DH Null option  
01 – 1024 bit key  
02 – 1280 bit key  
03 - 1536 bit key  
04 – 2048 bit key  
Viewing the current authentication parameter settings for a switch  
1. Log in to the switch using an account with admin permissions, or an account with the O  
permission for the Authentication RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter the authUtil --show.  
Example of output from the authUtil --show command  
AUTH TYPE  
--------------------------------------  
fcap,dhchap sha1,md5 0, 1, 2, 3, 4  
HASH TYPE  
GROUP TYPE  
Switch Authentication Policy: PASSIVE  
Device Authentication Policy: OFF  
Setting the authentication protocol  
1. Log in to the switch using an account with admin permissions, or an account with OM  
permissions for the Authentication RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter the authUtil --set -a command specifying fcap, dhchap, or all.  
Example of setting the DH-CHAP authentication protocol  
switch:admin> authutil --set -a dhchap  
Authentication is set to dhchap.  
When using DH-CHAP, make sure that you configure the switches at both ends of a link.  
NOTE  
If you set the authentication protocol to DH-CHAP or FCAP, have not configured shared secrets  
or certificates, and authentication is checked (for example, you enable the switch), then switch  
authentication will fail.  
If the E_Port is to carry in-flight encrypted traffic, the authentication protocol must be set to  
DH-CHAP. You must also use the -g option to set the DH group value to group 4 or all groups.  
See Chapter 14, “In-flight Encryption and Compression,” for details about in-flight encryption.  
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Secret key pairs for DH-CHAP  
When you configure the switches at both ends of a link to use DH-CHAP for authentication, you  
must also define a secret key pair—one for each end of the link. Use the secAuthSecret command  
to perform the following tasks:  
View the WWN of switches with a secret key pair.  
Set the secret key pair for switches.  
Remove the secret key pair for one or more switches.  
Characteristics of a secret key pair  
The secret key pair must be set up locally on every switch. The secret key pair is not distributed  
fabric-wide.  
If a secret key pair is not set up for a link, authentication fails. The “Authentication Failed”  
(reason code 05h) error will be reported and logged.  
The minimum length of a shared secret is 8 characters and the maximum length is 40  
characters. If the E_Port is to carry in-flight encrypted traffic, a shared secret or at least 32  
characters is recommended. See Chapter 14, “In-flight Encryption and Compression” for  
details about in-flight encryption.  
NOTE  
When setting a secret key pair, note that you are entering the shared secrets in plain text. Use a  
secure channel (for example, SSH or the serial console) to connect to the switch on which you are  
setting the secrets.  
Viewing the list of secret key pairs in the current switch database  
1. Log in to the switch using an account with admin permissions, or an account with the O  
permission for the Authentication RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter the secAuthSecret --show command.  
The output displays the WWN, domain ID, and name (if known) of the switches with defined  
shared secrets:  
WWN  
DId  
Name  
-----------------------------------------------  
10:00:00:60:69:80:07:52  
10:00:00:60:69:80:07:5c  
Unknown  
switchA  
1
Note about Access Gateway switches  
Because Domain ID and name are not supported for Access Gateway, secAuthSecret --show output  
for Access Gateway appears as follows:  
WWN  
DId  
Name  
-----------------------------------------------  
10:00:8C:7C:FF:03:9E:00  
10:00:8C:7C:FF:03:9E:01  
10:00:8C:7C:FF:0D:AF:01  
-1  
-1  
-1  
Unknown  
Unknown  
Unknown  
When setting and removing the secret for a switch or device on Access Gateway, only the WWN can  
be used.  
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Setting a secret key pair  
1. Log in to the switch using an account with admin permissions, or an account with OM  
permissions for the Authentication RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter the secAuthSecret --set command.  
The command enters interactive mode. The command returns a description of itself and  
needed input; then it loops through a sequence of switch specification, peer secret entry, and  
local secret entry.  
To exit the loop, press Enter for the switch name; then type y.  
Example of setting a secret key pair  
switchA:admin> secauthsecret --set  
This command is used to set up secret keys for the DH-CHAP authentication.  
The minimum length of a secret key is 8 characters and maximum 40  
characters. Setting up secret keys does not initiate DH-CHAP  
authentication. If switch is configured to do DH-CHAP, it is performed  
whenever a port or a switch is enabled.  
Warning: Please use a secure channel for setting secrets. Using  
an insecure channel is not safe and may compromise secrets.  
Following inputs should be specified for each entry.  
1. WWN for which secret is being set up.  
2. Peer secret: The secret of the peer that authenticates to peer.  
3. Local secret: The local secret that authenticates peer.  
Press Enter to start setting up shared secrets > <cr>  
Enter WWN, Domain, or switch name (Leave blank when done):  
10:20:30:40:50:60:70:80  
Enter peer secret: <hidden>  
Re-enter peer secret: <hidden>  
Enter local secret: <hidden>  
Re-enter local secret: <hidden>  
Enter WWN, Domain, or switch name (Leave blank when done):  
10:20:30:40:50:60:70:81  
Enter peer secret: <hidden>  
Re-enter peer secret: <hidden>  
Enter local secret: <hidden>  
Re-enter local secret: <hidden>  
Enter WWN, Domain, or switch name (Leave blank when done): <cr>  
Are you done? (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
Saving data to key store… Done.  
3. Disable and enable the ports on a peer switch using the portDisable and portEnable  
commands.  
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FCAP configuration overview  
Beginning with Fabric OS release 7.0.0, you must configure the switch to use third-party certificates  
for authentication with the peer switch.  
To perform authentication with FCAP protocol with certificates issued from third party, the user has  
to perform following steps:  
1. Choose a certificate authority (CA).  
2. Generate a public, private key, passphrase and a CSR on each switch.  
3. Store the CSR from each switch on a file server.  
4. Obtain the certificates from the CA.  
You can request a certificate from a CA through a Web browser. After you request a certificate,  
the CA either sends certificate files by e-mail (public) or gives access to them on a remote host  
(private). Typically, the CA provides the certificate files listed in Table 36.  
ATTENTION  
Only the .pem file is supported for FCAP authentication.  
TABLE 36  
FCAP certificate files  
Description  
Certificate file  
nameCA.pem  
The CA certificate. It must be installed on the remote and local switch to verify the  
validity of the switch certificate or switch validation fails.  
name.pem  
The switch certificate.  
5. On each switch, install the CA certificate before installing switch certificate.  
6. After the CA certificate is installed, install the switch certificate on each switch.  
7. Update the switch database for peer switches to use third-party certificates.  
8. Use the newly installed certificates by starting the authentication process.  
Generating the key and CSR for FCAP  
The public/private key and CSR has to be generated for the local and remote switches that will  
participate in the authentication. In FCAP, one command is used to generate the public/private key  
the CSR, and the passphrase.  
1. Log in to the switch using an account with admin permissions, or an account associated with  
the chassis role and having OM permissions for the PKI RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter the secCertUtil generate -fcapall -keysize command on the local switch.  
switch:admin> seccertutil generate -fcapall -keysize 1024  
WARNING!!!  
About to create FCAP:  
ARE YOU SURE (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
Installing Private Key and Csr...  
Switch key pair and CSR generated...  
3. Repeat step 2 on the remote switch.  
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Authentication policy for fabric elements  
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Exporting the CSR for FCAP  
You will need to export the CSR file created in “Generating the key and CSR for FCAP” section and  
send to a Certificate Authority (CA). The CA will in turn provide two files as outlined in “FCAP  
1. Log in to the switch using an account with admin permissions, or an account associated with  
the chassis role and having OM permissions for the PKI RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter the secCertUtil export –fcapswcsr command.  
switch:admin> seccertutil export -fcapswcsr  
Select protocol [ftp or scp]: scp  
Enter IP address: 10.1.2.3  
Enter remote directory: /myHome/jdoe/OPENSSL  
Enter Login Name: jdoe  
jdoe@10.1.2.3's password: <hidden text>  
Success: exported FCAP CA certificate  
Importing CA for FCAP  
Once you receive the files back from the Certificate Authority, you will need to install or import them  
onto the local and remote switches.  
1. Log in to the switch using an account with admin permissions, or an account associated with  
the chassis role and having OM permissions for the PKI RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter the secCertUtil import –fcapcacert command and verify the CA certificates are  
consistent on both local and remote switches.  
switch:admin> seccertutil import -fcapcacert  
Select protocol [ftp or scp]: scp  
Enter IP address: 10.1.2.3  
Enter remote directory: /myHome/jdoe/OPENSSL  
Enter certificate name (must have a ".pem" suffix):CACert.pem  
Enter Login Name: jdoe  
jdoe@10.1.2.3's password: <hidden text>  
Success: imported certificate [CACert.pem].  
Importing the FCAP switch certificate  
ATTENTION  
The CA certificates must be installed prior to installing the switch certificate.  
1. Log in to the switch using an account with admin permissions, or an account associated with  
the chassis role and having OM permissions for the PKI RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter the secCertUtil import –fcapswcert command.  
switch:admin> seccertutil import -fcapswcert  
Select protocol [ftp or scp]: scp  
Enter IP address: 10.1.2.3  
Enter remote directory: /myHome/jdoe/OPENSSL  
Enter certificate name (must have ".crt" or ".cer" ".pem" or ".psk"  
suffix):01.pem  
Enter Login Name: jdoe  
jdoe@10.1.2.3's password: <hidden text>  
Success: imported certificate [01.pem].  
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IP Filter policy  
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Starting FCAP authentication  
1. Log in to the switch using an account with admin permissions, or an account with OM  
permissions for the Authentication RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter the authUtil --authinit command to start the authentication using the newly imported  
certificates. (This command is not supported in Access Gateway mode.)  
3. Enter the authUtil --policy -sw command and select active or on, the default is passive. This  
makes the changes permanent and forces the switch to request authentication. (For Access  
Gateway mode, the defaults for sw policy and dev policy are off, and there is no passive option  
for sw policy.)  
NOTE  
This authentication-policy change does not affect online EX_Ports.  
Fabric-wide distribution of the authorization policy  
The AUTH policy can be manually distributed to the fabric by command; there is no support for  
automatic distribution. To distribute the AUTH policy, see “Distributing the local ACL policies” on  
page 227 for instructions.  
Local Switch configuration parameters are needed to control whether a switch accepts or rejects  
distributions of the AUTH policy using the distribute command and whether the switch may initiate  
distribution of the policy. To set the local switch configuration parameter, refer to “Policy database  
NOTE  
This is not supported for Access Gateway mode.  
IP Filter policy  
The IP Filter policy is a set of rules applied to the IP management interfaces as a packet filtering  
firewall. The firewall permits or denies the traffic to go through the IP management interfaces  
according to the policy rules.  
Fabric OS supports multiple IP Filter policies to be defined at the same time. Each IP Filter policy is  
identified by a name and has an associated type. Two IP Filter policy types, IPv4 and IPv6, exist to  
provide separate packet filtering for IPv4 and IPv6. It is not allowed to specify an IPv6 address in  
the IPv4 filter, or specify an IPv4 address in the IPv6 filter. There can be up to six different IP Filter  
policies defined for both types. Only one IP Filter policy for each IP type can be activated on the  
affected management IP interfaces.  
Audit messages will be generated for any changes to the IP Filter policies.  
The rules in the IP Filter policy are examined one at a time until the end of the list of rules. For  
performance reasons, the most commonly used rules should be specified at the top.  
On a chassis system, changes to persistent IP Filter policies are automatically synchronized to the  
standby CP when the changes are saved persistently on the active CP. The standby CP will enforce  
the filter policies to its management interface after policies are synchronized with the active CP.  
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IP Filter policy  
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Virtual Fabrics considerations: Each logical switch cannot have its own different IP Filter policies. IP  
Filter policies are treated as a chassis-wide configuration and are common for all the logical  
switches in the chassis.  
Creating an IP Filter policy  
You can create an IP Filter policy specifying any name and using type IPv4 or IPv6. The policy  
created is stored in a temporary buffer, and is lost if the current command session logs out. The  
policy name is a unique string composed of a maximum of 20 alpha, numeric, and underscore  
characters. The names default_ipv4 and default_ipv6 are reserved for default IP filter policies. The  
policy name is case-insensitive and always stored as lowercase. The policy type identifies the policy  
as an IPv4 or IPv6 filter. There can be a maximum of six IP Filter policies.  
1. Log in to the switch using an account with admin permissions, or an account associated with  
the chassis role and having OM permissions for the IPfilter RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter in the ipFilter --create command.  
Cloning an IP Filter policy  
You can create an IP Filter policy as an exact copy of an existing policy. The policy created is stored  
in a temporary buffer and has the same type and rules as the existing defined or active policy.  
1. Log in to the switch using an account with admin permissions, or an account associated with  
the chassis role and having OM permissions for the IPfilter RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter the ipFilter --clone command.  
Displaying an IP Filter policy  
You can display the IP Filter policy content for the specified policy name, or all IP Filter policies if a  
policy name is not specified.  
For each IP Filter policy, the policy name, type, persistent state and policy rules are displayed. The  
policy rules are listed by the rule number in ascending order. There is no pagination stop for  
multiple screens of information. Pipe the output to the |more command to achieve this.  
If a temporary buffer exists for an IP Filter policy, the --show subcommand displays the content in  
the temporary buffer, with the persistent state set to no.  
1. Log in to the switch using an account with admin permissions, or an account associated with  
the chassis role and having the O permission for the IPfilter RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter the ipFilter –-show command.  
Saving an IP Filter policy  
You can save one or all IP Filter policies persistently in the defined configuration. The policy name is  
optional for this subcommand. If the policy name is given, the IP Filter policy in the temporary  
buffer is saved; if the policy name is not given, all IP Filter policies in the temporary buffer are  
saved. Only the CLI session that owns the updated temporary buffer may run this command.  
Modification to an active policy cannot be saved without being applied. Hence, the --save  
subcommand is blocked for the active policies. Use --activate instead.  
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1. Log in to the switch using an account with admin permissions, or an account associated with  
the chassis role and having the OM permissions for the IPfilter RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter the ipFilter –-save command.  
Activating an IP Filter policy  
IP Filter policies are not enforced until they are activated. Only one IP Filter policy per IPv4 and IPv6  
type can be active. If there is a temporary buffer for the policy, the policy is saved to the defined  
configuration and activated at the same time. If there is no temporary buffer for the policy, the  
policy existing in the defined configuration becomes active. The activated policy continues to  
remain in the defined configuration. The policy to be activated replaces the existing active policy of  
the same type. Activating the default IP Filter policies returns the IP management interface to its  
default state. An IP Filter policy without any rule cannot be activated. This subcommand prompts  
for a user confirmation before proceeding.  
1. Log in to the switch using an account with admin permissions, or an account associated with  
the chassis role and having OM permissions for the IPfilter RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter the ipFilter –-activate command.  
Deleting an IP Filter policy  
You can delete a specified IP Filter policy. Deleting an IP Filter policy removes it from the temporary  
buffer. To permanently delete the policy from the persistent database, run ipfilter --save. An active  
IP Filter policy cannot be deleted.  
1. Log in to the switch using an account with admin permissions, or an account associated with  
the chassis role and having the OM permissions for the IPfilter RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter the ipFilter --delete command.  
3. To permanently delete the policy, enter the ipfilter --save command.  
IP Filter policy rules  
An IP Filter policy consists of a set of rules. Each rule has an index number identifying the rule.  
There can be a maximum of 256 rules within an IP Filter policy.  
Each rule contains the following elements:  
Source Address: A source IP address or a group prefix.  
Destination Port: The destination port number or name, such as: Telnet, SSH, HTTP, HTTPS.  
Protocol:  
Action:  
The protocol type. Supported types are TCP or UDP.  
The filtering action taken by this rule, either Permit or Deny.  
A rule type and destination IP can also be specified  
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IP Filter policy  
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Source address  
For an IPv4 filter policy, the source address has to be a 32-bit IPv4 address in dot decimal notation.  
The group prefix has to be a CIDR block prefix representation. For example, 208.130.32.0/24  
represents a 24-bit IPv4 prefix starting from the most significant bit. The special prefix 0.0.0.0/0  
matches any IPv4 address. In addition, the keyword any is supported to represent any IPv4  
address.  
For an IPv6 filter policy, the source address has to be a 128-bit IPv6 address, in a format  
acceptable in RFC 3513. The group prefix has to be a CIDR block prefix representation. For  
example, 12AB:0:0:CD30::/64 represents a 64-bit IPv6 prefix starting from the most significant bit.  
In addition, the keyword any is supported to represent any IPv6 address.  
Destination port  
For the destination port, a single port number or a port number range can be specified. According  
to IANA (http://www.iana.org), ports 0 to 1023 are well-known port numbers, ports 1024 to 49151  
are registered port numbers, and ports 49152 to 65535 are dynamic or private port numbers.  
Well-known and registered ports are normally used by servers to accept connections, while  
dynamic port numbers are used by clients.  
For an IP Filter policy rule, you can only select port numbers in the well-known port number range,  
between 0 and 1023, inclusive. This means that you have the ability to control how to expose the  
management services hosted on a switch, but not the ability to affect the management traffic that  
is initiated from a switch. A valid port number range is represented by a dash, for example 7-30.  
Alternatively, service names can also be used instead of port number. Table 37 lists the supported  
service names and their corresponding port numbers.  
TABLE 37  
Supported services  
Port number  
Service name  
echo  
7
discard  
systat  
daytime  
netstat  
chargen  
ftp data  
ftp  
9
11  
13  
15  
19  
20  
21  
21  
22  
23  
25  
27  
42  
43  
53  
fsp  
ssh  
telnet  
smtp  
time  
name  
whois  
domain  
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IP Filter policy  
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TABLE 37  
Supported services (Continued)  
Port number  
Service name  
bootps  
bootpc  
tftp  
67  
68  
69  
http  
80  
kerberos  
hostnames  
sunrpc  
sftp  
88  
101  
111  
115  
123  
161  
162  
443  
465  
512  
513  
514  
540  
512  
513  
514  
520  
525  
750  
897  
898  
ntp  
snmp  
snmp trap  
https  
ssmtp  
exec  
login  
shell  
uucp  
biff  
who  
syslog  
route  
timed  
kerberos4  
rpcd  
securerpcd  
Protocol  
TCP and UDP protocols are valid protocol selections. Fabric OS v6.2.0 and later do not support  
configuration to filter other protocols. Implicitly, ICMP type 0 and type 8 packets are always allowed  
to support ICMP echo request and reply on commands like ping and traceroute.  
Action  
For the action, only “permit” and “deny” are valid.  
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Traffic type and destination IP  
The traffic type and destination IP elements allow an IP policy rule to specify filter enforcement for  
IP forwarding. The INPUT traffic type is the default and restricts rules to manage traffic on IP  
management interfaces,  
The FORWARD traffic type allows management of bidirectional traffic between the external  
management interface and the inband management interface. In this case, the destination IP  
element should also be specified.  
Implicit filter rules  
For every IP Filter policy, the two rules listed in Table 38 are always assumed to be appended  
implicitly to the end of the policy. This ensures that TCP and UDP traffic to dynamic port ranges is  
allowed, so that management IP traffic initiated from a switch, such as syslog, radius and ftp, is not  
affected.  
TABLE 38  
Implicit IP Filter rules  
Destination port  
Source address  
Protocol  
Action  
Any  
Any  
1024-65535  
1024-65535  
TCP  
Permit  
Permit  
UDP  
Default policy rules  
A switch with Fabric OS v6.2.0 or later will have a default IP Filter policy for IPv4 and IPv6. The  
default IP Filter policy cannot be deleted or changed. When an alternative IP Filter policy is  
activated, the default IP Filter policy becomes deactivated. Table 39 lists the rules of the default IP  
Filter policy.  
TABLE 39  
Default IP policy rules  
Source address  
Rule number  
Destination port  
Protocol  
Action  
1
Any  
Any  
Any  
Any  
Any  
Any  
Any  
Any  
Any  
Any  
Any  
Any  
22  
TCP  
TCP  
TCP  
TCP  
TCP  
TCP  
TCP  
UDP  
UDP  
UDP  
TCP  
UDP  
Permit  
Permit  
Permit  
Permit  
Permit  
Permit  
Permit  
Permit  
Permit  
Permit  
Permit  
Permit  
2
23  
3
897  
4
898  
5
111  
6
80  
7
443  
8
161  
9
111  
10  
11  
12  
123  
600-1023  
600-1023  
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IP Filter policy enforcement  
An active IP Filter policy is a filter applied to the IP packets through the management interface. IPv4  
management traffic passes through the active IPv4 filter policy, and IPv6 management traffic  
passes through the active IPv6 filter policy. The IP Filter policy applies to the incoming (ingress)  
management traffic only. When a packet arrives, it is compared against each rule, starting from the  
first rule. If a match is found for the source address, destination port, and protocol, the  
corresponding action for this rule is taken, and the subsequent rules in this policy are ignored. If  
there is no match, then it is compared to the next rule in the policy. This process continues until the  
incoming packet is compared to all rules in the active policy.  
If none of the rules in the policy matches the incoming packet, the two implicit rules are matched to  
the incoming packet. If the rules still do not match the packet, the default action, which is to deny,  
is taken.  
When the IPv4 or IPv6 address for the management interface of a switch is changed through the  
ipAddrSet command or manageability tools, the active IP Filter policies automatically become  
enforced on the management IP interface with the changed IP address.  
NOTE  
If a switch is part of a LAN behind a Network Address Translation (NAT) server, depending on the NAT  
server configuration, the source address in an IP Filter rule may have to be the NAT server address.  
Adding a rule to an IP Filter policy  
There can be a maximum of 256 rules created for an IP Filter policy. The change to the specified IP  
Filter policy is not saved to the persistent configuration until a save or activate subcommand is run.  
1. Log in to the switch using an account with admin permissions, or an account associated with  
the chassis role and having the OM permissions for the IPfilter RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter the ipFilter --addrule command.  
Deleting a rule from an IP Filter policy  
Deleting a rule in the specified IP Filter policy causes the rules following the deleted rule to shift up  
in rule order. The change to the specified IP Filter policy is not saved to persistent configuration  
until a save or activate subcommand is run.  
1. Log in to the switch using an account with admin permissions, or an account associated with  
the chassis role and having the OM permissions for the IPfilter RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter the ipFilter --delrule command.  
Aborting an IP Filter transaction  
A transaction is associated with a command line or manageability session. It is opened implicitly  
when the --create, --addrule, --delrule, --clone, and --delete subcommands are run. The  
--transabort, --save, or --activate subcommands explicitly end the transaction owned by the  
current command line or manageability session. If a transaction is not ended, other command line  
or manageability sessions are blocked on the subcommands that would open a new transaction.  
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Policy database distribution  
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1. Log in to the switch using an account with admin permissions, or an account associated with  
the chassis role and having the OM permissions for the IPfilter RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter the ipFilter –-transabort command.  
IP Filter policy distribution  
The IP Filter policy is manually distributed by command. The distribution includes both active and  
defined IP Filter policies. All policies are combined as a single entity to be distributed and cannot be  
selectively distributed. However, you may choose the time at which to implement the policy for  
optimization purposes. If a distribution includes an active IP Filter policy, the receiving switches  
activate the same IP Filter policy automatically. When a switch receives IP Filter policies, all  
uncommitted changes left in its local transaction buffer are lost, and the transaction is aborted.  
The IPFilter policy can be manually distributed to the fabric by command; there is no support for  
automatic distribution. To distribute the IPFilter policy, see “Distributing the local ACL policies” on  
page 227 for instructions.  
Switches with Fabric OS v6.2.0 or later have the ability to accept or deny IP Filter policy distribution,  
through the commands fddCfg --localaccept or fddCfg --localreject. See “Policy database  
distribution” on page 224 for more information on distributing the IP Filter policy.  
Virtual Fabrics considerations: To distribute the IPFilter policy in a logical fabric, use the  
chassisDistribute command.  
Managing filter thresholds  
Fabric OS v7.1.0 allows you to configure filter thresholds using the fmMonitor command.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions, or an account with  
OM permissions for the FabricWatch RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter the fmMonitor command.  
Example of fmMonitor command:  
admin> fmMonitor -–create ex1 -pat 12,0xFF,0x08 -port 2/1-2,8/3 -highth  
1000 - action snmp,raslog –timebase minute  
Policy database distribution  
Fabric OS lets you manage and enforce the ACL policy database on either a per-switch or  
fabric-wide basis. The local switch distribution setting and the fabric-wide consistency policy affect  
the switch ACL policy database and related distribution behavior.  
The ACL policy database is managed as follows:  
Switch database distribution setting — Controls whether or not the switch accepts or rejects  
databases distributed from other switches in the fabric. The distribute command sends the  
database from one switch to another, overwriting the target switch database with the  
distributed one. To send or receive a database the setting must be accept. For configuration  
Virtual Fabric considerations: FCS, DCC, SCC, and AUTH databases can be distributed using  
the -distribute command, but the PWD and IPFILTER databases are blocked from distribution.  
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Manually distribute an ACL policy database — Run the distribute command to push the local  
database of the specified policy type to target switches. “ACL policy distribution to other  
Fabric-wide consistency policy — Use to ensure that switches in the fabric enforce the same  
policies. Set a strict or tolerant fabric-wide consistency policy for each ACL policy type to  
automatically distribute that database when a policy change is activated. If a fabric-wide  
consistency policy is not set, then the policies are managed on a per switch basis. For  
configuration instructions, see “Fabric-wide enforcement” on page 227.  
Virtual Fabric considerations: Fabric-wide consistency policies are configured on a per logical  
switch-basis and are applied to the fabrics connected to the logical switches. Automatic policy  
distribution behavior for DCC, SCC and FCS is the same as that of pre-v6.2.0 releases and are  
configured on a per logical switch basis.  
Table 40 on page 225 explains how the local database distribution settings and the fabric-wide  
consistency policy affect the local database when the switch is the target of a distribution  
command.  
TABLE 40  
Interaction between fabric-wide consistency policy and distribution settings  
Fabric-wide consistency policy  
Distribution  
setting  
Absent (default)  
Tolerant  
Strict  
1
1
Reject  
Database is protected, it  
cannot be overwritten.  
May not match other  
Invalid configuration.  
Invalid configuration.  
databases in the fabric.  
Accept (default) Database is not protected,  
the database can be  
Database is not protected.  
Automatically distributes  
activated changes to other  
v6.2.0 or later switches in the  
fabric.  
Database is not protected.  
Automatically distributes  
activated changes to all  
switches in the fabric.  
Fabric can only contain  
switches running Fabric OS  
v6.2.0 or later.  
overwritten.  
If the switch initiating a  
distribute command has a  
strict or tolerant fabric-wide  
consistency policy, the  
fabric-wide policy is also  
overwritten.  
May not match other  
databases in the fabric.  
Active database is the same for  
all switches in the fabric.  
May not match other  
databases in the fabric.  
1. An error is returned indicating that the distribution setting must be accept before you can set the fabric-wide  
consistency policy.  
Database distribution settings  
The distribution settings control whether a switch accepts or rejects distributions of databases  
from other switches and whether the switch may initiate a distribution. Configure the distribution  
setting to reject when maintaining the database on a per-switch basis.  
Table 41 lists the databases supported in Fabric OS v6.2.0 and later switches.  
TABLE 41  
Supported policy databases  
Database type  
Database identifier (ID)  
Authentication policy database  
DCC policy database  
AUTH  
DCC  
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TABLE 41  
Supported policy databases (Continued)  
Database type  
Database identifier (ID)  
FCS policy database  
IP Filter policy database  
Password database  
SCC policy database  
FCS  
IPFILTER  
PWD  
SCC  
Use the chassisDistribute command to distribute IP filter policies. To distribute other security  
policies, use the distribute command.  
Displaying the database distribution settings  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions, or an account with  
OM permissions for the FabricDistribution RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter the fddCfg --showall command.  
Example shows the database distribution settings  
switch:admin> fddcfg --showall  
Local Switch Configuration for all Databases:-  
DATABASE - Accept/Reject  
---------------------------------  
SCC -  
DCC -  
PWD -  
FCS -  
AUTH -  
accept  
accept  
accept  
accept  
accept  
accept  
IPFILTER -  
Fabric Wide Consistency Policy:- ""  
Enabling local switch protection  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions, or an account with  
OM permissions for the FabricDistribution RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter the fddCfg --localreject command.  
Disabling local switch protection  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions, or an account with  
OM permissions for the FabricDistribution RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter the fddCfg --localaccept command.  
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ACL policy distribution to other switches  
This section explains how to manually distribute local ACL policy databases. The distribute  
command has the following dependencies:  
All target switches must be running Fabric OS v6.2.0 or later.  
All target switches must accept the database distribution (see “Database distribution settings”  
The fabric must have a tolerant or no (absent) fabric-wide consistency policy (see “Fabric-wide  
If the fabric-wide consistency policy for a database is strict, the database cannot be manually  
distributed. When you set a strict fabric-wide consistency policy for a database, the distribution  
mechanism is automatically invoked whenever the database changes.  
The local distribution setting must be accepted. To be able to initiate the distribute command,  
set the local distribution to accept.  
Distributing the local ACL policies  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions, or an account with  
OM permissions for the FabricDistribution RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter the distribute -p command.  
Fabric-wide enforcement  
The fabric-wide consistency policy enforcement setting determines the distribution behavior when  
changes to a policy are activated. Using the tolerant or strict fabric-wide consistency policy ensures  
that changes to local ACL policy databases are automatically distributed to other switches in the  
fabric.  
NOTE  
To completely remove all policies from a fabric enter the fddCfg --fabwideset "” command.  
When you set the fabric-wide consistency policy using the fddCfg command with the  
--fabwideset database_id option, both the fabric-wide consistency policy and specified database  
are distributed to the fabric.The active policies of the specified databases overwrite the  
corresponding active and defined policies on the target switches.  
Policy changes that are saved but not activated are stored locally until a policy database change is  
activated. Activating a policy automatically distributes the Active policy set for that policy type (SCC,  
DCC, FCS, or any combination of the three) to the other switches in the fabric.  
NOTE  
FC routers cannot join a fabric with a strict fabric-wide consistency policy. FC routers do not support  
the fabric-wide consistency policies.  
Table 42 describes the fabric-wide consistency settings.  
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TABLE 42  
Fabric-wide consistency policy settings  
Setting  
Value  
When a policy is activated  
Absent  
null  
Database is not automatically distributed to other switches in the fabric.  
Tolerant  
database_id  
All updated and new policies of the type specified (SCC, DCC, FCS, or any  
combination) are distributed to all Fabric v6.2.0 and later switches in the fabric.  
Strict  
database_id:S All updated and new policies of the type specified (SCC, DCC, FCS, or any  
combination) are distributed to all switches in the fabric.  
Displaying the fabric-wide consistency policy  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions, or an account with  
O permission for the FabricDistribution RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter the fddCfg --showall command.  
Example shows policies for a fabric where no consistency policy is defined.  
switch:admin> fddcfg --showall  
Local Switch Configuration for all Databases:-  
DATABASE - Accept/Reject  
---------------------------------  
SCC -  
DCC -  
PWD -  
FCS -  
AUTH -  
accept  
accept  
accept  
accept  
accept  
accept  
IPFILTER -  
Fabric Wide Consistency Policy:- ""  
Setting the fabric-wide consistency policy  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions, or an account with  
OM permissions for the FabricDistribution RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter the fddCfg --fabwideset command.  
Example shows how to set a strict SCC and tolerant DCC fabric-wide consistency policy.  
switch:admin> fddcfg --fabwideset "SCC:S;DCC"  
switch:admin> fddcfg --showall  
Local Switch Configuration for all Databases:-  
DATABASE - Accept/Reject  
---------------------------------  
SCC -  
DCC -  
PWD -  
FCS -  
AUTH -  
accept  
accept  
accept  
accept  
accept  
accept  
IPFILTER -  
Fabric Wide Consistency Policy:- "SCC:S;DCC"  
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Notes on joining a switch to the fabric  
When a switch is joined to a fabric with a tolerant SCC, DCC, or FCS fabric-wide consistency policy,  
the joining switch must have a matching tolerant SCC, DCC, or FCS fabric-wide consistency policy. If  
the tolerant SCC, DCC, or FCS fabric-wide consistency policies do not match, the switch can join the  
fabric, but an error message flags the mismatch. If the tolerant SCC, DCC, and FCS fabric-wide  
consistency policies match, the corresponding SCC, DCC, and FCS ACL policies are compared.  
The enforcement of fabric-wide consistency policy involves comparison of the Active policy set. If  
the ACL polices match, the switch joins the fabric successfully. If the ACL policies are absent either  
on the switch or on the fabric, the switch joins the fabric successfully, and the ACL policies are  
copied automatically from where they are present to where they are absent. The Active policy set  
where it is present overwrites the Active and Defined policy set where it is absent. If the ACL  
policies do not match, the switch cannot join the fabric and the neighboring E_Ports are disabled.  
Use the fddCfg –-fabwideset command on either this switch or the fabric to set a matching strict  
SCC, DCC, or FCS fabric-wide consistency policy. Use ACL policy commands to delete the conflicting  
ACL policy from one side to resolve ACL policy conflict. If neither the fabric nor the joining switch is  
configured with a fabric-wide consistency policy, there are no ACL merge checks required. Under  
both conflicting conditions, secPolicyActivate is blocked in the merged fabric. Use the distribute  
command to explicitly resolve conflicting ACL policies.  
The descriptions above also apply to joining two fabrics. In this context, the joining switch becomes  
a joining fabric.  
Matching fabric-wide consistency policies  
This section describes the interaction between the databases with active SCC and DCC policies  
and combinations of fabric-wide consistency policy settings when fabrics are merged.  
For example: Fabric A with SCC:S;DCC (strict SCC and tolerant DCC) joins Fabric B with SCC:S;DCC  
(strict SCC and tolerant DCC), the fabrics can merge as long as the SCC policies match, including  
the order SCC:S;DCC and if both are set to strict.  
Table 43 describes the impact of merging fabrics with the same fabric-wide consistency policy that  
have SCC, DCC, or both policies.  
TABLE 43  
Merging fabrics with matching fabric-wide consistency policies  
Fabric-wide  
consistency policy ACL policies  
Fabric A  
Fabric B  
ACL policies  
Merge  
results  
Database copied  
None  
None  
None  
Succeeds  
Succeeds  
Succeeds  
Succeeds  
Succeeds  
No ACL policies copied.  
None  
SCC/DCC  
None  
No ACL policies copied.  
Tolerant  
None  
No ACL policies copied.  
None  
SCC/DCC  
SCC/DCC  
ACL policies are copied from B to A.  
SCC/DCC  
If A and B policies do not match, a  
warning displays and policy  
commands are disabled .  
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TABLE 43  
Merging fabrics with matching fabric-wide consistency policies (Continued)  
Fabric-wide  
consistency policy ACL policies  
Fabric A  
Fabric B  
ACL policies  
Merge  
results  
Database copied  
Strict  
None  
None  
None  
Succeeds  
Succeeds  
No ACL policies copied.  
ACL policies are copied from B to A.  
No ACL policies copied.  
Ports are disabled.  
SCC/DCC  
Matching SCC/DCC Matching SCC/DCC Succeeds  
Different SCC/DCC Different SCC/DCC Fails  
policies  
policies  
1. To resolve the policy conflict, manually distribute the database you want to use to the switch with the mismatched  
database. Until the conflict is resolved, commands such as fddCfg --fabwideset and secPolicyActivate are  
blocked.  
Non-matching fabric-wide consistency policies  
You may encounter one of the following two scenarios described in Table 44 and Table 45 where  
you are merging a fabric with a strict policy to a fabric with an absent, tolerant, or non-matching  
strict policy and the merge fails and the ports are disabled.  
Table 44 on page 230 shows merges that are not supported.  
TABLE 44  
Examples of strict fabric merges  
Fabric-wide consistency policy setting  
Expected behavior  
Fabric A  
Fabric B  
Strict/Tolerant  
Strict/Absent  
Strict/Strict  
SCC:S;DCC:S  
SCC;DCC:S  
SCC:S;DCC  
SCC:S;DCC:S  
SCC:S  
SCC;DCC:S  
SCC:S;DCC  
SCC:S  
Ports connecting switches are disabled.  
DCC:S  
SCC:S  
DCC:S  
Table 45 has a matrix of merging fabrics with tolerant and absent policies.  
TABLE 45 Fabric merges with tolerant and absent combinations  
Fabric-wide consistency policy setting  
Expected behavior  
Fabric A  
Fabric B  
Tolerant/Absent  
SCC;DCC  
DCC  
Error message logged.  
Run fddCfg --fabwideset “policy_IDfrom any  
switch with the desired configuration to fix the  
conflict. The secPolicyActivate command is blocked  
until conflict is resolved.  
SCC;DCC  
DCC  
SCC  
SCC  
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Management interface security  
You can secure an Ethernet management interface between two Brocade switches or Backbones  
by implementing IP sec and IKE policies to create a tunnel that protects traffic flows. While the  
tunnel must have a Brocade switch or Backbone at each end, there may be routers, gateways, and  
firewalls in between the two ends.  
ATTENTION  
Enabling secure IP sec tunnels does not provide IP sec protection for traffic flows on the external  
management interfaces of intelligent blades in a chassis, nor does it support protection of traffic  
flows on FCIP interfaces.  
Internet Protocol security (IP sec) is a framework of open standards that ensures private and  
secure communications over Internet Protocol (IP) networks through the use of cryptographic  
security services. The goal of IP sec is to provide the following capabilities:  
Authentication — Ensures that the sending and receiving end-users and devices are known and  
trusted by one another.  
Data Integrity — Confirms that the data received was in fact the data transmitted.  
Data Confidentiality — Protects the user data being transmitted, such as utilizing encryption to  
avoid sending data in clear text.  
Replay Protection — Prevents replay attack in which an attacker resends previously-intercepted  
packets in an effort to fraudulently authenticate or otherwise masquerade as a valid user.  
Automated Key Management—Automates the process, as well as manages the periodic  
exchange and generation of new keys.  
Using the IP secConfig command, you must configure multiple security policies for traffic flows on  
the Ethernet management interfaces based on IPv4 or IPv6 addresses, a range of IPv4 or IPv6  
addresses, the type of application, port numbers, and protocols used (UDP/TCP/ICMP). You must  
specify the transforms and processing choices for the traffic flow (drop, protect or bypass). Also,  
you must select and configure the key management protocol using an automatic or manual key.  
For more information on IPv4 and IPv6 addressing, refer to Chapter 2, “Performing Basic  
Configuration examples  
Below are several examples of various configurations you can use to implement an IP sec tunnel  
between two devices. You can configure other scenarios as nested combinations of these  
configurations.  
Endpoint-to-endpoint transport or tunnel  
In this scenario, both endpoints of the IP connection implement IP sec, as required of hosts in  
RFC4301. Transport mode encrypts only the payload while tunnel mode encrypts the entire packet.  
A single pair of addresses will be negotiated for packets protected by this SA.  
It is possible in this scenario that one or both of the protected endpoints will be behind a network  
address translation (NAT) node, in which case tunneled packets will have to be UDP-encapsulated  
so that port numbers in the UDP headers can be used to identify individual endpoints behind the  
NAT.  
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FIGURE 14 Protected endpoints configuration  
A possible drawback of end-to-end security is that various applications that require the ability to  
inspect or modify a transient packet will fail when end-to-end confidentiality is employed. Various  
QoS solutions, traffic shaping, and firewalling applications will be unable to determine what type of  
packet is being transmitted and will be unable to make the decisions that they are supposed to  
make.  
Gateway-to-gateway tunnel  
In this scenario, neither endpoint of the IP connection implements IP sec, but the network nodes  
between them protect traffic for part of the way. Protection is transparent to the endpoints, and  
depends on ordinary routing to send packets through the tunnel endpoints for processing. Each  
endpoint would announce the set of addresses behind it, and packets would be sent in tunnel  
mode where the inner IP header would contain the IP addresses of the actual endpoints.  
FIGURE 15 Gateway tunnel configuration  
Endpoint-to-gateway tunnel  
In this scenario, a protected endpoint (typically a portable computer) connects back to its corporate  
network through an IP sec-protected tunnel. It might use this tunnel only to access information on  
the corporate network, or it might tunnel all of its traffic back through the corporate network in  
order to take advantage of protection provided by a corporate firewall against Internet-based  
attacks. In either case, the protected endpoint will want an IP address associated with the security  
gateway so that packets returned to it will go to the security gateway and be tunneled back.  
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FIGURE 16 Endpoint-to-gateway tunnel configuration  
RoadWarrior configuration  
In endpoint-to-endpoint security, packets are encrypted and decrypted by the host which produces  
or consumes the traffic. In the gateway-to-gateway example, a router on the network encrypts and  
decrypts the packets on behalf of the hosts on a protected network. A combination of the two is  
referred to as a RoadWarrior configuration where a host on the Internet requires access to a  
network through a security gateway that is protecting the network.  
IP sec protocols  
IP sec ensures confidentiality, integrity, and authentication using the following protocols:  
Authentication Header (AH)  
Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP)  
IP sec protocols protect IP datagram integrity using hash message authentication codes (HMAC).  
Using hash algorithms with the contents of the IP datagram and a secret key, the IP sec protocols  
generate this HMAC and add it to the protocol header. The receiver must have access to the secret  
key in order to decode the hash.  
IP sec protocols use a sliding window to assist in flow control, The IP sec protocols also use this  
sliding window to provide protection against replay attacks in which an attacker attempts a denial  
of service attack by replaying an old sequence of packets. IP sec protocols assign a sequence  
number to each packet. The recipient accepts each packet only if its sequence number is within  
the window. It discards older packets.  
Security associations  
A security association (SA) is the collection of security parameters and authenticated keys that are  
negotiated between IP sec peers to protect the IP datagram. A security association database  
(SADB) is used to store these SAs. Information in these SAs—IP addresses, secret keys, algorithms,  
and so on—is used by peers to encapsulate and decapsulate the IP sec packets  
An IP sec security association is a construct that specifies security properties that are recognized  
by communicating hosts. The properties of the SA are the security protocol (AH or ESP), destination  
IP address, and Security Parameter Index (SPI) number. SPI is an arbitrary 32-bit value contained in  
IP sec protocol headers (AH or ESP) and an IP sec SA is unidirectional. Because most  
communication is peer-to-peer or client-to-server, two SAs must be present to secure traffic in both  
directions. An SA specifies the IP sec protocol (AH or ESP), the algorithms used for encryption and  
authentication, and the expiration definitions used in security associations of the traffic. IKE uses  
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these values in negotiations to create IP sec SAs. You must create an SA prior to creating an  
SA-proposal. You cannot modify an SA once it is created. Use the IP secConfig --flush manual-sa  
command to remove all SA entries from the kernel SADB and re-create the SA. For more  
information on the IP secConfig command, refer to the Fabric OS Command Reference.  
IP sec proposal  
The IP sec sa-proposal defines an SA or an SA bundle. An SA is a set of parameters that define how  
the traffic is protected using IP sec. These are the IP sec protocols to use for an SA, either AH or  
ESP, and the encryption and authentication algorithms to use to protect the traffic. For SA bundles,  
[AH, ESP] is the supported combination.  
Authentication and encryption algorithms  
IP sec uses different protocols to ensure the authentication, integrity, and confidentiality of the  
communication. Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP) provides confidentiality, data integrity and  
data source authentication of IP packets, and protection against replay attacks. Authentication  
Header (AH) provides data integrity, data source authentication, and protection against replay  
attacks, but unlike ESP, AH does not provide confidentiality.  
In AH and ESP, hmac_md5 and hmac_sha1 are used as authentication algorithms. Only in ESP,  
3des_cbc, blowfish_cbc, aes256_cbc and null_enc are used as encryption algorithms. Use  
Table 46 when configuring the authentication algorithm.  
TABLE 46  
Algorithms and associated authentication policies  
Encryption Level Policy Description  
Algorithm  
hmac_md5  
hmac_sha1  
128-bit  
160-bit  
AH, ESP A stronger MAC because it is a keyed hash inside a keyed hash. When  
MD5 or SHA-1 is used in the calculation of an HMAC; the resulting MAC  
AH, ESP  
algorithm is termed HMAC-MD5 or HMAC-SHA-1 accordingly.  
NOTE: The MD5 hash algorithm is blocked when FIPS mode is  
enabled  
3des_cbc  
168-bit  
ESP  
Triple DES is a more secure variant of DES. It uses three different  
56-bit keys to encrypt blocks of 64-bit plain text. The algorithm is  
FIPS-approved for use by Federal agencies.  
blowfish_cbc 64-bit  
aes128_cbc 128-bit  
aes256_cbc 256-bit  
ESP  
ESP  
ESP  
ESP  
Blowfish is a 32-bit to 448-bit keyed, symmetric block cipher.  
Advanced Encryption Standard is a 128- or 256-bit fixed block size  
cipher.  
null_enc  
n/a  
A form of plaintext encryption.  
IP sec policies  
An IP sec policy determines the security services afforded to a packet and the treatment of a  
packet in the network. An IP sec policy allows classifying IP packets into different traffic flows and  
specifies the actions or transformations performed on IP packets on each of the traffic flows. The  
main components of an IP sec policy are: IP packet filter and selector (IP address, protocol, and  
port information) and transform set.  
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IP sec traffic selector  
The traffic selector is a traffic filter that defines and identifies the traffic flow between two systems  
that have IP sec protection. IP addresses, the direction of traffic flow (inbound, outbound) and the  
upper layer protocol are used to define a filter for traffic (IP datagrams) that is protected using  
IP sec.  
IP sec transform  
A transform set is a combination of IP sec protocols and cryptographic algorithms that are applied  
on the packet after it is matched to a selector. The transform set specifies the IP sec protocol,  
IP sec mode and action to be performed on the IP packet. It specifies the key management policy  
that is needed for the IP sec connection and the encryption and authentication algorithms to be  
used in security associations when IKE is used as the key management protocol.  
IP sec can protect either the entire IP datagram or only the upper-layer protocols using tunnel mode  
or transport mode. Tunnel mode uses the IP sec protocol to encapsulate the entire IP datagram.  
Transport mode handles only the IP datagram payload.  
IKE policies  
When IKE is used as the key management protocol, IKE policy defines the parameters used in IKE  
negotiations needed to establish IKE SA and parameters used in negotiations to establish IP sec  
SAs. These include the authentication and encryption algorithms, and the primary authentication  
method, such as preshared keys, or a certificate-based method, such as RSA signatures.  
Key management  
The IP sec key management supports Internet Key Exchange or Manual key/SA entry. The Internet  
Key Exchange (IKE) protocol handles key management automatically. SAs require keying material  
for authentication and encryption. The managing of keying material that SAs require is called key  
management.  
The IKE protocol secures communication by authenticating peers and exchanging keys. It also  
creates the SAs and stores them in the SADB.  
The manual key/SA entry requires the keys to be generated and managed manually. For the  
selected authentication or encryption algorithms, the correct keys must be generated using a third  
party utility on your LINUX system. The key length is determined by the algorithm selected.  
Linux IP sec-tools 0.7 provides tools for manual key entry (MKE) and automatic keyed connections.  
The LINUX setKey command can be used for manually keyed connections, which means that all  
parameters needed for the setup of the connection are provided by you. Based on which protocol,  
algorithm, and key used for the creation of the security associations, the switch populates the  
security association database (SAD) accordingly.  
Pre-shared keys  
A pre-shared key has the .psk extension and is one of the available methods IKE can be configured  
to use for primary authentication. You can specify the pre-shared keys used in IKE policies; add and  
delete pre-shared keys (in local database) corresponding to the identity of the IKE peer or group of  
peers.  
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The IP secConfig command does not support manipulating pre-shared keys corresponding to the  
identity of the IKE peer or group of peers. Use the secCertUtil command to import, delete, or display  
the pre-shared keys in the local switch database. For more information on this procedure, refer to  
Security certificates  
A certificate is one of the available methods IKE can be configured to use for primary  
authentication. You can specify the local public key and private key (in X.509 PEM format) and peer  
public key (in X.509 format) to be used in a particular IKE policy.  
Use the secCertUtil import command to import public key, private key and peer-public key (in X.509  
PEM format) into the switch database. For more information on this procedure, refer to Chapter 6,  
ATTENTION  
The CA certificate name must have the IP secCA.pem name.  
Static Security Associations  
Manual Key Entry (MKE) provides the ability to manually add, delete and flush SA entries in the  
SADB. Manual SA entries may not have an associated IP sec policy in the local policy database.  
Manual SA entries are persistent across system reboots.  
Creating the tunnel  
Each side of the tunnel must be configured in order for the tunnel to come up. Once you are logged  
into the switch, do not log off as each step requires that you be logged in to the switch. IP sec  
configuration changes take effect upon execution and are persistent across reboots. Configure the  
following on each side of the tunnel:  
NOTE  
A backslash ( \ ) is used to skip the return character so you can continue the command on the next  
line without the return character being interpreted by the shell.  
1. Determine the authentication protocol and algorithm to be used on the tunnel.  
Refer to Table 46 on page 234 to determine which algorithm to use in conjunction with a  
specific authentication protocol.  
2. Determine the type of keys to be used on the tunnel.  
If you are using CA signed keys, you must generate them prior to setting up your tunnels.  
3. Enable IP sec.  
a. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions, or an account  
associated with the chassis role and having OM permissions for the IP sec RBAC class of  
commands.  
b. Enter the IP secConfig --enable command to enable IP sec on the switch.  
4. Create an IP sec SA policy on each side of the tunnel using the IP secConfig --add command.  
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Example of creating an IP sec SA policy  
This example creates an IP sec SA policy named AH01, which uses AH protection with MD5.  
You would run this command on each switch; on each side of the tunnel so that both sides  
have the same IP sec SA policy.  
switch:admin> IP secconfig --add policy ips sa -t AH01 -p ah -auth hmac_md5  
5. Create an IP sec proposal on each side of the tunnel using the IP secConfig --add command.  
Example of creating an IP sec proposal  
This example creates an IP sec proposal IP sec-AH to use AH01 as SA.  
switch:admin> IP secconfig --add policy ips sa-proposal -t IP sec-AH –sa AH01  
6. Import the pre-shared key file.  
Refer to Chapter 6, “Configuring Protocols” for information on how to set up pre-shared keys  
and certificates.  
7. Configure the IKE policy using the IP secConfig --add command.  
Example of creating an IKE policy  
This example creates an IKE policy for the remote peer.  
switch:admin> IP secconfig --add policy ike –t IKE01 -remote 10.33.74.13 \  
-id 10.33.69.132 -remoteid 10.33.74.13 -enc 3des_cbc \  
-hash hmac_md5 -prf hmac_md5 –auth psk -dh modp1024 \  
-psk IP seckey.psk  
8. Create an IP sec transform on each switch using the IP secConfig --add command.  
Example of creating an IP sec transform  
This example creates an IP sec transform TRANSFORM01 to use the transport mode to protect  
traffic identified for IP sec protection and use IKE01 as key management policy.  
switch:admin> IP secconfig --add policy ips transform –t TRANSFORM01 \  
-mode transport -sa-proposal IP sec-AH \  
-action protect –ike IKE01  
9. Create a traffic selector on each switch using the IP secConfig --add command.  
Example of creating a traffic selector  
This example creates a traffic selector to select outbound and inbound traffic that needs to be  
protected.  
switch:admin> IP secconfig --add policy ips selector –t SELECTOR-OUT \  
-d out -l 10.33.69.132 -r 10.33.74.13 –transform TRANSFORM01  
switch:admin> IP secconfig --add policy ips selector –t SELECTOR-IN \  
-d in -l 10.33.74.13 -r 10.33.69.132 –t transform TRANSFORM01  
Inbound and outbound selectors use opposite values for local and remote IP addresses. In this  
example, notice that the local ("-l") address of SELECTOR-OUT is the same as the remote ("-r")  
address or SELECTOR-IN, Similarly, the local ("-l") address of SELECTOR-IN is the same as the  
remote ("-r") address or SELECTOR-OUT. That is, “local” refers to the source IP address of the  
packet, and “remote” is the destination IP address. Hence inbound packets have opposite  
source and destination addresses than outbound packets.  
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10. Verify traffic is protected.  
a. Initiate a telnet, SSH, or ping session from the two switches.  
b. Verify that IP traffic is encapsulated.  
c. Monitor IP sec SAs created using IKE for above traffic flow  
Use the IP secConfig -–show manual-sa –a command with the operands specified to  
display the outbound and inbound SAs in kernel SADB.  
Use the IP secConfig –-show policy ips sa -a command with the specified operands to  
display all IP sec SA policies.  
Use the IP secConfig –-show policy ips sa-proposal –a command with the specified  
operands to display IP sec proposals.  
Use the IP secConfig –-show policy ips transform –a command with the specified  
operands to display IP sec transforms.  
Use the IP secConfig –-show policy ips selector –a command with the specified  
operands to display IP sec traffic selectors.  
Use the IP secConfig –-show policy ike –a command with the specified operands to  
display IKE policies.  
Use the IP secConfig –-flush manual-sa command with the specified operands to  
flush the created SAs in the kernel SADB.  
Example of an end-to-end transport tunnel mode  
This example illustrates securing traffic between two systems using AH protection with MD5 and  
configure IKE with pre-shared keys. The two systems are a switch, BROCADE300 (IPv4 address  
10.33.74.13), and an external host (10.33.69.132).  
NOTE  
A backslash ( \ ) is used to skip the return character so you can continue the command on the next  
line without the return character being interpreted by the shell.  
1. On the system console, log in to the switch as Admin.  
2. Enable IP sec.  
a. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions, or an account  
with OM permissions for the IP sec RBAC class of commands.  
b. Enter the IP secConfig --enable command to enable IP sec on the switch.  
3. Create an IP sec SA policy named AH01, which uses AH protection with MD5.  
switch:admin> IP secconfig --add policy ips sa -t AH01 \  
-p ah -auth hmac_md5  
4. Create an IP sec proposal IP sec-AH to use AH01 as SA.  
switch:admin> IP secconfig --add policy ips sa-proposal \  
-t IP sec-AH -sa AH01  
5. Configure the SA proposal's lifetime in time units. The maximum lifetime is 86400, or one day.  
switch:admin> IP secconfig --add policy ips sa-proposal \  
-t IP sec-AH -lttime 86400 -sa AH01  
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6. Import the pre-shared key file using the secCertUtil command. The file name should have a  
.psk extension.  
For more information on importing the pre-shared key file, refer to “Installing a switch  
7. Configure an IKE policy for the remote peer.  
switch:admin> IP secconfig --add policy ike -t IKE01 \  
-remote 10.33.69.132 -id 10.33.74.13 -remoteid 10.33.69.132 \  
-enc 3des_cbc -hash hmac_md5 -prf hmac_md5 -auth psk \  
-dh modp1024 -psk IP seckey.psk  
NOTE  
IKE version (‘-v’ option) needs to be set to 1 (IKEv1) if remote peer is a Windows XP or 2000 Host as  
Windows XP and 2000 do not support IKEv2.  
8. Create an IP sec transform named TRANSFORM01 to use transport mode to protect traffic  
identified for IP sec protection and use IKE01 as key management policy.  
switch:admin> IP secconfig --add policy ips transform \  
-t TRANSFORM01 -mode transport -sa-proposal IP sec-AH -action \  
protect -ike IKE01  
9. Create traffic selectors to select the outbound and inbound traffic that needs to be protected.  
switch:admin> IP secconfig --add policy ips selector \  
-t SELECTOR-OUT -d out -l 10.33.74.13 -r 10.33.69.132 \  
-transform TRANSFORM01  
switch:admin> IP secconfig --add policy ips selector \  
-t SELECTOR-IN -d in -l 10.33.69.132 -r 10.33.74.13 \  
-transform TRANSFORM01  
10. Verify the IP sec SAs created with IKE using the IP secConfig --show manual-sa –a command.  
11. Perform the equivalent steps on the remote peer to complete the IP sec configuration. Refer to  
your server administration guide for instructions.  
12. Generate IP traffic and verify that it is protected using defined policies.  
a. Initiate Telnet or SSH or ping session from BRCD300 to Remote Host.  
b. Verify that the IP traffic is encapsulated.  
c. Monitor IP sec SAs created using IKE for the above traffic flow.  
Use the IP secConfig -–show manual-sa –a command with the operands specified to  
display the outbound and inbound SAs in the kernel SADB.  
Use the IP secConfig –-show policy ips sa -a command with the specified operands to  
display all IP sec SA policies.  
Use the IP secConfig –-show policy ips sa-proposal –a command with the specified  
operands to display IP sec proposals.  
Use the IP secConfig –-show policy ips transform –a command with the specified  
operands to display IP sec transforms.  
Use the IP secConfig –-show policy ips selector –a command with the specified  
operands to display IP sec traffic selectors.  
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Use the IP secConfig –-show policy ike –a command with the specified operands to  
display IKE policies.  
Use the IP secConfig –-flush manual-sa command with the specified operands to flush  
the created SAs in the kernel SADB.  
CAUTION  
Flushing SAs requires IP sec to be disabled and re-enabled. This operation is disruptive to traffic  
using the tunnel.  
Notes  
As of Fabric OS 7.0.0, IP sec no longer supports null encryption (null_enc) for IKE policies.  
IPv6 policies cannot tunnel IMCP traffic.  
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Chapter  
Maintaining the Switch Configuration File  
8
In this chapter  
Configuration settings  
It is important to maintain consistent configuration settings on all switches in the same fabric  
because inconsistent parameters, such as inconsistent PID formats, can cause fabric  
segmentation. As part of standard configuration maintenance procedures, Brocade recommends  
that you back up all important configuration data for every switch on a host computer server as a  
safety measure.  
NOTE  
For information about AD-enabled switches, refer to Chapter 17, “Managing Administrative  
For more information about troubleshooting configuration file uploads and downloads, refer to the  
Fabric OS Troubleshooting and Diagnostics Guide.  
There are two ways to view configuration settings for a switch in a Brocade fabric:  
Issue the configShow -all command.  
To display configuration settings, connect to the switch, log in as admin, and enter the  
configShow -all command. The configuration settings vary depending on switch model and  
configuration. This command does not show as much configuration information as the text file  
created from the configUpload command.  
Issue the configUpload -all command to upload an ASCII text file from the switch or switch  
module.  
You can open the text file with any text editor to view the configuration information of the  
switch.  
CAUTION  
Editing of the uploaded file is unsupported and can result in system errors if an edited file is  
subsequently downloaded.  
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Configuration settings  
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If your user account has chassis account permissions, you can use any of the following options  
when uploading or downloading a configuration file:  
-fid  
-all  
To upload the specified FID configuration.  
To upload all of the system configuration, including the chassis section  
and all switch sections for all logical switches.  
NOTE: Use this parameter when obtaining a complete capture of the switch  
configuration in a switch that has Virtual Fabrics mode disabled.  
-chassis  
To upload only the chassis section of the system configuration file.  
Configuration file format  
The configuration file is divided into three areas: the header, the chassis section, and one or more  
logical-switch sections.  
The following is an example of a configuration file with two logical-switch sections.  
[Configuration upload Information]  
Configuration Format = 3.0  
Minimum Compatible Format = 3.0  
Excluding Format = 0.0  
date = Tue Mar 1 15:53:18 2011  
FOS version = v7.0.0.0  
Number of LS = 2  
[Chassis Configuration Begin]  
[fcRouting]  
[Chassis Configuration]  
[LicensesDB]  
[Bottleneck Configuration]  
[DMM_WWN]  
[Licenses]  
[Chassis Configuration End]  
date = Tue Mar 1 21:28:52 2011  
[Switch Configuration Begin : 0]  
SwitchName = Sprint5100  
Fabric ID = 128  
[Boot Parameters]  
[Configuration]  
[Bottleneck Configuration]  
[Zoning]  
[Defined Security policies]  
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[Active Security policies]  
[cryptoDev]  
[FICU SAVED FILES]  
[Banner]  
[End]  
[Switch Configuration End : 0]  
date = Tue Mar 1 21:28:52 2011  
[Switch Configuration Begin : 1]  
SwitchName = switch_2  
Fabric ID = 1  
[Boot Parameters]  
[Configuration]  
[Bottleneck Configuration]  
[Zoning]  
[Defined Security policies]  
[Active Security policies]  
[cryptoDev]  
[FICU SAVED FILES]  
[Banner]  
[End]  
[Switch Configuration End : 1]  
Chassis section  
There is only one chassis section within a configuration. It defines configuration data for chassis  
components that affect the entire system, not just one individual logical switch. The chassis  
section is included in non-Virtual Fabric modes only if you use the configUpload -all command.  
The chassis section specifies characteristics for the following software components:  
FC Routing – Fibre Channel Routing  
Chassis configuration – Chassis configuration  
FCOE_CH_CONF – FCoE chassis configuration  
UDROLE_CONF – User-defined role configuration  
LicensesDB – License Database (slot-based)  
DMM_WWN – Data migration manager World Wide Name configuration  
Licenses – (Feature-based) Licenses configuration  
AGWWN_MAPPING_CONF – Access Gateway WWN mapping configuration  
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Configuration file backup  
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LicensesLservc – Sentinel License configuration  
GE blade mode – GigE Mode configuration  
FWD CHASSIS CFG – Fabric Watch configuration  
FRAME LOG – Frame log configuration (enable/disable)  
DMM_TB – Data migration manager configuration  
MOTD – Message of the day  
Switch section  
There is always at least one switch section for the default switch or a switch that has Virtual Fabrics  
mode disabled, and there are additional sections corresponding to each additionally defined  
logical switch instance on a switch with Virtual Fabrics mode enabled. This data is switch-specific  
and affects only that logical switch behavior.  
The switch section of the configuration file contains information for all of the following:  
Boot parameters  
Configuration  
Bottleneck configuration  
FCoE software configuration  
Zoning  
Defined security policies  
Active security policies  
iSCSI  
CryptoDev  
FICU saved files  
VS_SW_CONF  
Banner  
Configuration file backup  
Brocade recommends keeping a backup configuration file. You should keep individual backup files  
for all switches in the fabric and avoid copying configurations from one switch to another. The  
configUpload command, by default, only uploads the switch context configuration for the logical  
switch context in which the command is executed.  
In non-Virtual Fabric mode, you must use the configUpload -all command to include both the  
switch and the chassis information. In Virtual Fabric mode, the configUpload -all command can be  
selected to upload all logical switches and the chassis configuration. Only administrators with  
chassis permissions are allowed to upload other FIDs or the chassis configuration.  
The following information is not saved in a backup:  
dnsConfig command information  
Passwords  
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Configuration file backup  
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Before you upload a configuration file, verify that you can reach the FTP server from the switch.  
Using a Telnet connection, save a backup copy of the configuration file from a logical switch to a  
host computer.  
Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) is now an option when uploading a configuration file. SFTP is  
analogous to Secure Copy Protocol (SCP). SFTP can be used for the configupload/download,  
supportsave, and auto FFDC/trace upload (supportftp) commands.  
Uploading a configuration file in interactive mode  
1. Verify that the FTP, SFTP, or SCP service is running on the host computer.  
2. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
3. Enter the configUpload command. The command becomes interactive and you are prompted  
for the required information.  
4. Store a soft copy of the switch configuration information in a safe place for future reference.  
Example of configUpload on a switch without Admin Domains  
switch:admin> configupload  
Protocol (scp, ftp, sftp, local) [ftp]: sftp  
Server Name or IP Address [host]: 10.1.2.3  
User Name [user]: UserFoo  
Path/Filename [<home dir>/config.txt]: switchConfig.txt  
Section (all|chassis|FID# [all]): chassis  
username@10.1.2.3's password:  
Password: <hidden>  
configUpload complete  
Example of configUpload on a switch with Admin Domains  
NOTE  
Administrative domains other than AD255 upload a subset of information. If you want a  
complete switch configuration, you must use the configUpload command while logged in to  
AD255.  
switch:AD5:admin> ad --select 5  
switch:AD5:admin> configUpload  
Protocol (scp or ftp) [ftp]:  
Server Name or IP Address [host]: 10.1.2.3  
User Name [user]: UserFoo  
Path/Filename [<home dir>/config.txt]: /pub/configurations/config.txt  
Password: <hidden>  
configUpload complete: Only zoning parameters are uploaded from ad5.  
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Configuration file restoration  
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Configuration file restoration  
When you restore a configuration file, you overwrite the existing configuration with a previously  
saved backup configuration file.  
CAUTION  
Make sure that the configuration file you are downloading is compatible with your switch model.  
Downloading a configuration file from a different switch model or from a different firmware could  
cause your switch to fail.  
CAUTION  
If you have Virtual Fabrics enabled, you must follow the procedure in “Configuration management  
for Virtual Fabrics” on page 250 to restore the logical switches.  
If a configDownload command is issued on a non-FC router, any FC router parameters may be  
viewed in the downloaded data. This is harmless to the switch and can be ignored.  
NOTE  
While it is possible to transfer a Fabric OS 6.4.1 configuration file to a Fabric OS 7.0.0 (or later)  
switch, it is not possible to transfer a Fabric OS 7.0.0 (or later) configuration file to a Fabric OS 6.4.1  
switch.  
Restrictions  
This section lists restrictions for some of the options of the configDownload command.  
-chassis  
The number of switches defined in the downloaded configuration file must  
match the number of switches currently defined on the switch.  
-fid FID  
The FID must be defined in both the downloaded configuration file and the  
current system.  
NOTE  
Brocade recommends you disable a switch before downloading a configuration  
file. If you plan to download a configuration file while the switch is enabled, refer  
-fid FID -sfid FID The FID must be defined on the switch and the source FID must be defined in the  
downloaded configuration file.  
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-all  
The number of switches or FIDs defined in the downloaded configuration file  
must match the number of switches or FIDs currently defined on the switch.  
The switches must be disabled first. If they are not, the configDownload  
command will download the configuration for as many switches as possible until  
a non-disabled switch is found. If a non-disabled switch is found, the  
downloading process stops. Before running the configDownload command, verify  
if any switches must be disabled.  
If you are performing a configuration download due to a configuration error, it is  
highly recommended to run the configDefault command before running the  
configDownload command. Refer to “Configuration download without disabling a  
switch” on page 248 for more information on non-disruptive configuration  
downloads.  
If Virtual Fabrics mode is enabled, the chassisDisable and chassisEnable  
commands are used to disable all logical switches on the affected switch. This  
process bypasses the need to disable and enable each switch individually once  
the configuration download has completed.  
Non-Virtual Fabric configuration files downloaded to a Virtual Fabric system have  
a configuration applied only to the default switch. If there are multiple logical  
switches created in a Virtual Fabric-enabled system, there may be problems if  
there are ports that belong to the default switch in a Virtual Fabric-disabled  
system, but are now assigned to logical switches in a Virtual Fabric-enabled  
system. Only configurations related to ports within the default switch are applied.  
If you must set up your switch again, run the commands listed in Table 47 and save the output in a  
file format. Store the files in a safe place for emergency reference.  
TABLE 47  
CLI commands to display or modify switch configuration information  
Displays  
Command  
configShow  
fcLunQuery  
System configuration parameters, settings, and license information.  
LUN IDs and LUNs for all accessible targets.  
fcrRouterPortCost  
fcrXlateConfig  
fosConfig  
FC Router route information.  
Translate (xlate) domain's domain ID for both EX_Port-attached fabric and backbone fabric.  
Fabric OS features.  
ipAddrShow  
isnscCfg  
IP address.  
Configuration state of the iSNS client operation.  
licenseShow  
License keys installed with more detail than the license information from the configShow  
command.  
portCfgEXPort  
portCfgVEXPort  
EX_Port configuration parameters.  
VEX_Port configuration parameters.  
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Configuration file restoration  
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CAUTION  
Though the switch itself has advanced error checking, the configdownload feature within  
Fabric OS was not designed for users to edit, and is limited in its ability. Edited files can become  
corrupted and this corruption can lead to switch failures.  
Configuration download without disabling a switch  
You can download configuration files to a switch while the switch is enabled; that is, you do not  
need to disable the switch for changes in SNMP, Fabric Watch, or ACL parameters. However, if there  
is any changed parameter that does not belong to SNMP, Fabric Watch, or ACL, then you must  
disable the switch. When you use the configDownload command, you are prompted to disable the  
switch only when necessary.  
Configuration download without disabling a switch is independent of the hardware platform and  
supported on all hardware platforms running Fabric OS v6.1.0 and later.  
ATTENTION  
The configuration download process can restore only logical switches that already exist and that use  
the same FIDs. It cannot be used to clone or repair the current switch because the configDownload  
command cannot create logical switches if they do not exist.  
Restoring a configuration  
CAUTION  
Using the SFID parameter erases all configuration information on the logical switch. Use the SFID  
parameter only when the logical switch has no configuration information you want to save.  
1. Verify that the FTP service is running on the server where the backup configuration file is  
located.  
2. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions, and if necessary,  
with chassis permissions.  
3. If there are any changed parameters in the configuration file that do not belong to SNMP,  
Fabric Watch, or ACL, disable the switch by entering the switchDisable command.  
4. Enter the configDownload command.  
The command becomes interactive and you are prompted for the required information.  
5. At the “Do you want to continue [y/n]” prompt, enter y.  
Wait for the configuration to be restored.  
6. If you disabled the switch, enter the switchEnable command when the process is finished.  
NOTE  
Always perform a reboot after you download a configuration file. On dual-CP platforms, you must  
reboot both CPs simultaneously.  
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Example of configDownload without Admin Domains  
switch:admin> configdownload  
Protocol (scp, ftp, local) [ftp]:  
Server Name or IP Address [host]: 10.1.2.3  
User Name [user]: UserFoo  
Path/Filename [<home dir>/config.txt]:  
Section (all|chassis|FID# [all]): all  
*** CAUTION ***  
This command is used to download a backed-up configuration  
for a specific switch. If using a file from a different  
switch, this file's configuration settings will override  
any current switch settings.  
Downloading a configuration  
file, which was uploaded from a different type of switch,  
may cause this switch to fail.  
A switch reboot is required for the changes to take effect.  
Please make sure all the switches are disabled by  
using "chassisdisable" command. Downloading configuration  
to an online switch may result in some configuration not  
being downloaded to that switch.  
configDownload operation may take several minutes  
to complete for large files.  
Do you want to continue [y/n]:y  
Password: <hidden>  
configDownload complete.  
Example of configDownload with Admin Domains  
switch:AD5:admin>configdownload  
Protocol (scp or ftp) [ftp]:  
Server Name or IP Address [host]: 10.1.2.3  
User Name [user]: UserFoo  
Path/Filename [<home dir>/config.txt]: /pub/configurations/config.txt  
*** CAUTION ***  
This command is used to download a backed-up configuration  
for a specific switch. If using a file from a different  
switch, this file's configuration settings will override  
any current switch settings.  
Downloading a configuration  
file, which was uploaded from a different type of switch,  
may cause this switch to fail.  
A switch reboot is required for the changes to take effect.  
Please make sure all the switches are disabled by  
using "chassisdisable" command. Downloading configuration  
to an online switch may result in some configuration not  
being downloaded to that switch.  
configDownload operation may take several minutes  
to complete for large files.  
Do you want to continue [y/n]:y  
Password: <hidden>  
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Configurations across a fabric  
8
Activating configDownload: Switch is disabled  
configDownload complete: Only zoning parameters are downloaded to ad5.  
Example of a non-interactive download of all configurations (chassis and switches)  
configdownload -a -ftp  
10.1.2.3,UserFoo,/pub/configurations/config.txt,password  
Configurations across a fabric  
To save time when configuring fabric parameters and software features, you can save a  
configuration file from one switch and download it to other switches of the same model type.  
Do not download a configuration file from one switch to another switch that is a different model or  
runs a different firmware version, because it can cause the switch to fail. If you need to reset  
affected switches, issue the configDefault command after download is completed but before the  
switch is enabled. If a switch is enabled with a duplicate domain ID, the switch becomes  
segmented.  
Downloading a configuration file from one switch to another switch of  
the same model  
1. Configure one switch.  
2. Use the configUpload command to save the configuration information. Refer to “Configuration  
file backup” on page 244 for more information.  
3. Run configDefault on each of the target switches, and then use the configDownload command  
to download the configuration file to each of the target switches. Refer to “Configuration file  
restoration” on page 246 for more information.  
Security considerations  
Security parameters and the switch identity cannot be changed by the configDownload command.  
Parameters such as the switch name and IP address (lines in the configuration file that begin with  
“boot”) are ignored. Security parameters (lines in the configuration file that begin with “sec”), such  
as secure mode setting and version stamp, are ignored.  
For more detailed information on security, refer to Chapter 6, “Configuring Protocols”.  
Configuration management for Virtual Fabrics  
You can use the configUpload -vf or configDownload -vf command to restore configurations to a  
logical switch. The -vf option only restores the Virtual Fabrics configuration information on to a  
switch of the same model.  
The Virtual Fabrics configuration on the switch defines all of the logical switches allowed and  
configured for a particular platform.  
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Configuration management for Virtual Fabrics  
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Uploading a configuration file from a switch with Virtual Fabrics  
enabled  
The configUpload command with the -vf option specifies that configuration upload will upload the  
Virtual Fabrics configuration instead of the non-Virtual Fabrics configuration information.  
You must specify a file name with the configUpload -vf command. It is recommended not to use  
config.txt for a file name as this name can be confused with a normal uploaded configuration file.  
Example of configUpload on a switch with Virtual Fabrics  
Sprint5100:FID128:admin> configupload  
Protocol (scp, ftp, sftp, local) [ftp]:  
Server Name or IP Address [host]: 10.1.2.3  
User Name [user]: UserFoo  
Path/Filename [<home dir>/config.txt]: 5100.txt  
Potentially remote file may get overwritten  
Section (all|chassis|FID# [all]):  
Password: <hidden>  
configUpload complete: All selected config parameters are uploaded  
Example of configUpload on a logical switch configuration  
DCX_80:FID128:admin> configupload -vf  
Protocol (scp, ftp, sftp, local) [ftp]:  
Server Name or IP Address [host]: 10.1.2.3  
User Name [user]: anonymous  
Path/Filename [<home dir>/config.txt]: 5100_vf.txt  
configUpload complete: VF config parameters are uploaded  
2009/07/20-09:13:40, [LOG-1000], 225, SLOT 7 | CHASSIS, INFO, BrocadeDCX,  
Previous message repeated 7 time(s)  
2009/07/20-10:27:14, [CONF-1001], 226, SLOT 7 | FID 128, INFO, DCX_80,  
configUpload completed successfully for VF config parameters.  
Restoring a logical switch configuration using configDownload  
The configDownload -vf command specifies that the Virtual Fabrics configuration download file is  
downloaded instead of the regular configuration. After the Virtual Fabrics configuration file is  
downloaded, the switch is automatically rebooted.  
On dual-CP platforms, if CPs are incompatible (HA not in sync), the Virtual Fabrics configuration file is  
not propagated to the standby CP. If CPs are compatible, the active CP attempts to remain active after  
the reboot, and the new Virtual Fabrics configuration file is then propagated to the standby CP.  
CAUTION  
You must issue the configDownload command on the switch after restoring the Virtual Fabrics  
configuration to fully restore your switch or chassis configuration.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the configDownload -vf command.  
3. Respond to the prompts.  
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Configuration management for Virtual Fabrics  
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Wait for the configuration file to download on to the switch. You may need to reconnect to the  
switch.  
4. Enter the configDownload command.  
5. Respond to the prompts.  
Wait for the configuration file to download to the switch.  
6. Verify the LISL ports are set up correctly.  
Example of a non-interactive download from a switch with FID = 8 and SFID =10  
configdownload -fid 8 -sfid 10 -ftp 10.1.2.3,UserFoo,config.txt,password  
Example of configDownload on a switch  
5100:FID128:admin> configdownload -vf  
Protocol (scp, ftp, sftp, local) [ftp]:  
Server Name or IP Address [host]: 10.1.2.3  
User Name [user]: UserFoo  
Path/Filename [<home dir>/config.txt]: 5100_FID89.txt  
*** CAUTION ***  
This command is used to download the VF configuration to the  
switch. Afterwards, the switch will be automatically rebooted  
and the new VF settings will be used. You will then need to  
run configdownload again to install the configuration(s) for  
any logical switch(s) that are setup in the new VF configuration.  
Do you want to continue [y/n]: y  
(output truncated)  
Restrictions  
The following restrictions apply when using the configUpload or configDownload commands when  
Virtual Fabrics mode is enabled:  
The -vf option is incompatible with the –fid, –sfid, or –all options. Any attempt to combine it  
with any of the other three will cause the configuration upload or download operation to fail.  
You are not allowed to modify the Virtual Fabrics configuration file after it has been uploaded.  
Only minimal verification is done by the configDownload command to ensure it is compatible,  
much like the normal downloaded configuration file.  
After the configDownload -vf command completes and reboots your switch, you must then  
download the matching regular configuration using the configDownload -all command. This  
ensures proper behavior of the system and logical switches.  
All of the attributes of the Virtual Fabrics configuration file will be downloaded to the system and  
take effect. This includes, but is not limited to, logical switch definitions, whether Virtual Fabrics is  
enabled or disabled, and the F_Port trunking ports, except the LISL ports. The LISL ports on the  
system are not affected by the Virtual Fabrics configuration file download.  
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Brocade configuration form  
8
Brocade configuration form  
Use the form in Table 48 as a hard copy reference for your configuration information.  
In the hardware reference manuals for the Brocade DCX and DCX-4S Backbones, there is a guide  
for FC port-setting.  
TABLE 48  
Brocade configuration and connection form  
Brocade configuration settings  
IP address  
Gateway address  
Chassis configuration option  
Management connections  
Serial cable tag  
Ethernet cable tag  
Configuration information  
Domain ID  
Switch name  
Ethernet IP address  
Ethernet subnet mask  
Total number of local devices (nsShow)  
Total number of devices in fabric (nsAllShow)  
Total number of switches in the fabric (fabricShow)  
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Brocade configuration form  
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Chapter  
Installing and Maintaining Firmware  
9
In this chapter  
Firmware download process overview  
Fabric OS v7.1.0 provides nondisruptive firmware installation.  
This chapter refers to the following specific types of blades inserted into the Brocade DCX and  
DCX 8510 Backbone families:  
FC blades or port blades that contain only Fibre Channel ports; the Brocade FC8-16, FC8-32,  
FC8-48, and FC8-64; and the Brocade FC16-32 and FC16-48 blades for 16G-capable FC  
blades.  
AP blades contain extra processors and specialized ports: FCOE10-24, FX8-24, and FS8-18  
encryption blade.  
CP blades have a control processor (CP) used to control the entire switch; CP blades can be  
inserted only into slots 6 and 7 on the Brocade DCX or DCX 8510-8, and slots 4 and 5 on the  
Brocade DCX-4S or DCX 8510-4.  
CR8 and CR4S-8 core blades provide ICL functionality between two Brocade DCX Backbones.  
CR8 blades can be inserted only into slots 5 and 8 on the Brocade DCX. CR4S-8 blades can be  
inserted only into slots 3 and 6 on the Brocade DCX-4S.  
CR8 and CR4S-8 core blades provide ICL functionality between two Brocade DCX 8510-8  
Backbones. CR4S-8 blades can be inserted only into slots 3 and 6 on the Brocade DCX  
8510-4.  
NOTE  
For more information on troubleshooting a firmware download, refer to the Fabric OS  
Troubleshooting and Diagnostics Guide.  
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You can download Fabric OS to a Backbone, which is a chassis; and to a nonchassis-based system,  
also referred to as a fixed-port switch. The difference in the download process is that Backbones  
have two CPs and fixed-port switches have one CP. Use the firmwareDownload command to  
download the firmware from either an FTP or SSH server by using FTP, SFTP, or SCP to the switch.  
Or you can use a Brocade-branded USB device.  
The new firmware consists of multiple files in the form of RPM packages listed in a .plist file. The  
.plist file contains specific firmware information (time stamp, platform code, version, and so forth)  
and the names of packages of the firmware to be downloaded. These packages are made available  
periodically to add features or to remedy defects. Contact your switch support provider to obtain  
information about available firmware versions.  
All systems maintain two partitions (a primary and a secondary) of nonvolatile storage areas to  
store firmware images. The firmware download process always loads the new image into the  
secondary partition. It then swaps the secondary partition to be the primary and high availability  
(HA) reboots (which is nondisruptive) the system. After the system boots up, the new firmware is  
activated. The firmware download process then copies the new image from the primary partition to  
the secondary partition.  
ATTENTION  
The Brocade 8000 does not support a nondisruptive firmware download. The switch reboots once  
the firmware upgrade or downgrade is complete.  
In dual-CP systems, the firmware download process, by default, sequentially upgrades the firmware  
image on both CPs using HA failover to prevent disruption to traffic flowing through the Backbone.  
This operation depends on the HA status on the Backbone. If the platform does not support HA, you  
can still upgrade the CPs one at a time.  
If you are using a Brocade DCX or DCX 8510 Backbone family platform, with one or more  
AP blades: Fabric OS automatically detects mismatches between the active CP firmware and the  
blade’s firmware and triggers the auto-leveling process. This auto-leveling process automatically  
updates the blade firmware to match the active CP. At the end of the auto-leveling process, the  
active CP and the blade run the same version of the firmware.  
If the firmware download process is interrupted by an unexpected reboot, the system automatically  
repairs and recovers the secondary partition. You must wait for the recovery to complete before  
issuing another firmwareDownload command.  
The command supports both non-interactive and interactive modes. If the firmwareDownload  
command is issued without any operands, or if there is any syntax error in the parameters, the  
command enters an interactive mode, in which you are prompted for input.  
ATTENTION  
For each switch in your fabric, complete all firmware download changes on the current switch before  
issuing the firmwareDownload command on the next switch. This process ensures nondisruption of  
traffic between switches in your fabric.  
To verify the firmware download process is complete, enter the firmwareDownloadStatus command  
on the switch, verify the process is complete, and then move to the next switch.  
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Firmware download process overview  
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Upgrading and downgrading firmware  
Upgrading means installing a newer version of firmware. Downgrading means installing an older  
version of firmware.  
In most cases, you will be upgrading firmware; that is, installing a newer firmware version than the  
one you are currently running. However, some circumstances may require installing an older  
version; that is, downgrading the firmware. The procedures in this section assume that you are  
upgrading firmware, but they work for downgrading as well, provided the old and new firmware  
versions are compatible. Always reference the latest release notes for updates that may exist  
regarding downgrades under particular circumstances.  
For details on Administrative Domains and the firmware download process, refer to Chapter 17,  
For details about testing and restoring firmware, refer to “Testing and restoring firmware on  
Passwordless firmware download  
You can download firmware without a password using the sshutil command for public key  
authentication when SSH is selected. The switch must be configured to install the private key, and  
then you must export the public key to the remote host. Before running the firmwareDownload  
command, you must first configure the SSH protocol to permit passwordless logins for outgoing  
Considerations for FICON CUP environments  
To prevent channel errors during nondisruptive firmware installation, the switch CUP port must be  
taken offline from all host systems.  
HA sync state  
High Availability (HA) synchronization occurs when two CPs in a Backbone are synchronized. This  
state provides redundancy and a nondisruptive firmware download. In order for a firmware  
download to successfully occur, the two CPs in a Backbone must be in sync.  
If the CPs have mixed versions when you enter the firmwareDownload command, the CPs may not  
be in HA sync. In this case, you must enter the firmwareDownload –s command first to upgrade or  
downgrade the standby CP to the same level as the active CP, and then upgrade the CPs to the  
desired version of firmware.  
NOTE  
Do not run mixed firmware levels on CPs.  
Table 49 shows the sync state of a Backbone that has different Fabric OS versions installed on the  
active and standby CPs. Use the table to determine if you need to use the firmwareDownload -s  
command.  
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Preparing for a firmware download  
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TABLE 49  
Backbone HA sync states  
Active CP Fabric OS  
version  
Standby CP Fabric OS HA sync state  
version  
Remedy  
v6.2.0  
v6.2.x  
v6.3.0  
v6.2.0  
v6.3.0  
v6.2.x  
inSync  
inSync  
N/A  
N/A  
If Ethernet Switch Service Run firmwareDownload -s on the  
is enabled, no sync.  
standby CP and upgrade it to v6.3.0.  
v6.3.0  
v6.3.0  
v6.4.0  
v6.3.0  
v6.4.0  
v6.3.0  
inSync  
N/A  
N/A  
inSync  
inSync  
Run firmwareDownload -s on the  
standby CP and upgrade it to v6.4.0.  
v6.4.0  
v7.0.0  
v6.4.0  
v6.4.0  
inSync  
inSync  
N/A  
Run firmwareDownload -s on the  
standby CP to upgrade it to v7.0.0  
v7.0.0  
v7.1.0  
v7.0.0  
v7.1.0  
v6.4.0  
v7.1.0  
v7.0.0  
v7.1.0  
v7.1.0  
v7.0.0  
v7.1.0  
v6.4.0  
inSync  
N/A  
N/A  
N/A  
N/A  
N/A  
N/A  
inSync  
inSync  
inSync  
Not inSync  
Not inSync  
Preparing for a firmware download  
Before executing a firmware download, it is recommended that you perform the tasks listed in this  
section. In the unlikely event of a failure or timeout, these preparatory tasks enable you to provide  
your switch support provider the information required to troubleshoot the firmware download.  
It is recommended that you use the configUpload command to back up the current configuration  
before you download firmware to a switch. Refer to “Configuration file backup” on page 244 for  
details.  
1. Read the release notes for the new firmware to find out if there are any updates related to the  
firmware download process.  
2. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions. Enter the  
firmwareShow command to verify the current version of Fabric OS.  
Brocade does not support upgrades from more than one previous release. For example,  
upgrading from Fabric OS v7.0.x to v7.1.0 is supported, but upgrading from Fabric OS v6.4.x  
directly to v7.1.0 is not supported. Upgrading a switch from Fabric OS v6.4.x to v7.1.0 is a  
two-step process—first upgrade to v7.0.x, and then upgrade to v7.1.0.  
3. Use the configUpload command prior to the firmware download. Save the configuration file on  
your FTP or SSH server or USB memory device on supported platforms.  
4. Optional: For additional support, connect the switch to a computer with a serial console cable.  
Ensure that all serial consoles (both CPs for Backbones) and any open network connection  
sessions, such as Telnet, are logged and included with any trouble reports.  
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5. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions. Enter the  
supportSave command to retrieve all current core files prior to executing the firmware  
download. This information helps to troubleshoot the firmware download process if a problem  
is encountered.  
6. Optional: Enter the errClear command to erase all existing messages in addition to internal  
messages.  
Obtaining and decompressing firmware  
Firmware upgrades are available for customers with support service contracts and for partners on  
the Brocade website at http://www.brocade.com.  
You must decompress the firmware before you can use the firmwareDownload command to update  
the firmware on your equipment. Use the UNIX tar command for .tar files, the gunzip command for  
all .gz files, or a Windows unzip program for all .zip files  
When you unpack the downloaded firmware, it expands into a directory that is named according to  
the version of Fabric OS it contains. For example, when you download and unzip v7.1.0.zip, it  
expands into a directory called v7.1.0. When you issue the firmwareDownload command, there is  
an automatic search for the correct package file type associated with the switch. Specify only the  
path up to and including the v7.1.0 directory.  
Connected switches  
Before you upgrade the firmware on your switch, you must check the connected switches to ensure  
compatibility and that any older versions are supported. Refer to the Fabric OS Compatibility  
section of the Brocade Fabric OS Release Notes, for the recommended firmware version.  
If fixed-port switches are adjacent and you start firmware downloads on them at the same time,  
there may be traffic disruption.  
To determine if you need to upgrade switches connected to the switch you are upgrading, use the  
following procedure on each connected switch to display firmware information and build dates.  
Finding the switch firmware version  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the version command.  
The following information is displayed:  
Kernel displays the version of the switch kernel operating system.  
Fabric OS displays the version of the switch Fabric OS.  
Made on displays the build date of the firmware running on the switch.  
Flash displays the install date of firmware stored in nonvolatile memory.  
BootProm displays the version of the firmware stored in the boot PROM.  
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Firmware download on switches  
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Firmware download on switches  
Brocade fixed-port switches maintain primary and secondary partitions for firmware. The  
firmwareDownload command defaults to an autocommit option that automatically copies the  
firmware from one partition to the other.  
NOTE  
This section only applies when upgrading from Fabric OS v7.0.x to v7.1.0, downgrading from v7.1.0  
to v7.0.x, or going from v7.1.x to v7.1.x.  
If you are upgrading from Fabric OS v6.4.x to v7.1.0 or downgrading from v7.1.0 to v6.4.x or earlier,  
you must enter the firmwareDownload –s command as described in “Testing and restoring firmware  
You cannot perform a firmware download if you are going from v7.1.0 to v6.3 (or lower) or from v6.3  
(or lower) to v7.1.0.  
Do not override the autocommit option under normal circumstances; use the default. Refer to the  
autocommit option.  
Switch firmware download process overview  
The following list describes the default behavior after you enter the firmwareDownload command  
(without options) on Brocade fixed-port switches:  
The Fabric OS downloads the firmware to the secondary partition.  
The system performs a high availability reboot (haReboot). After the haReboot, the former  
secondary partition is the primary partition.  
The system replicates the firmware from the primary to the secondary partition.  
The upgrade process first downloads and then commits the firmware to the switch. While the  
upgrade is proceeding, you can start a session on the switch and use the firmwareDownloadStatus  
command to observe the upgrade progress.  
CAUTION  
After you start the process, do not enter any disruptive commands (such as reboot) that interrupt  
the process. The entire firmware download and commit process takes approximately 17 minutes.  
If there is a problem, wait for the timeout (30 minutes for network problems) before issuing the  
firmwareDownload command again. Disrupting the process can render the switch inoperable and  
require you to seek help from your switch service provider.  
Do not disconnect the switch from power during the process. The switch could be inoperable  
when rebooted.  
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Upgrading firmware for Brocade fixed-port switches  
1. Take the following appropriate action based on what service you are using:  
If you are using FTP, SFTP, or SCP, verify that the FTP or SSH server is running on the host  
server and that you have a valid user ID and password on that server.  
If your platform supports a USB memory device, verify that it is connected and running.  
2. Obtain the firmware file from the Brocade website at http://www.brocade.com and store the  
file on the FTP or SSH server or the USB memory device.  
3. Unpack the compressed files preserving directory structures.  
The firmware is in the form of RPM packages with names defined in a .plist file. The .plist file  
contains specific firmware information and the names of packages of the firmware to be  
downloaded.  
4. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
5. Issue the firmwareShow command to check the current firmware version on connected  
switches. Upgrade the firmware on the connected switches, if necessary, before proceeding  
with upgrading this switch.  
6. Enter the firmwareDownload command and respond to the prompts.  
NOTE  
If DNS is enabled and a server name instead of a server IP address is specified in the  
command line, firmwareDownload determines whether IPv4 or IPv6 should be used.  
To be able to mention the FTP server by name, you must enter at least one DNS server using  
the dnsConfig command.  
7. At the “Do you want to continue [y/n]” prompt, enter y.  
8. After the HA reboot, connect to the switch and log in again using an account with admin  
permissions.  
9. Enter the firmwareDownloadStatus command to determine if the firmware download process  
has completed.  
10. After the firmware commit is completed, which takes several minutes, enter the firmwareShow  
command to verify the firmware level of both partitions is the same.  
Example of an interactive firmware download  
switch:root> firmwaredownload  
Server Name or IP Address: 10.31.2.25  
User Name: releaseuser  
File Name: /home/SAN/fos/v7.1.0/v7.1.0  
Network Protocol(1-auto-select, 2-FTP, 3-SCP, 4-SFTP) [1]: 4  
Verifying if the public key authentication is available.Please wait ...  
The public key authentication is not available.  
Password:  
Server IP: 10.31.2.25, Protocol IPv4  
Checking system settings for firmwaredownload...  
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Firmware download on a Backbone  
9
Firmware download on a Backbone  
ATTENTION  
To successfully download firmware, you must have an active Ethernet connection on each CP.  
You can download firmware to a Backbone without disrupting the overall fabric if the two CP blades  
are installed and fully synchronized. Use the haShow command to verify that the CPs are  
synchronized prior to beginning the firmware download process. If only one CP blade is inserted,  
powered on, or plugged into the network, you can run firmwareDownload –s to upgrade the CP.  
If the CPs are not in sync, you can run firmwareDownload –s on each of the CPs to upgrade them.  
These operations are disruptive. If the CPs are not in sync, run the haSyncStart command. If the  
CPs are still not in sync, refer to the Fabric OS Troubleshooting and Diagnostics Guide. If the  
troubleshooting information fails to help resolve the issue, contact your switch service provider.  
During the upgrade process, the Backbone fails over to its standby CP blade and the IP address for  
the Backbone moves to that CP blade's Ethernet port. This may cause informational ARP address  
reassignment messages to appear on other switches in the fabric. This is normal behavior,  
because the association between the IP addresses and MAC addresses has changed.  
Backbone firmware download process overview  
The following summary describes the default behavior of the firmwareDownload command (without  
options) on a Backbone. After you enter the firmwareDownload command on the active CP blade  
the following actions occur.  
1. The standby CP blade downloads firmware.  
2. The standby CP blade reboots and comes up with the new Fabric OS.  
3. The active CP blade synchronizes its state with the standby CP blade.  
4. The active CP blade forces a failover and reboots to become the standby CP blade.  
5. The new active CP blade synchronizes its state with the new standby CP blade.  
6. The new standby CP blade (the active CP blade before the failover) downloads firmware.  
7. The new standby CP blade reboots and comes up with the new Fabric OS.  
8. The new active CP blade synchronizes its state with the new standby CP blade.  
9. The firmwareCommit command runs automatically on both CP blades.  
CAUTION  
After you start the process, do not enter any disruptive commands (such as reboot) that interrupt  
the process. The entire firmware download and commit process takes approximately 17 minutes.  
If there is a problem, wait for the timeout (30 minutes for network problems) before issuing the  
firmwareDownload command again. Disrupting the process can render the switch inoperable and  
require you to seek help from your switch service provider.  
Do not disconnect the switch from power during the process. The switch could be inoperable  
when rebooted.  
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Firmware download on a Backbone  
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Upgrading firmware on Backbones (including blades)  
There is only one chassis management IP address for the Brocade Backbones.  
NOTE  
By default, the firmwareDownload command automatically upgrades both the active and the  
standby CPs and all co-CPs on the CP blades in the Brocade Backbones. It automatically upgrades  
all AP blades in the Brocade Backbones using auto-leveling.  
1. Verify that the Ethernet interfaces located on CP0 and CP1 are plugged into your network.  
2. Verify that the FTP, SFTP, or SSH server is running on the host server and that you have a user  
ID on that server.  
3. Obtain the firmware file from the Brocade website at http://www.brocade.com and store the  
file on the FTP or SSH server.  
4. Unpack the compressed files preserving directory structures.  
The firmware is in the form of RPM packages with names defined in a .plist file. The .plist file  
contains specific firmware information and the names of packages of the firmware to be  
downloaded.  
5. Connect to the chassis IP management interface or active CP and log in using an account with  
admin permissions.  
6. Use the firmwareShow command to check the current firmware version on connected  
switches. Upgrade the firmware, if necessary, before proceeding with upgrading this switch.  
7. Enter the haShow command to confirm that the two CP blades are synchronized.  
In the following example, the active CP blade is CP0 and the standby CP blade is CP1:  
ecp:admin> hashow  
Local CP (Slot 5, CP0): Active, Warm Recovered  
Remote CP (Slot 6, CP1): Standby, Healthy  
HA enabled, Heartbeat Up, HA State synchronized  
CP blades must be synchronized and running Fabric OS v6.0.0 or later to provide a  
nondisruptive download. If the two CP blades are not synchronized, enter the haSyncStart  
command to synchronize them. If the CPs still are not synchronized, contact your switch  
service provider.  
For further troubleshooting, refer to the Fabric OS Troubleshooting and Diagnostics Guide.  
8. Enter the firmwareDownload command and respond to the interactive prompts.  
9. At the “Do you want to continue [y/n]” prompt, enter y.  
The firmware is downloaded to one CP blade at a time, beginning with the standby CP blade.  
During the process, the active CP blade fails over. After the firmware is downloaded, a firmware  
commit starts on both CP blades. The entire firmware download and commit process takes  
approximately 17 minutes.  
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Firmware download on a Backbone  
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If an AP blade is present: At the point of the failover, an autoleveling process is activated.  
Autoleveling is triggered when the active CP detects a blade that contains a different version of  
the firmware, regardless of which version is older. Autoleveling downloads firmware to the AP  
blade, swaps partitions, reboots the blade, and copies the new firmware from the primary  
partition to the secondary partition. If you have multiple AP blades, they are updated  
simultaneously; however, the downloads can occur at different rates.  
Autoleveling takes place in parallel with the firmware download being performed on the CPs,  
but does not impact performance. Fibre Channel traffic is not disrupted during autoleveling,  
but GbE traffic on AP blades may be affected. If there is an active FCIP tunnel on the FX8-24  
blade, the FCIP tunnel traffic will be impacted for at least two minutes.  
ecp:admin> firmwaredownload  
Type of Firmware (FOS, SAS, or any application) [FOS]:  
Server Name or IP Address: 10.1.2.3  
User Name: userfoo  
File Name: /home/userfoo/v7.1.0  
Network Protocol (1-auto-select, 2-FTP, 3-SCP, 4-SFTP)) [1]:  
Password: <hidden>  
Checking version compatibility...  
Version compatibility check passed.  
The following AP blades are installed in the system.  
Slot Name  
Versions  
Traffic Disrupted  
-----------------------------------------------------------------  
2 FS8-18  
8 FX8-24  
v7.1.0_main_bld27  
v7.1.0_main_bld27  
Encrypted Traffic  
GigE  
This command will upgrade the firmware on both CPs and all AP blade(s) above.  
If you want to upgrade firmware on a single CP only, please use -s option.  
You may run firmwaredownloadstatus to get the status of this  
command.  
This command will cause a warm/non-disruptive boot on the active CP,  
but will require that existing telnet, secure telnet or SSH sessions  
be restarted.  
Do you want to continue [Y]: y  
The firmware is being downloaded to the Standby CP. It may take up to 10  
minutes.  
10. Optionally, after the failover, connect to the switch, and log in again as admin. Using a separate  
session to connect to the switch, enter the firmwareDownloadStatus command to monitor the  
firmware download status.  
sw0:FID128:admin> firmwaredownloadstatus  
[1]: Mon Mar 22 04:27:21 2010  
Slot 7 (CP1, active): Firmware is being downloaded to the switch. This step  
may take up to 30 minutes.  
[2]: Mon Mar 22 04:34:58 2010  
Slot 7 (CP1, active): Relocating an internal firmware image on the CP blade.  
[3]: Mon Mar 22 04:35:29 2010  
Slot 7 (CP1, active): The internal firmware image is relocated successfully.  
[4]: Mon Mar 22 04:35:30 2010  
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Slot 7 (CP1, active): Firmware has been downloaded to the secondary partition  
of the switch.  
[5]: Mon Mar 22 04:37:24 2010  
Slot 7 (CP1, standby): The firmware commit operation has started. This may  
take up to 10 minutes.  
[6]: Mon Mar 22 04:41:59 2010  
Slot 7 (CP1, standby): The commit operation has completed successfully.  
[7]: Mon Mar 22 04:41:59 2010  
Slot 7 (CP1, standby): Firmwaredownload command has completed successfully.  
Use firmwareshow to verify the firmware versions.  
11. Enter the firmwareShow command to display the new firmware versions.  
Firmware download from a USB device  
The Brocade 300, 5100, 5300, 6505, 6510, 6520, 7800, 8000, and VA-40FC switches and the  
Brocade DCX, DCX-4S, or DCX 8510 Backbones support a firmware download from a Brocade  
branded USB device attached to the switch or active CP. Before the USB device can be accessed by  
the firmwareDownload command, it must be enabled and mounted as a file system. The firmware  
images to be downloaded must be stored under the relative path from  
/usb/usbstorage/brocade/firmware or use the absolute path in the USB file system. Multiple  
images can be stored under this directory. There is a firmwarekey directory where the public key  
signed firmware is stored.  
When the firmwareDownload command line option, -U (upper case),is specified, the  
firmwareDownload command downloads the specified firmware image from the USB device. When  
specifying a path to a firmware image in the USB device, you can only specify the relative path to  
/firmware or the absolute path.  
Enabling the USB device  
1. Log in to the switch using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Enter the usbStorage -e command.  
Viewing the USB file system  
1. Log in to the switch using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Enter the usbStorage -l command.  
BrcdDCXBB:admin> usbstorage –l  
firmware\  
v7.1.0\  
config\  
support\  
firmwarekey\  
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0B  
0B  
0B  
2010 Mar 28 15:33  
2010 Mar 28 10:39  
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Available space on usbstorage 79%  
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FIPS support  
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Downloading from the USB device using the relative path  
1. Log in to the switch using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Enter the firmwareDownload -U command.  
ecp:admin>firmwaredownload –U v7.1.0  
Downloading from the USB device using the absolute path  
1. Log in to the switch using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Enter the firmwareDownload command with the -U operand.  
ecp:admin>firmwaredownload –U /usb/usbstorage/brocade/firmware/v7.1.0  
FIPS support  
Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) specify the security standards needed to satisfy a  
cryptographic module utilized within a security system for protecting sensitive information in the  
computer and telecommunication systems. For more information about FIPS, refer to Chapter 7,  
Fabric OS v7.1.0 firmware is digitally signed using the OpenSSL utility to provide FIPS support. To  
use the digitally signed software, you must configure the switch to enable signed firmware  
download. If it is not enabled, the firmware download process ignores the firmware signature and  
performs as before.  
If signed firmware download is enabled, and if the validation succeeds, the firmware download  
process proceeds normally. If the firmware is not signed or if the signature validation fails,  
firmwareDownload fails.  
To enable or disable FIPS mode, refer to Chapter 7, “Configuring Security Policies”.  
Public and private key management  
For signed firmware, Brocade uses RSA with 1024-bit length key pairs, a private key and a public  
key. The private key is used to sign the firmware files when the firmware is generated. The public  
key is packaged in an RPM package as part of the firmware, and is downloaded to the switch. After  
it is downloaded, it can be used to validate the firmware to be downloaded next time when you run  
the firmwareDownload command.  
The public key file on the switch contains only one public key. It is only able to validate firmware  
signed using one corresponding private key. If the private key changes in future releases, you need  
to change the public key on the switch by one of the following methods:  
By using the firmwareDownload command. When a new firmware is downloaded, firmware  
download always replaces the public key file on the switch with what is in the new firmware.  
This allows you to have planned firmware key changes.  
By using the firmwareKeyUpdate command. This command retrieves a specified public key file  
from a specific server location and replaces the one on the switch. The information about  
firmware versions and their corresponding public key files is documented in the release notes  
or stored in a known location on the Brocade website. This command allows the customer to  
handle unplanned firmware key changes.  
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FIPS support  
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NOTE  
If FIPS mode is enabled, all logins should be handled through SSH or direct serial method, and the  
transfer protocol should be SCP.  
Updating the firmware key  
1. Log in to the switch as admin.  
2. Enter the firmwareKeyUpdate command and respond to the prompts.  
The firmwareDownload command  
The ipublic key file needs to be packaged, installed, and run on your switch before you download a  
signed firmware.  
When firmware download installs a firmware file, it must validate the signature of the file. Different  
scenarios are handled as follows:  
If a firmware file does not have a signature, how it is handled depends on the  
“signed_firmware” parameter on the switch. If it is enabled, firmware download fails.  
Otherwise, firmware download displays a warning message and proceeds normally. When  
downgrading to non-FIPS-compliant firmware, the “signed_firmware” flag needs to be disabled.  
If the firmware file has a signature but the validation fails, firmware download fails. This means  
the firmware is not from Brocade, or the contents have been modified.  
If the firmware file has a signature and the validation succeeds, firmware download proceeds  
normally.  
SAS, DMM, and third-party application images are not signed.  
Configuring a switch for signed firmware  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the configure command.  
3. Respond to the prompts as follows:  
System Service Press Enter to select default setting; default is no.  
ssl attributes Press Enter to select default setting; default is no.  
snmp  
attributes  
Press Enter to select default setting; default is no.  
rpcd attributes Press Enter to select default setting; default is no.  
cfgload  
attributes  
Select Yes. The following questions are displayed:  
Enforce secure config Upload/Download: Select yes.  
Enforce signed firmware download: Select yes.  
Webtools  
attributes  
Press Enter to select default setting; default is no.  
Press Enter to select default setting; default is no.  
System  
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Testing and restoring firmware on switches  
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Power-on firmware checksum test  
FIPS requires the checksums of the executables and libraries on the filesystem to be validated  
before Fabric OS modules are launched. This is to make sure these files have not been changed  
after they are installed.  
When firmware RPM packages are installed during firmware download, the MD5 checksums of the  
firmware files are stored in the RPM database on the filesystem. The checksums go through all of  
the files in the RPM database. Every file compares its current checksum with the checksum that is  
in the RPM database. If they are different, the command displays an output message informing you  
of the difference.  
Because the validation may take up to a few minutes, it is not performed during a hot code load. It  
is only performed after a cold reboot of the switch.  
For more information on FIPS, refer to Chapter 7, “Configuring Security Policies”.  
Testing and restoring firmware on switches  
NOTE  
This section does not apply to SAS or storage applications applied to the FA4-18 AP blade.  
Typically, users downgrade firmware after briefly evaluating a newer (or older) version and then  
restore the original version of the firmware. Testing a new version of firmware in this manner  
ensures that you do not replace existing firmware because the evaluated version occupies only one  
partition on the switch.  
ATTENTION  
When you evaluate new firmware, make sure you disable all features that are not supported by the  
original firmware before restoring to the original version.  
Testing a different firmware version on a switch  
1. Verify that the FTP, SFTP, or SSH server is running on the host server and that you have a user  
ID on that server.  
2. Obtain the firmware file from the Brocade website at http://www.brocade.com or the switch  
support provider and store the file on the FTP or SSH server.  
3. Unpack the compressed files preserving directory structures.  
The firmware is in the form of RPM packages with names defined in a .plist file, that contains  
specific firmware information and the names of packages of the firmware to be downloaded.  
4. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
5. Enter the firmwareShow command to view the current firmware.  
6. Enter the firmwareDownload -s command to update the firmware, and respond to the prompts.  
Example of a firmware download to a single partition  
ecp:admin> firmwareDownload -s  
Type of Firmware (FOS, SAS, or any application) [FOS]:  
Server Name or IP Address: 10.1.2.3  
Network Protocol (1-auto-select, 2-FTP, 3-SCP, 4-SFTP) [1]:  
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User Name: userfoo  
File Name: /home/userfoo/v7.0.0  
Password: <hidden>  
Do Auto-Commit after Reboot [Y]: n  
Reboot system after download [N]: y  
Firmware is being downloaded to the switch. This step may take up to 30  
minutes.  
Checking system settings for firmwaredownload...  
The switch performs a reboot and comes up with the new firmware to be tested. Your current  
switch session automatically disconnects.  
ATTENTION  
Downloading firmware to a switch can be disruptive to switch traffic.  
7. Connect to the switch, log in as admin, and enter the firmwareShow command to confirm that  
the primary partition of the switch contains the new firmware.  
You are now ready to evaluate the new version of firmware.  
ATTENTION  
Stop! If you want to restore the firmware, stop here and skip ahead to step 9; otherwise,  
continue to step 8 to commit the firmware on the switch, which completes the firmware  
download operations.  
8. Commit the firmware.  
a. Enter the firmwareCommit command to update the secondary partition with new firmware.  
Note that it takes several minutes to complete the commit operation.  
b. Enter the firmwareShow command to confirm both partitions on the switch contain the  
new firmware.  
ATTENTION  
Stop! If you have completed step 8, then you have committed the firmware on the switch and  
you have completed the firmware download procedure.  
9. Restore the firmware.  
a. Enter the firmwareRestore command. The switch reboots and comes up with the original  
firmware again.  
A firmware commit automatically begins to copy the original firmware from the primary  
partition to the secondary partition. At the end of the firmware commit process, both  
partitions have the original firmware. Note that it takes several minutes to complete the  
commit operation.  
b. Wait five minutes to ensure that all processes have completed and the switch is fully up  
and operational.  
c. Log in to the switch. Enter the firmwareShow command and verify that both partitions on  
the switch have the original firmware.  
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Testing and restoring firmware on Backbones  
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Testing and restoring firmware on Backbones  
This procedure enables you to perform a firmware download on each CP and verify that the  
procedure was successful before committing to the new firmware. The old firmware is saved in the  
secondary partition of each CP until you enter the firmwareCommit command. If you decide to back  
out of the installation prior to the firmware commit, you can enter the firmwareRestore command to  
restore the former active Fabric OS firmware image.  
The firmwareRestore command can only run if autocommit was disabled during the firmware  
download. This command cannot be used to restore SAS and SA images.  
NOTE  
Brocade recommends that, under normal operating conditions, you maintain the same firmware  
version on both CPs, and on both partitions of each CP. This organization enables you to evaluate  
firmware before you commit. As a standard practice, do not run mixed firmware levels on CPs.  
Testing different firmware versions on Backbones  
1. Connect to the Brocade Backbone IP address.  
2. Enter the ipAddrShow command and note the address of CP0 and CP1.  
3. Enter the haShow command and note which CP is active and which CP is standby. Verify that  
both CPs are in sync.  
4. Enter the firmwareShow command and confirm that the current firmware on both partitions on  
both CPs is listed as expected.  
5. Exit the session.  
6. Update the firmware on the standby CP.  
a. Connect to the Backbone and log in as admin to the standby CP.  
b. Enter the firmwareDownload -s command and respond to the prompts.  
At this point, the firmware downloads to the standby CP only. When it has completed the  
download to that CP, reboot it. The current Backbone session is disconnected.  
7. Fail over to the standby CP.  
a. Connect to the Backbone on the active CP.  
b. Enter the haShow command to verify that HA synchronization is complete. It takes a  
minute or two for the standby CP to reboot and synchronize with the active CP.  
c. Enter the firmwareShow command to confirm that the primary partition of the standby CP  
contains the new firmware.  
d. Enter the haFailover command. The active CP reboots and the current Backbone session  
is disconnected.  
If an AP blade is present: At the point of the failover, an autoleveling process is activated.  
autoleveling.  
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8. Verify the failover.  
a. Connect to the Backbone on the active CP, which is the former standby CP.  
b. Enter the haShow command to verify that the HA synchronization is complete. It takes a  
minute or two for the standby CP, which is the old active CP, to reboot and synchronize with  
the active CP.  
NOTE  
If the CPs fail to synchronize, you can still proceed because the version being tested is already  
present on the active CP, and subsequent steps ensure that the standby CP is updated to the  
same version as the active CP.  
c. Confirm the evaluation version of firmware is now running on the active CP by entering the  
firmwareShow command.  
9. Update firmware on the standby CP.  
a. Connect to the Backbone on the standby CP, which is the former active CP.  
b. Enter the firmwareDownload command with the -s -b -n operands. This ensures that the  
following steps are successful.  
At this point the firmware downloads to the standby CP only and reboots it. The current  
Backbone session is disconnected.  
c. Wait one minute for the standby CP to reboot, and then connect to the Backbone and log  
in as admin.  
d. Enter the firmwareShow command to confirm that both primary partitions now have the  
test drive firmware in place.  
You are now ready to evaluate the new version of firmware.  
ATTENTION  
Stop! If you want to restore the firmware, stop here and skip ahead to step 12; otherwise,  
continue to step 10 to commit the firmware on both CPs, which completes the firmware  
download.  
10. Perform a commit on the standby CP.  
From the current Backbone session on the standby CP, enter the firmwareCommit command to  
update the secondary partition with new firmware. It takes several minutes to complete the  
commit operation. Do not do anything on the Backbone while this operation is in process.  
11. Perform a commit on the active CP.  
a. From the current Backbone session on the active CP, enter the firmwareShow command  
and confirm that only the active CP secondary partition contains the old firmware.  
b. Enter the firmwareCommit command to update the secondary partition with the new  
firmware. It takes several minutes to complete the commit operation. Do not do anything  
on the Backbone while this operation is in process.  
c. Upon completion of the firmwareCommit command, enter the firmwareShow command to  
confirm both partitions on both CPs contain the new firmware.  
d. Enter the haShow command to confirm that the HA state is in sync.  
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ATTENTION  
Stop! If you have completed step 11, then you have committed the firmware on both CPs and  
you have completed the firmware download procedure.  
12. Restore the firmware on the standby CP.  
In the current Backbone session for the standby CP, enter the firmwareRestore command. The  
standby CP reboots and the current Backbone session ends. Both partitions have the same  
Fabric OS after several minutes.  
13. Perform haFailover on the active CP.  
a. In the current Backbone session for the active CP, enter the haShow command to verify  
that HA synchronization is complete. It takes a minute or two for the standby CP to reboot  
and synchronize with the active CP.  
b. Enter the haFailover command. The active CP reboots and the current Backbone session  
ends. The Backbone is now running the original firmware.  
14. Restore firmware on the “new” standby CP.  
a. Wait one minute and connect to the Backbone on the new standby CP, which is the former  
active CP.  
b. Enter the firmwareRestore command. The standby CP reboots and the current Backbone  
session ends. Both partitions have the same Fabric OS after several minutes.  
c. Wait five minutes and log in to the Backbone. Enter the firmwareShow command and  
verify that all partitions have the original firmware.  
If an AP blade is present: Blade partitions always contain the same version of the firmware  
on both partitions. The firmware is stored on the blade’s compact flash card and is always  
synchronized with the active CP’s firmware. Thus, if you restore the active CP firmware, the  
blade firmware is automatically downloaded (autoleveled) to become consistent with the  
new CP firmware (the blade firmware is restored).  
Your system is now restored to the original partitions on both CPs. Make sure that servers using the  
fabric can access their storage devices.  
If you want to upgrade a Backbone with only one CP in it, follow the procedures in “Testing and  
restoring firmware on switches” on page 268. Be aware that upgrading a Backbone with only one  
CP is disruptive to switch traffic.  
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Validating a firmware download  
Validate the firmware download by running the following commands: firmwareShow,  
firmwareDownloadStatus, nsShow, nsAllShow, and fabricShow.  
All of the connected servers, storage devices, and switches should be present in the output of  
these commands. If there is a discrepancy, it is possible that a device or switch cannot connect to  
the fabric and further troubleshooting is necessary.  
firmwareShow  
Displays the current firmware level on the switch. For Brocade Backbones, this  
command displays the firmware loaded on both partitions (primary and secondary) for  
both CPs and AP blades. Brocade recommends that you maintain the same firmware  
level on both partitions of each CP within the Brocade Backbone. The firmwareShow  
command displays the firmware version on each CP.  
firmwareDownloadStatus Displays an event log that records the progress and status of events during Fabric OS,  
SAS, and SA firmware download. The event log is created by the current  
firmwareDownload command and is kept until another firmwareDownload command is  
issued. There is a time stamp associated with each event. When downloading SAS or SA  
in systems with two control processor (CP) cards, you can only run this command on the  
active CP. When downloading Fabric OS, the event logs in the two CPs are synchronized.  
This command can be run from either CP.  
nsShow  
Displays all devices directly connected to the switch that have logged in to the name  
server. Make sure the number of attached devices after the firmware download is  
exactly the same as the number of attached devices prior to the firmware download.  
nsAllShow  
fabricShow  
Displays all devices connected to a fabric. Make sure the number of attached devices  
after the firmware download is exactly the same as the number of attached devices  
prior to the firmware download.  
Displays all switches in a fabric. Make sure the number of switches in the fabric after  
the firmware download is exactly the same as the number of attached devices prior to  
the firmware download.  
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Managing Virtual Fabrics  
10  
In this chapter  
Virtual Fabrics overview  
Virtual Fabrics is an architecture to virtualize hardware boundaries. Traditionally, SAN design and  
management is done at the granularity of a physical switch. Virtual Fabrics allows SAN design and  
management to be done at the granularity of a port.  
Virtual Fabrics is a suite of related features that can be customized based on your needs.  
The Virtual Fabrics suite consists of the following specific features:  
Logical switch  
Logical fabric  
Device sharing  
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Logical switch overview  
10  
This chapter describes the logical switch and logical fabric features. For information about device  
sharing with Virtual Fabrics, refer to “FC-FC routing and Virtual Fabrics” on page 606.  
For information about supported switches and port types, refer to “Supported platforms for  
Virtual Fabrics and Admin Domains are mutually exclusive and are not supported at the same time  
on a switch.  
NOTE  
A note on terminology: Virtual Fabrics is the name of the suite of features. A logical fabric is a type  
of fabric that you can create using the Virtual Fabrics suite of features.  
Logical switch overview  
Traditionally, each switch and all the ports in the switch act as a single Fibre Channel switch (FC  
switch) that participates in a single fabric. The logical switch feature allows you to divide a physical  
chassis into multiple fabric elements. Each of these fabric elements is referred to as a logical  
switch. Each logical switch functions as an independent self-contained FC switch.  
NOTE  
Each chassis can have multiple logical switches.  
Default logical switch  
To use the Virtual Fabrics features, you must first enable Virtual Fabrics on the switch. Enabling  
Virtual Fabrics creates a single logical switch in the physical chassis. This logical switch is called  
the default logical switch, and it initially contains all of the ports in the physical chassis.  
Figure 17 shows a switch before and after enabling Virtual Fabrics. In this example, the switch has  
10 ports, labeled P0 through P9.  
Before enabling Virtual Fabrics  
Physical chassis  
After enabling Virtual Fabrics  
Physical chassis  
P0  
P1  
P2  
P3  
P4  
P5  
P6  
P7  
P8  
P9  
Default logical switch  
P0  
P1  
P3  
P4  
P6  
P7  
P9  
P2  
P5  
P8  
FIGURE 17 Switch before and after enabling Virtual Fabrics  
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Logical switch overview  
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After you enable Virtual Fabrics, you can create up to seven additional logical switches, depending  
on the switch model.  
Figure 18 shows a Virtual Fabrics-enabled switch before and after it is divided into logical switches.  
Before you create logical switches, the chassis appears as a single switch (default logical switch).  
After you create logical switches, the chassis appears as multiple independent logical switches. All  
of the ports continue to belong to the default logical switch until you explicitly move them to other  
logical switches.  
The default logical switch always exists. You can add and delete other logical switches, but you  
cannot delete the default logical switch unless you disable Virtual Fabrics.  
Before logical switch creation  
Physical chassis  
After logical switch creation  
Logical switch 1  
(Default logical switch)  
P0  
P1  
P2  
P3  
P4  
P5  
P6  
P7  
P8  
P9  
Default logical switch  
Logical switch 2  
Logical switch 3  
Logical switch 4  
P0  
P1  
P3  
P4  
P6  
P7  
P9  
P2  
P5  
P8  
FIGURE 18 Switch before and after creating logical switches  
Logical switches and fabric IDs  
When you create a logical switch, you must assign it a fabric ID (FID). The fabric ID uniquely  
identifies each logical switch within a chassis and indicates to which fabric the logical switch  
belongs. You cannot define multiple logical switches with the same fabric ID within the chassis.  
In Figure 19 on page 278, logical switches 2, 3, 4, and 5 are assigned FIDs of 1, 15, 8, and 20,  
respectively. These logical switches belong to different fabrics, even though they are in the same  
physical chassis. For example, you could not assign logical switch 5 a fabric ID of 15, because  
logical switch 3 is already assigned FID 15 in the chassis.  
The default logical switch is initially assigned FID 128. You can change this value later.  
NOTE  
Each logical switch is assigned one and only one FID. The FID identifies the logical fabric to which  
the logical switch belongs.  
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10  
Physical chassis  
Logical switch 1  
(Default logical switch)  
(FID = 128)  
Logical switch 2  
(FID = 1)  
Logical switch 3  
(FID = 15)  
Logical switch 4  
(FID = 8)  
Logical switch 5  
(FID = 20)  
FIGURE 19 Fabric IDs assigned to logical switches  
Port assignment in logical switches  
Initially, all ports belong to the default logical switch. When you create additional logical switches,  
they are empty and you must assign ports to those logical switches. As you assign ports to a logical  
switch, the ports are moved from the default logical switch to the newly created logical switch.  
A given port can be in only one logical switch.  
In Figure 20, the default logical switch initially has 10 ports, labeled P0 through P9. After logical  
switches are created, the ports are assigned to specific logical switches. Note that ports 0, 1, 7,  
and 8 have not been assigned to a logical switch and so remain assigned to the default logical  
switch.  
Before port assignment  
After port assignment  
Logical switch 1  
(Default logical switch)  
Logical switch 1  
(Default logical switch)  
P0  
P1  
P2  
P3  
P4  
P5  
P6  
P7  
P8  
P9  
P0  
P1  
P7  
P8  
P9  
P2  
P3  
Logical switch 2  
Logical switch 3  
Logical switch 4  
Logical switch 2  
Logical switch 3  
Logical switch 4  
P4  
P5  
P6  
FIGURE 20 Assigning ports to logical switches  
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Logical switch overview  
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A given port is always in one (and only one) logical switch. The following scenarios refer to the  
chassis after port assignment in Figure 20:  
If you assign P2 to logical switch 2, you cannot assign P2 to any other logical switch.  
If you want to remove a port from a logical switch, you cannot delete it from the logical switch,  
but must move it to a different logical switch. For example, if you want to remove P4 from  
logical switch 3, you must assign it to a different logical switch: logical switch 2, logical  
switch 4, or logical switch 1 (the default logical switch).  
If you assign a port to a logical switch, it is removed automatically from the logical switch it is  
currently in. If you assign P3 to Logical switch 3, P3 is automatically removed from logical switch 2.  
If you do not assign a port to any logical switch, it remains in the default logical switch, as is the  
case with ports 0, 1, 7, and 8.  
and moving ports on logical switches.  
A logical switch can have as many ports as are available in the chassis. In Figure 20, the chassis  
has 10 ports. You could assign all 10 ports to a single logical switch, such as logical switch 2; if you  
did this, however, no ports would be available for logical switches 3 and 4.  
You can move only F_Ports and E_Ports from one logical switch to another. If you want to configure  
a different type of port, such as a VE_Port or EX_Port, you must configure them after you move  
them. Some types of ports cannot be moved from the default logical switch. Refer to “Supported  
platforms for Virtual Fabrics” on page 286 for detailed information about these ports.  
Logical switches and connected devices  
You can connect devices to logical switches, as shown in Figure 21 on page 280. In logical  
switch 2, P2 is an F_Port that is connected to H1. In logical switch 3, P4 is an F_Port that is  
connected to D1. H1 and D1 cannot communicate with each other because they are in different  
fabrics, even though they are both connected to the same physical chassis.  
You can also connect other switches to logical switches. In Figure 21, P6 is an E_Port that forms an  
inter-switch link (ISL) between logical switch 4 and the non-Virtual Fabrics switch. Logical switch 4  
is the only logical switch that can communicate with the non-Virtual Fabrics switch and D2,  
because the other logical switches are in different fabrics.  
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Logical switch overview  
10  
Physical chassis  
Logical switch 1  
(Default logical switch)  
Fabric ID 128  
P1  
H1  
P2  
P3  
Logical switch 2  
Fabric ID 1  
D1  
P4  
P5  
Logical switch 3  
Fabric ID 15  
D2  
ISL  
P6  
Logical switch 4  
Fabric ID 8  
Switch  
FIGURE 21 Logical switches connected to devices and non-Virtual Fabrics switch  
Figure 22 shows a logical representation of the physical chassis and devices in Figure 21. As  
shown in Figure 22, the devices are isolated into separate fabrics.  
H1  
Switch 1  
D1  
D2  
Fabric 128  
Switch 4  
Switch 2  
Switch 3  
Fabric 1  
Fabric 15  
Fabric 8  
FIGURE 22 Logical switches in a single chassis belong to separate fabrics  
For information on allowing device sharing across fabrics in a Virtual Fabrics environment, refer to  
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Management model for logical switches  
10  
Management model for logical switches  
You can use one common IP address for the hardware that is shared by all of the logical switches in  
the chassis and you can set up individual IPv4 addresses for each Virtual Fabric. For a  
management host to manage a logical switch using the Internet Protocol over Fibre Channel (IPFC)  
IP address, it must be physically connected to the Virtual Fabric using a host bus adapter (HBA).  
All user operations are classified into one of the following:  
Chassis management operations  
These are operations that span logical switch boundaries, such as:  
-
-
-
-
Logical switch configuration (creating, deleting, or modifying logical switches)  
Account management (determining which accounts can access which logical switches)  
Field-replaceable unit (FRU) management (slot commands, such as slotShow)  
Firmware management (firmware upgrade, HA failover)  
Logical switch operations  
These are operations that are limited to the logical switch, such as displaying or changing port  
states. Logical switch operations include all operations that are not covered in the chassis  
management operations.  
When a user logs in, the user is assigned an active context, or active logical switch. This context  
filters the view that the user gets, and determines which ports the user can see. You can change  
the active context. For example, if you are working with logical switch 1, you can change the context  
to logical switch 5. When you change the context to logical switch 5, you only see the ports that are  
assigned to that logical switch. You do not see any of the other ports in the chassis.  
The scope of logical switch operations is defined by the active context. When you are in the context  
of a logical switch, you can perform port, switch, and fabric-level operations, subject to Role-Based  
Access Control (RBAC) rules.  
If you have permission to execute chassis-level commands, you can do so, regardless of which  
logical switch context you are in.  
Logical fabric overview  
A logical fabric is a fabric that contains at least one logical switch. The four fabrics shown in  
Figure 21 and Figure 22 are logical fabrics because they each have at least one logical switch.  
You can connect logical switches to non-Virtual Fabrics switches and to other logical switches.You  
connect logical switches to non-Virtual Fabrics switches using an ISL, as shown in Figure 21.  
You connect logical switches to other logical switches in two ways:  
Using ISLs  
Using base switches and extended ISLs (XISLs)  
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Logical fabric overview  
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Logical fabric and ISLs  
Figure 23 shows two physical chassis divided into logical switches. In Figure 23, ISLs are used to  
connect the logical switches with FID 1 and the logical switches with FID 15. The logical switches  
with FID 8 are each connected to a non-Virtual Fabrics switch. The two logical switches and the  
non-Virtual Fabrics switch are all in the same fabric, with FID 8.  
Physical chassis 1  
Physical chassis 2  
P1  
P1  
Logical switch 1  
(Default logical switch)  
Fabric ID 128  
Logical switch 5  
(Default logical switch)  
Fabric ID 128  
P2  
P3  
P2  
P3  
Logical switch 2  
Fabric ID 1  
Logical switch 6  
Fabric ID 1  
P4  
P7  
P5  
P6  
P4  
P5  
Logical switch 3  
Fabric ID 15  
Logical switch 7  
Fabric ID 15  
P8  
P6  
P9  
Logical switch 4  
Fabric ID 8  
Logical switch 8  
Fabric ID 8  
Switch  
FIGURE 23 Logical switches connected to other logical switches through physical ISLs  
Figure 24 shows a logical representation of the configuration in Figure 23.  
Fabric 128  
Fabric 15  
SW3  
SW1  
SW7  
SW5  
Fabric 8  
SW4  
Fabric 1  
SW2  
SW8  
SW6  
FIGURE 24 Logical switches connected to form logical fabrics  
The ISLs between the logical switches are dedicated ISLs because they carry traffic only for a single  
logical fabric. In Figure 23, Fabric 128 has two switches (the default logical switches), but they  
cannot communicate with each other because they have no ISLs between them and they cannot  
use the ISLs between the other logical switches.  
NOTE  
Only logical switches with the same FID can form a fabric. If you connect two logical switches with  
different FIDs, the link between the switches segments.  
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Logical fabric overview  
10  
Base switch and extended ISLs  
Another way to connect logical switches is to use extended ISLs and base switches.  
When you divide a chassis into logical switches, you can designate one of the switches to be a base  
switch. A base switch is a special logical switch that is used for interconnecting the physical  
chassis. A base switch has the following properties:  
ISLs connected through the base switch can be used for communication among the other  
logical switches.  
Base switches do not support direct device connectivity. A base switch can have only E_Ports,  
VE_Ports, EX_Ports, or VEX_Ports, but no F_Ports.  
The base switch provides a common address space for communication between different  
logical fabrics.  
A base switch can be configured for the preferred domain ID just like a non-Virtual Fabrics  
switch.  
You can have only one base switch in a physical chassis.  
A base switch can be connected to other base switches through a special ISL, called a shared ISL  
or extended ISL (XISL). An extended ISL connects base switches. The XISL is used to share traffic  
among different logical fabrics.  
Fabric formation across an XISL is based on the FIDs of the logical switches.  
Figure 25 shows two physical chassis divided into logical switches. Each chassis has one base  
switch. An ISL connects the two base switches. This ISL is an extended ISL (XISL) because it  
connects base switches.  
Physical chassis 1  
Physical chassis 2  
P1  
P2  
P1  
P2  
Logical switch 5  
(Default logical switch)  
Fabric ID 128  
Logical switch 1  
(Default logical switch)  
Fabric ID 128  
Logical switch 2  
Fabric ID 1  
Logical switch 6  
Fabric ID 1  
P4  
P7  
Logical switch 3  
Fabric ID 15  
Logical switch 7  
Fabric ID 15  
P6  
P8  
P5  
P6  
XISL  
P9  
Base switch  
Fabric ID 8  
Base switch  
Fabric ID 8  
FIGURE 25 Base switches connected by an XISL  
Traffic between the logical switches can now flow across this XISL. The traffic can flow only  
between logical switches with the same fabric ID. For example, traffic can flow between logical  
switch 2 in chassis 1 and logical switch 6 in chassis 2, because they both have FID 1. Traffic cannot  
flow between logical switch 2 and logical switch 7, because they have different fabric IDs (and are  
thus in different fabrics).  
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Logical fabric overview  
10  
Think of the logical switches as being connected with logical ISLs, as shown in Figure 26. In this  
diagram, the logical ISLs are not connected to ports because they are not physical cables. They are  
a logical representation of the switch connections that are allowed by the XISL.  
FIGURE 26 Logical ISLs connecting logical switches  
To use the XISL, the logical switches must be configured to allow XISL use. By default, they are  
configured to do so; you can change this setting, however, using the procedure described in  
NOTE  
It is a good practice to configure at least two XISLs, for redundancy.  
You can also connect logical switches using a combination of ISLs and XISLs, as shown in  
Figure 27. In this diagram, traffic between the logical switches in FID 1 can travel over either the  
ISL or the XISL. Traffic between the other logical switches travels only over the XISL.  
FIGURE 27 Logical fabric using ISLs and XISLs  
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By default, the physical ISL path is favored over the logical path (over the XISL) because the  
physical path has a lower cost. This behavior can be changed by configuring the cost of the  
dedicated physical ISL to match the cost of the logical ISL.  
ATTENTION  
If you disable a base switch, all of the logical ISLs are broken and the logical switches cannot  
communicate with each other unless they are connected by a physical ISL.  
Base fabric  
Base switch ports on different chassis can be connected together to form a fabric, called a base  
fabric. Similar to other logical switches, the base switches must have the same FID to be  
connected. If the base switches have different FIDs, the link between the switches is disabled.  
The base fabric follows normal routing policies. As long as physical connectivity is available, the  
base fabric maintains connectivity for the logical fabrics.  
Logical ports  
As shown in Figure 27, logical ISLs are formed to connect logical switches. A logical port represents  
the ports at each end of a logical ISL. A logical port is a software construct only and does not  
correspond to any physical port.  
Most port commands are not supported on logical ports. For example, you cannot change the state  
or configuration of a logical port.  
The World Wide Name (WWN) for logical ports is in NAA=5 format, using the following syntax:  
5n:nn:nn:nz:zz:zz:zx:xx  
The NAA=5 syntax uses the following variables:  
nnnnnn is the Brocade Organizationally Unique Identifier (OUI).  
zzzzzz is the logical fabric serial number.  
xxx is the logical port number, in the range 0 through FFF.  
Logical fabric formation  
Fabric formation is not based on connectivity, but on the FIDs of the logical switches. The basic  
order of fabric formation is as follows:  
1. Base fabric forms.  
2. Logical fabrics form when the base fabric is stable.  
3. Traffic is initiated between the logical switches.  
4. Devices begin recognizing one another.  
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Account management and Virtual Fabrics  
10  
Account management and Virtual Fabrics  
When user accounts are created, they are assigned a list of logical fabrics to which they can log in and  
a home logical fabric (home FID). When you connect to a physical chassis, the home FID defines the  
logical switch to which you are logged in by default. You can change to a different logical switch  
When you are logged in to a logical switch, the system prompt changes to display the FID of that  
switch. The following are example prompts for when you are logged in to the default logical switch  
(FID = 128) and a user-defined logical switch (FID = 15):  
switch:FID128:admin>  
switch:FID15:admin>  
Refer to Chapter 5, “Managing User Accounts,” for information about creating user accounts and  
assigning FIDs to user accounts.  
Supported platforms for Virtual Fabrics  
The following platforms are Virtual Fabrics-capable:  
Brocade 5100  
Brocade 5300  
Brocade 6510  
Brocade 6520  
Brocade 7800  
Brocade VA-40FC, in Native mode only  
Brocade DCX  
Brocade DCX-4S  
Brocade DCX 8510 family  
Some restrictions apply to the ports, depending on the port type and blade type. The following  
sections explain these restrictions.  
Supported port configurations in the fixed-port switches  
There are no restrictions on the ports in the Brocade 5100, 5300, 6510, 6520, and VA-40FC;  
however, the following rules apply:  
Any port can belong to any logical switch (including the base switch and default logical switch),  
with the exception that F_Ports cannot belong to the base switch.  
The default logical switch can use XISLs, except on Brocade DCX or DCX-4S devices.  
The default logical switch can also be a base switch.  
Restrictions on fixed-port switches  
Brocade 7800— Although it can be divided into four logical switches, you cannot use an XISL on  
this switch because a base switch is not supported on this device.  
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Supported platforms for Virtual Fabrics  
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Supported port configurations in Brocade Backbones  
Some of the ports in the Brocade DCX and DCX 8510 Backbone families are not supported on all  
types of logical switches. Table 50 lists the blades and ports that are supported on each type of  
logical switch.  
TABLE 50  
Blade and port types supported on logical switches  
Blade type  
Default logical switch  
User-defined logical switch  
Base switch  
FC8-16  
Yes (F, E)  
Yes (F, E)  
Yes (E, EX)  
FC8-32  
FC8-32E  
FC8-48  
FC8-48E  
FC16-32  
FC16-48  
1
2
FC8-64  
Yes (F, E)  
Yes (F, E)  
No  
Yes (E, EX)  
FS8-18  
Yes (F, E)  
Yes (F, E)  
No  
No  
FCOE10-24  
No  
FX8-24: FC ports  
GE ports  
Yes (F, E)  
Yes (VE)  
Yes (F, E,)  
Yes (VE)  
Yes (E, EX)  
Yes (VE, VEX)  
ICL ports  
Yes  
Yes  
Yes  
1. In the Brocade DCX and DCX 8510-8, ports 56–63 of the FC8-64 blade are not supported as E_Ports on the  
default logical switch. The Brocade DCX-4S and DCX 8510-4 do not have this limitation.  
2. In the Brocade DCX and DCX 8510-8, ports 48–63 of the FC8-64 blade are not supported in the base switch.  
The Brocade DCX-4S and DCX 8510-4 do not have this limitation.  
Restrictions on Brocade Backbones  
The following restrictions apply to Brocade Backbones:  
EX_Ports and VEX_Ports can be in only the base switch.  
ICL ports cannot be in a logical switch that is using XISLs.  
All of the user ports in an ICL cable must be in the same logical switch. Distributing the user  
ports within the same cable across multiple logical switches is not supported.  
The default logical switch cannot use XISLs.  
The default logical switch cannot be designated as the base switch.  
In Fabric OS v7.0.0 and later, VE_Ports on the FX8-24 blade are supported on a logical switch  
that is using an XISL, and on the base switch as an XISL.  
NOTE  
For the FX8-24 blade, if XISL use is enabled it is not recommended that you configure VE_Ports  
on both the logical switch and the base switch, because FCIP tunnels support only two hops  
maximum.  
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Limitations and restrictions of Virtual Fabrics  
10  
Virtual Fabrics interaction with other Fabric OS features  
Table 51 lists some Fabric OS features and considerations that apply when using Virtual Fabrics.  
TABLE 51 Virtual Fabrics interaction with Fabric OS features  
Fabric OS feature  
Virtual Fabrics interaction  
Access Gateway  
Admin Domains  
Virtual Fabrics is not supported on a switch if AG mode is enabled.  
Virtual Fabrics and Admin Domains are mutually exclusive and are not supported at the  
same time on a switch. To use Admin Domains, you must first disable Virtual Fabrics; to  
use Virtual Fabrics, you must first delete all Admin Domains.  
information on deleting Admin Domains without disrupting device-to-device  
communication.  
Configuration upload  
and download  
Virtual Fabrics uses a configuration file that is different from the configuration file used  
to download system configuration parameters. Refer to Chapter 8, “Maintaining the  
Switch Configuration File,” for more information about how Virtual Fabrics affects the  
configuration file.  
Encryption  
Encryption functionality using the FS8-18 blade is available only on the default logical  
switch.  
FC-FC Routing Service All EX_Ports must reside in a base switch.  
You cannot attach EX_Ports to a logical switch that has XISL use enabled. You must use  
ISLs to connect the logical switches in an edge fabric.  
about Virtual Fabrics and FC-FC routing.  
FICON  
Up to two logical switches per chassis can run FICON Management Server (CUP), but the  
FICON logical switch can use both ISLs and XISLs.  
Licensing  
Licenses are applicable for all logical switches in a chassis.  
Performance  
monitoring  
Performance monitors are supported in a limited number of logical switches, depending  
on the platform type. Refer to Chapter 20, “Monitoring Fabric Performance,” for more  
information about performance monitoring when Virtual Fabrics is enabled.  
QoS  
QoS VCs are maintained across the base fabric. Refer to Chapter 21, “Optimizing Fabric  
Behavior,” for more information about using the Adaptive Networking features with  
Virtual Fabrics.  
Traffic Isolation  
Traffic Isolation zones with failover disabled are not supported in logical fabrics. Refer to  
Chapter 21, “Optimizing Fabric Behavior,” for additional information about using TI Zones  
with Virtual Fabrics.  
Limitations and restrictions of Virtual Fabrics  
The maximum number of logical switches per chassis varies depending on the switch model.  
Table 52 lists the supported platforms and the maximum number of logical switches (including the  
default logical switch) supported on each.  
TABLE 52  
Maximum number of logical switches per chassis  
Maximum number of logical switches  
Platform  
Brocade DCX  
8
Brocade DCX-4S  
8
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Limitations and restrictions of Virtual Fabrics  
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TABLE 52  
Maximum number of logical switches per chassis (Continued)  
Platform  
Maximum number of logical switches  
Brocade DCX 8510 family  
Brocade 5300  
8
4
3
4
4
4
3
Brocade 5100  
Brocade 6510  
Brocade 6520  
Brocade 7800  
Brocade VA-40FC  
default logical switch.  
Restrictions on XISLs  
The Allow XISL Use option under the configure command, allows a logical switch to use XISLs in the  
base switch as well as any standard ISLs that are connected to that logical switch. To allow or  
disallow XISL use for a logical switch, see “Configuring a logical switch to use XISLs” on page 299.  
The following restrictions apply to XISL use. XISL use is not permitted in any of the following  
scenarios:  
The logical switch has ICL ports.  
The logical switch is the default logical switch in the Brocade DCX, DCX-4S, or DCX 8510 family.  
The logical switch is a base switch.  
The logical switch is an edge switch for an FC router.  
In this case, if the logical switch is enabled, you cannot allow XISL use. If the logical switch is  
disabled or has not yet joined the edge fabric, you can allow XISL use; however, fabric  
segmentation occurs when the logical switch is enabled or is connected to an edge fabric.  
NOTE  
Using XISL and fmsmode at the same time is permitted, but this combination will only work in a  
one-hop topology.  
Restrictions on moving ports  
The following are restrictions on moving ports among logical switches:  
FC ports cannot be moved if any one of the following features is enabled:  
-
-
-
-
Long distance  
QoS  
F_Port buffers  
F_Port trunking  
Before moving VE_Ports, you must remove the VE_Port tunnel configuration.  
VE_Ports on the FX8-24 blade can be moved to any logical switch independent of the location  
of the physical GE port.  
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Enabling Virtual Fabrics mode  
10  
Enabling Virtual Fabrics mode  
A fabric is said to be in Virtual Fabrics mode (VF mode) when the Virtual Fabrics feature is enabled.  
Before you can use the Virtual Fabrics features, such as logical switch and logical fabric, you must  
enable VF mode.  
VF mode is enabled by default.  
NOTE  
When you enable VF mode, the control processors (CPs) are rebooted and all EX_Ports are disabled  
after the reboot.  
Use the following procedure to enable Virtual Fabrics mode:  
1. Connect to the physical chassis and log in using an account with the chassis-role permission.  
2. Use the fosConfig command to check whether VF mode is enabled:  
fosconfig --show  
3. Delete all Admin Domains, as described in “Deleting all user-defined Admin Domains  
4. Use the fosConfig command to enable VF mode:  
fosconfig --enable vf  
5. Enter y at the prompt.  
Example  
The following example checks whether VF mode is enabled or disabled and then enables it.  
switch:admin> fosconfig --show  
FC Routing service:  
iSCSI service:  
iSNS client service:  
Virtual Fabric:  
disabled  
Service not supported on this Platform  
Service not supported on this Platform  
disabled  
Ethernet Switch Service:  
Service not supported on this Platform  
switch:admin> fosconfig --enable vf  
WARNING: This is a disruptive operation that requires a reboot to take  
effect.  
All EX ports will be disabled upon reboot.  
Would you like to continue [Y/N] y  
VF has been enabled. Your system is being rebooted.  
Disabling Virtual Fabrics mode  
When you disable VF mode, the following occurs:  
The CPs are rebooted.  
If F_Port trunking is enabled on ports in the default switch, the F_Port trunking information is  
deleted.  
ATTENTION  
If you want to use Admin Domains in a fabric, you must first disable VF mode.  
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Configuring logical switches to use basic configuration values  
10  
Use the following procedure to disable Virtual Fabrics mode:  
1. Connect to the physical chassis and log in using an account with the chassis-role permission.  
2. Use the fosConfig command to check whether VF mode is disabled:  
fosconfig --show  
3. Move all ports to the default logical switch.  
lscfg --config 128 -slot slot -port port  
4. Delete all of the non-default logical switches.  
lscfg --delete fabricID  
5. Use the fosConfig command to disable VF mode:  
fosconfig --disable vf  
6. Enter y at the prompt.  
Example  
The following example checks whether VF mode is enabled or disabled and then disables it.  
switchA:FID128:admin> fosconfig --show  
FC Routing service:  
iSCSI service:  
iSNS client service:  
Virtual Fabric:  
disabled  
Service not supported on this Platform  
Service not supported on this Platform  
enabled  
Ethernet Switch Service  
Service not supported on this Platform  
switch:admin> fosconfig --disable vf  
WARNING: This is a disruptive operation that requires a reboot to take  
effect.  
Would you like to continue [Y/N] y  
Configuring logical switches to use basic configuration values  
All switches in the fabric are configured to use the same basic configuration values. When you  
create logical switches, the logical switches might have different configuration values than the  
default logical switch. Use the following procedure to ensure that newly created logical switches  
have the same basic configuration values as the default logical switch.  
NOTE  
For most users, you do not need to run this procedure. Contact your switch service provider to  
determine if you need to use this procedure.  
You need to run this procedure only once on each chassis, after you enable Virtual Fabrics but  
before you create logical switches. The configuration settings are then preserved across reboots  
and firmware upgrades and downgrades.  
Use the following procedure to configure logical switches to use basic configuration values:  
1. Connect to the physical chassis and log in using an account with the chassis-role permission.  
2. Enter the configureChassis command to ensure that newly created logical switches have the  
same basic configuration values as the default logical switch:  
configurechassis  
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Creating a logical switch or base switch  
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3. Enter n at the prompts to configure system and cfgload attributes. Enter y at the prompt to  
configure custom attributes.  
System (yes, y, no, n): [no] n  
cfgload attributes (yes, y, no, n): [no] n  
Custom attributes (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
4. Enter the appropriate value at the Config Index prompt. Contact your switch service provider to  
determine the appropriate value.  
Config Index (0 to ignore): (0..1000) [3]:  
Creating a logical switch or base switch  
When the logical switch is created, it is automatically enabled and is empty—that is, it does not  
have any ports. After creating the logical switch, you must disable the switch to configure it and set  
the domain ID. You then assign ports to the logical switch.  
Optionally, you can define the logical switch to be a base switch. Each chassis can have only one  
base switch.  
NOTE  
Domain ID conflicts are detected before fabric ID conflicts. If you have both a domain ID conflict and  
a fabric ID conflict, only the domain ID conflict is reported.  
Use the following procedure to create a logical switch or a base switch:  
1. Connect to the physical chassis and log in using an account with the chassis-role permission.  
2. Enter the lsCfg command to create a logical switch:  
lscfg --create fabricID [ -base ] [ -force ]  
In the command syntax, fabricID is the fabric ID that is to be associated with the logical switch.  
Specify the -base option if the logical switch is to be a base switch.  
Specify the -force option to execute the command without any user prompts or confirmation.  
3. Set the context to the new logical switch.  
setcontext fabricID (or switchname)  
The fabricID parameter is the FID of the logical switch you just created. The switchname  
parameter is the name assigned to the logical switch.  
You can only use one parameter at a time.  
4. Disable the logical switch.  
switchdisable  
5. Configure the switch attributes, including assigning a unique domain ID.  
configure  
6. Enable the logical switch.  
switchenable  
7. Assign ports to the logical switch, as described in “Adding and moving ports on a logical  
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Executing a command in a different logical switch context  
10  
Example  
The following example creates a logical switch with FID 4, and then assigns domain ID 14 to it.  
sw0:FID128:admin> lscfg --create 4  
About to create switch with fid=4. Please wait...  
Logical Switch with FID (4) has been successfully created.  
Logical Switch has been created with default configurations.  
Please configure the Logical Switch with appropriate switch  
and protocol settings before activating the Logical Switch.  
sw0:FID128:admin> setcontext 4  
switch_4:FID4:admin> switchdisable  
switch_4:FID4:admin> configure  
Configure...  
Fabric parameters (yes, y, no, n): [no] yes  
Domain: (1..239) [1] 100  
Select Addressing Mode:  
(1 = Zero Based Area Assignment,  
2 = Port Based Area Assignment): (1..2) [2] 2  
WWN Based persistent PID (yes, y, no, n): [no]  
(output truncated)  
WARNING: The domain ID will be changed. The port level zoning may be affected  
switch_4:FID4:admin> switchenable  
Executing a command in a different logical switch context  
This procedure describes how to execute a command for a logical switch while you are in the  
context of a different logical switch. You can also execute a command for all the logical switches in  
a chassis.  
The command is not executed on those logical switches for which you do not have permission.  
Use the following procedure to execute a command in a different logical switch context:  
1. Connect to the physical chassis and log in using an account with the chassis-role permission.  
2. Enter one of the following commands:  
To execute a command in a different logical switch context:  
fosexec --fid fabricID -cmd "command"  
To execute the command on all logical switches:  
fosexec --fid all -cmd "command"  
Example 1: Executing the switchShow command in a different logical switch context  
sw0:FID128:admin> fosexec --fid 4 -cmd "switchshow"  
---------------------------------------------------  
"switchshow" on FID 4:  
switchName:  
switchType:  
switchState:  
switch_4  
66.1  
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Deleting a logical switch  
10  
switchMode:  
Native  
switchRole:  
switchDomain:  
switchId:  
Principal  
14  
fffc0e  
switchWwn:  
zoning:  
switchBeacon:  
FC Router:  
Fabric Name:  
10:00:00:05:1e:82:3c:2b  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
Fab4  
Allow XISL Use: ON  
LS Attributes: [FID: 4, Base Switch: No, Default Switch: No, Address Mode 0]  
Index Port Address Media Speed State  
Proto  
==============================================  
22 22  
23 23  
0e1600  
0e1700  
--  
--  
N8  
N8  
No_Module  
No_Module  
FC Disabled  
FC Disabled  
Example 2: Executing the fabricShow command on all logical switches  
sw0:FID128:admin> fosexec --fid all -cmd "fabricshow"  
---------------------------------------------------  
"fabricshow" on FID 128:  
Switch ID  
Worldwide Name  
Enet IP Addr  
FC IP Addr  
Name  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------  
97: fffc61 10:00:00:05:1e:82:3c:2a 10.32.79.105  
---------------------------------------------------  
0.0.0.0  
>"sw0"  
"fabricshow" on FID 4:  
Switch ID  
Worldwide Name  
Enet IP Addr  
FC IP Addr  
Name  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------  
14: fffc0e 10:00:00:05:1e:82:3c:2b 10.32.79.105  
(output truncated)  
0.0.0.0  
>"switch_4"  
Deleting a logical switch  
The following rules apply to deleting a logical switch:  
You must remove all ports from the logical switch before deleting it.  
You cannot delete the default logical switch.  
NOTE  
If you are in the context of the logical switch you want to delete, you are automatically logged out  
when the fabric ID changes. To avoid being logged out, make sure you are in the context of a different  
logical switch from the one you are deleting.  
Use the following procedure to delete a logical switch:  
1. Connect to the physical chassis and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Remove all ports from the logical switch as described in “Adding and moving ports on a logical  
3. Enter the lsCfg command to delete the logical switch:  
lscfg --delete fabricID  
The fabricID parameter is the fabric ID of the logical switch to be deleted.  
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Adding and moving ports on a logical switch  
10  
Example of deleting the logical switch with FID 7  
switch_4:FID4:admin> lscfg --delete 7  
All active login sessions for FID 7 have been terminated.  
Switch successfully deleted.  
Adding and moving ports on a logical switch  
This procedure explains how to add and move ports on logical switches.  
You add ports to a logical switch by moving the ports from one logical switch to another. See  
If you want to remove a port from a logical switch, you cannot remove it from the logical switch; you  
must move the port to a different logical switch.  
When you move a port from one logical switch to another, the port is automatically disabled. Any  
performance monitors that were installed on the port are deleted. If monitors are required on the  
port in its new location, you must manually reinstall them on the port after the move.  
Notes  
If the logical switch to which the port is moved has fabric mode Top Talkers enabled, then if the  
port is an E_Port, fabric mode Top Talker monitors are automatically installed on that port.  
If you are deploying ICLs in the base switch, all ports associated with those ICLs must be  
assigned to the base switch. If you are deploying ICLs to connect to default switches (that is,  
XISL use is not allowed), the ICL ports should be assigned (or left) in the default logical switch.  
Use the following procedure to add or move ports on a logical switch:  
1. Connect to the physical chassis and log in using an account with the chassis-role permission.  
2. Enter the lsCfg command to move ports from one logical switch to another:  
lscfg --config fabricID -slot slot -port port  
The ports are assigned to the logical switch specified by fabricID and are removed from the  
logical switch on which they are currently configured.  
If the -port option is omitted, all ports on the specified slot are assigned to the logical switch.  
NOTE  
On the Brocade DCX and DCX 8510-8, the lscfg command does not allow you to add ports 48–  
63 of the FC8-64 blade to the base switch. These ports are not supported on the base switch.  
The Brocade DCX-4S and DCX 8510-4 do not have this limitation.  
3. Enter y at the prompt.  
The ports are automatically disabled, then removed from their current logical switch, and  
assigned to the logical switch specified by fabricID.  
Example of assigning ports 18 through 20 to the logical switch with FID 5  
sw0:FID128:admin> lscfg --config 5 -port 18-20  
This operation requires that the affected ports be disabled.  
Would you like to continue [y/n]?: y  
Making this configuration change. Please wait...  
Configuration change successful.  
Please enable your ports/switch when you are ready to continue.  
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Displaying logical switch configuration  
10  
Displaying logical switch configuration  
Use the following procedure to display the configuration for a logical switch:  
1. Connect to the physical chassis and log in using an account with the chassis-role permission.  
2. Enter the lsCfg command to display a list of all logical switches and the ports assigned to them:  
lscfg --show [ -provision ]  
If the -provision option is specified, all ports on all slots are displayed, regardless of the slot  
status.  
Example displaying a list of all of the logical switches and the ports assigned to them  
sw0:FID128:admin> lscfg --show  
Created switches: 128(ds) 4 5  
Port  
-------------------------------------------------------------------  
FID 128 | 128 | 128 | 128 | 128 | 128 | 128 | 128 | 5 | 5 |  
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
(output truncated)  
Changing the fabric ID of a logical switch  
The following procedure describes how you can change the fabric ID of an existing logical switch.  
The fabric ID indicates in which fabric the logical switch participates. By changing the fabric ID, you  
are moving the logical switch from one fabric to another.  
Changing the fabric ID requires permission for chassis management operations. You cannot  
change the FID of your own logical switch context.  
NOTE  
If you are in the context of the logical switch with the fabric ID you want to change, you are  
automatically logged out when the fabric ID changes. To avoid being logged out, make sure you are  
in the context of a different logical switch from the one with the fabric ID you are changing.  
Use the following procedure to change the fabric ID of a logical switch:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the lsCfg command to change the fabric ID of a logical switch:  
lscfg --change fabricID -newfid newFID  
3. Enter y at the prompt.  
4. Enable the logical switch.  
fosexec --fid newFID -cmd "switchenable"  
Example of changing the fabric ID on the logical switch from 5 to 7  
sw0:FID128:admin> lscfg --change 5 -newfid 7  
Changing of a switch fid requires that the switch be disabled.  
Would you like to continue [y/n]?: y  
Disabling switch...  
All active login sessions for FID 5 have been terminated.  
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Changing a logical switch to a base switch  
10  
Checking and logging message: fid = 5.  
Please enable your switch.  
sw0:FID128:admin> fosexec --fid 7 -cmd "switchenable"  
---------------------------------------------------  
"switchenable" on FID 7:  
Changing a logical switch to a base switch  
Use the following procedure to change a logical switch to a base switch.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with the chassis-role permission.  
2. Set the context to the logical switch you want to change, if you are not already in that context.  
setcontext fabricID (or switchname)  
The fabricID parameter is the FID of the logical switch you want to change to a base switch.  
The switchname parameter is the name assigned to the logical switch.  
You can only use one parameter at a time.  
3. Configure the switch to not allow XISL use, as described in “Configuring a logical switch to use  
4. Enter the lsCfg command to change the logical switch to a base switch:  
lscfg --change fabricID -base  
The fabricID parameter is the fabric ID of the logical switch with the attributes you want to  
change.  
5. Enable the switch.  
switchenable  
Example of changing the logical switch with FID 7 to a base switch  
sw0:FID128:admin> setcontext 7  
switch_25:FID7:admin> switchshow  
switchName:  
switchType:  
switchState:  
switchMode:  
switchRole:  
switchDomain:  
switchId:  
switch_25  
66.1  
Online  
Native  
Principal  
30  
fffc1e  
switchWwn:  
zoning:  
10:00:00:05:1e:82:3c:2c  
OFF  
switchBeacon:  
FC Router:  
Fabric Name:  
OFF  
OFF  
MktFab7  
Allow XISL Use: ON  
LS Attributes: [FID: 7, Base Switch: No, Default Switch: No, Address Mode 0]  
(output truncated)  
switch_25:FID7:admin> configure  
Not all options will be available on an enabled switch.  
To disable the switch, use the "switchDisable" command.  
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Setting up IP addresses for a Virtual Fabric  
10  
Configure...  
Fabric parameters (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
WWN Based persistent PID (yes, y, no, n): [no]  
Allow XISL Use (yes, y, no, n): [yes] n  
WARNING!! Disabling this parameter will cause removal of LISLs to  
other logical switches. Do you want to continue? (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
System services (yes, y, no, n): [no]  
switch_25:FID7:admin> lscfg --change 7 -base  
Creation of a base switch requires that the proposed new base switch on this  
system be disabled.  
Would you like to continue [y/n]?: y  
Disabling the proposed new base switch...  
Disabling switch fid 7  
Please enable your switches when ready.  
switch_25:FID7:admin> switchenable  
Setting up IP addresses for a Virtual Fabric  
NOTE  
IPv6 is not supported when setting the IPFC interface for Virtual Fabrics.  
Use the following procedure to set up IP addresses for a Virtual Fabric:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the ipAddrSet -ls command. For the --add parameter, specify the network information in  
dotted-decimal notation for the Ethernet IPv4 address with a Classless Inter-Domain Routing  
(CIDR) prefix.  
The following example sets an IP address for a logical switch in a Virtual Fabric with an FID of  
123 in non-interactive mode with the CIDR prefix:  
switch:admin> ipaddrset -ls 123 --add 11.1.2.4/24  
Removing an IP address for a Virtual Fabric  
Use the following procedure to delete an IP address for a Virtual Fabric:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the ipAddrSet -ls FID - -delete command.  
switch:admin> ipaddrset -ls 123 –delete  
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Configuring a logical switch to use XISLs  
10  
Configuring a logical switch to use XISLs  
When you create a logical switch, it is configured to use XISLs by default. Use the following  
procedure to allow or disallow the logical switch to use XISLs in the base fabric.  
XISL use is not supported in some cases. See “Limitations and restrictions of Virtual Fabrics” on  
page 288 for restrictions on XISL use.  
Use the following procedure to configure a logical switch to use XISLs:  
1. Connect to the physical chassis and log in using an account with the chassis-role permission.  
2. Use the setContext command to set the context to the logical switch you want to manage, if you  
are not already in that context.  
setcontext fabricID (or switchname)  
The fabricID parameter is the FID of the logical switch you want to switch to and manage.  
The switchname parameter is the name assigned to the logical switch.  
You can only use one parameter at a time.  
3. Use the switchShow command and check the value of the Allow XISL Use parameter.  
4. Enter the configure command:  
configure  
5. Enter y after the Fabric Parameters prompt:  
Fabric parameters (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
6. Enter y at the Allow XISL Use prompt to allow XISL use; enter n at the prompt to disallow XISL  
use:  
Allow XISL Use (yes, y, no, n): y  
7. Respond to the remaining prompts or press Ctrl-d to accept the other settings and exit.  
Changing the context to a different logical fabric  
You can change the context to a different logical fabric. Your user account must have permission to  
access the logical fabric.  
Use the following procedure to change the context to a different logical fabric:  
1. Connect to the physical chassis and log in using an account with the chassis-role permission.  
2. Use the setContext command to switch to a different logical switch in the chassis:  
setcontext fabricID (or switchname)  
The fabricID parameter is the FID of the logical switch you want to switch to and manage.  
The switchname parameter is the name assigned to the logical switch.  
You can only use one parameter at a time.  
The fabricID parameter is the fabric ID of the logical switch you want to switch to and manage.  
Example of changing the context from FID 128 to FID 4  
In this example, notice that the prompt changes when you change to a different logical fabric.  
sw0:FID128:admin> setcontext 4  
switch_4:FID4:admin>  
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Creating a logical fabric using XISLs  
10  
Creating a logical fabric using XISLs  
This procedure describes how to create a logical fabric using multiple chassis and XISLs and refers  
to the configuration shown in Figure 28 as an example.  
FIGURE 28 Example of logical fabrics in multiple chassis and XISLs  
Use the following procedure to create a logical fabric using XISLs:  
1. Set up the base switches in each chassis:  
a. Connect to the physical chassis and log in using an account with the chassis-role  
permission.  
b. Enable the Virtual Fabrics feature, if it is not already enabled. See “Enabling  
Enabling Virtual Fabrics automatically creates the default logical switch, with FID 128. All  
ports in the chassis are assigned to the default logical switch.  
c. Create a base switch and assign it a fabric ID that will become the FID of the base fabric.  
base switch.  
For the example shown in Figure 28, you would create a base switch with fabric ID 8.  
d. Assign ports to the base switch, as described in “Adding and moving ports on a logical  
e. Repeat step a through step d in all chassis that are to participate in the logical fabric.  
2. Physically connect ports in the base switches to form XISLs.  
3. Enable all of the base switches. This forms the base fabric.  
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Creating a logical fabric using XISLs  
10  
4. Configure the logical switches in each chassis:  
a. Connect to the physical chassis and log in using an account with the chassis-role  
permission.  
b. Create a logical switch and assign it a fabric ID for the logical fabric. This FID must be  
different from the FID in the base fabric. See “Creating a logical switch or base switch” on  
page 292 for instructions.  
For the example shown in Figure 28, you would create a logical switch with FID 1 and a  
logical switch with FID 15.  
c. Assign ports to the logical switch, as described in “Adding and moving ports on a logical  
d. Physically connect devices and ISLs to these ports on the logical switch.  
e. (Optional) Configure the logical switch to use XISLs, if it is not already XISL-capable. See  
By default, newly created logical switches are configured to allow XISL use.  
f. Repeat step a through step e in all chassis that are to participate in the logical fabric,  
using the same fabric ID whenever two switches need to be part of a single logical fabric.  
5. Enable all logical switches by entering the switchEnable command on each logical switch that  
you created in step 4 (the base switches are already enabled).  
The logical fabric is formed.  
The fabricShow command displays all logical switches configured with the same fabric ID as the  
local switch and all non-Virtual Fabrics switches connected through ISLs to these logical switches.  
The switchShow command displays logical ports as E_Ports, with -1 for the slot and the user port  
number for the slot port.  
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Administering Advanced Zoning  
11  
In this chapter  
Zone types  
Zones enable you to partition your fabric into logical groups of devices that can access each other.  
These are “regular” or “standard” zones. Unless otherwise specified, all references to zones in this  
chapter refer to these regular zones. Beyond this, Fabric OS has the following types of special zones:  
Broadcast zones  
Control which devices receive broadcast frames. A broadcast zone restricts broadcast packets  
to only those devices that are members of the broadcast zone. See “Broadcast zones” on  
page 310 for more information.  
Frame redirection zones  
Re-route frames between an initiator and target through a Virtual Initiator and Virtual Target for  
special processing or functionality, such as for storage virtualization or encryption. See “Frame  
Redirection” on page 130 for more information.  
LSAN zones  
Provide device connectivity between fabrics without merging the fabrics. See “LSAN zone  
configuration” on page 590 for more information.  
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Zoning overview  
11  
QoS zones  
Assign high or low priority to designated traffic flows. QoS zones are regular zones with  
additional QoS attributes specified by adding a QOS prefix to the zone name. See “QoS:  
Traffic Isolation zones (TI zones)  
Isolate inter-switch traffic to a specific, dedicated path through the fabric. See Chapter 12,  
“Traffic Isolation Zoning,” for more information.  
Zoning overview  
Zoning is a fabric-based service that enables you to partition your storage area network (SAN) into  
logical groups of devices that can access each other.  
For example, you can partition your SAN into two zones, winzone and unixzone, so that your  
Windows servers and storage do not interact with your UNIX servers and storage. You can use  
zones to logically consolidate equipment for efficiency or to facilitate time-sensitive functions; for  
example, you can create a temporary zone to back up nonmember devices.  
A device in a zone can communicate only with other devices connected to the fabric within the  
same zone. A device not included in the zone is not available to members of that zone. When  
zoning is enabled, devices that are not included in any zone configuration are inaccessible to all  
other devices in the fabric.  
Zones can be configured dynamically. They can vary in size, depending on the number of  
fabric-connected devices, and devices can belong to more than one zone.  
Consider Figure 29 on page 305, which shows configured zones, Red, Green, and Blue.  
Server 1 can communicate only with the Storage 1 device.  
Server 2 can communicate only with the RAID and Storage 2 devices.  
Server 3 can communicate with the RAID and Storage 1 devices.  
The Storage 3 is not assigned to a zone; no other zoned fabric device can access it.  
NOTE  
When using a mixed fabric—that is, a fabric containing two or more switches running different  
release levels of fabric operating systems—you should use the switch with the highest Fabric OS  
level to perform zoning tasks.  
To list the commands associated with zoning, use the zoneHelp command. For detailed information  
on the zoning commands used in the procedures, see the Fabric OS Command Reference.  
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Zoning overview  
11  
Blue Zone  
Server 2  
Server 1  
Storage 2  
Red Zone  
Storage 1  
RAID  
Green Zone  
Storage 3  
Server 3  
FIGURE 29 Zoning example  
Approaches to zoning  
Table 53 lists the various approaches you can take when implementing zoning in a fabric.  
TABLE 53 Approaches to fabric-based zoning  
Zoning approach Description  
Recommended approach  
Single HBA  
Zoning by single HBA most closely re-creates the original SCSI bus. Each zone created has only  
one HBA (initiator) in the zone; each of the target devices is added to the zone. Typically, a zone  
is created for the HBA and the disk storage ports are added. If the HBA also accesses tape  
devices, a second zone is created with the HBA and associated tape devices in it. In the case of  
clustered systems, it could be appropriate to have an HBA from each of the cluster members  
included in the zone; this is equivalent to having a shared SCSI bus between the cluster  
members and assumes that the clustering software can manage access to the shared devices.  
In a large fabric, zoning by single HBA requires the creation of possibly hundreds of zones;  
however, each zone contains only a few members. Zone changes affect the smallest possible  
number of devices, minimizing the impact of an incorrect zone change. This zoning philosophy  
is the preferred method.  
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Zoning overview  
11  
TABLE 53  
Approaches to fabric-based zoning (Continued)  
Zoning approach Description  
Alternative approaches  
Application  
Zoning by application typically requires zoning multiple, perhaps incompatible, operating  
systems into the same zones. This method of zoning creates the possibility that a minor server  
in the application suite could disrupt a major server (such as a Web server disrupting a data  
warehouse server). Zoning by application can also result in a zone with a large number of  
members, meaning that more notifications, such as registered state change notifications  
(RSCNs), or errors, go out to a larger group than necessary.  
Operating  
system  
Zoning by operating system has issues similar to zoning by application. In a large site, this type  
of zone can become very large and complex. When zone changes are made, they typically  
involve applications rather than a particular server type. If members of different operating  
system clusters can see storage assigned to another cluster, they might attempt to own the  
other cluster’s storage and compromise the stability of the clusters.  
Port allocation  
Avoid zoning by port allocation unless the administration team has very rigidly enforced  
processes for port and device allocation in the fabric. It does, however, provide some positive  
features. For instance, when a storage port, server HBA, or tape drive is replaced, the change of  
WWN for the new device is of no consequence. As long as the new device is connected to the  
original port, it continues to have the same access rights. The ports on the edge switches can  
be pre-associated to storage ports, and control of the fan-in ratio (the ratio of the input port to  
output port) can be established. With this pre-assigning technique, the administrative team  
cannot overload any one storage port by associating too many servers with it.  
Not recommended  
No fabric zoning Using no fabric zoning is the least desirable zoning option because it allows devices to have  
unrestricted access on the fabric. Additionally, any device attached to the fabric, intentionally or  
maliciously, likewise has unrestricted access to the fabric. This form of zoning should be utilized  
only in a small and tightly controlled environment, such as when host-based zoning or LUN  
masking is deployed.  
Zone objects  
A zone object is any device in a zone, such as:  
Physical port number or port index on the switch  
Node World Wide Name (N-WWN)  
Port World Wide Name (P-WWN)  
Zone objects identified by port number or index number are specified as a pair of decimal numbers  
in the form D,I, where D is the domain ID of the switch and I is the index number on that switch in  
relation to the port you want to specify.  
For example, in Backbones, “4,30” specifies port 14 in slot number 2 (domain ID 4, port index 30).  
On fixed-port models, “3,13” specifies port 13 in switch domain ID 3.  
The following issues affect zone membership based on the type of zone object:  
When a zone object is the physical port number, then all devices connected to that port are in  
the zone.  
World Wide Names are specified as 8-byte (16-digit) hexadecimal numbers, separated by  
colons (:) for example, 10:00:00:90:69:00:00:8a.  
When a zone object is the node WWN name, only the specified device is in the zone.  
When a zone object is the port WWN name, only the single port is in the zone.  
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Zoning overview  
11  
The types of zone objects used to define a zone can be mixed. For example, a zone defined with the  
zone objects 2,12; 2,14; 10:00:00:80:33:3f:aa:11 contains the devices connected to domain 2,  
ports 12 and 14, and a device with the WWN 10:00:00:80:33:3f:aa:11 (either node name or port  
name) that is connected on the fabric.  
Zoning schemes  
You can establish a zone by identifying zone objects using one or more of the following zoning  
schemes:  
Domain,index (D,I)  
All members are specified by domain ID, port number, or domain, index number pair or aliases.  
World Wide Name (WWN)  
All members are specified only by World Wide Name (WWNs) or aliases of WWNs. They can be  
node or port versions of the WWN.  
Mixed zoning  
A zone containing members specified by a combination of domain,port or domain,index or  
aliases, and WWNs or aliases of WWNs.  
In any scheme, you can identify zone objects using aliases.  
Zone aliases  
A zone alias is a name assigned to a device or a group of devices. By creating an alias, you can  
assign a familiar name to a device or group multiple devices into a single name. This simplifies  
cumbersome data entry and allows an intuitive naming structure (such as using “NT_Hosts” to  
define all NT hosts in the fabric).  
Zone aliases also simplify repetitive entry of zone objects such as port numbers or a WWN. For  
example, you can use the name “Eng” as an alias for “10:00:00:80:33:3f:aa:11”.  
Naming zones for the initiator they contain can also be useful. For example, if you use the alias  
SRV_MAILSERVER_SLT5 to designate a mail server in PCI slot 5, then the alias for the associated  
zone is ZNE_MAILSERVER_SLT5. This clearly identifies the server host bus adapter (HBA)  
associated with the zone.  
Zone configuration naming is flexible. One configuration should be named PROD_fabricname,  
where fabricname is the name that the fabric has been assigned. The purpose of the PROD  
configuration is to easily identify the configuration that can be implemented and provide the most  
generic services. If other configurations are used for specialized purposes, names such as  
“BACKUP_A,” “RECOVERY_2,” and “TEST_18jun02” can be used.  
Zone configurations  
A zone configuration is a group of one or more zones. A zone can be included in more than one  
zone configuration. When a zone configuration is in effect, all zones that are members of that  
configuration are in effect.  
Several zone configurations can reside on a switch at once, and you can quickly alternate between  
them. For example, you might want to have one configuration enabled during the business hours  
and another enabled overnight. However, only one zone configuration can be enabled at a time.  
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Zoning overview  
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The different types of zone configurations are:  
Defined Configuration  
The complete set of all zone objects defined in the fabric.  
Effective Configuration  
A single zone configuration that is currently in effect. The effective configuration is built when  
you enable a specified zone configuration.  
Saved Configuration  
A copy of the defined configuration plus the name of the effective configuration, which is saved  
in flash memory. (You can also provide a backup of the zone configuration and restore the zone  
configuration.) There might be differences between the saved configuration and the defined  
configuration if you have modified any of the zone definitions and have not saved the  
configuration.  
Disabled Configuration  
The effective configuration is removed from flash memory.  
If you disable the effective configuration, the Advanced Zoning feature is disabled on the fabric,  
and all devices within the fabric can communicate with all other devices (unless you previously set  
up a default zone, as described in “Default zoning mode” on page 326). This does not mean that  
the zone database is deleted, however, only that there is no configuration active in the fabric.  
On power-up, the switch automatically reloads the saved configuration. If a configuration was active  
when it was saved, the same configuration is reinstated on the local switch.  
Zoning enforcement  
Zoning enforcement describes a set of predefined rules that the switch uses to determine where to  
send incoming data. Fabric OS uses hardware-enforced zoning. Hardware-enforced zoning means  
that each frame is checked by hardware (the ASIC) before it is delivered to a zone member and is  
discarded if there is a zone mismatch. When hardware-enforced zoning is active, the Fabric OS  
switch monitors the communications and blocks any frames that do not comply with the effective  
zone configuration. The switch performs this blocking at the transmit side of the port on which the  
destination device is located.  
There are two methods of hardware enforcement:  
Frame-based hardware enforcement: All frames are checked by the hardware.  
Session-based hardware enforcement: The only frames checked by hardware are the ELS  
frames (such as PLOGI and RNID) used to establish a session.  
The method used depends on how the zones are configured.  
A zone can contain all WWN members, or all D,I members, or a combination of WWN and D,I  
members.  
Frame-based hardware enforcement is in effect if all members of a zone are identified the same  
way, either using WWNs or D,I notation, but not both. If the zone includes aliases, then the aliases  
must also be defined the same way as the zone.  
Session-based hardware enforcement is in effect if the zone has a mix of WWN and D,I members.  
If a port is in multiple zones, and is defined by WWN in one zone and by D,I in another, then  
session-based hardware enforcement is in effect.  
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Zoning overview  
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Identifying the enforced zone type  
Use the following procedure to identify zones and zone types:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the portZoneShow command, using the following syntax:  
portzoneshow  
Considerations for zoning architecture  
Table 54 lists considerations for zoning architecture.  
TABLE 54  
Considerations for zoning architecture  
Description  
Item  
Type of zoning  
If security is a priority, frame-based hardware enforcement is recommended. The best way  
enforcement: frame- to do this is to use WWN identification exclusively for all zoning configurations.  
or session-based  
Use of aliases  
The use of aliases is optional with zoning. Using aliases requires structure when defining  
zones. Aliases aid administrators of zoned fabrics in understanding the structure and  
context.  
Effect of changes in a Zone changes in a production fabric can result in a disruption of I/O under conditions  
production fabric  
when an RSCN is issued because of the zone change and the HBA is unable to process the  
RSCN fast enough. Although RSCNs are a normal part of a functioning SAN, the pause in  
I/O might not be acceptable. For these reasons, you should perform zone changes only  
when the resulting behavior is predictable and acceptable. Ensuring that the HBA drivers  
are current can shorten the response time in relation to the RSCN.  
Testing  
Before implementing a new zone, you should run the Zone Analyzer from Web Tools to  
isolate any possible problems. This is especially useful as fabrics increase in size.  
Confirming operation After changing or enabling a zone configuration, you should confirm that the nodes and  
storage can identify and access one another. Depending on the platform, you might need  
to reboot one or more nodes in the fabric with the new changes.  
Zoning can be implemented and administered from any switch in the fabric, although it is  
recommended that you use a switch running the latest Fabric OS version.  
The zone configuration is managed on a fabric basis. When a change in the configuration is saved,  
enabled, or disabled according to the transactional model, it is automatically (by closing the  
transaction) distributed to all switches in the fabric, preventing a single point of failure for zone  
information.  
NOTE  
Zoning commands make changes that affect the entire fabric. When executing fabric-level  
configuration tasks, allow time for the changes to propagate across the fabric before executing any  
subsequent commands. For a large fabric, you should wait several minutes between commands.  
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Broadcast zones  
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Best practices for zoning  
The following are recommendations for using zoning:  
Always zone using the highest Fabric OS-level switch.  
Switches with earlier Fabric OS versions do not have the capability to view all the functionality  
that a newer Fabric OS provides, as functionality is backwards compatible but not forwards  
compatible.  
Zone using the core switch versus an edge switch.  
Zone using a Backbone rather than a switch.  
A Backbone has more resources to handle zoning changes and implementations.  
Broadcast zones  
Fibre Channel allows sending broadcast frames to all Nx_Ports if the frame is sent to a broadcast  
well-known address (FFFFFF); however, many target devices and HBAs cannot handle broadcast  
frames. To control which devices receive broadcast frames, you can create a special zone, called a  
broadcast zone, that restricts broadcast packets to only those devices that are members of the  
broadcast zone.  
If there are no broadcast zones or if a broadcast zone is defined but not enabled, broadcast frames  
are not forwarded to any F_Ports. If a broadcast zone is enabled, broadcast frames are delivered  
only to those logged-in Nx_Ports that are members of the broadcast zone and are also in the same  
zone (regular zone) as the sender of the broadcast packet.  
Devices that are not members of the broadcast zone can send broadcast packets, even though  
they cannot receive them.  
A broadcast zone can have domain,port, WWN, and alias members.  
Broadcast zones do not function in the same way as other zones. A broadcast zone does not allow  
access within its members in any way. If you want to allow or restrict access between any devices,  
you must create regular zones for that purpose. If two devices are not part of a regular zone, they  
cannot exchange broadcast or unicast packets.  
To restrict broadcast frames reaching broadcast-incapable devices, create a broadcast zone and  
populate it with the devices that are capable of handling broadcast packets. Devices that cannot  
handle broadcast frames must be kept out of the broadcast zone so that they do not receive any  
broadcast frames.  
You create a broadcast zone the same way you create any other zone except that a broadcast zone  
must have the name “broadcast” (case-sensitive). You set up and manage broadcast zones using  
the standard zoning commands, described in “Zone creation and maintenance” on page 316.  
Broadcast zones and Admin Domains  
Each Admin Domain can have only one broadcast zone. However, all of the broadcast zones from  
all of the Admin Domains are considered as a single consolidated broadcast zone.  
Broadcast packets are forwarded to all the ports that are part of the broadcast zone for any Admin  
Domain, have membership in that Admin Domain, and are zoned together (in a regular zone) with  
the sender of the broadcast frame.  
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Figure 30 illustrates how broadcast zones work with Admin Domains. Figure 30 shows a fabric with  
five devices and two Admin Domains, AD1 and AD2. Each Admin Domain has two devices and a  
broadcast zone.  
"3,1"  
"1,1"  
"4,1"  
"2,1"  
AD1  
AD2  
broadcast  
broadcast  
"1,1; 3,1; 5,1"  
"2,1; 3,1; 4,1"  
"5,1"  
"1,1"  
"3,1; 4,1"  
broadcast  
"1,1; 3,1; 4,1"  
FIGURE 30 Broadcast zones and Admin Domains  
The dotted box represents the consolidated broadcast zone, which contains all of the devices that  
can receive broadcast packets. The actual delivery of broadcast packets is also controlled by the  
Admin Domain and zone enforcement logic. The consolidated broadcast zone is not an actual zone,  
but is just an abstraction used for explaining the behavior.  
The broadcast zone for AD1 includes member devices “1,1”, “3,1” and “5,1”; however, “3,1”  
and “5,1” are not members of AD1. Consequently, from the AD1 broadcast zone, only “1,1” is  
added to the consolidated broadcast zone.  
The broadcast zone for AD2 includes member devices “2,1”, “3,1”, and “4,1”. Even though  
“2,1” is a member of AD1, it is not a member of AD2 and so is not added to the consolidated  
broadcast zone.  
Device “3,1” is added to the consolidated broadcast zone because of its membership in the  
AD2 broadcast zone.  
When a switch receives a broadcast packet it forwards the packet only to those devices which are  
zoned with the sender and are also part of the consolidated broadcast zone.  
You can check whether a broadcast zone has any invalid members that cannot be enforced in the  
current AD context. Refer to “Validating a zone” on page 323 for complete instructions.  
Broadcast zones and FC-FC routing  
If you create broadcast zones in a metaSAN consisting of multiple fabrics connected through an FC  
router, the broadcast zone must include the IP device that exists in the edge or backbone fabric as  
well as the proxy device in the remote fabric. See Chapter 24, “Using FC-FC Routing to Connect  
Fabrics,” for information about proxy devices and the FC router.  
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Zone aliases  
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High availability considerations with broadcast zones  
If a switch has broadcast zone-capable firmware on the active CP (Fabric OS v5.3.x or later) and  
broadcast zone-incapable firmware on the standby CP (Fabric OS version earlier than v5.3.0), then  
you cannot create a broadcast zone because the zoning behavior would not be the same across an  
HA failover. If the switch failed over, then the broadcast zone would lose its special significance and  
would be treated as a regular zone.  
Loop devices and broadcast zones  
Delivery of broadcast packets to individual devices in a loop is not controlled by the switch.  
Consequently, adding loop devices to a broadcast zone does not have any effect. If a loop device is  
part of a broadcast zone, then all devices in that loop receive broadcast packets.  
Best practice: All devices in a single loop should have uniform broadcast capability. If all the  
devices in the loop can handle broadcast frames, then add the FL_Port to the broadcast zone.  
Broadcast zones and default zoning mode  
The default zoning mode defines the device accessibility behavior if zoning is not implemented or if  
there is no effective zone configuration. The default zoning mode has two options:  
All Access—All devices within the fabric can communicate with all other devices.  
No Access—Devices in the fabric cannot access any other device in the fabric.  
If a broadcast zone is active, even if it is the only zone in the effective configuration, the default  
zone setting is not in effect.  
If the effective configuration has only a broadcast zone, then the configuration appears as a No  
Access configuration. To change this configuration to All Access, you must put all the available  
devices in a regular zone.  
See “Default zoning mode” on page 326 for additional information about default zoning.  
Zone aliases  
A zone alias is a logical group of ports or WWNs. You can simplify the process of creating zones by  
first specifying aliases, which eliminates the need for long lists of individual zone member names.  
If you are creating a new alias using aliCreate w, “1,1”, and a user in another Telnet session  
executes cfgEnable (or cfgDisable, or cfgSave), the other user’s transaction will abort your  
transaction and you will receive an error message. Creating a new alias while there is a zone merge  
taking place might also abort your transaction. For more details about zone merging and zone  
Virtual Fabrics considerations: Alias definitions should not include logical port numbers. Zoning is  
not enforced on logical ports.  
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Zone aliases  
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Creating an alias  
Use the following procedure to create an alias:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the aliCreate command, using the following syntax:  
alicreate "aliasname", "member[; member...]"  
3. Enter the cfgSave command to save the change to the defined configuration.  
The cfgSave command ends and commits the current zoning transaction buffer to nonvolatile  
memory. If a transaction is open on a different switch in the fabric when this command is run,  
the transaction on the other switch is automatically aborted. A message displays on the other  
switches to indicate that the transaction was aborted.  
Example  
switch:admin> alicreate "array1", "2,32; 2,33; 2,34; 4,4"  
switch:admin> alicreate "array2", "21:00:00:20:37:0c:66:23; 4,3"  
switch:admin> alicreate "loop1", "4,6"  
switch:admin> cfgsave  
WARNING!!!  
The changes you are attempting to save will render the  
Effective configuration and the Defined configuration  
inconsistent. The inconsistency will result in different  
Effective Zoning configurations for switches in the fabric if  
a zone merge or HA failover happens. To avoid inconsistency  
it is recommended to commit the configurations using the  
'cfgenable' command.  
Do you still want to proceed with saving the Defined  
zoning configuration only? (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
Adding members to an alias  
Use the following procedure to add a member to an alias:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the aliAdd command, using the following syntax:  
aliadd "aliasname", "member[; member...]"  
3. Enter the cfgSave command to save the change to the defined configuration.  
The cfgSave command ends and commits the current zoning transaction buffer to nonvolatile  
memory. If a transaction is open on a different switch in the fabric when this command is run,  
the transaction on the other switch is automatically aborted. A message displays on the other  
switches to indicate that the transaction was aborted.  
Example  
switch:admin> aliadd "array1", "1,2"  
switch:admin> aliadd "array2", "21:00:00:20:37:0c:72:51"  
switch:admin> aliadd "loop1", "5,6"  
switch:admin> cfgsave  
WARNING!!!  
The changes you are attempting to save will render the  
Effective configuration and the Defined configuration  
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inconsistent. The inconsistency will result in different  
Effective Zoning configurations for switches in the fabric if  
a zone merge or HA failover happens. To avoid inconsistency  
it is recommended to commit the configurations using the  
'cfgenable' command.  
Do you still want to proceed with saving the Defined  
zoning configuration only? (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
Removing members from an alias  
Use the following procedure to removing a member from an alias:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the aliRemove command, using the following syntax:  
aliremove "aliasname", "member[; member...]"  
3. Enter the cfgSave command to save the change to the defined configuration.  
The cfgSave command ends and commits the current zoning transaction buffer to nonvolatile  
memory. If a transaction is open on a different switch in the fabric when this command is run,  
the transaction on the other switch is automatically aborted. A message displays on the other  
switches to indicate that the transaction was aborted.  
Example  
switch:admin> aliremove "array1", "1,2"  
switch:admin> aliremove "array2", "21:00:00:20:37:0c:72:51"  
switch:admin> aliremove "loop1", "4,6"  
switch:admin> cfgsave  
WARNING!!!  
The changes you are attempting to save will render the  
Effective configuration and the Defined configuration  
inconsistent. The inconsistency will result in different  
Effective Zoning configurations for switches in the fabric if  
a zone merge or HA failover happens. To avoid inconsistency  
it is recommended to commit the configurations using the  
'cfgenable' command.  
Do you still want to proceed with saving the Defined  
zoning configuration only? (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
Deleting an alias  
Use the following procedure to delete an alias:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the aliDelete command, using the following syntax.  
alidelete "aliasname"  
3. Enter the cfgSave command to save the change to the defined configuration.  
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The cfgSave command ends and commits the current zoning transaction buffer to nonvolatile  
memory. If a transaction is open on a different switch in the fabric when this command is run,  
the transaction on the other switch is automatically aborted. A message displays on the other  
switches to indicate that the transaction was aborted.  
Example  
switch:admin> alidelete "array1"  
switch:admin> cfgsave  
WARNING!!!  
The changes you are attempting to save will render the  
Effective configuration and the Defined configuration  
inconsistent. The inconsistency will result in different  
Effective Zoning configurations for switches in the fabric if  
a zone merge or HA failover happens. To avoid inconsistency  
it is recommended to commit the configurations using the  
'cfgenable' command.  
Do you still want to proceed with saving the Defined  
zoning configuration only? (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
Viewing an alias in the defined configuration  
Use the following procedure to view an alias in the configuration:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the aliShow command, using the following syntax  
alishow "pattern"[, mode]  
If no parameters are specified, the entire zone database (both the defined and effective  
configuration) is displayed.  
Example  
The following example shows all zone aliases beginning with “arr”.  
switch:admin> alishow "arr*"  
alias: array1 21:00:00:20:37:0c:76:8c  
alias: array2 21:00:00:20:37:0c:66:23  
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Zone creation and maintenance  
Fabric OS allows you to create zones to better manage devices.  
Notes  
Broadcast Zone: To create a broadcast zone, use the reserved name “broadcast”. Do not give a  
regular zone the name of “broadcast”.  
See “Broadcast zones” on page 310 for additional information about this special type of zone.  
Virtual Fabrics considerations: Zone definitions should not include logical port numbers.  
Zoning is not enforced on logical ports.  
Displaying existing zones  
Use the following procedure to display a list of existing zones:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the cfgShow command.  
Example Displaying existing zones  
switch:admin> cfgshow  
Defined configuration:  
zone: matt 30:06:00:07:1e:a2:10:20; 3,2  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
bawn  
bolt  
bond  
3,5; 4,8  
10:00:00:02:1f:02:00:01  
10:00:05:1e:a9:20:00:01; 3,5  
brain 11,4; 22,1; 33,6  
jake  
jeff  
jones 7,3; 4,5  
zeus 4,7; 6,8; 9,2  
4,7; 8,9; 14,11  
30:00:00:05:1e:a1:cd:02; 40:00:00:05:1e:a1:cd:04  
Effective configuration:  
No Effective configuration: (No Access)  
Creating a zone  
ATTENTION  
This command will add all zone member aliases that match the “aliasname_pattern” in the zone  
database to the new zone.  
Use the following procedure to create a zone:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the zoneCreate command, using either of the following syntaxes:  
zonecreate "zonename", "member[; member...]"  
zonecreate "zonename", "aliasname_pattern*[;members]"  
NOTE  
This command supports partial pattern matching (“wildcards”) of zone member aliases.  
This allows you to add multiple aliases that match the “aliasname_pattern” in the  
command line.  
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To create a broadcast zone, use the reserved name “broadcast”.  
3. Enter the cfgSave command to save the change to the defined configuration.  
The cfgSave command ends and commits the current zoning transaction buffer to nonvolatile  
memory. If a transaction is open on a different switch in the fabric when this command is run,  
the transaction on the other switch is automatically aborted. A message displays on the other  
switches to indicate that the transaction was aborted.  
4. Enter the cfgShow command to view the changes.  
Example Creating a new zone  
switch:admin> zonecreate sloth, "b*; 10:00:00:00:01:1e:20:20"  
switch:admin> cfgsave  
switch:admin> cfgshow  
Defined configuration:  
zone: matt  
zone: sloth  
alias: bawn  
alias: bolt  
alias: bond  
30:06:00:07:1e:a2:10:20; 3,2  
bawn; bolt; bond; brain; 10:00:00:00:01:1e:20:20  
3,5; 4,8  
10:00:00:02:1f:02:00:01  
10:00:05:1e:a9:20:00:01; 3,5  
alias: brain 11,4; 22,1; 33,6  
alias: jake  
alias: jeff  
4,7; 8,9; 14,11  
30:00:00:05:1e:a1:cd:02; 40:00:00:05:1e:a1:cd:04  
alias: jones 7,3; 4,5  
alias: zeus  
4,7; 6,8; 9,2  
Effective configuration:  
No Effective configuration: (No Access)  
Adding devices (members) to a zone  
ATTENTION  
This command will add all zone member aliases that match the “aliasname_pattern” in the zone  
database to the specified zone.  
Use the following procedure to add members to a zone:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the zoneAdd command, using either of the following syntaxes:  
zoneadd "zonename", "member[; member...]"  
zoneadd "zonename", "aliasname_pattern*[;members]"  
NOTE  
This command supports partial pattern matching (“wildcards”) of zone member aliases.  
This allows you to add multiple aliases that match the “aliasname_pattern” in the  
command line.  
3. Enter the cfgSave command to save the change to the defined configuration.  
The cfgSave command ends and commits the current zoning transaction buffer to nonvolatile  
memory. If a transaction is open on a different switch in the fabric when this command is run,  
the transaction on the other switch is automatically aborted. A message displays on the other  
switches to indicate that the transaction was aborted.  
4. Enter the cfgShow command to view the changes.  
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Example Adding members to a zone  
switch:admin> zoneadd matt, "ze*; bond*; j*"  
switch:admin> cfgsave  
switch:admin> cfgshow  
Defined configuration:  
zone: matt  
30:06:00:07:1e:a2:10:20; 3,2; zeus; bond; jake; jeff; jones  
zone: sloth bawn; bolt; bond; brain; 10:00:00:00:01:1e:20:20  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
bawn  
bolt  
bond  
3,5; 4,8  
10:00:00:02:1f:02:00:01  
10:00:05:1e:a9:20:00:01; 3,5  
brain 11,4; 22,1; 33,6  
jake  
jeff  
jones 7,3; 4,5  
zeus 4,7; 6,8; 9,2  
4,7; 8,9; 14,11  
30:00:00:05:1e:a1:cd:02; 40:00:00:05:1e:a1:cd:04  
Effective configuration:  
No Effective configuration: (No Access)  
Removing devices (members) from a zone  
ATTENTION  
This command will remove all zone member aliases that match the “aliasname_pattern” in the zone  
database from the specified zone.  
Use the following procedure to remove members from a zone:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the zoneRemove command, using either of the following syntaxes:  
zoneremove "zonename", "member[; member...]"  
zoneremove "zonename", "aliasname_pattern*[;members]"  
NOTE  
This command supports partial pattern matching (“wildcards”) of zone member aliases.  
This allows you to remove multiple aliases that match the “aliasname_pattern” in the  
command line.  
3. Enter the cfgSave command to save the change to the defined configuration.  
The cfgSave command ends and commits the current zoning transaction buffer to nonvolatile  
memory. If a transaction is open on a different switch in the fabric when this command is run,  
the transaction on the other switch is automatically aborted. A message displays on the other  
switches to indicate that the transaction was aborted.  
4. Enter the cfgShow command to view the changes.  
Example Removing members from a zone  
switch:admin> cfgshow  
Defined configuration:  
zone: matt  
zeus; bond; jake; jeff; jones; 3,2; 30:06:00:07:1e:a2:10:20  
zone: sloth bawn; bolt; bond; brain; 10:00:00:00:01:1e:20:20  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
bawn  
bolt  
bond  
3,5; 4,8  
10:00:00:02:1f:02:00:01  
10:00:05:1e:a9:20:00:01; 3,5  
brain 11,4; 22,1; 33,6  
jake 4,7; 8,9; 14,11  
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alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
jeff  
30:00:00:05:1e:a1:cd:02; 40:00:00:05:1e:a1:cd:04  
jones 7,3; 4,5  
zeus 4,7; 6,8; 9,2  
Effective configuration:  
No Effective configuration: (No Access)  
switch:admin>  
switch:admin> zoneremove matt,"30:06:00:07:1e:a2:10:20; ja*; 3,2"  
switch:admin> cfgsave  
switch:admin> cfgshow  
Defined configuration:  
zone: matt  
zeus; bond; jeff; jones  
zone: sloth bawn; bolt; bond; brain; 10:00:00:00:01:1e:20:20  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
bawn  
bolt  
bond  
3,5; 4,8  
10:00:00:02:1f:02:00:01  
10:00:05:1e:a9:20:00:01; 3,5  
brain 11,4; 22,1; 33,6  
jake  
jeff  
jones 7,3; 4,5  
zeus 4,7; 6,8; 9,2  
4,7; 8,9; 14,11  
30:00:00:05:1e:a1:cd:02; 40:00:00:05:1e:a1:cd:04  
Effective configuration:  
No Effective configuration: (No Access)  
Replacing zone members  
Fabric OS allows you to replace one zone member with another zone member using a CLI  
command. This command takes two inputs. The first is the member which is to be replaced and the  
second is the new member. These inputs can only be in either the format of WWN or of D,I.  
Use the following procedure to replace members in a zone:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the zoneObjectReplace command, using the following syntax:  
zoneobjectreplace old wwn/D,I new wwn/D,I  
NOTE  
This command does not support partial pattern matching (“wildcards”) of zone member  
aliases.  
3. Enter the cfgSave command to save the change to the defined configuration.  
The cfgSave command ends and commits the current zoning transaction buffer to nonvolatile  
memory. If a transaction is open on a different switch in the fabric when this command is run,  
the transaction on the other switch is automatically aborted. A message displays on the other  
switches to indicate that the transaction was aborted.  
4. Enter the cfgShow command to view the changes.  
Example Replacing zone members  
switch:admin> cfgshow  
Defined configuration:  
zone: matt  
zeus; bond; jeff;jones; 11, 2  
zone: sloth bawn; bolt; bond; brain; brit; bru; 10:00:00:00:01:1e:20:20  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
bawn  
bolt  
bond  
3,5  
10:00:00:02:1f:02:00:01  
10:00:05:1e:a9:20:00:01; 3,5  
brain 11,4; 22,1; 33,6  
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alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
jake  
jeff  
4,7; 8,9; 14,11  
30:00:00:05:1e:a1:cd:02; 40:00:00:05:1e:a1:cd:04  
jones 7,3; 4,5  
zeus 4,7; 6,8; 9,2  
Effective configuration:  
No Effective configuration: (No Access)  
switch:admin>  
switch:admin> zoneobjectreplace 11,2 4,8  
switch:admin> cfgsave  
switch:admin> cfgshow  
Defined configuration:  
zone: matt  
zeus; bond; jeff; 4,8  
zone: sloth bawn; bolt; bond; brain; 10:00:00:00:01:1e:20:20  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
bawn  
bolt  
bond  
3,5  
10:00:00:02:1f:02:00:01  
10:00:05:1e:a9:20:00:01; 3,5  
brain 11,4; 22,1; 33,6  
jake  
jeff  
jones 7,3; 4,5  
zeus 4,7; 6,8; 9,2  
4,7; 8,9; 14,11  
30:00:00:05:1e:a1:cd:02; 40:00:00:05:1e:a1:cd:04  
Effective configuration:  
No Effective configuration: (No Access)  
CAUTION  
Executing this command replaces all instances of the older member with the new member in the  
entire zone database.  
Notes and restrictions  
In order to make a configuration change effective, a cfgEnable command should be issued  
after the zoneObjectReplace command. Otherwise, the changes will be in the transaction  
buffer but not committed.  
Only members of regular zones and aliases (those identified using either D,I or WWN) can be  
replaced using zoneObjectReplace.  
The zoneObjectReplace command is not applicable for Frame Redirect (FR) and Traffic  
Isolation (TI) zones. Only members of regular zones can be replaced using this command.  
The zoneObjectReplace command does not work with aliases. Alias members (that is,  
members inside an alias) can be replaced using zoneObjectReplace, but an alias itself cannot  
be directly replaced. To achieve the effect of replacement, create a new alias (with the desired  
new name) containing the same members, and then delete the old alias.  
Deleting a zone  
Use the following procedure to delete a zone:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the zoneDelete command, using the following syntax:  
zonedelete "zonename"  
3. Enter the cfgSave command to save the change to the defined configuration.  
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The cfgSave command ends and commits the current zoning transaction buffer to nonvolatile  
memory. If a transaction is open on a different switch in the fabric when this command is run,  
the transaction on the other switch is automatically aborted. A message displays on the other  
switches to indicate that the transaction was aborted.  
Example Deleting zone members  
switch:admin> cfgshow  
Defined configuration:  
zone: matt  
zeus; bond; jeff; 4,8  
zone: sloth bawn; bolt; bond; brain; brit; bru; 10:00:00:00:01:1e:20:20  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
bawn  
bolt  
bond  
3,5  
10:00:00:02:1f:02:00:01  
10:00:05:1e:a9:20:00:01; 3,5  
brain 11,4; 22,1; 33,6  
jake  
jeff  
jones 7,3; 4,5  
zeus 4,7; 6,8; 9,2  
4,7; 8,9; 14,11  
30:00:00:05:1e:a1:cd:02; 40:00:00:05:1e:a1:cd:04  
Effective configuration:  
No Effective configuration: (No Access)  
switch:admin>  
switch:admin> zonedelete sloth  
switch:admin> cfgsave  
WARNING!!!  
The changes you are attempting to save will render the Effective configuration  
and the Defined configuration inconsistent. The inconsistency will result in  
different Effective Zoning configurations for switches in the fabric if a zone  
merge or HA failover happens. To avoid inconsistency it is recommended to  
commit the configurations using the 'cfgenable' command.  
Do you still want to proceed with saving the Defined zoning configuration  
only? (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
switch:admin>  
switch:admin> cfgshow  
Defined configuration:  
zone: matt  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
alias:  
zeus; bond; jeff; 4,8  
bawn  
bolt  
bond  
3,5  
10:00:00:02:1f:02:00:01  
10:00:05:1e:a9:20:00:01; 3,5  
brain 11,4; 22,1; 33,6  
jake  
jeff  
4,7; 8,9; 14,11  
30:00:00:05:1e:a1:cd:02; 40:00:00:05:1e:a1:cd:04  
jones 7,3; 4,5  
zeus 4,7; 6,8; 9,2  
Effective configuration:  
No Effective configuration: (No Access)  
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Zone creation and maintenance  
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Viewing a zone in the defined configuration  
Use the following procedure to view a zone in the configuration:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the zoneShow command, using the following syntax:  
zoneshow[--sort] ["pattern"] [, mode]  
If no parameters are specified, the entire zone database (both the defined and effective  
configuration) is displayed.  
Example  
The following example shows all zones beginning with A, B, or C, in ascending order:  
switch:admin> zoneshow --sort "[A-C]*"  
zone: Blue_zone 1,1; array1; 1,2; array2  
zone: Bobs_zone 4,5; 4,6; 4,7; 4,8; 4,9  
Examining changes in the zone database  
Fabric OS allows you to check for and display any differences between the transaction buffer and  
the committed database by appending the options --transdiffs and --transdiffsonly to the  
zoneShow and cfgShow commands.  
The format of these commands with the new options is:  
zoneShow –-transdiffs  
zoneShow –-transdiffsonly  
cfgShow --transdiffs  
cfgShow –-transdiffsonly  
To reflect the changes made to the zone database (A new zone is added or an existing zone is  
deleted, or a zone member is added/deleted or any other valid zone database entity is modified),  
the following notation is used.  
An asterisk “*” at the start indicates a change in that zone, zone configuration, alias or any  
other entity in the zone database.  
A “+” before any entity (an alias or a zone name or a configuration) indicates that it is a newly  
added entity.  
A “–” before any entity indicates that this entity has been deleted. If zone members are added  
as well as deleted in a zone configuration, then “+-” will be displayed before the member and  
a * sign will be displayed before the zone name.  
A “+” before any member of an alias or zone name or any other entity indicates this member has  
been added and in the case of “–” the particular member has been deleted.  
In the case of TI zones, for inter-fabric links for example, “5,-1” is a valid zone member.  
Notice that “-” is in front of port index. If this was a deleted zone member, it would have been  
shown as “-5,-1”. A “-” before a domain ID would indicate that this TI zone member has been  
deleted.  
Example Displaying existing zone database  
switch:admin> cfgshow  
Defined configuration:  
cfg: fabric_cfg Blue_zone  
zone: Blue_zone  
1,1; array1; 1,2; array2  
zone: green_zone  
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1,1; 1,2  
alias: array1 21:00:00:20:37:0c:76:8c; 21:00:00:20:37:0c:71:02  
alias: array2 21:00:00:20:37:0c:76:22; 21:00:00:20:37:0c:76:28  
Effective configuration:  
cfg: fabric_cfg  
zone: Blue_zone  
1,1  
21:00:00:20:37:0c:76:8c  
21:00:00:20:37:0c:71:02  
1,2  
Example Adding a new zone ‘red_zone’, deleting “1,1” and adding “6,15” to green_zone  
switch:admin> cfgshow --transdiffs  
Defined configuration:  
cfg: fabric_cfg Blue_zone  
zone: Blue_zone  
1,1; array1; 1,2; array2  
*zone: green_zone  
-1,1; 1,2; +6, 15  
*zone: +red_zone  
5,1; 4,2  
alias: array1 21:00:00:20:37:0c:76:8c; 21:00:00:20:37:0c:71:02  
alias: array2 21:00:00:20:37:0c:76:22; 21:00:00:20:37:0c:76:28  
Effective configuration:  
cfg: fabric_cfg  
zone: Blue_zone  
1,1  
21:00:00:20:37:0c:76:8c  
21:00:00:20:37:0c:71:02  
1,2  
Example cfgShow --transdiffsonly output for the example above  
switch:admin> cfgshow --transdiffsonly  
*zone: green_zone -1,1; 1,2; +6,15  
*zone: +red_zone 5,1; 4,2  
switch:admin>  
Validating a zone  
Use the following procedure to validate a zone:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the cfgShow command to view the zone configuration objects you want to validate.  
switch:admin> cfgShow  
Defined configuration:  
cfg: USA_cfg Purple_zone; White_zone; Blue_zone  
zone: Blue_zone  
1,1; array1; 1,2; array2  
zone: Purple_zone  
1,0; loop1  
zone: White_zone  
1,3; 1,4  
alias: array1 21:00:00:20:37:0c:76:8c; 21:00:00:20:37:0c:71:02  
alias: array2 21:00:00:20:37:0c:76:22; 21:00:00:20:37:0c:76:28  
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alias: loop1  
21:00:00:20:37:0c:76:85; 21:00:00:20:37:0c:71:df  
3. Enter the zone --validate command to list all zone members that are not part of the current  
zone enforcement table. Note that zone configuration names are case-sensitive; blank spaces  
are ignored.  
switch:admin> zone --validate "White_zone"  
4. Enter the following command to validate all zones in the zone database in the defined  
configuration.  
switch:admin> zone --validate -m 1  
Defined configuration:  
cfg:  
cfg:  
cfg1  
cfg2  
zone1  
zone1; zone2  
zone: zone1  
zone: zone2  
alias: ali1  
alias: ali2  
1,1; ali1  
1,1; ali2  
10:00:00:05:1e:35:81:7f*; 10:00:00:05:1e:35:81:7d*  
10:00:00:05:1e:35:81:09*; 10:00:00:05:1e:35:81:88*  
------------------------------------  
~ - Invalid configuration  
* - Member does not exist  
The mode flag -m can be used to specify the zone database location. Supported mode flag  
values are:  
0 - zone database from the current transaction buffer  
1 - zone database stored from the persistent storage  
2 - currently effective zone database.  
If no mode options are given, the validated output of all three buffers is shown.  
If the -f option is specified, all the zone members that are not enforceable would be expunged  
in the transaction buffer. This pruning operation always happens on the transaction and  
defined buffers. You cannot specify a mode option or specify a zone object as an argument  
with the -f option. This mode flag should be used after the zone has been validated.  
Inconsistencies between the Defined and Effective Zone Databases  
If you edit zone objects in the Defined Zone configuration that also exist in the Effective Zone  
Configuration and then issue the cfgSave command, a warning message stating that mismatch is  
observed between defined and effective configurations is posted, and you are asked to confirm  
that you want cfgSave to continue. If you enter “y”, then the updated configuration will be saved;  
if you enter “n”, then the updated configuration will be discarded.  
Example warning message  
switch: admin> cfgsave  
WARNING!!!  
The changes you are attempting to save will render the  
Effective configuration and the Defined configuration inconsistent.  
The inconsistency will result in different Effective Zoning  
configurations for switches in the fabric if a zone merge or  
HA failover happens. To avoid inconsistency it is recommended to  
commit the configurations using the 'cfgenable' command.  
Do you want to proceed with saving the Defined  
zoning configuration only? (yes, y, no, n): [no] yes  
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If you enter yes, and the cfgSave operation completes successfully then the following RASlog  
message [ZONE-1062] will be posted.  
[ZONE-1062], 620/181, FID 128, WARNING, sw0, Defined and Effective zone  
configurations are inconsistent, ltime:2012/09/03-23:18:30:983609  
You can then either re-enable the updated configuration or revert to the older configuration. If there  
is no impact to the effective configuration with the latest update to the zoning configuration, then  
the following message will be displayed.  
“You are about to save the Defined zoning configuration. This action will only  
save the changes on Defined configuration.  
Do you want to proceed?” (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
Example ‘Inconsistent Defined and Effective Zone Database’ warning to user  
switch: admin> zoneShow  
Defined configuration:  
cfg:  
cfg1  
zone1; zone2  
zone:  
zone:  
zone1  
zone2  
10:00:00:00:00:00:00:01; 10:00:00:00:00:00:00:02  
1,1; 1,2  
Effective configuration:  
cfg:  
cfg1  
zone:  
zone1  
10:00:00:00:00:00:00:01  
10:00:00:00:00:00:00:02  
1,1; 1,2  
zone:  
zone2  
switch: admin> zoneadd zone1, 10:00:00:00:00:00:00:03  
switch: admin> cfgsave  
WARNING!!!  
The changes you are attempting to save will render the  
Effective configuration and the Defined configuration inconsistent.  
The inconsistency will result in different Effective Zoning  
configurations for switches in the fabric if a zone merge or  
HA failover happens. To avoid inconsistency it is recommended to  
commit the configurations using the 'cfgenable' command.  
Do you want to proceed with saving the Defined zoning  
configuration only? (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
Updating flash ...  
switch:admin> zoneShow  
Defined configuration:  
cfg:  
cfg1  
zone1; zone2  
zone:  
zone1  
10:00:00:00:00:00:00:01; 10:00:00:00:00:00:00:02;  
10:00:00:00:00:00:00:03  
zone: zone2 1,1; 1,2  
Effective configuration:  
cfg:  
cfg1  
zone:  
zone:  
zone1  
zone2  
10:00:00:00:00:00:00:01; 10:00:00:00:00:00:00:02  
1,1; 1,2  
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Default zoning mode  
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Default zoning mode  
The default zoning mode controls device access if zoning is not implemented or if there is no  
effective zone configuration. The default zoning mode has two options:  
All Access—All devices within the fabric can communicate with all other devices.  
No Access—Devices in the fabric cannot access any other device in the fabric.  
The default zone mode applies to the entire fabric, regardless of switch model.  
The default setting is “All Access”.  
Typically, when you disable the zoning configuration in a large fabric with thousands of devices, the  
name server indicates to all hosts that they can communicate with each other. In fact, each host  
can receive an enormous list of PIDs, and ultimately cause other hosts to run out of memory or  
crash. To ensure that all devices in a fabric do not see each other during a configuration disable  
operation, set the default zoning mode to No Access.  
NOTE  
For switches in large fabrics, the default zone mode should be set to No Access. You cannot disable  
the effective configuration if the default zone mode is All Access and you have more than 120  
devices in the fabric.  
Admin Domain considerations: If you want to use Admin Domains, you must set the default zoning  
mode to No Access prior to setting up the Admin Domains. You cannot change the default zoning  
mode to All Access if user-specified Admin Domains are present in the fabric.  
Setting the default zoning mode  
NOTE  
You should not change the default zone mode from “No Access” to “All Access” if there is no effective  
zone configuration and more than 120 devices are connected to the fabric.  
Use the following procedure to set the default zoning mode:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the cfgActvShow command to view the current zone configuration.  
3. Enter the defZone command with one of the following options:  
defzone --noaccess  
or  
defzone --allaccess  
This command initiates a transaction (if one is not already in progress).  
4. Enter either the cfgSave, cfgEnable, or cfgDisable command to commit the change and  
distribute it to the fabric. The change will not be committed and distributed across the fabric if  
you do not enter one of these commands.  
Example  
switch:admin> defzone --noaccess  
You are about to set the Default Zone access mode to No Access  
Do you want to set the Default Zone access mode to No Access ? (yes, y, no, n):  
[no] y  
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Zone database size  
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switch:admin> cfgsave  
WARNING!!!  
The changes you are attempting to save will render the Effective configuration  
and the Defined configuration inconsistent. The inconsistency will result in  
different Effective Zoning configurations for switches in the fabric if a zone  
merge or HA failover happens. To avoid inconsistency it is recommended to  
commit the configurations using the 'cfgenable' command.  
Do you still want to proceed with saving the Defined  
zoning configuration only? (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
Updating flash ...  
Viewing the current default zone access mode  
Use the following procedure to view the current default zone access mode:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the defZone --show command.  
NOTE  
If you perform a firmware download of an older release, then the current default zone access state  
will appear as it did prior to the download. For example, if the default zoning mode was No Access  
before the download, it will remain as No Access afterward.  
Zone database size  
The maximum size of a zone database is the upper limit for the defined configuration, and it is  
determined by the amount of flash memory available for storing the defined configuration.  
Use the cfgSize command to display the zone database size.  
The supported maximum zone database size is 2 MB for systems running only Brocade DCX,  
DCX-4S, and DCX 8520 platforms. The presence of any other platform reduces the maximum zone  
database size to 1MB.  
Virtual Fabric considerations: If Virtual Fabrics is enabled, the sum of the zone database sizes on  
all of the logical fabrics must not exceed the maximum size allowed for the chassis (1 MB). The  
maximum size limit is enforced per-partition, but is not enforced chassis-wide. If the chassis size  
limit is exceeded, you are not informed of this and unpredictable behavior might occur. It is your  
responsibility to keep track of the chassis-wide zone database size.  
ATTENTION  
In a fabric with some switches running Fabric OS 7.0.0 or later and some switches running Fabric OS  
versions earlier than 7.0.0, if you execute the cfgSave or cfgEnable command from a pre-7.0.0  
switch, a zone database size of 128 KB is enforced.  
To avoid this problem, use the switch with the highest Fabric OS version to perform zoning tasks, as  
described in “Best practices for zoning” on page 310. Alternatively make sure that your pre-7.0.0  
switches are upgraded with the latest patch release.  
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Zone configurations  
11  
Zone configurations  
You can store a number of zones in a zone configuration database. The maximum number of items  
that can be stored in the zone configuration database depends on the following criteria:  
Number of switches in the fabric.  
Number of bytes for each item name. The number of bytes required for an item name depends  
on the specifics of the fabric, but cannot exceed 64 bytes for each item.  
When enabling a new zone configuration, ensure that the size of the defined configuration does not  
exceed the maximum configuration size supported by all switches in the fabric. This is particularly  
important if you downgrade to a Fabric OS version that supports a smaller zone database than the  
current Fabric OS. In this scenario, the zone database in the current Fabric OS would have to be  
changed to the smaller zone database before the downgrade.  
You can use the cfgSize command to check both the maximum available size and the currently  
saved size on all switches. If you think you are approaching the maximum, you can save a partially  
completed zone configuration and use the cfgSize command to determine the remaining space.  
The cfgSize command reports the maximum available size on the current switch only. It cannot  
determine the maximum available size on other switches in the fabric.  
NOTE  
The minimum zone database size is 4 bytes, even if the zone database is empty.  
For important considerations for managing zoning in a fabric, and more details about the maximum  
zone database size for each version of the Fabric OS, see “Zone database size” on page 327.  
If you create or make changes to a zone configuration, you must enable the configuration for the  
changes to take effect.  
Creating a zone configuration  
Use the following procedure to create a zone configuration:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the cfgCreate command, using the following syntax:  
cfgcreate "cfgname", "member[; member...]"  
3. Enter the cfgSave command to save the change to the defined configuration.  
The cfgSave command ends and commits the current zoning transaction buffer to nonvolatile  
memory. If a transaction is open on a different switch in the fabric when this command is run,  
the transaction on the other switch is automatically aborted. A message displays on the other  
switches to indicate that the transaction was aborted.  
Example  
switch:admin> cfgcreate "NEW_cfg", "purplezone; bluezone; greenzone"  
switch:admin> cfgsave  
WARNING!!!  
The changes you are attempting to save will render the Effective configuration  
and the Defined configuration inconsistent. The inconsistency will result in  
different Effective Zoning configurations for switches in the fabric if a zone  
merge or HA failover happens. To avoid inconsistency it is recommended to  
commit the configurations using the 'cfgenable' command.  
Do you still want to proceed with saving the Defined zoning configuration  
only? (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
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Zone configurations  
11  
Adding zones (members) to a zone configuration  
Use the following procedure to add members to a zone configuration:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the cfgAdd command, using the following syntax:  
cfgadd "cfgname", "member[; member...]"  
3. Enter the cfgSave command to save the change to the defined configuration.  
The cfgSave command ends and commits the current zoning transaction buffer to nonvolatile  
memory. If a transaction is open on a different switch in the fabric when this command is run,  
the transaction on the other switch is automatically aborted. A message displays on the other  
switches to indicate that the transaction was aborted.  
Example  
switch:admin> cfgadd "newcfg", "bluezone"  
switch:admin> cfgsave  
WARNING!!!  
The changes you are attempting to save will render the Effective configuration  
and the Defined configuration inconsistent. The inconsistency will result in  
different Effective Zoning configurations for switches in the fabric if a zone  
merge or HA failover happens. To avoid inconsistency it is recommended to  
commit the configurations using the 'cfgenable' command.  
Do you still want to proceed with saving the Defined zoning configuration  
only? (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
Removing zones (members) from a zone configuration  
Use the following procedure to remove members from a zone configuration:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the cfgRemove command, using the following syntax:  
cfgremove "cfgname", "member[; member...]"  
3. Enter the cfgSave command to save the change to the defined configuration.  
The cfgSave command ends and commits the current zoning transaction buffer to nonvolatile  
memory. If a transaction is open on a different switch in the fabric when this command is run,  
the transaction on the other switch is automatically aborted. A message displays on the other  
switches to indicate that the transaction was aborted.  
Example  
switch:admin> cfgremove "NEW_cfg", "purplezone"  
switch:admin> cfgsave  
WARNING!!!  
The changes you are attempting to save will render the Effective configuration  
and the Defined configuration inconsistent. The inconsistency will result in  
different Effective Zoning configurations for switches in the fabric if a zone  
merge or HA failover happens. To avoid inconsistency it is recommended to  
commit the configurations using the 'cfgenable' command.  
Do you still want to proceed with saving the Defined zoning configuration  
only? (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
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Zone configurations  
11  
Enabling a zone configuration  
The following procedure ends and commits the current zoning transaction buffer to nonvolatile  
memory. If a transaction is open on a different switch in the fabric when this procedure is run, the  
transaction on the other switch is automatically aborted. A message displays on the other switches  
to indicate that the transaction was aborted.  
Use the following procedure to enable a zone configuration:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the cfgenable command, using the following syntax:  
cfgenable "cfgname"  
3. Enter y at the prompt.  
Example  
switch:admin> cfgenable "USA_cfg"  
You are about to enable a new zoning configuration.  
This action will replace the old zoning configuration with the current  
configuration selected. If the update includes changes to one or more traffic  
isolation zones, the update may result in localized disruption to traffic on  
ports associated with the traffic isolation zone changes.  
Do you want to enable 'USA_cfg' configuration (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
zone config "USA_cfg" is in effect  
Updating flash ...  
Disabling a zone configuration  
When you disable the current zone configuration, the fabric returns to non-zoning mode. All devices  
can then access each other or not, depending on the default zone access mode setting.  
NOTE  
If the default zoning mode is set to All Access and more than 120 devices are connected to the  
fabric, you cannot disable the zone configuration because this would enable All Access mode and  
cause a large number of requests to the switch. In this situation, set the default zoning mode to  
No Access prior to disabling the zone configuration. See “Default zoning mode” on page 326 for  
information about setting this mode to No Access.  
The following procedure ends and commits the current zoning transaction buffer to nonvolatile  
memory. If a transaction is open on a different switch in the fabric when this procedure is run, the  
transaction on the other switch is automatically aborted. A message displays on the other switches  
to indicate that the transaction was aborted.  
Use the following procedure to disable a zone configuration:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the cfgDisable command, using the following syntax:  
cfgdisable  
3. Enter y at the prompt.  
Example  
switch:admin> cfgdisable  
You are about to disable zoning configuration. This action will disable any  
previous zoning configuration enabled.  
Do you want to disable zoning configuration? (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
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Zone configurations  
11  
Deleting a zone configuration  
Use the following procedure to delete a zone configuration:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the cfgDelete command, using the following syntax:  
cfgdelete "cfgname"  
3. Enter the cfgSave command to save the change to the defined configuration.  
The cfgSave command ends and commits the current zoning transaction buffer to nonvolatile  
memory. If a transaction is open on a different switch in the fabric when this command is run,  
the transaction on the other switch is automatically aborted. A message displays on the other  
switches to indicate that the transaction was aborted.  
Example  
switch:admin> cfgdelete "testcfg"  
switch:admin> cfgsave  
You are about to save the Defined zoning configuration. This action will only  
save the changes on Defined configuration.  
Do you want to save Defined zoning configuration only? (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
Abandoning zone configuration changes  
Enter the cfgTransAbort command.  
When this command is executed, all changes since the last save operation (performed with the  
cfgSave, cfgEnable, or cfgDisable command) are cleared.  
Example assuming that the removal of a member from zone1 was done in error  
switch:admin> zoneremove "zone1","3,5"  
switch:admin> cfgtransabort  
Viewing all zone configuration information  
If you do not specify an operand when executing the cfgShow command to view zone configurations,  
then all zone configuration information (both defined and effective) displays. If there is an  
outstanding transaction, then the newly edited zone configuration that has not yet been saved is  
displayed. If there are no outstanding transactions, then the committed zone configuration displays.  
Use the following procedure to view all zone configuration information:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the cfgShow command with no operands.  
Example  
switch:admin> cfgshow  
Defined configuration:  
cfg:  
cfg:  
USA1  
Blue_zone  
USA_cfg Purple_zone; Blue_zone  
zone: Blue_zone  
1,1; array1; 1,2; array2  
zone: Purple_zone  
1,0; loop1  
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Zone configurations  
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alias: array1 21:00:00:20:37:0c:76:8c; 21:00:00:20:37:0c:71:02  
alias: array2 21:00:00:20:37:0c:76:22; 21:00:00:20:37:0c:76:28  
alias: loop1  
21:00:00:20:37:0c:76:85; 21:00:00:20:37:0c:71:df  
Effective configuration:  
cfg: USA_cfg  
zone: Blue_zone  
1,1  
21:00:00:20:37:0c:76:8c  
21:00:00:20:37:0c:71:02  
1,2  
21:00:00:20:37:0c:76:22  
21:00:00:20:37:0c:76:28  
zone: Purple_zone  
1,0  
21:00:00:20:37:0c:76:85  
21:00:00:20:37:0c:71:df  
Viewing selected zone configuration information  
Use the following procedure to view the selected zone configuration information:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the cfgShow command and specify a pattern.  
cfgshow "pattern"[, mode]  
Example Displaying all zone configurations that start with “Test”  
switch:admin> cfgshow "Test*"  
cfg:  
cfg:  
Test1  
Blue_zone  
Test_cfg Purple_zone; Blue_zone  
Viewing the configuration in the effective zone database  
Use the following procedure to view the configuration in the effective zone database:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the cfgActvShow command.  
Example  
switch:admin> cfgactvshow  
Effective configuration:  
cfg:  
NEW_cfg  
zone: Blue_zone  
1,1  
21:00:00:20:37:0c:76:8c  
21:00:00:20:37:0c:71:02  
1,2  
21:00:00:20:37:0c:76:22  
21:00:00:20:37:0c:76:28  
zone: Purple_zone  
1,0  
21:00:00:20:37:0c:76:85  
21:00:00:20:37:0c:71:df  
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Zone object maintenance  
11  
Clearing all zone configurations  
Use the following procedure to clear all zone configurations:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Use cfgClear to clear all zone information in the transaction buffer.  
ATTENTION  
Be careful using the cfgClear command because it deletes the defined configuration.  
switch:admin> cfgclear  
The Clear All action will clear all Aliases, Zones, FA Zones and configurations  
in the Defined configuration.  
Run cfgSave to commit the transaction or cfgTransAbort to cancel the transaction.  
Do you really want to clear all configurations? (yes, y, no, n): [no]  
3. Enter one of the following commands, depending on whether an effective zone configuration  
exists:  
If no effective zone configuration exists, use the cfgSave command.  
If an effective zone configuration exists, use the cfgDisable command to disable and clear  
the zone configuration in nonvolatile memory for all switches in the fabric.  
Zone object maintenance  
The following procedures describe how to copy, delete, and rename zone objects. Depending on  
the operation, a zone object can be a zone member, a zone alias, a zone, or a zone configuration.  
Copying a zone object  
When you copy a zone object, the resulting object has the same name as the original. The zone  
object can be a zone configuration, a zone alias, or a zone.  
Use the following procedure to copy a zone object:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Use cfgShow to view the zone configuration objects you want to copy.  
cfgshow "pattern"[, mode]  
For example, to display all zone configuration objects that start with “Test”:  
switch:admin> cfgshow "Test*"  
cfg:  
cfg:  
Test1  
Blue_zone  
Test_cfg Purple_zone; Blue_zone  
3. Use zone --copy specifying the zone objects you want to copy along with the new object name.  
NOTE  
Zone configuration names are case-sensitive, blank spaces are ignored, and the zone --copy  
command works in any Admin Domain except AD255.  
switch:admin> zone --copy Test1 US_Test1  
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Zone object maintenance  
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4. Enter the cfgShow command to verify the new zone object is present.  
switch:admin> cfgshow "Test*"  
cfg:  
cfg:  
Test1  
Blue_zone  
Test_cfg Purple_zone; Blue_zone  
switch:admin> cfgShow "US_Test1"  
cfg: US_Test1 Blue_zone  
5. If you want the change preserved when the switch reboots, use cfgSave to save it to nonvolatile  
(flash) memory.  
6. Use cfgEnable for the appropriate zone configuration to make the change effective.  
Deleting a zone object  
The following procedure removes all references to a zone object and then deletes the zone object.  
The zone object can be a zone member, a zone alias, or a zone.  
Use the following procedure to delete a zone object:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the cfgShow command to view the zone configuration objects you want to delete.  
switch:admin> cfgShow  
Defined configuration:  
cfg: USA_cfg Purple_zone; White_zone; Blue_zone  
zone: Blue_zone  
1,1; array1; 1,2; array2  
zone: Purple_zone  
1,0; loop1  
zone: White_zone  
1,3; 1,4  
alias: array1 21:00:00:20:37:0c:76:8c; 21:00:00:20:37:0c:71:02  
alias: array2 21:00:00:20:37:0c:76:22; 21:00:00:20:37:0c:76:28  
alias: loop1  
21:00:00:20:37:0c:76:85; 21:00:00:20:37:0c:71:df  
Effective configuration:  
cfg: USA_cfg  
zone: Blue_zone  
1,1  
21:00:00:20:37:0c:76:8c  
21:00:00:20:37:0c:71:02  
1,2  
21:00:00:20:37:0c:76:22  
21:00:00:20:37:0c:76:28  
zone: Purple_zone  
1,0  
21:00:00:20:37:0c:76:85  
21:00:00:20:37:0c:71:df  
3. Use zone --expunge to delete the zone object.  
NOTE  
Zone configuration names are case-sensitive, blank spaces are ignored and the  
zone --expunge command works in any Admin Domain except AD255.  
switch:admin> zone --expunge "White_zone"  
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Zone object maintenance  
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You are about to expunge one configuration or member. This action could result  
in removing many zoning configurations recursively. [Removing the last member  
of a configuration removes the configuration.]  
Do you want to expunge the member? (yes, y, no, n): [no] yes  
4. Enter yes at the prompt.  
5. Use cfgShow to verify the deleted zone object is no longer present.  
6. If you want the change preserved when the switch reboots, use cfgSave to save it to nonvolatile  
(flash) memory.  
7. Use cfgEnable for the appropriate zone configuration to make the change effective.  
Renaming a zone object  
Use the following procedure to rename a zone object:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Use cfgShow to view the zone configuration objects you want to rename.  
switch:admin> cfgShow  
Defined configuration:  
cfg: USA_cfg Purple_zone; White_zone; Blue_zone  
zone: Blue_zone  
1,1; array1; 1,2; array2  
zone: Purple_zone  
1,0; loop1  
zone: White_zone  
1,3; 1,4  
alias: array1 21:00:00:20:37:0c:76:8c; 21:00:00:20:37:0c:71:02  
alias: array2 21:00:00:20:37:0c:76:22; 21:00:00:20:37:0c:76:28  
alias: loop1  
21:00:00:20:37:0c:76:85; 21:00:00:20:37:0c:71:df  
3. Use zoneObjectRename to rename zone configuration objects.  
NOTE  
Zone configuration names are case-sensitive, blank spaces are ignored, and the  
zoneObjectRename command works in any Admin Domain except AD255.  
switch:admin> zoneObjectRename "White_zone", "Purple_zone"  
4. Enter the cfgShow command to verify the renamed zone object is present.  
5. If you want the change preserved when the switch reboots, enter the cfgSave command to  
save it to nonvolatile (flash) memory.  
6. Enter the cfgEnable command for the appropriate zone configuration to make the change  
effective.  
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Zone configuration management  
11  
Zone configuration management  
You can add, delete, or remove individual elements in an existing zone configuration to create an  
appropriate configuration for your SAN environment. After the changes have been made, save the  
configuration to ensure the configuration is permanently saved in the switch and that the  
configuration is replicated throughout the fabric.  
The switch configuration file can also be uploaded to the host for archiving and it can be  
downloaded from the host to a switch in the fabric. See “Configuration file backup” on page 244,  
“Configuration file restoration” on page 246, or the configUpload and configDownload commands  
in the Fabric OS Command Reference for additional information on uploading and downloading the  
configuration file.  
Security and zoning  
Zones provide controlled access to fabric segments and establish barriers between operating  
environments. They isolate systems with different uses, protecting individual systems in a  
heterogeneous environment; for example, when zoning is in secure mode, no merge operations  
occur.  
Brocade Advanced Zoning is configured on the primary fabric configuration server (FCS). The  
primary FCS switch makes zoning changes and other security-related changes. The primary FCS  
switch also distributes zoning to all other switches in the secure fabric. All existing interfaces can  
be used to administer zoning.  
You must perform zone management operations from the primary FCS switch using a zone  
management interface, such as Telnet or Web Tools. You can alter a zone database, provided you  
are connected to the primary FCS switch.  
When two secure fabrics join, the traditional zone merge does not occur. Instead, a zone database  
is downloaded from the primary FCS switch of the merged secure fabric. When E_Ports are active  
between two switches, the name of the FCS server and a zoning policy set version identifier are  
exchanged between the switches. If the views of the two secure fabrics are the same, the fabric’s  
primary FCS server downloads the zone database and security policy sets to each switch in the  
fabric. If there is a view conflict, the E_Ports are segmented due to incompatible security data.  
All zones should use frame-based hardware enforcement; the best way to do this is to use WWN  
identification exclusively for all zoning configurations.  
Zone merging  
When a new switch is added to the fabric, it automatically takes on the zone configuration  
information from the fabric. You can verify the zone configuration on the switch using the procedure  
If you are adding a switch that is already configured for zoning, clear the zone configuration on that  
switch before connecting it to the zoned fabric. See “Clearing all zone configurations” on page 333  
for instructions.  
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Zone merging  
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Adding a new fabric that has no zone configuration information to an existing fabric is very similar  
to adding a new switch. All switches in the new fabric inherit the zone configuration data. If the  
existing fabric has an effective zone configuration, then the same configuration becomes the  
effective configuration for the new switches.  
Before the new fabric can merge successfully, it must pass the following criteria:  
Before merging  
To facilitate merging, check the following before merging switches or fabrics:  
-
-
Default Zone: The switches must adhere to the default zone merge rules, as described in  
Effective and defined zone configuration match: Ensure that the effective and defined  
zone configurations match. If they do not match, and you merge with another switch, the  
merge might be successful, but unpredictable zoning and routing behavior can occur.  
Merging and segmentation  
The fabric is checked for segmentation during power-up, when a switch is disabled or enabled,  
or when a new switch is added.  
The zone configuration database is stored in nonvolatile memory by the cfgSave command. All  
switches in the fabric have a copy of this database. When a change is made to the defined  
configuration, the switch where the changes were made must close its transaction for the  
change to be propagated throughout the fabric.  
If you have implemented default zoning you must set the switch you are adding into the fabric  
to the same default zone mode setting as the rest of the fabric to avoid segmentation.  
Merging rules  
Observe these rules when merging zones:  
-
-
-
Local and adjacent configurations: If the local and adjacent zone database configurations  
are the same, they will remain unchanged after the merge.  
Effective configurations: If there is an effective configuration between two switches, the  
effective zone configurations must match.  
Zone object naming: If a zoning object has the same name in both the local and adjacent  
defined configurations, the object types and member lists must match. When comparing  
member lists, the content and order of the members are important.  
-
Objects in adjacent configurations: If a zoning object appears in an adjacent defined  
configuration, but not in the local defined configuration, the zoning object is added to the  
local defined configuration. The modified zone database must fit in the nonvolatile  
memory area allotted for the zone database.  
-
-
Local configuration modification: If a local defined configuration is modified because of a  
merge, the new zone database is propagated to other the switches within the merge  
request.  
TI zones: If there is an effective configuration between two switches and TI zones are  
present on either switch, the TI zones are not automatically activated after the merge.  
Check the TI zone enabled status using the zone --show command and if the status does  
not match across switches, issue the cfgenable command.  
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Zone merging  
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Merging two fabrics  
Both fabrics have identical zones and configurations enabled, including the default zone  
mode. The two fabrics will join to make one larger fabric with the same zone configuration  
across the newly created fabric.  
If the two fabrics have different zone configurations, they will not be merged. If the two fabrics  
cannot join, the ISL between the switches will segment.  
Merge conflicts  
When a merge conflict is present, a merge will not take place and the ISL will segment. Use the  
switchShow or errDump commands to obtain additional information about possible merge  
conflicts, because many non-zone related configuration parameters can cause conflicts. See  
the Fabric OS Command Reference for detailed information about these commands.  
If the fabrics have different zone configuration data, the system attempts to merge the two  
sets of zone configuration data. If the zones cannot merge, the ISL will be segmented.  
A merge is not possible if any of the following conditions exist:  
-
-
-
-
Configuration mismatch: Zoning is enabled in both fabrics and the zone configurations  
that are enabled are different in each fabric.  
Type mismatch: The name of a zone object in one fabric is used for a different type of zone  
object in the other fabric.  
Content mismatch: The definition of a zone object in one fabric is different from the  
definition of zone object with the same name in the other fabric.  
Zone Database Size: If the zone database size exceeds the maximum limit of another  
switch.  
NOTE  
If the zoneset members on two switches are not listed in the same order, the configuration is  
considered a mismatch, resulting in the switches being segmented from the fabric. For  
example: cfg1 = z1; z2is different from cfg1 = z2; z1,even though members of the  
configuration are the same. If zoneset members on two switches have the same names  
defined in the configuration, make sure zoneset members are listed in the same order.  
Fabric segmentation and zoning  
If the connections between two fabrics are no longer available, the fabric segments into two  
separate fabrics. Each new fabric retains the same zone configuration.  
If the connections between two fabrics are replaced and no changes have been made to the zone  
configuration in either of the two fabrics, then the two fabrics merge back into one single fabric. If  
any changes that cause a conflict have been made to either zone configuration, then the fabrics  
might segment.  
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Zone merging  
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Zone merging scenarios  
The following tables provide information on merging zones and the expected results.  
Table 55 on page 339: Defined and effective configurations  
Table 56 on page 340: Different content  
Table 57 on page 340: Different names  
Table 59 on page 341: Default access mode  
Table 60 on page 342: Mixed Fabric OS versions  
TABLE 55  
Zone merging scenarios: Defined and effective configurations  
Description  
Switch A  
Switch B  
Expected results  
Switch A has a defined configuration.  
Switch B does not have a defined  
configuration.  
defined:  
cfg1:  
zone1: ali1; ali2  
effective: none  
defined: none  
effective: none  
Configuration from Switch A to propagate  
throughout the fabric in an inactive state,  
because the configuration is not enabled.  
Switch A has a defined and effective  
configuration.  
Switch B has a defined configuration  
but no effective configuration.  
defined: cfg1  
zone1: ali1; ali2  
effective: cfg1:  
defined: cfg1  
zone1: ali1; ali2  
effective: none  
Configuration from Switch A to propagate  
throughout the fabric. The configuration is  
enabled after the merge in the fabric.  
Switch A and Switch B have the same  
defined configuration. Neither have an  
effective configuration.  
defined: cfg1  
zone1: ali1; ali2  
effective: none  
defined: cfg1  
zone1: ali1; ali2  
effective: none  
No change (clean merge).  
No change (clean merge).  
Switch A and Switch B have the same  
defined and effective configuration.  
defined: cfg1  
zone1: ali1; ali2  
effective: cfg1:  
defined: cfg1  
zone1: ali1; ali2  
effective: cfg1:  
Switch A does not have a defined  
configuration.  
Switch B has a defined configuration.  
defined: none  
effective: none  
defined:cfg1  
zone1: ali1; ali2  
effective: none  
Switch A will absorb the configuration from the  
fabric.  
Switch A does not have a defined  
configuration.  
Switch B has a defined configuration.  
defined: none  
effective: none  
defined:cfg1  
zone1: ali1; ali2  
effective: cfg1  
Switch A will absorb the configuration from the  
fabric, with cfg1 as the effective configuration.  
Switch A and Switch B have the same  
defined configuration. Only Switch B  
has an effective configuration.  
defined: cfg1  
zone1: ali1; ali2  
effective: none  
defined: cfg1  
zone1: ali1; ali2  
effective: cfg1  
Clean merge, with cfg1 as the effective  
configuration.  
Switch A and Switch B have different  
defined configurations. Neither have an zone2: ali3; ali4  
enabled zone configuration.  
defined: cfg2  
defined: cfg1  
zone1: ali1; ali2  
effective: none  
Clean merge. The new configuration will be a  
composite of the two.  
defined: cfg1  
effective: none  
zone1: ali1; ali2  
cfg2:  
zone2: ali3; ali4  
effective: none  
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TABLE 55  
Zone merging scenarios: Defined and effective configurations (Continued)  
Description  
Switch A  
Switch B  
Expected results  
Switch A and Switch B have different  
defined configurations. Switch B has an zone2: ali3; ali4  
effective configuration.  
defined: cfg2  
defined: cfg1  
zone1: ali1; ali2  
effective: cfg1  
Clean merge. The new configuration will be a  
composite of the two, with cfg1 as the  
effective configuration.  
effective: none  
Switch A does not have a defined  
configuration.  
Switch B has a defined configuration  
and an effective configuration, but the  
effective configuration is different from  
the defined configuration.  
defined: none  
effective: none  
defined: cfg1  
Clean merge. Switch A absorbs the defined  
configuration from the fabric, with cfg1 as the  
effective configuration.  
In this case, however, the effective  
configurations for Switch A and Switch B are  
different. You should issue a cfgenable from  
the switch with the proper effective  
configuration.  
zone1: ali1; ali2  
effective: cfg1  
zone1: ali1; ali2  
zone2: ali3, ali4  
TABLE 56  
Zone merging scenarios: Different content  
Switch A  
Description  
Switch B  
Expected results  
Effective configuration mismatch.  
defined: cfg1  
defined: cfg2  
Fabric segments due to: Zone Conflict cfg  
mismatch  
zone1: ali1; ali2  
effective: cfg1  
zone1: ali1; ali2  
zone2: ali3; ali4  
effective: cfg2  
zone2: ali3; ali4  
Configuration content mismatch.  
defined: cfg1  
zone1: ali1; ali2  
effective: irrelevant  
defined: cfg1  
zone1: ali3; ali4  
effective: irrelevant  
Fabric segments due to: Zone Conflict content  
mismatch  
TABLE 57  
Zone merging scenarios: Different names  
Description  
Switch A  
Switch B  
Expected results  
Same content, different effective cfg  
name.  
defined: cfg1  
defined:cfg2  
Fabric segments due to: Zone Conflict cfg  
mismatch  
zone1: ali1; ali2  
effective: cfg1  
zone1: ali1; ali2  
zone1: ali1; ali2  
effective: cfg2  
zone1: ali1; ali2  
Same content, different zone name.  
Same content, different alias name.  
defined: cfg1  
zone1: ali1; ali2  
effective: irrelevant  
defined: cfg1  
zone2: ali1; ali2  
effective: irrelevant  
Fabric segments due to: Zone Conflict content  
mismatch  
defined: cfg1  
ali1: A; B  
defined:cfg1  
ali2: A; B  
Fabric segments due to: Zone Conflict content  
mismatch  
effective: irrelevant  
effective: irrelevant  
Same alias name, same content,  
different order.  
defined: cfg1  
ali1: A; B; C  
defined: cfg1  
ali1: B; C; A  
Fabric segments due to: Zone Conflict content  
mismatch  
effective: irrelevant  
effective: irrelevant  
Same name, different types.  
Same name, different types.  
Same name, different types.  
effective: zone1:  
MARKETING  
effective: cfg1:  
MARKETING  
Fabric segments due to: Zone Conflict type  
mismatch  
effective: zone1:  
MARKETING  
effective: alias1:  
MARKETING  
Fabric segments due to: Zone Conflict type  
mismatch  
effective: cfg1:  
MARKETING  
effective: alias1:  
MARKETING  
Fabric segments due to: Zone Conflict type  
mismatch  
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Zone merging  
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TABLE 58  
Zone merging scenarios: TI zones  
Switch A  
Description  
Switch B  
Expected results  
Switch A does not have Traffic Isolation defined: cfg1  
defined: cfg1  
Clean merge. TI zones are not automatically  
activated after the merge.  
(TI) zones.  
effective: cfg1  
TI_zone1  
Switch B has TI zones.  
effective: cfg1  
Switch A has TI zones.  
Switch B has identical TI zones.  
defined: cfg1  
defined: cfg1  
Clean merge. TI zones are not automatically  
activated after the merge.  
TI_zone1  
TI_zone1  
effective: cfg1  
effective: cfg1  
Switch A has a TI zone.  
Switch B has a different TI zone.  
defined: cfg1  
TI_zone1  
defined: cfg1  
TI_zone2  
Fabric segments due to: Zone Conflict cfg  
mismatch. Cannot merge switches with  
different TI zone configurations.  
Switch A has Enhanced TI zones.  
Switch B is running Fabric OS v6.4.0 or TI_zone1  
later.  
defined: cfg1  
defined: none  
defined: none  
Clean merge. TI zones are not automatically  
activated after the merge.  
TI_zone2  
Switch A has Enhanced TI zones.  
Switch B is running a Fabric OS version TI_zone1  
earlier than v6.4.0.  
defined: cfg1  
Fabric segments because all switches in the  
fabric must be running Fabric OS v6.4.0 or  
later to support Enhanced TI zones.  
TI_zone2  
TABLE 59  
Zone merging scenarios: Default access mode  
Switch A  
Description  
Switch B  
Expected results  
Different default zone access mode  
settings.  
defzone: allaccess  
defzone: noaccess  
Clean merge — noaccess takes precedence  
and defzone configuration from Switch B  
propagates to fabric.  
defzone: noaccess  
Same default zone access mode  
settings.  
defzone: allaccess  
defzone: noaccess  
defzone: allaccess  
defzone: noaccess  
Clean merge — defzone configuration is  
allaccess in the fabric.  
Same default zone access mode  
settings.  
Clean merge — defzone configuration is  
noaccess in the fabric.  
Effective zone configuration.  
No effective  
configuration.  
defzone = allaccess  
effective: cfg2  
defzone: allaccess or  
noaccess  
Clean merge — effective zone configuration  
and defzone mode from Switch B propagates  
to fabric.  
Effective zone configuration.  
No effective  
configuration.  
defzone = noaccess  
effective: cfg2  
defzone: allaccess  
Fabric segments because Switch A has a  
hidden zone configuration (no access)  
activated and Switch B has an explicit zone  
configuration activated.  
Effective zone configuration  
Effective zone configuration  
effective: cfg1  
defzone: noaccess  
No effective  
configuration.  
defzone: noaccess  
Clean merge — effective zone configuration  
from Switch A propagates to fabric.  
effective: cfg1  
defzone: allaccess  
No effective  
configuration.  
defzone: noaccess  
Fabric segments. You can resolve the zone  
conflict by changing defzone to noaccess on  
Switch 1.  
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TABLE 60  
Zone merging scenarios: Mixed Fabric OS versions  
Description  
Switch A  
Switch B  
Expected results  
Switch A is running Fabric OS 7.0.0 or  
later.  
effective: cfg1  
defzone = allaccess  
No effective  
configuration.  
Fabric segments due to zone conflict.  
Switch B is running a Fabric OS version  
earlier than 7.0.0.  
defzone - noaccess  
Switch A is running Fabric OS 7.0.0 or  
later.  
No effective  
configuration.  
effective: cfg2  
defzone - allaccess  
Fabric segments due to zone conflict.  
Switch B is running a Fabric OS version defzone = noaccess  
earlier than 7.0.0.  
NOTE  
When merging mixed versions of Fabric OS where both sides have default zone mode No Access set,  
the merge results vary depending on which switch initiates the merge.  
Concurrent zone transactions  
While working on zone sets, a special work space is provided to allow you to manipulate the zone  
sets of your choice. These changes are not put into effect until they are committed to the database.  
Once they are committed, they will replace the existing active zone sets with the new zone sets or  
create more zone sets in the defined database. When updates to the zoning database are being  
made by multiple users, Fabric OS will warn you about the situation and allows you to choose which  
operation will prevail.  
Example of how users are warned if there is already a pending zoning transaction in the fabric  
u30:FID128:admin> zonecreate z2, "2,3"  
WARNING!!  
Multiple open transactions are pending in this fabric. Only one  
transaction can be saved. Please abort all unwanted transactions  
using the cfgtransabort command. Use the cfgtransshow --opentrans  
command to display a list of domains with open transactions  
If no other transaction is open in this fabric, no message is shown.  
Example of what is shown if there is not a pending zoning transaction in the fabric  
sw0:FID128:admin> zonecreate z7, "4,5;10,3"  
sw0:FID128:admin>  
Similarly for cfgSave and cfgEnable:  
u30:FID128:admin> cfgenable cfg  
You are about to enable a new zoning configuration.  
This action will replace the old zoning configuration with the  
current configuration selected. If the update includes changes  
to one or more traffic isolation zones, the update may result in  
localized disruption to traffic on ports associated with  
the traffic isolation zone changes  
Multiple open transactions are pending in this fabric. Only one  
transaction can be saved. Please abort all unwanted transactions  
using the cfgtransabort command. Use the cfgtransshow --opentrans  
command to display a list of domains with open transactions  
Do you want to enable 'cfg' configuration (yes, y, no, n): [no]  
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u30:FID128:admin> cfgsave  
You are about to save the Defined zoning configuration.  
This action will only save the changes on Defined configuration.  
Multiple open transactions are pending in this fabric. Only one  
transaction can be saved. Please abort all unwanted transactions  
using the cfgtransabort command. Use the cfgtransshow --opentrans  
command to display a list of domains with open transactions  
Do you want to save the Defined zoning configuration only?  
(yes, y, no, n): [no] n  
Viewing zone database transactions  
You can use the cfgTransShow command to list all the domains in the fabric with open transactions  
Syntax:  
cfgTransShow [ |–-opentrans | --help]  
Sample output:  
switch:admin> cfgtransshow  
Current transaction token is 0x571010459  
It is abortable  
switch:admin> cfgtransshow --help  
Usage:  
cfgTransShow : Displays local open transaction token details  
cfgTransShow --openTrans : Displays list of Domains with Open Transactions  
cfgTransShow --help : Help  
switch:admin> cfgtransshow --opentrans  
Current transaction token is 0x3109  
It is abortable  
Transactions Detect: Capable  
Current Open Transactions  
Domain List:  
------------  
1 2 3 4  
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Traffic Isolation Zoning  
12  
In this chapter  
Traffic Isolation Zoning overview  
The Traffic Isolation Zoning feature allows you to control the flow of interswitch traffic by creating a  
dedicated path for traffic flowing from a specific set of source ports (N_Ports). For example, you  
might use Traffic Isolation Zoning for the following scenarios:  
To dedicate an ISL to high priority, host-to-target traffic.  
To force high volume, low priority traffic onto a given ISL to limit the effect on the fabric of this  
high traffic pattern.  
To ensure that requests and responses of FCIP-based applications such as tape pipelining use  
the same VE_Port tunnel across a metaSAN.  
Traffic Isolation Zoning does not require a license.  
Traffic isolation is implemented using a special zone, called a Traffic Isolation zone (TI zone).  
A TI zone indicates the set of N_Ports and E_Ports to be used for a specific traffic flow. When a  
TI zone is activated, the fabric attempts to isolate all inter-switch traffic entering from a member  
of the zone to only those E_Ports that have been included in the zone. The fabric also attempts to  
exclude traffic not in the TI zone from using E_Ports within that TI zone.  
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Figure 31 shows a fabric with a TI zone consisting of the following:  
N_Ports:  
E_Ports:  
“1,7”, “1,8”, “4,5”, and “4,6”  
“1,1”, “3,9”, “3,12”, and “4,7”  
The dotted line indicates the dedicated path between the initiator in Domain 1 to the target in  
Domain 4.  
Domain 1  
Domain 3  
7
1
2
9
8
10  
9
12  
7
6
5
= Dedicated Path  
= Ports in the TI zone  
4
Domain 4  
FIGURE 31 Traffic Isolation zone creating a dedicated path through the fabric  
In Figure 31, all traffic entering Domain 1 from N_Ports 7 and 8 is routed through E_Port 1.  
Similarly, traffic entering Domain 3 from E_Port 9 is routed to E_Port 12, and traffic entering  
Domain 4 from E_Port 7 is routed to the devices through N_Ports 5 and 6. Traffic coming from  
other ports in Domain 1 would not use E_Port 1, but would use E_Port 2 instead.  
Use the zone command to create and manage TI zones. Refer to the Fabric OS Command  
Reference for details about the zone command.  
TI zone failover  
A TI zone can have failover enabled or disabled.  
Disable failover if you want to guarantee that TI zone traffic uses only the dedicated path, and that  
no other traffic can use the dedicated path.  
Enable failover if you want traffic to have alternate routes if either the dedicated or non-dedicated  
paths cannot be used.  
ATTENTION  
If failover is disabled, use care when planning your TI zones so that non-TI zone devices are not  
isolated. If this feature is not used correctly, it can cause major fabric disruptions that are difficult  
information about using this feature.  
Table 61 compares the behavior of traffic when failover is enabled and disabled.  
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TABLE 61  
Traffic behavior when failover is enabled or disabled in TI zones  
Failover enabled  
Failover disabled  
If the dedicated path is not the shortest path or if the  
dedicated path is broken, the TI zone traffic will use a  
non-dedicated path instead.  
If the dedicated path is not the shortest path or if the  
dedicated path is broken, traffic for that TI zone is  
halted until the dedicated path is fixed.  
Non-TI zone traffic will use the dedicated path if no  
other paths through the fabric exist, or if the  
non-dedicated paths are not the shortest paths.  
Non-TI zone traffic will never use the dedicated path,  
even if the dedicated path is the shortest path or if  
there are no other paths through the fabric.  
For example, in Figure 31 on page 346, if the dedicated ISL between Domain 1 and Domain 3 goes  
offline, then the following occurs, depending on the failover option:  
If failover is disabled for the TI zone, the TI zone traffic is halted until the ISL between  
Domain 1 and Domain 3 is back online.  
If failover is enabled for the TI zone, the TI zone traffic is routed from Domain 1 to Domain 3  
through E_Ports “1,2” and “3,10”.  
NOTE  
When TI zone traffic enters the non-TI path, the TI zone traffic continues to flow through that  
path. In this example, when the TI zone traffic is routed through E_Ports “1,2” and “3,10”, that  
traffic continues through the non-TI path between domains 3 and 4, even though the TI path  
between domains 3 and 4 is not broken.  
If the non-dedicated ISL between Domain 1 and Domain 3 goes offline, then the following occurs,  
depending on the failover option:  
If failover is disabled for the TI zone, non-TI zone traffic is halted until the non-dedicated ISL  
between Domain 1 and Domain 3 is back online.  
If failover is enabled for the TI zone, non-TI zone traffic is routed from Domain 1 to Domain 3  
through the dedicated ISL.  
NOTE  
When non-TI zone traffic enters the TI path, the non-TI zone traffic continues to flow through  
that path. In this example, when the non-TI zone traffic is routed through E_Ports “1,1” and  
“3,9”, that traffic continues through E_Ports “3,12” and “4,7”, even though the non-dedicated  
ISL between domains 3 and 4 is not broken.  
Additional considerations when disabling failover  
If failover is disabled, be aware of the following considerations:  
This feature is intended for use in simple linear fabric configurations, such as that shown in  
Ensure that there are non-dedicated paths through the fabric for all devices that are not in a TI  
zone.  
If you create a TI zone with just E_Ports, failover must be enabled. If failover is disabled, the  
specified ISLs will not be able to route any traffic.  
If the path between devices in a TI zone is broken, no inter-switch RSCNs are generated. Each  
switch that is part of the TI zone generates RSCNs to locally attached devices that are part of  
the TI zone and are registered to receive RSCNs.  
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Ensure that there are multiple paths between switches.  
Disabling failover locks the specified route so that only TI zone traffic can use it. Non-TI zone  
traffic is excluded from using the dedicated path.  
You should enable failover-enabled TI zones before enabling failover-disabled TI zones, to avoid  
dropped frames.  
When you issue the cfgEnable command to enable the zone configuration, if you have failover  
disabled zones, do the following:  
1. Temporarily change failover-disabled TI zones to failover-enabled.  
2. Enable the zones (cfgEnable).  
3. Reset all the zones you changed in step 1 to failover-disabled.  
4. Enable the zones again (cfgEnable).  
These steps are listed in the procedures in this section.  
It is recommended that TI zone definitions and regular zone definitions match.  
Domain controller frames can use any path between switches. Disabling failover does not  
affect Domain Controller connectivity.  
For example, in Figure 32, if failover is disabled, Domain 2 can continue to send domain  
controller frames to Domain 3 and 4, even though the path between Domain 1 and Domain 3  
is a dedicated path. Domain controller frames include zone updates and name server queries.  
Domain 1  
Domain 3  
8
1
9
9
12  
3
15  
7
6
5
= Dedicated Path  
= Ports in the TI zone  
Domain 2  
Domain 4  
FIGURE 32 Fabric incorrectly configured for TI zone with failover disabled  
It is recommended that the insistent Domain ID feature be enabled; if a switch changes its  
active domain ID, the route is broken. See the configure command in the Fabric OS Command  
Reference for information about setting insistent Domain ID.  
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FSPF routing rules and traffic isolation  
All traffic must use the lowest cost path. FSPF routing rules take precedence over the TI zones, as  
described in the following situations.  
If the dedicated ISL is not the lowest cost path ISL, then the following rules apply:  
If failover is enabled, the traffic path for the TI zone is broken, and TI zone traffic uses the  
lowest cost path instead.  
If failover is disabled, the TI zone traffic is blocked.  
If the dedicated ISL is the only lowest cost path ISL, then the following rules apply:  
If failover is enabled, non-TI zone traffic as well as TI zone traffic uses the dedicated ISL.  
If failover is disabled, non-TI zone traffic is blocked because it cannot use the dedicated ISL,  
which is the lowest cost path.  
For example, in Figure 33, there is a dedicated path between Domain 1 and Domain 3, and  
another, non-dedicated, path that passes through Domain 2. If failover is enabled, all traffic will  
use the dedicated path, because the non-dedicated path is not the shortest path. If failover is  
disabled, non-TI zone traffic is blocked because the non-dedicated path is not the shortest path.  
Domain 1  
Domain 3  
8
1
9
9
12  
7
14  
3
15  
16  
6
= Dedicated Path  
= Ports in the TI zone  
5
Domain 2  
Domain 4  
FIGURE 33 Dedicated path is the only shortest path  
In Figure 34 on page 350, a dedicated path between Domain 1 and Domain 4 exists, but is not the  
shortest path. In this situation, if failover is enabled, the TI zone traffic uses the shortest path, even  
though the E_Ports are not in the TI zone. If failover is disabled, the TI zone traffic stops until the  
dedicated path is configured to be the shortest path.  
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Enhanced TI zones  
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Domain 1  
Domain 3  
8
1
9
9
12  
7
14  
3
15  
16  
6
= Dedicated Path  
= Ports in the TI zone  
5
Domain 2  
Domain 4  
FIGURE 34 Dedicated path is not the shortest path  
NOTE  
For information about setting or displaying the FSPF cost of a path, see the linkCost and  
topologyShow commands in the Fabric OS Command Reference.  
Enhanced TI zones  
In Fabric OS v6.4.0 and later, ports can be in multiple TI zones at the same time. Zones with  
overlapping port members are called enhanced TI zones (ETIZ).  
Figure 35 shows an example of two TI zones. Because these TI zones have an overlapping port  
(3,8), they are enhanced TI zones.  
Domain 1  
Domain 3  
Target  
Host 1  
6
2
1
8
7
Host 2  
2
1
= ETIZ 1  
= ETIZ 2  
Domain 2  
FIGURE 35 Enhanced TI zones  
Enhanced TI zones are especially useful in FICON fabrics. See the FICON Administrator’s Guide for  
example topologies using enhanced TI zones.  
enhanced TI zones.  
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Enhanced TI zones  
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Illegal configurations with enhanced TI zones  
When you create TI zones, ensure that all traffic from a port to all destinations on a remote domain  
have the same path. Do not create separate paths from a local port to two or more ports on the  
same remote domain.  
If the TI zones are configured with failover disabled, some traffic will be dropped. If the TI zones are  
configured with failover enabled, all traffic will go through, but half of the traffic will be routed  
incorrectly according to the TI zone definitions.  
A message is sent to the RASlog if a potential error condition is detected in the TI zone  
configuration. You can also display a report of existing and potential problems with TI zone  
Illegal ETIZ configuration: separate paths from a port to devices on same domain  
Figure 36 shows two enhanced TI zones that are configured incorrectly because there are two  
paths from a local port (port 8 on Domain 3) to two or more devices on the same remote domain  
(ports 1 and 4 on Domain 1).  
The TI zones are enhanced TI zones because they have an overlapping member (3,8). Each zone  
describes a different path from the Target to Domain 1. Traffic is routed correctly from Host 1 and  
Host 2 to the Target; however, traffic from the Target to the Hosts might not be.  
Traffic from (3,8) destined for Domain 1 cannot go through both port 6 and port 7, so only one port  
is chosen. If port 6 is chosen, frames destined for (1,4) will be dropped at Domain 1. If port 7 is  
chosen, frames destined for (1,1) will be dropped.  
Host 1  
Domain 1  
Domain 3  
Target  
1
6
7
2
3
8
4
= ETIZ 1  
= ETIZ 2  
Host 2  
FIGURE 36 Illegal ETIZ configuration: two paths from one port to two devices on the same remote domain  
Illegal ETIZ configuration: separate paths from a single port to the same domain  
Figure 37 shows another example of an illegal ETIZ configuration. In this example, the two hosts  
are on separate remote domains, but the path to each host goes through the same domain  
(Domain 1).  
This example contains two enhanced TI zones, with port (3,8) as the overlapping member:  
ETIZ 1 contains (1,1), (1,2), (3,6), (3,8)  
ETIZ 2 contains (2,1), (2,2), (1,4), (1,3), (3,7), (3,8)  
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Traffic Isolation Zoning over FC routers  
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In this example traffic from the Target to Domain 2 is routed correctly. Only one TI zone describes a  
path to Domain 2. However, both TI zones describe different, valid paths from the Target to  
Domain 1. Only one path will be able to get to (1,1). Traffic from port (3,8) cannot be routed to  
Domain 1 over both (3,6) and (3,7), so one port will be chosen. If (3,7) is chosen, frames destined  
for (1,1) will be dropped at Domain 1.  
Domain 1  
Domain 3  
Target  
Host 1  
6
7
2
3
1
8
4
2
Host 2  
1
= ETIZ 1  
= ETIZ 2  
Domain 2  
FIGURE 37 Illegal ETIZ configuration: two paths from one port  
Traffic Isolation Zoning over FC routers  
This section describes how TI zones work with Fibre Channel routing (TI over FCR). See Chapter 24,  
“Using FC-FC Routing to Connect Fabrics,” for information about FC routers, phantom switches, and  
the FC-FC Routing Service.  
Some VE_Port-based features, such as tape pipelining, require the request and corresponding  
response traffic to traverse the same VE_Port tunnel across the metaSAN. To ensure that the  
request and response traverse the same VE_Port tunnel, you must set up Traffic Isolation zones in  
the edge and backbone fabrics.  
Set up a TI zone in an edge fabric to guarantee that traffic from a specific device in that edge  
fabric is routed through a particular EX_Port or VEX_Port.  
Set up a TI zone in the backbone fabric to guarantee that traffic between two devices in  
different fabrics is routed through a particular ISL (VE_Ports or E_Ports) in the backbone.  
This combination of TI zones in the backbone and edge fabrics ensures that the traffic between  
devices in different fabrics traverses the same VE_Port tunnel in a backbone fabric. Figure 38  
shows how three TI zones form a dedicated path between devices in different edge fabrics.  
The backbone fabric can contain one or more FC routers.  
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Edge fabric 1  
Backbone  
fabric  
Edge fabric 2  
= Dedicated path set up by TI zone in edge fabric 1  
= Dedicated path set up by TI zone in edge fabric 2  
= Dedicated path set up by TI zone in backbone fabric  
FIGURE 38 Traffic Isolation Zoning over FCR  
In addition to setting up TI zones, you must also ensure that the devices are in an LSAN zone so  
that they can communicate with each other.  
If failover is enabled and the TI path is not available, an alternate path is used. If failover is disabled  
and the TI path is not available, then devices are not imported.  
NOTE  
For TI over FCR, all switches in the backbone fabric and in the edge fabrics must be running  
Fabric OS v6.1.0 or later.  
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Traffic Isolation Zoning over FC routers  
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TI zones within an edge fabric  
A TI zone within an edge fabric is used to route traffic between a real device and a proxy device  
through a particular EX_Port. For example, in Figure 39, you can set up a TI zone to ensure that  
traffic between Host 1 and the proxy target is routed through EX_Port 9.  
Host 1  
Domain 1  
Front Domain 3  
8
1
2
9
9
10  
-1  
-1  
E_Ports  
EX_Ports  
Host 2  
= Dedicated Path  
= Ports in the TI zone  
Proxy Target  
Xlate Domain 4  
FIGURE 39 TI zone in an edge fabric  
In the TI zone, when you designate E_Ports between the front and xlate phantom switches,  
you must use -1 in place of the “I” in the D,I notation. Both the front and xlate domains must be  
included in the TI zone.  
Using D,I notation, the members of the TI zone in Figure 39 are:  
1,8  
1,1  
3,-1 (E_Port for the front phantom domain)  
4,-1 (E_Port for the xlate phantom domain)  
NOTE  
In this configuration the traffic between the front and xlate domains can go through any path  
between these two domains. The -1 does not identify any specific ISL. To guarantee a specific ISL,  
you need to set up a TI zone within the backbone fabric.  
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Traffic Isolation Zoning over FC routers  
12  
TI zones within a backbone fabric  
A TI zone within a backbone fabric is used to route traffic within the backbone fabric through a  
particular ISL. For example, in Figure 40, a TI zone is set up in the backbone fabric to ensure that  
traffic between EX_Ports “1,1” and “2,1” is routed through VE_Ports “1,4” and “2,7”.  
Target 1  
Target 2  
WWN  
WWN  
Host  
WWN  
Edge fabric 2  
Target 3  
Edge fabric 1  
Backbone fabric  
VE_Ports  
3
1
Edge fabric 3  
2
4
7
2
1
5
6
8
9
3
FC router 1  
FC router 2  
= Dedicated Path  
= Ports in the TI zone  
FIGURE 40 TI zone in a backbone fabric  
TI zones within the backbone fabric use the port WWN instead of D,I notation for devices that are to  
communicate across fabrics. (You can use the portShow command to obtain the port WWN.)  
Port WWNs should be used only in TI zones within a backbone fabric and should not be used in  
other TI zones.  
Using D,I and port WWN notation, the members of the TI zone in Figure 40 are:  
1,1 (EX_Port for FC router 1)  
1,4 (VE_Port for FC router 1)  
2,7 (VE_Port for FC router 2)  
2,1 (EX_Port for FC router 2)  
10:00:00:00:00:01:00:00 (Port WWN for the host)  
10:00:00:00:00:02:00:00 (Port WWN for target 1)  
10:00:00:00:00:03:00:00 (Port WWN for target 2)  
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General rules for TI zones  
12  
Limitations of TI zones over FC routers  
Be aware of the following when configuring TI zones over FC routers:  
A TI zone defined within the backbone fabric does not guarantee that edge fabric traffic will  
arrive at a particular EX_Port. You must set up a TI zone in the edge fabric to guarantee this.  
TI zones within the backbone fabric cannot contain more than one destination router port  
(DRP) per each fabric. This means you cannot define more than one EX_Port to any one edge  
fabric unless they are part of a trunk.  
Only one egress E_Port or VE_Port connected to the next hop can be defined within TI zones.  
Only one ISL or trunk can be defined between two backbone switches.  
TI over FCR is supported only from edge fabric to edge fabric. Traffic isolation from backbone to  
edge is not supported.  
Non-TI data traffic is not restricted from going through the TI path in the backbone fabric.  
For TI over FCR, failover must be enabled in the TI zones in the edge fabrics and in the  
backbone fabric.  
TI over FCR is not supported with FC Fast Write.  
For the FC8-16, FC8-32, FC8-48, FC8-64, and FX8-24 blades only: If Virtual Fabrics is disabled,  
two or more shared area EX_Ports connected to the same edge fabric should not be configured  
in different TI zones. This configuration is not supported.  
General rules for TI zones  
The following general rules apply to TI zones:  
A TI zone must include E_Ports and N_Ports that form a complete, end-to-end route from  
initiator to target.  
When an E_Port is a member of a TI zone that E_Port cannot have its indexed swapped with  
another port.  
A given E_Port used in a TI zone should not be a member of more than one TI zone.  
If multiple E_Ports are configured that are on the lowest cost route to a domain, the various  
source ports for that zone are load-balanced across the specified E_Ports.  
TI zones reside only in the defined configuration and not in the effective configuration. When  
you make any changes to TI zones, including creating or modifying them, you must enable the  
effective configuration for the changes to take effect, even if the effective configuration is  
unchanged.  
A TI zone only provides traffic isolation and is not a “regular” zone.  
Routing rules imposed by TI zones with failover disabled override regular zone definitions.  
Regular zone definitions should match TI zone definitions.  
FSPF supports a maximum of 16 paths to a given domain. This includes paths in a TI zone.  
Each TI zone is interpreted by each switch and each switch considers only the routing required  
for its local ports. No consideration is given to the overall topology and to whether the TI zones  
accurately provide dedicated paths through the whole fabric.  
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General rules for TI zones  
12  
For example, in Figure 41, the TI zone was configured incorrectly and E_Port “3,9” was  
erroneously omitted from the zone. The domain 3 switch assumes that traffic coming from  
E_Port 9 is not part of the TI zone and so that traffic is routed to E_Port 11 instead of E_Port  
12, if failover is enabled. If failover is disabled, the route is broken and traffic stops.  
Domain 1  
Domain 3  
8
1
2
9
9
10  
12  
11  
8
7
6
5
= Dedicated path  
= Ports in the TI zone  
Domain 4  
FIGURE 41 TI zone misconfiguration  
Traffic Isolation Zone violation handling for trunk ports  
For any trunk group, all the members of the group need to belong to the TI zone to prevent routing  
issues resulting from changes in the members of the trunk group. This applies to any E_Port or  
F_Port trunk groups that are included in TI zones using failover disabled mode.  
Fabric OS posts a RASlog message (ZONE-1061) if any of the ports part of a trunk group is not  
added to the TI zone with failover disabled. Also, a CLI (zone --showTItrunkerrors) is provided to  
check if all ports per switch in a TI zone are proper. This will help you identify missing trunk  
members and take corrective actions.  
Example RASlog message when any port in a trunk group is not in the TI zone  
SW82:FID128:admin> zone  
[ZONE-1061], 620/181, FID 128, WARNING, sw0, Some trunk members are missing  
from failover disabled active TI zones.  
The CLI essentially displays the details of the trunk members present in the TI zone and those  
not present in the TI zone. These details are displayed per TI Zone basis.  
Example RASlog message when --showTItrunkerrors is added to zone command  
switch:admin> zone --showTItrunkerrors  
TI Zone Name: brackets  
E-Port Trunks  
Trunk members in TI zone: 16 18  
Trunk members not in TI zone: 17  
F-Port Trunks  
Trunk members in TI zone: 4 5  
Trunk members not in TI zone: 6  
TI Zone Name: loop  
E-Port Trunks  
Trunk members in TI zone: 0  
Trunk members not in TI zone: 1  
TI Zone Name: operand  
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Supported configurations for Traffic Isolation Zoning  
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E-Port Trunks  
Trunk members in TI zone: 8  
Trunk members not in TI zone: 9 10  
E-Port Trunks  
Trunk members in TI zone: 16  
Trunk members not in TI zone: 17 18  
Supported configurations for Traffic Isolation Zoning  
The following configuration rules apply to TI zones:  
Ports in a TI zone must belong to switches that run Fabric OS v6.0.0 or later. For TI over FCR  
zones, all switches and FC routers in both edge and backbone fabrics must be running  
Fabric OS v6.1.0 or later.  
For the FC8-64 blade in the Brocade DCX and DCX 8510-8, ports 48–63 can be in a TI zone  
only if all switches in that TI zone are running Fabric OS v6.4.0 or later. Ports 48–63 can still be  
in a failover path for TI traffic.  
The Brocade DCX-4S and DCX 8510-4 do not have this limitation.  
VE_Ports are supported in TI zones.  
TI Zoning is not supported in fabrics with switches running firmware versions earlier than  
Fabric OS v6.0.0. However, the existence of a TI zone in such a fabric is backward-compatible  
and does not disrupt fabric operation in switches running earlier firmware versions.  
TI over FCR is not backward compatible with Fabric OS v6.0.x or earlier. The -1 in the  
domain,index entries causes issues to legacy switches in a zone merge. Firmware downgrade  
is prevented if TI over FCR zones exist.  
Additional configuration rules for enhanced TI zones  
Enhanced TI zones (ETIZ) have the following additional configuration rules:  
Enhanced TI zones are supported only if every switch in the fabric is ETIZ capable. A switch is  
ETIZ capable if it meets the following qualifications:  
-
The switch must be one of the supported platforms, as listed in “Supported hardware and  
-
The switch must be running Fabric OS v6.4.0 or later.  
If the fabric contains a switch running an earlier version of Fabric OS, you cannot create an  
enhanced TI zone. You cannot merge a downlevel switch into a fabric containing enhanced TI  
zones, and you cannot merge a switch with enhanced TI zones defined into a fabric containing  
switches that do not support ETIZ.  
Overlapping TI zones must have the same failover type. That is, both must be either failover  
enabled or failover disabled.  
NOTE  
FC router domains are excluded from the ETIZ platform restrictions. You can create enhanced TI  
zones with these switches in the fabric.  
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Limitations and restrictions of Traffic Isolation Zoning  
12  
Trunking with TI zones  
If you implement trunking and TI zones, you should keep the following points in mind:  
To include a trunk group in a TI zone, you must include all ports of the trunk in the TI zone.  
Trunked ISL ports cannot be members of more than one TI zone.  
The zonecommand includes an option to show TI trunk errors: zone --showTItrunkerrors  
Description  
This command parameter displays the details of the trunk members in the TI zone, separated  
into present and not present, and displayed per TI Zone basis.  
Sample output  
switch:admin> zone --showTItrunkerrors  
TI Zone Name: brackets  
E-Port Trunks  
Trunk members in TI zone: 16 18  
Trunk members not in TI zone: 17  
F-Port Trunks  
Trunk members in TI zone: 4 5  
Trunk members not in TI zone: 6  
TI Zone Name: loop  
E-Port Trunks  
Trunk members in TI zone: 0  
Trunk members not in TI zone: 1  
TI Zone Name: operand  
E-Port Trunks  
Trunk members in TI zone: 8  
Trunk members not in TI zone: 9 10  
E-Port Trunks  
Trunk members in TI zone: 16  
Trunk members not in TI zone: 17 18  
Limitations and restrictions of Traffic Isolation Zoning  
The following limitations and restrictions apply to Traffic Isolation Zoning:  
For switches running Fabric OS 6.1.0 or later, a maximum of 255 TI zones can be created in  
one fabric. For switches running Fabric OS 6.0.x, no more than 239 TI zones should be  
created.  
A fabric merge resulting in greater than the maximum allowed TI zones results in merge failure  
and the fabrics are segmented.  
A TI zone can be created using D,I (Domain, Index) notation only, except for TI zones in a  
backbone fabric, which use port WWNs. See “Traffic Isolation Zoning over FC routers” on  
page 352 for information about TI zones in a backbone fabric.  
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Admin Domain considerations for Traffic Isolation Zoning  
12  
To include a trunk group in a TI zone, you must include all ports of the trunk in the TI zone.  
If two N_Ports are online and have the same shared area, and one of them is configured in a  
TI zone, then they both must be configured in that same TI zone. One of the online shared area  
N_Ports should not remain outside the TI zone unless it is offline, then it may remain outside  
the TI zone. This limitation does not apply to E_Ports that use the same shared area on FC4-48  
and FC8-48 port blades.  
Ports that are in different TI zones cannot communicate with each other if failover is disabled.  
TI zone members that overlap must have the same TI failover policy across all TI zones to which  
they belong. That is, if an overlapping member is part of a failover-disabled zone, then it can  
belong only to other TI zones where the policy is also failover-disabled; the member cannot  
overlap with failover-enabled TI zones.  
TI zones that have members with port index greater than 511 are not supported with Fabric OS  
versions earlier than v6.4.0. If such a TI zone and Fabric OS version combination is detected,  
a warning is issued. These configurations are not prevented, but their behavior is  
unpredictable.  
When you merge two switches, if there is an effective configuration on the switches and  
TI zones are present on either switch, the TI zones are not automatically activated after the  
merge. Check the TI zone enabled status using the zone --show command, and if the TI Zone  
Enabled status does not match across switches, issue the cfgEnable command.  
Use care when creating TI zones on ICL ports in topologies that span more than two switches  
connected with ICLs. If a user-defined TI zone breaks the ICL connectivity requirements, a a  
FSPF-1009 RASLOG entry and message is generated to notify you of this error condition.  
ATTENTION  
Removing a core blade when both ICL connections and lossless dynamic load sharing are enabled  
may cause frame loss on a number of F_Ports.  
Admin Domain considerations for Traffic Isolation Zoning  
If you implement Admin Domains and TI zones, you should keep the following points in mind:  
TI zones are applicable only in AD0, and the E_Ports that are members of a TI zone must be in  
the AD0 device list. Because TI zones must use D,I notation, the AD0 device list must be  
declared using D,I notation for ports that are to be used in TI zones.  
A port used in a TI zone should not be a member of multiple Admin Domains.  
Use care if defining TI zones with ports that are shared across Admin Domains because of the  
limitation that a given port can appear in only one TI zone.  
Best practice: Do not use ports that are shared across Admin Domains in a TI zone.  
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Virtual Fabrics considerations for Traffic Isolation Zoning  
12  
Virtual Fabrics considerations for Traffic Isolation Zoning  
This section describes how TI zones work with Virtual Fabrics. See Chapter 10, “Managing  
Virtual Fabrics,” for information about the Virtual Fabrics feature, including logical switches and  
logical fabrics.  
TI zones can be created in a logical fabric like in regular fabrics, with the following exceptions:  
The disable failover option is not supported in logical fabrics that use XISLs.  
Although logical switches that use XISLs allow the creation of a TI zone with failover disabled,  
this is not a supported configuration. Base switches do not allow the creation of a TI zone with  
failover disabled.  
To create a TI zone for a logical fabric that uses XISLs, you must create two TI zones: one in the  
logical fabric and one in the base fabric. The combination of TI zones in the base fabric and  
logical fabric sets the path through the base fabric for logical switches.  
The TI zone in the logical fabric includes the extended XISL (XISL) port numbers, as well as the  
F_Ports and ISLs in the logical fabric.  
The TI zone in the base fabric reserves XISLs for a particular logical fabric. The base fabric TI zone  
should also include ISLs that belong to logical switches participating in the logical fabric.  
Figure 42 shows an initiator and target in a logical fabric (FID1). The dotted line indicates a  
dedicated path between initiator and target. The dedicated path passes through the base fabric  
over an XISL. (Figure 42 shows only physical ISLs, not logical ISLs.) To create the TI zones for this  
dedicated path, you must create a TI zone in the logical fabric (FID 1) and one in the base fabric.  
Target  
Host  
Domain 8  
Domain 9  
8
9
6
7
5
1
3
2
4
8
LS3, FID1  
Domain 3  
LS1, FID1  
Domain 5  
Domain 7  
Chassis 1  
Chassis 2  
LS4, FID3  
Domain 4  
LS2, FID3  
Domain 6  
10  
11  
12  
13  
XISL  
XISL  
14  
15  
16  
17  
XISL  
XISL  
Base switch  
Domain 1  
Base switch  
Domain 2  
= Dedicated Path  
= Ports in the TI zones  
FIGURE 42 Dedicated path with Virtual Fabrics  
Figure 43 shows a logical representation of FID1 in Figure 42. To create the dedicated path, you  
must create and activate a TI zone in FID1 that includes the circled ports shown in Figure 43.  
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Virtual Fabrics considerations for Traffic Isolation Zoning  
12  
Domain 8  
Domain 3  
Domain 5  
Domain 9  
Target  
Host  
11  
10  
2
1
4
17  
16  
7
6
8
9
3
8
5
= Dedicated Path  
= Ports in the TI zones  
FIGURE 43 Creating a TI zone in a logical fabric  
You must also create and activate a TI zone in the base fabric to reserve the XISLs for the dedicated  
path. In Figure 44, the XISLs highlighted (by a dotted line) in the base fabric can be reserved for  
FID1 by defining and activating a base fabric TI zone that consists of ports 10, 12, 14, and 16. You  
must also include ports 3 and 8, because they belong to logical switches participating in the logical  
fabric. For the TI zone, it is as though ports 3 and 8 belong to Domains 1 and 2 respectively.  
Domain 1  
Domain 7  
Domain 2  
11  
10  
13  
12  
15  
14  
17  
16  
4
3
7
8
= Dedicated Path  
= Ports in the TI zones  
FIGURE 44 Creating a TI zone in a base fabric  
Using D,I notation, the port numbers for the TI zones in the logical fabric and base fabric are as  
follows:  
Port members for the TI zone in logical fabric Port members for the TI zone in base fabric  
8,8 F_Port  
8,1 E_Port  
3,3 E_Port  
3,10 E_Port  
5,16 E_Port  
5,8 E_Port  
9,5 E_Port  
9,9 F_Port  
1,3 E_Port for ISL in logical switch  
1,10 E_Port for XISL  
7,12 E_Port for XISL  
7,14 E_Port for XISL  
2,16 E_Port for XISL  
2,8 E_Port for ISL in logical switch  
Notice that the base fabric zone contains a reference to port 1,3 even though the base switch with  
domain 1 does not have a port 3 in the switch. This number refers to the port in the chassis with  
port index 3, which actually belongs to LS3 in FID 1.  
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Traffic Isolation Zoning over FC routers with Virtual Fabrics  
12  
Traffic Isolation Zoning over FC routers with Virtual Fabrics  
This section describes how you can set up TI zones over FC routers in logical fabrics. Figure 45  
shows two physical chassis configured into logical switches. The initiator in FID 1 communicates  
with the target in FID 3 over the EX_Ports in the base switches.  
1
10  
F
F
2
3
11  
12  
E
E
E
E
LS2, FID3  
Domain 6  
LS3, FID1  
Domain 3  
15  
16  
4
5
6
7
13  
14  
E
E
EX  
EX  
EX  
EX  
Base switch  
Domain 1  
Base switch  
Domain 2  
E
E
= Dedicated Path  
= Ports in the TI zones  
FIGURE 45 Example configuration for TI zones over FC routers in logical fabrics  
Figure 46 shows a logical representation of the configuration in Figure 45. This SAN is similar to  
that shown in Figure 38 on page 353 and you would set up the TI zones in the same way as  
Edge fabric  
Fabric 1  
1
3
SW3  
2
Edge fabric  
Fabric 3  
10  
SW6  
11  
12  
4
6
5
SW1  
7
13  
15  
14  
SW2  
16  
Backbone fabric  
FIGURE 46 Logical representation of TI zones over FC routers in logical fabrics  
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Creating a TI zone  
12  
Creating a TI zone  
You create and modify TI zones using the zone command. Other zoning commands, such as  
zoneCreate, aliCreate, and cfgCreate, cannot be used to manage TI zones.  
When you create a TI zone, you can set the state of the zone to activated or deactivated. By default  
the zone state is set to activated; however, this does not mean that the zone is activated. After you  
create the TI zone, you must enable the current effective configuration to enforce the new TI zone,  
which is either activated or deactivated.  
Virtual Fabric considerations: Because base fabrics do not contain end devices, they normally do  
not have an effective zone configuration. To activate a TI zone in a base fabric, you should create a  
“dummy” configuration, as described in “Creating a TI zone in a base fabric” on page 366.  
When you create a TI zone, you can enable or disable failover mode. By default, failover mode is  
enabled. If you want to change the failover mode after you create the zone, see “Modifying TI  
If you are creating a TI zone with failover disabled, note the following:  
Ensure that the E_Ports of the TI zone correspond to valid paths; otherwise, the route might be  
missing for ports in that TI zone. You can use the topologyShow command to verify the paths.  
Ensure that sufficient non-dedicated paths through the fabric exist for all devices that are not  
in a TI zone; otherwise, these devices might become isolated.  
See “TI zone failover” on page 346 for information about disabling failover mode.  
Use the following procedure to create a TI zone. If you are creating a TI zone in a base fabric, use  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the zone --create command:  
zone --create -t objtype [-o optlist] name -p "portlist"  
Be aware of the ramifications if you create a TI zone with failover mode disabled. See “TI zone  
failover” on page 346 for information about disabling failover mode.  
3. Perform the following steps if you have any TI zones with failover disabled. If all of your TI zones  
are failover-enabled, skip to step 4.  
a. Change the failover option to failover enabled. This is a temporary change to avoid frame  
loss during the transition.  
zone --add -o f name  
b. Enable the zones.  
cfgenable "current_effective_configuration"  
c. Reset the failover option to failover disabled. Then continue with step 4.  
zone --add -o n name  
4. Enter the cfgEnable command to reactivate your current effective configuration and enforce  
the TI zones.  
cfgenable "current_effective_configuration"  
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Creating a TI zone  
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Example TI zone creation  
The following examples create a TI zone named “bluezone”, which contains E_Ports 1,1 and 2,4  
and N_Ports 1,8 and 2,6.  
To create a TI zone with failover enabled and in the activated state (default settings):  
switch:admin> zone --create -t ti bluezone -p "1,1; 2,4; 1,8; 2,6"  
To create a TI zone with failover enabled (the zone is set to the activated state by default):  
switch:admin> zone --create -t ti -o f bluezone -p "1,1; 2,4; 1,8; 2,6"  
To create a TI zone with failover disabled and the state set to activated:  
switch:admin> zone --create -t ti -o an bluezone -p "1,1; 2,4; 1,8; 2,6"  
To create a TI zone and set the state to deactivated (failover is enabled by default):  
switch:admin> zone --create -t ti -o d bluezone -p "1,1; 2,4; 1,8; 2,6"  
To create a TI zone with failover disabled and the state set to deactivated:  
switch:admin> zone --create -t ti -o dn bluezone -p "1,1; 2,4; 1,8; 2,6"  
To create a TI zone in the edge fabric with failover enabled and the state set to activated (default  
settings):  
switch:admin> zone --create -t ti bluezone -p "1,1; 1,8; 2,-1; 3,-1"  
To create a TI zone in the backbone fabric with failover enabled and the state set to activated  
(default settings):  
switch:admin> zone --create -t ti backbonezone -p "10:00:00:04:1f:03:16:f2;  
1,1; 1,4; 2,7; 2,1; 10:00:00:04:1f:03:18:f1, 10:00:00:04:1f:04:06:e2"  
To create TI zones in a logical fabric, such as the one shown in Figure 43 on page 362:  
Log in to the logical switch FID1, Domain 7 and create a TI zone in the logical fabric with FID=1:  
LS1> zone --create -t ti -o f "ti_zone1" -p "8,8; 8,1; 3,3; 3,10; 5,16; 5,8;  
9,5; 9,9"  
Then create a TI zone in the base fabric, as described in “Creating a TI zone in a base fabric”.  
Remember that your changes are not enforced until you enter the cfgEnable command, as shown  
here:  
switch:admin> cfgenable "USA_cfg"  
You are about to enable a new zoning configuration.  
This action will replace the old zoning configuration with the  
current configuration selected.  
If the update includes changes to one or more traffic isolation zones, the  
update may result in localized disruption to traffic on ports associated with  
the traffic isolation zone changes  
Do you want to enable 'USA_cfg' configuration (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
zone config "USA_cfg" is in effect  
Updating flash ...  
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Creating a TI zone  
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Creating a TI zone in a base fabric  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Create a “dummy” zone configuration in the base fabric. For example:  
zone --create "z1", "1,1"  
cfgcreate "base_config", z1  
3. Enter the zone --create command to create the TI zone in the base fabric:  
zone --create -t objtype -o f name -p "portlist"  
The disable failover option is not supported in base fabrics.  
4. Perform the following steps if you have any TI zones with failover disabled. If all of your TI zones  
are failover-enabled, skip to step 5.  
a. Change the failover option to failover enabled. This is a temporary change to avoid frame  
loss during the transition.  
zone --add -o f name  
b. Enable the zones.  
cfgenable "current_effective_configuration"  
c. Reset the failover option to failover disabled. Then continue with step 4.  
zone --add -o n name  
5. Enter the cfgEnable command to reactivate your current effective configuration and enforce  
the TI zones.  
cfgenable "base_config"  
Example  
The following example creates TI zones in the base fabric shown in Figure 44 on page 362:  
BS_D1> zonecreate "z1", "1,1"  
BS_D1> cfgcreate "base_cfg", z1  
BS_D1> zone --create -t ti -o f "ti_zone2" -p "1,3; 1,10; 7,12; 7,14; 2,16;  
2,8"  
BS_D1> cfgenable "base_config"  
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Modifying TI zones  
12  
Modifying TI zones  
Using the zone --add command, you can add ports to an existing TI zone, change the failover  
option, or both.You can also activate or deactivate the TI zone.  
Using the zone --remove command, you can remove ports from existing TI zones. If you remove the  
last member of a TI zone, the TI zone is deleted.  
After you modify the TI zone, you must enable the current effective configuration to enforce the  
changes.  
ATTENTION  
If failover is disabled, do not allocate all ISLs in TI zones. Make sure sufficient non-dedicated paths  
exist through the fabric for all devices that are not in a TI zone. See “TI zone failover” on page 346  
for additional information about disabling failover mode.  
NOTE  
If you have overlapping TI zones and you want to change the failover option on these zones, you must  
first remove the overlapping ports from the zones, then change the failover type, and finally re-add  
the overlapping members.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter one of the following commands, depending on how you want to modify the TI zone.  
Enter the zone --add command to add ports or change the failover option for an existing TI  
zone. You can also activate or deactivate the zone.  
zone --add [-o optlist] name -p "portlist"  
zone --add -o optlist name [-p "portlist"]  
Enter the zone --remove command to remove ports from an existing TI zone.  
zone --remove name -p "portlist"  
Be aware of the ramifications if you disable failover mode. See “TI zone failover” on page 346  
for information about disabling failover mode.  
3. Perform the following steps if you have any TI zones with failover disabled. If all of your TI zones  
are failover-enabled, skip to step 4.  
a. Change the failover option to failover enabled. This is a temporary change to avoid frame  
loss during the transition.  
zone --add -o f name  
b. Enable the zones.  
cfgenable "current_effective_configuration"  
c. Reset the failover option to failover disabled. Then continue with step 4.  
zone --add -o n name  
4. Enter the cfgEnable command to reactivate your current effective configuration and enforce  
the TI zones.  
cfgenable "current_effective_configuration"  
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Changing the state of a TI zone  
12  
Example of modifying a TI zone  
To add port members to the existing TI zone bluezone:  
switch:admin> zone --add bluezone -p "3,4; 3,6"  
To add port members to the existing TI zone in a backbone fabric:  
switch:admin> zone --add backbonezone -p "3,4; 3,6; 10:00:00:04:1f:03:16:f2;"  
To disable failover on the existing TI zone bluezone:  
switch:admin> zone --add -o n bluezone  
To enable failover and add ports to TI zone greenzone:  
switch:admin> zone --add -o f greenzone -p "3,4"  
To remove ports from the TI zone bluezone:  
switch:admin> zone --remove bluezone -p "3,4; 3,6"  
Remember that your changes are not enforced until you enter the cfgEnable command.  
Changing the state of a TI zone  
You can change the state of a TI zone to activated or deactivated. Changing the state does not  
activate or deactivate the zone. After you change the state of the TI zone, you must enable the  
current effective configuration to enforce the change.  
The TI zone must exist before you can change its state.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Perform one of the following actions:  
To activate a TI zone, enter the zone --activate command.  
zone --activate name  
To deactivate a TI zone, enter the zone --deactivate command.  
zone --deactivate name  
3. Enter the cfgEnable command to reactivate your current effective configuration and enforce  
the TI zones.  
cfgenable "current_effective_configuration"  
Example of setting the state of a TI zone  
To change the state of the existing TI zone bluezone to activated, type:  
switch:admin> zone --activate bluezone  
To change the state of the existing TI zone greenzone to deactivated, type:  
switch:admin> zone --deactivate greenzone  
Remember that your changes are not enforced until you enter the cfgEnable command.  
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Deleting a TI zone  
12  
Deleting a TI zone  
Use the zone --delete command to delete a TI zone from the defined configuration. This command  
deletes the entire zone; to only remove port members from a TI zone, use the zone --remove  
command, as described in “Modifying TI zones” on page 367.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the zone --delete command.  
zone --delete name  
You can delete multiple zones by separating the zone names with a semicolon and enclosing  
them in quotation marks.  
3. Enter the cfgEnable command to reactivate your current effective configuration and enforce  
the TI zones.  
cfgenable "current_effective_configuration"  
Example of deleting a TI zone  
To delete the TI zone bluezone, type:  
switch:admin> zone --delete bluezone  
Remember that your changes are not enforced until you enter the cfgEnable command.  
Displaying TI zones  
Use the zone --show command to display information about TI zones. This command displays the  
following information for each zone:  
Zone name  
E_Port members  
N_Port members  
Configured status (the latest status, which may or may not have been activated by cfgEnable)  
Enabled status (the status that has been activated by cfgEnable)  
If you enter the cfgShow command to display information about all zones, the TI zones appear in  
the defined zone configuration only and do not appear in the effective zone configuration.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the zone --show command.  
zone --show [ name ] [-ascending]  
Example displaying information about the TI zone purplezone  
switch:admin> zone --show purplezone  
Defined TI zone configuration:  
TI Zone Name:  
Port List:  
redzone:  
1,2; 1,3; 3,3; 4,5  
Configured Status: Activated / Failover-Enabled  
Enabled Status: Activated / Failover-Enabled  
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Troubleshooting TI zone routing problems  
12  
Example displaying information about all TI zones in the defined configuration in ascending order  
switch:admin> zone --show -ascending  
Defined TI zone configuration:  
TI Zone Name:  
Port List:  
bluezone:  
8,3; 8,5; 9,2; 9,3;  
Configured Status: Deactivated / Failover-Disabled  
Enabled Status: Activated / Failover-Enabled  
TI Zone Name:  
Port List:  
greenzone:  
2,2; 3,3; 4,11; 5,3;  
Configured Status: Activated / Failover-Enabled  
Enabled Status: Activated / Failover-Enabled  
TI Zone Name:  
Port List:  
purplezone:  
1,2; 1,3; 3,3; 4,5;  
Configured Status: Activated / Failover-Enabled  
Enabled Status: Deactivated / Failover-Enabled  
Troubleshooting TI zone routing problems  
Use the following procedure to generate a report of existing and potential problems with TI zones.  
The report displays an error type.  
“ERROR” indicates a problem currently exists in the fabric.  
“WARNING” indicates that there is not currently a problem, given the current set of online  
devices and reachable domains, but given the activated TI zone configuration, parallel  
exclusive paths between a shared device and a remote domain have been detected, which  
might cause a problem for devices that join the fabric later.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the zone --showTIerrors command.  
zone --showTIerrors  
Here is an example report that would be generated for the illegal configuration shown in Figure 36  
switch:admin> zone --showTIerrors  
My Domain: 3  
Error type:  
ERROR  
Affected Remote Domain: 1  
Affected Local Port:  
Affected TI Zones:  
8
etiz1, etiz2  
Affected Remote Ports: 1, 2, 3, 4  
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Setting up TI over FCR (sample procedure)  
12  
Setting up TI over FCR (sample procedure)  
The following example shows how to set up TI zones over FCR to provide a dedicated path shown in  
Figure 47. In this example, three TI zones are created: one in each of the edge fabrics and one in  
the backbone fabric. The combination of these three TI zones creates a dedicated path for traffic  
between Host 1 in edge fabric 1 and Targets 1 and 2 in edge fabric 2.  
Host 1 has port WWN 10:00:00:00:00:08:00:00  
Target 1 has port WWN 10:00:00:00:00:02:00:00  
Target 2 has port WWN 10:00:00:00:00:03:00:00  
Host 1  
Target 1  
Target 2  
Domain ID = 1  
Domain ID = 2  
2
3
9
8
6
5
1
7
4
Edge fabric 1  
Edge fabric 2  
Backbone  
fabric  
Domain ID = 9  
Domain ID = 4  
= Dedicated path set up by TI zone in edge fabric 1  
= Dedicated path set up by TI zone in edge fabric 2  
= Dedicated path set up by TI zone in backbone fabric  
FIGURE 47 TI over FCR example  
NOTE  
In the following procedure the three TI zones in the edge and backbone fabrics are all given the same  
name, TI_Zone1. It is not required that the TI zones have the same name, but this is done to avoid  
confusion. If several dedicated paths are set up across the FC router, the TI zones for each path can  
have the same name.  
1. In each edge fabric, set up an LSAN zone that includes Host 1, Target 1, and Target 2, so these  
devices can communicate with each other. See Chapter 24, “Using FC-FC Routing to Connect  
Fabrics,” for information about creating LSAN zones.  
2. Log in to the edge fabric 1 and set up the TI zone.  
a. Enter the fabricShow command to display the switches in the fabric. From the output, you  
can determine the front and translate domains.  
E1switch:admin> fabricshow  
Switch ID  
Worldwide Name  
Enet IP Addr  
FC IP Addr  
Name  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------  
1: fffc01 50:00:51:e3:95:36:7e:04 0.0.0.0  
4: fffc04 10:00:00:60:69:80:1d:bc 10.32.72.4  
6: fffc06 50:00:51:e3:95:48:9f:a0 0.0.0.0  
0.0.0.0  
0.0.0.0  
0.0.0.0  
"fcr_fd_1"  
>"E1switch"  
"fcr_xd_6_9"  
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The Fabric has 3 switches  
b. Enter the following commands to create and display a TI zone:  
E1switch:admin> zone --create -t ti TI_Zone1 -p "4,8; 4,5, 1,-1; 6,-1"  
E1switch:admin> zone --show  
Defined TI zone configuration:  
TI Zone Name:  
Port List:  
TI_Zone1  
4,8; 4,5; 1,-1; 6,-1  
Status: Activated  
Failover: Enabled  
c. Enter the following commands to reactivate your current effective configuration and  
enforce the TI zones.  
E1switch:admin> cfgactvshow  
Effective configuration:  
cfg:  
zone: lsan_t_i_TI_Zone1  
10:00:00:00:00:00:02:00:00  
cfg_TI  
10:00:00:00:00:00:03:00:00  
10:00:00:00:00:00:08:00:00  
E1switch:admin> cfgenable cfg_TI  
You are about to enable a new zoning configuration.  
This action will replace the old zoning configuration with the  
current configuration selected.  
If the update includes changes to one or more traffic isolation zones, the  
update may result in localized disruption to traffic on ports associated  
with the traffic isolation zone changes  
Do you want to enable 'cfg_TI' configuration (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
zone config "cfg_TI" is in effect  
Updating flash ...  
3. Log in to the edge fabric 2 and set up the TI zone.  
a. Enter the fabricShow command to display the switches in the fabric. From the output, you  
can determine the front and translate domains.  
E2switch:admin> fabricshow  
Switch ID  
Worldwide Name  
Enet IP Addr  
FC IP Addr  
Name  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------  
1: fffc01 50:00:51:e3:95:36:7e:09 0.0.0.0  
4: fffc04 50:00:51:e3:95:48:9f:a1 0.0.0.0  
9: fffc09 10:00:00:05:1e:40:f0:7d 10.32.72.9  
0.0.0.0  
0.0.0.0  
0.0.0.0  
"fcr_fd_1"  
"fcr_xd_6_9"  
>"E2switch"  
The Fabric has 3 switches  
b. Enter the following commands to create and display a TI zone:  
E2switch:admin> zone --create -t ti TI_Zone1 -p "9,2; 9,3; 9,6; 1,-1; 4,-1"  
E2switch:admin> zone --show  
Defined TI zone configuration:  
TI Zone Name:  
Port List:  
TI_Zone1  
9,2; 9,3; 9,6; 1,-1; 4,-1  
Status: Activated  
Failover: Enabled  
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Setting up TI over FCR (sample procedure)  
12  
c. Enter the following commands to reactivate your current effective configuration and  
enforce the TI zones.  
E2switch:admin> cfgactvshow  
Effective configuration:  
cfg:  
zone: lsan_t_i_TI_Zone1  
10:00:00:00:00:00:02:00:00  
cfg_TI  
10:00:00:00:00:00:03:00:00  
10:00:00:00:00:00:08:00:00  
E2switch:admin> cfgenable cfg_TI  
You are about to enable a new zoning configuration.  
This action will replace the old zoning configuration with the  
current configuration selected.  
If the update includes changes to one or more traffic isolation zones, the  
update may result in localized disruption to traffic on ports associated  
with the traffic isolation zone changes  
Do you want to enable 'cfg_TI' configuration (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
zone config "cfg_TI" is in effect  
Updating flash ...  
4. Log in to the backbone fabric and set up the TI zone.  
a. Enter the following commands to create and display a TI zone:  
BB_DCX_1:admin> zone --create -t ti TI_Zone1 -p "1,9; 1,1; 2,4; 2,7;  
10:00:00:00:00:08:00:00; 10:00:00:00:00:02:00:00; 10:00:00:00:00:03:00:00"  
BB_DCX_1:admin> zone --show  
Defined TI zone configuration:  
TI Zone Name:  
Port List:  
TI_Zone1  
1,9; 1,1; 2,4; 2,7; 10:00:00:00:00:08:00:00;  
10:00:00:00:00:02:00:00; 10:00:00:00:00:03:00:00  
Status: Activated Failover: Enabled  
b. Enter the following commands to reactivate your current effective configuration and  
enforce the TI zones.  
BB_DCX_1:admin> cfgactvshow  
Effective configuration:  
cfg:  
zone: lsan_t_i_TI_Zone1  
10:00:00:00:00:00:02:00:00  
cfg_TI  
10:00:00:00:00:00:03:00:00  
10:00:00:00:00:00:08:00:00  
BB_DCX_1:admin> cfgenable cfg_TI  
You are about to enable a new zoning configuration.  
This action will replace the old zoning configuration with the  
current configuration selected.  
If the update includes changes to one or more traffic isolation zones, the  
update may result in localized disruption to traffic on ports associated  
with the traffic isolation zone changes  
Do you want to enable 'cfg_TI' configuration (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
zone config "cfg_TI" is in effect  
Updating flash ...  
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Bottleneck Detection  
13  
In this chapter  
Bottleneck detection overview  
A bottleneck is a port in the fabric where frames cannot get through as fast as they should. In other  
words, a bottleneck is a port where the offered load is greater than the achieved egress  
throughput. Bottlenecks can cause undesirable degradation in throughput on various links. When a  
bottleneck occurs at one place, other points in the fabric can experience bottlenecks as the traffic  
backs up.  
The bottleneck detection feature enables you to do the following:  
Prevent degradation of throughput in the fabric.  
The bottleneck detection feature alerts you to the existence and locations of devices that are  
causing latency. If you receive alerts for one or more F_Ports, use the CLI to check whether  
these F_Ports have a history of bottlenecks.  
Reduce the time it takes to troubleshoot network problems.  
If you notice one or more applications slowing down, you can determine whether any latency  
devices are attached to the fabric and where. You can use the CLI to display a history of  
bottleneck conditions on a port. If the CLI shows above-threshold bottleneck severity, you can  
narrow the problem down to device latency rather than problems in the fabric.  
You can use the bottleneck detection feature with other Adaptive Networking features to optimize  
the performance of your fabric. For example, you can do the following:  
If the bottleneck detection feature detects a latency bottleneck, you can use TI zones or QoS  
SID/DID traffic prioritization to isolate latency device traffic from high priority application  
traffic.  
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Bottleneck detection overview  
13  
If the bottleneck detection feature detects ISL congestion, you can use ingress rate limiting to  
slow down low priority application traffic, if it is contributing to the congestion.  
Notes  
Bottleneck detection is configured on a per-switch basis, with optional per-port exclusions.  
Bottleneck detection is disabled by default. Best practice is to enable bottleneck detection on  
all switches in the fabric, and leave it on to continuously gather statistics.  
Bottleneck detection does not require a license.  
Types of bottlenecks  
The bottleneck detection feature detects two types of bottlenecks:  
Latency bottleneck  
Congestion bottleneck  
A latency bottleneck is a port where the offered load exceeds the rate at which the other end of the  
link can continuously accept traffic, but does not exceed the physical capacity of the link. This  
condition can be caused by a device attached to the fabric that is slow to process received frames  
and send back credit returns. A latency bottleneck due to such a device can spread through the  
fabric and can slow down unrelated flows that share links with the slow flow.  
By default, bottleneck detection detects latency bottlenecks that are severe enough that they  
cause 98% loss of throughput. This default value can be modified to a different percentage.  
A congestion bottleneck is a port that is unable to transmit frames at the offered rate because the  
offered rate is greater than the physical data rate of the line. For example, this condition can be  
caused by trying to transfer data at 8 Gbps over a 4 Gbps ISL.  
You can use the bottleneckMon command to configure separate alert thresholds for congestion  
and latency bottlenecks.  
Advanced settings allow you to refine the criterion for defining latency bottleneck conditions to  
allow for more (or less) sensitive monitoring at the sub-second level. For example, you would use  
the advanced settings to change the default value of 98% for loss of throughput. See “Advanced  
If a bottleneck is reported, you can investigate and optimize the resource allocation for the fabric.  
Using the zone setup and Top Talkers, you can also determine which flows are destined to any  
affected F_Ports.  
How bottlenecks are reported  
Bottleneck detection uses the concept of an affected second when determining whether a  
bottleneck exists on a port. Each second is marked as being affected or unaffected by a latency or  
congestion bottleneck, based on certain criteria.  
The bottleneck detection feature maintains two histories of affected seconds for each port—one  
history for latency bottlenecks and another for congestion bottlenecks. A history is maintained for a  
maximum of three hours for each port. You can view the history using the bottleneckmon --show  
Bottlenecks are also reported through RASlog alerts and SNMP traps. These two alerting  
mechanisms cannot be turned on and off independently.  
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Supported configurations for bottleneck detection  
13  
You can use the bottleneckMon command to specify alerting parameters for the following:  
Whether alerts are to be sent when a bottleneck condition is detected  
The size of the time window to look at when determining whether to alert  
How many affected seconds are needed to generate the alert  
How long to stay quiet after an alert  
If an enabled alert is for congestion, for latency, or for both  
NOTE  
Changing alerting parameters affects RASlog alerting as well as SNMP traps.  
For more detailed information on the bottleneckmon command, consult the Fabric OS Command  
Reference.  
Supported configurations for bottleneck detection  
The following configuration rules apply to bottleneck detection:  
Bottleneck detection is supported only on Fibre Channel ports and FCoE F_Ports.  
Bottleneck detection is supported only on the following port types:  
-
-
-
-
E_Ports  
EX_Ports  
F_Ports  
FL_Ports  
F_Port and E_Port trunks are supported.  
Long distance E_Ports are supported.  
FCoE F_Ports are supported.  
Bottleneck detection is supported on 4-Gbps, 8-Gbps, and 16-Gbps platforms, including  
10-Gbps speeds.  
Bottleneck detection is supported in Access Gateway mode.  
Bottleneck detection is supported whether Virtual Fabrics is enabled or disabled. In VF mode,  
bottleneck detection is supported on all fabrics, including the base fabric. See “Virtual Fabrics  
bottleneck detection in VF mode.  
Limitations of bottleneck detection  
The bottleneck detection feature detects latency bottlenecks only at the point of egress, not  
ingress. For example, for E_Ports, only the traffic egressing the port is monitored. For FCoE ports at  
the FC-DCB (Data Center Bridging) boundary, traffic going from FC to DCB is monitored, but traffic  
going from DCB to FC is not monitored.  
ATTENTION  
Using this feature for latency bottleneck detection is not recommended for link utilizations above 85%.  
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Supported configurations for bottleneck detection  
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High availability considerations for bottleneck detection  
The bottleneck detection configuration is maintained across a failover or reboot; however,  
bottleneck statistics collected are lost.  
Upgrade and downgrade considerations for bottleneck detection  
The bottleneck detection configuration is persistent across firmware upgrades and downgrades.  
The sub-second latency criterion parameter settings are not preserved on downgrade to firmware  
versions earlier than Fabric OS 7.0.0. If you downgrade and then upgrade back to Fabric OS 7.0.0,  
the settings revert to their default values.  
Trunking considerations for bottleneck detection  
A trunk behaves like a single port. Both latency and congestion bottlenecks are reported on the  
master port only, but apply to the entire trunk.  
For masterless trunking, if the master port goes offline, the new master acquires all the  
configurations and bottleneck history of the old master and continues with bottleneck detection on  
the trunk.  
Virtual Fabrics considerations for bottleneck detection  
Bottleneck detection is supported in both VF and non-VF modes.  
In VF mode, if a port on which bottleneck detection is enabled is moved out of a logical switch, any  
per-port configurations are retained by the logical switch. The per-port configuration does not  
propagate outside of the logical switch. If the port is returned to the logical switch, the previous  
per-port configurations are automatically set for the port. See “Changing bottleneck detection  
parameters” on page 384 for more information about changing per-port configurations.  
In logical fabrics, bottleneck detection is not performed on logical ISLs.  
Because a base fabric carries traffic from multiple logical fabrics, bottlenecks reported in the base  
fabric can be caused by a mixture of traffic from multiple logical fabrics or by traffic from a single  
logical fabric. It is not possible to attribute a base fabric bottleneck to the exact logical fabric  
causing it. Dedicated ISLs are exclusive to one logical fabric, and any bottleneck on a dedicated ISL  
E_Port pertains entirely to the traffic of that logical fabric.  
Access Gateway considerations for bottleneck detection  
If bottleneck detection is enabled on a logical switch with some F_Ports connected to an Access  
Gateway, you do not get information about which device is causing a bottleneck, because devices  
are not directly connected to this port. To detect bottlenecks on an Access Gateway, enable  
bottleneck detection on the Access Gateway to which the devices are actually connected.  
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Credit Loss  
13  
Credit Loss  
Fabric OS v7.1 and later supports back-end credit loss detection back-end ports and core blades as  
well as on the Brocade 5300 and 6520 switches, although the support is slightly different on each  
device. See below for details on these switches, and the Fabric OS Troubleshooting and  
Diagnostics Guide for more general information.  
Back-end credit loss detection and recovery support on Brocade 5300  
switches  
The following credit loss detection methods are supported for Brocade 5300 back-end ports:  
Per-port polling to detect credit loss. If credit loss is detected using this method, the  
RASlog C2-1012 message is displayed and recorded.  
On-demand VC credit loss detection. If credit loss is detected using this method, the  
RASlog C2-1027 message is displayed and recorded.  
TX timeout trigger automatic VC credit loss detection. If credit loss is detected using this  
method, the RASlog C2-1027 message is displayed and recorded.  
The following credit loss recovery methods are supported for Brocade 5300 back-end ports:  
For the first two credit loss methods described above, a link reset will automatically be  
performed, assuming that this option was enabled. See “Enabling back-end credit loss  
detection and recovery” below for details on enabling this feature.  
For the third credit loss method described above, a link reset will be automatically performed if  
complete credit loss on a VC is detected.  
A manual link reset option using the bottleneckmon command is also available. See “Enabling  
NOTE  
Whenever a link reset is performed on this switch, the RASlog C2-1014 message is displayed  
and recorded.  
Back-end credit loss detection and recovery support on Brocade 6520  
switches  
The following credit loss detection methods are supported for Brocade 6520 back-end ports:  
Per-port polling to detect credit loss. If credit loss is detected using this method, the  
RASlog C3-1012 message is displayed and recorded.  
Per-VC credit loss detection. If single-credit loss is detected using this method, it will be  
automatically recovered and the RASlog C3-1023 message is displayed and recorded.  
If multi-credit loss is detected using this method, the RASlog C3-1013 message is displayed  
and recorded. There is no automatic recovery for multi-credit loss.  
Complete VC credit loss detection. If credit loss is detected using this method, the  
RASlog C2-1011 message is displayed and recorded.  
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The following credit loss recovery methods are supported for Brocade 6520 back-end ports:  
For all the credit loss methods described above, a link reset will automatically be performed,  
assuming that this option was enabled. See “Enabling back-end credit loss detection and  
recovery” below for details on enabling this feature.  
A manual link reset option using the bottleneckmon command is also available. See “Enabling  
NOTE  
Whenever a link reset is performed on this switch, the RASlog C3-1014 message is displayed  
and recorded.  
Enabling back-end credit loss detection and recovery  
Credit loss detection and recovery is enabled and disabled through the CLI using the  
bottleneckmon --cfgcredittools command.  
Notes:  
The execution of this command is subject to Virtual Fabric or Admin Domain restrictions that  
may be in place. Refer to the Fabric OS Troubleshooting and Diagnostics Guide for more  
information.  
The bottleneck detection commands are supported on F_Ports, FL_Ports, E_Ports, and  
EX_Ports.  
The credit recovery commands are supported only on back-end ports of 4G, 8G, and 16G  
Capable FC platforms for blades in the Brocade DCX, DCX-4S, DCX 8510-8, and DCX 8510-4  
chassis.  
Enabling bottleneck detection on a switch  
Enabling bottleneck detection permits both latency and congestion detection.  
Bottleneck detection is enabled on a switch basis. It is recommended that you enable bottleneck  
detection on every switch in the fabric. If you later add additional switches, including logical  
switches, to the fabric, be sure to enable bottleneck detection on those switches as well.  
When you enable bottleneck detection on a switch, the settings are applied to all eligible ports on  
that switch. If ineligible ports later become eligible or, in the case of a logical switch, if ports are  
moved to the logical switch, bottleneck detection is automatically applied to those ports.  
You can later override these settings on a per-port basis, as described in “Changing bottleneck  
Use the following procedure to enable bottleneck detection:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the bottleneckmon --enable command to enable bottleneck detection on all eligible  
ports on the switch.  
By default, alerts are not sent unless you specify the alert parameter; however, you can view a  
history of bottleneck conditions for the port as described in “Displaying bottleneck statistics”  
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Displaying bottleneck detection configuration details  
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3. Repeat step 1 and step 2 on every switch in the fabric.  
NOTE  
Best practice is to use the default values for the alerting and sub-second latency criterion  
parameters.  
Example of enabling bottleneck detection  
(Recommended use case) The following example enables bottleneck detection on the switch with  
alerts using default values for thresholds and time.  
switch:admin> bottleneckmon --enable -alert  
The following example enables bottleneck detection on the switch without alerts. In this case, even  
though alerts are not delivered, you can still view the bottleneck history using either the CLI or BNA.  
switch:admin> bottleneckmon --enable  
Displaying bottleneck detection configuration details  
Use the following procedure to display the bottleneck detection configuration details:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the bottleneckmon --status command to display the details of bottleneck detection  
configuration for the switch, which includes the following:  
Whether the feature is enabled  
Switch-wide parameters  
Per-port overrides, if any  
Excluded ports  
The initials in the section “Per-port overrides for alert parameters,” indicate which alerts have been  
set. The meanings are as follows:  
C indicates a congestion alert has been set  
L indicates a latency alert has been set  
Y indicates both alerts are set  
N indicates no alerts are set  
The examples below show the status of different bottleneck alerts.  
Example of status showing that bottleneck detection is not enabled  
switch:admin> bottleneckmon --status  
Bottleneck detection - Disabled  
switch:admin>  
bottleneck detection.  
Example of status output showing that bottleneck detection is enabled for both congestion and latency  
switch:admin> bottleneckmon --status  
Bottleneck detection - Enabled  
==============================  
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Switch-wide sub-second latency bottleneck criterion:  
====================================================  
Time threshold  
- 0.800  
Severity threshold  
- 50.000  
Switch-wide alerting parameters:  
============================  
Alerts  
- Yes  
- 0.100  
Latency threshold for alert  
Congestion threshold for alert - 0.800  
Averaging time for alert  
Quiet time for alert  
- 300 seconds  
- 300 seconds  
Example of status output showing that only a congestion alert at the switch level has been set  
switch:admin> bottleneckmon --status  
Bottleneck detection - Enabled  
==============================  
Switch-wide sub-second latency bottleneck criterion:  
====================================================  
Time threshold  
- 0.800  
Severity threshold  
- 50.000  
Switch-wide alerting parameters:  
============================  
Alerts  
- Congestion only  
Congestion threshold for alert - 0.800  
Averaging time for alert  
Quiet time for alert  
- 300 seconds  
- 300 seconds  
Per-port overrides for alert parameters:  
========================================  
Port  
Alerts? LatencyThresh  
CongestionThresh  
Time (s)  
QTime(s)  
================================================================================  
1
2
3
4
Y
C
L
N
0.100  
--  
0.100  
--  
0.800  
0.800  
--  
300  
600  
300  
--  
300  
600  
300  
--  
--  
NOTE  
If there are no per-port overrides, then that section is not displayed.  
Setting bottleneck detection alerts  
You can configure Fabric OS to log per-port alerts based on the latency and congestion history of  
the port. Alerts are generated based on the number of affected seconds over a specified period of  
time. If the number of affected seconds is higher than the threshold, an alert is generated.  
This evaluation is done independently for latency and congestion.  
The bottleneckmon -alert parameters described below determine whether an alert is generated  
and what for.  
For example, Figure 48 shows an interval of 12 seconds, in which 6 seconds are affected by a  
congestion bottleneck and 3 seconds are affected by a latency bottleneck.  
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FIGURE 48 Affected seconds for bottleneck detection  
The -time parameter specifies the time window. For this example, -time equals 12 seconds.  
The -cthresh and -lthresh parameters specify the thresholds on number of affected seconds that  
trigger alerts for congestion and latency bottlenecks, respectively. This example uses the default  
values for these parameters, where -cthresh = 0.8 (80%) and -lthresh = 0.1 (10%).  
For this time window, 50% of the seconds (6 out of 12 seconds) are affected by congestion. This is  
below the threshold of 80%, so an alert would not be generated for a congestion bottleneck.  
For the same time window, 25% of the seconds (3 out of 12 seconds) are affected by latency.  
This exceeds the threshold of 10%, so an alert would be generated for a latency bottleneck.  
Setting both a congestion alert and a latency alert  
Entering the bottleneckmon --enable -alert command enables both alerts using the default alert  
values.  
Example of setting an alert for both congestion and latency  
This example enables both alerts and shows their values.  
switch:admin> bottleneckmon --enable -alert  
switch:admin> bottleneckmon --status  
Bottleneck detection - Enabled  
==============================  
Switch-wide sub-second latency bottleneck criterion:  
====================================================  
Time threshold  
- 0.800  
Severity threshold  
- 50.000  
Switch-wide alerting parameters:  
================================  
Alerts  
- Yes  
- 0.100  
Latency threshold for alert  
Congestion threshold for alert - 0.800  
Averaging time for alert  
Quiet time for alert  
- 300 seconds  
- 300 seconds  
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Setting a congestion alert only  
This example enables a congestion alert and shows its values.  
Example of setting an alert for congestion  
switch:admin> bottleneckmon --enable -alert=congestion  
switch:admin> bottleneckmon --status  
Bottleneck detection - Enabled  
==============================  
Switch-wide sub-second latency bottleneck criterion:  
====================================================  
Time threshold  
- 0.800  
Severity threshold  
- 50.000  
Switch-wide alerting parameters:  
================================  
Alerts  
- Congestion only  
Congestion threshold for alert - 0.800  
Averaging time for alert  
Quiet time for alert  
- 300 seconds  
- 300 seconds  
Setting a latency alert only  
This example enables a latency alert shows its values.  
Example of setting an alert for latency  
switch:admin> bottleneckmon --enable -alert=latency  
switch:admin> bottleneckmon --status  
Bottleneck detection - Enabled  
==============================  
Switch-wide sub-second latency bottleneck criterion:  
====================================================  
Time threshold  
- 0.800  
Severity threshold  
- 50.000  
Switch-wide alerting parameters:  
================================  
Alerts  
- Latency only  
Latency threshold for alert  
Averaging time for alert  
Quiet time for alert  
- 0.100  
- 300 seconds  
- 300 seconds  
Changing bottleneck detection parameters  
When you enable bottleneck detection, you can configure switch-wide or port-specific alerting  
parameters. The alerting parameters indicate whether alerts are sent, and the threshold, time, and  
quiet time options, as well as sub-second latency criterion for ports.  
After you enable bottleneck detection, you can change the alerting parameters for the entire switch  
or just for individual ports. For example, you can change only the latency threshold for only port 47  
without affecting any other port. You can also change the parameters on ports that have been  
excluded from bottleneck detection.For a trunk, you can change the parameters only on the master  
port.  
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NOTE  
Entering a --config command changes only those settings specified in the command; all others are  
left alone. The only exceptions are for the -alert (restores alerts using recorded values) or -noalert  
(disables all alerts) switches. This means that if you want alerts, you must specify what you want as  
the -alert value for every bottleneckmon - -config -alert command. See “Notes” on page 388 for  
information about --config and -alert-related settings.  
Use the following procedure to configure the bottleneck detection parameters:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the bottleneckmon --config command to set the alerting and sub-second latency  
criterion parameters.  
To remove any port-specific alerting and sub-second latency criterion parameters and revert to the  
switch-wide parameters, enter the bottleneckMon --configclear command. To remove and erase all  
bottleneck alerts and their criteria, enter bottleneckMon --disable. See “Disabling bottleneck  
Examples of applying and changing bottleneck detection parameters  
The following examples show not just how to change various bottleneck detection parameters, but  
how the changes made are retained when the next set of changes is made. For each example, after  
the configuration command is run, the bottleneckMon --status command is run to show the new  
settings, which are bolded just for the examples.  
Example 1: Setting time window, quiet time, and threshold values for an entire switch  
This example sets the time window to 150 seconds, the quiet time to 150 seconds, the congestion  
threshold to 0.7 (70%) and the latency threshold to 0.2 (20%) for the entire switch.  
switch:admin> bottleneckmon --config -alert -time 150 -qtime 150 -cthresh 0.7  
-lthresh 0.2  
switch:admin> bottleneckmon --status  
Bottleneck detection - Enabled  
==============================  
Switch-wide sub-second latency bottleneck criterion:  
====================================================  
Time threshold  
- 0.800  
Severity threshold  
- 50.000  
Switch-wide alerting parameters:  
================================  
Alerts  
- Yes  
- 0.200  
Latency threshold for alert  
Congestion threshold for alert - 0.700  
Averaging time for alert  
Quiet time for alert  
- 150 seconds  
- 150 seconds  
Example 2: Changing time window value for an entire switch  
This changes the time window value to 200 seconds for the entire switch.  
switch:admin> bottleneckmon --config -alert -time 200  
switch:admin> bottleneckmon --status  
Bottleneck detection - Enabled  
==============================  
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Switch-wide sub-second latency bottleneck criterion:  
====================================================  
Time threshold  
- 0.800  
Severity threshold  
- 50.000  
Switch-wide alerting parameters:  
================================  
Alerts  
- Yes  
- 0.200  
Latency threshold for alert  
Congestion threshold for alert - 0.700  
Averaging time for alert  
Quiet time for alert  
- 200 seconds  
- 150 seconds  
Example 3: Disabling bottleneck detection alerts for a port  
This disables bottleneck detection alerts for port 46 only.  
switch:admin> bottleneckmon --config -noalert 46  
switch:admin> bottleneckmon --status  
Bottleneck detection - Enabled  
==============================  
Switch-wide sub-second latency bottleneck criterion:  
====================================================  
Time threshold  
- 0.800  
Severity threshold  
- 50.000  
Switch-wide alerting parameters:  
================================  
Alerts  
- Yes  
- 0.200  
Latency threshold for alert  
Congestion threshold for alert - 0.700  
Averaging time for alert  
Quiet time for alert  
- 200 seconds  
- 150 seconds  
Per-port overrides for alert parameters:  
========================================  
Port  
=================================================================================  
46 -- -- -- --  
Alerts? LatencyThresh  
CongestionThresh  
Time (s)  
QTime (s)  
N
Example 4: Selecting latency-only alerts and changing the latency threshold value for a single port  
This changes the alerts to latency-only and the latency threshold value to 0.75, both on port 47  
only.  
switch:admin> bottleneckmon --config -alert=latency -lthresh 0.75 47  
switch:admin> bottleneckmon --status  
Bottleneck detection - Enabled  
==============================  
Switch-wide sub-second latency bottleneck criterion:  
====================================================  
Time threshold  
- 0.800  
Severity threshold  
- 50.000  
Switch-wide alerting parameters:  
================================  
Alerts  
- Yes  
- 0.200  
Latency threshold for alert  
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Congestion threshold for alert - 0.700  
Averaging time for alert  
Quiet time for alert  
- 200 seconds  
- 150 seconds  
Per-port overrides for alert parameters:  
========================================  
Port  
Alerts? LatencyThresh  
CongestionThresh  
Time (s)  
QTime (s)  
=================================================================================  
46  
N
--  
--  
--  
--  
47  
L
0.750  
--  
200  
150  
Example 5: Changing the latency time value for a single port  
This changes the time value to 250 seconds for port 47 only. Notice that the command must  
include -alert=latency to preserve the latency-only alerts configured in the previous example.  
In general, -alert must be specified (with =latency or =congestion if desired), on every --config  
command when alerts are desired.  
switch:admin> bottleneckmon --config -alert=latency -time 250 47  
switch:admin> bottleneckmon --status  
Bottleneck detection - Enabled  
==============================  
Switch-wide sub-second latency bottleneck criterion:  
====================================================  
Time threshold  
- 0.800  
Severity threshold  
- 50.000  
Switch-wide alerting parameters:  
================================  
Alerts  
- Yes  
- 0.200  
Latency threshold for alert  
Congestion threshold for alert - 0.700  
Averaging time for alert  
Quiet time for alert  
- 200 seconds  
- 150 seconds  
Per-port overrides for alert parameters:  
========================================  
Port  
Alerts? LatencyThresh  
CongestionThresh  
Time (s)  
QTime (s)  
=================================================================================  
46  
N
--  
--  
--  
--  
47  
L
0.750  
--  
250  
150  
Example 6: Clearing bottleneck detection override values from ports  
This removes any changed bottleneck detection parameter values from ports 46 and 47.  
Notice that the “Per-port overrides for alert parameters” section is not displayed as there are no  
per-port overrides.  
switch:admin> bottleneckmon --configclear 46-47  
switch:admin> bottleneckmon --status  
Bottleneck detection - Enabled  
==============================  
Switch-wide sub-second latency bottleneck criterion:  
====================================================  
Time threshold  
- 0.800  
Severity threshold  
- 50.000  
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Switch-wide alerting parameters:  
================================  
Alerts  
- Yes  
- 0.200  
Latency threshold for alert  
Congestion threshold for alert - 0.700  
Averaging time for alert  
Quiet time for alert  
- 200 seconds  
- 150 seconds  
Adjusting the frequency of bottleneck alerts  
Depending on the circumstances, a problematic switch or port might be triggering alerts more  
frequently than desired. The -qtime parameter can be used to throttle alerts by specifying the  
minimum number of seconds between consecutive alerts. Thresholds are configured separately for  
each type of bottleneck and statistical data are collected independently for each condition.  
This parameter applies individually to each type of bottleneck detection; so there can be one  
latency alert and one congestion alert in one quiet time.  
Example of setting quiet time  
This example sets a latency threshold of 0.8 for a time window of 30 seconds, and specifies that an  
alert should be sent when 80% (0.8) of the one-second samples over any period of 30 seconds  
were affected by latency bottleneck conditions; the system then waits 60 seconds before issuing  
the next alert (assuming that there is one).  
switch:admin> bottleneckmon --enable -lthresh 0.8 -time 30 -qtime 60  
-alert=latency  
switch:admin>  
Notes  
Alert-related parameters can only be specified with --config when -alert is specified.  
This is because -noalert is assumed if -alert is not specified, and -noalert cancels all  
alert-related parameters. As long as you want alerts, you must include the exact form of alert  
(-alert, -alert=congestion, or -alert=latency) in every --config operation, even if alerts are  
already enabled.  
The retention of settings applies only to the --config command, not to --enable.  
An --enable operation behaves as if there is no preexisting user configuration, so if the --enable  
command does not include -alert, but does specify alert-related parameters, that command  
will fail.  
Advanced bottleneck detection settings  
Bottleneck detection uses the concept of an affected second when determining whether a  
bottleneck exists on a port. Each second is marked as being affected or unaffected by a latency or  
congestion bottleneck, based on certain criteria.  
You can use the sub-second latency criterion parameters to refine the criterion for determining  
whether a second is marked as affected by latency bottlenecks. For example, you might want to use  
the sub-second latency criterion parameters in the following cases:  
You notice an under-performing application, but do not see any latency bottlenecks detected.  
You can temporarily increase the sub-second sensitivity of latency bottleneck detection on the  
specific F_Ports for this application.  
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You want greater-than-default (sub-second) latency sensitivity on your fabric, so you set  
sub-second latency criterion parameters at the time you enable bottleneck detection.  
You want to reduce the number of alerts you are receiving about known latency bottlenecks in  
the fabric, so you temporarily decrease the sub-second latency sensitivity on these ports.  
You have a latency bottleneck on an ISL that is not at the edge of the fabric.  
The sub-second latency criterion parameters are always applicable. These parameters affect alerts  
and, even if alerting is not enabled, they affect the history of bottleneck statistics.  
The sub-second latency criterion parameters are the following, with default values in parentheses:  
-lsubsectimethresh (0.8) is similar to the -lthresh alerting parameter, except on a sub-second  
level. The default value of 0.8 means that at least 80% of a second must be affected by latency  
for the second to be marked as affected.  
-lsubsecsevthresh (50) specifies the factor by which throughput must drop in a second for that  
second to be considered affected by latency. The default value of 50 means that the observed  
throughput in a second must be no more than 1/50th the capacity of the port for that second  
to be counted as an affected second. 1/50th of capacity means 2% of capacity, which means  
98% loss of throughput.  
Sub-second latency criterion parameters apply only to latency bottlenecks and not congestion  
bottlenecks.  
When you enable bottleneck detection, you can specify switch-wide sub-second latency criterion  
parameters. After you enable bottleneck detection, you can change the sub-second latency  
criterion parameters only on a per-port basis. You cannot change them on the entire switch, as you  
can with alerting parameters, unless you disable and then re-enable bottleneck detection.  
Changing the sub-second latency criterion parameters on specific ports causes an interruption in  
the detection of bottlenecks on those ports, which means the history of bottlenecks is lost on these  
ports. Also note the following behaviors if you change the sub-second latency criterion parameters:  
Traffic through these ports is not affected.  
History of latency bottlenecks and congestion bottlenecks is lost on these ports. Other ports  
are not affected, however.  
The interruption occurs whether you set or clear per-port overrides on the sub-second latency  
criterion parameters.  
Because of the interruption, you can never have an alert for a port such that the alert spans  
periods of time with different sub-second latency criteria on that port.  
Excluding a port from bottleneck detection  
When you exclude a port from bottleneck detection, no data is collected from the port and no alerts  
are generated for the port. All statistics history for the port is discarded.  
Alerting parameters for the port are preserved, so if you later include the port for bottleneck  
detection, the alerting parameters are restored.  
Per-port exclusions might be needed if, for example, a long-distance port is known to be a  
bottleneck because of credit insufficiency. In general, however, per-port exclusions are not  
recommended.  
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For trunking, if you exclude a slave port from bottleneck detection, the exclusion has no effect as  
long as the port is a trunk slave. The exclusion takes effect only if the port becomes a trunk master  
or leaves the trunk.  
Use the following procedure to exclude a port from bottleneck detection:  
1. Connect to the switch to which the target port belongs and log in using an account with admin  
permissions.  
2. Enter the bottleneckmon --exclude command to exclude the port from bottleneck detection.  
To later include the port, enter the bottleneckmon --include command.  
Example showing how to exclude a single port from bottleneck detection  
This example excludes port 7 only from bottleneck detection. See “Disabling bottleneck detection  
on a switch” on page 392 for more information on this command.  
NOTE  
Excluding the master port excludes the entire trunk, even if individual slave ports are not excluded.  
switch:admin> bottleneckmon --exclude 7  
switch:admin> bottleneckmon --status  
Bottleneck detection - Enabled  
==============================  
Switch-wide sub-second latency bottleneck criterion:  
====================================================  
Time threshold  
- 0.800  
Severity threshold  
- 50.000  
Switch-wide alerting parameters:  
================================  
Alerts  
- Yes  
- 0.200  
Latency threshold for alert  
Congestion threshold for alert - 0.700  
Averaging time for alert  
Quiet time for alert  
- 200 seconds  
- 150 seconds  
Per-port overrides for alert parameters:  
========================================  
Port  
Alerts? LatencyThresh  
CongestionThresh  
Time (s)  
QTime (s)  
=================================================================================  
46  
47  
N
L
--  
0.750  
--  
--  
--  
250  
--  
150  
Excluded ports:  
===============  
Port  
====  
7
Example showing how to re-include bottleneck detection for a port  
This restores bottleneck detection for port 7. Notice that the “Excluded ports” section is not  
displayed as there are no excluded ports.  
switch:admin> bottleneckmon --include 7  
switch:admin> bottleneckmon --status  
Bottleneck detection - Enabled  
==============================  
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Switch-wide sub-second latency bottleneck criterion:  
====================================================  
Time threshold  
- 0.800  
Severity threshold  
- 50.000  
Switch-wide alerting parameters:  
================================  
Alerts  
- Yes  
- 0.200  
Latency threshold for alert  
Congestion threshold for alert - 0.700  
Averaging time for alert  
Quiet time for alert  
- 200 seconds  
- 150 seconds  
Per-port overrides for alert parameters:  
========================================  
Port  
Alerts? LatencyThresh  
CongestionThresh  
Time (s)  
QTime (s)  
=================================================================================  
46  
47  
N
L
--  
0.750  
--  
--  
--  
250  
--  
150  
Displaying bottleneck statistics  
You can use the bottleneckmon --show command to display a history of bottleneck conditions, for  
up to three hours. This command has several display options:  
Display only latency bottlenecks, only congestion bottlenecks, or both combined.  
Display bottleneck statistics for a single port, bottleneck statistics for all ports on the switch, or  
a list of ports affected by bottleneck conditions.  
Continuously update the displayed data with fresh data.  
Use the following procedure to display the bottleneck statistics:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the bottleneckmon --show command.  
Example of displaying the bottleneck history in 5-second windows over a period of 30 seconds  
In this example, the definition of bottlenecked ports is any port that had a bottleneck occur during  
any second in the corresponding interval.  
switch:admin> bottleneckmon --show -interval 5 -span 30  
==================================================================  
Wed Jan 13 18:54:35 UTC 2010  
==================================================================  
List of bottlenecked ports in most recent interval:  
5
==================================================================  
Number of  
From  
To  
bottlenecked ports  
==================================================================  
Jan 13 18:54:05  
Jan 13 18:54:10  
Jan 13 18:54:15  
Jan 13 18:54:20  
Jan 13 18:54:25  
Jan 13 18:54:30  
Jan 13 18:54:10  
Jan 13 18:54:15  
Jan 13 18:54:20  
Jan 13 18:54:25  
Jan 13 18:54:30  
Jan 13 18:54:35  
1
2
1
1
0
0
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Disabling bottleneck detection on a switch  
13  
Disabling bottleneck detection on a switch  
When you disable bottleneck detection on a switch, all bottleneck configuration details are  
discarded, including the list of excluded ports and non-default values of alerting parameters.  
Use the following procedure to disable bottleneck detection:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the bottleneckmon --disable command to disable bottleneck detection on the switch.  
switch:admin> bottleneckmon --disable  
Example of disabling bottleneck detection on a switch  
switch:admin> bottleneckmon --disable  
switch:admin> bottleneckmon --status  
Bottleneck detection - Disabled  
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In-flight Encryption and Compression  
14  
In this chapter  
In-flight encryption and compression overview  
The in-flight encryption and compression features of Fabric OS allow frames to be encrypted or  
compressed at the egress point of an ISL between two Brocade switches, and then to be decrypted  
or decompressed at the ingress point of the ISL. These features use port-based encryption and  
compression. You can enable the encryption and compression feature for both E_Ports and  
EX_Ports on a per-port basis. By default this feature is initially disabled for all ports on a switch.  
NOTE  
The in-flight encryption and compression features are supported for any port speed, but only on  
16G-capable E_Ports and EX_Ports on the Brocade 6510 and 6520 switches and the Brocade DCX  
8510 Backbone family.  
The purpose of encryption is to provide security for frames while they are in flight between two  
switches. The purpose of compression is for better bandwidth use on the ISLs, especially over long  
distance. An average compression ratio of 2:1 is provided. Frames are never left in an encrypted or  
compressed state when delivered to an end device. Both ends of the ISL must terminate in  
16G-capable FC ports.  
Encryption and compression can be enabled at the same time for an ISL, or you can enable either  
encryption or compression selectively. Figure 49 shows an example of 16 Gbps links connecting  
three Brocade switches. One link is configured with encryption and compression, one with just  
encryption, and one with just compression.  
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In-flight encryption and compression overview  
14  
16G  
Compression/Encryption  
16G  
16G  
FIGURE 49 Encryption and compression on 16 Gbps ISLs  
The encryption and compression features are designed to work only with E_Ports, EX_Ports, and XISL  
ports (in VF mode). Encryption and compression are also compatible with the following features:  
E_Ports or EX_Ports with trunking, QoS, or long distance features enabled.  
Flow control modes: R_RDY, VC_RDY, and EXT_VC_RDY.  
XISL ports in VF mode.  
FCP data frames and non-FCP data frames except ELS and BLS frames.  
FCP data frames are of Type = 0x8. For encryption, R_CTL = 0x1 and R_CTL = 0x4 are  
supported. For compression, only R_CTL = 0x1 is supported.  
Non FCP data frames are of Type != 0x8.  
Non FCP frames with ELS/BLS (R_CTL == 0x2 || R_CTL == 0x8) are not supported.  
NOTE  
No license is needed to configure and enable in-flight encryption or compression.  
Encryption and compression restrictions  
Configuration is dynamic based on port speed. See Table 62 on page 395 for specific details  
about the number of ports supported for encryption and compression.  
Ports must be 16 Gbps capable, although port speed can be any configurable value.  
The devices at either end of the ISL must run Fabric OS 7.0.0 or later software.  
Only E_Ports, EX_Ports, and XISL ports (in VF mode) support encryption or compression.  
ICL ports do not currently support encryption or compression.  
Encryption is not supported in FIPS mode, as in-flight encryption is not FIPS compliant.  
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In-flight encryption and compression overview  
14  
Bandwidth limits  
Fabric OS supports up to 32 Gbps of data encryption and 32 Gbps of data compression per  
16G-capable FC platform. This limits the number of ports that can have these features enabled at  
any one time. Table 62 shows some examples of how port speed affects the number of supported  
ports for different implementations.  
TABLE 62  
Number of ports supported per chip or per trunk  
1
Blades (FC16-32, FC16-48)  
Port speed  
16 Gbps  
Encryption only  
4 ports  
Compression only Encryption and compression  
4 ports  
6 ports  
8 ports  
4 ports  
6 ports  
8 ports  
4 ports  
10 Gbps  
6 ports  
8/4/2 Gbps  
8 ports  
Auto-negotiate (AN) 4 ports  
4 ports  
2
6510 Fixed-port switches  
16 Gbps  
2 ports  
3 ports  
4 ports  
2 ports  
3 ports  
4 ports  
2 ports  
3 ports  
4 ports  
2 ports  
10 Gbps  
8/4/2 Gbps  
Auto-negotiate (AN) 2 ports  
2 ports  
3
6520 Fixed-port switches  
16 Gbps  
8 ports  
8 ports  
12 ports  
16 ports  
8 ports  
8 ports  
12 ports  
16 ports  
8 ports  
10 Gbps  
12 ports  
16 ports  
8/4/2 Gbps  
Auto-negotiate (AN) 8 ports  
1. For port blades, two ASICs; per ASIC limit = numbers above/two  
2. For Brocade 6510, one ASIC; per ASIC limit = numbers above/one  
3. For Brocade 6520, four edge ASICs; per ASIC limit = numbers above/four  
NOTE  
Even though this table does not show all the possible combinations of different speeds for the  
encryption/compression ports, other combinations are also supported. The number of supported  
ports is automatically calculated based on the speeds chosen.  
Payload size limits  
As the current encryption protocol can support only 560 words (2240 bytes), the payload size of  
the frame has to be restricted to 2048 bytes. This is to ensure the frame reception on an  
encryption-enabled XISL involving a Base switch works correctly.  
Key Entry limitations  
The current encryption supports the AES-GCM authenticated encryption block cipher mode. A key,  
Initial Vector (IV), segment number and Salt are required to encrypt the data before it is  
transmitted, and to decode the data after it is received on the other end of the link.  
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In-flight encryption and compression overview  
14  
The port level authentication security feature must be enabled before encryption configuration can  
be enabled. Pre-shared secret keys should be configured on both ends of the ISL to perform  
authentication. Once the link has been authenticated, the port (E_Port or EX_Port) will use the IKE  
protocol to generate and exchange the keys, IV and Salt values.  
At this time expiry keys are not supported. This means that the keys generated for a port will remain  
the same for as long as the port is online. When a port is segmented, disabled, or taken offline,  
a new and different set of keys will be generated when the port is enabled.  
All members of the trunk group use the same set of keys as that of the master port, and slave ports  
do not perform any key exchanges. If there is an E_Port or EX_Port change due to the master port  
going offline, the same set of keys used by the trunk will continued to be used.  
How encryption and compression are enabled  
Encryption and compression capabilities and configurations from each end of the ISL are  
exchanged during E_Port or EX_Port initialization. Capabilities and configurations must match,  
otherwise port segmentation or disablement occurs. If the port was configured for compression,  
then the compression feature is enabled.  
If the port was configured for encryption, authentication is performed and the keys needed for  
encryption are generated. The encryption feature is enabled if authentication is successful.  
If authentication fails, then the ports are segmented.  
You can also decommission any port that has in-flight encryption/compression enabled. See “Port  
decommissioning” on page 90 for details on decommissioning ports.  
Encryption and compression commands  
Here are the commands most commonly associated with the encryption/compression feature.  
See the Fabric OS Command Reference for more details on these commands.  
portEncCompShow  
The portEncCompShow command allows you to view the encryption and compression configuration  
on any given port and whether it is active or not. It also shows the port speeds.  
This command displays the speed of the port as part of the portStatsShow command. If the speed  
is configured as AUTO NEG(otiation), the speed of the port is taken as 16G for capacity calculation  
and will be displayed accordingly. The same value will be displayed as part of portEncCompShow  
even if the link successfully negotiates a speed other than 16G. See also “Configuring encryption  
and compression” on page 399 and the Fabric OS Command Reference for more details.  
Usage: portEncCompShow [slot/]port  
Example output  
switch:admin> portStatsShow 16/17  
16 16 011000 id N8 Online FC E-Port 10:00:00:05:33:13:71:3e "switch16  
2" (downstream)  
17 17 011100 id N8 Online FC E-Port 10:00:00:05:33:13:71:3e "switch16  
2"  
switch> portenccompshow  
User  
Port  
----  
0
Encryption  
configured  
----------  
No  
Compression  
Config  
Active  
configured  
----------  
No  
Active  
------  
No  
Speed  
-----  
------  
No  
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In-flight encryption and compression overview  
14  
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10  
11  
12  
13  
14  
15  
16  
17  
18  
19  
20  
21  
22  
23  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
Yes  
Yes  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
Yes  
Yes  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
16G  
16G  
portCfgCompress  
The portCfgCompress command allows you to enable or disable compression on the specified port.  
Usage: portCfgCompress action [slot/]port  
Example Enabling the compression configuration on port 2  
switch:admin> portcfgcompress --enable 2  
Example Disabling the compression configuration on port 2  
switch:admin> portcfgcompress --disable 2  
portCfgEncrypt  
The portCfgEncrypt command allows you to enable or disable encryption on the specified port.  
Usage: portCfgEncrypt action [slot/]port  
Example Enabling the encryption configuration for port 2  
switch:admin> portcfgencrypt --enable 2  
Example Disabling the encryption configuration for port 2  
switch:admin> portcfgencrypt --disable 2  
portShow  
The portShow command allows you to verify the port flags.  
Usage: portShow  
or alternatively portShow port to verify the port flags for an individual port.  
Example Displaying the current state of a port with encryption enabled  
switch:admin> portshow 10/44  
portIndex: 348  
portName: slot10 port44  
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portHealth: No Fabric Watch License  
Authentication: None  
portDisableReason: None  
portCFlags: 0x1  
portFlags: 0x10000103 PRESENT ACTIVE E_PORT T_PORT T_MASTER G_PORT  
U_PORT ENCRYPT LOGIN  
LocalSwcFlags: 0x0  
portType: 24.0  
portState: 1  
Protocol: FC  
Online  
portPhys: 6 In_Sync portScn: 1 Online Trunk master port  
port generation number:  
state transition count:  
44  
12  
Authentication and key generation  
The following points apply to authentication and Key generation on the supported devices:  
The Diffie-Hellman - Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol (DH-CHAP) protocol must be  
configured along with the DH group 4 for port level authentication as a prerequisite for in-flight  
encryption. Pre-shared secret keys must be configured on the devices at either end of the ISL  
to perform authentication. Authentication secrets greater than 32 characters are  
recommended for stronger encryption keys. Once the link is authenticated, the keys are  
generated and exchanged.  
Authentication and key generation only apply to ports that are configured for encryption.  
They do not apply to ports that are only configured for compression.  
In-flight encryption uses DH-CHAP authentication (SHA-1 algorithm) followed by Internet Key  
Exchange (IKE) protocol (HMAC-SHA-512 algorithm) to generate the keys.  
These encryption keys never expire. While the port remains online, the keys generated for the  
port remain the same. When a port is disabled, segmented, or taken offline, a new set of keys  
is generated when the port is enabled again.  
All members of a trunk group use the same set of keys as the master port. Slave ports do not  
exchange keys. If the master port goes offline causing an E_Port or EX_Port change, the trunk  
continues to use the same set of keys.  
Availability considerations  
For FC16-32 or FC16-48 blades, if the two ports configured for encryption or compression within  
the same ASIC are not configured for trunking, it is recommended to connect each ISL to a different  
ASIC on the peer switch. Similarly, configure the two ports on the other ASIC of the blade. If the  
ports are configured for trunking, it is recommended to connect each trunk group to different ASICs  
of the peer switch. Configuring all 4 ports of the blade with this suggested configuration will  
provide redundancy in the event of encryption/compression port failures.  
For Brocade 6510 and 6520 switches, if the two ports are not configured for trunking, we  
recommend that you connect each ISL to different ASICs on the peer switch.  
NOTE  
If any port on the ASIC with encryption or compression enabled encounters rare error conditions that  
would need error recovery to be performed on the encryption engine within that ASIC, it causes all  
encryption or compression-enabled ports on that ASIC to go offline.  
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Configuring encryption and compression  
14  
Virtual Fabrics considerations  
The E_Ports and EX_Ports in the user-created logical switch, base switch, or default switch; and  
EX_Ports on base switches can support encryption and compression. You can configure encryption  
on XISL ports, but not on LISL ports. However, frames from the LISL ports are implicitly encrypted or  
compressed as they pass through encryption/compression enabled XISL ports.  
If an encryption or compression enabled port needs to be moved from one logical switch to another  
logical switch, the movement of the port is blocked. You must disable the encryption and  
compression configurations before moving the port, and then enable encryption and compression  
after the port has moved.  
Recommendation for compression  
When configuring compression on long distance ports, it is recommended to configure the long  
distance ports with double the number of buffers. This can be done by configuring the port to use  
the long distance LS mode and specifying the number of buffers to allocate to the port. You can see  
what the average compression ratio and the average frame size values are and adjust the  
allocated credit accordingly using the portEncCompShow and portBufferShow commands. You can  
then use the portBufferCalc command to estimate the assigned credit value to optimize  
performance. See the Fabric OS Command Reference for details on using these commands.  
Configuring encryption and compression  
On a given ISL between two 16 Gbps E_Ports or EX_Ports, you can configure each port for encryption,  
compression, or both. Your encryption and compression settings must match at either end of the ISL.  
Port segmentation will occur during port initialization if these configurations do not match.  
Before configuring a port for encryption, you must configure the port for authentication using the  
authUtil and secAuthSecret commands:  
Use the authUtil command to enable switch authentication, enable the DH-CHAP  
authentication protocol for ports that support encryption, and select the appropriate  
DH (Diffie-Hellman) group (4 or “*”).  
To enable switch authentication, use the authUtil --policy command with the -sw option to  
select either the on mode or the active mode.  
To enable the DH-CHAP authentication protocol, use the authUtil --set command with the -a  
option and select either dhchap or all. dhchap explicitly specifies the DH-CHAP protocol.  
Although all enables both FCAP and DH-CHAP, the active protocol defaults to DH-CHAP for all  
ports configured for in-flight encryption.  
To select the appropriate DH group, use the authUtil --set command with the -g option and  
choose either group 4 or “*”. If “*” is entered, then group 4 is selected from a list.  
Use the secAuthSecret command to configure a pre-shared secret on both sides of the ISL for  
all ports configured for in-flight encryption. A secret of at least 32 characters is recommended.  
The maximum length for a secret is 40 characters.  
ATTENTION  
Port segmentation will occur during port initialization if authentication fails.  
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Configuring encryption and compression  
Notes  
14  
If you need to disable authentication on a port that has encryption or compression configured,  
you must first disable encryption or compression on the port, and then disable authentication.  
If you want to enable authentication across a FC router and an edge fabric switch, you must  
first bring all EX_Ports online without using authentication. After this, the front wwn of any  
online EX_Port connected to the same switch can be used to configure the secret keys in the  
edge fabric switch.  
Summary  
These steps summarize how to enable encryption or compression on a port:  
1. Use the portEncCompShow command to determine which ports are available for encryption or  
compression.  
NOTE  
Enabling/disabling encryption/compression is a offline event. Ports must be disabled first, and  
then re-enabled after.  
2. If you are enabling encryption on the port, configure port level authentication for the port using  
the secAuthSecret and authUtil commands. Omit this step if you want to enable only  
compression on the port.  
3. Use the portCfgEncrypt command to enable encryption on the port. This step fails if you try to  
exceed the number of allowable ports available for encryption or compression on the ASIC.  
4. Use the portCfgCompress command to enable compression on the port. This step fails if you  
try to exceed the number of allowable ports available for encryption or compression on the  
ASIC.  
Following successful port initialization, the configured features are enabled and active. You can use  
the islShow command to check that the E_Port (or fcrEdgeShow for EX_Ports) has come online with  
encryption or compression enabled. Alternatively, you can use the portEncCompShow command to  
see which ports are active.  
If port initialization is not successful, you can check for port segmentation errors with the  
switchShow command. This command will tell you if the segmentation was due to mismatched  
encryption or compression configurations on the ports at either end of the ISL, if port-level  
authentication failed, or if a required resource was not available.  
The following topics provide step-by-step instructions for performing encryption and compression  
tasks:  
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Configuring encryption and compression  
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Viewing the encryption and compression configuration  
To determine which ports are available for encryption or compression on each ASIC on the switch,  
follow these steps:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the portEncCompShow command.  
Example Using the portEncCompShow command  
The following example shows the output for two ASICs. ASIC 1 (below the line of dashes) already  
has compression configured and active on user ports 348 and 349. Given the limit of two ports per  
ASIC, ASIC 1 has no more ports available for encryption or compression. ASIC 0 (above the dashed  
line) has no ports configured for either encryption or compression and therefore has any two ports  
available for this purpose. For bladed switches, use the switchShow command to determine the  
slot number of a specific user port.  
switch:admin> portenccompshow  
User  
Port  
----  
17  
18  
19  
20  
21  
22  
23  
Encryption  
configured  
----------  
Compression  
Config  
Active  
configured  
Active  
------  
No  
Speed  
-----  
4G  
------  
No  
----------  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
4G  
4G  
4G  
4G  
4G  
4G  
4G  
4G  
4G  
4G  
4G  
4G  
4G  
4G  
144  
145  
146  
147  
148  
149  
150  
151  
----------------------------------------------------------------  
88  
89  
90  
91  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
4G  
4G  
4G  
4G  
[PORT LISTINGS HIDDEN TO SIMPLIFY DISPLAY]  
345  
346  
347  
348  
349  
350  
351  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
Yes  
Yes  
No  
No  
No  
No  
Yes  
Yes  
No  
4G  
4G  
4G  
4G  
4G  
4G  
4G  
No  
No  
Port speed and encryption/compression enabled ports  
The maximum number of ports on a device that can support the encryption and compression  
feature depends on the port speeds and the device. Table 62 on page 395 describes how the  
number of ports supported per chip is determined.  
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Configuring encryption and compression  
14  
Changing port speed on encryption/compression enabled ports  
The port speed values can be displayed through several commands, including portStatsShow,  
portEncCompShow, and portCfgSpeed. However, the port speed can only be changed using the  
portCfgSpeed command.  
If the port speed is configured as AUTO NEG, the speed of the port is taken as 16G for calculation  
purposes. We recommend that you configure to the ports to a specific speed before enabling  
details.  
You can change the port speed on any port which has encryption or compression enabled with the  
portCfgSpeed command. When you attempt to change speed on a port which has encryption or  
compression enabled, a validation alert appears. If the capacity is available, the port will be  
allowed to be configured with the new speed. If there is not enough capacity available, an error  
message will appear, and you will not be able to change the port speed. See the Fabric OS  
Command Reference for more details on this command.  
Example Port speed change failure  
switch> portenccompshow  
User  
Encryption  
Compression  
Config  
Port  
----  
configured  
----------  
Active  
------  
No  
No  
No  
Configured  
----------  
Yes  
Yes  
Yes  
Active  
------  
No  
No  
No  
Speed  
-----  
4G  
4G  
8G  
0
1
2
3
4
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
Yes  
Yes  
No  
No  
16G  
16G  
switch> portcfgspeed 1 0  
Configuration for port (1) failed as it exceeds current supported capacity.  
Compression ratios and encryption/compression enabled ports  
The compression ratio value is recalculated every 5 seconds, and is the ratio between the  
accumulated original length and the compressed length of the data over the previous 5 seconds.  
When a port is configured for compression, entering portStatsShow displays the port’s  
compression ratio. See the Fabric OS Command Reference for more details on this command.  
Limitations and restrictions  
The ASIC Compression Block can compress data only if there is at least 3 bytes of data.  
The value shown by portStatsShow is a five-second average. Your results will depend on the  
pattern of the payload data.  
The average frame size reported by portCfgShow is the configured framesize, that is, what was  
input using portCfgLongdistance on the CLI.  
The portBufferShow command shows the average framesize for both received (rx) and  
transmitted (tx) frames. The rx values are after compression and the tx values are before  
compression.  
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Because encryption adds more payload to the port in addition to compression, the  
compression ratio calculation is significantly affected on ports configured for both encryption  
and compression. This is because the compressed length then also includes the encryption  
header. This overhead affects the ratio calculation. To obtain accurate compression ratio data,  
we recommend that you enable ports for compression only.  
Configuring and enabling authentication  
To configure authentication for ports that will later be configured for encryption, follow these steps:  
1. Log in to the switch using an account with admin permissions, or an account with OM  
permissions for the Authentication RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter the secAuthSecret --set command to establish pre-shared secrets at each end of the ISL.  
It is recommended to use a 32-bit secret for an ISL carrying encrypted or compressed traffic.  
switch:admin> secauthsecret --set  
When prompted, enter the WWN for the local switch and secret strings for the local switch and  
the remote switch.  
NOTE  
When setting a secret key pair, you are entering the shared secrets in plain text. Use a secure  
channel, such as SSH or the serial console, to connect to the switch on which you are setting  
the secrets.  
3. Enter the authUtil command to set the switch policy mode to Active or On:  
switch:admin> authutil --policy -sw active  
or alternatively:  
switch:admin> authutil --policy -sw on  
4. Enable the DH-CHAP authentication protocol:  
switch:admin> authutil --set -a dhchap  
or alternatively:  
switch:admin> authutil --set -a all  
NOTE  
If the DH-CHAP protocol is specified, then all switches in the fabric must enable the DH-CHAP  
protocol and establish pre-shared secrets. If the protocol is set to “all”, you will need to establish  
pre-shared secrets or certificates based on the encryption method selected (FCAP or DH-CHAP).  
5. Enable authentication with DH group 4 or “*”:  
switch:admin> authutil --set -g 4  
DH Group was set to 4.  
or alternatively:  
switch:admin> authutil --set -g "*"  
DH Group was set to 0,1,2,3,4.  
For additional information about establishing DH-CHAP secrets, see “Secret key pairs for DH-CHAP”  
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Configuring encryption and compression  
14  
For additional information about configuring DH-CHAP authentication for E_Ports and EX_Ports,  
Configuring encryption  
NOTE  
Before performing this procedure, you must authenticate the port as described in “Configuring and  
enabling authentication” on page 403. It is also recommended that you check for port availability  
using the portEncCompShow command. See “Viewing the encryption and compression  
To configure encryption on a port, follow these steps:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with secure admin permissions, or an  
account with OM permissions for the EncryptionConfiguration RBAC class of commands.  
2. Use the portDisable command to disable the port on which you want to configure encryption.  
3. Enter the portCfgEncrypt --enable command.  
The following example enables encryption on port 21 on a Brocade 6510 switch:  
switch:admin> portcfgencrypt --enable 21  
The following example enables encryption on port 15 of an FC16-32 blade in slot 9 of an  
enterprise class platform:  
switch:admin> portcfgencrypt --enable 9/15  
4. Enable the port with the portEnable command.  
After manually enabling the port, the new configuration becomes active.  
Configuring compression  
NOTE  
Before performing this procedure, it is recommended that you check for port availability using the  
page 401 for details.  
To configure compression on a port, follow these steps:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions, or an account with  
OM permissions for the SwitchPortConfiguration RBAC class of commands.  
2. Use the portDisable command to disable the port on which you want to configure compression.  
3. Enter the portCfgCompress --enable command.  
The following example enables compression on port 21 on a Brocade 6510 switch:  
switch:admin> portcfgcompress --enable 21  
The following example enables compression on port 15 of an FC16-32 blade in slot 9 of an  
enterprise class platform:  
switch:admin> portcfgcompress --enable 9/15  
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4. Enable the port with the portEnable command.  
After enabling the port, the new configuration becomes active.  
Disabling encryption  
To disable encryption on a port, follow these steps:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with secure admin permissions, or an  
account with OM permissions for the EncryptionConfiguration RBAC class of commands.  
2. Use the portDisable command to disable the port on which you want to disable encryption  
3. Enter the portCfgEncrypt --disable command.  
The following example disables encryption on port 21 on a Brocade 6510 switch:  
switch:admin> portcfgencrypt --disable 21  
The following example disables encryption on port 15 of an FC16-32 blade in slot 9 of an  
enterprise class platform:  
switch:admin> portcfgencrypt --disable 9/15  
4. Enable the port with the portEnable command.  
After enabling the port, the new configuration becomes active.  
Disabling compression  
To disable compression on a port, follow these steps:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions, or an account with  
OM permissions for the SwitchPortConfiguration RBAC class of commands.  
2. Use the portDisable command to disable the port on which you want to disable compression.  
3. Enter the portCfgCompress --disable command.  
The following example disables compression on port 21 on a Brocade 6510 switch:  
switch:admin> portcfgcompress --disable 21  
The following example disables compression on port 15 of an FC16-32 blade in slot 9 of an  
enterprise class platform:  
switch:admin> portcfgcompress --disable 9/15  
4. Enable the port with the portEnable command.  
After enabling the port, the new configuration becomes active.  
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Encryption and compression examples  
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Encryption and compression examples  
The following examples show configuring and enabling encryption and compression. In this case,  
encryption and compression are being applied to the E_Ports at either end of an ISL connecting a  
port on a blade in an enterprise class platform named ‘myDCX’ to a port on a Brocade 6510 switch  
named ‘myswitch’. Table 63 identifies each end of the ISL connection by device name, device  
WWN, and port number.  
TABLE 63  
Example ISL connections  
Enterprise class platform  
Brocade 6510  
Name  
WWN  
myDCX  
myswitch  
10:00:00:05:1e:e5:cb:00  
10:00:00:05:33:13:71:3e  
port number: 0  
port ID  
port index: 246  
slot number: 12  
port number: 22  
The examples below include the following procedures:  
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Example of enabling encryption and compression on an E_Port  
This example configures and enables encryption and compression on a given port. The commands  
in this example are shown entered on the Brocade 6510 named ‘myswitch’. The same commands  
must also be entered on the peer switch.  
NOTE  
Authentication and a secret key must be configured and established before configuring encryption.  
Authentication setup  
This first part of the example shows a command sequence that sets up authentication in  
preparation for in-flight encryption. Specifically, it configures the DH-CHAP protocol for  
authentication, sets the DH group to group 4, and activates authentication:  
myswitch:admin> authutil --show  
AUTH TYPE  
----------------------------------------  
fcap,dhchap sha1,md5 0,1,2,3,4  
HASH TYPE  
GROUP TYPE  
Switch Authentication Policy: PASSIVE  
Device Authentication Policy: OFF  
myswitch:admin> authutil --set -a dhchap  
Authentication is set to dhchap.  
myswitch:admin> authutil --set -g "4"  
DH Group was set to 4.  
Secret Key setup  
Next, you set a secret key. For this you need to get the WWN of the peer switch.  
myswitch:admin> secauthsecret --set  
This command is used to set up secret keys for the DH-CHAP authentication.  
The minimum length of a secret key is 8 characters and maximum 40  
characters. Setting up secret keys does not initiate DH-CHAP  
authentication. If switch is configured to do DH-CHAP, it is performed  
whenever a port or a switch is enabled.  
Warning: Please use a secure channel for setting secrets. Using  
an insecure channel is not safe and may compromise secrets.  
Following inputs should be specified for each entry.  
1. WWN for which secret is being set up.  
2. Peer secret: The secret of the peer that authenticates to peer.  
3. Local secret: The local secret that authenticates peer.  
Press enter to start setting up secrets >  
Enter peer WWN, Domain, or switch name (Leave blank when done):  
10:00:00:05:1e:e5:cb:00  
Enter peer secret:  
Re-enter peer secret:  
Enter local secret:  
Re-enter local secret:  
Enter peer WWN, Domain, or switch name (Leave blank when done):  
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Are you done? (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
Saving data to key store... Done.  
myswitch:admin> secauthsecret --show  
WWN  
DId  
Name  
-----------------------------------------------  
10:00:00:05:1e:e5:cb:00  
myswitch:admin>  
150  
dcx_150  
Activate authentication  
After you set up the DH-CHAP secrets, you activate DH-CHAP authentication.  
myswitch:admin> authutil --policy -sw active  
Warning: Activating the authentication policy requires either DH-CHAP secrets or  
PKI certificates depending on the protocol selected. Otherwise, ISLs will be  
segmented during next E-port bring-up.  
ARE YOU SURE (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
Auth Policy is set to ON  
myswitch:admin> authutil --show  
AUTH TYPE  
--------------------------------------  
dhchap md5  
HASH TYPE  
GROUP TYPE  
4
Switch Authentication Policy: ON  
Device Authentication Policy: OFF  
myswitch:admin>  
Enabling encryption  
Next, you enable encryption on port 0. Note that the first attempt fails because the port is currently  
enabled. This example uses the portCfgShow command to check the result. Notice that the output  
shows encryption to be enabled on the port.  
myswitch:admin> portcfgencrypt --enable 0  
Please disable port to configure Encryption/Compression.  
myswitch:admin> portdisable 0  
myswitch:admin> portcfgencrypt --enable 0  
Turning ON Encryption on port(246) will cause the port to be disabled during next  
LOGIN  
myswitch:admin> portenable 0  
myswitch:admin> portcfgshow 0  
Area Number:  
0
Octet Speed Combo:  
Speed Level:  
AL_PA Offset 13:  
Trunk Port  
3(16G,10G)  
AUTO(SW)  
OFF  
ON  
Long Distance  
VC Link Init  
OFF  
OFF  
Locked L_Port  
Locked G_Port  
Disabled E_Port  
Locked E_Port  
ISL R_RDY Mode  
RSCN Suppressed  
Persistent Disable  
LOS TOV enable  
NPIV capability  
QOS E_Port  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
ON  
AE  
Port Auto Disable:  
OFF  
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Rate Limit  
OFF  
EX Port  
OFF  
Mirror Port  
Credit Recovery  
F_Port Buffers  
Fault Delay:  
NPIV PP Limit:  
CSCTL mode:  
Frame Shooter Port  
D-Port mode:  
Compression:  
Encryption:  
FEC:  
OFF  
ON  
OFF  
0(R_A_TOV)  
126  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
ON  
OFF  
myswitch:admin>  
Enabling compression  
Finally, you enable compression on the same port. The subsequent portCfgShow command shows  
both encryption and compression to be enabled on the port.  
myswitch:admin> portdisable 0  
myswitch:admin> portcfgcompress --enable 0  
Turning ON Compression on port(0) will cause the port to be disabled during next  
LOGIN  
myswitch:admin> portenable 0  
myswitch:admin> portcfgshow 0  
Area Number:  
0
Octet Speed Combo:  
Speed Level:  
AL_PA Offset 13:  
Trunk Port  
3(16G,10G)  
AUTO(SW)  
OFF  
ON  
Long Distance  
VC Link Init  
OFF  
OFF  
Locked L_Port  
Locked G_Port  
Disabled E_Port  
Locked E_Port  
ISL R_RDY Mode  
RSCN Suppressed  
Persistent Disable  
LOS TOV enable  
NPIV capability  
QOS E_Port  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
ON  
AE  
Port Auto Disable:  
OFF  
Rate Limit  
OFF  
EX Port  
OFF  
Mirror Port  
Credit Recovery  
F_Port Buffers  
Fault Delay:  
NPIV PP Limit:  
CSCTL mode:  
Frame Shooter Port  
D-Port mode:  
Compression:  
Encryption:  
FEC:  
OFF  
ON  
OFF  
0(R_A_TOV)  
126  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
ON  
ON  
OFF  
myswitch:admin>  
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Examples of disabling encryption and compression  
This example disables the encryption and compression that were enabled in the previous example.  
Example Disabling encryption on port 0  
myswitch:admin> portdisable 0  
myswitch:admin> portcfgencrypt --disable 0  
myswitch:admin> portenable 0  
Example Disabling compression on port 0:  
myswitch:admin> portdisable 0  
myswitch:admin> portcfgcompress --disable 0  
myswitch:admin> portenable 0  
Example Using the portCfgShow command to check the results:  
myswitch:admin> portcfgshow 0  
Area Number:  
0
Octet Speed Combo:  
Speed Level:  
AL_PA Offset 13:  
Trunk Port  
3(16G,10G)  
AUTO(SW)  
OFF  
ON  
Long Distance  
VC Link Init  
OFF  
OFF  
Locked L_Port  
Locked G_Port  
Disabled E_Port  
Locked E_Port  
ISL R_RDY Mode  
RSCN Suppressed  
Persistent Disable  
LOS TOV enable  
NPIV capability  
QOS E_Port  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
ON  
AE  
Port Auto Disable:  
OFF  
Rate Limit  
OFF  
EX Port  
OFF  
Mirror Port  
Credit Recovery  
F_Port Buffers  
Fault Delay:  
NPIV PP Limit:  
CSCTL mode:  
Frame Shooter Port  
D-Port mode:  
Compression:  
Encryption:  
FEC:  
OFF  
ON  
OFF  
0(R_A_TOV)  
126  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
myswitch:admin>  
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Working with EX_Ports  
An EX_Port is a type of E_Port (expansion port) that connects a Fibre Channel router to an edge  
fabric. From the point of view of a switch in an edge fabric, an EX_Port appears as a normal E_Port;  
It follows applicable Fibre Channel standards just line an E_Port. However, a router terminates an  
EX_Port rather than allowing the two different fabrics to merge as would happen with an E_Port.  
A connection between an EX_Port and an E_Port is called an Inter-Fabric Link (IFL). You cannot  
connect two EX_Ports together; also, EX_Ports cannot be used in a FICON environment.  
FIGURE 50 EX_Ports, E_Ports, IFLs, and ISLs  
In-flight encryption/compression on EX_Ports  
In-flight encryption/compression works on EX_Ports with trunking, QoS, and long distance enabled.  
It also works with the VC_RDY and EXT_VC_RDY flow control modes.  
Encryption and compression capabilities and configurations are exchanged on the IFL during  
EX_Port initialization. The FCR enables encryption and compression only if both ends of the IFL  
have matching capabilities and configurations.  
NOTE  
Any mismatch in configuration at either end of the IFL or authentication failure will result in  
segmentation or in rare cases the port being disabled.  
Reasons for EX_Port segmentation  
Here are the most common reasons for EX_Port segmentation:  
Failure to authenticate correctly.  
Encryption or compression configurations do not match at both ends.  
Example: If at one end there is a switch that does not support encryption/compression,  
the port will be disabled.  
Encryption or compression configuration is enabled but resources are not available, or there  
are other failures preventing encryption or compression from being enabled.  
The number of available ports has reached the bandwidth limitation.  
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NOTE  
If trunking is enabled, be aware that the ports creating the bandwidth limitation will form a  
trunk group, while the rest of the ports will be segmented.  
Example of enabling encryption and compression on an EX_Port  
This example configures and enables encryption and compression on an EX_Port. The commands  
in this example are shown entered on a Brocade 6510 named ‘myswitch’ as Fibre Channel Router  
(FCR) and an edge switch as ‘edge’.  
Example Displaying port numbers on the FCR and Edge switches using the fcrEdgeShow command  
switch:admin> fcredgeshow  
FID  
EX-port  
E-port  
Neighbor Switch (PWWN, SWWN )  
Flags  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
20  
1
1
20:01:00:05:33:13:70:3e  
10:00:00:05:33:13:70:3e  
NOTE  
Authentication and a secret key must be configured and established before configuring encryption.  
Example Setting up authentication in preparation for in-flight encryption  
This is for a Fibre Channel Router on which the EX_Port is online; it configures the DH-CHAP  
protocol for authentication and sets the DH group to group 4.  
myswitch:admin> authutil --show  
AUTH TYPE HASH TYPE GROUP TYPE  
----------------------------------------  
fcap,dhchap sha1,md5 0,1,2,3,4  
Switch Authentication Policy: PASSIVE  
Device Authentication Policy: OFF  
myswitch:admin> authutil --set -a dhchap  
myswitch:admin> authutil --set -g "*"  
switch:admin> authutil --show  
AUTH TYPE  
--------------------------------------  
dhchap sha1,md5 0,1,2,3,4  
HASH TYPE  
GROUP TYPE  
Switch Authentication Policy: PASSIVE  
Device Authentication Policy: OFF  
NOTE  
On EX_Port enabled Fibre Channel Router, there is no need to set authentication policy to Active or  
On. EX_Port can operate on any switch authentication policy.  
Example Setting a secret key  
For this you need to get the WWN of the peer Edge fabric switch.  
myswitch:admin> secauthsecret  
Usage: secAuthSecret <args>  
--show: displays the secret key database  
--set: sets up (add or modify) secret keys  
--remove [wwn | domain | <sw name>]: removes an entry from secret key database  
--remove --all: deletes secret key database  
myswitch:admin> secauthsecret --set  
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This command is used to set up secret keys for the DH-CHAP authentication.  
The minimum length of a secret key is 8 characters and maximum 40 characters.  
Setting up secret keys does not initiate DH-CHAP authentication. If switch is  
configured to do DH-CHAP, it is performed whenever a port or a switch is enabled.  
Warning: Please use a secure channel for setting secrets. Using an insecure  
channel is not safe and may compromise secrets.  
Following inputs should be specified for each entry.  
1. WWN for which secret is being set up.  
2. Peer secret: The secret of the peer that authenticates to peer.  
3. Local secret: The local secret that authenticates peer.  
Press enter to start setting up secrets >  
Enter peer WWN, Domain, or switch name (Leave blank when done):  
10:00:00:05:33:13:70:3e  
Enter peer secret:  
Re-enter peer secret:  
Enter local secret:  
Re-enter local secret:  
Enter peer WWN, Domain, or switch name (Leave blank when done):  
Are you done? (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
Saving data to key store... Done.  
myswitch:admin> secauthsecret --show  
WWN  
-----------------------------------------------  
10:00:00:05:33:13:70:3e sw0  
DId  
Name  
8
Example Enabling encryption on port 1 of ‘myswitch’  
There are two things to notice here— the first is that the initial attempt fails because the port is  
currently enabled. The second is that the output from the second attempt shows encryption to be  
enabled on the port, as shown by the portCfgShow command.  
myswitch:admin> portcfgencrypt --enable 1  
Please disable port to configure Encryption/Compression.  
myswitch:admin> portdisable 1  
myswitch:admin> portcfgencrypt --enable 1  
myswitch:admin> portenable 1  
myswitch:admin> portcfgshow 1  
Area Number:  
1
Octet Speed Combo:  
Speed Level:  
AL_PA Offset 13:  
Trunk Port  
Long Distance  
VC Link Init  
Locked L_Port  
Locked G_Port  
Disabled E_Port  
Locked E_Port  
ISL R_RDY Mode  
RSCN Suppressed  
Persistent Disable  
LOS TOV enable  
NPIV capability  
1(16G|8G|4G|2G)  
AUTO(SW)  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
ON  
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QOS Port  
AE  
Port Auto Disable:  
Rate Limit  
EX Port  
OFF  
OFF  
ON  
Mirror Port  
Credit Recovery  
F_Port Buffers  
Fault Delay:  
NPIV PP Limit:  
CSCTL mode:  
D-Port mode:  
Compression:  
Encryption:  
FEC:  
OFF  
ON  
OFF  
0(R_A_TOV)  
255  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
ON  
ON  
myswitch:admin>  
Example Enabling compression on port 1 of ‘myswitch’  
The subsequent portCfgShow command shows both encryption and compression to be enabled on  
the port.  
myswitch:admin> portdisable 1  
myswitch:admin> portcfgcompress --enable 1  
myswitch:admin> portenable 1  
myswitch:admin> portcfgshow 1  
Area Number:  
Octet Speed Combo:  
Speed Level:  
AL_PA Offset 13:  
Trunk Port  
Long Distance  
VC Link Init  
Locked L_Port  
Locked G_Port  
Disabled E_Port  
Locked E_Port  
ISL R_RDY Mode  
RSCN Suppressed  
Persistent Disable  
LOS TOV enable  
NPIV capability  
QOS Port  
1
1(16G|8G|4G|2G)  
AUTO(SW)  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
ON  
AE  
Port Auto Disable:  
Rate Limit  
EX Port  
OFF  
OFF  
ON  
Mirror Port  
OFF  
ON  
Credit Recovery  
F_Port Buffers  
Fault Delay:  
NPIV PP Limit:  
CSCTL mode:  
D-Port mode:  
Compression:  
Encryption:  
OFF  
0(R_A_TOV)  
255  
OFF  
OFF  
ON  
ON  
FEC:  
ON  
myswitch:admin>  
Example Setting the secret key for the front phantom wwn projected by the FCR on the ‘edge’ switch  
Use portCfgExPort EX_Port# on the remote FCR to learn the front phantom switch wwn value.  
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FCR:admin> portcfgexport 1  
Port 1 info  
Admin:  
enabled  
State:  
OK  
Pid format:  
core(N)  
Operate mode:  
Edge Fabric ID:  
Front Domain ID:  
Front WWN:  
Brocade Native  
20  
160  
50:00:53:31:37:43:ee:14  
Principal Switch:  
Principal WWN:  
Fabric Parameters:  
R_A_TOV:  
E_D_TOV:  
Authentication Type:  
DH Group:  
8
10:00:00:05:33:13:70:3e  
Auto Negotiate  
10000(N)  
2000(N)  
None  
N/A  
Hash Algorithm:  
Encryption:  
N/A  
OFF  
Compression:  
OFF  
Forward Error Correction:  
Edge fabric's primary wwn:  
OFF  
N/A  
Edge fabric's version stamp: N/A  
Example Configuring the ‘edge’ switch to use DH-CHAP protocol for authentication, setting the DH group to  
group 4, and activating switch authentication  
edge:admin> authutil --show  
AUTH TYPE HASH TYPE GROUP TYPE  
----------------------------------------  
fcap,dhchap sha1,md5 0,1,2,3,4  
Switch Authentication Policy: PASSIVE  
Device Authentication Policy: OFF  
edge:admin> authutil --set -a dhchap  
edge:admin> authutil --set -g 4  
edge:admin> authutil --policy -sw active  
Warning: Activating the authentication policy requires either DH-CHAP secrets or  
PKI certificates depending on the protocol selected. Otherwise, ISLs will be  
segmented during next E-port bring-up.  
ARE YOU SURE (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
Auth Policy is set to ON  
edge:admin>  
edge:admin> authutil --show  
AUTH  
--------------------------------------  
dhchap md5  
TYPE HASH TYPE GROUP TYPE  
4
Switch Authentication Policy: ON  
Device Authentication Policy: OFF  
edge:admin>  
Example Setting a secret key  
NOTE  
For this you need the WWN of the front phantom switch. Use portCfgExPort EX_Port# on that switch  
to learn its wwn value.  
edge:admin> secauthsecret --set  
This command is used to set up secret keys for the DH-CHAP authentication.  
The minimum length of a secret key is 8 characters and maximum 40  
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Working with EX_Ports  
14  
characters. Setting up secret keys does not initiate DH-CHAP  
authentication. If switch is configured to do DH-CHAP, it is performed  
whenever a port or a switch is enabled.  
Warning: Please use a secure channel for setting secrets. Using  
an insecure channel is not safe and may compromise secrets.  
Following inputs should be specified for each entry.  
1. WWN for which secret is being set up.  
2. Peer secret: The secret of the peer that authenticates to peer.  
3. Local secret: The local secret that authenticates peer.  
Press enter to start setting up secrets >  
Enter peer WWN, Domain, or switch name (Leave blank when done):  
50:00:53:31:37:43:ee:14  
Enter peer secret:  
Re-enter peer secret:  
Enter local secret:  
Re-enter local secret:  
Enter peer WWN, Domain, or switch name (Leave blank when done):  
Are you done? (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
Saving data to key store... Done.  
edge:admin>  
Example Enabling encryption on port 1 of the ‘edge’ switch  
As with the FCR switch (‘myswitch’) there are two things to notice here— the first is that the initial  
attempt fails because the port is currently enabled. The second is that the output from the second  
attempt shows encryption to be enabled on the port, as shown by the portCfgShow command.  
edge:admin> portcfgencrypt --enable 1  
Please disable port to configure Encryption/Compression.  
edge:admin> portdisable 1  
edge:admin> portcfgencrypt --enable 1  
edge:admin> portcfgshow 1  
Area Number:  
1
Octet Speed Combo:  
Speed Level:  
AL_PA Offset 13:  
Trunk Port  
1(16G|8G|4G|2G)  
AUTO(SW)  
OFF  
ON  
Long Distance  
VC Link Init  
OFF  
OFF  
Locked L_Port  
Locked G_Port  
Disabled E_Port  
Locked E_Port  
ISL R_RDY Mode  
RSCN Suppressed  
Persistent Disable  
LOS TOV enable  
NPIV capability  
QOS Port  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
ON  
AE  
Port Auto Disable:  
Rate Limit  
OFF  
OFF  
EX Port  
OFF  
Mirror Port  
OFF  
Credit Recovery  
F_Port Buffers  
Fault Delay:  
ON  
OFF  
0(R_A_TOV)  
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NPIV PP Limit:  
CSCTL mode:  
D-Port mode:  
Compression:  
Encryption:  
FEC:  
126  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
ON  
ON  
Example Enabling compression on the same port.  
The portCfgShow command shows that both encryption and compression are now enabled on this  
port.  
edge:admin> portdisable 1  
edge:admin> portcfgcompress --enable 1  
edge:admin> portcfgshow 1  
Area Number:  
Octet Speed Combo:  
Speed Level:  
AL_PA Offset 13:  
Trunk Port  
1
1(16G|8G|4G|2G)  
AUTO(SW)  
OFF  
ON  
Long Distance  
VC Link Init  
Locked L_Port  
Locked G_Port  
Disabled E_Port  
Locked E_Port  
ISL R_RDY Mode  
RSCN Suppressed  
Persistent Disable  
LOS TOV enable  
NPIV capability  
QOS Port  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
ON  
AE  
Port Auto Disable:  
Rate Limit  
EX Port  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
ON  
OFF  
0(R_A_TOV)  
126  
OFF  
OFF  
ON  
Mirror Port  
Credit Recovery  
F_Port Buffers  
Fault Delay:  
NPIV PP Limit:  
CSCTL mode:  
D-Port mode:  
Compression:  
Encryption:  
ON  
FEC:  
ON  
NOTE  
Once an EX_Port is enabled with encryption and compression, you can verify using either the  
fcrEdgeShow or portCfgExPort commands. See the following section for details.  
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Working with EX_Ports  
14  
EX_Port commands  
See the Fabric OS Command Reference for more details on these EX_Port -valid commands.  
portCfgExPort  
The portCfgExPort command sets a port to be an EX_Port, and also sets and displays EX_Port  
configuration parameters (including those for encryption and compression).  
Usage: portCfgExPort <action> [slot/]port  
Example Setting port 47 to be an EX_Port, and displaying the port configuration parameters  
switch:admin> portcfgexport 47  
Port  
47  
info  
Admin:  
State:  
enabled  
OK  
Pid format:  
core(N)  
Operate mode:  
Edge Fabric ID:  
Brocade Native  
17  
Preferred Domain ID:  
Front WWN:  
160  
50:00:53:31:37:03:ee:11  
Principal Switch:  
Principal WWN:  
Fabric Parameters:  
R_A_TOV:  
E_D_TOV:  
Authentication Type:  
DH Group:  
8
10:00:00:05:33:13:70:3e  
Auto Negotiate  
10000(N)  
2000(N)  
DHCAP  
4
Hash Algorithm:  
Encryption:  
SHA1  
ON  
Compression:  
ON  
Forward error correction:  
Edge fabric's primary wwn:  
ON  
N/A  
Edge fabric's version stamp: N/A  
fcrEdgeShow  
The fcrEdgeShow command displays the encryption and compression status for a switch.  
Usage: fcrEdgeShow  
Example Displaying the port configuration parameters for a switch  
switch:admin> fcrEdgeShow  
FID EX-port E-port Neighbor Switch (PWWN, SWWN)  
Flags  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
34  
ON COMPRESSION  
34 4/13 10  
ON COMPRESSION  
4/12  
9
20:09:00:05:33:7e:e8:7c 10:00:00:05:33:7e:e8:7c  
ENCRYPTI  
20:0a:00:05:33:7e:e8:7c 10:00:00:05:33:7e:e8:7c  
ENCRYPTI  
EX_Port downgrade considerations  
Firmware downgrading is blocked if one or more EX_Ports has the Encryption/Compression feature  
enabled.  
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Chapter  
NPIV  
15  
In this chapter  
NPIV overview  
N_Port ID Virtualization (NPIV) enables a single Fibre Channel protocol port to appear as multiple,  
distinct ports, providing separate port identification within the fabric for each operating system  
image behind the port (as if each operating system image had its own unique physical port). NPIV  
assigns a different virtual port ID to each Fibre Channel protocol device. NPIV is designed to enable  
you to allocate virtual addresses without affecting your existing hardware implementation. The  
virtual port has the same properties as an N_Port, and is therefore capable of registering with all  
services of the fabric. This chapter does not discuss the Access Gateway feature. For more  
information on the Access Gateway feature, refer to the Access Gateway Administrator’s Guide.  
Each NPIV device has a unique device PID, Port WWN, and Node WWN, and behaves the same as  
all other physical devices in the fabric. In other words, multiple virtual devices emulated by NPIV  
appear no different than regular devices connected to a non-NPIV port.  
The same zoning rules apply to NPIV devices as non-NPIV devices. Zones can be defined by  
domain,port notation, by WWN zoning, or both. However, to perform zoning to the granularity of the  
virtual N_Port IDs, you must use WWN-based zoning.  
If you are using domain,port zoning for an NPIV port, and all the virtual PIDs associated with the  
port are included in the zone, then a port login (PLOGI) to a non-existent virtual PID is not blocked  
by the switch; rather, it is delivered to the device attached to the NPIV port. In cases where the  
device is not capable of handling such unexpected PLOGIs, use WWN-based zoning.  
The following example shows the number of NPIV devices in the output of the switchShow  
command. The number of NPIV devices is equal to the sum of the base port plus the number of  
NPIV public devices. The base port is the N_Port listed in the switchShow output. Based on the  
formula, index 010000 shows only 1 NPIV device and index 010300 shows a total of 222 NPIV  
devices (one N_Port FLOGI device and 221 NPIV devices).  
Example of NPIV devices  
switch:admin> switchshow  
switchName:  
switchType:  
switchState:  
switchMode:  
switchWwn:  
5100  
71.2  
Online  
Access Gateway Mode  
10:00:00:05:1e:41:49:3d  
OFF  
switchBeacon:  
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NPIV overview  
15  
Index Port Address Media Speed State Proto  
==============================================  
0
1
2
3
0
1
2
3
010000 id  
010100 id  
010200 id  
010300 id  
N4  
N4  
N4  
N4  
Online FC F-Port 20:0c:00:05:1e:05:de:e40xa06601  
Online FC F-Port 1 N Port + 4 NPIV public  
Online FC F-Port 1 N Port + 119 NPIV public  
Online FC F-Port 1 N Port + 221 NPIV public  
On the Brocade DCX and DCX-4S with the FC8-64 blade, the base port is not included in the NPIV  
device count. The following example shows 63 NPIV devices total.  
Index Slot Port Address Media Speed State  
Proto  
==================================================  
127 12 15 a07f40 id  
(AoQ)  
N4  
Online FC F-Port 1 N Port + 63 NPIV public  
Upgrade considerations  
The maximum logins per switch has decreased with Fabric OS v6.4.0. When upgrading from a  
release previous to Fabric OS v6.4.0 and later, the configured maximum is carried forward and may  
exceed the Fabric OS v6.4.0 limit. It is recommended to reconfigure this parameter to be within the  
range permitted in Fabric OS v6.4.0 and later.  
Fixed addressing mode  
Fixed addressing mode is the default addressing mode used in all platforms that do not have  
Virtual Fabrics enabled. When Virtual Fabrics is enabled on the Brocade DCX and DCX-4S, fixed  
addressing mode is used only on the default logical switch. The number of NPIV devices supported  
on shared area ports (48-port blades) is reduced to 64 from 128 when Virtual Fabrics mode is  
enabled.  
10-bit addressing mode  
The 10-bit addressing mode is the default mode for all the logical switches created in the Brocade  
DCX and DCX-4S Backbones. The number of NPIV or loop devices supported on a port is 64.  
Table 64 shows the number of NPIV devices supported on the Brocade DCX and DCX-4S  
Backbones.  
TABLE 64  
Number of supported NPIV devices  
Platform  
Virtual Fabrics  
Logical switch type  
NPIV support  
1
DCX  
Disabled  
Enabled  
Enabled  
Enabled  
Disabled  
Enabled  
N/A  
Yes, 127 virtual device limit.  
1
DCX  
Default switch  
Logical switch  
Base switch  
N/A  
Yes, 63 virtual device limit.  
2, 3  
DCX  
Yes, 255 virtual device limit.  
No.  
DCX  
DCX-4S  
DCX-4S  
Yes, 255 virtual device limit.  
Yes, 255 virtual device limit.  
Default switch  
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Configuring NPIV  
15  
TABLE 64  
Number of supported NPIV devices (Continued)  
Platform  
Virtual Fabrics  
Logical switch type  
NPIV support  
3
DCX-4S  
DCX-4S  
Enabled  
Enabled  
Logical switch  
Base switch  
Yes, 255 virtual device limit.  
No.  
1. Maximum limit support takes precedence if user-configured maximum limit is greater. This applies to shared  
areas on the FC4-48, FC8-48, and FC8-64 port blades.  
2. The first 112 physical NPIV-capable devices connected to a logical switch using 10-bit addressing can log in 255  
logical devices. The physical NPIV-capable devices after 112, 113, and higher, are limited to 63 logical devices.  
3. Maximum limit of 63 for 10-bit areas connected to third-party (non-Brocade) NPIV HBAs.  
Configuring NPIV  
The NPIV feature is enabled by default. You can set the number of virtual N_Port_IDs per port to a  
value from 1 through 255 per port. The default setting is 126.  
The portCfgNpivPort command is used to specify the maximum number of virtual N_port_IDs per  
port on a switch. It can also be used to enable or disable NPIV. Once NPIV is enabled on the port,  
you can specify the number of logins per port. If the NPIV feature has been disabled, then the NPIV  
port configuration does not work.  
The addressing mode can limit the maximum number of NPIV logins to 127 or 63 depending on the  
mode. The portCfgNPIVPort command can set the maximum number of NPIV logins limit to  
anything from 1 through 255, regardless of the addressing mode. Whichever of these two  
(addressing mode or the value configured through portCfgNPIVPort) is lower will be the maximum  
number that can be logged in.  
CAUTION  
The portDisable command disables the port and stops all traffic flowing to and from the port.  
Perform this command during a scheduled maintenance.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Enter the portDisable command.  
3. Enter the portCfgNPIVPort --setloginlimit command with the port number and the number of  
logins per port.  
4. Press Enter.  
5. Enter the portEnable command to enable the port.  
Example of setting the login limit  
switch:adnin> portcfgnpivport --setloginlimit 7/0 128  
NPIV Limit Set to 128 for Port 128  
switch:adnin> portcfgshow 7/0  
Area Number:  
128  
Octet Speed Combo:  
Speed Level:  
AL_PA Offset 13:  
Trunk Port  
1(16G|8G|4G|2G)  
AUTO(SW)  
OFF  
ON  
Long Distance  
OFF  
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Enabling and disabling NPIV  
15  
VC Link Init  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
ON  
Locked L_Port  
Locked G_Port  
Disabled E_Port  
Locked E_Port  
ISL R_RDY Mode  
RSCN Suppressed  
Persistent Disable  
LOS TOV enable  
NPIV capability  
QOS E_Port  
AE  
Port Auto Disable:  
Rate Limit  
EX Port  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
ON  
OFF  
0(R_A_TOV)  
128  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
ON  
Mirror Port  
Credit Recovery  
F_Port Buffers  
Fault Delay:  
NPIV PP Limit:  
CSCTL mode:  
Frame Shooter Port  
D-Port mode:  
Compression:  
Encryption:  
FEC:  
Enabling and disabling NPIV  
On the Brocade 300, 5100, 5300, 6505, 6510, 6520, 7800, and 8000 switches, the Brocade  
5410, 5424, 5430, 5450, 5460, 5470, and 5480 embedded switches, Brocade DCX and DCX  
8510 Backbone families, and the FA4-18 blade, NPIV is enabled for every port.  
NOTE  
NPIV is a requirement for FCoE. The CEE/FCoE ports on the Brocade 8000 have NPIV enabled by  
default, but NPIV cannot be enabled or disabled on these ports. The login limit can be set on these  
ports provided you disable and enable the ports using the fcoe --disable and fcoe --enable  
commands.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. To enable or disable NPIV on a port, enter the portCfgNPIVPort command with either the  
--enable or --disable option.  
The following example shows NPIV being enabled on port 10 of a Brocade 5100:  
switch:admin> portCfgNPIVPort --enable 10  
NOTE  
If the NPIV feature is disabled, the port is toggled if NPIV devices are logged in from that F_Port (a  
true NPIV port). Otherwise, the firmware considers that port as an F_Port even though the NPIV  
feature was enabled.  
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Viewing NPIV port configuration information  
15  
Viewing NPIV port configuration information  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Enter the portCfgShow command to view the switch ports information.  
The following example shows whether a port is configured for NPIV:  
switch:admin> portcfgshow  
Ports of Slot 0  
0 1 2 3  
4 5 6 7  
8 9 10 11  
12 13 14 15  
-----------------+--+--+--+--+----+--+--+--+----+--+--+--+----+--+--+--  
Speed  
Trunk Port  
AN AN AN AN  
ON ON ON ON  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
AN AN AN AN  
ON ON ON ON  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
ON ON ON ON  
AN AN AN AN  
ON ON ON ON  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
ON ON ON ON  
AN AN AN AN  
ON ON ON ON  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
ON ON ON ON  
Long Distance  
VC Link Init  
Locked L_Port  
Locked G_Port  
Disabled E_Port  
ISL R_RDY Mode  
RSCN Suppressed  
Persistent Disable.. .. .. ..  
NPIV capability ON ON ON ON  
3. Use the switchShow and portShow commands to view NPIV information for a given port. If a  
port is an F_Port, and you enter the switchShow command, then the port WWN of the N_Port is  
returned. For an NPIV F_Port, there are multiple N_Ports, each with a different port WWN. The  
switchShow command output indicates whether or not a port is an NPIV F_Port, and identifies  
the number of virtual N_Ports behind it. The following example is sample output from the  
switchShow command:  
switch:admin> switchshow  
switchName:switch  
switchType:66.1  
switchState:Online  
switchMode:Native  
switchRole:Principal  
switchDomain:1  
switchId:fffc01  
switchWwn:10:00:00:05:1e:82:3c:2a  
zoning:OFF  
switchBeacon:OFF  
FC Router:OFF  
FC Router BB Fabric ID:128  
Area Port Media Speed State  
Proto  
=====================================  
0
1
2
3
0
1
2
3
4
id  
id  
id  
id  
id  
N1  
N4  
N4  
N4  
N4  
Online  
No_Light  
Online  
No_Light  
No_Light  
F-Port 1 Nport + 1 NPIV devices.  
F-Port 20:0e:00:05:1e:0a:16:59  
4
...  
<output truncated>  
4. Use the portShow command to view the NPIV attributes and all the N_Port (physical and  
virtual) port WWNs that are listed under portWwn of device(s) connected. The following  
example is sample output for the portShow command:  
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Viewing NPIV port configuration information  
15  
switch:admin> portshow 2  
portName: 02  
portHealth: HEALTHY  
Authentication: None  
portDisableReason: None  
portCFlags: 0x1  
portFlags: 0x24b03 PRESENT ACTIVE F_PORT G_PORT NPIV LOGICAL_ONLINE LOGIN  
NOELP LED ACCEPT  
portType: 10.0  
portState: 1Online  
portPhys: 6In_Sync  
portScn:  
32F_Port  
port generation number:  
148  
portId:  
portIfId:  
portWwn:  
630200  
43020005  
20:02:00:05:1e:35:37:40  
portWwn of device(s) connected:  
c0:50:76:ff:fb:00:16:fc  
c0:50:76:ff:fb:00:16:f8  
...  
<output truncated>  
...  
c0:50:76:ff:fb:00:16:80  
50:05:07:64:01:a0:73:b8  
Distance: normal  
portSpeed: N2Gbps  
Interrupts:  
Unknown:  
Lli:  
0
0
Link_failure: 16  
Loss_of_sync: 422  
Loss_of_sig: 808  
Protocol_err: 0  
Invalid_word: 0  
Invalid_crc: 0  
Frjt:  
Fbsy:  
0
0
294803  
Proc_rqrd:  
Timed_out:  
Rx_flushed:  
Tx_unavail:  
Free_buffer:  
Overrun:  
Suspended:  
Parity_err:  
2_parity_err:  
CMI_bus_err:  
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Delim_err:  
0
Address_err: 1458  
Lr_in:  
15  
17  
16  
15  
Lr_out:  
Ols_in:  
Ols_out:  
Viewing virtual PID login information  
Use the portLoginShow command to display the login information for the virtual PIDs of a port. The  
following example is sample output from the portLoginShow command:  
switch:admin> portloginshow 2  
Type PID  
World Wide Name  
credit df_sz cos  
=====================================================  
fe 630240 c0:50:76:ff:fb:00:16:fc  
fe 63023f c0:50:76:ff:fb:00:16:f8  
fe 63023e c0:50:76:ff:fb:00:17:ec  
...  
101 2048  
101 2048  
101 2048  
c scr=3  
c scr=3  
c scr=3  
<output truncated>  
...  
ff 630202 c0:50:76:ff:fb:00:17:70  
ff 630201 c0:50:76:ff:fb:00:16:80  
192 2048  
192 2048  
c d_id=FFFFFC  
c d_id=FFFFFC  
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Chapter  
Dynamic Fabric Provisioning: Fabric-Assigned PWWN 16  
In this chapter  
Introduction to Dynamic Fabric Provisioning using FA-PWWN  
Fabric OS v7.0.0 introduces Dynamic Fabric Provisioning (DFP) to simplify server deployment in  
your Fibre Channel SAN (FC SAN) environment.  
Server deployment typically requires that multiple administrative teams (for example, server and  
storage teams) coordinate with each other to perform configuration tasks such as zone creation in  
the fabric and LUN mapping and masking on the storage device. These tasks must be completed  
before the server is deployed. Before you can configure WWN zones and LUN masks, you must find  
out the physical port world wide name (PWWN) of the server. This means that administrative teams  
cannot start their configuration tasks until the physical server arrives (and its physical PWWN is  
known). Because the configuration tasks are sequential and interdependent across various  
administrative teams, it may take several days before the server gets deployed in an FC SAN.  
Dynamic Fabric Provisioning simplifies and accelerates new server deployment and improves  
operational efficiency by using a fabric-assigned PWWN (FA-PWWN). An FA-PWWN is a “virtual” port  
WWN that can be used instead of the physical PWWN to create zoning and LUN mapping and  
masking. When the server is later attached to the SAN, the FA-PWWN is then assigned to the  
server.  
The FA-PWWN feature allows you to perform the following tasks:  
Replace one server with another server, or replace failed HBAs or adapters within a server,  
without having to change any zoning or LUN mapping and masking configurations.  
Easily move servers across ports or Access Gateways by way of reassigning the FA-PWWN to  
another port.  
Use the FA-PWWN to represent a server in boot LUN zone configurations so that any physical  
server that is mapped to this FA-PWWN can boot from that LUN, thus simplifying boot over SAN  
configuration.  
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User- and auto-assigned FA-PWWN behavior  
16  
NOTE  
For the server to use the FA-PWWN feature, it must be using a Brocade HBA or adapter. Refer to the  
release notes for the HBA or adapter versions that support this feature.  
Some configuration of the HBA must be performed to use the FA-PWWN.  
User- and auto-assigned FA-PWWN behavior  
An FA-PWWN can be either user-generated or automatically assigned by the fabric. The  
automatically assigned FA-PWWN is created by default when you enable the feature without  
explicitly providing a virtual PWWN.  
Each switch port and Access Gateway port can be assigned up to two WWNs, one assigned  
automatically and one assigned by the user. Only one FA-PWWN can be active at any given time.  
The user-assigned FA-PWWN takes precedence over the automatically assigned FA-PWWN. This  
means the switch will bind the user-assigned FA-PWWN to the port if both a user-assigned and an  
automatically assigned FA-PWWN are available. If you want to select the automatically assigned  
FA-PWWN over the user-assigned FA-PWWN, you must delete the user-assigned FA-PWWN from the  
port to which it has been assigned.  
Checking for duplicate FA-PWWNs  
The switch ensures that automatically assigned FA-PWWNs are unique in a fabric. However, it is the  
responsibility of the administrators to ensure that user-assigned FA-PWWNs are also unique  
throughout the fabric.  
CAUTION  
The administrators should ensure that the same user-assigned FA-PWWN is not used in multiple  
chassis. There is no fabric-wide database, and adding the same FA-PWWNs in multiple chassis  
causes duplicate PWWNs.  
Configuring FA-PWWNs  
Use the faPwwn command to create and manage FA-PWWNs. The faPwwn command supports the  
following management tasks:  
Binding an automatically assigned or a user-assigned FA-PWWN to a switch port.  
Overriding an automatically assigned FA-PWWN with a user-assigned FA-PWWN.  
Binding an Access Gateway port with an automatically assigned or a user-assigned FA-PWWN.  
Deleting any existing FA-PWWN bindings.  
Moving an FA-PWWN from one port to another port.  
Moving an FA-PWWN assigned to an Access Gateway port to another Access Gateway.  
Displaying information about configured FA-PWWN bindings.  
Refer to the Fabric OS Command Reference for information about using the faPwwn command.  
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This section includes an FA-PWWN configuration procedure for each of the following two topologies:  
An FA-PWWN for an HBA device that is connected to an Access Gateway switch.  
An FA-PWWN for an HBA device that is connected directly to an edge switch.  
These topologies are shown in Figure 51.  
Access Gateway Switch  
Edge Switch  
running FOS 7.0.0  
running FOS 7.0.0  
NPIV  
F-Port  
F-Port  
N-Port  
F-Port  
HBA  
Scenario 1  
An FA-PWWN is  
configured for an HBA  
device connected to an  
Access Gateway Switch.  
HBA  
Scenario 2  
Configure an FA-PWWN  
for an HBA device connected  
directly to an edge switch.  
FIGURE 51 Fabric-assigned port world wide name provisioning scenarios  
Configuring an FA-PWWN for an HBA connected to an Access Gateway  
For this procedure, some of the steps are to be executed on the switch and some are to be  
executed on the server.  
1. Log in to the edge switch to which the Access Gateway is directly connected.  
2. Assign the FA-PWWN.  
If you are manually assigning a WWN, enter the following command:  
fapwwn --assign -ag AG_WWN -port AG_port -v Virtual_PWWN  
If you want the WWN to be automatically assigned, enter the following command:  
fapwwn --assign -ag AG_WWN -port AG_port  
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Configuring FA-PWWNs  
16  
3. Enter the fapwwn --show -ag all command:  
You should see output similar to the following sample. (In this example, long lines of output are  
shown split across two lines, for better readability.)  
-----------------------------------------------------------  
AG Port  
Port  
Device Port WWN  
\
-----------------------------------------------------------  
10:00:00:05:1e:65:8a:d5/16 --  
--:--:--:--:--:--:--:-- \  
20:08:00:05:1e:d7:2b:74 \  
\
10:00:00:05:1e:d7:3d:dc/8  
20  
10:00:00:05:1e:d7:3d:dc/9  
10:00:00:05:1e:d7:3d:dc/16 --  
20  
20:09:00:05:1e:d7:2b:73 \  
--:--:--:--:--:--:--:-- \  
------------------------------------------------------------  
Virtual Port WWN PID Enable MapType  
------------------------------------------------------------  
52:00:10:00:00:0f:50:30  
11:22:33:44:55:66:77:88  
52:00:10:00:00:0f:50:32  
2:00:10:00:00:0f:50:33  
52:00:10:00:00:0f:50:38  
--  
Yes  
AG/Auto  
AG/User  
11403 Yes  
11404 Yes  
--  
AG/Auto  
AG/Auto  
Yes  
4. Enable the FA-PWWN on the HBA. The following steps are to be executed on the server and not  
the switch.  
a. Log in to the server as root.  
b. Enter the following command:  
bcu port -faa port_id --enable  
c. Enter the following command:  
bcu port -faa port_id --query  
Once the Brocade HBA has been assigned the FA-PWWN, the HBA retains the FA-PWWN until  
rebooted. This means you cannot unplug and plug the cable into a different port on the Access  
Gateway. You must reboot the HBA before moving the HBA to a different port. If you move an HBA to  
a different port on a switch running Fabric OS v7.0.0 or later, the HBA will disable its port. If the HBA  
moves to a different port on a switch running a version of Fabric OS earlier than 7.0.0, the HBA will  
continue to disable its port.  
Configuring an FA-PWWN for an HBA connected to an edge switch  
For this procedure, some of the steps are to be executed on the switch and some are to be  
executed on the server.  
1. Log in to the edge switch to which the device is connected.  
2. Assign the FA-PWWN.  
If you are manually assigning a WWN, enter the following command:  
fapwwn --assign -port [slot/]port -v Virtual_PWWN  
If you want the WWN to be automatically assigned, enter the following command:  
fapwwn --assign -port [slot/]port  
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Supported switches and configurations for FA-PWWN  
16  
3. Enter the fapwwn --show -port all command:  
You should see output similar to the following sample.  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------  
Port  
PPWWN  
VPWWN  
PID Enable MapType  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------  
0 --:--:--:--:--:--:--:-- 52:00:10:00:00:0f:50:30 10101 Yes Port/Auto  
1 --:--:--:--:--:--:--:-- 11:22:33:44:33:22:11:22 --  
52:00:10:00:00:0f:50:44  
Yes Port/User  
10 --:--:--:--:--:--:--:-- 52:00:10:00:00:0f:50:45 --  
Yes Port/Auto  
4. Enable the FA-PWWN on the HBA. The following steps are to be executed on the server and not  
the switch.  
a. Log in to the server as root.  
b. Enter the following command:  
bcu port -faa port_id --enable  
c. Enter the following command:  
bcu port -faa port_id --query  
Once the Brocade HBA has been assigned the FA-PWWN, the HBA retains the FA-PWWN until it is  
rebooted. This means you cannot unplug and plug the cable into a different port on the switch. You  
must reboot the HBA before moving the HBA to a different port. If you move an HBA to a different  
port on a switch running Fabric OS v7.0.0 or later, the HBA will disable its port. If the HBA moves to  
a different port on a switch running a version of Fabric OS earlier than 7.0.0, the HBA will continue  
to disable its port.  
Supported switches and configurations for FA-PWWN  
The FA-PWWN feature is supported on the following platforms:  
Switch platforms running Fabric OS v7.0.0 or later:  
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Brocade DCX, DCX-4S, and DCX 8510 family  
Brocade 300  
Brocade 5100  
Brocade 5300  
Brocade 6505  
Brocade 6510  
Brocade 6520  
Brocade 7800  
Brocade VA-40FC  
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Access Gateway platforms running Fabric OS v7.0.0 or later:  
-
-
-
-
Brocade 300  
Brocade 5100  
Brocade 6505  
Brocade 6510  
Brocade HBAs with driver version 3.0.0.0:  
-
-
-
-
Brocade 415  
Brocade 425  
Brocade 815  
Brocade 825  
Configuration upload and download considerations for FA-PWWN  
The configuration upload and download utilities can be used to import and export the FA-PWWN  
configuration.  
ATTENTION  
Brocade recommends you delete all FA-PWWNs from the switch with the configuration being  
replaced before you upload or download a modified configuration. This is to ensure no duplicate  
FA-PWWNs in the fabric.  
Firmware upgrade and downgrade considerations for FA-PWWN  
Firmware downgrading is blocked if the FA-PWWN feature is enabled on the switch. All FA-PWWN  
configurations are lost if firmware is downgraded, even if it is followed by an upgrade back to  
Fabric OS v7.0.0. This is done to ensure that the FA-PWWN configurations are not tampered with  
when the switch is running an earlier version of the firmware.  
You must also consider zone configuration, security configuration, and target ACLs when  
downgrading from Fabric OS v7.0.0. If any of these (zone configuration, security configuration, and  
target ACLs) have FA-PWWNs configured, the SAN network may not function properly, or at all.  
Security considerations for FA-PWWN  
The FA-PWWN feature can be enabled only by authorized administrators. Thus, existing user-level  
authentication and authorization mechanisms should be used to ensure only authorized users can  
configure this feature.  
If you are concerned about security for FA-PWWN, you should configure device authentication. You  
can use authentication at the device level to ensure security between the switch and the server.  
Refer to “Device authentication policy” on page 210 for information about configuring device  
authentication.  
You can also use the Device Connection Control (DCC) policy to ensure that only an authorized  
physical server can connect to a specific switch port.  
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NOTE  
When creating the DCC policy, use the physical device WWN and not the FA-PWWN.  
If you use DCC, a policy check is done on the physical PWWN on the servers. In the case of an HBA,  
the FA-PWWN is assigned to the HBA only after the DCC check is successful.  
information.  
Restrictions of FA-PWWN  
Be aware of the following restrictions when using the FA-PWWN feature:  
FA-PWWN is supported only on Brocade HBAs and adapters. Refer to the release notes for the  
supported Brocade HBA or adapter versions.  
FA-PWWN is not supported for the following:  
-
-
-
-
-
-
FCoE devices  
FL_Ports  
Swapped ports (using the portswap command)  
Cascaded Access Gateway topologies  
FICON/FMS mode  
With F_Port trunking on directly attached Brocade HBAs/adapters  
NOTE  
FA-PWWN is supported with F_Port trunking on the supported Access Gateway platforms.  
Access Gateway N_Port failover with FA-PWWN  
If an FA-PWWN F_Port on an Access Gateway fails over to an N_Port that is connected to a different  
switch, the FA-PWWN of that Access Gateway F_Port must also be configured on that switch. If not,  
the FA-PWWN assigned to the Access Gateway F_Port following a failover will be different than it  
was before the failover occurred. This situation may require the host to reboot to bring it back  
online. Even after the reboot, the host may potentially go into a different zone because the  
FA-PWWN is different.  
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Managing Administrative Domains  
17  
In this chapter  
Administrative Domains overview  
An Administrative Domain (Admin Domain or AD) is a logical grouping of fabric elements that  
defines which switches, ports, and devices you can view and modify. An Admin Domain is a filtered  
administrative view of the fabric.  
NOTE  
If you do not implement Admin Domains, the feature has no impact on users and you can ignore this  
chapter.  
Admin Domains permit access to a configured set of users. Using Admin Domains, you can  
partition the fabric into logical groups and allocate administration of these groups to different user  
accounts. These accounts can manage only the Admin Domains assigned to them and cannot  
make changes to the rest of the fabric.  
For example, you can put all the devices in a particular department in the same Admin Domain for  
ease of managing those devices. If you have remote sites, you could put the resources in the  
remote site in an Admin Domain and assign the remote site administrator to manage those  
resources.  
Admin Domains and Virtual Fabrics are mutually exclusive and are not supported at the same time  
on a switch.  
Do not confuse Admin Domains with zones:  
Zones define which devices and hosts can communicate with each other.  
Admin Domains define which users can manage which devices, hosts, and switches.  
You can have up to 256 Admin Domains in a fabric (254 user-defined and 2 system-defined),  
numbered from 0 through 255.  
Admin Domains are designated by a name and a number. This document refers to specific Admin  
Domains using the format “ADn” where n is a number between 0 and 255.  
ATTENTION  
The Admin Domain administrator can define up to 254 ADs (AD1 through AD254) in the AD  
database; however, it is recommended that no more than 16 active Admin Domains run  
concurrently. More than 16 active Admin Domains might cause performance degradation and  
unpredictable system behavior.  
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NOTE  
Do not confuse an Admin Domain number with the domain ID of a switch. They are two different  
identifiers. The Admin Domain number identifies the Admin Domain and has a range from 0 through  
255. The domain ID identifies a switch in the fabric and has a range from 1 through 239.  
Figure 52 shows a fabric with two Admin Domains: AD1 and AD2.  
AD1  
AD2  
FIGURE 52 Fabric with two Admin Domains  
Figure 53 shows how users get a filtered view of this fabric, depending on which Admin Domain  
they are in. As shown in Figure 53, users can see all switches and E_Ports in the fabric, regardless  
of their Admin Domain; however, the switch ports and end devices are filtered based on Admin  
Domain membership.  
FIGURE 53 Filtered fabric views when using Admin Domains  
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Admin Domain features  
Admin Domains allow you to do the following:  
Define the scope of an Admin Domain to encompass ports and devices within a switch or a  
fabric.  
Share resources across multiple Admin Domains. For example, you can share array ports and  
tape drives between multiple departments. In Figure 52 on page 434, one of the storage  
devices is shared between AD1 and AD2.  
Have a separate zone database for each Admin Domain. Refer to “Admin Domains, zones, and  
zone databases” on page 458 for more information.  
Move devices from one Admin Domain to another without traffic disruption, cable reconnects,  
or discontinuity in zone enforcement.  
Provide strong fault and event isolation between Admin Domains.  
Have visibility of all physical fabric resources. All switches, E_Ports, and FRUs (including blade  
information) are visible.  
Continue to run existing third-party management applications. Prior and existing versions of  
third-party management applications continue to work with admin IDs and user IDs.  
Requirements for Admin Domains  
Implementing Admin Domains in a fabric has the following requirements:  
Admin Domains are not supported on the Brocade 8000. The Brocade 8000 can be in AD0  
only.  
The default zone mode setting must be set to No Access before you create Admin Domains  
Virtual Fabrics must be disabled before you create Admin Domains (refer to “Disabling  
Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) ports cannot be members of an Admin Domain.  
Traffic Isolation Zoning is supported within Admin Domains, with some restrictions, as  
If the fabric includes LSAN zones:  
-
-
The LSAN zone names must not end with “_ADn”.  
The LSAN zone names must not be longer than 57 characters.  
Refer to Chapter 24, “Using FC-FC Routing to Connect Fabrics,” for information about the FC-FC  
Routing Service and LSAN zones.  
Admin Domain access levels  
Admin Domains offer a hierarchy of administrative access. To manage Admin Domains, you must  
be a physical fabric administrator. A physical fabric administrator is a user with admin permissions  
and access to all Admin Domains (AD0 through AD255). Only a physical fabric administrator can  
perform Admin Domain configuration and management.  
Other administrative access is determined by your defined Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) role  
and AD membership. Your role determines your access level and permission to perform an  
operation. Your AD membership determines the fabric resources on which you can operate.  
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Table 65 lists each Admin Domain user type and describes its administrative access and  
capabilities.  
TABLE 65  
AD user types  
Description  
User type  
Physical fabric  
administrator  
User account with admin permissions and with access to all Admin Domains (AD0 through  
AD255).  
Creates and manages all Admin Domains.  
Assigns other administrators or users to each Admin Domain.  
The default admin account is the first physical fabric administrator.  
Only a physical fabric administrator can create other physical fabric administrators.  
Administrative  
Domain users  
Can be assigned to one or more Admin Domains.  
Manage the resources within their Admin Domains.  
If their role permits, can create user accounts and assign them to Admin Domains in their list.  
Cannot view other Admin Domain definitions. They can view only members of their own Admin  
Domains.  
User-defined Admin Domains  
AD1 through AD254 are user-defined Admin Domains. These user-defined Admin Domains can be  
created only by a physical fabric administrator (refer to “Admin Domain access levels” on page 435  
for more information).  
In Figure 52 on page 434, AD1 and AD2 are user-defined Admin Domains.  
System-defined Admin Domains  
AD0 and AD255 are system-defined Admin Domains. AD0 and AD255 always exist and cannot be  
deleted or renamed. They are reserved for use in creation and management of Admin Domains.  
AD0  
AD0 is a system-defined Admin Domain. Unlike user-defined Admin Domains, AD0 has an implicit  
and an explicit membership list. User-defined Admin Domains have only an explicit membership  
list.  
The implicit membership list contains all devices, switch ports, and switches that have not  
been assigned to any other Admin Domain.  
Initially, the AD0 implicit membership list contains all devices, switch ports, and switches in the  
fabric. When you create AD1 through AD254, the devices, switch ports, and switches used to  
create these user-defined Admin Domains disappear from the AD0 implicit membership list.  
The explicit membership list contains all devices, switch ports, and switches that you explicitly  
add to AD0 and can be used to force device and switch sharing between AD0 and other Admin  
Domains.  
AD0 is managed like any user-defined Admin Domain. The only difference between AD0 and  
user-defined Admin Domains is the implicit membership list.  
The implicit members of AD0 change dynamically as the membership of other Admin Domains  
changes. The explicit members of AD0 are not deleted unless you explicitly remove them.  
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For example, if DeviceA is not a member of any user-defined Admin Domain, then it is an implicit  
member of AD0.  
If you explicitly add DeviceA to AD0, then DeviceA is both an implicit and an explicit member of AD0.  
AD0 implicit members AD0 explicit members AD2 members  
DeviceA  
DeviceA  
none  
If you add DeviceA to AD2, then DeviceA is deleted from the AD0 implicit membership list, but is not  
deleted from the AD0 explicit membership list.  
AD0 implicit members AD0 explicit members AD2 members  
none  
DeviceA  
DeviceA  
If you then remove DeviceA from AD2, DeviceA is added back to the AD0 implicit membership list  
(assuming DeviceA is not in any other Admin Domain).  
AD0 implicit members AD0 explicit members AD2 members  
DeviceA  
DeviceA  
none  
When a new device is added to the fabric, it automatically becomes an implicit member of AD0  
until it is explicitly added to an Admin Domain.  
AD0 is useful when you create Admin Domains because you can see which devices, switch ports,  
and switches are not yet assigned to any Admin Domains.  
AD0 owns the root zone database (legacy zone database).  
AD255  
AD255 is a system-defined Admin Domain that is used for Admin Domain management. AD255  
always contains all of the devices in the entire physical fabric. You can use AD255 to get an  
unfiltered view of the fabric and to view the hierarchical zone databases of AD0 through AD254. All  
Admin Domain management is done in the AD255 context.  
AD255 does not have a zone database associated with it; you cannot use AD255 to perform any  
zoning management tasks (non-read operations such as creating or modifying zones).  
Figure 54 on page 438 shows the same fabric from Figure 52 on page 434, but with AD0 and  
AD255 shown. AD0 contains the two devices that are not in any of the user-defined Admin  
Domains (AD1 and AD2). AD255 always encompasses the entire physical fabric.  
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FIGURE 54 Fabric with AD0 and AD255  
Home Admin Domains and login  
You are always logged in to an Admin Domain, and you can view and modify only the devices in that  
Admin Domain.  
If you have access to more than one Admin Domain, one of them is designated as your home  
Admin Domain, the one you are automatically logged in to. If your home Admin Domain is deleted  
or deactivated, then by default you are logged in to the lowest-numbered active Admin Domain in  
your Admin Domain list. The home Admin Domain, like the Admin Domain list, is a configurable  
property of a non-default user account. Here is some additional information about AD accounts:  
You can log in to only one Admin Domain at a time. You can later switch to a different Admin  
instructions).  
For default accounts such as admin and user, the home Admin Domain defaults to AD0 and  
cannot be changed.  
The Admin Domain list for the default admin account is 0 through 255, which gives this  
account automatic access to any Admin Domain as soon as the domain is created, and makes  
this account a physical fabric administrator.  
The Admin Domain list for the default user account is AD0 only.  
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For user-defined accounts, the home Admin Domain defaults to AD0 but an administrator can  
set the home Admin Domain to any Admin Domain to which the account is given access.  
If you are in any Admin Domain context other than AD0, the Admin Domain number is included  
in the system prompt displayed during your session. The following are example prompts for  
when you are in the AD0, AD1, and AD255 contexts, respectively:  
switch:admin>  
switch:AD1:admin>  
switch:AD255:admin>  
Admin Domain member types  
You define an Admin Domain by identifying members of that domain. Admin Domain members can  
be devices, switch ports, or switches. Defining these member types is similar to defining a  
traditional zone member type. An Admin Domain does not require or have a new domain ID or  
management IP address linked to it.  
Device members  
Device members are defined by the device World Wide Name (WWN) and have the following  
properties:  
A device member can be either a device port WWN or a device node WWN.  
A device member grants view access to the device and zoning rights. View rights are also  
granted to the switch port to which the device is attached.  
A device member provides a pure virtual view. The cabling and switch port diagnostics and  
control are done by the physical fabric administrator.  
Port control is provided only through switch port membership and is not provided for device  
members. When you create an Admin Domain, the end device members do not need to be online,  
even though their WWNs are used in the Admin Domain definition.  
You can share device members across multiple Admin Domains. You can also zone shared devices  
differently in each Admin Domain. A device WWN member does not automatically grant usage of  
corresponding domain,index members in the zone configuration. If you specify a device WWN  
member in the Admin Domain member list, zone enforcement ignores zones with the  
corresponding port (the port to which the device is connected) member usage.  
Switch port members  
Switch port members are defined by switch domain,index and have the following properties:  
A switch port member grants port control rights and zoning rights for that switch port.  
A switch port member grants view access and zoning rights to the device connected to that  
switch port.  
A switch port member allows you to share domain,index members across multiple Admin  
Domains. In each Admin Domain, you can also zone shared devices differently.  
A switch port member implicitly includes all devices connected to the specified domain,index  
members in the Admin Domain membership.  
A switch port member allows you to specify a range of indices as Admin Domain members, for  
example: 100,5-8. The index range arguments are expanded and stored in the Admin Domain  
member list.  
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If a device is a member of an Admin Domain, the switch port to which the device is connected  
becomes an indirect member of that Admin Domain and the domain,index is removed from the  
AD0 implicit membership list.  
NOTE  
If the switch domain ID changes, the domain,index members are invalid (they are not automatically  
changed). You must then reconfigure the Admin Domain with the current domain,index members.  
Switch members  
Switch members are defined by the switch WWN or domain ID, and have the following properties:  
A switch member grants administrative control to the switch.  
A switch member grants port control for all ports in that switch.  
A switch member allows switch administrative operations such as disabling and enabling a  
switch, rebooting, and firmware downloads.  
A switch member does not provide zoning rights for the switch ports or devices.  
To allow devices to be zoned within Admin Domains, you must specify the port members using  
domain,index or device WWN members.  
E_Ports (including VE_Ports, EX_Ports, and VEX_Ports) are implicitly shared across all Admin  
Domains. An administrator can perform port control operations only if the domain,index of the  
E_Port is part of the Admin Domain.  
NOTE  
Only the WWN of the switch is saved in the Admin Domain. If you change the domain ID of the switch,  
the Admin Domain ownership of the switch is not changed.  
Admin Domains and switch WWNs  
Admin Domains are treated as fabrics. Because switches cannot belong to more than one fabric,  
switch WWNs are converted so that they appear as unique entities in different Admin Domains  
(fabrics). This WWN conversion is done only in the AD1 through AD254 context. AD0 and AD255  
use unconverted switch WWNs.  
The switch WWN has the following format:  
10:00:nn:nn:nn:nn:nn:nn  
In an Admin Domain context, the switch WWN is converted from NAA=1 to NAA=5 format, with the  
Admin Domain number added, using the following syntax:  
5n:nn:nn:nn:nn:nn:n9:xx  
In the syntax, xx is the Admin Domain number.  
For example, the following switch WWN is in NAA=1 format:  
10:00:00:60:69:e4:24:e0  
The following switch WWN is the converted WWN for the previous example in AD1:  
50:06:06:9e:42:4e:09:01  
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Figure 55 on page 441 shows an unfiltered view of a fabric with two switches, three devices, and  
two Admin Domains. The devices are labeled with device WWNs and the switches are labeled with  
domain IDs and switch WWNs.  
FIGURE 55 Fabric showing switch and device WWNs  
Figure 56 shows the filtered view of the fabric as seen from AD3 and AD4. The switch WWNs are  
converted to the NAA=5 syntax; the device WWNs and domain IDs remain the same.  
Fabric Visible to AD3 User  
WWN = 10:00:00:00:c2:37:2b:a3  
WWN = 10:00:00:00:c7:2b:fd:a3  
Domain ID = 1  
WWN = 50:00:51:f0:52:36:f9:03  
Domain ID = 2  
WWN = 50:00:52:e0:63:46:e9:03  
WWN = 10:00:00:00:c2:37:2b:a3  
Fabric Visible to AD4 User  
Domain ID = 1  
WWN = 50:00:51:f0:52:36:f9:04  
Domain ID = 2  
WWN = 50:00:52:e0:63:46:e9:04  
WWN = 10:00:00:00:c8:3a:fe:a2  
FIGURE 56 Filtered fabric views showing converted switch WWNs  
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Admin Domain compatibility, availability, and merging  
Admin Domains maintain continuity of service for Fabric OS features and operate in mixed-release  
Fabric OS environments. High availability is supported with some backward compatibility.  
When an E_Port comes online, the adjacent switches merge their AD databases. The receiving  
switch accepts an AD database from the neighboring switch only if the local AD database is empty  
or if the new AD database exactly matches both the defined and effective configurations of the  
local AD database. If the AD database merge fails, the E_Port is segmented with an “AD conflict”  
error code.  
Admin Domain management for physical fabric administrators  
NOTE  
This section is for physical fabric administrators who are managing Admin Domains.  
The ad command follows a batched-transaction model, which means that changes to the Admin  
Domain configuration occur in the transaction buffer.  
An Admin Domain configuration can exist in several places:  
Effective configuration — The Admin Domain configuration that is currently in effect.  
Defined configuration — The Admin Domain configuration that is saved in flash memory. There  
might be differences between the effective configuration and the defined configuration.  
Transaction buffer — The Admin Domain configuration that is in the current transaction buffer  
and has not yet been saved or canceled.  
How you end the transaction determines the disposition of the Admin Domain configuration in the  
transaction buffer. The following commands end the Admin Domain transaction:  
ad --save  
Saves the changes in the transaction buffer to the defined configuration in  
persistent storage and propagates the defined configuration to all switches  
in the fabric. Note that for delete and clear operations, if one or more of the  
deleted Admin Domains are in the effective configuration, you cannot use  
--save, but must use --apply instead.  
ad --apply  
Saves the changes to the defined configuration in persistent storage and  
enforces the defined configuration on all switches in the fabric, replacing the  
effective configuration.  
ad --transabort Aborts the transaction and clears the transaction buffer. The effective and  
defined configurations remain unchanged.  
You can enter the ad --transshow command at any time to display the ID of the current Admin  
Domain transaction.  
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Setting the default zoning mode for Admin Domains  
To begin implementing an Admin Domain structure within your SAN, you must first set the default  
zoning mode to No Access. You must be in AD0 to change the default zoning mode.  
1. Log in to the switch with the appropriate RBAC role.  
2. Ensure you are in the AD0 context by entering the ad --show command to determine the  
current Admin Domain.  
If necessary, switch to the AD0 context by entering the ad --select 0 command.  
3. Set the default zoning mode to No Access, as described in “Setting the default zoning mode”  
Creating an Admin Domain  
To create an Admin Domain, you must specify an Admin Domain name, number, or both:  
If you create an Admin Domain using only a number, the Admin Domain name is automatically  
assigned to be “ADn”, where n is the number you specified.  
For example, if you specify AD number = 4, then AD name is set to “AD4”.  
If you create an Admin Domain using only a name, the Admin Domain number is automatically  
assigned and is the lowest available AD number, except if you specify a name in the format  
“ADn”, in which case the Admin Domain number is assigned to be n.  
For example, if you specify AD name = “blueAD” and the lowest available AD number is 5, then  
AD name is “blueAD” and AD number is 5.  
If you specify AD name = “AD15” and the lowest available AD number is 6, then AD name is  
“AD15” and AD number is 15. Because the specified name is in the format “ADn”, the AD  
number is assigned to be n and not the lowest available AD number.  
When you create an Admin Domain, you must specify at least one member (switch, switch port, or  
device). You cannot create an empty Admin Domain. For more information about these member  
A newly created Admin Domain has no zoning defined and the default access mode is No Access.  
This means the devices in the Admin Domain cannot communicate with each other. You must set  
up zones in the newly created Admin Domain to allow devices to access each other, even if the  
devices were already zoned together prior to your moving them to the Admin Domain. Refer to  
zones work with Admin Domains.  
You create Admin Domains in the transaction buffer. You can either save the newly created Admin  
Domain to a defined configuration or make it the effective configuration directly.  
The following procedure describes the steps for creating Admin Domains.  
1. Log in to the switch as the physical fabric administrator.  
2. Disable Virtual Fabrics, if necessary, as described in “Disabling Virtual Fabrics mode” on  
page 290. Admin Domains and Virtual Fabrics cannot co-exist.  
3. Set the default zone mode to No Access, if you have not already done so. Refer to “Setting the  
4. Switch to the AD255 context, if you are not already in that context:  
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ad --select 255  
5. Enter the ad --create command using the -d option to specify device and switch port members  
and the -s option to specify switch members:  
ad --create ad_id -d "dev_list" -s "switch_list"  
6. Enter the appropriate command based on whether you want to save or activate the Admin  
Domain definition:  
To save the Admin Domain definition, enter ad --save.  
To save the Admin Domain definition and directly apply the definition to the fabric, enter ad  
--apply.  
7. Set up zones in the newly created Admin Domain. Refer to Chapter 11, “Administering  
Advanced Zoning,” for instructions.  
Example of creating Admin Domains  
The following example creates Admin Domain AD1, consisting of two switches, which are  
designated by domain ID and switch WWN.  
switch:AD255:admin> ad --create AD1 -s "97; 10:00:00:60:69:80:59:13"  
The following example creates Admin Domain “blue_ad,” consisting of two switch ports  
(designated by domain,index), one device (designated by device WWN), and two switches  
(designated by domain ID and switch WWN).  
switch:AD255:admin> ad --create blue_ad –d "100,5; 1,3;  
21:00:00:e0:8b:05:4d:05" –s "97; 10:00:00:60:69:80:59:13"  
User assignments to Admin Domains  
After you create an Admin Domain, you can specify one or more user accounts as the valid  
accounts that can use that Admin Domain. User accounts have the following characteristics with  
regard to Admin Domains:  
A user account can have only a single role.  
You can configure a user account to have access to the physical fabric through AD255 and to a  
list of Admin Domains (AD0 through AD254).  
You can configure a user account to have access to only a subset of your own Admin Domain  
list. Only a physical fabric administrator can create another physical fabric administrator user  
account.  
Users capable of using multiple Admin Domains can designate one of these Admin Domains as  
the home Admin Domain, which is the default Admin Domain context after login.  
If you do not specify one, the home Admin Domain is the lowest valid Admin Domain in the  
numerically-sorted AD list.  
Users can log in to their Admin Domains and create their own Admin Domain-specific zones  
and zone configurations.  
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Creating a new user account for managing Admin Domains  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the userConfig --add command using the -r option to set the role, the -a option to provide  
access to Admin Domains, and the -h option to specify the home Admin Domain.  
userconfig --add username -r role -h home_AD -a "AD_list"  
Example of creating new user accounts  
The following example creates new user account ad1admin with an admin role and assigns  
one Admin Domain, blue_ad1, to it. This example also assigns blue_ad1 as the user’s home  
Admin Domain.  
switch:admin> userconfig --add ad1admin -r admin -h blue_ad1 -a "blue_ad1"  
The following example creates new user account ad2admin with an admin role, access to  
Admin Domains 1 and 2, and home Admin Domain set to 2.  
switch:admin> userconfig --add ad2admin -r admin -h 2 -a "1,2"  
Assigning Admin Domains to an existing user account  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the userConfig --addad command using the -a option to provide access to Admin  
Domains and the -h option to specify the home Admin Domain.  
userconfig --addad username -h home_AD -a "AD_list"  
Example  
The following example assigns Admin Domain green_ad2 to the existing user account  
ad1admin.  
switch:admin> userconfig --addad ad1admin -a "green_ad2"  
Creating a physical fabric administrator user account  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the userConfig --add command using the -r option to set the role to admin and the -a  
option to provide access to Admin Domains 0 through 255.  
userconfig --add username -r admin -h home_AD -a "0-255"  
Example  
The following example creates new user account pfa_admin1 with an admin role, access to all  
Admin Domains (AD0 through AD255), and home Admin Domain set to 255. This user account  
is now a physical fabric administrator.  
switch:admin> userconfig --add pfa_admin1 -r admin -h 255 -a "0-255"  
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Removing an Admin Domain from a user account  
When you remove an Admin Domain from an account, all of the currently active sessions for that  
account are logged out.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the userConfig --deletead command:  
userconfig --deletead username [-h admindomain_ID] [-a admindomain_ID_list]  
If the –h argument is not specified, the home Admin Domain either remains as it was or  
becomes the lowest Admin Domain ID in the remaining list.  
Example of removing Admin Domain green_ad2 from the user account adm1  
switch:admin> userconfig --deletead adm1 -a "green_ad2"  
Broadcast message from root (pts/0) Wed Jan 27 20:57:14 2010...  
Security Policy, Password or Account Attribute Change: adm1 will be logged out  
Ads for account adm1 has been successfully deleted.  
Activating an Admin Domain  
An Admin Domain can be in either an active or inactive state. When you create an Admin Domain, it  
is automatically in the active state.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Switch to the AD255 context, if you are not already in that context.  
ad --select 255  
3. Enter the ad --activate command.  
ad --activate ad_id  
You are prompted for confirmation.  
By default, after the Admin Domain is activated, the devices specified under that AD are not  
able to see each other until they are zoned together.  
4. Enter the appropriate command based on whether you want to save or activate the Admin  
Domain definition:  
To save the Admin Domain definition, enter ad --save.  
To save the Admin Domain definition and directly apply the definition to the fabric, enter ad  
--apply.  
Example  
The following example activates Admin Domain AD_B5.  
switch:AD255:admin> ad --activate AD_B5  
You are about to activate a new admin domain.  
Do you want to activate ’AD_B5’ admin domain (yes, y, no, n): [no]: y  
switch:AD255:admin>  
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Deactivating an Admin Domain  
If you deactivate an Admin Domain, the members assigned to the Admin Domain can no longer  
access their hosts or storage unless those members are part of another Admin Domain.  
You cannot log in to an Admin Domain that has been deactivated. You must activate an Admin  
Domain before you can log in to it.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Disable the zone configuration under the Admin Domain you want to deactivate.  
cfgdisable  
3. Switch to the AD255 context, if you are not already in that context.  
ad --select 255  
4. Enter the ad --deactivate command.  
ad --deactivate ad_id  
You are prompted for confirmation.  
5. Enter the appropriate command based on whether you want to save or activate the Admin  
Domain definition:  
To save the Admin Domain definition, enter ad --save.  
To save the Admin Domain definition and directly apply the definition to the fabric, enter ad  
--apply.  
All active user sessions associated with the Admin Domain are terminated. The ad --deactivate  
command does not disable ports.  
Example of deactivating Admin Domain AD_B4  
switch:AD255:admin> ad --deactivate AD_B4  
You are about to deactivate an AD.  
This operation will fail if an effective zone configuration exists in the AD  
Do you want to deactivate ’AD_B5’ admin domain (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
switch:AD255:admin>  
Adding members to an existing Admin Domain  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Switch to the AD255 context, if you are not already in that context.  
ad --select 255  
3. Enter the ad --add command using the -d option to specify device and switch port members  
and the -s option to specify switch members.  
ad --add ad_id -d "dev_list" -s "switch_list"  
In the syntax, ad_id is the Admin Domain name or number, dev_list is a list of device WWNs or  
domain,index members, and switch_list is a list of switch WWNs or domain IDs.  
4. Enter the appropriate command based on whether you want to save or activate the Admin  
Domain definition:  
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To save the Admin Domain definition, enter ad --save.  
To save the Admin Domain definition and directly apply the definition to the fabric, enter ad  
--apply.  
Example of adding two switch ports, designated by domain,index, to AD1  
switch:AD255:admin> ad --add AD1 -d "100,5; 4,1"  
Removing members from an Admin Domain  
If you remove the last member of an Admin Domain, that Admin Domain is automatically deleted.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Switch to the AD255 context, if you are not already in that context.  
ad --select 255  
3. Enter the ad --remove command using the -d option to specify device and switch port members  
and the -s option to specify switch members.  
ad --remove ad_id -d "dev_list" -s "switch_list"  
Removing the last member element of an Admin Domain deletes the Admin Domain.  
4. Enter the appropriate command based on whether you want to save or activate the Admin  
Domain definition:  
To save the Admin Domain definition, enter ad --save.  
To save the Admin Domain definition and directly apply the definition to the fabric, enter ad  
--apply.  
Example 1  
The following example removes port 5 of domain 100 and port 3 of domain 1 from AD1.  
switch:AD255:admin> ad --remove AD1 –d "100,5; 1,3"  
Example 2  
The following example removes switch 100 from the membership list of AD4.  
switch:AD255:admin> ad --remove AD4 –s "100"  
Renaming an Admin Domain  
Use this procedure if you want to change the name of an Admin Domain. You can also change  
auto-assigned names (ADn).  
The rename operation does not take effect if the Admin Domain you want to rename is part of the  
effective configuration.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Switch to the AD255 context, if you are not already in that context.  
ad --select 255  
3. Enter the ad --rename command with the present name and the new name.  
ad --rename present_name new_name  
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4. Enter the appropriate command based on whether you want to save or activate the Admin  
Domain definition:  
To save the Admin Domain definition, enter ad --save.  
To save the Admin Domain definition and directly apply the definition to the fabric, enter ad  
--apply.  
The Admin Domain numbers remain unchanged after the operation.  
Example of changing the name of Admin Domain Eng_AD to Eng_AD2  
switch:AD255:admin> ad --rename Eng_AD Eng_AD2  
Deleting an Admin Domain  
When you delete an Admin Domain, its devices no longer have access to the members of the zones  
with which it was associated.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Switch to the Admin Domain that you want to delete.  
ad --select ad_id  
3. Enter the appropriate command to clear the zone database under the Admin Domain you want  
to delete.  
To remove the effective configuration, enter cfgdisable.  
To remove the defined configuration, enter cfgclear.  
To save the changes to nonvolatile memory, enter cfgsave.  
4. Switch to the AD255 context.  
ad --select 255  
5. Enter the ad --delete command.  
ad --delete ad_id  
The ad --delete command prompts you for confirmation before triggering the deletion. The  
command succeeds whether the Admin Domain is in an activated or deactivated state.  
6. Enter the ad --apply command to save the Admin Domain definition and directly apply the  
definition to the fabric.  
Example of deleting Admin Domain AD_B3  
switch:AD255:admin> ad --delete AD_B3  
You are about to delete an AD.  
This operation will fail if zone configuration exists in the AD  
Do you want to delete ’AD_B3’ admin domain (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
switch:AD255:admin>  
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Deleting all user-defined Admin Domains  
When you clear the Admin Domain configuration, all user-defined Admin Domains are deleted, the  
explicit membership list of AD0 is cleared, and all fabric resources (switches, ports, and devices)  
are returned to the implicit membership list of AD0.  
You cannot clear the Admin Domain configuration if zone configurations exist in any of the  
user-defined Admin Domains.  
If you want to remove all Admin Domains while retaining device connectivity (for example, if you  
want to enable Virtual Fabrics), use the procedure described in “Deleting all user-defined Admin  
1. Clear all individual AD zone databases, in separate transactions, before proceeding with this  
operation. Refer to “Clearing all zone configurations” on page 333 for instructions.  
2. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
3. Switch to the AD255 context, if you are not already in that context.  
ad --select 255  
4. Enter the ad --clear command.  
This option prompts you for confirmation before triggering the deletion of all Admin Domains.  
5. Enter the ad --apply command to save the Admin Domain definition and directly apply the  
definitions to the fabric.  
Example  
switch:AD255:admin> ad --clear  
You are about to delete all ADs definitions.  
This operations will fail if zone configurations exists in AD1-AD254  
Do you want to clear all admin domains (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
switch:AD255:admin>  
Deleting all user-defined Admin Domains non-disruptively  
To disable Admin Domains non-disruptively, you must do the following before you clear the  
user-defined ADs:  
Create and activate zone configurations in AD0 that are equivalent to the zone configurations  
in each of the user-defined ADs.  
Define all of the members that are currently in user-defined ADs in AD0.  
This will ensure that the devices are able to communicate when they are removed from the  
user-defined ADs.  
You can use this procedure to remove all Admin Domains before enabling Virtual Fabrics.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the cfgshow command in the AD255 context to display the zone configurations for all  
Admin Domains.  
ad --exec 255 "cfgshow"  
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3. Enter the zone --copy command to copy the zones from all user-defined Admin Domains to  
AD0.  
zone --copy source_AD.source_name dest_name  
In this syntax, source_AD is the name of the user-defined AD from which you are copying the  
zone, source_name is the name of the zone to be copied, and dest_name is the name to give  
to the zone after it is copied to AD0.  
4. Copy the newly added zones in AD0 to the zone configuration.  
cfgadd "cfgName", "member[;member]"  
5. Enable the configuration to complete the transaction.  
cfgenable cfgName  
6. Switch to the AD255 context.  
ad --select 255  
7. Explicitly add devices that are present in the user-defined ADs to AD0.  
ad --add AD0 -d "dev_list"  
8. Enter the ad --apply command to save the Admin Domain definition and directly apply the  
definitions to the fabric.  
ad --apply  
At this point, all of the devices in the user-defined ADs are also defined and zoned in AD0.  
9. Clear the user-defined ADs.  
ad --clear -f  
10. Enter the ad --apply command to save the Admin Domain definition and directly apply the  
definitions to the fabric.  
ad --apply  
All user-defined Admin Domains have now been removed, but all device communication that was  
allowed with the original Admin Domain configuration is still permitted in the context of AD0.  
Example  
The following example assumes the configuration shown in Figure 57 on page 452:  
Three Admin Domains: AD0, plus two user-defined Admin Domains (AD1 and AD2).  
AD0 has two devices, WWN1 and WWN2, in the AD0_RedZone.  
AD1 has two devices, WWN2 and WWN3, in the AD1_BlueZone.  
AD2 has two devices, WWN4 and WWN5, in the AD2_GreenZone.  
The device WWN2 is in both AD0 and AD1.  
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FIGURE 57 AD0 and two user-defined Admin Domains, AD1 and AD2  
At the conclusion of the procedure, all devices and zones are moved to AD0, and the user-defined  
Admin Domains are deleted, as shown in Figure 58.  
FIGURE 58 AD0 with three zones  
sw0:admin> ad --exec 255 "cfgshow"  
Zone CFG Info for AD_ID: 0  
Defined configuration:  
(AD Name: AD0, State: Active) :  
cfg:  
zone: AD0_RedZone  
10:00:00:00:01:00:00:00; 10:00:00:00:02:00:00:00  
AD0_cfg AD0_RedZone  
Effective configuration:  
cfg: AD0_cfg  
zone: AD0_RedZone  
10:00:00:00:01:00:00:00  
10:00:00:00:02:00:00:00  
Zone CFG Info for AD_ID: 1  
Defined configuration:  
(AD Name: AD1, State: Active) :  
cfg:  
AD1_cfg AD1_BlueZone  
zone: AD1_BlueZone  
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10:00:00:00:02:00:00:00; 10:00:00:00:03:00:00:00  
Effective configuration:  
cfg: AD1_cfg  
zone: AD1_BlueZone  
10:00:00:00:02:00:00:00  
10:00:00:00:03:00:00:00  
Zone CFG Info for AD_ID: 2  
Defined configuration:  
(AD Name: AD2, State: Active) :  
cfg:  
AD2_cfg AD2_GreenZone  
zone: AD2_GreenZone  
10:00:00:00:04:00:00:00; 10:00:00:00:05:00:00:00  
Effective configuration:  
cfg: AD2_cfg  
zone: AD2_GreenZone  
10:00:00:00:04:00:00:00  
10:00:00:00:05:00:00:00  
sw0:admin> zone --copy AD1.AD1_BlueZone AD0_BlueZone  
sw0:admin> zone --copy AD2.AD2_GreenZone AD0_GreenZone  
sw0:admin> cfgadd "AD0_cfg", "AD0_BlueZone; AD0_GreenZone"  
sw0:admin> cfgenable AD0_cfg  
You are about to enable a new zoning configuration.  
This action will replace the old zoning configuration with the  
current configuration selected. If the update includes changes  
to one or more traffic isolation zones, the update may result in  
localized disruption to traffic on ports associated with  
the traffic isolation zone changes  
Do you want to enable 'AD0_cfg' configuration (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
zone config "AD0_cfg" is in effect  
Updating flash ...  
sw0:admin> ad --select 255  
sw0:AD255:admin> ad --add AD0 -d "10:00:00:00:03:00:00:00;  
10:00:00:00:04:00:00:00; 10:00:00:00:05:00:00:00"  
sw0:AD255:admin> ad --apply  
You are about to enforce the saved AD configuration.  
This action will trigger AD apply to all switches in the fabric  
Do you want to apply all admin domains (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
sw0:AD255:admin> ad --clear -f  
You are about to delete all ADs definitions and zone databases under them.  
This could involve multiple independent zone transactions and  
no auto recovery will be done in case of failure in the middle.  
Do you want to clear all admin domains (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
sw0:AD255:admin> ad --apply  
You are about to enforce the saved AD configuration.  
This action will trigger AD apply to all switches in the fabric  
Do you want to apply all admin domains (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
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Validating an Admin Domain member list  
You can validate the device and switch member list. You can list non-existing or offline Admin  
Domain members. You can also identify misconfigurations of the Admin Domain.  
The Admin Domain validation process is not applicable for AD0, because AD0 implicitly contains all  
unassigned online switches and their devices.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Switch to the AD255 context, if you are not already in that context.  
ad --select 255  
3. Enter the ad --validate command.  
ad --validate ad_id -m mode  
If you do not specify any parameters, the entire AD database (transaction buffer, defined  
configuration, and effective configuration) is displayed.  
If you do not specify an Admin Domain, information about all existing Admin Domains is  
displayed.  
The -m mode option can be used with the following values:  
0 to display the Admin Domain configuration in the current transaction buffer.  
1 to display the Admin Domain configuration stored in the persistent memory (defined  
configuration).  
2 to display the currently enforced Admin Domain configuration (effective configuration).  
Example of validating the member list of Admin Domain 10 in the current transaction buffer  
switch:AD255:admin> ad --validate 10 –m 0  
Current AD Number: 255 AD Name: AD255  
Transaction buffer configuration:  
---------------------------------  
AD Number:  
2
AD Name: ad2  
State: Active  
1,1; 1,3; 2,5+; 3,6;  
Switch port members:  
----------------------------  
* - Member does not exist  
+ - Member is AD Unaware  
SAN management with Admin Domains  
This section is for both users and administrators and describes how Admin Domains affect  
commands and other Fabric OS features. If you are a physical fabric administrator and you want to  
create, modify, or otherwise manage Admin Domains, refer to “Admin Domain management for  
The Admin Domain looks like a virtual switch or fabric to a user. However, based on the user role  
and type (User_ID), users are presented with only their relevant AD-based views (refer to Figure 52  
on page 434 and Figure 53 on page 434). Any devices and switch ports that are not defined as  
part of the Admin Domain are not shown and are not available to that AD user.  
Each Admin Domain can also have its own zone configurations (defined and effective) with zones  
and aliases under them.  
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CLI commands in an AD context  
The CLI command input arguments are validated against the AD member list; they do not work with  
input arguments that specify resources that are not members of the current Admin Domain. All  
commands present filtered output, showing only the members of the current Admin Domain.  
For example, switchShow displays details for the list of AD members present in that switch. Note  
the following about the switchShow output:  
Because all E_Ports and EX_Ports are shared across all Admin Domains, they are shown under  
all Admin Domains.  
Other ports are displayed without any attribute details (with an explanation that they are not  
part of the current Admin Domain).  
A port or device appears in CLI command output or other management tool outputs if any one of  
the conditions listed in Table 66 is met.  
TABLE 66  
Ports and devices in CLI output  
Condition  
For  
domain,index  
The port is specified in the domain,index member list of the Admin Domain.  
One or more WWNs specified in the AD member list is attached to the domain,index.  
Device WWN  
The device WWN is specified in the AD WWN member list.  
The device WWN is attached to one of the domain,index members specified in the AD  
member list.  
RASlog and syslog output is not filtered based on AD membership.  
Refer to the Fabric OS Command Reference for more detailed information about command syntax  
and usage and to understand how existing commands behave in an AD context.  
Executing a command in a different AD context  
You can execute a command in an Admin Domain that is different from your current AD context.  
The Admin Domain must be one that you can access. This option creates a new shell with the  
current User_ID, switches to the specified Admin Domain, performs the specified command, and  
exits the shell.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in.  
2. Enter the ad --exec command, specifying the Admin Domain and the command you want to  
execute.  
ad --exec ad_id "command"  
Example of executing the switchShow command in the AD7 context  
switch:AD255:admin> ad --exec 7 "switchshow"  
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Displaying an Admin Domain configuration  
You can display the membership information and zone database information of a specified Admin  
Domain. Notice the following differences in the information displayed based on the Admin Domain:  
AD255: If you do not specify the AD name or number, all information about all existing Admin  
Domains is displayed.  
AD0–AD254: The membership of the current Admin Domain is displayed.  
AD0: The device and switch list members are categorized into implicit and explicit member lists.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in as any user type.  
2. Enter the ad --show command.  
ad --show  
If you are in the AD0 context, you can use the -i option to display the implicit membership list of  
AD0; otherwise, only the explicit membership list is displayed.  
ad --show -i  
If you are in the AD255 context, all Admin Domain configurations from the transaction buffer,  
defined configuration, and effective configuration are displayed, unless you use the -m option:  
ad --show ad_id -m mode  
In the syntax, ad_id is the Admin Domain for which you want to display information and mode is  
one of the following values:  
0 to display the Admin Domain configuration in the current transaction buffer.  
1 to display the Admin Domain configuration stored in the persistent memory (defined  
configuration).  
2 to display the currently enforced Admin Domain configuration (effective configuration).  
Example of displaying membership information about AD1  
switch:AD1:admin> ad --show  
Current AD Number: 1 AD Name: TheSwitches  
Effective configuration:  
------------------------  
AD Number: 1 AD Name:  
TheSwitches  
State: Active  
Switch WWN members:  
50:06:06:99:00:2a:e9:01;  
50:00:51:e0:23:36:f9:01;  
50:06:06:98:05:be:99:01;  
Switching to a different Admin Domain context  
You can switch between different Admin Domain contexts. This option creates a new shell with a new  
Admin Domain context. If the corresponding Admin Domain is not activated, the operation fails.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in as any user type.  
2. Enter the ad --select command and the Admin Domain to which you want to switch.  
3. Leave the new Admin Domain context by exiting from the shell.  
logout  
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You cannot switch to another Admin Domain context from within the shell created by ad  
--select. You must first exit the shell, and then issue the ad --select command again.  
Example of switching to a different Admin Domain context  
The following example switches to the AD12 context and back. Note that the prompt changes  
to display the Admin Domain.  
switch:admin> ad --select 12  
switch:AD12:admin> logout  
switch:admin>  
Admin Domain interactions with other Fabric OS features  
The Admin Domain feature provides interaction with other Fabric OS features and across  
third-party applications. You can manage Admin Domains with Web Tools as well as the CLI. If the  
current Admin Domain owns the switch, you can perform Fabric Watch operations.  
Admin Domain interactions do not extend to user session tunneling across switches. A user logged  
in to a switch can control only the local switch ports as specified in the Admin Domain.  
When the fabric is in secure mode, the following restrictions apply:  
There is no support for ACL configuration under each Administrative Domain.  
ACL configuration commands are allowed only in AD0 and AD255. None of the policy  
configurations are validated with AD membership.  
Table 67 lists some of the Fabric OS features and considerations that apply when using Admin  
Domains.  
TABLE 67  
Admin Domain interaction with Fabric OS features  
Fabric OS feature  
Admin Domain interaction  
ACLs  
If no user-defined Admin Domains exist, you can run ACL configuration commands in only  
AD0 and AD255. If any user-defined Admin Domains exist, you can run ACL configuration  
commands only in AD255.  
You cannot use ACL configuration commands or validate ACL policy configurations  
against AD membership under each Admin Domain.  
Advanced Performance All APM-related filter setup and statistics viewing is allowed only if the local switch is part  
Monitoring (APM)  
of the current Admin Domain.  
Configuration upload  
and download  
Fabric Watch  
Fabric Watch configuration operations are allowed only if the local switch is part of the  
current Admin Domain.  
FC-FC Routing Service  
You can create LSAN zones as a physical fabric administrator or as an individual AD  
administrator. The LSAN zone can be part of the root zone database or the AD zone  
database.  
FCR collects the LSAN zones from all ADs. If both edge fabrics have matching LSAN  
zones and both devices are online, FCR triggers a device import.  
LSAN zone enforcement in the local fabric occurs only if the AD member list contains  
both of the devices (local and imported devices) specified in the LSAN zone.  
To support legacy applications, WWNs are reported based on the AD context using  
NAA=5. As a result, you cannot use the NAA=5 field alone in the WWN to detect an FC  
router.  
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TABLE 67  
Admin Domain interaction with Fabric OS features (Continued)  
Fabric OS feature  
Admin Domain interaction  
FDMI  
FDMI operations are allowed only in AD0 and AD255.  
FICON  
Admin Domains support FICON. However, you must perform additional steps because  
FICON management requires additional physical control of the ports. You must set up the  
switch as a physical member of the FICON AD.  
Device Connection Control (DCC) and Switch Connection Control (SCC) policies are  
supported only in AD0 and AD255, because ACL configurations are supported only in  
AD0 and AD255.  
iSCSI  
iSCSI operations are supported only in AD0.  
LSAN zoning  
Management  
applications  
Management interfaces that access the fabric without a user’s credentials continue to  
get the physical fabric view. Examples include SNMPv1, Web Tools, HTTP access,  
unzoned management server query, FAL in-band CT requests from FAL Proxy to FAL  
Target, and FC-CT-based management applications.  
Access from applications or hosts using management server calls can be controlled  
using the management server ACL support provided by the msConfigure command. Note  
that this is a switch-specific setting and not a fabric-wide setting.  
Port swapping and PID Admin Domain port members are specified in domain,index format. Based on the PID  
formats  
format, a domain,index member indicates a slot and port in the switch. The  
domain,index member is effectively a member of that AD.  
Port swapping has no effect on AD support as port swapping swaps only the area  
numbers of two ports and Admin Domains are specified using domain,index members.  
For detailed information about configuring the PID format, refer to Chapter 3,  
RSCN  
Admin Domains do not introduce any RSCN changes to devices or hosts.  
Virtual Fabrics  
Virtual Fabrics and Admin Domains are mutually exclusive and are not supported at the  
same time on a switch. To use Admin Domains, you must first disable Virtual Fabrics; to  
use Virtual Fabrics, you must first delete all Admin Domains.  
If you connect a switch with Admin Domains to a Virtual Fabrics-enabled switch, the link  
is segmented with the reason “VF AD conflict.”  
Zoning  
Admin Domains, zones, and zone databases  
Admin Domains introduce two types of zone database nomenclature and behavior:  
Root zone database  
If you do not use Admin Domains, there is only one zone database. This legacy zone database  
is known as the root zone database. If you create Admin Domains, several zone databases  
exist: the root zone database, which is owned by AD0, and other zone databases, one for each  
user-defined Admin Domain.  
AD-level zone information is merged with the root zone configuration and enforced.  
AD zone databases  
Each AD (AD1 through AD254) has its own zone database, with the defined and effective zone  
configurations and all related zone objects (zones, zone aliases, and zone members). Each AD  
has its own zone transaction buffer. Within an Admin Domain, you can configure zoning only  
with the devices that are present in that Admin Domain.  
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The AD zone database also has the following characteristics:  
-
-
Each zone database has its own name space. For example, you can define a zone name of  
test_z1 in more than one Admin Domain.  
There is no zone database linked to the physical fabric (AD255) and no support for zone  
database updates. In the physical fabric context (AD255), you can only view the complete  
hierarchical zone database, which is all of the zone databases in AD0 through AD254.  
-
-
You can concurrently edit the separate zone databases.  
With AD support, zoning updates are supported selectively at each AD level. For example,  
a zone change in AD1 results in an update request only for the AD1 zone database.  
Zoning operations ignore any resources not in the Admin Domain, even if they are specified in the  
zone. The behavior functions similarly to specifying offline devices in a zone. All zones from each  
AD zone configuration are enforced. The enforcement policy encompasses zones in the effective  
zone configuration of the root zone database and the effective zone configurations of each AD.  
NOTE  
You must define the Admin Domain members in the same way that they are defined as zone  
members. That is, if an object is defined by WWN in a zone, it must be defined by WWN in an Admin  
Domain. If it is defined by domain,index in a zone, it must be defined by domain,index in the Admin  
Domain. If both zoning schemes are used, then objects must be defined in the Admin Domain by  
both WWN and domain,index.  
Using the zone --validate command, you can see all zone members that are not part of the current  
zone enforcement table but are part of the zoning database. A member might not be part of the  
zone enforcement table for the following reasons:  
The device is offline.  
The device is online but is not part of the current Admin Domain.  
Refer to “Validating a zone” on page 323 for instructions on using the zone --validate command.  
NOTE  
AD zone databases do not have an enforced size limit. The zone database size is calculated by the  
upper limit of the AD membership definition and the sum of all the zone databases for each AD.  
Admin Domains support the default zone mode of No Access only. Before configuring any Admin  
Domain, you must set the default zone to No Access mode. Admin Domains without effective zone  
configurations are presented with No Access. Refer to “Default zoning mode” on page 326 for more  
information.  
If the administrative domain feature is not active (AD1 through AD254 are not configured and no  
explicit members are added to AD0), AD0 supports both All Access and No Access default zone  
modes.  
Admin Domains and LSAN zones  
Logical storage area networks (LSANs) under each Admin Domain are collated into a single name  
space and sent out to FCR phantom domains using the following format:  
<original_LSAN_name>_AD<AD_num>  
For example, a zone with name lsan_for_linux_farm in AD5 is internally converted to  
lsan_for_linux_farm_AD005.  
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LSAN zone names in AD0 are never converted for backward-compatibility reasons.  
The auto-converted LSAN zone names might collide with LSAN zone names in AD0 (in the example,  
if AD0 contains lsan_for_linux_farm_AD005, this causes a name collision). Fabric OS does not  
detect or report such name clashes.  
LSAN zone names greater than 57 characters are not converted or sent to the FCR phantom  
domain.  
LSAN zones defined within an Admin Domain must contain devices that are applicable to that  
Admin Domain only. A device must not be included in more than one LSAN zone across multiple  
Admin Domains. Device discovery problems might occur if LSAN zones in one Admin Domain  
contain devices that belong to another Admin Domain.  
Refer to Chapter 24, “Using FC-FC Routing to Connect Fabrics,” for information about LSAN zones.  
Configuration upload and download in an AD context  
The behavior of the configUpload and configDownload commands varies depending on the AD  
context and whether the switch is a member of the current Admin Domain. In the AD context, these  
commands include only the zone configuration of the current Admin Domain. If the switch is a  
member of the Admin Domain, all switch configuration parameters are saved and the zone  
database for that Admin Domain is also saved.  
Table 68 lists the sections in the configuration file and the Admin Domain contexts in which you  
can upload and download these sections. Refer to Chapter 8, “Maintaining the Switch  
Configuration File,” for additional information about uploading and downloading configurations.  
NOTE  
You cannot use configDownload to restore a single Admin Domain. To restore a single Admin  
Domain, you must first delete all Admin Domains and then issue configDownload to restore them.  
TABLE 68  
Configuration upload and download scenarios in an AD context  
Configuration file sections  
AD contexts  
iSCSI  
ACL Zone  
AD headers Switch configuration  
and other parameters  
1
AD255: With ADs  
Yes  
Yes  
Yes  
Yes  
Yes  
No  
No  
Yes  
No  
No  
Yes  
Yes  
Yes  
Yes  
Yes  
Yes  
Yes  
Yes  
Yes  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
Yes  
Yes  
Yes  
No  
2
3
Without ADs  
With ADs and switch membership  
AD0:  
With ADs and without switch membership Yes  
Without ADs  
Yes  
No  
No  
Yes  
Yes  
No  
AD1 – AD254: With switch membership  
Without switch membership  
1. Zone databases for AD0 through AD254.  
2. Only zone database for AD0.  
3. Only zone database for current AD.  
The configDefault command does not clear zone or Admin Domain database information.  
This command is allowed only if the switch is a member of the current Admin Domain.  
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Section  
Licensed Features  
II  
This section describes optionally licensed Brocade Fabric OS features and includes the following  
chapters:  
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Administering Licensing  
18  
In this chapter  
Licensing overview  
Feature licenses are often part of the licensed paper pack supplied with your switch software; if  
not, they can be purchased separately from your switch vendor, who provides the transaction keys  
to activate the associated feature or features. Each product, each feature, and each individual  
switch within a fabric requires its own license key.  
Licences may be associated with a feature version. If a feature has a version-based license, that  
license is valid only for a particular version of the feature. If you want a newer version of the  
feature, you must purchase a new license. If a license is not version-based, then it is valid for all  
versions of the feature. Likewise, if you downgrade Fabric OS to an earlier version, some licenses  
associated with specific features of the version you are downgrading may not work.  
NOTE  
To preserve licenses and the functioning of features associated with the licenses installed on your  
switch, use the configUpload command before you upgrade or downgrade Fabric OS.  
Fabric OS includes basic switch and fabric support software, and support for optionally licensed  
software that is enabled using license keys.  
In Fabric OS v7.0.0 or later, some licenses may display with the text “Obsolete license.” This  
happens because of changes in licensing requirements of some features that no longer require a  
license key, yet are still installed on a switch.  
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Table 69 lists the optionally licensed features that are available in Fabric OS 7.1.  
TABLE 69 Available Brocade licenses  
License  
Description  
10 Gigabit FCIP/Fibre Channel  
(10G license)  
Allows 10 Gbps operation of FC ports on the Brocade 6510or  
6520 switches or the FC ports of FC16-32 or FC16-48 port  
blades installed on a Brocade DCX 8510 Backbone.  
Enables the two 10-GbE ports on the FX8-24 extension blade  
when installed on the Brocade DCX, DCX-4S, DCX 8510-4, or  
DCX 8510-8 Backbone.  
Allows selection of the following operational modes on the  
FX8-24 blade:  
-
-
10 1-GbE ports and 1 10-GbE port, or  
2 10-GbE ports  
License is slot-based when applied to a Brocade Backbone. It is  
chassis-based when applied to a Brocade 6510 or 6520 switch.  
7800 Upgrade  
Enables full hardware capabilities on the Brocade 7800 base  
switch, increasing the number of Fibre Channel ports from four  
to sixteen and the number of GbE ports from two to six.  
Supports up to eight FCIP tunnels instead of two.  
Supports advanced capabilities such as tape read/write  
pipelining.  
NOTE: The Brocade 7800 switch must have the 7800 Upgrade  
license to add FICON Management Server (CUP) or Advanced  
FICON Acceleration licenses. See “Brocade 7800 Upgrade  
Adaptive Networking with QoS  
Provides a rich framework of capability, allowing a user to ensure that  
high-priority connections obtain the bandwidth necessary for  
optimum performance, even in congested environments. The QoS  
SID/DID Prioritization and Ingress Rate Limiting features are included  
in this license, and are fully available on all 8-Gb and 16-Gb platforms.  
NOTE: The Brocade 6520 does not require an Adaptive Networking  
with QoS license to enable the capabilities associated with  
this license. These capabilities are included by default on the  
Brocade 6520.  
Advanced Extension  
Enables two advanced extension features: FCIP Trunking and  
Adaptive Rate Limiting.  
FCIP Trunking feature allows all of the following:  
-
Multiple (up to 4) IP source and destination address pairs  
(defined as FCIP Circuits) using multiple (up to 4) 1-GbE or  
10-GbE interfaces to provide a high bandwidth FCIP tunnel  
and failover resiliency.  
-
Support for up to 4 of the following QoS classes: Class-F,  
high, medium and low priority, each as a TCP connection.  
The Adaptive Rate Limiting feature provides a minimum  
bandwidth guarantee for each tunnel with full usage of available  
network bandwidth without any negative impact to throughput  
performance under high traffic load.  
Available on the Brocade 7800 switch, and the Brocade DCX and  
DCX-4S and the Brocade DCX 8510 family for the FX8-24 on an  
individual slot basis.  
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TABLE 69  
Available Brocade licenses (Continued)  
Description  
License  
Advanced FICON Acceleration  
Allows use of specialized data management techniques and  
automated intelligence to accelerate FICON tape read and write  
and IBM Global Mirror data replication operations over distance,  
while maintaining the integrity of command and  
acknowledgement sequences.  
Available on the Brocade 7800 switch, and the Brocade DCX and  
DCX-4S and the Brocade DCX 8510 family for the FX8-24 on an  
individual slot basis.  
Brocade Advanced Performance  
Monitoring  
Enables performance monitoring of networked storage  
resources.  
Includes the Top Talkers feature.  
Brocade Extended Fabrics  
Provides greater than 10 km of switched fabric connectivity at full  
bandwidth over long distances (depending on the platform, this can  
be up to 3000 km).  
NOTE: This license is not required for long distance connectivity using  
licensed 10G ports.  
Brocade Fabric Watch  
Brocade ISL Trunking  
Monitors mission-critical switch operations.  
Includes Port Fencing capabilities.  
Provides the ability to aggregate multiple physical links into one  
logical link for enhanced network performance and fault  
tolerance.  
Includes Access Gateway ISL Trunking on those products that  
support Access Gateway deployment.  
Brocade Ports on Demand  
DataFort Compatibility  
Allows you to instantly scale the fabric by provisioning additional ports  
using license key upgrades.  
NOTE: Applies to the Brocade 300, 5100, 5300, 6505, 6510, 6520,  
and VA-40FC switches.  
Provides ability to read, write, decrypt, and encrypt the NetApp  
DataFort-encrypted Disk LUNs and Tapes to all of the following:  
Brocade Encryption Switch  
Brocade enterprise platforms with FS8-18 blade  
Includes metadata, encryption and compression algorithms.  
NOTE: Availability is limited. Contact your vendor for details.  
Encryption Performance Upgrade  
Enhanced Group Management  
Provides additional encryption bandwidth on encryption platforms.  
For the Brocade Encryption Switch, two Encryption Performance  
Upgrade licenses can be installed to enable the full available  
bandwidth. On a Brocade enterprise platform, a single Performance  
License can be installed to enable full bandwidth on all FS8-18 blades  
installed in the chassis.  
Enables full management of the device in a data center fabric with  
deeper element management functionality and greater management  
task aggregation throughout the environment. This license is used in  
conjunction with Brocade Network Advisor application software. This  
license is applicable to all of the Brocade 8G and 16G FC platforms.  
NOTE: This license is enabled by default on all 16G FC platforms, and  
on DCX and DCX-4S platforms that are running Fabric OS  
v7.0.0 or later.  
This license is not included by default on 8G FC fixed port  
switches (300, 5100, 5300, VA-40FC, and 8G FC embedded  
switches).  
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TABLE 69  
Available Brocade licenses (Continued)  
Description  
License  
Enterprise ICL  
Allows you to connect more than four chassis in a fabric using ICLs.  
You can connect up to four Brocade DCX 8510 Backbones via ICLs  
without this license. If the number of interconnected chassis using  
ICLs exceeds four, then all of the chassis using ICLs require the  
Enterprise ICL license.  
You must also have an ICL POD license on each DCX 8510 to activate  
the ICL ports The Enterprise ICL license only allows connection of  
more than four chassis using ICLs in a fabric, it does not enable the  
ICL ports on a chassis.  
NOTE: Applies to the Brocade DCX 8510 Backbone family only.  
FCoE  
Included with the Brocade 8000 switch; enables Fibre Channel over  
Ethernet (FCoE) functions.  
FICON Management Server  
Enables host-control of switches in mainframe environments.  
(Also known as Control Unit Port or “CUP”)  
High Performance Extension over FCIP/FC Includes the IPsec capabilities.  
(formerly known as “FC-IP Services”)  
ICL 8-Link  
Activates all eight links on ICL ports on a Brocade DCX-4S chassis or  
half of the ICL bandwidth for each ICL port on the Brocade DCX  
platform by enabling only eight links out of the sixteen links available.  
This allows you to purchase half the bandwidth of DCX ICL ports  
initially and upgrade with an additional ICL 8-link license to utilize the  
full ICL bandwidth at a later time. This license is also useful for  
environments that want to create ICL connections between a DCX and  
a DCX-4S; the latter cannot support more than eight links on an ICL  
port.  
Available on the Brocade DCX and DCX-4S Backbones only.  
ICL 16-Link  
Activates all 16 links on ICL ports on a Brocade DCX chassis. Each  
chassis must have the ICL 16-Link license installed in order to enable  
the full 16-link ICL connections.  
Available on the Brocade DCX only.  
Inter-Chassis Link (1st POD)  
Activates half of the ICL bandwidth on a DCX 8510-8, or all the ICL  
bandwidth on a DCX 8510-4, allowing you to enable only the  
bandwidth needed, and upgrade to additional bandwidth at a later  
time. This license is also useful for environments that wish to create  
ICL connections between a DCX 8510-8 and a DCX 8510-4; the latter  
platform supports only half the number of ICL links that the former  
platform supports.  
Available on the Brocade DCX 8510-8 and DCX 8510-4 Backbones  
only.  
Inter-Chassis Link (2nd POD)  
Activates the remaining ICL bandwidth on the Brocade DCX 8510-8  
chassis. Each chassis must have this ICL license installed in order to  
enable all available ICL connections.  
Available on the Brocade DCX 8510-8 only.  
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Licensing overview  
18  
TABLE 69  
Available Brocade licenses (Continued)  
Description  
License  
Integrated Routing  
Allows any ports in Brocade 5100, 5300, 6510, 6520, and  
VA-40FC switches, the Brocade Encryption Switch, or the  
Brocade DCX, DCX-4S, and DCX 8510 family platforms to be  
configured as an EX_Port supporting FC-FC routing.  
Eliminates the need to use a Brocade 7500 for FC-FC routing  
purposes.  
Server Application Optimization (SAO)  
When deployed with Brocade server adaptors, this license optimizes  
overall application performance for physical servers with virtual  
machines by extending virtual channels to the server infrastructure.  
Application-specific traffic flows can be configured, prioritized, and  
optimized throughout the entire data center infrastructure. This  
license is not supported on the Brocade 8000.  
NOTE: The Brocade 6520 does not require an SAO license to enable  
the capabilities associated with this license. These  
capabilities are included by default on the Brocade 6520.  
Table 70 lists licensed features, each feature’s associated license name, and, if applicable, the  
location on the local or any connecting switch on which the license must be installed.  
TABLE 70  
License requirements and location name by feature  
License  
Feature  
Where license should be installed  
Adaptive Rate Limiting  
Administrative Domains  
Bottleneck Detection  
Advanced Extension  
No license required.  
No license required.  
No license required.  
Local switch.  
N/A  
N/A  
Configuration  
up/download  
N/A  
NOTE: The configUpload and configDownload  
commands are provided automatically  
with Fabric OS on the switch.  
Converged Enhanced  
Ethernet  
Requires FCoE base license and POD1 license. Local switch.  
Brocade 8000 only.  
NOTE: These licenses are installed by default  
and you should not remove them.  
Brocade Network Advisor No license required for base use.  
See also the Brocade Network  
Advisor User Manual.  
Diagnostic tools  
No license required.  
N/A  
N/A  
Distributed Management No license required.  
Server  
Enterprise ICL  
Enterprise ICL  
Each ICL-connected Brocade 8510  
chassis in the fabric when there are  
five or more such chassis in the  
fabric.  
Extended Fabrics  
Fabric Watch  
Extended Fabrics  
Local switch and any attached  
switches.  
No license required for baseline monitoring  
capabilities.  
See the Fabric Watch  
Administrator’s Guide.  
Fabric Watch license required for full  
functionality.  
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Licensing overview  
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TABLE 70  
License requirements and location name by feature (Continued)  
License  
Feature  
Where license should be installed  
FCIP  
High Performance Extension over FCIP/FC  
NOTE: Local and attached  
switches. License is needed  
on both sides of tunnel.  
FCIP Trunking  
Fibre Channel  
Advanced Extension  
Integrated Routing  
Local and attached switches.  
Local switch.  
Routing/EX_Ports  
FICON  
No license required.  
N/A  
FICON-CUP  
FICON Management Server  
Local switch.  
FICON Tape Read and  
Write Emulation over an  
FCIP Tunnel  
FICON Tape  
Local and attached switches.  
High Performance Extension over FCIP/FC  
license or Advanced FICON Acceleration  
license on Brocade 7800  
FICON XRC Sequence  
Emulation over an FCIP  
Tunnel  
FICON XRC  
Local and attached switches.  
High Performance Extension over FCIP/FC  
or Advanced FICON Acceleration license  
on Brocade 7800  
FIPS  
No license required.  
No license required.  
N/A  
N/A  
Firmware download  
NOTE: The firmwareDownload command is  
provided automatically with Fabric OS  
on the switch.  
Full fabric connectivity  
Full Fabric  
Local switch. May be required on  
attached switches.  
NOTE: Also called the Fabric license (visible in  
licenseShow output) and the E_Port  
Upgrade license.  
In-flight encryption and  
compression  
No license required.  
N/A  
Inband Management  
Ingress rate limiting  
Inter-chassis link (ICL)  
No license required.  
N/A  
Adaptive Networking with QoS.  
Local switch.  
ICL 1st POD (Ports on Demand) on the  
Brocade DCX 8510 Backbone family only.  
ICL 2nd POD on the Brocade DCX 8510-8  
only.  
ICL 8-link on the Brocade DCX and DCX-4S  
only.  
Local and attached platforms.  
ICL 16-link on the Brocade DCX only.  
Enterprise ICL on the Brocade DCX 8510  
Backbone family only, for topologies with  
more than four chassis with ICLs.  
IPSec  
No license required.  
N/A  
IPsec for FCIP tunnels  
High Performance Extension over FCIP/FC  
NOTE: Local and attached  
switches. License is needed  
on both sides of tunnel.  
LDAP  
No license required.  
No license required.  
N/A  
N/A  
Logical fabric  
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TABLE 70  
License requirements and location name by feature (Continued)  
License  
Feature  
Where license should be installed  
Logical switch  
Long distance  
No license required.  
Extended Fabrics  
N/A  
Local and attached switches.  
NOTE: License is needed on both  
sides of connection.  
NPIV  
No license required.  
N/A  
OpenSSH public key  
No license required.  
N/A  
Performance monitoring Advanced Performance Monitoring for  
advanced features. No license required for  
basic features.  
Local switch.  
Port fencing  
Ports  
Fabric Watch  
Local switch.  
Local switch.  
Ports on Demand licenses required,  
applicable to a select set of switches only.  
7800 Upgrade license for the 7800  
switches to use all ports.  
10 Gigabit FCIP/Fibre Channel license to  
use 10Gb FC ports on FC16-32 blades,  
FC16-48 blades, and the Brocade 6510  
and 6520.  
10 Gigabit FCIP/Fibre Channel license to  
enable 10Gb Ethernet ports on the FX8-24  
extension blades.  
Brocade 8000 – Must have license  
installed to enable the 8 FC ports. A  
maximum of 8 FC ports are allowed.  
QoS  
Adaptive Networking with QoS  
(Brocade 6520 does not require this license.)  
Local switch and attached switches.  
Local switch  
QoS on HBA  
Server Application Optimization and Adaptive  
Networking with QoS  
(Brocade 6520 does not require this license.)  
RADIUS  
No license required.  
No license required.  
No license required.  
N/A  
N/A  
N/A  
RBAC  
Routing traffic  
NOTE: Port-based or exchanged-based routing,  
static routes, frame-order deliver, and  
dynamic routes all included.  
Security  
SNMP  
No license required.  
N/A  
N/A  
NOTE: DCC, SCC, FCS, IP Filter, and  
authentication policies all included.  
No license required.  
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Brocade 7800 Upgrade license  
18  
TABLE 70  
License requirements and location name by feature (Continued)  
Feature  
License  
Where license should be installed  
Speed  
8 Gbps license needed to support 8 Gbps on  
the Brocade 300, 5100, 5300, and VA-40FC  
switches and embedded switches only.  
Local switch  
NOTE: The 8 Gbps license is installed by  
default, and you should not remove it.  
A 10-Gb FCIP/Fibre Channel license is needed  
to support 10Gb FC ports on FC16-32 blades,  
FC16-48 blades, and the Brocade 6510 and  
6520, as well as to support the 10Gb Ethernet  
ports on FX8-24 blades. (See the Ports feature  
above for more information.)  
SSH public key  
TACACS+  
No license required.  
N/A  
No license required.  
N/A  
Top Talkers  
Traffic Isolation  
Trunking  
Advanced Performance Monitoring  
No license required.  
Local switch and attached switches.  
N/A  
ISL Trunking or  
ISL Trunking Over Extended Fabrics  
Local and attached switches.  
Two-to-four domains in a Value Line (Two/Four)  
fabric  
Local switch. May be required on  
attached switches.  
USB usage  
Virtual Fabrics  
Web Tools  
No license required.  
No license required.  
No license required.  
N/A  
N/A  
Local and any switch you will be  
managing using Web Tools.  
Zoning  
No license required.  
N/A  
Brocade 7800 Upgrade license  
The Brocade 7800 has four Fibre Channel (FC) ports and two GbE ports active by default. The  
number of physical ports active on the Brocade 7800 is fixed. There is one upgrade license to  
activate the rest of the FC and GbE ports for a total of 16 FC ports and 6 GbE ports. The 7800  
Upgrade license activates FC and GbE ports, and also activates additional features outlined in  
NOTE  
You must reboot the Brocade 7800 switch after installing the 7800 Upgrade license.  
TABLE 71  
Base to Upgrade license comparison  
Base model  
Feature  
7800 Upgrade license  
Number of Fibre Channel (FC) ports  
Number of GbE ports  
4
2
0
16  
6
Number of 10-GbE ports  
0
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ICL licensing  
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TABLE 71  
Base to Upgrade license comparison (Continued)  
Base model  
Feature  
7800 Upgrade license  
Number of FCIP Tunnels  
2
8
Tape Pipelining over FCIP Tunnel  
No  
Yes  
ICL licensing  
Brocade ICL links operate between the core blades of the DCX 8510 Backbone family, or between  
the core blades of the DCX and DCX-4S Backbones. Typically, if both core blades are installed, then  
they are active on the DCX and DCX-4S (or DCX 8510 family) Backbones.  
ICL ports on core blades of a DCX 8510-8 can be used only with an ICL (1st or 2nd) POD license.  
ICL ports on core blades of a DCX 8510-4 can be used only with an ICL 1st POD licence.  
ICL ports on core blades of a DCX can be used only with an ICL 16-link or ICL 8-link license. ICL  
ports on core blades of a DCX-4S can be used only with an ICL 8-link licence.  
After the addition or removal of a license, the license enforcement is performed on the ICL ports  
only when the portDisable and portEnable commands are issued on the ports. An ICL license must  
be installed on the enterprise platforms at both ends of the ICL connection.  
ICL 1st POD license  
The ICL 1st POD license activates half of the ICL bandwidth on the Brocade DCX 8510-8 platform or  
all of the ICL bandwidth on the Brocade DCX 8510-4.  
On the Brocade DCX 8510-8, this license enables QSFP ports 0–7; QSFP ports 8–15 are disabled.  
(QSFP ports 0–7 correspond to core blade port numbers 0–31, and QSFP ports 8–15 correspond  
to core blade port numbers 32–63, as observed in switchShow output.)  
This license allows you to purchase half the bandwidth of the Brocade DCX 8510-8 ICL ports  
initially and upgrade with an additional ICL license to use the full ICL bandwidth later. This license is  
also useful for environments with ICL connections between a Brocade DCX 8510-8 and a DCX  
8510-4, as the latter supports half the bandwidth of the DCX 8510-8 on each ICL port.  
This license is available on the Brocade DCX 8510-8 and DCX 8510-4 platforms only.  
ICL 2nd POD license  
The ICL 2nd POD license provides dedicated high-bandwidth links between two Brocade DCX  
8510-8 platforms without consuming valuable front-end ports. Each Brocade DCX 8510-8 platform  
must have the ICL 2nd POD license installed to enable the full number of ICL connections possible.  
This license is available for the Brocade DCX 8510-8 only.  
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ICL licensing  
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ICL 8-link license  
The ICL 8-link license activates half of the ICL bandwidth for each ICL port on the Brocade DCX  
platform by enabling only half of the ICL links available. This allows you to purchase half the  
bandwidth of the Brocade DCX ICL ports initially and upgrade with an additional ICL license to use  
the full ICL bandwidth later. This license is also useful for environments with ICL connections  
between a Brocade DCX and a DCX-4S, as the latter cannot support more than eight links on an ICL  
port.  
This license is available on the Brocade DCX-4S and DCX platforms only.  
ICL 16-link license  
The ICL 16-link license provides dedicated high-bandwidth links between two Brocade DCX chassis,  
without consuming valuable front-end ports. Each Brocade DCX chassis must have the ICL 16-link  
license installed in order to enable the full number of ICL connections possible (16 links in the case  
of a DCX chassis).  
This license is available for the Brocade DCX only.  
Enterprise ICL license  
The Enterprise ICL (EICL) license allows you to connect more than four Brocade DCX 8510  
Backbones through ICLs. This license is available on the Brocade DCX 8510-8 and DCX 8510-4  
platforms only.  
The EICL license is required in addition to the ICL POD license.  
The following requirements apply:  
Connection of four or fewer DCX 8510 Backbones with ICLs does not require the EICL license.  
However, if you add additional ICL-connected chassis, then all ICL-connected chassis require  
the EICL license.  
With the EICL license installed, a maximum of 10 chassis are allowed to be connected together  
via ICLs.  
When Virtual Fabrics are used, the limit on the number of chassis connected together via ICLs  
depends only on the physical chassis and not on the logical switches.  
If the maximum number of ICL-connected chassis exceeds the allowed limit with or without the  
EICL license, additional links may either be disabled or segmented. The disabling/segmenting  
reason code depends on whether the EICL license is installed.  
If ICL links to a chassis becomes segmented for non-EICL-related reasons, these links are part  
of the fabric, and the chassis containing these segmented links is included in the maximum  
chassis count. If the maximum chassis count (with or without EICL license) is reached with  
these segmented links, then any additional links will become segmented. Therefore, to add  
additional links, you first must disable the links that became segmented due to non-EICL  
reasons. This should reduce the maximum chassis count and allow the new links to join.  
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8G licensing  
18  
Example switchShow output if no Enterprise ICL license is installed  
A message such as the following is displayed if a required EICL license is not installed:  
440  
segmented,10:00:00:05:33:0d:52:00 (No EICL License)(Trunk master)  
441 25 ------ id 16G Online FC E-Port  
8
24  
------  
id  
16G  
Online  
FC E-Port  
8
segmented,10:00:00:05:33:0d:52:00 (No EICL License)(Trunk master)  
Example switchShow output if maximum number of chassis is reached  
A message such as the following is displayed if the maximum number of supported chassis is  
reached:  
384  
segmented,10:00:00:05:1e:39:bf:9a (EICL License Limited)(Trunk master)  
385 ------ id 16G Online FC E-Port  
5
0
------  
id  
16G  
Online  
FC E-Port  
5
1
segmented,10:00:00:05:1e:39:bf:9a (EICL License Limited)(Trunk master)  
8G licensing  
ATTENTION  
This license is installed by default and you should not remove it. Port operation may become  
disrupted, and ports may be prevented from operating at 8 Gbps when the license is removed.  
The 8 Gbps license applies to the Brocade 300, 5100, 5300, and VA-40FC switches and the  
8 Gbps embedded switches; this license does not apply to the Brocade 6505, 6510, or 6520.  
The following list describes the basic rules of using, adding, or removing 8G licenses:  
Without an 8G license, even if there is an 8 Gbps SFP plugged into a port in an applicable  
platform, the port would be enabled to run at a maximum speed of 4 Gbps.  
To obtain an 8G license, only the license ID from the switch is required. When you add the 8G  
license, you must enter either the portDisable and portEnable commands on each individual  
port on the switch, or the switchDisable and switchEnable commands on the switch, to enable  
8 Gbps features.  
When you remove the 8G license, the ports that are online and already running at 8 Gbps are  
not disturbed until the port goes offline or the switch is rebooted. The switch ports return to  
their pre-licensed state maximum speed of 4 Gbps.  
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Slot-based licensing  
18  
Slot-based licensing  
Slot-based licensing is used on the Brocade DCX and DCX 8510 Backbone families to support the  
FX8-24 blade, and on the Brocade DCX 8510 Backbone family to support the 16 Gbps FC port  
blades (FC16-24 and FC16-48). License capacity is equal to the number of slots. These licenses  
allow you to select the slots that the license will enable up to the capacity purchased and to  
increase the capacity without disrupting slots that already have licensed features running. Each  
slot-based license key is for a single feature.  
Features utilizing slot-based licenses on the FX8-24 blade include:  
10Gb FCIP/Fibre channel  
Advanced Extension  
Advanced FICON Acceleration  
NOTE  
The 10 GbE feature on the FX8-24 blade and the 10 Gbps FC feature on the 16 Gbps FC blades are  
both enabled by the same 10 Gigabit FCIP/Fibre Channel license (10G license). This license can also  
enable the 10 Gbps FC feature on a Brocade 6510 or 6520 switch as a chassis-based license.  
Any unassigned slot-based license will be automatically assigned to applicable blades that are  
detected in the chassis when the license is installed. If you have more applicable blades than  
available license capacity, then you can manually assign or re-assign the licenses as necessary.  
Once a license is assigned to a slot, whether it has been automatically assigned or manually  
assigned, the assignment will remain until you manually reassign the license to another slot. This  
design allows for various maintenance operations to occur without having the license move around  
to other slots.  
Use the following procedure to activate a slot-based licensed feature:  
1. Install a slot-based license on the platform with sufficient slot count for the number of slots  
upon which you plan to activate the feature.  
2. Configure slots so that the licensed feature is assigned to slots. No more slots can be  
configured than specified in the license.  
3. Configure the application that uses the licensed feature on the blade in the slot. This operation  
verifies that the previous two steps have been successfully completed.  
Once these steps are complete, the feature will work on the blade.  
Upgrade and downgrade considerations  
When a slot-based license is present on the switch, firmware downgrade to pre-Fabric OS v6.3.0 is  
allowed, but the slot-based features that were licensed will not be functional.  
On upgrade to Fabric OS v7.0.0 or later, any slot-based license that displayed the 10-GbE feature  
name in the earlier release now appears as “10 Gigabit FCIP/Fibre Channel (FTR_10G) license.”  
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10G licensing  
18  
Assigning a license to a slot  
Use the following procedure to assign a licence to a slot:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions, or an account with  
OM permissions in the license class of RBAC commands.  
2. Enter the licenseSlotCfg -add command to add the license to the appropriate slot.  
Removing a license from a slot  
Use the following procedure to remove a slot-based license from a blade slot:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions, or an account with  
OM permissions in the license class of RBAC commands.  
2. Deconfigure the application that uses the licensed feature on the blade slot.  
3. Enter the licenseSlotCfg -remove command to remove the license from the slot.  
10G licensing  
The 10 Gbps FCIP/Fibre Channel license (10G license) enables the following features:  
10 Gbps access on the 16 Gbps FC ports on Brocade 6510 or 6520 switches, and FC16-32  
and FC16-48 port blades.  
The two 10-GbE ports on the FX8-24 extension blade.  
This 10G license is applied as a slot-based license on the FC16-32 and FC16-48 port blades and  
on the FX8-24 extension blade; generic rules for adding slot-based licenses apply, as described in  
“Slot-based licensing” on page 474. When this license is applied to a Brocade 6510 or 6520  
switch, it is applied to the whole chassis.  
Whether you have a bladed (DCX, DCX-4S, DCX 8510-8, or DCX 8510-4) platform or nonbladed  
(Brocade 6510, 6520) switch, you add the 10G license to the chassis using the LicenseAdd  
command, as for any license.  
For the bladed platforms, you can either allow automatic license assignment, or choose the blades  
you want the licences assigned to manually, as for any slot-based license. Automatic assignment is  
done sequentially by slot number, beginning with the lowest numbered slot with an enabled blade  
that supports this feature (FX8-24, FC16-32, or FC16-48 blade), and that does not already have the  
license applied. If the automatic license assignment does not match your needs, you can use the  
licenseSlotCfg --remove and licenseSlotCfg --add commands to remove the license manually from  
a slot and assign it to a different slot with an FX8-24, FC16-32, or FC16-48 blade.  
The same multiple slot-based 10G license can be applied to a mixture of 16 Gbps blades and  
FX8-24 blades. For example, if you have a 10G license for two-slot capacity, and you have an  
FX8-24 blade in one slot and an FC16-48 blade in a second slot, then the same license can  
activate the 10GE ports on the FX8-24 blade and enable 10 Gbps operation on the 10G FC ports  
on the FC16-48 blade.  
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10G licensing  
18  
After applying a 10G license to the Brocade 6510or 6520 chassis or to a 16 Gbps FC blade, you  
must also configure the port octet (portCfgOctetSpeedCombo command) with the correct port octet  
speed group and configure each port to operate at 10 Gbps (portCfgSpeed command). It is  
necessary to configure the port octet because only certain combinations of port speeds are  
allowed within the port octet. No license is required for the octet group. If the speed configuration  
operation succeeds and a 10G-capable SFP is inserted in the port connector, the port will allow  
operation at 10 Gbps when the link becomes active at that speed.  
NOTE  
10 Gbps FC capability is restricted to the ports in the first port octet group on each blade or chassis  
to which the license is applied.  
Before removing a 10 Gbps license from an entire platform (licenseRemove command) or from a  
specific blade (licenseSlotCfg --remove command), you must first deconfigure all affected FC ports  
to no longer operate at 10 Gbps.  
NOTE  
An FC port that is operating at 10G FC speed on a 16G FC blade or 16G FC switch does not need an  
Extended Fabrics license to be used for FC long distance connectivity.  
FC ports licensed and configured to operate at 10 Gbps on a Brocade 6510 or 6520 switch or 16  
Gbps FC port blade cannot interoperate with 10 Gbps FC ports on the Mc-6140 platform. The new  
FC ports use different protocols and physical connections.  
Enabling 10 Gbps operation on an FC port  
Use the following procedure to enable 10 Gbps operation on an FC port on a Brocade 6510 or  
6520 switch or an FC16-32 or FC16-48 blade:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions, or an account with  
OM permissions for the license and switchportconfiguration classes of RBAC commands.  
2. Use the licenseAdd command to add the 10G license.  
3. Use the licenseShow command to verify the license.  
Bladed platforms only: If the results of the automatic license assignment are not what you  
intended, use the licenseSlotCfg command to reassign the license to the desired blades.  
4. Use the portCfgOctetSpeedCombo command to set the combination speed for the first port  
octet to a setting that supports 10 Gbps operations. Valid settings for 10 Gbps operations  
include:  
2—Autonegotiated or fixed port speeds of 10 Gbps, 8 Gbps, 4 Gbps, and 2 Gbps  
3—Autonegotiated or fixed port speeds of 16 Gbps and 10 Gbps  
5. Use the portCfgSpeed command to set the port speed on each port you want to operate at 10  
Gbps.  
Example of assigning a 10G license on an FC port blade and enabling 10 Gbps operation on a port  
This example assigns a license to slot 4 on a DCX 8510-8 Backbone and enables 10 Gbps  
operation on port 2 of the port blade in that slot. In this example, the 10G license was first  
automatically assigned to slot 1.  
8510-8switch:admin> licenseadd aTFPNFXGLmABANMGtT4LfSBJSDLWTYD3EFrr4WGAEMBA  
8510-8switch:admin> licenseshow  
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10G licensing  
18  
aTFPNFXGLmABANMGtT4LfSBJSDLWTYD3EFrr4WGAEMBA  
10 Gigabit FCIP/Fibre Channel (FTR_10G) license  
Capacity 1  
Consumed 1  
Configured Blade Slots 1  
8510-8switch:admin> licenseslotcfg -remove FTR_10G 1  
8510-8switch:admin> licenseslotcfg -add FTR_10G 4  
8510-8switch:admin> licenseshow  
aTFPNFXGLmABANMGtT4LfSBJSDLWTYD3EFrr4WGAEMBA  
10 Gigabit FCIP/Fibre Channel (FTR_10G) license  
Capacity 1  
Consumed 1  
Configured Blade Slots 4  
8510-8switch:admin> portcfgoctetspeedcombo 4/2 2  
8510-8switch:admin> portcfgspeed 4/2 10  
8510-8switch:admin>  
Example of assigning a 10G license on a Brocade 6510 and enabling 10 Gbps operation on a port  
This example assigns a license to a Brocade 6510 switch and enables 10 Gbps operation on  
port 2.  
6510-switch:admin> licenseadd aTFPNFXGLmABANMGtT4LfSBJSDLWTYD3EFrr4WGAEMBA  
6510-switch:admin> licenseshow  
aTFPNFXGLmABANMGtT4LfSBJSDLWTYD3EFrr4WGAEMBA  
10 Gigabit FCIP/Fibre Channel (FTR_10G) license  
Capacity 1  
Consumed 1  
6510-switch:admin> portcfgoctetspeedcombo 2  
6510-switch:admin> portcfgspeed 2 10  
Enabling the 10-GbE ports on an FX8-24 blade  
Use the following procedure to enable the 10-GbE ports on an FX8-24 blade:  
1. Connect to the Brocade Backbone and log in using an account with admin permissions, or an  
account with OM permissions for the license class of RBAC commands.  
2. Use the licenseAdd command to add the 10G license.  
3. Use the licenseShow command to check the results of automatic license assignment. If the  
results are not what you intended, use the licenseSlotCfg command to reassign the license to  
the desired FX8-24 blades.  
4. Use the licenseShow command to verify the license.  
5. Use the bladeCfgGeMode --set mode command to configure the GbE port mode for the  
FX8-24 blade. To enable the 10-GbE ports, set the mode parameter to one of the following:  
10g—Enables both 10-GbE ports, disables all ten 1-GbE ports.  
dual—Enables the xge0 port (but not xge1) and also enables all ten 1-GbE ports.  
Example of assigning a 10G license on an FX8-24 extension blade and enabling both 10-GbE ports  
This example assigns a license to slot 7 on a DCX 8510-4 Backbone and enables both 10-GbE  
ports on the FX8-24 blade in that slot. In this example, the license was first automatically assigned  
to slot 1.  
8510-4switch:admin> licenseadd aTFPNFXGLmABANMGtT4LfSBJSDLWTYD3EFrr4WGAEMBA  
8510-4switch:admin> licenseshow  
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aTFPNFXGLmABANMGtT4LfSBJSDLWTYD3EFrr4WGAEMBA  
10 Gigabit FCIP/Fibre Channel (FTR_10G) license  
Capacity 1  
Consumed 1  
Configured Blade Slots 1  
8510-4switch:admin> licenseslotcfg -remove FTR_10G 1  
8510-4switch:admin> licenseslotcfg -add FTR_10G 7  
8510-4switch:admin> licenseshow  
aTFPNFXGLmABANMGtT4LfSBJSDLWTYD3EFrr4WGAEMBA  
10 Gigabit FCIP/Fibre Channel (FTR_10G) license  
Capacity 1  
Consumed 1  
Configured Blade Slots 7  
8510-4switch:admin> bladecfggemode --set 10G -slot 7  
8510-4switch:admin> switchshow -slot 7  
158  
159  
7
7
30  
31  
019e00  
019f00  
--  
--  
--  
--  
--  
--  
--  
--  
--  
--  
--  
--  
--  
--  
--  
--  
1G  
1G  
1G  
1G  
1G  
1G  
1G  
1G  
Offline  
Offline  
VE  
VE  
7 ge0  
7 ge1  
7 ge2  
7 ge3  
7 ge4  
7 ge5  
7 ge6  
7 ge7  
7 ge8  
7 ge9  
7 xge0  
7 xge1  
No_Module FCIP Disabled (10G Mode)  
No_Module FCIP Disabled (10G Mode)  
No_Module FCIP Disabled (10G Mode)  
No_Module FCIP Disabled (10G Mode)  
No_Module FCIP Disabled (10G Mode)  
No_Module FCIP Disabled (10G Mode)  
No_Module FCIP Disabled (10G Mode)  
No_Module FCIP Disabled (10G Mode)  
No_Module FCIP Disabled (10G Mode)  
No_Module FCIP Disabled (10G Mode)  
No_Module FCIP  
1G  
1G  
10G  
10G  
No_Module FCIP  
Temporary licenses  
A temporary license applies a “try-before-you-buy” approach to certain features so that you can  
experience the feature and its capabilities prior to buying the license. Once you have installed the  
license, you are given a time limit to use the feature. A temporary license can be either a regular  
temporary license or a universal temporary license.  
A regular temporary license is available on a per-switch basis.  
A universal temporary license can be installed on a switch, but can be applied to multiple  
switches.  
The following licenses are available as temporary or universal temporary licenses:  
10 Gigabit FCIP/Fibre Channel license (slot-based)  
Advanced Extension license (slot-based)  
Advanced FICON Acceleration license (slot-based)  
Adaptive Networking with QoS license (not required for Brocade 6520)  
Advanced Performance Monitoring license  
Enterprise ICL license  
Fabric (E_Port) license  
Fabric Watch license  
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FICON Management Server (CUP) license  
Extended Fabrics license  
High Performance Extension over FCIP/FC license  
Integrated Routing license  
Server Application Optimization license  
ISL Trunking license  
Restrictions on upgrading temporary slot-based licenses  
If the capacity of the permanent license is equal to or greater than the capacity of the temporary  
license and you use the same slot assignments, then replacing the temporary license with a  
permanent license is non-disruptive. If either condition changes, however, then the process is  
disruptive.  
If the permanent license is for fewer slots than the temporary license, you must do the following:  
1. Remove the temporary license. The removal process disables the feature.  
2. Install the permanent license on the appropriate slots.  
If the permanent license is for different slots than the temporary license, you must do the following:  
1. Install the permanent license. The temporary license is automatically replaced on the original  
slots.  
2. Deconfigure the application that uses the licensed feature on the original slots.  
3. Remove the license from the original slots using the licenseSlotCfg -remove command.  
4. Add the license to the new slots using the licenseSlotCfg -add command.  
Date change restriction  
Once the temporary license is installed, you cannot change the time of the switch until the  
temporary license is removed. To change the time, you must remove the license, change the  
date/time, and then re-install the license on the switch.  
CAUTION  
If you are using NTP to synchronize the time between your network devices, including switches or  
Backbones, then do not attempt to change the system date and time when a temporary license is  
installed.  
Configupload and download considerations  
The configDownload and configUpload commands download the legacy, enhanced, consumed  
capacities, and temporary licenses.  
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Expired licenses  
Once a temporary license has expired, you can view it through the licenseShow command. Expired  
licenses have an output string of “License has expired”. RASlog warning messages are generated  
every hour for licenses present in the database which have expired or are going to expire in the next  
five days. An expired license may become unusable after a reboot, failover, firmware download, or a  
port or switch disable or enable operation.  
Removing an expired license  
CAUTION  
This procedure is disruptive to the switch.  
Use the following procedure to remove an expired licence:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the reboot command for the expiry to take affect.  
Universal temporary licenses  
Universal temporary license keys include a duration period. Once installed on a switch, an  
expiration date is calculated and the duration is decremented until there is no remaining time, at  
which point it is expired. Because of this, universal temporary licenses should not be installed on a  
switch until you are ready to use or test the feature, so as not to unnecessarily consume a portion  
of the temporary-use duration.  
The expiration date is based on the system time at the installation of the license plus the number  
of days for which the universal temporary license is valid. Universal temporary licenses cannot be  
removed and reinstalled on the same switch.  
Universal temporary licenses are always retained in the license database on the product even  
though they can be explicitly deleted from any user interface.  
Extending a universal temporary license  
Extending a universal temporary license is done by adding a temporary license with an expiry date  
after the universal temporary license expiry date, or by adding a permanent license. Re-applying an  
existing universal temporary license is not allowed.  
Universal temporary license shelf life  
All universal temporary licenses are encoded with a “shelf life” expiration date. Once this date is  
reached, the temporary licensed feature can no longer be used on the switch.  
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Viewing installed licenses  
Use the following procedure to view all installed licenses:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the licenseShow command.  
Activating a license  
The transaction key is case-sensitive; it must be entered exactly as it appears in the paperpack.  
To lessen the chance of error, copy and paste the transaction key. The quotation marks are  
optional.  
Use the following procedure to activate a license:  
1. Take the appropriate action based on whether you have a license key:  
If you have a license key, go to “Adding a licensed feature”.  
If you do not have a license key and are using a transaction key, launch an Internet  
browser and go to the Brocade website at http://www.brocade.com.  
2. Select Products > Software License Keys.  
The Software License Keys instruction page appears.  
3. Enter the requested information in the required fields and click Next.  
A verification screen appears.  
4. Verify the information appears correctly.  
Click Submit if the information displayed is correct. If the information is incorrect, click  
Previous, correct the information, and click Submit.  
An information screen displays the license keys and you will receive an e-mail with the software  
license keys and installation instructions.  
Adding a licensed feature  
To enable a feature, go to the feature’s appropriate section in this manual. Enabling a feature on a  
switch may be a separate task from adding the license.  
For the Brocade Backbones, licenses are effective on both control processor (CP) blades, but are  
valid only when the CP blade is inserted into a Backbone that has an appropriate license ID stored  
in the WWN card. If a CP is moved from one Backbone to another, the license works in the new  
Backbone only if the WWN card is the same in the new Backbone. Otherwise, you must transfer  
licenses from the old platform to the new platform by obtaining new licenses for the previously  
licensed features using the new license ID.  
For example, if you swap one CP blade at a time, or replace a single CP blade, then the existing CP  
blade (the active CP blade) propagates the licenses to the new CP blade if the WWN card has been  
moved to the new platform.  
If you move a standby CP from one Backbone to another, then the active CP will propagate its  
configuration (including license keys) onto that standby CP.  
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Use the following procedure to add a licensed feature:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Activate the license using the licenseAdd command.  
3. Verify the license was added by entering the licenseShow command. The licensed features  
currently installed on the switch are listed. If the feature is not listed, enter the licenseAdd  
command again.  
Some features may require additional configuration, or you may need to disable and re-enable  
the switch to make them operational; see the feature documentation for details.  
switch:admin> licenseshow  
aAYtMJg7tmMZrTZ9JTWBC4SXWLJMY3QfBJYHG:  
Fabric license  
Remote Switch license  
Remote Fabric license  
Extended Fabric license  
Entry Fabric license  
Fabric Watch license  
Performance Monitor license  
Trunking license  
4 Domain Fabric license  
FICON_CUP license  
High-Performance Extension over FCIP/FC license  
Full Ports on Demand license - additional 16 port upgrade license  
2 Domain Fabric license  
Integrated Routing license  
Storage Application Services license  
FICON Tape license  
FICON XRC license  
Adaptive Networking license  
Inter Chassis Link license  
Enhanced Group Management license  
8 Gig FC license  
DataFort Compatibility license  
Server Application Optimization license  
Removing a licensed feature  
Use the following procedure to remove a licenced feature:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the licenseShow command to display the active licenses.  
3. Remove the license key using the licenseRemove command.  
The license key is case-sensitive and must be entered exactly as given. The quotation marks  
are optional. After removing a license key, the licensed feature is disabled when the switch is  
rebooted or when a switch disable and enable is performed.  
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4. Enter the licenseShow command to verify the license is disabled.  
switch:admin> licenseshow  
bQebzbRdScRfc0iK:  
Entry Fabric license  
Fabric Watch license  
SybbzQQ9edTzcc0X:  
Fabric license  
switch:admin> licenseremove "bQebzbRdScRfc0iK"  
removing license key "bQebzbRdScRfc0iK"  
Entering the licenseShow command after the licenseRemove command displays the remaining  
licenses.  
switch:admin> licenseshow  
SybbzQQ9edTzcc0X:  
Fabric license  
If there are no license keys, licenseShow displays “No licenses.”  
Ports on Demand  
The Brocade models listed below can be purchased with the number of licensed ports indicated. As  
your needs increase, you can activate unlicensed ports up to a device-constrained maximum by  
purchasing and installing the optional Ports on Demand licensed product.  
Brocade 300—Can be purchased with 8 ports and no E_Port, 8 ports with full fabric access, or  
16 ports with full fabric access. A maximum of 16 ports is allowed; 8-port systems can be  
upgraded in 4-port increments. An E_Port license upgrade is also available for purchase.  
Brocade 5100—Can be purchased with 24, 32, or 40 licensed ports. A maximum of 40 ports is  
allowed.  
Brocade 5300—Can be purchased with 48, 64, or 80 licensed ports. A maximum of 80 ports is  
allowed.  
Brocade 6505—Can be purchased with 12 or 24 licensed ports. A maximum of 24 ports is  
allowed.  
Brocade 6510—Can be purchased with 24, 36, or 48 licensed ports. A maximum of 48 ports is  
allowed.  
Brocade 6520—Can be purchased with 48, 72, or 96 licensed ports. A maximum of 96 ports is  
allowed.  
Brocade 8000—Must have license installed to enable the 8 FC ports. A maximum of 8 ports is  
allowed.  
Brocade VA-40FC—Can be purchased with 24, 32, or 40 licensed ports. A maximum of 40  
ports is allowed.  
ATTENTION  
Licenses are not interchangeable between units. For example, if you bought a POD license for a  
Brocade 300, you cannot use that license on a Brocade 5100 or VA-40FC. The licenses are based  
on the switch License Identifiers and are not interchangeable.  
Table 72 shows the ports that are enabled by default and the ports that can be enabled after you  
install the first and second Ports on Demand licenses for each switch type.  
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TABLE 72  
List of available ports when implementing PODs  
Available user ports  
Platform  
No POD license  
POD1 or POD2 present  
Both POD licenses present  
Brocade 300  
Brocade 5100  
Brocade 5300  
Brocade 5410  
Brocade 5424  
Brocade 5450  
Brocade 5480  
0-7  
0-15  
0-23  
0-39  
0-79  
N/A  
0-23  
0-31  
0-47  
0-63  
0-11  
N/A  
1-8 and 17-20  
1-10 and 19-22  
1-8 and 17-20  
POD1: 0, 9-16, and 21-23  
0-23  
POD1: 0, 11-18, and 23-25 0-25  
POD1: 9-12 and 21-22  
POD2: 0, 13-16, and 23  
0-23  
Brocade 6505  
Brocade 6510  
Brocade 6520  
Brocade 8000  
Brocade VA-40FC  
0–11  
0-23  
POD 1: 0–23  
0-35  
N/A  
0-47  
0–47  
24 GbE  
0-23  
0–71  
0–95  
24 GbE and 8 FC  
0-31  
24 GbE and 8 FC  
0-39  
Ports on Demand is ready to be unlocked in the switch firmware. Its license key may be part of the  
licensed paperpack supplied with switch software, or you can purchase the license key separately  
from your switch vendor. You may need to generate a license key from a transaction key supplied  
with your purchase. If so, launch an Internet browser and go to the Brocade website at  
http://www.brocade.com. Click Products > Software Products > Software License Keys and follow  
the instructions to generate the key.  
Each Ports on Demand license activates the next group of ports in numerical order in either 4-port  
or 8- or 12-port increments, depending on the model. Before installing a license key, you must  
insert transceivers in the ports to be activated. Remember to insert the transceivers in the lowest  
group of inactive port numbers first. For example, if only 16 ports are currently active and you are  
installing one Ports on Demand license key, make sure to insert the transceivers in ports 16  
through 23. If you later install a second license key, insert the transceivers in ports 24 through 31.  
For details on inserting transceivers, see the switch’s hardware reference manual.  
Displaying installed licenses  
If a single license is installed that enables all Ports on Demand, the license will display as  
“Full Ports on Demand license - additional X port upgrade license.” If there are other individual  
Ports on Demand licenses installed, these will also be displayed when listing the licenses for a  
switch, and you will see either “First Ports on Demand license - additional Y port upgrade license”  
or “Second Ports on Demand license - additional Z port upgrade license.” In cases where there are  
multiple Ports on Demand licenses, the total additional allowed ports will not exceed the total  
displayed for the “Full Ports on Demand” license.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the licenseshow command.  
switch:admin> licenseshow  
SdSSc9SyRSTuTTdz:  
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First Ports on Demand license - additional 16 port upgrade license  
SdSSc9SyRSTeXTdn:  
Second Ports on Demand license - additional 16 port upgrade license  
SdSSc9SyRSTuXTd3:  
Full Ports on Demand license - additional 32 port upgrade license  
ATTENTION  
If you enable or disable an active port, you will disrupt any traffic and potentially lose data flowing  
on that port.  
If the port is connected to another switch, you will segment the switch from the fabric and all traffic  
flowing between the disabled port and the fabric will be lost.  
If you remove a Ports on Demand license, the licensed ports will become disabled after the next  
platform reboot or the next port deactivation.  
Activating Ports on Demand  
Use the following procedure to activate Ports on Demand:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Verify the current states of the ports using the portShow command.  
In the portShow output, the Licensed field indicates whether the port is licensed.  
3. Install the Brocade Ports on Demand license.  
For instructions on how to install a license, see “Adding a licensed feature” on page 481.  
4. Use the portEnable command to enable the ports.  
Alternatively, you can disable and re-enable the switch to activate ports.  
5. Use the portShow command to check the newly activated ports.  
Dynamic Ports on Demand  
The Dynamic Ports on Demand (POD) feature automatically assigns POD licenses from a pool of  
available licenses based on the server blade or switch installation.  
The following platforms support Dynamic POD:  
Switches:  
-
-
-
Brocade 6505  
Brocade 6510  
Brocade 6520  
Embedded switch modules for bladed servers:  
-
-
-
-
-
-
Brocade 5410  
Brocade 5424  
Brocade 5450  
Brocade 5460  
Brocade 5470  
Brocade 5480  
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For the embedded switch modules, the Dynamic POD feature detects and assigns ports to a POD  
license only if the server blade is installed with an HBA present. A server blade that does not have a  
functioning HBA is treated as an inactive link during initial POD port assignment. For the non-server  
blade switches, the dynamic assignment occurs when an attached Fibre Channel link transitions to  
the “link active” state.  
The Dynamic POD feature assigns the ports to the POD license as they come online. Typically,  
assignments are sequential, starting with the lowest port number. However, variations in the  
equipment attached to the ports can cause the ports to take different amounts of time to come  
online. This means that the port assignment order is not guaranteed.  
If the switch detects more active links than allowed by the current POD licenses, then some ports  
will not be assigned a POD license. Ports that do not receive a POD assignment have a state of  
No Sync or In Sync; these ports are not allowed to progress to the online state. Ports that cannot be  
brought online because of insufficient POD licenses have a state of (No POD License) Disabled.  
You can use the switchShow command to display the port states.  
Displaying the port license assignments  
When you display the available licenses, you can also view the current port assignment of those  
licenses.  
Use the following procedure to display the port license assignments:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the licensePort --show command.  
Example showing manually assigned POD licenses  
switch:admin> licenseport --show  
24 ports are available in this switch  
Full POD license is installed  
Dynamic POD method is in use  
24 port assignments are provisioned for use in this switch:  
12 port assignments are provisioned by the base switch license  
12 port assignments are provisioned by a full POD license  
24 ports are assigned to installed licenses:  
12 ports are assigned to the base switch license  
12 ports are assigned to the full POD license  
Ports assigned to the base switch license:  
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 17, 18, 19, 20  
Ports assigned to the full POD license:  
0, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23  
Enabling Dynamic Ports on Demand  
If the switch is in the static POD mode, then activating the Dynamic POD will erase any prior port  
license assignments the next time the switch is rebooted. The static POD assignments become the  
initial Dynamic POD assignments. After the Dynamic POD feature is enabled, you can customize  
the POD license associations.  
Use the following procedure to enable Dynamic Ports on Demand:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the licensePort --method command with the dynamic option to change the license  
assignment method to dynamic.  
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switch:admin> licenseport --method dynamic  
The POD method has been changed to dynamic.  
Please reboot the switch now for this change to take effect.  
3. Enter the reboot command to restart the switch.  
switch:admin> reboot  
4. Enter the licensePort --show command to verify the switch started the Dynamic POD feature.  
switch:admin> licenseport --show  
24 ports are available in this switch  
Full POD license is installed  
Dynamic POD method is in use  
24 port assignments are provisioned for use in this switch:  
12 port assignments are provisioned by the base switch license  
12 port assignments are provisioned by a full POD license  
8 ports are assigned to installed licenses:  
8 ports are assigned to the base switch license  
0 ports are assigned to the full POD license  
Ports assigned to the base switch license:  
1, 2, 5, 6, 8*, 21, 22, 23  
Ports assigned to the full POD license:  
None  
Ports not assigned to a license:  
0, 3, 4, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20  
16 license reservations are still available for use by unassigned ports  
1 license assignment is held by an offline port (indicated by *)  
Disabling Dynamic Ports on Demand  
Disabling the Dynamic POD feature changes the POD method to static and erases any prior port  
license associations or assignments the next time the switch is rebooted.  
Use the following procedure to disable Dynamic Ports on Demand:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the licensePort --method command with the static option to change the license  
assignment method to static.  
switch:admin> licenseport --method static  
The POD method has been changed to static.  
Please reboot the switch now for this change to take effect.  
3. Enter the reboot command to restart the switch.  
4. Enter the licensePort --show command to verify the switch changed to static POD.  
switch:admin> licenseport --show  
24 ports are available in this switch  
Full POD license is installed  
Dynamic POD method is in use  
24 port assignments are provisioned for use in this switch:  
12 port assignments are provisioned by the base switch license  
12 port assignments are provisioned by a full POD license  
24 ports are assigned to installed licenses:  
12 ports are assigned to the base switch license  
12 ports are assigned to the full POD license  
Ports assigned to the base switch license:  
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 17, 18, 19, 20  
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Ports assigned to the full POD license:  
0, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23  
Reserving a port license  
You can allocate licenses by reserving and releasing POD assignments to specific ports. Disabled  
ports are not candidates for automatic license assignment by the Dynamic POD feature.  
Persistently disable an otherwise viable port to prevent it from coming online, and thereby preserve  
a license assignment for another port.  
Reserving a license for a port assigns a POD license to that port whether the port is online or  
offline. That license will not be available to other ports that come online before the specified port.  
To allocate licenses to a specific port instead of automatically assigning them as the ports come  
online, reserve a license for the port. The port receives a POD assignment if any are available.  
Use the following procedure to reserve Dynamic Ports on Demand licences:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the licensePort --show command to verify there are port reservations available.  
switch:admin> licenseport --show  
24 ports are available in this switch  
Full POD license is installed  
Dynamic POD method is in use  
24 port assignments are provisioned for use in this switch:  
12 port assignments are provisioned by the base switch license  
12 port assignments are provisioned by a full POD license  
10 ports are assigned to installed licenses:  
10 ports are assigned to the base switch license  
0 ports are assigned to the full POD license  
Ports assigned to the base switch license:  
1*, 2*, 3*, 4*, 5*, 6*, 8*, 21, 22, 23  
Ports assigned to the full POD license:  
None  
Ports not assigned to a license:  
0, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20  
3. Take the following appropriate action based on whether port reservations are available:  
If a port reservation is available, then issue the licensePort --reserve command to reserve  
a license for the port.  
switch:admin> licenseport -reserve 0  
If all port reservations are assigned, select a port to release its POD license. Follow the  
instructions in “Releasing a port from a POD set” to release a port from its POD  
assignment. Once the port is released, you can reserve it.  
Releasing a port from a POD set  
Releasing a port removes it from the POD set; the port then appears as “unassigned” until it comes  
back online. Persistently disabling the port ensures that the port cannot come back online and be  
automatically assigned to a POD assignment. Before you can re-assign a license, you must disable  
the port and release the license.  
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After a port is assigned to the POD set, the port is licensed until it is manually removed from the  
POD port set. When a port is released from its POD port set (Base, Single, or Double), it creates a  
vacancy in that port set.  
Use the following procedure to release a port from a POD set:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the switchDisable command to take the switch offline.  
switch:admin> switchdisable  
3. Enter the switchShow command to verify the switch state is offline.  
4. Enter the licensePort --release command to remove the port from the POD license.  
switch:admin> licenseport --release 0  
5. Enter the licensePort --show command to verify the port is no longer assigned to a POD set.  
switch:admin> licenseport --show  
24 ports are available in this switch  
Full POD license is installed  
Dynamic POD method is in use  
24 port assignments are provisioned for use in this switch:  
12 port assignments are provisioned by the base switch license  
12 port assignments are provisioned by a full POD license  
10 ports are assigned to installed licenses:  
10 ports are assigned to the base switch license  
0 ports are assigned to the full POD license  
Ports assigned to the base switch license:  
1*, 2*, 3*, 4*, 5*, 6*, 8*, 21, 22, 23  
Ports assigned to the full POD license:  
None  
Ports not assigned to a license:  
0, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20  
6. Enter the switchEnable command to bring the switch back online.  
7. Enter the switchShow command to verify the switch state is now online.  
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Chapter  
Inter-chassis Links  
19  
In this chapter  
Inter-chassis links  
An inter-chassis link (ICL) is a licensed feature used to interconnect two Brocade Backbones. ICL  
ports in the core blades are used to interconnect the Backbones, potentially increasing the number  
of usable ports in the Backbone chassis. The ICL ports are internally managed as E_Ports.  
The Brocade Backbones support two types of ICLs:  
The Brocade DCX 8510 Backbone family supports optical ICL QSFPs.  
The Brocade DCX Backbone family supports proprietary copper ICL connectors.  
When two Brocade Backbones are interconnected by ICLs, each chassis requires a unique domain  
and is managed as a separate switch.  
ICL ports can be used only with an ICL license. For more information on how license enforcement  
occurs, refer to Chapter 18, “Administering Licensing”. After the addition or removal of a license,  
the license enforcement is performed on the ICL ports only when you issue the portDisable and  
portEnable commands on the switch for the ports or the bladeDisable and bladeEnable commands  
for the core blade. All ICL ports must be disabled and then re-enabled for the license to take effect.  
An ICL license must be installed on both platforms forming the ICL connection.  
The ICL ports appear as regular ports, with some restrictions. All port parameters associated with  
ICL ports are static and all portCfg commands are blocked from changing any of the ICL port  
parameters. The only management associated with ICL ports and cables is monitoring the status of  
the LEDs on the ICL ports and any maintenance if the Attention LED is blinking yellow.  
When you connect two Brocade Backbones, the following features are supported:  
Trunking  
NOTE  
A Brocade trunking license is not required for trunking on ICL connections but is required for  
ISL trunking connections.  
Buffer-to-buffer credit sharing  
QoS  
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19  
NOTE  
You cannot interconnect a Brocade DCX Backbone family chassis to a Brocade DCX 8510 Backbone  
family chassis.  
Refer to the specific hardware reference manuals for additional information about LED status  
meanings and ICL connections, including instructions on how to cable ICLs.  
ICLs for the Brocade DCX 8510 Backbone family  
Each ICL connects the core blades of two Brocade DCX 8510 chassis and provides up to 64 Gbps  
of throughput within a single cable.  
You can have up to 32 QSFP ports in a Brocade DCX 8510-8 chassis or 16 QSFP ports in a Brocade  
DCX 8510-4 chassis, with up to 2 Tbps ICL bandwidth and support for up to 50 meters on universal  
optical cables.  
The Brocade DCX 8510-8 has four port groups on the CR16-8 core blade. The Brocade DCX 8510-4  
has two port groups on the CR16-4 core blade. Each port group has four QSFP connectors, and  
each QSFP connector maps to four user ports. Refer to the hardware reference manuals for details  
about the port groups.  
Following are ICL configuration guidelines for trunking bandwidth and High Availability:  
ICLs must be installed in groups of two. Each pair of ICLs must be in the same port group.  
The recommended minimum number of ICLs between two Brocade DCX 8510 chassis is four.  
Additional ICLs should be added in increments of two—one on each core blade.  
For High Availability, you should have at least two ICLs from each core blade. Figure 59 shows  
two Brocade DCX 8510-8 chassis connected with full redundancy using four ICL connections.  
Domain 1  
Domain 2  
DCX 8510-8  
DCX 8510-8  
FIGURE 59 Minimum configuration for 64 Gbps ICLs  
The maximum number of ICLs between two Brocade DCX 8510-4 chassis or between a  
Brocade DCX 8510-8 and a Brocade DCX 8510-4 is 16.  
The maximum number of ICLs between two Brocade DCX 8510-8 chassis is 32.  
Because the FSPF routing logic uses only the first 16 paths to come online, only 16 ICLs are  
utilized. With Virtual Fabrics, however, you can define two logical switches on the chassis and  
have 16 ICLs in each.  
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NOTE  
Brocade recommends that you have a maximum of eight ICLs connected to the same  
neighboring domain, with a maximum of four ICLs from each core blade.  
The ICLs can connect to either core blade in the neighboring chassis. Unlike the copper ICLs,  
the QSFP ICLs do not need to be cross-connected.  
The 100-meter ICL is supported, beginning in Fabric OS 7.1.0, when using 100-meter-capable  
QSFPs over OM4 cable only.  
NOTE  
QSFP ICLs and ISLs in the same switch and connected to the same neighboring switch are not  
supported. This is a topology restriction with 16 Gbps ICLs and any ISLs that are E_Ports or VE_Ports.  
ICL trunking on the Brocade DCX 8510-8 and DCX 8510-4  
ICL trunks form automatically but additional licenses may be required for enabling all ICL ports or  
for larger ICL configurations. For more information about ICL licensing options, refer to Chapter 18,  
Each Quad Small Form-Factor Pluggable (QSFP) cable has four ports, each terminating on a  
different application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). These ports cannot form a trunk with each  
other, but can form trunks only with corresponding ports on another QSFP.  
To establish ICL trunking between platforms in the Brocade DCX 8510 Backbone family, follow  
these configuration rules:  
The QSFP cables must be in the same trunk group, as illustrated in Figure 59.  
Refer to the specific hardware reference manuals for information about port numbering and  
connecting the ICL cables.  
ICLs for the Brocade DCX Backbone family  
The Brocade DCX has two ICL connectors at ports ICL0 and ICL1 on each core blade, each  
aggregating a set of 16 ports. Thus, each core blade provides 32 ICL ports and there are 64 ICL  
ports available for the entire Brocade DCX chassis. All the ICL connector ports must be connected  
to the same two Brocade DCX or DCX-4S chassis.  
The Brocade DCX-4S has two ICL connector ports at ICL0 and ICL1, each aggregating a set of 8  
ports. Thus, each core blade provides 16 ICL ports and there are 32 ICL ports available for the  
entire Brocade DCX-4S chassis. All the ICL connector ports must be connected to the same two  
Brocade DCX or DCX-4S chassis.  
Only the following cross-ICL group connections are allowed, as illustrated in Figure 60:  
ICL0 ports on the first chassis connect to ICL1 ports on the second chassis.  
ICL1 ports on the first chassis connect to ICL0 ports on the second chassis.  
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FIGURE 60 DCX-4S allowed ICL connections  
The following ICL connections are not allowed:  
ICL0 ports to ICL0 ports  
ICL1 ports to ICL1 ports  
ICL trunking on the Brocade DCX and DCX-4S  
ICL trunks form automatically but additional licenses may be required for enabling all ICL ports or  
for larger ICL configurations. For more information about ICL licensing options, refer to Chapter 18,  
“Administering Licensing”. The ICLs are managed the same as ISL trunks.  
On the Brocade DCX, each ICL is managed as two 8-port ISL trunks.  
On the Brocade DCX-4S, each ICL is managed as one 8-port ISL trunk.  
Follow the guidelines in the specific hardware reference manuals for connecting the ICL cables.  
Virtual Fabrics considerations for ICLs  
In Virtual Fabrics, the ICL ports can be split across the logical switch, base switch, and default  
switch. The triangular topology requirement must be met for each fabric individually.  
The following restrictions apply:  
ICL ports cannot be in a logical switch that is using XISLs. The “Allow XISL Use” attribute for the  
switch must be off.  
All of the user ports in an ICL cable must be in the same logical switch. Distributing the user  
ports within the same cable across multiple logical switches is not supported.  
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Supported topologies for ICL connections  
19  
Supported topologies for ICL connections  
You can connect the Brocade Backbones in a mesh topology and a core-edge topology. A brief  
description of each follows. (You can also connect two DCX 8510s point-to-point.)  
The illustrations in this section show sample topologies. Refer to the Brocade SAN Scalability  
Guidelines for details about maximum topology configurations.  
Mesh topology  
You can connect the Brocade Backbones in a mesh topology, in which every chassis is connected  
to every other chassis.  
A simple form of the mesh topology is the triangular topology (shown in Figure 61). The triangular  
topology is supported by three Brocade Backbone chassis. The chassis for each topology must all  
be from the same family:  
Brocade DCX Backbone family (DCX or DCX-4S)  
Brocade DCX 8510 Backbone family (DCX 8510-8 or DCX 8510-4)  
Another form is the full nine-mesh topology shown in Figure 62. This topology is supported by DCX  
8510-8 Backbones only. (You can use DCX 8510-4 Backbones for a five-mesh topology.)  
FIGURE 61 ICL triangular topology with Brocade DCX 8510-8 chassis  
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FIGURE 62 Full nine-mesh topology  
During an ICL break in the triangular topology, the chassis that has the connections of the other  
two is the main chassis. Any error messages relating to a break in the topology appear in the  
RASlog of the main chassis.  
For the Brocade DCX Backbone family only: If one ICL is broken but there is a regular ISL, the  
triangular topology holds given that the ISL cost is lower than the total cost through the ICL linear  
topology. If a direct ICL link between two chassis is broken, the triangular topology is considered  
broken when the ISL path between the two switches is a multiple hop. In this case, the triangular  
topology broken message is posted independently of the cost of the ISL path being lesser or  
greater than the ICL path between the two switches.  
Core-edge topology  
You can also connect the Brocade DCX 8510 Backbones in a core-edge topology. For example,  
Figure 63 shows six chassis connected in a core-edge topology (four edges and two cores).  
Although Figure 63 shows only the Brocade DCX 8510-8, each chassis can be either a  
Brocade DCX 8510-4 or a DCX 8510-8. You can have up to eight edges with DCX 8510-8 cores or  
up to four edges with DCX 8510-4 cores.  
Each line in Figure 63 represents four QSFP cables. The cabling scheme should follow the parallel  
example shown in Figure 59.  
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FIGURE 63 64 Gbps ICL core-edge topology  
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Chapter  
Monitoring Fabric Performance  
20  
In this chapter  
Advanced Performance Monitoring overview  
Advanced Performance Monitoring is a licensed feature that provides a comprehensive tool for  
monitoring the performance of networked storage resources. Additional performance monitoring  
features, such as CRC error reports, are provided through Web Tools and Brocade Network Advisor.  
Refer to the Web Tools Administrator’s Guide and Brocade Network Advisor User Manual for  
information about monitoring performance using a graphical interface.  
Advanced Performance Monitoring commands are available only to users with admin permissions.  
Use the perfhelp command to display a list of commands associated with Advanced Performance  
Monitoring.  
NOTE  
The command examples in this chapter use the slot/port syntax required by Backbones. For  
fixed-port switches, use only the port number where needed in the commands.  
Types of monitors  
Advanced Performance Monitoring provides the following monitors:  
End-to-end monitors (EE monitors) measure the traffic between a host and target pair.  
Frame monitors measure the traffic transmitted through a port with specific values in the first  
64 bytes of the frame.  
Top Talker monitors measure the flows that are major consumers of bandwidth on a switch or  
port.  
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Restrictions for installing monitors  
Advanced Performance Monitoring is not supported on VE_Ports and EX_Ports. If you issue  
commands for any Advanced Performance Monitoring on VE_Ports or EX_Ports, you will receive  
error messages.  
For the Brocade 8000, Advanced Performance Monitoring is supported only on the FC ports  
and not on the CEE ports.  
All monitor types are allowed only on physical ports.  
Top Talker monitors and EE monitors on E_Ports should be installed only in the ingress  
direction.  
Virtual Fabrics considerations for Advanced Performance Monitoring  
In a fabric with Virtual Fabrics enabled, the number of logical switches that can be configured with  
monitors is restricted. Table 73 lists the platforms that support logical switches and, for each  
platform, the maximum number of logical switches that can support performance monitors.  
TABLE 73  
Number of logical switches that support performance monitors  
Platform  
Maximum number of logical switches supported  
Maximum number of logical switches on which  
monitors are supported  
Brocade DCX  
8
4
Brocade DCX-4S  
Brocade 8510 family  
Brocade 6510  
Brocade 6520  
4
4
3
4
4
3
Brocade 5100  
Brocade VA-40FC  
Brocade 5300  
4
3
Each logical switch can have its own set of performance monitors. The installation of monitors is  
restricted to the ports that are present in the respective logical switch.  
Top Talker monitors and EE monitors are supported on the default logical switch, the base  
switch, and user-defined logical switches.  
Frame monitors are not supported on logical ISLs (LISLs) in user-defined logical switches.  
If a port is moved from one logical switch to another, the behavior of monitors installed on that port  
is as follows:  
Frame monitor: Any frame monitors on the port are deleted. To keep the frame monitor, the  
monitor must be manually installed on the port after the move.  
Top Talker (fabric mode): If the fabric-mode Top Talkers feature is enabled on the logical switch,  
a fabric mode Top Talker monitor is automatically installed on the port after it is moved to the  
logical switch.  
Top Talker (port mode): Any port mode Top Talker monitors on the port are deleted. To keep the  
port mode Top Talker monitor, the monitor must be manually installed on the port after the  
move.  
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Access Gateway considerations for Advanced Performance Monitoring  
EE monitors and frame monitors are supported on switches in Access Gateway mode. Top Talker  
monitors are not supported on these switches.  
EE monitors must be installed on F_Ports. Frame monitors can be installed on F_Ports or N_Ports.  
Refer to the Access Gateway Administrator’s Guide for additional information.  
End-to-end performance monitoring  
Use end-to-end (EE) monitoring when you want to monitor throughput between a pair of devices.  
End-to-end performance monitoring counts the number of words in Fibre Channel frames for a  
specified Source ID (SID) and Destination ID (DID) pair.  
To enable EE performance monitoring, you must configure an EE monitor on a port, specifying the  
SID-DID pair (in hexadecimal). The monitor counts only those frames with a matching SID and DID.  
Each SID or DID has the following three fields:  
Domain ID (DD)  
Area ID (AA)  
AL_PA (PP)  
For example, the SID 0x118a0f denotes DD 0x11, AA 0x8a, and AL_PA 0x0f.  
An EE monitor includes these counts:  
RX_COUNT - Words in frames received at the port  
For frames received at the port with the EE monitor installed, the RX_COUNT is updated if the  
frame SID is the same as the SID in the monitor and the frame DID is the same as the DID in  
the monitor.  
TX_COUNT - Words in frames transmitted from the port  
For frames transmitted from the port with the EE monitor installed, TX_COUNT is updated if the  
frame DID is the same as the SID in the monitor and the frame SID is the same as the DID in  
the monitor.  
Maximum number of EE monitors  
The maximum number of end-to-end monitors supported varies depending on the switch model:  
The Brocade DCX 8510, 6505, 6510, and 6520 models allow up to 512 end-to-end monitors  
shared by all ports in the same ASIC. Also, these models allow up to 256 end-to-end monitors  
per port.  
The Brocade DCX, DCX-4S, 5100, 8000, VA-40FC, and Brocade Encryption Switch models  
allow up to 1024 end-to-end monitors shared by all ports in the same ASIC. Also, these models  
allow up to 256 end-to-end monitors per port.  
The Brocade 300, 5300, 5410, 5424, 5430, 5450, 5460, 5470, 5480, and 7800 models  
allow up to 768 end-to-end monitors shared by all ports in the same ASIC. Also, these models  
allow up to 192 end-to-end monitors per port.  
The number of interswitch links (ISLs) configured on the switch affects the amount of resources  
available for end-to-end monitors.  
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Virtual Fabrics considerations: If Virtual Fabrics is enabled, the Brocade DCX, DCX-4S, DCX 8510  
and 5300 models allow up to 256 end-to-end monitors on one logical switch. The Brocade 5100,  
6510, 6520, and VA-40FC allow up to 341 end-to-end monitors on one logical switch.  
Supported port configurations for EE monitors  
You can configure EE monitors on F_Ports and, depending on the switch model, on E_Ports. The  
following platforms support EE monitors on E_Ports:  
Brocade 6505  
Brocade 6510  
Brocade 6520  
Brocade DCX 8510 family  
Identical EE monitors cannot be added to the same port. Two EE monitors are considered identical  
if they have the same SID and DID values after applying the end-to-end mask.  
An EE monitor and a port Top Talker monitor cannot coexist on the same port.  
Coexistence of EE monitors and Top Talker monitors on ports belonging to the same ASIC is not  
recommended because the statistics for the same flow going through ports on the same ASIC may  
be inaccurate.  
Adding EE monitors  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the following command:  
perfaddeemonitor [slotnumber/]portnumber sourceID destID  
When you add an EE monitor to a port, specify the sourceID and destID in the ingress direction. For  
example, Figure 64 shows two devices:  
Host A is connected to domain 1 (0x01), switch area ID 18 (0x12), AL_PA 0x00.  
Dev B is a storage device connected to domain 2 (0x02), switch area ID 30 (0x1e), AL_PA  
0x00.  
Host A  
Dev B  
F_Port  
2
E_Port  
3
E_Port  
13  
F_Port  
14  
Domain 1  
Domain 2  
DID = 0x021e00  
SID = 0x011200  
Monitor 1  
Monitor 2  
Monitor 3  
Monitor 4  
FIGURE 64 Setting end-to-end monitors on a port  
End-to-end performance monitoring looks at traffic on SID and DID pairs in any direction. That is,  
even if the SID is for a remote device, the traffic is monitored in both directions (the Tx and Rx  
counters are reversed).  
Example of monitoring the traffic from Host A to Dev B  
On Domain 1, add a monitor to the F_Port, as follows:  
switch:admin> perfaddeemonitor 2/2 "0x011200" "0x021e00"  
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This monitor (Monitor 1) counts the frames that have an SID of 0x011200 and a DID of 0x021e00.  
For Monitor 1, RX_COUNT is the number of words from Host A to Dev B, and TX_COUNT is the  
number of words from Dev B to Host A.  
Example of monitoring the traffic from Dev B to Host A  
On Domain 2, add a monitor to the F_Port as follows:  
switch:admin> perfaddeemonitor 2/14 "0x021e00" "0x011200"  
This monitor (Monitor 4) counts the frames that have an SID of 0x021e00 and a DID of 0x011200.  
For Monitor 4, RX_COUNT is the number of words from Dev B to Host A, and TX_COUNT is the  
number of words from Host A to Dev B.  
The E_Port monitors are configured similar to the F_Port monitors, but the ingress and egress  
directions are reversed.  
For Monitor 2:  
switch:admin> perfaddeemonitor 2/3 "0x021e00" "0x011200"  
For Monitor 3:  
switch:admin> perfaddeemonitor 2/13 "0x011200" "0x021e00"  
Setting a mask for an EE monitor  
End-to-end monitors count the number of words in Fibre Channel frames that match a specific SID  
and DID pair. If you want to match only part of the SID or DID, you can set a mask on the port to  
compare only certain parts of the SID or DID. By default, the frame must match the entire SID and  
DID to trigger the monitor. By setting a mask, you can choose to have the frame match only one or  
two of the three fields (domain ID, area ID, and AL_PA) to trigger the monitor.  
You specify the masks in the form dd:aa:pp, where dd is the domain ID mask, aa is the area ID  
mask, and pp is the AL_PA mask. The values for dd, aa, and pp are either ff (the field must match)  
or 00 (the field is ignored). The default EE mask value is ff:ff:ff.  
NOTE  
Only one mask per port can be set. When you set a mask, all existing end-to-end monitors are  
deleted.  
ATTENTION  
End-to-end masks are supported only on the Brocade 8000 and the Brocade Encryption Switch.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the perfSetPortEEMask command.  
perfsetporteemask [slotnumber/]portnumber "TxSIDMsk" "TxDIDMsk" "RxSIDMsk"  
"RxDIDMsk"  
The perfSetPortEEMask command sets the mask for all end-to-end monitors of a port. If any  
end-to-end monitors are programmed on a port when the perfSetPortEEMask command is issued,  
then a message displays similar to the following example:  
switch:admin> perfsetporteemask 1/2, "00:ff:ff"  
Changing EE mask for this port will cause ALL EE monitors on this port to be  
deleted.  
Continue? (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
The EE mask on port 2 is set and EE monitors on this port are deleted  
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The perfSetPortEEMask command sets a mask for the domain ID, area ID, and AL_PA of the SIDs  
and DIDs for frames transmitted from and received by the port.  
Figure 65 shows the mask positions in the command. A mask (“ff”) is set on slot 1, port 2 to  
compare the AL_PA fields on the SID and DID in all frames (transmitted and received) on port 2.  
The frame SID and DID must match only the AL_PA portion of the specified SID and DID pair. Each  
port can have only one EE mask. The mask is applied to all end-to-end monitors on the port.  
Individual masks for each monitor on the port cannot be specified.  
Received by port  
Transmitted from port  
SID mask DID mask  
SID mask DID mask  
perfsetporteemask 1/2, "00:ff:ff" "00:ff:ff" "00:ff:ff" "00:ff:ff"  
AL_PA mask  
Area ID mask  
Domain ID mask  
FIGURE 65 Mask positions for end-to-end monitors  
Deleting EE monitors  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the perfMonitorShow command to list the valid end-to-end monitor numbers for a port.  
3. Enter the perfDelEEMonitor command to delete a specific monitor.  
If you do not specify which monitor number to delete, you are asked if you want to delete all  
entries.  
Example  
The following example displays the end-to-end monitors on port 0 (the monitor numbers are listed  
in the KEY column) and deletes monitor number 2 on port 0:  
switch:admin> perfmonitorshow --class EE 0  
There are 4 end-to-end monitor(s) defined on port  
0.  
KEY  
SID  
DID  
OWNER_APP  
TX_COUNT  
RX_COUNT  
OWNER_IP_ADDR  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
0 0x000024 0x000016 WEB_TOOLS  
1 0x000022 0x000033 WEB_TOOLS  
2 0x000123 0x000789 WEB_TOOLS  
3 0x001212 0x003434 WEB_TOOLS  
0x0000000000000000 0x0000000000000000 10.106.7.179  
0x0000000000000000 0x0000000000000000 10.106.7.179  
0x0000000000000000 0x0000000000000000 10.106.7.179  
0x0000000000000000 0x0000000000000000 10.106.7.179  
switch:admin> perfdeleemonitor 0, 2  
End-to-End monitor number 2 deleted  
Displaying EE monitor counters  
You can use this procedure display the end-to-end monitors on a specified port. You can display  
either the cumulative count of the traffic detected by the monitors or a snapshot of the traffic at  
specified intervals.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the perfMonitorShow command.  
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perfmonitorshow --class monitor_class [slotnumber/]portnumber [interval]  
Example of displaying an end-to-end monitor on a port at 10-second intervals  
switch:admin> perfMonitorShow --class EE 4/5 10  
Showing EE monitors 4/5 10: Tx/Rx are # of bytes  
0
1
2
3
4
--------- --------- --------- --------- ---------  
Tx Rx Tx Rx Tx Rx Tx Rx Tx Rx  
========= ========= ========= ========= =========  
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
53m 4.9m 53m 4.9m 53m 4.9m 53m 4.9m 53m 0  
53m 4.4m 53m 4.4m 53m 4.4m 53m 4.4m 53m 0  
53m 4.8m 53m 4.8m 53m 4.8m 53m 4.8m 53m 0  
53m 4.6m 53m 4.6m 53m 4.6m 53m 4.6m 53m 0  
53m 5.0m 53m 5.0m 53m 5.0m 53m 5.0m 53m 0  
53m 4.5m 53m 4.5m 53m 4.5m 53m 4.5m 53m 0  
Example of displaying EE monitors on a port  
switch:admin> perfMonitorShow --class EE 4/5  
There are 7 end-to-end monitor(s) defined on port 53.  
KEY SID DID OWNER_APP TX_COUNT  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
RX_COUNT  
OWNER_IP_ADDR  
0 0x58e0f 0x1182ef  
0 0x21300 0x21dda  
1 0x21300 0x21ddc  
2 0x21300 0x21de0  
3 0x21300 0x21de1  
4 0x21300 0x21de2  
TELNET  
TELNET  
TELNET  
TELNET  
TELNET  
TELNET  
0x0000000000000000 0x0000000000000000  
0x00000004d0ba9915 0x0000000067229e65  
0x00000004d0baa754 0x0000000067229e65  
0x00000004d0bab3a5 0x0000000067229e87  
0x00000004d0bac1e4 0x0000000067229e87  
0x00000004d0bad086 0x0000000067229e87  
N/A  
N/A  
N/A  
N/A  
N/A  
N/A  
5 0x11000 0x21fd6 WEB_TOOLS 0x00000004d0bade54 0x0000000067229e87 192.168.169.40  
6 0x11000 0x21fe0 WEB_TOOLS 0x00000004d0baed41 0x0000000067229e98 192.168.169.40  
Clearing EE monitor counters  
The following example clears statistics counters for an end-to-end monitor:  
switch:admin> perfMonitorClear --class EE 1/2 5  
End-to-End monitor number 5 counters are cleared  
The following example clears statistics counters for all end-to-end monitors on a specific port:  
switch:admin> perfMonitorClear --class EE 1/2  
This will clear ALL EE monitors' counters on port 2, continue?  
(yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
Frame monitoring  
Frame monitoring counts the number of times a frame with a particular pattern is transmitted by a  
port, and generates alerts when thresholds are crossed. Frame monitoring is achieved by defining  
a filter, or frame type, for a particular purpose. The frame type can be a standard type (for example,  
an SCSI read command filter that counts the number of SCSI read commands that have been  
transmitted by the port) or a user-defined frame type customized for your particular use. For a  
complete list of the standard, predefined frame types, refer to the fmMonitor command description  
in the Fabric OS Command Reference.  
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NOTE  
The Advanced Performance Monitoring license is required to use the fmMonitor command. The  
monitoring functionality also requires the Fabric Watch license. When you configure actions and  
alerts through the fmMonitor command, Fabric Watch uses these values and generates alerts  
based on the configuration. If you do not have a Fabric Watch license, these values are ignored.  
Refer to the Fabric Watch Administrator’s Guide for more information about using Fabric Watch.  
The maximum number of frame monitors and offsets per port depends on the platform. Table 74  
shows the maximum number of frame monitors, in any combination of standard and user-defined  
frame types, and the maximum number of offsets per port.  
TABLE 74  
Maximum number of frame monitors and offsets per port  
Maximum number of frame monitors  
Platform  
Maximum number of offsets  
per port  
per port  
1
Brocade 300, 5300, 5410, 5424, 5450,  
5460, 5470, 5480, and 7800  
8
13  
2
Brocade 5100, 6505, 6510, 6520, 8000,  
VA-40FC, DCX, DCX-4S, DCX 8510, and  
Brocade Encryption Switch  
12  
25  
1. For switches in Access Gateway mode, the maximum number of offsets per port is 7.  
2. For switches in Access Gateway mode, the maximum number of offsets per port is 15.  
The actual number of frame monitors that can be configured on a port depends on the complexity  
of the frame types. For trunked ports, the frame monitor is configured on the trunk master.  
Static offsets are pre-set with offset/value combinations. Brocade also supports additional  
dynamic offsets. When a user-specified offset and value combination matches that already  
allocated by a Brocade application, resources are shared. The maximum number of configurable  
offsets by fmMonitor may increase or decrease as a result of resource sharing.  
Virtual Fabrics considerations: Frame monitors are not supported on logical ISLs (LISLs), but are  
supported on ISLs and extended ISLs (XISLs).  
Creating frame types to be monitored  
In addition to the standard frame types, you can create custom frame types to gather statistics that  
fit your needs. To define a custom frame type, you must specify a series of offsets, bitmasks, and  
values. For all transmitted frames, the switch performs the following tasks:  
Locates the byte found in the frame at the specified offset.  
Applies the bitmask to the byte found in the frame.  
Compares the new value with the given value.  
Increments the filter counter if a match is found.  
You can specify up to four values to compare against each offset. If more than one offset is  
required to properly define a filter, the bytes found at each offset must match one of the given  
values for the filter to increment its counter. If one or more of the given offsets does not match any  
of the given values, the counter does not increment.  
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The value of the offset must be between 0 and 63, in decimal format. Byte 0 indicates the first byte  
of the Start of Frame (SOF), byte 4 is the first byte of the frame header, and byte 28 is the first byte  
of the payload. Thus, only the SOF, frame header, and first 36 bytes of payload can be selected as  
part of a filter definition. Offset 0 is a special case, which can be used to monitor the first 4 bytes of  
the frame (SOF). When the offset is set to 0, the values 0 through 7 that are checked against that  
offset are predefined, as shown in Table 75.  
TABLE 75  
Predefined values at offset 0  
SOF  
Value  
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
SOFf  
SOFc1  
SOFi1  
SOFn1  
SOFi2  
SOFn2  
SOFi3  
SOFn3  
Creating a frame monitor  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the fmMonitor --create command to create a user-defined frame.  
Complete details of the fmMonitor command parameters are provided in the Fabric OS Command  
Reference. The highth and action options set values and actions for Fabric Watch, but do not apply  
to monitoring. To apply the custom values, use the thconfig --apply command. Refer to the Fabric  
Watch Administrator’s Guide for more information about using this command.  
Example of creating a user-defined frame type  
switch:admin> fmmonitor --create myframemonitor -pat  
"17,0xFF,0x07;7,0x4F,0x01;" -action email  
Example of creating a user-defined frame type and applying frame monitors to ports 3, 4, and 5  
switch:admin> fmmonitor --create myframemonitor -pat  
"17,0xFF,0x007;7,0x4F,0x01;" -port 3-5  
Deleting frame types  
Deleting a frame type removes the entire configuration, including configured thresholds and  
associated actions. It also removes any frame monitors of the specified type from all ports.  
You can delete only user-defined frame types; you cannot delete the predefined frame types.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the fmMonitor --delete command to delete a specific frame type.  
Example  
switch:admin> fmmonitor --delete myframemonitor  
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Adding frame monitors to a port  
If the switch does not have enough resources to add a frame monitor to a port, then other frame  
monitors on that port may have to be deleted to free resources.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the fmMonitor --addmonitor command to add a frame monitor to one or more ports.  
The set of ports to be removed from monitoring is automatically saved to the persistent  
configuration unless you specify the -nosave option on the command.  
Example  
The following example adds a standard SCSI frame type monitor to ports 3 through 12.  
switch:admin> fmmonitor --addmonitor SCSI -port 3-12  
Removing frame monitors from a port  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the fmMonitor --delmonitor command to remove a specific monitor from one or more  
ports.  
The set of ports to be removed from monitoring is automatically saved to the persistent  
configuration unless you specify the -nosave option on the command.  
Example  
The following example removes the user-defined frame monitor, myframemonitor, from all ports.  
switch:admin> fmmonitor --delmonitor myframemonitor  
Saving a frame monitor configuration  
When you assign or remove frame monitors on ports, the list of ports to be monitored is  
automatically saved persistently, unless you specified the -nosave option.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the fmMonitor --save command to save the set of ports on which the frame type is  
monitored to the persistent configuration.  
Example  
In the following example, the first command adds a standard SCSI frame type monitor to ports 3  
through 12, but does not save the port configuration. The second command saves the port  
configuration persistently.  
switch:admin> fmmonitor --addmonitor SCSI -port 3-12 -nosave  
switch:admin> fmmonitor --save SCSI  
Displaying frame monitors  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the fmMonitor --show command.  
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Example  
The following example displays the existing frame types and associated bit patterns on the switch.  
switch:admin> fmmonitor --show  
FRAME_TYPE  
BIT PATTERN  
----------------------------------------  
scsi  
12,0xFF,0x08;  
scsiread  
scsiwrite  
scsirw  
12,0xFF,0x08;4,0xFF,0x06;40,0xFF,0x08,0x28;  
12,0xFF,0x08;4,0xFF,0x06;40,0xFF,0x08,0x28,0x0A,0x2A;  
12,0xFF,0x08;4,0xFF,0x06;40,0xFF,0x08,0x28,0x0A,0x2A;  
12,0xFF,0x08;4,0xFF,0x06;40,0xFF,0x16,0x56;  
12,0xFF,0x08;4,0xFF,0x06;40,0xFF,0x5F;41,0xFF,0x01  
12,0xFF,0x05;  
scsi2reserve  
scsi3reserve  
ip  
abts  
baacc  
4,0xFF,0x81;40,0xFF,0x81;12,0xFF,0x0;17,0xFF,0x0;  
4,0xff,0x84;12,0xff,0x00;17,0xff,00;  
The following example displays configuration details for the predefined SCSI frame monitor. Notice  
that in the last entry, the “-” in the Count column indicates that the monitor is configured, but is not  
installed on the port.  
switch:admin> fmmonitor --show SCSI  
Port|Frame Type |Count  
|HIGH Thres|Actions  
|TIMEBASE |CFG  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------  
000001|scsi  
000002|scsi  
000003|scsi  
000022|scsi  
|0x0000000000000123|1000  
|0x0000000000000125|1000  
|0x0000000000000143|1000  
|Email  
|Email  
|Email  
|None  
|None  
|None  
|None  
|None  
|saved  
|saved  
|saved  
|saved  
|-  
|0  
The following example displays values for the predefined SCSI frame monitor on port 5, every 5  
seconds.  
switch:admin> fmmonitor --show scsi -port 5 -timeinterval 5  
Port|Count  
|
----------------------  
2011-03-21 00:59:50  
000005|  
2011-03-21 00:59:55  
000005| 48.6k  
48.3k  
(output truncated)  
Clearing frame monitor counters  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the fmMonitor --clear command to clear the counters on the ports on which the  
specified frame type is monitored.  
Example  
The following example clears the counters for the ABTS monitor from ports 7 through 10.  
switch:admin> fmmonitor --clear ABTS -port 7-10  
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Top Talker monitors  
Top Talker monitors determine the flows (SID and DID pairs) that are the major users of bandwidth  
(after initial stabilization). Top Talker monitors measure bandwidth usage data in real time and  
relative to the port on which the monitor is installed.  
NOTE  
Initial stabilization is the time taken by a flow to reach the maximum bandwidth. This time varies  
depending on the number of flows in the fabric and other factors. The incubation period can be up  
to 14 seconds in the Backbones, and up to 82 seconds in the fixed-port switches.  
Applications can use Top Talker monitors’ data to do the following:  
Re-route the traffic through different ports that are less busy, so as not to overload a given  
port.  
Alert you to the top-talking flows on a port if the total traffic on the port exceeds the acceptable  
bandwidth consumption.  
You can use Top Talker monitors to identify the SID and DID pairs that consume the most  
bandwidth and can then configure them with certain Quality of Service (QoS) attributes so they get  
proper priority. Refer to Chapter 21, “Optimizing Fabric Behavior,” for information on QoS.  
The Top Talker monitor is based on SID and DID pairs and not WWNs. Once Top Talker monitors are  
installed on a switch or port, it remains installed across power cycles.  
Top Talker monitors supports two modes, port mode and fabric mode:  
Port mode Top Talker monitor  
A Top Talker monitor can be installed on a port to measure the traffic originating from the port  
and flowing to different destinations.  
You can configure Top Talker monitors on F_Ports and, depending on the switch model, on  
E_Ports. The following platforms support Top Talker monitors on E_Ports:  
-
-
-
-
Brocade 6505  
Brocade 6510  
Brocade 6520  
Brocade DCX 8510 family  
Fabric mode Top Talker monitor  
In fabric mode, Top Talker monitors are installed on all E_Ports in the fabric and measure the  
data rate of all the possible flows in the fabric (ingress E_Port traffic only). In fabric mode, Top  
Talker monitors can determine the top n bandwidth users on a given switch.  
You can install Top Talker monitors in either port mode or fabric mode, but not both.  
ATTENTION  
A fabric mode Top Talker monitor and an EE monitor cannot be configured on the same fabric. You  
must delete the EE monitor before you configure the fabric mode Top Talker monitor.  
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How do Top Talker monitors differ from EE monitors? EE monitors provide counter statistics for  
traffic flowing between a given SID and DID pair. Top Talker monitors identify all possible SID and  
DID flow combinations that are possible on a given port and provide a sorted output of the top  
talking flows. Also, if the number of flows exceeds the hardware resources, existing EE monitors fail  
to get real-time data for all of them; however, Top Talker monitors can monitor all flows for a given  
E_Port or F_Port.  
Virtual Fabric considerations: All logical switches in the same chassis can use either fabric mode  
Top Talker monitors or port mode Top Talker monitors and EE monitors. You cannot use fabric mode  
Top Talker monitors and EE monitors together on the same logical switch.  
Admin Domain considerations: Top Talker monitors are always installed in AD255.  
NPIV considerations: Top Talker monitors take NPIV devices into consideration when calculating the  
top talking flows.  
Top Talker monitors are not supported on the embedded platforms: Brocade 5410, 5424, 5450,  
5460, 5470, and 5480.  
Top Talker monitors and FC-FC routing  
You can enable Top Talker monitors on a platform that is configured to be an FC router. Top Talker  
monitors and FC routers are concurrently supported on the following platforms:  
Brocade 6505  
Brocade 6510  
Brocade 6520  
Brocade DCX 8510 Backbone family, with the following blades only: FC16-32, FC16-48.  
On all other platforms, you can have either Top Talker monitors or FC-FC routing, but not both.  
Top Talker monitors are supported on an FC router in both backbone-to-edge and edge-to-edge  
configurations.  
Note the following restrictions:  
An E_Port-attached switch must be connected and merged with the backbone FC router before  
you can enable Top Talker monitors on the FC router.  
Fabric mode Top Talker monitors does not support requests for domains (either front port  
domain or xlate domain).  
Fabric mode Top Talker monitors do not monitor flows over EX_Ports.  
For example, if a host is connected directly to an FC router and the target is on the edge switch  
(refer to Figure 66 on page 512), no flows are monitored because none of the flows traverse an  
E_Port on the FCR.  
In Figure 67 on page 512, however, the flows across the E_Port on the FC router are  
monitored.  
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Edge fabric  
E_Port  
FC router  
EX_Port  
Backbone fabric  
FIGURE 66 Fabric mode Top Talker monitors on FC router do not monitor any flows  
Edge fabric  
E_Port  
E_Port  
E_Port  
FC router  
EX_Port  
Backbone fabric  
FIGURE 67 Fabric mode Top Talker monitors on FC router monitor flows over the E_Port  
Limitations of Top Talker monitors  
Be aware of the following when using Top Talker monitors:  
Top Talker monitors cannot detect transient surges in traffic through a given flow.  
You cannot install a Top Talker monitor on a mirrored port.  
Top Talker monitors can monitor only 10,000 flows at a time.  
Top Talker monitors are not supported on VE_Ports, EX_Ports, and VEX_Ports.  
The maximum number of all port mode Top Talker monitors on an ASIC is 16. If Virtual Fabrics  
is enabled, the maximum number of all port mode Top Talker monitors on an ASIC is 8.  
If the ingress and egress monitor ports are configured on the same ASIC, F_Port Top Talker  
monitors show the flow from only one of the ports, either the ingress or the egress port, but not  
both.  
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Adding a Top Talker monitor to a port (port mode)  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the perfTTmon --add command.  
perfttmon --add [egress | ingress] [slotnumber/]port  
The following example monitors the incoming traffic on port 7.  
perfttmon --add ingress 7  
The following example monitors the outgoing traffic on slot 2, port 4 on a Backbone.  
perfttmon --add egress 2/4  
Adding Top Talker monitors on all switches in the fabric (fabric mode)  
When fabric mode is enabled, you can no longer install Top Talker monitors on an F_Port unless you  
disable fabric mode.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Remove any EE monitors in the fabric, as described in “Deleting EE monitors” on page 504.  
Fabric mode Top Talker monitors and EE monitors cannot both exist in the fabric.  
3. Enter the perfTTmon --add fabricmode command.  
perfttmon --add fabricmode  
The system responds with the following message:  
Before enabling fabric mode, please remove all EE monitors in the fabric  
continue? (yes, y, no, n):  
4. Enter y at the prompt to continue.  
Top Talker monitors are added to E_Ports in the fabric and fabric mode is enabled. Any Top  
Talker monitors that were already installed on F_Ports are automatically uninstalled.  
If EE monitors are present on the local switch, the command fails with the following message:  
Cannot install Fabric Mode Top Talker because EE monitor is already present  
If EE monitors are present on remote switches, the command succeeds; however, on the  
remote switches, fabric mode fails and a raslog message is displayed on those switches.  
If a new switch joins the fabric, you must run the perfTTmon --add fabricmode command on  
that switch. The Top Talker monitor configuration information is not automatically propagated  
to the new switch.  
Displaying the top n bandwidth-using flows on a port (port mode)  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the perfTTmon --show command.  
perfttmon --show [slotnumber/]port [n] [wwn | pid]  
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The output is sorted based on the data rate of each flow. If you do not specify the number of  
flows to display, then the command displays the top 8 flows or the total number of flows,  
whichever is less.  
The following example displays the top 5 flows on port 7 in WWN (default) format:  
perfttmon --show 7 5  
The following example displays the top flows on slot 2, port 4 on a Backbone in PID format:  
perfttmon --show 2/4 pid  
switch:admin> perfttmon --show 2/4 pid  
========================================  
Src_PID  
Dst_PID  
MB/sec  
========================================  
0xa90800  
0xa90800  
0xa05200  
0xa908ef  
6.926  
6.872  
Displaying top talking flows for a given domain ID (fabric mode)  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the perfTTmon --show dom command.  
perfttmon --show dom domainid [n] [wwn | pid]  
Fabric mode must be enabled for this option.  
The output is sorted based on the data rate of each flow. If you do not specify the number of  
flows to display, then the command displays the top 8 flows or the total number of flows,  
whichever is less. The command can display a maximum of 32 flows.  
The following example display the top 5 flows on for domain 1 in WWN (default) format:  
perfttmon --show dom 1 5  
The following example display the top flows on domain 2 in PID format:  
switch:admin> perfttmon --show dom 2 pid  
=================================================================  
Src_PID  
Dst_PID  
MB/sec  
Potential E-Ports  
=================================================================  
0x03f600  
0x03f600  
0x011300  
0x011300  
121.748  
121.748  
2/0,2/2,2/3  
3/14,3/15  
Deleting a Top Talker monitor on a port (port mode)  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the perfTTmon --delete command.  
perfttmon --delete [slotnumber/]port  
The following example deletes the monitor on port 7:  
perfttmon --delete 7  
The following example deletes the monitor on slot 2, port 4 on a Backbone:  
perfttmon --delete 2/4  
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Trunk monitoring  
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Deleting all fabric mode Top Talker monitors  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the perfTTmon --delete fabricmode command.  
perfttmon --delete fabricmode  
All Top Talker monitors are deleted.  
Trunk monitoring  
To monitor E_Port (ISL) and F_Port trunks, you can set monitors only on the master port of the  
trunk. If the master changes, the monitor automatically moves to the new master port.  
If a monitor is installed on a port that later becomes a slave port when a trunk comes up, the  
monitor automatically moves to the master port of the trunk.  
Notes  
End-to-end monitors are supported for ISLs only on the Brocade 6505, 6510, 6520, and  
DCX 8510 family.  
If an EE monitor is installed on a trunk group and you disable the trunk, the EE monitor will be  
installed only on the last master port of that trunk group, which may not be the actual port on  
which the EE monitor was installed when the trunk was enabled.  
For F_Port trunks, end-to-end masks are allowed only on the F_Port trunk master. Unlike the  
monitors, if the master changes, the mask does not automatically move to the new master  
port.  
All platforms support 12 frame monitors for trunks, except for the Brocade 300, which  
supports 8 frame monitors for trunks.  
For the Brocade 8000, trunk monitoring is supported only on the FC ports and not on the CEE  
ports.  
Saving and restoring monitor configurations  
To prevent the switch configuration flash from running out of memory, the number of monitors  
saved to flash memory is limited as follows:  
The total number of EE monitors per port is limited to 16.  
The total number of frame monitors per port is limited to 16.  
The total number of monitors per switch is limited to 512.  
When there are more than 512 monitors in the system, monitors are saved to flash memory in the  
following order:  
The EE monitors for each port (from 0 to MAX_PORT)  
The frame monitors for each port  
EE monitors get preference saving to flash memory when the total number of monitors in a switch  
exceeds 512. If the total number of monitors per port or switch exceeds the limit, then you will  
receive an error message indicating the count has been exceeded and that some monitors have  
been discarded.  
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Performance data collection  
20  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter one of the following commands, depending on the action you want to perform:  
To save the current EE monitor and frame monitor configuration settings into nonvolatile  
memory, use the perfCfgSave command.  
switch:admin> perfcfgsave  
This will overwrite previously saved Performance Monitoring  
settings in FLASH. Do you want to continue? (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
Please wait ...  
Performance monitoring configuration saved in FLASH.  
To restore a saved monitor configuration, use the perfCfgRestore command, for example  
to restore the original performance monitor configuration after making several changes.  
switch:admin> perfcfgrestore  
This will overwrite current Performance Monitoring settings in RAM. Do you  
want to continue? (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
Please wait... Performance monitoring configuration restored from FLASH  
ROM.  
To clear the previously saved performance monitoring configuration settings from  
nonvolatile memory, use the perfCfgClear command.  
switch:admin> perfcfgclear  
This will clear Performance Monitoring settings in FLASH. The RAM settings  
won’t change. Do you want to continue? (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
Please wait... Committing configuration...done.  
Performance Monitoring configuration cleared from FLASH.  
Performance data collection  
Data collected through Advanced Performance Monitoring is deleted when the switch is rebooted.  
Using the Brocade Network Advisor Enterprise Edition, you can store performance data persistently.  
For details on this feature, refer to the Brocade Network Advisor User Manual.  
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Chapter  
Optimizing Fabric Behavior  
21  
In this chapter  
Adaptive Networking overview  
Adaptive Networking is a suite of tools and capabilities that enable you to ensure optimized  
behavior in the SAN. Even under the worst congestion conditions, Adaptive Networking can  
maximize the fabric behavior and provide necessary bandwidth for high-priority, mission-critical  
applications and connections.  
The Adaptive Networking suite includes the following features:  
Bottleneck detection  
The bottleneck detection feature identifies devices attached to the fabric that are slowing  
down traffic. Bottleneck detection does not require a license. See Chapter 13, “Bottleneck  
Detection,” for information about this feature.  
Top Talkers  
The Top Talkers feature provides real-time information about the top n bandwidth-consuming  
flows passing through a specific port in the network. Top Talkers requires an Advanced  
Performance Monitoring license. See “Top Talker monitors” on page 510 for more information  
about this feature.  
Traffic Isolation Zoning  
Traffic Isolation Zoning (TI zoning) allows you to control the flow of interswitch traffic by creating  
a dedicated path for traffic flowing from a specific set of source ports (F_Ports). Traffic  
Isolation Zoning does not require a license. See Chapter 12, “Traffic Isolation Zoning,” for more  
information about this feature.  
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Ingress Rate Limiting  
21  
Ingress Rate Limiting  
Ingress Rate Limiting restricts the speed of traffic from a particular device to the switch port.  
Ingress Rate Limiting requires an Adaptive Networking license. See “Ingress Rate Limiting” on  
page 518 for more information about this feature.  
Quality of Service (QoS) SID/DID Traffic Prioritization  
SID/DID traffic prioritization allows you to categorize the traffic flow between a host and target  
as having a high or low priority. QoS SID/DID traffic prioritization requires an Adaptive  
Networking license on 8-Gbps platforms. See “QoS: SID/DID traffic prioritization” on page 519  
for more information about this feature.  
NOTE  
The Brocade 6520 does not require licenses for the Ingress Rate Limiting and QoS SID/DID  
features. They are enabled by default. You can use the Adaptive Networking features together  
to optimize the performance of your fabric. For example, you can do the following:  
You can use Top Talkers to identify the SID/DID pairs that consume the most bandwidth and  
can then configure them with certain QoS attributes so they get proper priority.  
If the bottleneck detection feature detects a latency bottleneck, you can use TI zones or QoS  
SID/DID traffic prioritization to isolate latency device traffic from high-priority application  
traffic.  
If the bottleneck detection feature detects ISL congestion, you can use Ingress Rate Limiting to  
slow down low-priority application traffic if it is contributing to the congestion.  
Ingress Rate Limiting  
Ingress Rate Limiting is a licensed feature that requires the Adaptive Networking license. Ingress  
Rate Limiting restricts the speed of traffic from a particular device to the switch port. Use Ingress  
Rate Limiting for the following situations:  
To reduce existing congestion in the network or proactively avoid congestion.  
To enable you to offer flexible bandwidth-limit services based on requirements.  
To enable more important devices to use the network bandwidth during specific services, such  
as network backup.  
To limit the traffic, you set the maximum speed at which the traffic can flow through a particular  
F_Port or FL_Port. For example, if you set the rate limit at 4 Gbps, then traffic from a particular  
device is limited to a maximum of 4 Gbps.  
Ingress Rate Limiting enforcement is needed only if the port can run at a speed higher than the  
rate limit. For example, if the rate limit is 4 Gbps and the port is only a 2-Gbps port, then Ingress  
Rate Limiting is not enforced.  
The Ingress Rate Limiting configuration is persistent across reboots.  
You should keep in mind the following considerations about Ingress Rate Limiting:  
Ingress Rate Limiting is applicable only to F_Ports and FL_Ports.  
QoS traffic prioritization takes precedence over Ingress Rate Limiting.  
Ingress Rate Limiting is not enforced on trunked ports.  
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QoS: SID/DID traffic prioritization  
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Virtual Fabrics considerations  
If Virtual Fabrics is enabled, the rate limit configuration on a port is on a per-logical switch basis.  
That is, if a port is configured to have a certain rate limit value, and the port is then moved to a  
different logical switch, it would have no rate limit applied to it in the new logical switch. If that  
same port is moved back to the original logical switch, it would have the original rate limit take  
effect again.  
Limiting traffic from a particular device  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the portCfgQos --setratelimit command.  
portcfgqos --setratelimit slot/port ratelimit  
Example of setting the rate limit on slot 3, port 9 to 4000 Mbps  
portcfgqos --setratelimit 3/9 4000  
Disabling Ingress Rate Limiting  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the portCfgQos --resetratelimit command.  
portcfgqos --resetratelimit slot/port  
Example of disabling Ingress Rate Limiting on slot 3, port 9  
portcfgqos --resetratelimit 3/9  
QoS: SID/DID traffic prioritization  
SID/DID traffic prioritization allows you to categorize the traffic flow between a host and target as  
having a high, medium, or low priority. Fabric OS supports two types of prioritization:  
Class Specific Control (CS_CTL)-based frame prioritization  
Each frame between a host and a target is assigned a specific priority, depending on the value  
of the CS_CTL field in the frame header.  
QoS zone-based traffic prioritization  
All traffic between a host and a target is assigned a specific priority, depending on the name  
you define for the QoS zone.  
CS_CTL-based prioritization and QoS zone-based prioritization are mutually exclusive. If you enable  
CS_CTL-based prioritization on F/FL_Ports, then QoS zone-based prioritization cannot be used  
between any devices connected to those F/FL_Ports.  
CS_CTL-based prioritization takes precedence over QoS zone-based prioritization. If you enable  
CS_CTL-based prioritization on F/FL_Ports that are defined in a QoS zone, CS_CTL-based  
prioritization takes precedence over the QoS zones.  
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QoS: SID/DID traffic prioritization  
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Table 76 shows a basic comparison between CS-CTL-based and QoS zone-based prioritization.  
on page 523 for detailed information about each type of prioritization scheme.  
TABLE 76  
Comparison between CS_CTL-based and QoS zone-based prioritization  
CS_CTL-based frame prioritization  
QoS zone-based traffic prioritization  
Requires Adaptive Networking license.  
Requires Adaptive Networking license.  
Must be manually enabled after you install the license. Automatically enabled when you install the license.  
No zones are required.  
Requires you to create QoS zones.  
Enabled on E_Ports.  
Enabled on F/FL_Ports.  
Takes precedence over QoS zone-based prioritization.  
Priority is defined by CS-CTL field in frame header.  
Prioritization is on a frame-basis.  
Setup steps:  
Is overridden by CS_CTL-based prioritization.  
Priority is defined by name of QoS zone.  
Prioritization is on a flow-basis.  
Setup steps:  
Enable QoS on F/FL_Ports.  
Create QoS zones with host/target members.  
Add the QoS zones to the zone configuration.  
Save and then enable the zone configuration.  
Enable QoS on E_Ports.  
License requirements for SID/DID prioritization  
Both CS_CTL-based frame prioritization and QoS zone-based traffic prioritization require the  
Adaptive Networking license. An Adaptive Networking license must be installed on every switch that  
is in the path between a configured device pair.  
NOTE  
The Brocade 6520 does not require licenses for the Ingress Rate Limiting and QoS SID/DID features.  
They are enabled by default.  
When you install the Adaptive Networking license, QoS zone-based traffic prioritization is  
automatically enabled on the E_Ports, except for long-distance E_Ports. For long-distance E_Ports,  
you must manually enable QoS zone-based traffic prioritization after you install the license.  
ATTENTION  
To preserve existing trunk groups, before you install the Adaptive Networking license you must  
manually disable QoS on the 8-Gbps ports. See “Trunking considerations before you install the  
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CS_CTL-based frame prioritization  
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CS_CTL-based frame prioritization  
CS_CTL-based frame prioritization allows you to prioritize the frames between a host and target as  
having high, medium, or low priority, depending on the value of the CS_CTL field in the FC frame  
header.  
The CS_CTL field in the FC header can be used to assign a priority to a frame. This field can be  
populated by selected end devices (storage or hosts) and then honored by the switch, which  
assigns the frame, based on the value in the CS_CTL field, to allocate appropriate resources  
throughout the fabric. This method of establishing QoS is an alternative to the switch-controlled  
assignment that uses zone-based QoS.  
ATTENTION  
Check with your host and storage manufacturer to determine whether they support Fibre Channel  
CS_CTL prioritization on their devices.  
High-, medium-, and low-priority frames are allocated to different sets of fabric resources.  
High-priority frames are assigned to more fabric resources than are medium-priority frames, which  
in turn are assigned to more fabric resources than are low-priority frames. The resources are  
allocated according to the CS_CTL value, as shown in Table 77. The values are enabled by default  
to ensure backward compatibility.  
TABLE 77  
Fabric resources assigned to QoS priority for frame prioritization in CS_CTL default mode  
CS_CTL value Priority  
1–8  
Low  
9–16  
17–24  
Medium  
High  
Alternatively, the user can apply CS_CTL auto mode. The CS_CTL auto mode uses only three  
CS_CTL values, as illustrated in Table 78.  
TABLE 78  
VCs assigned to QoS priority for frame prioritization in CS_CTL auto mode  
CS_CTL value Priority  
1
2
3
Low  
Medium  
High  
NOTE  
The values in the tables above represent chassis-level configurations. For configuration details, see  
Supported configurations  
for CS_CTL-based frame prioritization  
CS_CTL-based frame prioritization is supported on all 8-Gbps and 16-Gbps platforms.  
All switches in the fabric should be running Fabric OS v6.0.0 or later.  
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CS_CTL-based frame prioritization  
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NOTE  
If a switch is running a firmware version earlier than Fabric OS v6.0.0, the outgoing frames  
from that switch lose their priority.  
High-availability considerations  
for CS_CTL-based frame prioritization  
If the standby CP is running a Fabric OS version earlier than 6.3.0 and is synchronized with the active  
CP, then you cannot enable CS_CTL-based frame prioritization on the active CP. If the standby CP is not  
synchronized or if no standby CP exists, then enabling CS_CTL-based frame prioritization succeeds.  
Enabling and disabling CS_CTL-based frame prioritization on ports  
When you enable CS_CTL-based frame prioritization, you must enable it on both the source port and  
the destination port, so that the frames returned from the destination port for a given exchange  
always have the same CS_CTL prioritization as the frames originating from the source port.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in to an account that has admin permissions.  
2. Enter the portcfgqos command.  
portcfgqos --enable [slot/]port csctl_mode  
3. Enter y at the prompt to override QoS zone-based traffic prioritization.  
When you disable CS_CTL-based frame prioritization, QoS zone-based traffic prioritization is  
restored if it had been previously enabled.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in to an account that has admin permissions.  
2. Enter the portcfgqos command.  
portcfgqos --disable [slot/]port csctl_mode  
Using CS_CTL auto mode at the chassis level  
You can use the CSCTL QoS Mode options for the configureChassis CLI command to change from  
the chassis-wide default mode (see Table 77 on page 521), as in the following example.  
switch:admin> configurechassis  
Configure...  
cfgload attributes (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
Enforce secure config Upload/Download (yes, y, no, n): [no]  
Enforce signature validation for firmware (yes, y, no, n): [no]  
Add Suffix to the uploaded file name (yes, y, no, n): [no]  
Custom attributes (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
Config Index (0 to ignore): (0..1000) [0]  
system attributes (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
system.blade.bladeFaultOnHwErrMsk: (0x0..0x7fffffff) [0x0]  
system.cpuLoad: (10..121) [121]  
system.i2cTurboCnfg: (0..2) [1]  
fos attributes (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
CSCTL QoS Mode (0 = default; 1 = auto mode): (0..1) [1]  
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QoS zone-based traffic prioritization  
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Set CSCTL QoS Mode to 1 to enable auto mode, establishing the settings shown in Table 78 on  
page 521. Set CSCTL QoS Mode to 0 to disable auto mode and revert to default settings, shown in  
NOTE  
As noted previously, this is a chassis-level configuration. It does not provide options to enable  
CS_CTL QoS on the ports.  
Considerations for using CS_CTL-based frame prioritization  
To use CS_CTL for QoS on a given port for a given flow, proceed as follows:  
1. Determine whether to use the default mode (see Table 77 on page 521) or the auto mode (see  
2. In either case, ensure that the switch port connected to the initiator host and the switch port  
connected to the target host have csctl_mode enabled, as in “Enabling and disabling  
QoS zone-based traffic prioritization  
QoS zone-based traffic prioritization allows you to categorize the traffic flow between a host and  
target as having a high or low priority. For example, you could assign online transaction processing  
(OLTP) to high priority and backup traffic to low priority.  
All flows without QoS prioritization are considered medium priority.  
High-, medium-, and low-priority flows are allocated to different virtual channels (VCs). High-priority  
flows receive more fabric resources than medium-priority flows, which receive more resources than  
low-priority flows.  
NOTE  
If there is a single low-priority flow to a destination ID (DID) and several medium-priority flows to that  
same DID, then it is possible that the medium-priority flows would have less bandwidth. This is  
because they have to share the medium-priority fabric resources, whereas the low-priority flow would  
have a separate set of fabric resources for its exclusive use.  
Trunking considerations before you install the Adaptive Networking  
license  
NOTE  
This section applies only to 8-Gbps and 16-Gbps ports that are not long-distance ports.  
If ports are part of an active trunk group before the Adaptive Networking license is added, ISLs are  
formed without QoS.  
When you install the Adaptive Networking license, QoS is automatically enabled on all ports for which  
you have not manually disabled QoS, as the ports in the trunk group are set to QoS enabled by default.  
Adding the license does not immediately affect the trunk groups, however. The trunks continue to  
operate without QoS until the next time one of the ISLs is toggled, at which point the toggled ISL  
comes up with QoS enabled and splits from the trunk group because of a QoS mismatch.  
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QoS zone-based traffic prioritization  
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To preserve existing trunk groups, before you install the Adaptive Networking license, manually  
disable QoS on these ports, as described in “Manually disabling QoS on trunked ports” on  
Manually disabling QoS on trunked ports  
NOTE  
QoS is disabled by default on long-distance 8-Gbps and 16-Gbps ports. The following procedure does  
not apply to these ports.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Display the ISL information by using the following command:  
islshow  
3. Identify E_Ports on which QoS should be manually disabled. In the islshow output; these ports  
have all of the following characteristics:  
Are 8-Gbps or 16-Gbps ports  
Have trunking enabled  
Have QoS disabled  
4. Check whether QoS is enabled on each port identified in step 3, by using the following  
command:  
portcfgshow  
In the output, the value of QOS E_Port is AE if QoS is automatically enabled by default, ON if  
QoS is enabled manually, and OFF or ".." if QoS is disabled.  
5. Manually disable QoS on all of the ports identified in step 3 for which QoS is enabled (in the  
portcfgshow output, QOS E_Port is AE or ON).  
portcfgqos --disable [slot/]port  
ATTENTION  
This is a disruptive operation.  
Example  
In this example, the islshow output displays ports involved in three ISLs:  
Port 2  
QoS is already enabled on this ISL, so you should not disable QoS on port 2.  
Ports 19 and 24 QoS is disabled on these ISLs. Check the portcfgshow output to determine  
whether QoS is disabled on these ports.  
In the portcfgshow output, the value of QOS_E_Port is AE for port 19 and ".." for port 24. This  
means that QoS is enabled by default on port 19 and disabled on port 24.  
You need to disable QoS on port 19.  
switch:admin> islshow  
1: 2->300 10:00:00:05:1e:43:00:00 100 DCX  
3: 19-> 10 10:00:00:05:1e:41:43:ac 50 B300  
sp: 8.000G bw: 32.000G TRUNK QOS  
sp: 8.000G bw: 64.000G TRUNK  
4: 24-> 12 10:00:00:05:1e:41:42:ad 30 B5300 sp: 8.000G bw: 16.000G TRUNK  
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QoS zones  
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switch:admin> portcfgshow  
(output truncated)  
Ports of Slot 0  
16 17 18 19  
20 21 22 23  
24 25 26 27  
28 29 30 31  
-----------------+---+---+---+---+-----+---+---+---+-----+---+---+---+-----+---+---+---  
Speed  
AN AN AN AN  
AN AN AN AN  
AN AN AN AN  
AN AN AN AN  
Fill Word  
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
AL_PA Offset 13  
Trunk Port  
.. .. .. ..  
ON ON ON ON  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
ON ON ON ON  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
ON ON ON ON  
126 126 126 126  
AE AE AE AE  
.. .. .. ..  
ON .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
ON ON ON ON  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
ON ON ON ON  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
ON ON ON ON  
126 126 126 126  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
ON ON ON ON  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
ON ON ON ON  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
ON ON ON ON  
126 126 126 126  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
ON ON ON ON  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
Long Distance  
VC Link Init  
Locked L_Port  
Locked G_Port  
Disabled E_Port  
Locked E_Port  
ISL R_RDY Mode  
RSCN Suppressed  
Persistent Disable ON .. .. ..  
LOS TOV enable  
NPIV capability  
NPIV PP Limit  
QOS E_Port  
EX Port  
Mirror Port  
Rate Limit  
Credit Recovery  
Fport Buffers  
Port Auto Disable .. .. .. ..  
CSCTL mode .. .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
ON ON ON ON  
126 126 126 126  
AE AE AE AE  
.. .. .. ..  
ON .. .. ..  
.. .. .. ..  
ON ON ON ON  
.. .. .. ..  
where AE:QoSAutoEnable, AN:AutoNegotiate, ..:OFF, NA:NotApplicable, ??:INVALID,  
switch:admin> portcfgqos --disable 19  
QoS zones  
You assign high or low priority (QoS level) by configuring a QoS zone. A QoS zone is a special zone  
that indicates the priority of the traffic flow between a given host/target pair.  
The members of a QoS zone are the host/target pairs. QoS zones can contain WWN members  
(WWNN or WWPN) or domain,index (D,I) members. If you use D,I notation in your QoS zones, see  
considerations you should be aware of.  
A QoS zone has a special name to differentiate it from a regular zone. The format of the QoS zone  
name is as follows:  
For high priority: QOSHid_xxxxx  
For low priority: QOSLid_xxxxx  
where id is a flow identifier that designates a specific virtual channel for the traffic flow and xxxxx is  
the user-defined portion of the name. For example, the following are valid QoS zone names:  
QOSH3_HighPriorityTraffic  
QOSL1_LowPriorityZone  
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The switch automatically sets the priority for the “host,target” pairs specified in the zones  
according to the priority level (H or L) in the zone name.  
The flow id allows you to have control over the VC assignment and control over balancing the flows  
throughout the fabric. The id range is 1–5 for high-priority traffic, which corresponds to VCs 10–14.  
For low-priority traffic, the id range is 1–2, which corresponds to VCs 8 and 9. The id is optional; if it  
is not specified, the virtual channels are allocated by means of a round-robin scheme.  
NOTE  
If a QoS zone name prefix is specified in an LSAN zone (a zone beginning with prefix "LSAN_"), the  
QoS tag is ignored. Only the first prefix in a zone name is recognized. For example, a zone with the  
name "LSAN_QOSH_zone1" is recognized as an LSAN zone and not a QoS zone.  
See “QoS over FC routers” on page 527 for additional considerations when using QoS to prioritize  
traffic between device pairs in different edge fabrics.  
For example, Figure 68 shows a fabric with two hosts (H1, H2) and three targets (S1, S2, S3). The  
traffic prioritization is as follows:  
Traffic between H1 and S1 is high priority.  
Traffic between H1 and S3 and between H2 and S3 is low priority.  
All other traffic is medium priority, which is the default.  
Domain 1  
Domain 3  
H1  
H2  
S1  
S2  
1
9
14  
12  
13  
8
3
15  
7
= Low priority  
= Medium priority  
= High priority  
S3  
16  
Domain 2  
Domain 4  
FIGURE 68 QoS traffic prioritization  
For this fabric, you could set up the following QoS zones:  
QOSH_Zone1  
QOSL_Zone3  
Members: H1, S1  
Members: H1, H2, S3  
QoS on E_Ports  
In addition to configuring the hosts and targets in a zone, you must also enable QoS on individual  
E_Ports that might carry traffic between the host and target pairs. Path selection between the  
“host,target” pairs is governed by FSPF rules and is not affected by QoS priorities. For example, in  
Figure 69 QoS should be enabled on the encircled E_Ports.  
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QoS zones  
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NOTE  
By default, QoS is enabled on 8-Gbps ports, except for long-distance 8-Gbps ports. QoS is disabled  
by default on all 4-Gbps ports and long-distance 8-Gbps ports.  
Domain 1  
Domain 3  
H1  
S1  
1
9
14  
H2  
S2  
12  
13  
8
3
15  
7
S3  
= Low priority  
= Medium priority  
= High priority  
16  
= E_Ports with  
QoS enabled  
Domain 2  
Domain 4  
FIGURE 69 QoS with E_Ports enabled  
You need to enable QoS on the E_Ports on both ISLs between domain 3 and domain 4, because  
either path might be selected to carry the traffic.  
You do not need to enable QoS on the E_Ports on the ISLs between domain 1 and domain 2 and  
between domain 2 and domain 3, because these are not the shortest paths between the hosts and  
the targets. However, if the ISL between domain 1 and domain 3 is broken, then the path through  
domain 2 would be used.  
To guarantee traffic priority, you should enable QoS on all possible E_Ports. Alternatively, you could  
use a TI zone to limit the E_Ports that carry the traffic between a “host,target” pair and enable QoS  
on only those E_Ports.  
If QoS is not enabled on an E_Port, the traffic prioritization stops at that point. For example, in  
Figure 69 if you disabled QoS on E_Ports “3,12” and “3,13,” then the traffic from H1 and H2 to S3  
would be low priority from the hosts to domain 3, but would switch to the default (medium) priority  
from domain 3 to the target S3.  
QoS over FC routers  
QoS over FC routers uses QoS traffic prioritization between devices in edge fabrics over an FC  
router. See Chapter 24, “Using FC-FC Routing to Connect Fabrics,” for information about FC routers,  
phantom switches, and the FC-FC Routing Service.  
To establish QoS over FC routers, you must do the following:  
Define QoS zones in each edge fabric.  
Define LSAN zones in each edge fabric.  
Enable QoS on the E_Ports in each edge fabric.  
Enable QoS on the EX_Ports in the backbone fabric.  
instructions.  
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QoS zones  
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The following are requirements for establishing QoS over FCRs:  
QoS over FC routers is supported in Brocade native mode only. It is not supported in  
interopmode 2 or interopmode 3.  
QoS over FC routers is supported for the following configurations:  
-
-
Edge-to-edge fabric configuration: supported on all platforms.  
Backbone-to-edge fabric configuration: supported on 16-Gbps-capable platforms only  
(Brocade 6510, 6520, and Brocade DCX 8510 family), and only if no other platforms are  
used. For all other platforms, you cannot prioritize the flow between a device in an edge  
fabric and a device in the backbone fabric.  
QoS over FC routers is supported only if Virtual Fabrics is disabled in the backbone fabric. QoS  
over FC routers cannot be enabled if Virtual Fabrics is also enabled in the backbone fabric.  
The port WWN of the host or target and the port WWN of the proxy device must be in both an  
LSAN zone and a QoS zone.  
QoS over FC routers is supported on both EX_Ports and VEX_Ports.  
The EX_Ports (or VEX_Ports) in the path between the QoS devices must be on switches running  
Fabric OS v6.3.0 or later.  
QoS zones must use WWN notation only; D,I notation is not supported for QoS over FCRs.  
An Adaptive Networking license must be installed on every switch that is in the path between a  
given configured device pair, including the switches in the backbone fabric and both edge  
fabrics.  
Virtual Fabrics considerations for QoS zone-based traffic prioritization  
You can prioritize flows between devices in a logical fabric. The priority is retained for traffic going  
across ISLs and through the base fabric XISLs.  
For example, Figure 70 shows a logical fabric that includes H1 and S1. To set the traffic between  
H1 and S1 to high priority, create a QoS zone in the logical fabric with H1 and S1 as members. Then  
enable QoS on all of the E_Ports shown circled in the figure, including all of the E_Ports in the XISLs  
(ports 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17).  
High-availability considerations for QoS zone-based traffic prioritization  
If the standby control processor (CP) is running a Fabric OS version earlier than 6.3.0 and is  
synchronized with the active CP, then QoS zones using D,I notation cannot be created. If the  
standby CP is not synchronized or if no standby CP exists, then the QoS zone creation succeeds.  
If QoS zones using D,I notation exist in either the defined or active configuration and the standby  
CP tries to synchronize with the active CP, the synchronization fails if the standby CP is running a  
Fabric OS version earlier than 6.3.0. Synchronization can succeed only if the QoS D,I zones are  
removed.  
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Domain 1  
Domain 3  
8
9
H1  
S1  
5
2
1
6
4
8
7
LS3, FID1  
Domain 7  
LS1, FID1  
Domain 5  
Domain 2  
Chassis 1  
Chassis 2  
LS4, FID3  
Domain 8  
LS2, FID3  
Domain 6  
10  
11  
12  
13  
14  
15  
16  
17  
Base switch  
Domain 10  
Base switch  
Domain 9  
= High priority  
= E_Ports with QoS enabled  
FIGURE 70 Traffic prioritization in a logical fabric  
Supported configurations for QoS zone-based traffic prioritization  
The following configuration rules apply to QoS zone-based traffic prioritization:  
All switches in the fabric must be running Fabric OS v6.0.0 or later.  
ATTENTION  
If QoS traffic crosses an ISL for a switch running a firmware version earlier than Fabric OS  
v6.0.0, the frames are dropped.  
By default, all devices are assigned medium priority.  
-
To be assigned high or low priority, hosts and targets must be connected to a Brocade  
8-Gbps or 16-Gbps switch or port blade.  
-
To preserve the priority level across ISLs, the switches must be running Fabric OS v6.0.0 or  
later and must be one of the following platforms: Brocade 300, 4100, 4900, 5000, 5100,  
5300, 5410, 5424, 5450, 5480, 6510, 6520, 7500, 7500E, 7600, 7800, 8000,  
VA-40FC, 48000, Brocade DCX, DCX-4S, or DCX 8510 family.  
QoS is enabled by default on 8-Gbps and 16-Gbps ports. QoS is disabled by default on all  
4-Gbps ports and long-distance ports.  
Limitations and restrictions for QoS zone-based traffic prioritization  
Enabling and disabling QoS is potentially disruptive to the I/O on the affected port.  
If a host and target are included in two or more QoS zones with different priorities, the zone  
with the lowest priority takes precedence. For example, if an effective zone configuration has  
QOSH_z1 (H,T) and QOSL_z2 (H,T), the traffic flow between H and T will be of low QoS priority.  
Additionally, if QOSH_z1 (H,T) overlaps with a “domain,port” zone at the H port, the traffic flow  
between H and T is dropped to medium priority and the H port is marked as a session-based  
zoning port.  
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Setting QoS zone-based traffic prioritization  
21  
Traffic prioritization is enforced on the egress ports only, not on the ingress ports.  
Traffic prioritization is not supported on 10-Gbps ISLs.  
Traffic prioritization is not supported on mirrored ports.  
Traffic prioritization is not supported over LSAN zones. The traffic is always medium priority in  
the ingress edge fabric, the backbone fabric, and the egress edge fabric.  
Traffic prioritization is not supported on a CryptoTarget container (redirection zone). See the  
Fabric OS Encryption Administrator’s Guide for information about redirection zones.  
Traffic prioritization is not supported in McDATA Fabric Mode (interopmode 2) or Open Fabric  
Mode (interopmode 3).  
You must be running Fabric OS v6.3.0 or later to create QoS zones that use D,I notation.  
QoS zones that use D,I notation are not supported for QoS over FCR.  
QoS zones that use D,I notation should not be used for loop or NPIV ports.  
If QoS is enabled, an additional 16 buffer credits are allocated per port for 8-Gbps ports in LE  
mode. See Chapter 23, “Managing Long-Distance Fabrics,” for information about buffer credit  
allocation in extended fabrics.  
Trunking considerations: If some ports in a trunk group have QoS enabled and some ports  
have QoS disabled, then two different trunks are formed, one with QoS enabled and one with  
QoS disabled.  
Setting QoS zone-based traffic prioritization  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the zoneCreate command to create zones for high- and low-priority traffic.  
For high-priority traffic, use the following syntax:  
zonecreate "QOSHid_zonename", "member[; member...]"  
For low-priority traffic, use the following syntax:  
zonecreate "QOSLid_zonename", "member[; member...]"  
The id range is 1–5 for high-priority traffic, which corresponds to VCs 10–14. For low-priority  
traffic, the id range is 1–2, which corresponds to VCs 8 and 9. The id is optional; if it is not  
specified, the virtual channels are allocated by means of a round-robin scheme.  
3. Enter the cfgAdd command to add the QoS zone to the zone configuration, by using the  
following syntax:  
cfgadd "cfgname", "QOSzonename"  
4. Enter the cfgSave command to save the change to the defined configuration.  
5. Enter the cfgEnable command for the appropriate zone configuration to make the change  
effective.  
cfgenable "cfgname"  
6. Enter the portCfgQos command to enable QoS on the E_Ports, by using the following syntax:  
portcfgqos --enable [slot/]port  
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The portCfgQos command does not affect QoS prioritization. It only enables or disables the link  
to pass QoS priority traffic.  
NOTE  
QoS is enabled by default on all ports (except long-distance ports). If you use the portCfgQos  
command to enable QoS on a specific port, the port is toggled to apply this configuration, even  
though the port already has QoS enabled. The port is toggled because the user configuration  
changed, even though the actual configuration of the port did not change.  
If you later use the portCfgQos command to enable QoS on the port again, the port is not toggled,  
because the configuration did not change.  
Example  
sw0:admin> zonecreate "QOSH1_zone", "10:00:00:00:10:00:00:00;  
10:00:00:00:20:00:00:00"  
sw0:admin> zonecreate "QOSL2_zone", "10:00:00:00:30:00:00:00;  
10:00:00:00:40:00:00:00"  
sw0:admin> zoneshow  
sw0:admin> cfgadd "cfg1", "QOSH1_zone"  
sw0:admin> cfgadd "cfg1", "QOSL2_zone"  
sw0:admin> cfgshow  
Defined configuration:  
cfg:  
zone: QOSH1_zone  
10:00:00:00:10:00:00:00; 10:00:00:00:20:00:00:00  
zone: QOSL2_zone  
10:00:00:00:30:00:00:00; 10:00:00:00:40:00:00:00  
cfg1  
zone1; QOSH1_zone; QOSL2_zone  
zone: zone1  
10:00:00:00:10:00:00:00; 10:00:00:00:20:00:00:00;  
10:00:00:00:30:00:00:00; 10:00:00:00:40:00:00:00  
Effective configuration:  
No Effective configuration: (No Access)  
sw0:admin> cfgsave  
You are about to save the Defined zoning configuration. This  
action will only save the changes on Defined configuration.  
Any changes made on the Effective configuration will not  
take effect until it is re-enabled. Until the Effective  
configuration is re-enabled, merging new switches into the  
fabric is not recommended and may cause unpredictable  
results with the potential of mismatched Effective Zoning  
configurations.  
Do you want to save Defined zoning configuration only? (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
Updating flash ...  
sw0:admin> cfgenable "cfg1"  
You are about to enable a new zoning configuration.  
This action will replace the old zoning configuration with the  
current configuration selected. If the update includes changes  
to one or more traffic isolation zones, the update may result in  
localized disruption to traffic on ports associated with  
the traffic isolation zone changes  
Do you want to enable 'cfg1' configuration (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
zone config "cfg1" is in effect  
Updating flash ...  
sw0:admin> portcfgqos --enable 3  
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Setting QoS zone-based traffic prioritization over FC routers  
21  
Setting QoS zone-based traffic prioritization over FC routers  
1. Connect to the switch in the edge fabric and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Create QoS zones in the edge fabric.  
The QoS zones must have WWN members only, and not D,I members. See “Setting QoS  
3. Create LSAN zones in the edge fabric.  
4. Enter the portCfgQos command to enable QoS on the E_Ports.  
5. Repeat step 1 through step 3 to create QoS zones and LSAN zones on the other edge fabric.  
6. Connect to the FC router in the backbone fabric and log in using an account with admin  
permissions.  
7. Enter the portCfgQos command to enable QoS on the EX_Ports.  
Disabling QoS zone-based traffic prioritization  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the cfgRemove command to remove the QoS zones from the current zone configuration.  
3. Enter the portCfgQos command to disable QoS on the E_Ports.  
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Chapter  
Managing Trunking Connections  
22  
In this chapter  
Trunking overview  
The Trunking feature optimizes the use of bandwidth by allowing a group of links to merge into a  
single logical link, called a trunk group. Traffic is distributed dynamically and in order over this trunk  
group, achieving greater performance with fewer links. Within the trunk group, multiple physical  
ports appear as a single port, thus simplifying management. Trunking also improves system  
reliability, by maintaining in-order delivery of data and avoiding I/O retries if one link within the  
trunk group fails.  
Trunking is frame-based instead of exchange-based. Because a frame is much smaller than an  
exchange, this means that frame-based trunks are more granular and better balanced than  
exchange-based trunks and provide maximum utilization of links.  
The Trunking license is required for any type of trunking, and must be installed on each switch that  
participates in trunking. For details on obtaining and installing licensed features, see Chapter 18,  
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Types of trunking  
Trunking can be between two switches, between a switch and an Access Gateway module, or  
between a switch and a Brocade adapter. The types of trunking are as follows:  
ISL trunking, or E_Port trunking, is configured on an inter-switch link (ISL) between two  
Fabric OS switches and is applicable only to E_Ports.  
ICL trunking is configured on an inter-chassis link (ICL) between two Backbones and is  
applicable only to ports on the core blades.  
Refer to Chapter 19, “Inter-chassis Links” for detailed information about ICL trunking.  
EX_Port trunking is configured on an inter-fabric link (IFL) between an FC router (EX_Port) and  
an edge fabric (E_Port). The trunk ports are EX_Ports connected to E_Ports.  
See “EX_Port frame trunking configuration” on page 589 for additional information about  
EX_Port trunking.  
F_Port trunking is configured on a link between a switch and either an Access Gateway module  
or a Brocade adapter. The trunk ports are F_Ports (on the switch) connected to N_Ports (on the  
Access Gateway or adapter).  
N_Port Trunking is configured on a link between a switch and either an Access Gateway  
module or a Brocade adapter. It is the same as F_Port trunking. The trunk ports are N_Ports  
(on the Access Gateway or adapter) connected to F_Ports (on the switch).  
the Access Gateway Administrator’s Guide, and the Brocade Adapters Administrators Guide.  
NOTE  
This chapter uses the term F_Port trunking to refer to a trunk between the F_Ports on a switch and  
the N_Ports on either an Access Gateway module or a Brocade adapter. This type of trunk might be  
referred to as N_Port trunking in the Access Gateway Administrator’s Guide or Brocade Adapters  
Administrator’s Guide.  
Masterless trunking  
Masterless trunking means that if the master port goes offline, one of the slave ports automatically  
becomes the new master port, thus avoiding traffic disruption. The new master port uses the old  
master port area and the old master port is assigned a new, unused area. In this way, the PID of the  
trunk does not change if the master port goes offline.  
If trunking is not masterless, and if the master port goes offline, traffic disruption can occur  
because the slave ports in the trunk group go offline to select the new master port and then come  
back online.  
Masterless trunking is supported for most platforms and trunking types:  
All F_Port trunking is masterless.  
ISL and ICL trunking are masterless.  
EX_Port trunking is masterless, except on Backbones with VF disabled.  
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Supported configurations for trunking  
22  
License requirements for trunking  
All types of trunking require the Trunking license. This license must be installed on each switch that  
participates in trunking.  
ATTENTION  
After you add the Trunking license, to enable trunking functionality, you must disable and then  
re-enable each port to be used in trunking, or disable and re-enable the switch.  
Note the following additional license requirements:  
For ICL trunking, each platform forming the ICL connection also requires the ICL license.  
For F_Port trunking between a switch and a Brocade HBA, the switch connected to the HBA  
also requires the Server Application Optimization (SAO) license.  
See Chapter 18, “Administering Licensing,” for information about activating licenses.  
Port groups for trunking  
For trunk groups to form, several conditions must be met, one of which is that all of the ports in a  
trunk group must belong to the same port group. A port group is a group of eight ports, based on  
the user port number, such as 0–7, 8–15, 16–23, and up to the number of ports on the switch.  
The maximum number of port groups is platform-specific.  
Figure 71 shows the port groups for the Brocade 5100.  
Ports in a port group are usually contiguous, but they might not be. Refer to the hardware reference  
manual for your switch for information about which ports can be used in the same port group for  
trunking.  
FIGURE 71 Trunk group configuration for the Brocade 5100  
Supported configurations for trunking  
Trunk links can be 2 Gbps, 4 Gbps, 8 Gbps, 10 Gbps, or 16 Gbps, depending on the Brocade  
platform.  
The maximum number of ports per trunk and trunks per switch depends on the Brocade  
platform.  
You can have up to eight ports in one trunk group to create high-performance ISL trunks  
between switches, providing up to 128 Gbps (based on a 16-Gbps port speed).  
If in-flight encryption/compression is enabled, you can have a maximum of only two ports per  
trunk.  
An E_Port or EX_Port trunk can be up to eight ports wide. All the ports must be adjacent to  
each other, in the clearly marked groups on the front of the product.  
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Supported platforms for trunking  
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Trunks operate best when the cable length of each trunked link is roughly equal to the length of the  
others in the trunk. For optimal performance, no more than 30 meters difference is recommended.  
Trunks are compatible with both short-wavelength (SWL) and long-wavelength (LWL) fiber-optic  
cables and transceivers.  
Trunking is performed according to the Quality of Service (QoS) configuration on the master and the  
slave ports. That is, in a given trunk group, if there are some ports with QoS enabled and some with  
QoS disabled, they form two different trunks, one with QoS enabled and the other with QoS  
disabled. For more information on QoS, refer to “QoS zones” on page 525.  
High Availability support for trunking  
Trunking is a High Availability (HA) supported feature. The HA protocol for trunking is as follows:  
If trunking is disabled prior to the HA failover, it remains disabled after the HA failover.  
If trunking is enabled prior to the HA failover, it remains enabled after the HA failover.  
Supported platforms for trunking  
Trunking is supported on the FC ports of all Brocade platforms and blades supported in Fabric OS  
v7.0.0 and later.  
EX_Port trunking is supported only on those platforms that support EX_Ports. See “Supported  
Requirements for trunk groups  
The following requirements apply to all types of trunking:  
The Trunking license must be installed on every switch that participates in trunking.  
All of the ports in a trunk group must belong to the same port group.  
All of the ports in a trunk group must meet the following conditions:  
-
-
-
They must be running at the same speed.  
They must be configured for the same distance.  
They must have the same encryption, compression, QoS, and FEC settings.  
Trunk groups must be between Brocade switches (or Brocade adapters, in the case of F_Port  
trunking). Brocade trunking is proprietary and is not supported on M-EOS or third-party switches.  
There must be a direct connection between participating switches.  
Trunking cannot be done if ports are in ISL R_RDY mode. (You can disable this mode by using  
the portCfgIslMode command.)  
Trunking is supported only on FC ports. Virtual FC ports (VE_ or VEX_Ports) do not support  
trunking.  
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Recommendations for trunk groups  
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Recommendations for trunk groups  
To identify the most useful trunk groups, consider the following recommendations along with the  
standard guidelines for SAN design:  
Evaluate the traffic patterns within the fabric.  
Place trunking-capable switches adjacent to each other.  
This maximizes the number of trunk groups that can form. If you are using a core and edge  
topology, place trunking-capable switches at the core of the fabric and any switches that are  
not trunking-capable at the edge of the fabric.  
When connecting two switches with two or more ISLs, ensure that all trunking requirements  
are met to allow a trunk group to form.  
Determine the optimal number of trunk groups between each set of linked switches,  
depending on traffic patterns and port availability.  
The goal is to avoid traffic congestion without unnecessarily using ports that could be used to  
attach other switches or devices. Consider these points:  
-
-
Each physical ISL uses two ports that could otherwise be used to attach node devices or  
other switches.  
Trunk groups can be used to resolve ISL oversubscription if the total capability of the trunk  
group is not exceeded.  
Consider how the addition of a new path will affect existing traffic patterns:  
-
A trunk group has the same link cost as the master ISL of the group, regardless of the  
number of ISLs in the group. This allows slave ISLs to be added or removed without  
causing data to be rerouted, because the link cost remains constant.  
-
-
The addition of a path that is shorter than existing paths causes traffic to be rerouted  
through that path.  
The addition of a path that is longer than existing paths may not be useful, because the  
traffic will choose the shorter paths first.  
Plan for future bandwidth addition to accommodate increased traffic.  
For trunk groups over which traffic is likely to increase as business requirements grow,  
consider leaving one or two ports in the group available for the future nondisruptive addition of  
bandwidth.  
Consider creating redundant trunk groups where additional ports are available or paths are  
particularly critical.  
This helps to protect against oversubscription of trunk groups, multiple ISL failures in the same  
group, and the rare occurrence of an ASIC failure.  
To provide the highest level of reliability, deploy trunk groups in redundant fabrics to help  
ensure that ISL failures do not disrupt business operations.  
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Configuring trunk groups  
22  
Configuring trunk groups  
After you install the Trunking license, you must re-initialize the ports that are to be used in trunk  
groups so that they recognize that trunking is enabled. This procedure needs to be performed only  
once, and is required for all types of trunking.  
To re-initialize the ports, you can either disable and then re-enable the switch, or disable and then  
re-enable the affected ports.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Enter the islShow command to determine which ports are used for ISLs.  
3. Enter the portDisable command for each port to be used in a trunk group.  
Alternatively, you can enter the switchDisable command to disable all ports on the switch.  
4. Enter the portEnable command for each port that you disabled in step 3, or enter the  
switchEnable command to enable all of the ports on the switch.  
NOTE  
F_Port trunking requires additional steps to configure the Trunk Area (TA). See “Configuring F_Port  
on page 545 for information.  
Enabling trunking on a port or switch  
You can enable trunking for a single port or for an entire switch. Because trunking is automatically  
enabled when you install the Trunking license, you need to use this procedure only if trunking has  
been subsequently disabled on a port or switch. Enabling trunking disables and re-enables the  
affected ports. As a result, traffic through these ports may be temporarily disrupted.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Enter the portCfgTrunkPort command to enable trunking on a port.  
Enter the switchCfgTrunk command to enable trunking on all ports on the switch.  
Mode 1 enables and mode 0 disables trunking.  
In the following example, trunking is being enabled on slot 1, port 3.  
switch:admin> portcfgtrunkport 1/3 1  
Disabling trunking on a port or switch  
You can disable trunking for a single port or for an entire switch. Disabling trunking disables and  
re-enables the affected ports. As a result, traffic through these ports may be temporarily disrupted.  
Trunking on ICLs is always enabled and cannot be disabled.  
Disabling trunking fails if a Trunk Area (TA) is enabled on the port. Use the portTrunkArea command  
to remove the TA before disabling trunking.  
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1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Enter the portCfgTrunkPort command to disable trunking on a port.  
Enter the switchCfgTrunk command to disable trunking on all ports on the switch.  
Mode 1 enables and mode 0 disables trunking.  
switch:admin> switchcfgtrunk 0  
Displaying trunking information  
You can use the trunkShow command to view the following information:  
All the trunks and members of a trunk.  
Whether the trunking port connection is the master port connection for the trunk group.  
Whether trunks are formed correctly.  
Trunking information for a switch that is part of an FC router backbone fabric interlinking  
several edge fabrics.  
Trunking information, including bandwidth and throughput for all the trunk groups in a switch.  
Use the portPerfShow command to monitor problem areas where there are congested paths or  
dropped links, to determine whether you need to adjust the fabric design by adding, removing, or  
reconfiguring ISLs and trunking groups. For additional information on using the Brocade Advanced  
Performance Monitor to monitor traffic, see Chapter 20, “Monitoring Fabric Performance”.  
Use the following procedure to view trunking information:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Enter the trunkShow command.  
This example shows trunking groups 1, 2, and 3; ports 4, 13, and 14 are masters.  
switch:admin> trunkshow  
1: 6-> 4 10:00:00:60:69:51:43:04 99 deskew 15 MASTER  
2: 15-> 13 10:00:00:60:69:51:43:04 99 deskew 16 MASTER  
12-> 12 10:00:00:60:69:51:43:04 99 deskew 15  
14-> 14 10:00:00:60:69:51:43:04 99 deskew 17  
13-> 15 10:00:00:60:69:51:43:04 99 deskew 16  
3: 24-> 14 10:00:00:60:69:51:42:dd  
2 deskew 15 MASTER  
This example shows trunking information along with the bandwidth and throughput for all the  
trunk groups in a switch.  
switch:admin> trunkshow -perf  
1: 2-> 2 10:00:00:05:1e:81:56:8b  
3-> 3 10:00:00:05:1e:81:56:8b  
1 deskew 15 MASTER  
1 deskew 17  
Tx: Bandwidth 4.00Gbps, Throughput 1.66Gbps (48.45%)  
Rx: Bandwidth 4.00Gbps, Throughput 1.66Gbps (48.44%)  
Tx+Rx: Bandwidth 8.00Gbps, Throughput 3.33Gbps (48.44%)  
2: 5->113 10:00:00:05:1e:46:42:01  
4->112 10:00:00:05:1e:46:42:01  
3 deskew 15 MASTER  
3 deskew 15  
Tx: Bandwidth 16.00Gbps, Throughput 1.67Gbps (12.12%)  
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Rx: Bandwidth 16.00Gbps, Throughput 1.67Gbps (12.12%)  
Tx+Rx: Bandwidth 32.00Gbps, Throughput 3.33Gbps (12.12%)  
3: 10-> 10 10:00:00:05:1e:81:56:8b  
11-> 11 10:00:00:05:1e:81:56:8b  
1 deskew 15 MASTER  
1 deskew 15  
Tx: Bandwidth 4.00Gbps, Throughput 1.66Gbps (48.45%)  
Rx: Bandwidth 4.00Gbps, Throughput 1.67Gbps (48.48%)  
Tx+Rx: Bandwidth 8.00Gbps, Throughput 3.33Gbps (48.46%)  
4: 12->892 10:00:00:05:1e:46:42:01  
13->893 10:00:00:05:1e:46:42:01  
3 deskew 15 MASTER  
3 deskew 15  
Tx: Bandwidth 16.00Gbps, Throughput 1.67Gbps (12.12%)  
Rx: Bandwidth 16.00Gbps, Throughput 1.66Gbps (12.11%)  
Tx+Rx: Bandwidth 32.00Gbps, Throughput 3.33Gbps (12.11%)  
Trunk Area and Admin Domains  
Ports from different Admin Domains (ADs) are not allowed to join the same Trunk Area (TA) group.  
The portTrunkArea command prevents the different ADs from joining the TA group.  
When you assign a TA, the ports within the TA group have the same index. The index that was  
assigned to the ports is no longer part of the switch. Any domain,index (D,I) AD that was assumed  
to be part of the domain may no longer exist for that domain because it was removed from the  
switch.  
Example of how Trunk Area assignment affects the port domain,index  
If you have AD1: 3,8; 3,9; 4,13; 4,14 and AD2: 3,10; 3,11, and then create a TA with index 8  
with ports that have index 8, 9, 10, and 11, then index 9, 10, and 11 are no longer with domain  
3. This means that AD2 does not have access to any ports because index 10 and 11 no longer  
exist on domain 3. This also means that AD1 no longer has 3,9 in effect, because index 9 no  
longer exists for domain 3. Port 3,8, which is the TA group, can still be seen by AD1 along with  
4,13 and 4,14.  
If a port within a TA is removed, the index is added back to the switch. For example, the same  
AD1 and AD2 with TA 8 holds true. If you remove port 9 from the TA, it adds index 9 back to the  
switch. That means port 3,9 can be seen by AD1 along with 3,8, 4,13, and 4,14.  
ISL trunking over long-distance fabrics  
In long-distance fabrics, if a port speed is set to autonegotiate, then the maximum speed, which is  
16 Gbps, is assumed for reserving buffers for the port. If the port is running at only 2 Gbps, this  
wastes buffers. For long-distance ports you should specify the port speed instead of setting it to  
autonegotiate.  
In addition to the criteria listed in “Supported configurations for trunking” on page 535, observe  
the following criteria for trunking over extended fabrics:  
It is supported only on switches running Fabric OS v6.1.0 and later.  
Extended Fabrics and Trunking licenses are required on all participating switches.  
When configuring long distance, you must configure the portCfgLongDistance  
--vc_translation_link_init parameter to be the same on all ports in an extended fabric.  
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For additional information on configuring long distance, see “Configuring an extended ISLon  
Table 79 summarizes support for Trunking over long-distance for the Backbones and supported  
blades.  
TABLE 79  
Trunking over long-distance for the Backbones and blades  
Long-distance mode  
Distance  
Number of 2-Gbps ports  
Number of 4-Gbps ports  
LE  
L0  
LD  
LD  
LD  
LS  
10 km  
48 (six 8-port trunks)  
See note below  
48 (six 8-port trunks)  
Normal  
200 km  
250 km  
500 km  
Static  
48 (six 8-port trunks)  
4 (one 2-port trunk per switch)  
4 (one 2-port trunk per switch)  
0
0
0
0
See note below  
NOTE  
The L0 mode supports up to 5 km at 2 Gbps, up to 2 km at 4 Gbps, and up to 1 km at 8 Gbps.  
The distance for the LS mode is static. You can specify any distance greater than 10 km.  
The distance supported depends on the available buffers, the number of back-end ports, and the  
number of ports that are offline. For more information on setting port speeds, refer to Chapter 3,  
EX_Port trunking  
You can configure EX_Ports to use trunking just as you do regular E_Ports. EX_Port trunking  
support is designed to provide the best utilization and balance of frames transmitted on each link  
between the FC router and the edge fabric. You should trunk all ports connected to the same edge  
fabrics.  
The FC router front domain has a higher node WWN—derived from the FC router—than that of the  
edge fabric. Therefore, the FC router front domain initiates the trunking protocol on the EX_Port.  
After initiation, the first port from the trunk group that comes online is designated as the master  
port. The other ports that come online on the trunk group are considered to be the slave ports.  
Adding or removing a slave port does not cause frame drop; however, removing a slave port causes  
the loss of frames in transit.  
The restrictions for EX_Port frame trunking are the same as for E_Ports—all the ports must be  
adjacent to each other, in the clearly marked groups on the front of the product.  
ATTENTION  
This feature should be enabled only if the entire configuration is running Fabric OS v5.2.0 or later.  
If router port cost is used with EX_Port trunking, the master port and slave ports share the router  
port cost of the master port.  
See Chapter 24, “Using FC-FC Routing to Connect Fabrics,” for more information about EX_Ports  
and the FC router.  
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Masterless EX_Port trunking  
EX_Port trunking is masterless except for EX_Ports on Backbones.  
For the Backbones, Virtual Fabrics must be enabled for masterless EX_Port trunking to take effect.  
For the fixed-port switches, Virtual Fabrics can be enabled or disabled.  
If masterless EX_Port trunking is not in effect and the master port goes offline, the entire  
EX_Port-based trunk re-forms and is taken offline for a short period of time. If there are no other  
links to the edge fabric from the Backbone, the master port going offline may cause a traffic  
disruption in the backbone fabric.  
Supported configurations and platforms for EX_Port trunking  
EX_Port trunking is a Fiber Channel Routing (FCR) software feature and requires that you have a  
Trunking license installed on the FC router and on the edge fabric connected to the other side of  
the trunked EX_Ports. EX_Port trunking is supported only with Brocade edge fabrics. You can use  
EX_Port frame trunking in the following configurations and cases:  
For ports with speeds of 2 Gbps up to a maximum speed of 16 Gbps and trunking over long  
distance.  
In the edge fabric, when the FC router is connected to a switch that supports eight ports from  
the trunkable group.  
When the FC router is connected to an edge fabric through a mix of trunked and nontrunked  
EX_Ports; all will share the same front domain.  
In edge-to-edge, backbone-to-edge, and dual-backbone configurations.  
Masterless EX_Port trunking has additional configuration requirements. See “Masterless EX_Port  
trunking” for these additional requirements.  
NOTE  
QoS and EX_Port trunking can coexist. However, if some ports in the trunk group have QoS enabled  
and some have QoS disabled, then two trunk groups will form: one with QoS enabled and one with  
QoS disabled.  
Backward compatibility support  
For backward compatibility, an FC router that supports EX_Port trunking can continue to  
interoperate with older FC routers and all previously supported Brocade switches in the backbone  
fabric or Brocade edge fabric.  
Configuring EX_Port trunking  
With EX_Port trunking, you use the same CLI commands as you do for E_Port trunking. See  
Displaying EX_Port trunking information  
1. Log in as an admin and connect to the switch.  
2. Enter the switchShow command to display trunking information for the EX_Ports.  
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The following is an example of a master EX_Port and a slave EX_Port displayed in switchShow.  
switch:admin> switchshow  
Index Slot Port Address Media Speed State  
==============================================  
16  
17  
18  
2
2
2
0
1
2
ee1000  
ee1100  
ee1200  
id  
id  
id  
N4  
N4  
N4  
No_Light  
Online  
Online  
EX_Port (Trunk port, master is Slot 2 Port 2 )  
EX_Port 10:00:00:05:1e:35:bb:32 "MtOlympus_82"  
(fabric id = 2 )(Trunk master)  
19  
20  
21  
22  
23  
2
2
2
2
2
3
4
5
6
7
ee1300  
ee1400  
ee1500  
ee1600  
ee1700  
id  
id  
id  
id  
id  
N4  
N4  
N4  
N4  
N4  
No_Light  
Online  
Online  
Online  
Online  
EX_Port (Trunk port, master is Slot 2 Port 7 )  
EX_Port (Trunk port, master is Slot 2 Port 7 )  
EX_Port (Trunk port, master is Slot 2 Port 7 )  
EX_Port 10:00:00:60:69:80:1d:bc "MtOlympus_72"  
(fabric id = 2 )(Trunk master)  
F_Port trunking  
You can configure F_Port trunking in the following scenarios:  
Between F_Ports on a Fabric OS switch and N_Ports on an Access Gateway module  
Between F_Ports on a Fabric OS switch and N_Ports on a Brocade adapter  
For F_Port trunking, you must create a Trunk Area (TA) within the trunk group. When you assign an  
area within a trunk group, that group is enabled for F_Port trunking. The TA that you assign must be  
within the 8-port trunk group beginning with port 0 (zero). After you assign a TA to a port, the port  
immediately acquires the TA as the area of its PID. Likewise, after you remove a TA from a port, the  
port immediately acquires the default area as its PID. F_Port trunking prevents reassignments of  
the Port ID (also referred to as the Address Identifier) when F_Ports go offline, and it increases  
F_Port bandwidth.  
This section describes how you configure F_Port trunking on the switch. See the Access Gateway  
Administrator’s Guide and the Brocade Adapters Administrator’s Guide for information about  
configuring the corresponding N_Port trunking on the Access Gateway and the Brocade adapter.  
F_Port trunking for Access Gateway  
You can configure trunking between the F_Ports on an edge switch and the N_Ports on an Access  
Gateway module.  
NOTE  
You cannot configure F_Port trunking on the F_Ports of an Access Gateway module.  
F_Port trunking keeps F_Ports from becoming disabled when they are mapped to an N_Port on a  
switch in Access Gateway (AG) mode. With F_Port trunking, any link within a trunk can go offline or  
become disabled, but the trunk remains fully functional and there are no reconfiguration  
requirements.  
Figure 72 shows a switch in AG mode without F_Port masterless trunking. Figure 73 shows a  
switch in AG mode with F_Port masterless trunking.  
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FIGURE 72 Switch in Access Gateway mode without F_Port masterless trunking  
FIGURE 73 Switch in Access Gateway mode with F_Port masterless trunking  
NOTE  
You do not need to map the host to the master port manually, because the Access Gateway will  
perform a cold failover to the master port.  
configuring F_Port trunking.  
Requirements for F_Port trunking on an Access Gateway  
In addition to the requirements listed in “Requirements for trunk groups” on page 536, refer to the  
Access Gateway Administrator’s Guide for additional requirements that are specific to F_Port  
trunking on an Access Gateway.  
Configuring F_Port trunking for an Access Gateway  
Access Gateway trunking configuration is mostly on the edge switch. On the Access Gateway  
module, you only need to ensure that the trunking license is applied and enabled.  
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Use the following procedure on the edge switch connected to the Access Gateway module to  
configure F_Port trunking.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Enter the portCfgShow command to ensure that the ports have trunking enabled. If trunking is  
not enabled, enter the portCfgTrunkPort port 1 command.  
3. Enter the portDisable command for each port to be included in the TA.  
4. Enter the portTrunkArea --enable command to enable the trunk area.  
For example, the following command creates a TA for ports 36–39 with index number 37.  
switch:admin> porttrunkarea --enable 36-39 -index 37  
Trunk index 37 enabled for ports 36, 37, 38 and 39.  
When you assign a trunk area on a port, it enables trunking on the F_Ports automatically. This  
command does not unassign a TA if its previously assigned Area_ID is the same Address  
Identifier (Area_ID) of the TA unless all the ports in the trunk group are specified to be  
unassigned.  
5. Enter the portEnable command to reenable the ports in the TA.  
F_Port trunking for Brocade adapters  
You can configure trunking between the F_Ports on an edge switch and the Brocade adapters.  
In addition to the requirements listed in “Requirements for trunk groups” on page 536, note the  
following requirements, which are specific to F_Port trunking for Brocade adapters:  
The edge switch must be running in Native mode. You cannot configure trunking between the  
Brocade adapters and the F_Ports of an Access Gateway module.  
You can configure only two F_Ports in one trunk group.  
See the Brocade Adapters Administrator’s Guide for information about configuring the  
corresponding N_Port trunking on the Access Gateway and the Brocade adapter.  
Configuring F_Port trunking for a Brocade adapter  
F_Port trunking for Brocade adapters requires configuration on the FC switch as well as on the  
Brocade HBAs. This section describes the configuration steps you do on the switch. See the  
Brocade Adapters Administrator’s Guide for a detailed description and requirements of N_Port  
trunking on the adapters.  
1. On the switch side, perform the following steps:  
a. Configure both ports for trunking by using the portCfgTrunkPort command.  
switch:admin> portcfgtrunkport 3/40 1  
switch:admin> portcfgtrunkport 3/41 1  
b. Disable the ports to be used for trunking by using the portDisable command.  
switch:admin> portdisable 3/40  
switch:admin> portdisable 3/41  
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c. Enable the trunk on the ports by using the portTrunkArea command.  
switch:admin> porttrunkarea --enable 3/40-41 -index 296  
Trunk index 296 enabled for ports 3/40 and 3/41.  
2. On the host side, enable trunking as described in the Brocade Adapters Administrator’s Guide.  
3. On the switch side, enable the ports by using the portEnable command.  
switch:admin> portenable 3/40  
switch:admin> portenable 3/41  
F_Port trunking considerations  
Table 80 describes the F_Port masterless trunking considerations.  
TABLE 80  
F_Port masterless trunking considerations  
Description  
Category  
AD  
You cannot create a Trunk Area on ports with different Admin Domains. You cannot create a  
Trunk Area in AD255.  
Area assignment  
You statically assign the area within the trunk group on the edge switch. That group is the  
F_Port trunk.  
The static trunk area you assign must fall within the ASIC's trunk group of the switch or  
blade starting from port 0, and must be one of the port’s default areas of the trunk group.  
10-bit addressing is the default mode for all dynamically created partitions in the Brocade  
DCX and DCX 8510-8 platforms.  
Authentication  
Authentication occurs only on the F_Port trunk master port and only once per the entire  
trunk. This behavior is the same as E_Port trunk master authentication. Because only one  
port in the trunk does FLOGI to the switch, and authentication follows FLOGI on that port,  
only that port displays the authentication details when you issue the portShow command.  
NOTE: Switches in Access Gateway mode do not perform authentication.  
configdownload  
domain,index (D,I)  
If you issue the configDownload command for a port configuration that is not compatible  
with F_Port trunking, and the port is Trunk Area-enabled, then the port will be persistently  
disabled. F_Port trunks will never be restored through configDownload.  
NOTE: Configurations that are not compatible with F_Port trunking are long distance, port  
mirroring, non-CORE_PID, and Fast Write.  
Creating a Trunk Area may remove the Index ("I") from the switch to be grouped to the Trunk  
Area. All ports in a Trunk Area share the same "I". This means that domain,index (D,I), which  
refer to an "I" that might have been removed, will no longer be part of the switch.  
NOTE: Be sure to include AD, zoning, and DCC when creating a Trunk Area.  
You can remove the port from the Trunk Area to have the "I" back into effect. D,I behaves as  
normal, but you may see the effects of grouping ports into a single "I".  
Also, D,I continues to work for Trunk Area groups. The "I" can be used in D,I if the "I" was the  
"I" for the Trunk Area group.  
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TABLE 80  
F_Port masterless trunking considerations (Continued)  
Description  
Category  
DCC Policy  
DCC policy enforcement for the F_Port trunk is based on the Trunk Area; the FDISC requests  
to a trunk port are accepted only if the WWN of the attached device is part of the DCC policy  
against the TA. The PWWN of the FLOGI sent from the AG will be dynamic for the F_Port  
trunk master. Because you do not know ahead of time what PWWN the AG will use, the  
PWWN of the FLOGI will not go through DCC policy check on an F_Port trunk master.  
However, the PWWN of the FDISC will continue to go through DCC policy check.  
Default Area  
Downgrade  
Port X is a port that has its Default Area the same as its Trunk Area. The only time you can  
remove port X from the trunk group is when the entire trunk group has the Trunk Area  
disabled.  
You can have trunking on, but you must disable the trunk ports before performing a  
firmware downgrade.  
ATTENTION  
Removing a Trunk Area on ports running traffic is disruptive, because you must  
disable the port to disable the Trunk Area on the port. Use caution before assigning a  
Trunk Area if you need to downgrade to a firmware version earlier than Fabric OS  
v6.2.0.  
Fastwrite  
When you assign a Trunk Area to a trunk group, the trunk group cannot have FastWrite  
enabled on those ports. If a port is FastWrite-enabled, the port cannot be assigned a Trunk  
Area.  
FICON  
FICON is not supported on F_Port trunk ports. However, FICON can still run on ports that are  
not F_Port trunked within the same switch.  
HA Sync  
If you plug in a standby CP with a firmware version earlier than Fabric OS v6.2.0 and a  
Trunk Area is present on the switch, the CP blades will become out of sync.  
Long Distance  
Long distance is not allowed on F_Port trunks, which means that a Trunk Area is not  
allowed on long-distance ports. You cannot enable long distance on ports that have a Trunk  
Area assigned to them.  
Management Server Registered Node ID (RNID), Link Incident Record Registration (LIRR), and Query Security  
Attribute (QSA) ELSs are not supported on F_Port trunks.  
NPIV  
Supported on F_Port master trunk.  
PID format  
Port mirroring  
F_Port trunking is supported only in the CORE PID format.  
Port mirroring is not supported on Trunk Area ports or on the PID of an F_Port trunk port.  
Port mirroring is not supported on the Brocade Encryption Switch.  
Port Swap  
Port Types  
PWWN  
When you assign a Trunk Area to a trunk group, the Trunk Area cannot be port swapped. If a  
port is swapped, then you cannot assign a Trunk Area to that port.  
Only F_Port trunk ports are allowed on a Trunk Area port. All other port types are  
persistently disabled.  
The entire Trunk Area trunk group shares the same Port WWN within the trunk group. The  
PWWN is the same across the F_Port trunk that has 0x2f or 0x25 as the first byte of the  
PWWN. The TA is part of the PWWN in the format listed in Table 81 on page 548.  
QoS  
Supported.  
Routing  
Routing will route against the F_Port trunk master. Bandwidth information will be modified  
accordingly as the F_Port trunk forms.  
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TABLE 80  
F_Port masterless trunking considerations (Continued)  
Description  
Category  
Trunk Master  
No more than one trunk master is allowed in a trunk group. The second trunk master will be  
persistently disabled with the reason "Area has been acquired”.  
Upgrade  
There are no limitations on upgrading to Fabric OS v7.0.0 and later if the F_Port is present  
on the switch. Upgrading is not disruptive.  
Table 81 describes the PWWN format for F_Port and N_Port trunk ports.  
TABLE 81  
PWWN format for F_Port and N_Port trunk ports  
NAA = 2  
2f:xx:nn:nn:nn:nn:nn:nn  
(1)  
Port WWNs for:  
switch’s Fx_Ports.  
The valid range of xx is [0–FF],  
for a maximum of 256.  
NAA = 2  
25:xx:nn:nn:nn:nn:nn:nn  
(1)  
Port WWNs for:  
switch's FX_Ports  
The valid range of xx is [0–FF],  
for a maximum of 256.  
F_Port trunking in Virtual Fabrics  
F_Port trunking functionality performs the same in Virtual Fabrics as it does in non-Virtual Fabric  
platforms except for the Brocade DCX and DCX 8510-8. Fabric OS uses a 10-bit addressing model,  
which is the default mode for all dynamically created logical switches in the DCX platform.  
In the DCX and DCX 8510 platforms, F_Port trunk ports dynamically receive an 8-bit area address  
that remains persistent. After F_Port trunking configurations are removed from a port in a logical  
switch, that port returns to the default 10-bit area address model, which supports up to 1024  
F_Ports in a logical switch.  
NOTE  
Because the DCX and DCX 8510-8 platforms have a maximum of 576 ports, out of the 1024 10-bit  
address range, addresses 448–1023 are reserved for the 10-bit address space. Addresses 0–447  
are reserved for assigning to NPIV/Loop ports to support 112 (448/4) NPIV/Loop ports in a logical  
switch with 256 devices each.  
The following are the F_Port trunking considerations for Virtual Fabrics:  
If a port is enabled for F_Port trunking, then you must disable the configuration before you can  
move a port from the logical switch.  
If the user-bound area for a port is configured by means of the portAddress command, then the  
port cannot be configured as an F_Port trunk port. You must explicitly remove the user-bound  
area before enabling F_Port trunking.  
If you swap a port by using the portSwap command, then you must undo the port swap before  
enabling F_Port trunking.  
The Port WWN format in a Virtual Fabric is 2z:zz:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx. The z:zz is the logical port  
number, for example, the logical port 450 will be 1:c2. The xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx is based on the  
logical fabric WWN.  
For example, if the logical fabric WWN is 10:00:00:05:1e:39:fa:f3, and logical port number is  
450, then the Port WWN of the F_Port trunk will be 21:c2: 00:05:1e:39:fa:f3.  
F_Port trunks are not allowed on the base switch, because you cannot have F_Ports on the  
base switch.  
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Displaying F_Port trunking information  
22  
If F_Port trunking is enabled on some ports in the default switch, and you disable Virtual  
Fabrics, all of the F_Port trunking information is lost.  
All of the ports in an F_Port trunk must belong to a single trunk group of ports on the platform  
and must also belong to the same logical switch.  
See Chapter 10, “Managing Virtual Fabrics,” for detailed information about Virtual Fabrics.  
Displaying F_Port trunking information  
Use the following commands on the edge switch to verify the F_Port trunking configuration.  
Enter the switchshow command to display the switch and port information.  
Enter the porttrunkarea --show enabled command to display the TA-enabled port  
configuration.  
switch:admin> porttrunkarea --show enabled  
Port Type  
State  
Master TI DI  
-------------------------------------  
36  
37  
38  
39  
F-port Master 36  
37 36  
37 37  
37 38  
37 39  
F-port Slave  
F-port Slave  
F-port Slave  
36  
36  
36  
Enter the porttrunkarea --show trunk command to display the trunking information.  
switch:admin> porttrunkarea --show trunk  
Trunk Index 37: 39->0  
sp: 8.000G bw: 16.000G deskew 15 MASTER  
Tx: Bandwidth 16.00Gbps, Throughput 1.63Gbps (11.84%)  
Rx: Bandwidth 16.00Gbps, Throughput 1.62Gbps (11.76%)  
Tx+Rx: Bandwidth 32.00Gbps, Throughput 3.24Gbps (11.80%)  
38->1  
sp: 8.000G bw: 8.000G deskew 15  
Tx: Bandwidth 16.00Gbps, Throughput 1.63Gbps (11.84%)  
Rx: Bandwidth 16.00Gbps, Throughput 1.62Gbps (11.76%)  
Tx+Rx: Bandwidth 32.00Gbps, Throughput 3.24Gbps (11.80%)  
37->1  
sp: 8.000G bw: 8.000G deskew 15  
Tx: Bandwidth 16.00Gbps, Throughput 1.63Gbps (11.84%)  
Rx: Bandwidth 16.00Gbps, Throughput 1.62Gbps (11.76%)  
Tx+Rx: Bandwidth 32.00Gbps, Throughput 3.24Gbps (11.80%)  
36->1  
sp: 8.000G bw: 8.000G deskew 15  
Tx: Bandwidth 16.00Gbps, Throughput 1.63Gbps (11.84%)  
Rx: Bandwidth 16.00Gbps, Throughput 1.62Gbps (11.76%)  
Tx+Rx: Bandwidth 32.00Gbps, Throughput 3.24Gbps (11.80%)  
Disabling F_Port trunking  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Enter the portDisable command to disable the ports that are to be removed from the trunk  
area.  
3. Enter the portTrunkArea --disable command to remove ports from the trunk area.  
This command does not unassign a TA if its previously assigned Area_ID is the same address  
identifier (Area_ID) of the TA unless all the ports in the trunk group are specified to be  
unassigned.  
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Enabling the DCC policy on a trunk area  
22  
switch:admin> portdisable 0-2  
switch:admin> porttrunkarea --disable 0-2  
Trunk index 2 disabled for ports 0, 1, and 2.  
Enabling the DCC policy on a trunk area  
After you assign a trunk area, the portTrunkArea command checks whether there are any active  
DCC policies on the port with the index TA, and then issues a warning to add all the device WWNs to  
the existing DCC policy with index as TA.  
All DCC policies that refer to an index that no longer exists will not be in effect.  
1. Add the WWN of all the devices to the DCC policy against the TA.  
2. Enter the secPolicyActivate command to activate the DCC policy.  
In order for security to enforce the DCC policy on the trunk ports, you must enable the TA  
before issuing the secPolicyActivate command.  
3. Turn on the trunk ports.  
Turn on trunk ports after issuing the secPolicyActivate command, to prevent the ports from  
becoming disabled in case there is a DCC security policy violation.  
You can configure authentication on all Brocade trunking configurations. For more information on  
Trunking with TI zones  
See “Trunking with TI zones” on page 359 for details on this topic.  
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Chapter  
Managing Long-Distance Fabrics  
23  
In this chapter  
Long-distance fabrics overview  
The most effective configuration for implementing long-distance SAN fabrics is to deploy Fibre  
Channel switches at each location in the SAN. Each switch handles local interconnectivity and  
multiplexes traffic across long-distance dark fiber or wave division multiplexing (WDM) links, while  
the Brocade Extended Fabrics software enables SAN management over long distances.  
Brocade Extended Fabrics is an optional licensed feature for Brocade SAN deployment over  
distances beyond 10 km. A Brocade Extended Fabrics license is required before you can implement  
long-distance dynamic (LD) and long-distance static (LS) distance levels. The LD and LS settings  
are necessary to achieve maximum performance results over inter-switch links (ISLs) that are  
greater than 10 km.  
For details about obtaining and installing licensed features, refer to Chapter 18, “Administering  
The Extended Fabrics feature enables the following functionality:  
Fabric interconnectivity over Fibre Channel at longer distances  
ISLs can use long-distance dark fiber connections to transfer data. Wavelength division  
multiplexing, such as dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM), coarse wavelength  
division multiplexing (CWDM), and time division multiplexing (TDM), can be used to increase  
the capacity of the links. As Fibre Channel speeds increase, the maximum distance decreases  
for each switch.  
The Extended Fabrics feature extends the distance the ISLs can reach over an extended fiber.  
This extension is accomplished by providing enough buffer credits on each side of the link to  
compensate for latency introduced by the extended distance.  
Simplified management over distance  
Each device attached to the SAN appears as a local device, which simplifies deployment and  
administration.  
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Extended Fabrics device limitations  
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Optimized switch buffering  
When Extended Fabrics is installed on gateway switches (with E_Port connectivity from one  
switch to another), the ISLs (E_Ports) are configured with a large pool of buffer credits. The  
enhanced switch buffers help ensure that data transfer can occur at near-full bandwidth to use  
the connection over the extended links efficiently. This efficiency ensures the highest possible  
performance on ISLs.  
Extended Fabrics device limitations  
Note the limitations regarding the following platforms:  
Brocade 8000 FCoE switch  
Extended Fabrics is not supported on this platform.  
FC8-64 port blade  
Brocade recommends that you do not use the FC8-64 port blade for long distance, because of  
its limited buffers. This blade does not support long-wavelength (LWL) fiber optics and  
supports limited distance. However, you can use the portCfgLongDistance command to  
reserve frame buffers for the ports intended to be used in long-distance mode through DWDM.  
There is a limited number of reserved buffers used for long distance for each blade. If some  
ports are configured in long-distance mode and have buffers reserved for them, insufficient  
buffers may remain for the other ports. In this case, some of the remaining ports may come up  
in degraded mode.  
Long -distance link modes  
Use the portCfgLongDistance command to support long-distance links and to allocate sufficient  
numbers of full-size frame buffers on a specific port. Changes made by this command are  
persistent across switch reboots and power cycles.  
This command supports the following long-distance link modes:  
Normal Mode (LO) — L0 is the normal (default) mode for an E_Port. It configures the E_Port as  
a standard (not long-distance) ISL. A total of 20 full-size frame buffers are reserved for data  
traffic, regardless of the E_Port’s operating speed; therefore, the maximum supported link  
distance is up to 5 km at 2 Gbps, up to 2 km at 4 Gbps, and up to 1 km at 8, 10, and 16 Gbps.  
Extended Mode (LE) — LE configures the distance for an E_Port when that distance is greater  
than 5 km and up to 10 km. LE does not require an Extended Fabrics license. The baseline for  
the buffer credit calculation is one buffer credit per km at 2 Gbps. This allocation yields the  
following values for 10 km:  
-
-
-
-
-
10 buffer credits per port at 2 Gbps.  
20 buffer credits per port at 4 Gbps.  
40 buffer credits per port at 8 Gbps.  
50 buffer credits per port at 10 Gbps  
80 buffer credits per port at 16 Gbps  
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Configuring an extended ISL  
23  
Dynamic Mode (LD) — LD calculates buffer credits based on the distance measured during  
port initialization. Brocade switches use a proprietary algorithm to estimate distance across an  
ISL. The estimated distance is used to determine the buffer credits required in LD (dynamic)  
extended link mode based on a maximum Fibre Channel payload size of 2,112 bytes. You can  
place an upper limit on the calculation by providing a desired_distance value. Fabric OS  
confines user entries to no larger than what it has estimated the distance to be. When the  
measured distance is more than the specified desired distance, the desired distance (the  
smaller value) is used in the calculation.  
Static Mode (LS) - LS calculates a static number of buffer credits based only on a user-defined  
desired_distance value. LS mode also assumes that all FC payloads are 2112 bytes. Specify  
LS mode to configure a static long-distance link with a fixed buffer allocation greater than 10  
km.  
Configuring an extended ISL  
Before configuring an extended ISL, ensure that the following conditions are met:  
The ports on both ends of the ISL are operating at the same port speed, and can be configured  
for the same distance_level without compromising local switch performance.  
NOTE  
A long-distance link also can be configured to be part of a trunk group. Two or more  
long-distance links in a port group form a trunk group when they are configured for the same  
speed and distance, and their link distances are nearly equal. For information on trunking  
concepts and configurations, refer to Chapter 22, “Managing Trunking Connections”.  
Only qualified Brocade SFPs are used. Only Brocade-branded or certain Brocade-qualified  
SFPs are supported.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Enter the switchDisable command.  
3. Enter the configure command to set the switch fabric-wide configurations. You can set the  
following fabric-wide settings:  
(* = multiplication symbol)  
Field  
Type  
Default  
Range  
Domain  
Number  
Number  
Number  
Number  
Number  
1
Varies  
R_A_TOV  
E_D_TOV  
WAN_TOV  
MAX_HOPS  
10000  
2000  
0
E_D_TOV * 2 to 120000  
1000 to R_A_TOV/2  
0 to R_A_TOV/4  
7 to 19  
7
4. For 8-Gbps platforms only, enter the portCfgFillword command to set ARB as the fill word.  
portcfgfillword [slot/]port, mode  
The mode parameter in this command should be set to 3 if the vc_translation_link_init  
parameter in the portCfgLongDistance command (in the next step) is set to 1.  
5. Enter the portCfgLongDistance command.  
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Configuring an extended ISL  
23  
portcfglongdistance [slot/]port [distance_level] [vc_translation_link_init]  
[-distance desired_distance]  
6. Repeat step 4 and step 5 for the remote extended ISL port. Both the local and remote  
extended ISL ports must be configured to the same distance_level. When the connection is  
initiated, the fabric will reconfigure.  
Example  
The following example configures slot 1, port 2 to support a 100-km link in LS mode and to use the  
extended link initialization sequence. This example is for an 8-Gbps platform.  
switch:admin> portcfgfillword 1/2 3  
switch:admin> portcfglongdistance 1/2 LS 1 -distance 100  
Reserved Buffers =  
406  
Warning: port may be reserving more credits depending on port speed.  
switch:admin> portshow 1/2  
portName:  
portHealth: OFFLINE  
Authentication: None  
portDisableReason: None  
portCFlags: 0x1  
portFlags: 0x1  
portType: 17.0  
portState: 2  
Protocol: FC  
portPhys: 2  
PRESENT U_PORT  
Offline  
No_Module  
portScn:  
0
port generation number:  
0
portId:  
portIfId:  
portWwn:  
010200  
4312003b  
20:02:00:05:1e:94:0f:00  
portWwn of device(s) connected:  
Distance: static (desired = 100 Km)  
portSpeed: N8Gbps  
LE domain: 0  
FC Fastwrite: OFF  
Interrupts:  
Unknown:  
Lli:  
0
0
0
5
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Link_failure: 0  
Loss_of_sync: 0  
Loss_of_sig: 3  
Protocol_err: 0  
Invalid_word: 0  
Invalid_crc: 0  
Frjt:  
Fbsy:  
0
0
Proc_rqrd:  
Timed_out:  
Rx_flushed:  
Tx_unavail:  
Free_buffer:  
Overrun:  
Suspended:  
Parity_err:  
2_parity_err:  
CMI_bus_err:  
Delim_err:  
0
Address_err: 0  
Lr_in:  
0
0
0
0
Lr_out:  
Ols_in:  
Ols_out:  
Enabling long distance when connecting to TDM devices  
Use this procedure when connecting to time-division multiplexing (TDM) devices and your Brocade  
switch has QoS and buffer credit recovery enabled.  
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Buffer credit management  
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1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Disable QoS.  
switch:admin> portcfgqos --disable [slot/]port  
If you do not disable QoS, after the second or third Link Reset (LR), ARB fill words display.  
3. Disable buffer credit recovery; buffer credit recovery is not compatible with the IDLE mode. If  
you do not disable buffer credit recovery, it continues to perform a link reset.  
switch:admin> portcfgcreditrecovery --disable [slot/]port  
4. Configure the port to support long-distance links.  
switch:admin> portcfglongdistance [slot/]port,LS,0,-distance 100  
Buffer credit management  
Buffer-to-buffer credit management affects performance over distances; therefore, allocating a  
sufficient number of buffer credits for long-distance traffic is essential to performance.  
To prevent a target device (either host or storage) from being overwhelmed with frames, the Fibre  
Channel architecture provides flow control mechanisms based on a system of credits. Each of  
these credits represents the ability of the device to accept additional frames. If a recipient issues  
no credits to the sender, no frames can be sent. Pacing the transport of subsequent frames on the  
basis of this credit system helps prevent the loss of frames and reduces the frequency of entire  
Fibre Channel sequences needing to be retransmitted across the link.  
Because the number of buffer credits available for use within each port group is limited,  
configuring buffer credits for extended links may affect the performance of the other ports in the  
group used for core-to-edge connections. You must balance the number of long-distance ISL  
connections and core-to-edge ISL connections within a switch.  
NOTE  
Configuring long-distance ISLs between core and edge switches is possible, but is not a  
recommended practice.  
All switch ports provide protection against buffer depletion through buffer limiting. A buffer-limited  
port reserves a minimum of eight buffer credits, allowing the port to continue to operate rather  
than being disabled because of a lack of buffers.  
Buffer-limited operations are supported for the LS and LD extended ISL modes only. For LD,  
distance in kilometers is the smaller of the distance measured during port initialization versus the  
desired_distance value. For LS, distance in kilometers is always the desired_distance value.  
Buffer-to-buffer flow control  
Buffer-to-buffer (BB) credit flow control is implemented to limit the amount of data that a port may  
send, and is based on the number and size of the frames sent from that port. Buffer credits  
represent finite physical-port memory. Within a fabric, each port may have a different number of  
buffer credits. Within a connection, each side may have a different number of buffer credits.  
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Buffer credit management  
23  
Buffer-to-buffer flow control is flow control between adjacent ports in the I/O path, for example,  
transmission control over individual network links. A separate, independent pool of credits is used  
to manage buffer-to-buffer flow control.A sending port uses its available credit supply and waits to  
have the credits replenished by the port on the opposite end of the link. These buffer credits are  
used by Class 2 and Class 3 services and rely on the Fibre Channel Receiver-Ready (R_RDY) control  
word to be sent by the receiving link port to the sender. The rate of frame transmission is regulated  
by the receiving port, and is based on the availability of buffers to hold received frames.  
If Virtual Channel technology is in use, the VC_RDY or EXT_VC control word is used instead of the  
R_RDY control word to manage buffer credits. For Virtual Channels, the buffer credits are managed  
for each Virtual Channel, and not for the entire physical link.  
The Virtual Channels used in VC_RDY flow-control mode range from VC0 through VC7. When QoS is  
enabled, EXT_VC_RDY flow-control mode allocates VC0 through VC14. VC8 through VC14 are  
allocated specifically for QoS VCs.  
Upon arriving at a receiver, a frame goes through several steps. It is received, deserialized, and  
decoded, and is stored in a receive buffer where it is processed by the receiving port. If another  
frame arrives while the receiver is processing the first frame, a second receive buffer is needed to  
hold this new frame. Unless the receiver is capable of processing frames as fast as the transmitter  
is capable of sending them, it is possible for all of the receive buffers to fill up with received frames.  
At this point, if the transmitter should send another frame, the receiver will not have a receive  
buffer available and the frame is lost. Buffer-to-buffer flow control provides consistent and reliable  
frame delivery of information from sender to receiver.  
Optimal buffer credit allocation  
The optimal number of buffer credits is determined by the distance (frame delivery time), the  
processing time at the receiving port, the link signaling rate, and the size of the frames being  
transmitted. As the link speed increases, the frame delivery time is reduced and the number of  
buffer credits must be increased to obtain full link utilization, even in a short-distance environment.  
For each frame that is transferred, the hardware at the other end must acknowledge that the frame  
has been received before a successful transmission occurs. This flow requires enough capacity in  
the hardware to allow continuous transmission of frames on the link, while waiting for the  
acknowledgment to be sent by the receiver at the other end.  
As the distance between switches and the link speed increases, additional buffer credits are  
required for the ports used for long-distance connections. Distance levels define how buffer credits  
are allocated and managed for extended ISLs. Buffer credits are managed from a common pool  
available to a group of ports on a switch. The buffer credit can be changed for specific applications  
or operating environments, but it must be in agreement among all switches to allow formation of  
the fabric.  
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Buffer credit management  
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Smaller frame sizes need more buffer credits. Two commands are available to help you determine  
whether you need to allocate more buffer credits to handle the average frame size. The  
portBufferShow command calculates the average frames size. The portBufferCalc command uses  
the average frame size with the speed and link distance to determine the number of buffer credits  
needed.  
Considerations for calculating buffer credits  
Considerations follow for calculating how many ports can be configured for long distance on all  
Fabric OS v7.x-capable switch modules:  
Each port is part of a port group that includes a pool of buffer credits that can be used. This  
port group is not the same as the port groups used for ISL Trunking.  
Each user port reserves eight buffer credits when online or offline.  
Any remaining buffers can be reserved by any port in the port group.  
When QoS is enabled and the port is online, an additional 20 buffers are allocated to that port.  
Fibre Channel gigabit values reference definition  
Use the following Fibre Channel gigabit values to calculate buffer requirements:  
1.0625 for 1 Gbps  
2.125 for 2 Gbps  
4.25 for 4 Gbps  
8.5 for 8 Gbps  
10.625 for 10 Gbps  
17 for 16 Gbps  
Buffer credit allocation based on full-size frames  
Assuming that the frame is a full-size frame, one buffer credit allows a device to send one payload  
up to 2112 bytes (2148 with headers). Assuming that each payload is 2112, you need one credit  
per 1 km of link length at 2 Gbps (smaller payloads require additional buffer credits to maintain  
additional information.  
Fibre Channel data frames  
The final frame size must be a multiple of 4 bytes. If the data (payload) needs to be segmented, it  
will be padded with 1 to 3 “fill-bytes” to achieve an overall 4-byte frame alignment. The standard  
frame header size is 24 bytes. If applications require extensive control information, up to 64  
additional bytes (for a total of an 88-byte header) can be included. Because the total frame size  
cannot exceed the maximum of 2,148 bytes, the additional header bytes will subtract from the data  
segment by as much as 64 bytes (per frame). This is why the maximum data (payload) size is 2,112  
(because [2,112 – 64] = 2,048, which is 2 kbs of data). The final frame, after it is constructed, is  
passed through the 8-byte-to-10-byte conversion process.  
Table 82 describes Fibre Channel data frames.  
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Buffer credit management  
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TABLE 82  
Fibre Channel data frames  
Field size  
Fibre Channel frame fields  
4 bytes  
32 bits  
Start of frame  
24 bytes  
192 bits  
Standard frame header  
Data (payload)  
CRC  
0–2,112 bytes  
4 bytes  
0–16,896 bits  
32 bits  
4 bytes  
32 bits  
End of frame  
36–2,148 bytes  
288–7,184 bits  
Total (number bits/frame)  
Allocating buffer credits based on full-sized frames  
You can allocate buffer credits based on distance using the portCfgLongDistance command. The  
long-distance link modes allow you to select the dynamic mode (LD) or the static mode (LS) to  
calculate the buffer credits.  
For LD, the estimated distance in kilometers is the smaller of the distance measured during port  
initialization versus the desired_distance parameter, which is required when a port is configured as  
an LD or an LS mode link. It is best practice to use LS over LD. The assumption that Fibre Channel  
payloads are consistently 2,112 bytes is not realistic in practice. To gain the proper number of  
buffer credits with the LS mode, there must be enough buffer credits available in the pool, because  
Fabric OS will check before accepting a value.  
NOTE  
The portCfgLongDistance command’s desired_distance parameter is the upper limit of the link  
distance and is used to calculate buffer availability for other ports in the same port group. When the  
measured distance exceeds the value of desired_distance, this value is used to allocate the buffers.  
In this case, the port operates in degraded mode instead of being disabled asa result of insufficient  
buffers. In LS mode, the actual link distance is not measured; instead, the desired_distance value  
is used to allocate the buffers required for the port.  
Refer to the data in Table 83 on page 563 and Table 84 on page 564 to get the total ports in a  
switch or blade, the number of user ports in a port group, and the unreserved buffer credits  
available per port group. The values reflect an estimate, and may differ from the supported values  
in Table 84.  
Calculating the number of buffers required based on full-size frames  
Use the following procedure to calculate the number of buffers required for a long-distance  
connection:  
1. Determine the desired distance in kilometers of the switch-to-switch connection. This example  
uses 50 km.  
2. Determine the speed that you will use for the long-distance connection. This example uses 2  
Gbps.  
3. Use one of the following formulas to calculate the reserved buffers for distance:  
If QoS is enabled:  
(Reserved Buffer for Distance Y) = (X * LinkSpeed / 2) + 6 + 14  
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Buffer credit management  
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If QoS is not enabled:  
(Reserved Buffer for Distance Y) = (X * LinkSpeed / 2) + 6  
where  
X = the distance determined in step 1 (in km).  
LinkSpeed = the speed of the link determined in step 2.  
6 = the number of buffer credits reserved for fabric services, multicast, and broadcast  
traffic. This number is static.  
14 = the number of buffer credits reserved for QoS. This number is static.  
With the answers provided in steps 1 and 2, insert the numbers into the appropriate formula.  
The formula should read as follows:  
(50 km * 2 Gbps / 2) + 6 = 56 buffers, which is the number of buffers reserved for distance.  
Below are additional examples using different speeds, all based on a distance of 50 km. The  
distances and speeds are variables that can change depending on how your network is set up:  
If you have a distance of 50 km at 1 Gbps then, (50 km * 1 Gbps / 2) + 6 = 31 buffers  
If you have a distance of 50 km at 2 Gbps then, (50 km * 2 Gbps / 2) + 6 = 56 buffers  
If you have a distance of 50 km at 4 Gbps then, (50 km * 4 Gbps / 2) + 6 = 106 buffers  
If you have a distance of 50 km at 8 Gbps then, (50 km * 8 Gbps / 2) + 6 = 206 buffers  
If you have a distance of 50 km at 10 Gbps then, (50 km * 10 Gbps / 2) +6 = 256 buffers  
If you have a distance of 50 km at 16 Gbps then, (50 km * 16 Gbps / 2) + 6 = 406 buffers  
Example  
Consider the Brocade 300, which has a single 24-port port group and a total of 676 buffer credits  
for that port group. The maximum remaining number of buffer credits for the port group, after each  
port reserves its eight buffer credits, is as follows:  
676 – (24 * 8) = 484 unreserved buffer credits  
where  
24 = the number of user ports in a port group retrieved from Table 83 on page 563  
8 = the number of reserved credits for each user port  
676 = the number of buffer credits available in the port group  
If you allocate the entire 484 + 8 (8 for the reserved buffers already allocated to that user port) =  
492 buffers to a single port, you can calculate the maximum single-port extended distance  
supported:  
Maximum Distance X (in km) = (BufferCredits + 6) * 2 / LinkSpeed  
498 km = (492 + 6 buffers for Fabric Services) * 2 / 2 Gbps  
How many 50-km ports can you configure?  
If you have a distance of 50 km at 8 Gbps, then 484 / (206 – 8) = 2 ports.  
The numbers used are as follows:  
484 — the total number of unreserved buffer credits  
206 — buffer credits needed for 50 km @ 8 Gbps (as calculated previously  
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8 — the number of reserved buffer credits already allocated to that port.  
The floor of the resulting number is taken because fractions of a port are not allowed.  
If you have a distance of 50 km at 1 Gbps, then 484 / (31 – 8) = 21 ports  
Allocating buffer credits based on average-size frames  
In cases where the frame size is average, for example 1024 bytes, you must allocate twice the  
buffer credits or configure twice the distance in the long-distance LS configuration mode. Refer to  
calculated number of buffer credits.  
1. Use the following formula to calculate value for the desired_distance parameter needed for  
Fabric OS to determine the number of buffer credits to allocate:  
desired_distance = roundup [(real_estimated_distance * 2112) / average_payload_size]  
Where average_payload_size = 1024 bytes  
This example uses 100 km for the real estimated distance.  
desired_distance = roundup [(100 * 2112) / 1024] = 207  
When configuring the LS mode with the portCfgLongDistance command, enter a  
desired_distance value of 207 for an actual 100-km link connected to an 8-Gbps E_Port. This  
causes Fabric OS to allocate the correct number of buffer credits.  
2. Determine the speed you will use for the long-distance connection. This example uses 8 Gbps.  
3. Look up the data_rate value for the speed of the connection. See “Fibre Channel gigabit values  
reference definition” on page 557 to determine the data_rate value.  
For 8 Gbps, the data_rate is 8.5  
4. Use the following formula to calculate the number of buffer credits to allocate:  
buffer credits = roundup [desired_distance * (data_rate / 2.125)]  
With the values for desired_distance and data_rate from step 1 and step 3, the value for buffer  
credits is calculated as follows:  
buffer credits = roundup [(207 * 8.5) / 2.125] = 828  
NOTE  
This formula does not work with LD mode because LD mode checks the distance and limits the  
estimated distance to the real value of 100 km. LS mode allows for the necessary desired_distance  
value based on the data size entered, regardless of the distance.  
If buffer credit recovery is enabled, Fabric OS supports a BB_SC_N range of 1 to 15; therefore, it is  
impossible for the desired_distance value to be more than the number of buffer credits available in  
the pool as determined by the calculations above. The distance for buffer credit recovery is well  
within the range of all possible connections. An estimated distance of 32,768 is considerably  
higher than the available buffer credits and only lower values of desired_distance are permitted by  
Fabric OS.  
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Configuring buffers for a single port directly  
To configure the number of buffers directly, use the -buffers option of the portCfgLongDistance  
command. Fabric OS uses this value to calculate the total number of buffers according to the  
following formula:  
Total Buffers = Configured Buffers + QOS_VC_Credits + Non-data_VC_Credits  
Seven Virtual Channels (VCs) are required for each QoS port. Each VC requires two buffers. So the  
total number of QoS buffers required for a port is 14 (7*2). An additional six VCs are required for  
nondata transmission (for example, control traffic). As a consequence, for a QoS port, 20 buffers  
are added. For a non-QoS port, six buffers are added.  
For example, if the configured number of buffers is 100, then the total number of buffers allocated  
for a QOS port is  
Total Buffers = 100 + 14 + 6 = 120  
If the configured number of buffers is 100, the total number of buffers allocated for a non-QoS port  
is  
Total Buffers = 100 + 6 = 106  
NOTE  
You cannot use the -buffers option with the -distance option or the -frameSize option.  
Example  
switch:admin> portcfglongdistance 2/35 LS 1 -buffers 400  
Reserved Buffers =  
420  
Configuring buffers using frame size  
You can configure the number of buffers by using the -frameSize option of the portCfgLongDistance  
command along with the -distance option. Fabric OS calculates the number of buffers from the  
-frameSize option value according to the following formula:  
buffers_required = (2048/framesize) * data_vc_credits  
If you enter the average frame size of 1024, Fabric OS will allocate almost twice as many buffers as  
for the maximum frame size of 2048.  
The -frameSize option value is persistent across reboots and HA failover.  
Example  
switch:admin> portcfglongdistance 2/35 LS 1 –distance 100 –framesize 1024  
Calculating the number of buffers required given the distance, speed,  
and frame size  
If you know the distance, speed, and frame size for a given port, you can use the portBufferCalc  
command to calculate the number of buffers required. If you omit the distance, speed, or frame  
size, the command uses the currently configured values for the port. Given the buffer requirement  
and port speed, you can use the same distance and frame size values when using the  
portCfgLongDistance command.  
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To determine the number of buffers required, perform the following steps:  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Enter the portBufferCalc command and provide values for the distance, port speed, and frame  
size.  
Example  
The following example calculates the number of buffers required for an 8-Gbps port on a 100-km  
link with an average frame size of 512 bytes.  
switch:admin> portbuffercalc 9/4 -distance 100 -speed 8 -framesize 512  
1606 buffers required for 100km at 8G and framesize of 512 bytes  
Allocating buffer credits for F_Ports  
The default configured F_Port buffer credit is fixed at eight buffers. You can use the  
portCfgFPortBuffers command to configure a given port with the specified number of buffers. Note  
that in the sample commands provided in the following procedure, 12 buffers are configured for an  
F_Port.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Enter the portCfgFPortBuffers command.  
switch:admin> portcfgfportbuffers --enable 2/44 12  
3. To disable the port buffer configuration and return to the default buffer allocation, use the  
--disable option  
switch:admin> portcfgfportbuffers --disable 2/44  
NOTE  
The configured number of buffers for a given port is stored in the configuration database and is  
persistent across reboots. The F_Port buffer feature does not support EX_Port, Port Mirroring,  
Long-Distance, L_Port, FastWrite, QoS, and Trunk Area enabled ports.  
Monitoring buffers in a port group  
Use the portBufferShow command to monitor the remaining buffers on a long-distance link and to  
monitor the average frame size and average buffer usage for a given port.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Enter the portBufferShow command.  
The average frame size in bytes is shown in parentheses with the average buffer usage for  
packet transmission and reception.  
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switch:admin> portbuffershow 17  
User  
Port  
----  
Port  
Type  
----  
Lx  
Mode  
----  
Max/Resv Avg Buffer Usage & FrameSize Buffer Needed  
Link  
Remaining  
Buffers  
-------  
Tx  
Rx  
Usage Buffers Distance Buffers  
---------------------------- ------ -------  
---------  
----------  
64  
65  
66  
67  
68  
69  
70  
71  
192  
193  
194  
195  
196  
197  
198  
199  
-
-
-
-
LS  
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
8
8
8
8
806  
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
- ( - )  
- ( - )  
- ( - )  
- ( - )  
197(2012)  
1(2016)  
1(2012)  
1(2008)  
- ( - )  
- ( - )  
- ( - )  
- ( - )  
- ( - )  
- ( - )  
- ( - )  
- ( - )  
- ( - )  
- ( - )  
- ( - )  
- ( - )  
201(2044)  
1(2020)  
1(2036)  
2(2052)  
- ( - )  
- ( - )  
- ( - )  
- ( - )  
- ( - )  
- ( - )  
- ( - )  
- ( - )  
0
0
0
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0
-
E
E
E
E
206  
26  
26  
26  
0
0
0
0
0
206  
26  
26  
26  
-
100km  
2km  
2km  
2km  
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0
0
0
-
4556  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Buffer credits switch or blade model  
Table 83 shows the total FC ports in a switch or blade, the number of user ports in a port group,  
and the unreserved buffer credits available per port group.  
TABLE 83  
Total FC ports, ports per port group, and unreserved buffer credits per port group  
Switch/blade model  
Total FC ports (per switch/blade) User port group size Unreserved buffer credits per port  
group  
300  
24  
40  
80  
12  
24  
26  
24  
24  
48  
96  
16  
24  
40  
16  
12  
24  
26  
24  
24  
48  
48  
16  
484  
5100  
5300  
5410  
5424  
5450  
5480  
6505  
6510  
6520  
7800  
8000  
VA-40FC  
1692  
292  
580  
484  
468  
484  
7952  
7760  
4256  
408  
*** Extended Fabrics is not supported on this switch ***  
40  
40  
16  
16  
1692  
Brocade Encryption Switch 32  
1392  
FC8-16  
16  
1292/508  
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TABLE 83  
Total FC ports, ports per port group, and unreserved buffer credits per port group  
Switch/blade model  
Total FC ports (per switch/blade) User port group size Unreserved buffer credits per port  
group  
FC8-32  
FC8-32E  
FC8-48  
FC8-48E  
FC8-64  
FC16-32  
FC16-48  
FS8-18  
FX8-24  
32  
32  
48  
48  
16  
16  
24  
24  
1292/508  
5456  
1228/716  
5008  
*** Extended Fabrics is not supported on this blade ***  
32  
48  
16  
12  
16  
24  
8
5456  
5008  
1604  
1060  
12  
For the FC8-x port blades, the first number in the Unreserved buffer credits column designates the  
number of unreserved buffers per port group without buffer optimized mode; the second number  
designates the unreserved buffers with buffer optimized mode enabled on the slot. Use the  
bufOpMode command to display or change the buffer optimized mode.  
Maximum configurable distances for Extended Fabrics  
Table 84 shows the maximum supported extended distances (in kilometers) that can be configured  
for one port on a specific switch or blade at different speeds.  
TABLE 84  
Configurable distances for Extended Fabrics  
Maximum distances (km) that can be configured (assuming a 2112-byte frame size)  
Switch/blade model  
2 Gbps  
4 Gbps  
8 Gbps  
10 Gbps  
16 Gbps  
300  
486  
243  
847  
147  
121  
N/A  
N/A  
N/A  
N/A  
N/A  
N/A  
N/A  
1485  
1350  
812  
N/A  
N/A  
N/A  
N/A  
N/A  
N/A  
N/A  
N/A  
928  
844  
508  
N/A  
5100  
5300  
5410  
5424  
5450  
5480  
6505  
6510  
6520  
7800  
8000  
VA-40FC  
1694  
294  
423  
73  
582  
291  
243  
235  
243  
3713  
3377  
2032  
205  
145.5  
121.5  
117.5  
121.5  
1856  
1688  
1016  
102  
486  
470  
486  
7426  
6754  
4064  
410  
*** Extended Fabrics is not supported on this switch ***  
1694  
847  
696  
647  
423  
348  
323  
N/A  
N/A  
N/A  
N/A  
N/A  
N/A  
Brocade Encryption Switch 1392  
FC8-16 1294  
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TABLE 84  
Configurable distances for Extended Fabrics (Continued)  
Maximum distances (km) that can be configured (assuming a 2112-byte frame size)  
Switch/blade model  
2 Gbps  
4 Gbps  
8 Gbps  
10 Gbps  
16 Gbps  
FC8-32  
FC8-32E  
FC8-48  
FC8-48E  
FC8-64  
FC16-32  
FC16-48  
FS8-18  
FX8-24  
1294  
5190  
1230  
4486  
647  
323  
N/A  
N/A  
648  
N/A  
560  
2595  
615  
1297  
307  
1038  
N/A  
2243  
1121  
897  
*** Extended Fabrics is not supported on this blade ***  
5190  
4486  
1604  
1062  
2595  
2243  
802  
1297  
1121  
401  
1038  
897  
N/A  
648  
560  
N/A  
N/A  
531  
265  
N/A  
NOTE  
The distances in this table assume that QoS is enabled. If QoS is disabled the maximum supported  
distances are higher, because QoS requires an additional 20 buffer credits per active port.  
To get an estimated maximum equally distributed distance for n number of ports at a particular  
speed X, divide the 1-port maximum distance of the switch at speed X by n. For example, for three  
ports running at 2 Gbps on a Brocade 300 switch, the maximum equally distributed distance is  
calculated as 486 / 3 = 164 km.  
Downgrade considerations  
When Fabric OS firmware is downgraded from version 7.1 to an earlier version, the effect depends  
on whether the number of buffer credits for the long-distance port is configured with the -framesize  
and -distance options or with the -buffers option.  
When a port is configured with –framesize and –distance options  
In Fabric OS v7.1, if you configure the port by using the -distance option alone, the reserved buffers  
are calculated according to the distance. If you configure both the -framesize option and the  
-distance option, more buffers will be reserved, depending on the frame size.  
With a firmware downgrade, those ports that were configured with more reserved buffers will keep  
the reserved buffers as long as the ports remain online. The next time the port is toggled, buffers  
will again be reserved on the basis of distance only.  
When a port is configured with the –buffers option  
A firmware downgrade is blocked when a port is configured as a long-distance port by means of the  
–buffers option. The following warning message is displayed:  
Downgrade to selected version is not allowed because few ports are configured  
with Longdistance -buffers option. Please remove the configuration using  
portcfglongdistance <slot>/<port> L0 CLI or change the configuration with  
-distance option on the console.  
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Buffer credit recovery  
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Buffer credit recovery  
Buffer credit recovery (CR) allows links to recover after buffer credits are lost when the buffer credit  
recovery logic is enabled. The buffer credit recovery feature also maintains performance. If a credit  
is lost, a recover attempt is initiated. During link reset, the frame and credit loss counters are reset  
without performance degradation.  
This feature is supported on E_Ports, F_Ports, and EX_Ports. VE_Ports and VEX_Ports do not  
support the portCfgFportBuffers or portCfgLongDistance commands.  
Buffer credit recovery is enabled automatically across any long-distance connection for which the  
E_Port, F_Port, or EX_Port buffer credit recovery mechanism is supported. For 16-Gbps FC devices  
and blades (Brocade 6505, 6510, 6520, CR16-4, CR16-8, FC8-32E, FC8-48E, FC16-32, FC16-48),  
you can use the portCfgCreditRecovery command to disable or enable buffer credit recovery on a  
port.  
Buffer credit recovery over an E_Port  
To support buffer credit recovery, E_Ports must be connected between devices that support 16  
Gbps or between devices that support 8 Gbps.  
Devices that support 16 Gbps:  
-
-
Brocade 6505, 6510, 6520  
FC8-32E, FC8-48E,FC16-32, FC16-48  
Devices that support 8 Gbps:  
-
-
Brocade 300, 5100, 5300, 5410, 5424, 5450, 5480, VA-40FC  
FC8-16, FC8-32, FC8-48  
If a device that supports 16 Gbps is connected to a device that supports only 8 Gbps, buffer credit  
recovery is disabled, even if both devices are running 8 Gbps.  
The buffer credit recovery feature for E_Ports is enabled for the following flow-control modes:  
Normal (R_RDY)  
Virtual Channel (VC_RDY)  
Extended VC (EXT_VC_RDY)  
Buffer credit recovery over an F_Port  
Buffer credit recovery for F_Ports is supported for F_Port-to-N_Port links between a Brocade switch  
and Access Gateway, between a Brocade switch and an adapter, and between an Access Gateway  
and an adapter. For an F_Port on a Brocade switch connected to an Access Gateway, the following  
conditions must be met:  
Both devices must run Fabric OS v7.1 or later.  
Fabric OS must support buffer credit recovery at either end of the link.  
If both devices support16 Gbps, the flow-control mode can be either Normal mode (R_RDY) or  
VC mode (VC_RDY); otherwise the flow-control mode must be R_RDY.  
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For an F_Port on a Brocade switch or Access Gateway connected to an adapter, the following  
conditions must be met:  
The Brocade switch or Access Gateway must run Fabric OS v7.1 or later.  
Fabric OS must support buffer credit recovery at both ends of the link.  
The adapter must be running HBA v3.2 firmware or later.  
The adapter must operate at maximum speed.  
The flow-control mode must be R_RDY.  
The feature is enabled automatically during a link reset if the conditions are met. If the conditions  
for buffer credit recovery are not met, the link will come up, but buffer credit recovery will not be  
enabled.  
Refer to the Fabric OS Command Reference for lists of devices and blades that support 16 Gbps  
and 8 Gbps.  
Buffer credit recovery over an EX_Port  
Buffer credit recovery is supported on a Fibre Channel router (FCR) EX_Port that connects over an  
inter-fabric link (IFL) to an edge fabric E_Port when the following conditions are met:  
The FCR and the switch at the other end of the IFL must both run Fabric OS v7.1 or later.  
The FCR and switch at either end of the IFL must both support 16 Gbps or 8 Gbps. Buffer credit  
recovery is not supported if the EX_Ports do not support the same data rate.  
Either end of the ISL must support buffer credit recovery.  
If the inter-fabric link (IFL) connects devices that support 8 Gbps only, long-distance mode  
must also be enabled. Long distance mode can be enabled or disabled on devices that  
support 16 Gbps.  
Virtual Channel flow control (VC_RDY) or Extended VC flow control (EXT_VC_RDY) mode must  
be in use. Buffer credit recovery is not supported for EX_Ports when Normal (R_RDY) flow  
control mode is in use.  
The feature is enabled automatically during a link reset if the conditions are met. If the capabilities  
at either end of the EX_Port-to-E_Port link are not matched, the link will come up, but Refer to the  
Fabric OS Command Reference for lists of devices and blades that support 16 Gbps and 8 Gbps.  
Enabling and disabling buffer credit recovery  
To disable buffer credit recovery on a port, perform the following steps.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Enter the portCfgCreditRecovery command and include the -disable option.  
The following example disables buffer credit recovery on port 1/20.  
switch:admin> portcfgcreditrecovery 1/20 -disable  
To enable buffer credit recovery on a port for which it has been disabled, perform the following  
steps.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Enter the portCfgCreditRecovery command and include the -enable option.  
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Forward error correction on long-distance links  
23  
The following example enables buffer credit recovery on port 1/20.  
switch:admin> portcfgcreditrecovery 1/20 -enable  
Forward error correction on long-distance links  
Forward error correction (FEC) on user ports is supported for LD and LS long-distance modes. Use  
the portCfgLongDistance command with the -fecEnable or -fecDisable options to enable or disable  
FEC, respectively, on a user port. Alternatively, you can use the portCfgFec command with the  
--enable or --disable option as you would for any regular port.  
For additional details about FEC, refer to “Enabling forward error correction (FEC)” on page 128.  
Enabling FEC on a long-distance link  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Enter the portCfgLongDistance command and include the -fecEnable option, or issue the  
portCfgFec command with the --enable option.  
3. Enter the portCfgFec --show command to verify the configuration.  
Example  
switch:admin> portcfglongdistance 1/20 LS 1 -distance 122 –fecenable  
FEC has been enabled.  
Reserved Buffers =  
982  
Warning: port (132) may be reserving more credits depending on port speed.  
switch:admin> portcfgfec --show 1/20  
Forward Error Correction capable:  
YES  
Forward Error Correction configured: ON  
Disabling FEC on a long-distance link  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account assigned to the admin role.  
2. Enter the portCfgLongDistance command and include the -fecDisable option, or issue the  
portCfgFec command with the --disable option.  
3. Enter the portCfgFec --show command to verify the configuration.  
Example  
switch:admin> portcfglongdistance 1/20 LS 1 -buffers 500 –fecdisable  
FEC has been disabled.  
Reserved Buffers =  
982  
Warning: port (132) may be reserving more credits depending on port speed.  
switch:admin> portcfgfec --show 1/20  
Forward Error Correction capable:  
YES  
Forward Error Correction configured: OFF  
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Chapter  
Using FC-FC Routing to Connect Fabrics  
24  
In this chapter  
FC-FC routing overview  
The FC-FC routing service provides Fibre Channel routing between two or more fabrics without  
merging those fabrics. For example, using FC-FC routing, you can share tape drives across multiple  
fabrics without the administrative problems, such as change management, network management,  
scalability, reliability, availability, and serviceability, that might result from merging the fabrics.  
Be aware that there are different routing terminologies in use:  
FC routing is only in a single fabric (Layer 2 routing). This type of routing is discussed in  
FC-FC routing is routing between two fabrics (Layer 3 routing) and is discussed in this chapter.  
FC-FC routing supports connectivity between the following types of fabrics:  
Fabric OS and Fabric OS  
Fabric OS and Brocade Network OS  
Fabric OS and M-EOS  
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FC-FC routing overview  
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A Fibre Channel router (FC router) is a switch running the FC-FC routing service. The FC-FC routing  
service can be simultaneously used as an FC router and as a SAN extension over wide area  
networks (WANs) using FCIP.  
You can set up QoS traffic prioritization over FC routers. Refer to “QoS: SID/DID traffic prioritization”  
on page 519 for information about QoS and instructions for setting traffic prioritization over an FC  
router.  
ATTENTION  
FCR is not supported on a Brocade 7800 that has been enabled for logical switches.  
License requirements for FC-FC routing  
The Integrated Routing license is required for FC-FC routing between Fabric OS fabrics and between  
Fabric OS and M-EOS fabrics.  
NOTE  
The Integrated Routing license is not required for connectivity between Fabric OS and Brocade  
Network OS fabrics or between Brocade Network OS fabrics connected by an FC router.  
The Integrated Routing license allows 8-Gbps and 16-Gbps FC ports to be configured as EX_Ports  
(or VEX_Ports) supporting FC-FC routing.  
Enabling the Integrated Routing license and capability does not require a switch reboot.  
NOTE  
Brocade recommends that all FC routers in a backbone fabric either have the Integrated Routing  
license or not. It is not recommended to mix licensed and unlicensed FC routers in the backbone  
fabric.  
Supported platforms for FC-FC routing  
FC-FC routing is supported on the following platforms:  
Brocade DCX and DCX 8510 Backbone families:  
-
-
-
8-Gbps port blades (FC8-16, FC8-32, FC8-32E, FC8-48, FC8-48E, FC8-64)  
16-Gbps port blades (FC16-32, FC16-48)  
FX8-24 DCX Extension Blade  
Brocade 5100 switch  
Brocade 5300 switch  
Brocade 6510 switch  
Brocade 6520 switch  
Brocade VA-40FC switch  
Brocade 7800 Extension Switch  
Brocade Encryption Switch  
For the Brocade Backbone families, the following restrictions apply:  
EX_Ports and VEX_Ports are supported only on the FX8-24 DCX Extension Blade, and the  
8-Gbps and 16-Gbps port blades. Ports on the core blade cannot be configured as EX_Ports.  
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The Backbones have a limit of 128 EX_Ports for each chassis.  
Refer to the Network OS Administrator’s Guide for supported Network OS platforms.  
Supported configurations for FC-FC routing  
FC-FC routing supports the following configurations:  
FC router connected to a Fabric OS nonsecured edge fabric.  
FC router connected to a Fabric OS secured edge fabric.  
FC router connected to a Brocade Network OS edge fabric (Network OS v2.1.1 or later).  
FC router connected to an M-EOS Open Mode edge fabric.  
FC router connected to an M-EOS Fabric Mode edge fabric.  
FC router interoperating with legacy FC routers (Brocade 7500 switch).  
In configurations with two backbone fabrics connected to the same edge fabric, routing is not  
supported between edge fabrics that are not directly attached to the same backbone fabric.  
Routing over multiple backbone fabrics is a multi-hop topology and is not allowed.  
In an edge fabric that contains a mix of administrative domain (AD)-capable switches and switches  
that are not aware of AD, the FC router must be connected directly to an AD-capable switch. For  
VEX edge to VEX edge device sharing is not supported.  
Network OS connectivity limitations  
You should be aware of the following configuration limitations for Network OS connectivity:  
FC-FC routing to a Brocade Network OS fabric, except for the Brocade Encryption Switch.  
VEX_Ports do not support Network OS connectivity.  
FCoE devices connected to a Brocade 8000 switch or FCOE10-24 blade cannot communicate  
with FCoE devices in the Network OS fabric.  
If Admin Domains are enabled, connectivity between the Fabric OS fabric and a Brocade  
Network OS fabric is not supported.  
Connectivity between a Brocade Network OS fabric and an M-EOS fabric is not supported.  
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Fibre Channel routing concepts  
Fibre Channel routing introduces the following concepts:  
Fibre Channel router (FC router)  
A switch running the FC-FC routing service. Refer to “Supported platforms for FC-FC routing” on  
page 570 for a list of platforms that can be FC routers.  
EX_Port and VEX_Port  
An EX_Port and VEX_Port function similarly to an E_Port and VE_Port respectively, but  
terminate at the switch and do not propagate fabric services or routing topology information  
from one edge fabric to another. Refer to the Fibre Channel over IP Administrator’s Guide for  
details about VE_Ports.  
Edge fabric  
An edge fabric is a Fibre Channel fabric with targets and initiators connected through the  
supported platforms by using an EX_Port or VEX_Port.  
Backbone fabric  
A backbone fabric is an intermediate network that connects one or more edge fabrics.  
In a SAN, the backbone fabric consists of at least one FC router and possibly a number of  
Fabric OS-based Fibre Channel switches (refer to Figure 76 on page 575).  
Inter-fabric link (IFL)  
The link between an E_Port and EX_Port, or VE_Port and VEX_Port, is called an inter-fabric link  
(IFL). You can configure multiple IFLs from an FC router to an edge fabric.  
Figure 74 shows a metaSAN consisting of three edge fabrics connected through a Brocade DCX  
with inter-fabric links.  
Target  
Host  
Target  
Edge  
Edge  
Edge  
fabric 1  
fabric 2  
fabric 3  
E_Port  
E_Port  
E_Port  
Fibre  
Channel  
switch  
IFL  
Fibre  
Channel  
switch  
IFL  
Long distance IFL  
EX_Ports  
FC router  
FIGURE 74 A metaSAN with inter-fabric links  
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Logical SANs (LSANs)  
An LSAN is defined by zones in two or more edge or backbone fabrics that contain the same  
devices. You can create LSANs that span fabrics. These LSANs enable Fibre Channel zones to  
cross physical SAN boundaries without merging the fabrics while maintaining the access  
controls of zones.  
An LSAN device can be a physical device, meaning that it physically exists in the fabric, or it can  
be a proxy device.  
Figure 75 shows a metaSAN with a backbone consisting of one FC router connecting hosts in  
edge fabrics 1 and 3 with storage in edge fabric 2 and the backbone fabric through the use of  
LSANs. Three LSAN zones allow device sharing between the backbone fabric and edge fabric 1,  
between edge fabric 1 and edge fabric 2, and between edge fabric 2 and edge fabric 3.  
VE_Port  
Edge fabric 2  
IP cloud  
Edge fabric 1  
Edge fabric 3  
E_Port  
E_Port  
IFL  
IFL  
IFL  
VEX_Port  
FC router  
EX_Port (2)  
= LSAN  
Backbone fabric  
FIGURE 75 A metaSAN with edge-to-edge and backbone fabrics and LSAN zones  
Proxy device  
A proxy device is a virtual device imported into a fabric by a Fibre Channel router, and  
represents a real device on another fabric. It has a name server entry and is assigned a valid  
port ID. When a proxy device is created in a fabric, the real Fibre Channel device is considered  
to be imported into this fabric. The presence of a proxy device is required for inter-fabric device  
communication. Refer to “Proxy devices” on page 575 for additional information about proxy  
devices.  
Proxy PID  
A proxy PID is the port ID (PID) of the proxy device. The proxy device appears to the fabric as a  
real Fibre Channel device, has a name server entry, and is assigned a valid port ID. The port ID  
is relevant only on the fabric in which the proxy device has been created.  
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Fabric ID (FID)  
Every EX_Port and VEX_Port uses the fabric ID (FID) to identify the fabric at the opposite end of  
the inter-fabric link. The FID for every edge fabric must be unique from the perspective of each  
backbone fabric.  
-
-
If multiple EX_Ports (or multiple VEX_Ports) are attached to the same edge fabric, they  
must be configured with the same FID.  
If EX_Ports and VEX_Ports are attached to different edge fabrics, they must be configured  
with a unique FID for each edge fabric.  
If two different backbone fabrics are connected to the same edge fabric, the backbone fabric  
IDs must be different, but the edge fabric IDs must be the same. If you configure the same  
fabric ID for two backbone fabrics that are connected to the same edge fabric, a RASLog  
message displays a warning about fabric ID overlap.  
NOTE  
Backbone fabrics that share connections to the same edge fabrics must have unique  
backbone fabric IDs.  
MetaSAN  
A metaSAN is the collection of all SANs interconnected with Fibre Channel routers.  
A simple metaSAN can be constructed using an FC router to connect two or more separate  
fabrics. Additional FC routers can be used to increase the available bandwidth between fabrics  
and to provide redundancy.  
Figure 76 shows a metaSAN consisting of a host in Edge SAN 1 connected to storage in Edge  
SAN 2 through a backbone fabric connecting two FC routers.  
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Fibre Channel routing concepts  
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ISL  
FC router  
FC router  
EX_Port  
EX_Port  
Backbone  
fabric  
IFL  
IFL  
E_Port  
E_Port  
Edge SAN 1  
Edge SAN 2  
= LSAN  
FIGURE 76 Edge SANs connected through a backbone fabric  
Phantom domains  
A phantom domain is a domain emulated by the Fibre Channel router. The FC router can  
emulate two types of phantom domains: front phantom domains and translate phantom  
domains. For detailed information about phantom domains, refer to “Phantom domains” on  
Proxy devices  
An FC router achieves inter-fabric device connectivity by creating proxy devices (hosts and targets)  
in attached fabrics that represent real devices in other fabrics. For example, a host in Fabric 1 can  
communicate with a target in Fabric 2 as follows:  
A proxy target in Fabric 1 represents the real target in Fabric 2.  
Likewise, a proxy host in Fabric 2 represents the real host in Fabric 1.  
The host discovers and sends Fibre Channel frames to the proxy target. The FC router receives  
these frames, translates them appropriately, and then delivers them to the destination fabric for  
delivery to the target.  
The target responds by sending frames to the proxy host. Hosts and targets are exported from the  
edge SAN to which they are attached and, correspondingly, imported into the edge SAN reached  
through Fibre Channel routing. Figure 77 illustrates this concept.  
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Proxy host  
(imported device)  
Host  
Proxy target  
(imported device)  
Target  
Fabric 1  
Fabric 2  
E_Port  
IFL  
E_Port  
EX_Port  
IFL  
FC router  
FIGURE 77 MetaSAN with imported devices  
FC-FC routing topologies  
The FC-FC routing service provides two types of routing:  
Edge-to-edge  
Occurs when devices in one edge fabric communicate with devices in another edge fabric  
through one or more FC routers.  
Backbone-to-edge  
Occurs when FC routers connect to a common fabric—known as a backbone fabric—through  
E_Ports. A backbone fabric can be used as a transport fabric that interconnects edge fabrics.  
FC routers also enable hosts and targets in edge fabrics to communicate with devices in the  
backbone fabric, known as backbone-to-edge routing. From the perspective of the edge fabric,  
the backbone fabric is like any other edge fabric. For the edge fabric and backbone fabric  
devices to communicate, the shared devices must be presented to each other's native fabric.  
To do so, at least one translate phantom domain is created in the backbone fabric. This  
translate phantom domain represents the entire edge fabric. The shared physical devices in  
the edge have corresponding proxy devices on the translate phantom domain.  
Each edge fabric has one and only one translate phantom domain to the backbone fabric. The  
backbone fabric device communicates with the proxy devices whenever it needs to contact the  
shared physical devices in the edge. The FC-FC routing service receives the frames from the  
backbone switches destined to the proxy devices, and redirects the frames to the actual  
physical devices. When connected to edge fabrics, the translate phantom domain can never be  
the principal switch of the backbone fabric. Front domains are not created; rather, only  
translate phantom domains are created in the backbone fabric.  
Devices are exported from the backbone fabric to one or more edge fabrics using LSANs. Refer to  
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Phantom domains  
A phantom domain is a domain created by the Fibre Channel router. The FC router creates two  
types of phantom domains: front phantom domains and translate phantom domains.  
A front phantom domain, or front domain, is a domain that is projected from the FC router to the  
edge fabric. There is one front phantom domain from each FC router to an edge fabric, regardless  
of the number of EX_Ports connected from that router to the edge fabric. Another FC router  
connected to the same edge fabric projects a different front phantom domain.  
A translate phantom domain, also referred to as translate domain or xlate domain, is a router  
virtual domain that represents an entire fabric. The EX_Ports present xlate domains in edge fabrics  
as being topologically behind the front domains; if the xlate domain is in a backbone fabric, then it  
is topologically present behind the FC router because there is no front domain in a backbone fabric.  
If an FC router is attached to an edge fabric using an EX_Port, it creates xlate domains in the fabric  
corresponding to the imported edge fabrics with active LSANs defined. If you import devices into  
the backbone fabric, then an xlate domain is created in the backbone device in addition to the one  
in the edge fabric.  
Figure 78 shows a sample physical topology. This figure shows four FC routers in a backbone fabric  
and four edge fabrics connected to the FC routers.  
Host  
Target 1  
Target 2  
Target 3  
Fabric 4  
Fabric 1  
Fabric 2  
Fabric 3  
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
EX  
EX  
EX  
EX  
EX  
EX  
EX  
FC router 1  
FC router 2  
FC router 3  
FC router 4  
FIGURE 78 Sample topology (physical topology)  
Figure 79 shows a phantom topology for the physical topology shown in Figure 78. In this figure,  
the dashed lines and shapes represent the phantom topology from the perspective of Fabric 1.  
Fabrics 2 and 3 also see phantom topologies, but they are not shown in this example. In this figure,  
note the following:  
Front domain 1 and Front domain 2 are front domains for EX_Ports connecting to Fabric 1.  
There is one front domain for each FC router that is connected to Fabric 1.  
Xlate domain 1 and Xlate domain 2 represent Fabrics 2 and 3, respectively. No xlate domain is  
created for Fabric 4 because there are no LSAN devices in Fabric 4.  
Target 1’, Target 2’, and Target 3’ are proxy devices for Target 1, Target 2, and Target 3,  
respectively.  
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Host 1  
Fabric 1  
Front domain 1  
(FC router 1)  
Front domain 2  
(FC router 2)  
Xlate domain 1  
(Fabric 2)  
Xlate domain 2  
(Fabric 3)  
Target 1'  
Target 2'  
Target 3'  
FIGURE 79 EX_Port phantom switch topology  
All EX_Ports or VEX_Ports connected to an edge fabric use the same xlate domain ID for an  
imported edge fabric; this value persists across switch reboots and fabric reconfigurations.  
If you lose connectivity to the edge fabric because of link failures or the IFL being disabled, xlate  
domains remain visible. This prevents unnecessary fabric disruptions caused by xlate domains  
repeatedly going offline and online due to corresponding IFL failures. To remove the xlate domain  
The combination of front domains and xlate domains allows routing around path failures, including  
path failures through the routers. The multiple paths to an xlate domain provide additional  
bandwidth and redundancy.  
There are some differences in how the xlate domain is presented in the backbone fabric. The  
backbone xlate domains are topologically connected to FC routers and participate in FC-FC routing  
protocol in the backbone fabric. Front domains are not needed in the backbone fabric. As in the  
case of an xlate domain in an edge fabric, backbone fabric xlate domains provide additional  
bandwidth and redundancy by being able to present themselves as connected to single or multiple  
FC routers with each FC router capable of connecting multiple IFLs to edge fabrics.  
Use the fcrXlateConfig command to display or assign a preferred domain ID to a translate domain  
or, in some scenarios, to prevent the creation of an unnecessary xlate domain. Refer to the Fabric  
OS Command Reference for more details about this command.  
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Identifying and deleting stale xlate domains  
If a remote edge fabric goes unreachable, the xlate domains created in other edge fabrics for this  
remote edge fabric are retained and not removed unless there is any disruption in the local edge  
fabric.  
You can use the fcrXlateConfig command to identify and remove these stale xlate domains without  
disrupting the fabric.  
1. Connect to the FC router and log in using an account with admin permissions.  
2. Enter the fcrXlateConfig --show command to identify any stale xlate domains.  
3. Enter the fcrXlateConfig --del command to delete the stale xlate domains.  
Example  
sw0:root> fcrxlateconfig --show stalexd  
Imported FID  
--------------------------------------------------  
012 002 007 ( this FCR )  
Stale XD  
Owner Domain  
sw0:root> fcrxlateconfig --del stalexd 12 2  
Xlate domain 2 is deleted  
FCR authentication  
A Brocade Fabric OS router (FCR) is capable of forming a secure link across fabrics. The EX_Port  
enabled router will exchange DH-CHAP protocol information with the edge fabric to enable  
authentication. Please note that while setting secret keys in the edge switch, the front phantom  
WWN should be used as the remote switch WWN in the edge fabric. The front phantom domain's  
WWN is available through the portCfgExport port command of the EX_Port connecting to the edge  
fabric. The FCR switch should use the edge switch's WWN to configure the secret keys. Refer to  
FCR behaves passively to the authentication requests received from Edge fabric switches. A  
Fabric OS Router will never initiate authentication on an EX_Port and will only respond to the edge  
fabric requests.  
NOTE  
Changing the switch auth policy mode does not affect online EX_Port, so it is acceptable to leave the  
default Passive policy configured on the Fabric OS Router while the Active or On policy is required on  
the edge switch.  
Setting up FC-FC routing  
To set up FC-FC routing, perform the following tasks in the order listed.  
1. Verify that you have the proper setup for FC-FC routing. (Refer to “Verifying the setup for FC-FC  
2. Assign backbone fabric IDs. (Refer to “Backbone fabric IDs” on page 581.)  
3. Configure FCIP tunnels if you are connecting Fibre Channel SANs over IP-based networks.  
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Setting up FC-FC routing  
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4. Configure IFLs for edge and backbone fabric connection. (Refer to “Inter-fabric link  
5. Modify port cost for EX_Ports, if you want to change from the default settings. (Refer to “FC  
6. Configure trunking on EX_Ports that are connected to the same edge fabric. (Refer to “EX_Port  
7. Configure LSAN zones to enable communication between devices in different fabrics. (Refer to  
configuration options for Brocade Backbones.  
Verifying the setup for FC-FC routing  
Before configuring a fabric to connect to another fabric, you must perform the following verification  
checks on the FC router.  
1. Log in to the switch or Backbone as admin and enter the version command. Verify that  
Fabric OS v7.0.1 is installed on the FC router as shown in the following example.  
switch:admin> version  
Kernel:  
2.6.14.2  
Fabric OS: v7.0.1  
Made on:  
Flash:  
BootProm:  
Fri Nov 18 01:15:34 2011  
Mon Nov 21 20:53:48 2011  
1.0.9  
2. If you are configuring a Backbone, enter the slotShow command to verify that an FX8-24 blade  
is present or an 8-Gbps or 16-Gbps port blade is present. The following example shows slots 1,  
2, 3, 9, 10, and 12 with 8-Gbps port blades enabled.  
switch:admin> slotshow -m  
Slot  
Blade Type  
ID  
Model Name  
Status  
--------------------------------------------------  
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
SW BLADE  
SW BLADE  
SW BLADE  
SW BLADE  
CORE BLADE  
CP BLADE  
CP BLADE  
CORE BLADE  
SW BLADE  
SW BLADE  
UNKNOWN  
37  
37  
37  
39  
52  
50  
50  
52  
37  
55  
FC8-16  
FC8-16  
FC8-16  
FC8-16  
CORE8  
CP8  
ENABLED  
ENABLED  
ENABLED  
ENABLED  
ENABLED  
ENABLED  
ENABLED  
ENABLED  
ENABLED  
ENABLED  
VACANT  
CP8  
CORE8  
FC8-16  
FC8-32  
10  
11  
12  
SW BLADE  
51  
FC8-48  
ENABLED  
Refer to Chapter 3, “Performing Advanced Configuration Tasks,” for a list of blades and their  
corresponding IDs.  
3. Enter the licenseShow command to verify that the Integrated Routing license is installed.  
switch:admin> licenseshow  
S9bddb9SQbTAceeC:  
Fabric license  
bzbzRcbcSc0c0SY:  
Remote Fabric license  
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Backbone fabric IDs  
24  
RyeSzRScycazfT0G:  
Integrated Routing license  
If you are connecting to a Fabric OS or M-EOS fabric and the Integrated Routing license is not  
Integrated Routing license is not required if you are connecting to a Brocade Network OS fabric.  
4. Verify that the Fabric-Wide Consistency Policy is not in “strict” mode by issuing the fddCfg  
--showall command. When it is in strict mode, ACL cannot support Fibre Channel routing in the  
fabric.  
switch:admin> fddcfg --showall  
Local Switch Configuration for all Databases:-  
DATABASE - Accept/Reject  
---------------------------------------  
SCC - accept  
DCC - accept  
PWD - accept  
Fabric-Wide Consistency Policy :- "SCC:S;DCC"  
If the Fabric-Wide Consistency Policy has the letter “S” in it in the edge fabric or the backbone  
fabric, do not connect the edge fabric to the FC router. The letter “S” (shown in the preceding  
sample output) indicates the policy is strict. The fabric-wide policy must be tolerant before you  
can connect fabrics to the FC router. Refer to Chapter 7, “Configuring Security Policies” for  
information about configuring the fabric-wide consistency policy.  
5. For 8-Gbps platforms, delete fabric mode Top Talker monitors, if they are configured. Refer to  
FC-FC routing and fabric mode Top Talker monitors are not concurrently supported on 8-Gbps  
platforms.  
FC-FC routing and fabric mode Top Talker monitors are concurrently supported only on the  
Brocade 6510 and 6520 switches, and on the Brocade DCX Backbone family with only  
16-Gbps-capable ports.  
Backbone fabric IDs  
If your configuration has only one backbone fabric, then you do not need to assign a backbone  
fabric ID because the backbone fabric ID in this situation defaults to a value of 128. The default  
backbone fabric ID is 1 if Virtual Fabrics is disabled.  
All switches in a backbone fabric must have the same backbone fabric ID. You can configure the  
backbone fabric ID using the fcrConfigure command. The backbone fabric ID must be unique from  
the perspective of every attached edge fabric. Fabric ID changes made on a switch are not  
propagated to other switches in the backbone fabric. Rather, the backbone fabric administrator is  
responsible for making sure that all switches in the backbone have the same fabric ID. Because  
fabric IDs are used heavily by the routing protocol between the Fibre Channel routers, using the  
wrong fabric ID can affect both edge-to-edge and backbone-to-edge routing.  
In addition to ensuring that the backbone fabric IDs are the same within the same backbone, you  
must make sure that when two different backbones are connected to the same edge fabric, the  
backbone fabric IDs are different, but the edge fabric ID should be the same. Configuration of two  
backbones with the same backbone fabric ID that are connected to the same edge is invalid. In this  
configuration, a RASLog message displays a warning about fabric ID overlap. When two backbone  
fabrics are not connected to the same edge, they can have the same backbone fabric ID.  
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FCIP tunnel configuration  
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ATTENTION  
In a multi-switch backbone fabric, modification of the FID within the backbone fabric will cause  
disruption to local traffic.  
Assigning backbone fabric IDs  
1. Log in to the switch or Backbone.  
2. Enter the switchDisable command if EX_Ports are online.  
3. Enter the fosConfig --disable fcr command to disable the FC-FC routing service.  
The default state for the FCR is disabled.  
4. Enter the fcrConfigure command. At the prompt, enter the fabric ID, or press Enter to keep the  
current fabric ID, which is displayed in brackets.  
5. Verify the backbone fabric ID is different from that set for edge fabrics.  
Multiple FC routers attached to the same backbone fabric must have the same backbone  
fabric ID.  
6. Enter the fosConfig --enable fcr command.  
7. Enter the switchEnable command.  
Example  
switch:admin> switchdisable  
switch:admin> fosconfig --disable fcr  
FC Router service is disabled  
switch:admin> fcrconfigure  
FC Router parameter set. <cr> to skip a parameter  
Please make sure new Backbone Fabric ID does not conflict with any configured  
EX-Port's Fabric ID  
Backbone fabric ID: (1-128)[128]  
switch:admin> fosconfig --enable fcr  
FC Router service is enabled  
switch:admin> switchenable  
FCIP tunnel configuration  
The optional Fibre Channel over IP (FCIP) Tunneling Service enables you to use “tunnels” to  
connect instances of Fibre Channel SANs over IP-based networks to transport all Fibre Channel ISL  
and IFL traffic. FCIP is a prerequisite for configuring VEX_Ports; if you are only using FC_Ports, then  
there is no need to configure FCIP tunnels.  
If using FCIP in your FC-FC routing configuration, you must first configure FCIP tunnels. Once a  
tunnel is created, it defaults to a disabled state. Then configure the VE_Port or VEX_Port. After the  
appropriate ports are configured, enable the tunnel.  
NOTE  
FCIP tunnel configuration is applicable only to Fabric OS fabrics and does not apply to Brocade  
Network OS or M-EOS fabrics.  
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Inter-fabric link configuration  
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Refer to the Fibre Channel over IP Administrator’s Guide for instructions on how to configure FCIP  
tunnels.  
Inter-fabric link configuration  
Before configuring an inter-fabric link (IFL), be aware that you cannot configure both IFLs (EX_Ports,  
VEX_Ports) and ISLs (E_Ports) from a backbone fabric to the same edge fabric.  
Configuring an inter-fabric link involves disabling ports and cabling them to other fabrics,  
configuring those ports for their intended uses, and then enabling the ports.  
To configure a 16-Gbps IFL, both the EX_Port and the connecting E_Port must be 16-Gbps ports.  
ATTENTION  
To ensure that fabrics remain isolated, disable the port prior to inserting the cable. If you are  
configuring an EX_Port, disable the port prior to making the connection.  
Configuring an IFL for both edge and backbone connections  
1. On the FC router, disable the port that you are configuring as an EX_Port (the one connected to  
the Fabric OS switch) by issuing the portDisable command.  
switch:admin> portdisable 7/10  
You can verify that the port has been disabled by issuing the portShow command for the port.  
2. Configure each port that connects to an edge fabric as an EX_Port or VEX_Port. Note the  
following:  
portCfgVEXPort works only on VE_Ports.  
portCfgEXPort (only on the FC ports on the FC router) commands work only on ports that  
are capable of FC-FC routing.  
Use the portCfgEXPort or portCfgVEXPort command to:  
Enable or disable EX_Port or VEX_Port mode.  
Set the fabric ID (avoid using fabric IDs 1 and 128, which are the default IDs for backbone  
connections).  
Configure an EX_Port to connect to a Brocade Network OS fabric (portCfgEXPort only).  
The following example configures an EX_Port and assigns a Fabric ID of 30 to port 10.  
switch:admin> portcfgexport 7/10 -a 1 -f 30  
switch:admin> portcfgexport 7/10  
Port  
7/10  
info  
Admin:  
State:  
enabled  
NOT OK  
Pid format:  
Operate mode:  
Not Applicable  
Brocade Native  
30  
Edge Fabric ID:  
Preferred Domain ID:  
Front WWN:  
Fabric Parameters:  
R_A_TOV:  
160  
50:06:06:9e:20:38:6e:1e  
Auto Negotiate  
Not Applicable  
Not Applicable  
E_D_TOV:  
Authentication Type: None  
DH Group: N/A  
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Inter-fabric link configuration  
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Hash Algorithm: N/A  
Edge fabric's primary wwn: N/A  
Edge fabric's version stamp: N/A  
This port can now connect to another switch.  
The following example configures an EX_Port for connecting to a Brocade Network OS fabric.  
The -m 5 option indicates Network OS connectivity.  
switch:admin> portcfgexport 1/5 -a 1 -f 15 -m 5  
switch:admin> portcfgexport 1/5  
Port  
1/5  
info  
Admin:  
State:  
enabled  
NOT OK  
Pid format:  
Operate mode:  
Edge Fabric ID:  
Not Applicable  
Brocade NOS  
15  
(output truncated)  
For related FC-FC routing commands, refer to fcrEdgeShow, fcrXlateConfig, fcrConfigure, and  
fcrProxyConfig in the Fabric OS Command Reference.  
A Fibre Channel router can interconnect multiple fabrics. EX_Ports or VEX_Ports attached to  
more than one edge fabric must configure a different fabric ID for each edge fabric.  
3. (Optional) Configure FC router port cost if you want to change the default values. For  
information about using FC router port cost operations, refer to “FC router port cost  
4. (Optional) Set up ISL or EX_Port trunking. For information on trunking setup, refer to  
5. Enter the portEnable command to enable the ports that you disabled in step 1.  
switch:admin> portenable 7/10  
6. Physically attach ISLs from the Fibre Channel router to the edge fabric.  
7. Enter the portCfgShow command to view ports that are persistently disabled.  
FC ports on the Brocade 7800 switches and FX8-24 blades are configured as persistently  
disabled by default, to avoid inadvertent fabric merges when installing a new FC router.  
switch:admin> portcfgshow 7/10  
Area Number:  
Speed Level:  
Trunk Port  
74  
AUTO  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
ON  
Long Distance  
VC Link Init  
Locked L_Port  
Locked G_Port  
Disabled E_Port  
ISL R_RDY Mode  
RSCN Suppressed  
Persistent Disable  
NPIV capability  
EX Port  
ON  
Mirror Port  
ON  
FC Fastwrite  
ON  
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Inter-fabric link configuration  
24  
8. After identifying such ports, enter the portCfgPersistentEnable command to enable the port,  
and then the portCfgShow command to verify the port is enabled.  
switch:admin> portcfgpersistentenable 7/10  
switch:admin> portcfgshow 7/10  
Area Number:  
Speed Level:  
Trunk Port  
74  
AUTO  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
OFF  
ON  
Long Distance  
VC Link Init  
Locked L_Port  
Locked G_Port  
Disabled E_Port  
ISL R_RDY Mode  
RSCN Suppressed  
Persistent Disable  
NPIV capability  
EX Port  
ON  
Mirror Port  
ON  
FC Fastwrite  
ON  
9. Enter either the portCfgEXPort or portShow command to verify that each port is configured  
correctly.  
switch:admin> portcfgexport 7/10  
Port  
7/10  
info  
Admin:  
State:  
enabled  
NOT OK  
Pid format:  
Operate mode:  
Not Applicable  
Brocade Native  
30  
Edge Fabric ID:  
Preferred Domain ID:  
Front WWN:  
Fabric Parameters:  
R_A_TOV:  
160  
50:06:06:9e:20:38:6e:1e  
Auto Negotiate  
Not Applicable  
Not Applicable  
E_D_TOV:  
Authentication Type: None  
DH Group: N/A  
Hash Algorithm: N/A  
Edge fabric's primary wwn: N/A  
Edge fabric's version stamp: N/A  
switch:admin_06> portshow 7/10  
portName:  
portHealth: OFFLINE  
Authentication: None  
EX_Port Mode:  
Fabric ID:  
Enabled  
30  
Front Phantom: state = Not OK Pref Dom ID: 160  
Fabric params: R_A_TOV: 0  
E_D_TOV: 0  
PID fmt: auto  
Authentication Type: None  
Hash Algorithm: N/A  
DH Group: N/A  
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Inter-fabric link configuration  
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Edge fabric's primary wwn: N/A  
Edge fabric's version stamp: N/A  
portDisableReason: None  
portCFlags: 0x1  
portFlags: 0x1  
portType: 10.0  
portState: 2  
PRESENT U_PORT EX_PORT  
Offline  
portPhys: 2  
No_Module  
portScn:  
0
port generation number:  
0
portId:  
portIfId:  
portWwn:  
014a00  
4372080f  
20:4a:00:60:69:e2:03:86  
portWwn of device(s) connected:  
Distance: normal  
portSpeed: N4Gbps  
LE domain: 0  
FC Fastwrite: ON  
Interrupts:  
Unknown:  
Lli:  
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Link_failure: 0  
Loss_of_sync: 0  
Loss_of_sig: 2  
Protocol_err: 0  
Invalid_word: 0  
Invalid_crc: 0  
Frjt :  
Fbsy :  
0
0
Proc_rqrd:  
Timed_out:  
Rx_flushed:  
Tx_unavail:  
Free_buffer:  
Overrun:  
Suspended:  
Parity_err:  
2_parity_err:  
CMI_bus_err:  
Delim_err:  
0
Address_err: 0  
Lr_in:  
0
0
0
0
Lr_out:  
Ols_in:  
Ols_out:  
Port part of other ADs: No  
10. Enter the switchShow command to verify the EX_Port (or VEX_Port), edge fabric ID, and name  
of the edge fabric switch (containing the E_Port or VE_Port) are correct.  
11. Enter the fcrFabricShow command to view any edge fabric switch names and ensure links are  
working as expected.  
NOTE  
The fcrFabricShow command displays the static IPv6 addresses for each FC router and each  
edge fabric switch connected to the EX_Ports.  
switch:admin> fcrfabricshow  
FCR WWN: 10:00:00:05:1e:13:59:00, Dom ID: 2, Info: 10.32.156.52  
1080::8:800:200C:1234/64,"Spirit-2"  
"fcr_5300"  
EX_Port FID Neighbor Switch Info (WWN, enet IP, name)  
---------------------------------------------------------------  
7 10 10:00:00:05:1e:34:11:e5 10.32.156.33 "5300" 1080::8:8FF:FE0C:417A/64  
4 116 10:00:00:05:1e:37:00:44 10.32.156.34 "5300"  
FCR WWN: 10:00:00:05:1e:12:e0:00, Dom ID: 100, Info:10.32.156.50  
1080::8:60F:FE0C:456A/64  
"fcr_5300"  
EX_Port FID Neighbor Switch Info (WWN, enet IP, name)  
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FC router port cost configuration  
24  
------------------------------------------------------------------------  
4 95 10:00:00:05:1e:37:00:45 10.32.156.31 "5300"  
FCR WWN: 10:00:00:05:1e:12:e0:00, Dom ID: 100, Info: 10.32.156.50,  
"fcr_Brocade 5300"  
EX_Port FID Neighbor Switch Info (WWN, enet IP, name)  
------------------------------------------------------------------------  
4 95 10:00:00:05:1e:37:00:45 10.32.156.31 "Brocade 5300"  
5 95 10:00:00:05:1e:37:00:45 10.32.156.31 "Brocade 5300"  
6 95 10:00:00:05:1e:37:00:45 10.32.156.31 "Brocade 5300"  
12. Enter the iflshow command to display the FCR details and ensure the fabric is functioning  
correctly.  
switch:FID128:root> iflshow  
E-Port EX-Port FCR-WWN  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
1 : 350 --> 12 10:00:08:00:88:04:93:94 39 fcr_sw 4G  
FCR-FID  
FCR-Name  
Speed  
BW  
8G  
TRUNK  
FC router port cost configuration  
The FC router port cost is set automatically. This section provides information about the router port  
cost and describes how you can modify the cost for a port if you want to change the default value.  
FC routers optimize the usage of the router port links by directing traffic to the link with the  
smallest router port cost. The FC router port cost is similar to the link cost setting available on  
E_Ports, which allows you to customize traffic flow. The router port link cost values are either 1000  
or 10,000. The router module chooses the router port path based on the lowest cost for each FID  
connection. If multiple paths exist where one path costs less than the others, then the lowest cost  
path is used. If exchange-based routing has not been disabled and multiple paths exist with the  
same lowest cost, there will be load sharing over these paths.  
The FC router port cost feature optimizes the usage of the router port links by directing the traffic to  
a link with a smaller cost.  
Every IFL has a default cost. The default router port cost values are:  
1000 for a legacy (v5.1 or XPath FCR) IFL  
1000 for an EX_Port IFL  
10,000 for a VEX_Port IFL  
The FC router port cost settings are 0, 1000, or 10,000. If the cost is set to 0, the default cost will  
be used for that IFL. The FC router port cost is persistent and is saved in the existing port  
configuration file.  
FC router port cost is passed to other routers in the same backbone. Link costs from the front  
domain to the translate (xlate) domain remain at 10,000. You can use the lsDbShow command  
from the edge fabric to display these link costs.  
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FC router port cost configuration  
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Port cost considerations  
The router port cost has the following considerations:  
Router port sets are defined as follows:  
-
-
0–7 and FCIP Tunnel 16–23  
8–15 and FCIP Tunnel 24–31  
The router port cost does not help distinguish one IFL (or EX_ and VEX_Port link) from another,  
if all the IFLs are connected to the same port set. Therefore, if you connect IFL1 and IFL2 to the  
same edge fabric in port set 0–7 and then configure them to different router port costs, traffic  
is still balanced across all the IFLs in the same port set.  
Use proper SAN design guidelines to connect the IFLs to different port sets for effective router  
port cost use. For example, if both a low-speed IFL and a high-speed IFL are going to the same  
edge fabric, connect the lower router cost IFL to a separate port group (for example, ports 0–7)  
than the higher router cost IFL (for example, ports 8–15). For VEX_Ports, you would use ports  
in the range of 16–23 or 24–31.  
You can connect multiple EX_Ports or VEX_Ports to the same edge fabric. The EX_Ports can all be  
on the same FC router, or they can be on multiple routers. Multiple EX_Ports create multiple paths  
for frame routing. Multiple paths can be used in two different, but compatible, ways:  
Failing over from one path to another.  
Using multiple paths in parallel to increase effective data transmission rates.  
EX_Ports and VEX_Ports, when connected, are assigned different router port costs and traffic will  
flow only through the EX_Ports. Routing failover is automatic, but it can result in frames arriving out  
of order when frames take different routes. The FC router can force in-order delivery, although  
frame delivery is delayed immediately after the path failover.  
Source EX_Ports can balance loads across multiple destination EX_Ports attached to the same  
edge fabric using exchange IDs from the routed frames as keys to distribute the traffic.  
Setting router port cost for an EX_Port  
The router port cost value for an EX_Port is set automatically when the EX_Port is created. However,  
you can modify the cost for that port. You can configure the EX_Port or VEX_Port with values of  
either 1000 or 10,000. If you want to differentiate between two EX_Port links with different speeds,  
you can assign 1000 to one link and 10,000 to the other link.  
For details about the use of any of the following commands, refer to the Fabric OS Command  
Reference.  
1. Enter the portDisable command to disable any port on which you want to set the router port  
cost.  
switch:admin> portdisable 7/10  
2. Enable EX_Port or VEX_Port mode with the portCfgEXPort or portCfgVEXPort command.  
switch:admin> portcfgexport 7/10 -a 1  
3. Enter the fcrRouterPortCost command to display the router port cost for each EX_Port.  
switch:admin> fcrrouterportcost  
Port  
Cost  
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EX_Port frame trunking configuration  
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------------------------  
7/3  
7/4  
7/9  
7/10  
7/13  
10/0  
1000  
1000  
1000  
1000  
1000  
1000  
You can also use the fcrRouteShow command to display the router port cost.  
To display the router port cost for a single EX_Port, enter the fcrRouterPortCost command with  
a port and slot number.  
switch:admin> fcrrouterportcost 7/10  
Port  
------------------------  
7/10 1000  
Cost  
4. Enter the appropriate form of the fcrRouterPortCost command based on the task you want to  
perform:  
To set the router port cost for a single EX_Port, enter the command with a port and slot  
number and a specific cost:  
switch:admin> fcrrouterportcost 7/10 10000  
To set the cost of the EX_Port back to the default, enter a cost value of 0:  
switch:admin> fcrrouterportcost 7/10 0  
5. Enter the portEnable command to enable the ports that you disabled in step 1.  
switch:admin> portenable 7/10  
EX_Port frame trunking configuration  
You can configure EX_Ports to use frame-based trunking just as you do regular E_Ports. EX_Port  
frame trunking support is designed to provide the best utilization and balance of frames  
transmitted on each link between the FC router and the edge fabric. You should trunk all ports  
connected to the same edge fabrics.  
The FC router front domain has a higher node WWN—derived from the FC router—than that of the  
edge fabric. Therefore, the FC router front domain initiates the trunking protocol on the EX_Port.  
After initiation, the first port from the trunk group that comes online is designated as the master  
port. The other ports that come online on the trunk group are considered the slave ports. Adding or  
removing a slave port does not cause frame drop; however, removing a slave port causes the loss  
of frames in transit.  
The restrictions for EX_Port frame trunking are the same as for E_Ports—all the ports must be  
adjacent to each other using the clearly marked groups on the front of the product.  
ATTENTION  
This feature should be enabled only if the entire configuration is running Fabric OS v5.2.0 or later.  
If router port cost is used with EX_Port trunking, the master port and slave ports share the router  
port cost of the master port.  
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LSAN zone configuration  
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For information about setting up E_Port trunking on an edge fabric, refer to Chapter 22, “Managing  
LSAN zone configuration  
An LSAN consists of zones in two or more edge or backbone fabrics that contain the same devices.  
LSANs provide selective device connectivity between fabrics without forcing you to merge those  
fabrics. FC routers provide multiple mechanisms to manage inter-fabric device connectivity through  
extensions to existing switch management interfaces. You can define and manage LSANs using  
Brocade Advanced Zoning.  
NOTE  
For performance reasons, Brocade recommends that you do not configure LSANs for device sharing  
between Fabric OS fabrics until after you activate the Integrated Routing license.  
Use of Admin Domains with LSAN zones and FC-FC routing  
You can create LSAN zones as a physical fabric administrator or as an individual Admin Domain  
(AD) administrator. The LSAN zone can be part of the root zone database or the AD zone database.  
FCR harvests the LSAN zones from all administrative domains. If both edge fabrics have the  
matching LSAN zones and both devices are online, FCR triggers a device import. To support legacy  
applications, WWNs are reported based on the Admin Domain context. As a result, you must not  
use the network address authority (NAA) field in the WWN to detect an FC router. LSAN zone  
enforcement in the local fabric occurs only if the Admin Domain member list contains both of the  
devices (local and imported device) specified in the LSAN zone.  
For more information, refer to Chapter 17, “Managing Administrative Domains”.  
Zone definition and naming  
Zones are defined locally on a switch or Backbone. Names and memberships, with the exception of  
hosts and targets exported from one fabric to another, do not need to be coordinated with other  
fabrics. For example, in Figure 76 on page 575, when the zones for Edge SAN 1 are defined, you do  
not need to consider the zones in Edge SAN 2, and vice versa.  
Zones that contain hosts and targets that are shared between the two fabrics must be explicitly  
coordinated. To share devices between any two fabrics, you must create an LSAN zone in both  
fabrics containing the port WWNs of the devices to be shared. Although an LSAN is managed using  
the same tools as any other zone on the edge fabric, two behaviors distinguish an LSAN from a  
conventional zone:  
A required naming convention. The name of an LSAN begins with the prefix “LSAN_”. The LSAN  
name is not case-sensitive; for example, lsan_ is equivalent to LSAN_, Lsan_, and so on.  
Members must be identified by their port WWN because port IDs are not necessarily unique  
across fabrics. The names of the zones need not be explicitly the same, and membership lists  
of the zones need not be in the same order.  
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LSAN zone configuration  
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NOTE  
The "LSAN_" prefix must appear at the beginning of the zone name. LSAN zones may not be  
combined with QoS zones. Refer to “QoS zones” on page 525 for more information about the  
naming convention for QoS zones.  
To enable device sharing across multiple fabrics, you must create LSAN zones on the edge fabrics  
(and optionally on the backbone fabric as well), using normal zoning operations to create zones  
with names that begin with the special prefix “LSAN_”, and adding host and target port WWNs from  
both local and remote fabrics to each local zone as desired. Zones on the backbone and on  
multiple edge fabrics that share a common set of devices will be recognized as constituting a single  
multi-fabric LSAN zone, and the devices that they have in common will be able to communicate  
with each other across fabric boundaries.  
LSAN zones and fabric-to-fabric communications  
Zoning is enforced by all involved fabrics; any communication from one fabric to another must be  
allowed by the zoning setup on both fabrics. If the SANs are under separate administrative control,  
then separate administrators maintain access control.  
Controlling device communication with the LSAN  
The following procedure illustrates how LSANs control which devices can communicate with each  
other. The procedure shows the creation of two LSANs (called lsan_zone_fabric75 and  
lsan_zone_fabric2), which involve the following devices and connections:  
Switch1 and the host in fabric75.  
Switch2, Target A, and Target B in fabric2.  
Switch1 is connected to the FC router using an EX_Port or VEX_Port.  
Switch2 is connected to the FC router using another EX_Port or VEX_Port.  
Host has WWN 10:00:00:00:c9:2b:c9:0c (connected to switch1).  
Target A has WWN 50:05:07:61:00:5b:62:ed (connected to switch2).  
Target B has WWN 50:05:07:61:00:49:20:b4 (connected to switch2).  
1. Log in as admin and connect to switch1.  
2. Enter the nsShow command to list the WWN of the host (10:00:00:00:c9:2b:c9:0c).  
NOTE  
The nsShow output displays the LSAN zone status of a device, the port WWN, and the node  
WWN; the port WWN must be used for LSANs.  
switch:admin> nsshow  
{
Type Pid  
TTL(sec)  
COS  
PortName  
NodeName  
N
060f00; 2,3;  
FC4s: FCP  
10:00:00:00:c9:2b:c9:0c; 20:00:00:00:c9:2b:c9:0c; na  
NodeSymb: [35] "Emulex LP9002 FV3.91A3 DV5-5.20A6 "  
Fabric Port Name: 20:0f:00:05:1e:37:00:44  
Permanent Port Name: 10:00:00:00:c9:2b:c9:0c  
LSAN: Yes  
The Local Name Server has 1 entry }  
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LSAN zone configuration  
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3. Enter the zoneCreate command to create the LSAN lsan_zone_fabric75, which includes the  
host.  
switch:admin> zonecreate "lsan_zone_fabric75", "10:00:00:00:c9:2b:c9:0c"  
4. Enter the zoneAdd command to add Target A to the LSAN.  
FID75Domain5:admin> zoneadd "lsan_zone_fabric75", "50:05:07:61:00:5b:62:ed"  
5. Enter the cfgAdd or cfgCreate and cfgEnable commands to add and enable the LSAN  
configuration.  
switch:admin> cfgadd "zone_cfg", "lsan_zone_fabric75"  
switch:admin> cfgenable "zone_cfg"  
You are about to enable a new zoning configuration.  
This action will replace the old zoning configuration with the  
current configuration selected.  
Do you want to enable 'zone_cfg' configuration (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
zone config "zone_cfg" is in effect  
Updating flash …  
6. Log in as admin to fabric2.  
7. Enter the nsShow command to list Target A (50:05:07:61:00:5b:62:ed) and Target B  
(50:05:07:61:00:49:20:b4).  
switch:admin> nsshow  
{
Type Pid  
COS  
PortName  
NodeName  
TTL(sec)  
NL  
0508e8; 3;  
50:05:07:61:00:5b:62:ed;  
50:05:07:61:00:1b:62:ed; na  
FC4s: FCP [IBM  
DNEF-309170  
F90F]  
Fabric Port Name: 20:08:00:05:1e:34:11:e5  
Permanent Port Name: 50:05:07:61:00:5b:62:ed  
NL  
0508ef; 3;  
FC4s: FCP [IBM  
50:05:07:61:00:49:20:b4;  
DNEF-309170 F90F]  
50:05:07:61:00:09:20:b4; na  
Fabric Port Name: 20:08:00:05:1e:34:11:e5  
Permanent Port Name: 50:05:07:61:00:49:20:b4  
LSAN: Yes  
The Local Name Server has 2 entries }  
8. Enter the zoneCreate command to create the LSAN lsan_zone_fabric2, which includes the host  
(10:00:00:00:c9:2b:6a:2c), Target A, and Target B.  
switch:admin> zonecreate "lsan_zone_fabric2",  
"10:00:00:00:c9:2b:c9:0c;50:05:07:61:00:5b:62:ed;50:05:07:61:00:49:20:b4"  
9. Enter the cfgShow command to verify that the zones are correct.  
switch:admin> cfgshow  
Defined configuration:  
zone: lsan_zone_fabric2  
10:00:00:00:c9:2b:c9:0c; 50:05:07:61:00:5b:62:ed;  
50:05:07:61:00:49:20:b4  
Effective configuration:  
no configuration in effect  
10. Enter the cfgAdd and cfgEnable commands to create and enable the LSAN configuration.  
switch:admin> cfgadd "zone_cfg", "lsan_zone_fabric2"  
switch:admin> cfgenable "zone_cfg"  
You are about to enable a new zoning configuration.  
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LSAN zone configuration  
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This action will replace the old zoning configuration with the  
current configuration selected.  
Do you want to enable 'zone_cfg' configuration (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
zone config "zone_cfg" is in effect  
Updating flash ...  
11. Log in as an admin and connect to the FC router.  
12. Enter the following commands to display information about the LSANs:  
lsanZoneShow -s shows the LSAN.  
switch:admin> lsanzoneshow -s  
Fabric ID: 2 Zone Name: lsan_zone_fabric2  
10:00:00:00:c9:2b:c9:0c Imported  
50:05:07:61:00:5b:62:ed EXIST  
50:05:07:61:00:49:20:b4 EXIST  
Fabric ID: 75 Zone Name: lsan_zone_fabric75  
10:00:00:00:c9:2b:c9:0c EXIST  
50:05:07:61:00:5b:62:ed Imported  
fcrPhyDevShow shows the physical devices in the LSAN.  
switch:admin> fcrphydevshow  
Device  
Exists  
WWN  
Physical  
PID  
in Fabric  
-----------------------------------------  
75 10:00:00:00:c9:2b:c9:0c c70000  
2 50:05:07:61:00:49:20:b4 0100ef  
2 50:05:07:61:00:5b:62:ed 0100e8  
Total devices displayed: 3  
fcrProxyDevShow shows the proxy devices in the LSAN.  
switch:admin> fcrproxydevshow  
Proxy  
Created  
in Fabric  
WWN  
Proxy  
PID  
Device  
Exists  
in Fabric  
Physical  
PID  
State  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------  
75  
2
50:05:07:61:00:5b:62:ed 01f001  
10:00:00:00:c9:2b:c9:0c 02f000  
2
75  
0100e8  
c70000  
Imported  
Imported  
Total devices displayed: 2  
On the FC router, the host and Target A are imported, because both are defined by  
lsan_zone_fabric2 and lsan_zone_fabric75. However, Target B is defined by lsan_zone_fabric2  
and is not imported because lsan_zone_fabric75 does not allow it.  
When a PLOGI, PDISC, or ADISC arrives at the FC router, the SID and DID of the frame are checked.  
If they are LSAN-zoned at both SID and DID edge fabrics, the frame is forwarded to the DID. If they  
are not zoned, only the PLOGI is dropped; for the remaining frames zoning enforcement takes place  
in the edge fabrics.  
Configuring backbone fabrics for interconnectivity  
If you want devices in backbone fabrics to communicate with devices in edge fabrics, set up the  
However, instead of configuring the LSAN in the second edge fabric, configure the LSAN in the  
backbone fabric.  
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LSAN zone configuration  
24  
Setting the maximum LSAN count  
You can set the maximum number of LSAN zones, or LSAN count, that can be configured on the  
edge fabrics. By default, the maximum LSAN count is set to 3000. You can increase the maximum  
LSAN count to 5000 without disabling the switch.  
The maximum number of LSAN devices supported is 10,000 (this includes both physical and proxy  
devices). If you have 3000 LSAN zones but have not exceeded the 10,000 device limit, you can  
increase the LSAN count to 5000.  
All FC routers in the same backbone fabric should have the same maximum LSAN count defined, to  
prevent the FC routers from running into indefinite state. Asymmetric LSAN configurations due to  
different maximum LSAN counts could lead to different devices being imported on different FC  
routers.  
1. Enter the fcrlsancount command with no parameters to display the current LSAN limit.  
switch:admin> fcrlsancount  
LSAN Zone Limit 3000  
2. Enter the fcrlsancount command and specify the new LSAN zone limit.  
switch:admin> fcrlsancount 5000  
LSAN Zone Limit 5000  
For information on how to display the maximum allowed and currently used LSAN zones and  
NOTE  
Because the maximum number of LSANs is configured for each switch, if there is a different  
maximum LSAN count on the switches throughout the metaSAN, then the device import/export will  
not be identical on the FC routers. You should enter the same maximum LSAN count for all the FC  
routers in the same backbone that support this feature. Verify the configured maximum limit against  
the LSANs configured using the fcrResourceShow command.  
HA and downgrade considerations for LSAN zones  
Be aware of how LSAN zones impact high availability and firmware downgrades:  
The LSAN zone matrix is synchronized to the standby CP.  
On a dual CP switch, both CPs must have Fabric OS v5.3.0 or later to enable the feature.  
If the feature is enabled on the active CP, introducing a CP with an earlier version of Fabric OS  
as a standby will cause HA synchronization to fail.  
If the feature is enabled, before downgrading to an earlier Fabric OS version, you will be asked  
to go back to the default mode.  
This feature does not have any impact on current HA functionality. LSANs will be synchronized  
as usual after the limit is increased and new LSANs are created.  
LSAN zone policies using LSAN tagging  
You can create tags for LSAN zones to give them a special meaning.  
LSAN zones are zones with names that start with the “lsan_” prefix. You can specify a tag to  
append to this prefix that causes the LSAN zone to be treated differently.  
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LSAN zone configuration  
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You can specify two types of tags:  
Enforce tag – Specifies which LSANs are to be enforced in an FC router.  
Speed tag – Specifies which LSANs are to be imported or exported faster than other LSANs.  
The LSAN tags are persistently saved and support configupload and configdownload.  
Enforce tag  
The Enforce tag reduces the resources used in an FC router by limiting the number of LSAN zones  
that will be enforced in that FC router.  
Use the Enforce tag to achieve better scalability in the FC router. This is useful when multiple FC  
routers are connected to the same edge fabric. Without the Enforce tag, all FC routers import all  
LSAN zones, even those that are not needed.  
Normally, the FC router automatically accepts all zones with names that start with “lsan_”. You can  
specify an Enforce tag to indicate that a particular FC router should only accept zones that start  
with the prefix “lsan_tag”. For example, if you specify an Enforce tag of “abc”, the FC router accepts  
only those LSAN zones that start with “lsan_abc” and does not import or export any other LSAN  
zones.  
The Enforce tag can be up to eight characters long and can contain only letters and numbers. The  
Enforce tag is not case-sensitive; for example, the tag “abc” is equivalent to “ABC” and “Abc”.  
If you specify “abc”, “xyz”, and “fab1” as Enforce tags, then the FC router accepts only those LSAN  
zones with names that start with any of the following:  
lsan_abc  
lsan_xyz  
lsan_fab1  
In this example, the following LSAN zones would all be accepted:  
lsan_abc  
Lsan_xyz123456  
LSAN_FAB1_abc  
You can specify up to eight Enforce tags on an FC router.  
Speed tag  
During target discovery, the FC router process of presenting proxy devices and setting up paths to  
the proxy devices may cause some sensitive hosts to time out or fail. The Speed tag allows you to  
speed up the discovery process by importing the devices into the remote edge fabrics when the  
devices come online, regardless of the state of the host. This helps sensitive hosts to quickly  
discover the devices without timing out.  
You set the Speed tag on the FC router, and then configure the LSANs in the target edge fabrics  
with the tag.  
For example, in Figure 80 on page 596, assume that the host, H1, needs fast access to target  
devices D1 and D2. You could set up the Speed tag as follows:  
1. In FC router 1 and FC router 2, configure the Speed tag as “super”.  
2. In Edge fabric 2, configure two LSANs:  
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LSAN zone configuration  
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lsan_f2_f1 (H1, D1)  
lsan_f2_f3 (H1, D2)  
The LSAN in the host fabric does not need the tag.  
3. In Edge fabric 1, configure the following LSAN:  
lsan_super_f1_f2 (H1, D1)  
4. In Edge fabric 3, configure the following LSAN:  
lsan_super_f3_f2 (H1, D2)  
5. Toggle either the host or target to trigger the fast import process.  
The “super” tag is needed only in the LSANs of the target fabrics.  
The target proxies D1 and D2 are always present in the host fabric (Edge fabric 2), even if the host  
is brought down. A target proxy is removed from the host fabric when the target device is offline.  
D1  
D2  
H1  
Edge fabric 1  
Edge fabric 2  
Edge fabric 3  
FC router 1  
FC router 2  
= LSAN  
FIGURE 80 Example of setting up Speed LSAN tag  
Rules for LSAN tagging  
Note the following rules for configuring LSAN tags:  
You configure the tags on the FC router, and not on the edge switches. If Virtual Fabrics is  
enabled, you configure the tags on the base switch on which the EX_Ports and VEX_Ports are  
located. You then must ensure that the LSAN zones in the edge fabrics incorporate the tags  
correctly.  
The LSAN tags are configured per FC router, not per fabric. If the backbone fabric has multiple  
FC routers, it is recommended that you configure the LSAN tags on all of the FC routers.  
The FC router must be disabled before you configure the Enforce tag. Configuring the Speed  
tag does not require that the FC router be disabled; however, after configuring the Speed tag,  
you must toggle the host or target port to trigger the fast import process.  
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LSAN zone configuration  
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The tag is from 1 through 8 alphanumeric characters.  
You can configure only one Speed tag on an FC router, and up to eight Enforce tags on an FC  
router. The maximum number of tags (Enforce and Speed) on an FC router is eight.  
Up to 500 Speed LSAN tags are supported.  
Configuring an Enforce LSAN tag  
1. Log in to the FC router as admin.  
2. Enter the following command to disable the FC router:  
switchdisable  
3. Enter the following command to create an Enforce LSAN tag:  
fcrlsan --add -enforce tagname  
The tagname variable is the name of the LSAN tag you want to create.  
4. Enter the following command to enable the FC router:  
switchenable  
5. Change the names of the LSAN zones in the edge fabrics to incorporate the tag in the names.  
Example  
sw0:admin> switchdisable  
sw0:admin> fcrlsan --add -enforce enftag1  
LSAN tag set successfully  
sw0:admin> switchenable  
Configuring a Speed LSAN tag  
1. Log in to the FC router as admin.  
2. Enter the following command to create a Speed LSAN tag:  
fcrlsan --add -speed tagname  
The tagname variable is the name of the LSAN tag you want to create.  
3. Change the names of the LSAN zones in the edge fabrics to incorporate the tag in the names.  
4. Toggle the host or target port to trigger the fast import process.  
Example  
sw0:admin> fcrlsan --add -speed fasttag2  
LSAN tag set successfully  
Removing an LSAN tag  
Use the following procedure to remove an LSAN tag. This procedure does not remove the LSAN  
zone; it deactivates the tag so that LSAN zones with this tag in the name now behave as regular  
LSAN zones.  
You must disable the switch before removing an Enforce LSAN tag. You do not need to disable the  
switch to remove a Speed LSAN tag.  
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LSAN zone configuration  
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1. Log in to the FC router as admin.  
2. Enter the fcrlsan --remove command to remove an existing LSAN tag.  
If you remove an Enforce LSAN tag, you must disable the switch first.  
Example of removing an Enforce LSAN tag  
sw0:admin> switchdisable  
sw0:admin> fcrlsan --remove -enforce enftag1  
LSAN tag removed successfully  
sw0:admin> switchenable  
Example of removing a Speed LSAN tag  
sw0:admin> fcrlsan --remove -speed fasttag2  
LSAN tag removed successfully  
Displaying the LSAN tag configuration  
1. Log in to the FC router as admin.  
2. Enter the fcrlsan --show command.  
Example  
sw0:admin> fcrlsan --show -enforce  
Total LSAN tags : 1  
ENFORCE : enftag1  
sw0:admin> fcrlsan --show -speed  
Total SPEED tags : 1  
SPEED : fasttag2  
sw0:admin> fcrlsan --show -all  
Total LSAN tags : 2  
ENFORCE : enftag1  
SPEED  
: fasttag2  
LSAN zone binding  
LSAN zone binding is an optional, advanced feature that increases the scalability envelope for very  
large metaSANs.  
NOTE  
LSAN zone binding is supported only on FC routers with Fabric OS v5.3.0 and later. The FC router  
matrix feature is supported only on FC routers with Fabric OS v6.1.0 and later.  
Without LSAN zone binding, every FC router in the backbone fabric maintains the entire LSAN zone  
and device state database. The size of this database limits the number of FC routers and devices  
you can have.  
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LSAN zone configuration  
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With LSAN zone binding, each FC router in the backbone fabric stores only the LSAN zone entries of  
the remote edge fabrics that can access its local edge fabrics. The LSAN zone limit supported in  
the backbone fabric is not limited by the capability of one FC router. In addition, due to the lower  
LSAN count, the CPU consumption by the FC router is lower. If you configure the metaSAN such that  
the backbone fabric has two groups of FC routers and there is no LSAN zone sharing and device  
access between the two groups, the number of FC routers and devices supported in the backbone  
fabric can be higher.  
Figure 81 on page 599 shows a sample metaSAN with four FC routers in the backbone fabric.  
Without LSAN zone binding, each FC router in the backbone fabric would store information about  
LSAN zones 1, 2, 3, and 4.  
LSAN zone 1  
LSAN zone 2  
Fabric 1  
Fabric 2  
Fabric 3  
FC  
Fabric 7  
Fabric 8  
router 1  
FC  
router 2  
Backbone fabric  
FC  
router 4  
FC  
router 3  
Fabric 9  
Fabric 4  
Fabric 5  
Fabric 6  
LSAN zone 3  
LSAN zone 4  
FIGURE 81 LSAN zone binding  
After you set up LSAN zone binding, each FC router stores information about only those LSAN zones  
that access its local edge fabrics. Table 85 shows what LSAN information is stored in each FC  
router before and after LSAN zone binding is in effect.  
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LSAN zone configuration  
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TABLE 85  
LSAN information stored in FC routers, with and without LSAN zone binding  
WIthout LSAN zone binding  
With LSAN zone binding  
FC router 1 FC router 2 FC router 3 FC router 4  
FC router 1 FC router 2 FC router 3 FC router 4  
LSAN 1  
LSAN 2  
LSAN 3  
LSAN 4  
LSAN 1  
LSAN 2  
LSAN 3  
LSAN 4  
LSAN 1  
LSAN 2  
LSAN 3  
LSAN 4  
LSAN 1  
LSAN 2  
LSAN 3  
LSAN 4  
LSAN 1  
LSAN 2  
LSAN 2  
LSAN 3  
LSAN 4  
LSAN 4  
LSAN zone binding considerations  
Without LSAN zone binding, the maximum number of LSAN devices is 10,000.  
With LSAN zone binding, the metaSAN can import more than 10,000 devices and the  
backbone fabric can support more FC routers.  
With LSAN zone binding, CPU consumption by an FC router is lower.  
How LSAN zone binding works  
LSAN zone binding uses an FC router matrix, which specifies pairs of FC routers in the backbone  
fabric that can access each other, and an LSAN fabric matrix, which specifies pairs of edge fabrics  
that can access each other.  
You set up LSAN zone binding using the fcrLsanMatrix command. This command has two options:  
-fcr and -lsan. The -fcr option is for creating and updating the FC router matrix, and the -lsan option  
is used for creating and updating the LSAN fabric matrix.  
NOTE  
Best practice: Use this feature in a backbone fabric in which all FC routers are running Fabric OS  
v6.1.0 or later.  
When you set up LSAN zone binding on the local FC router (running Fabric OS v6.1.0 or later), the  
resultant matrix database is automatically distributed to all of the Fabric OS v6.1.0 or later FC  
routers in the backbone fabric. You do not need to set up LSAN zone binding on the other FC  
routers unless those FC routers are running Fabric OS versions earlier than v6.1.0.  
If a new FC router joins the backbone fabric, the matrix database is automatically distributed to  
that FC router unless it has a different LSAN fabric matrix or FC router matrix or both defined  
already.  
Note the following for FC routers running a Fabric OS version earlier than 6.1.0:  
The matrix database is not automatically distributed from this FC router to other FC routers.  
You must manually configure the LSAN fabric matrix on these FC routers to match the other FC  
routers in the backbone fabric.  
If you have a dual backbone configuration, where two backbone fabrics share edge fabrics, the  
LSAN fabric matrix and FC router matrix settings for the shared edge fabrics must be the same on  
both backbone fabrics. The matrix databases are not automatically propagated from one backbone  
fabric to another, so you must ensure that both backbone fabrics have the same matrix settings.  
NOTE  
You can use LSAN zone binding along with LSAN tagging to achieve better scalability and  
performance. Refer to “LSAN zone policies using LSAN tagging” on page 594 for information about  
using the Enforce LSAN tag.  
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FC router matrix definition  
Depending on the structure of the backbone fabric, you can specify pairs of FC routers that can  
access each other. For the metaSAN shown in Figure 81, the following FC routers can access each  
other:  
FC router 1 and FC router 2  
FC router 3 and FC router 4  
Because there is no device sharing between the two groups of FC routers, you can use the  
fcrLsanMatrix command with the -fcr option to create the corresponding FC router matrix:  
fcrlsanmatrix --add -fcr wwn1 wwn2  
fcrlsanmatrix --add -fcr wwn3 wwn4  
The variables wwn1, wwn2, wwn3, and wwn4 are the WWNs of the four FC routers.  
Now edge fabrics 1, 2, 3, 7, and 8 can access each other, and edge fabrics 4, 5, 6, and 9 can  
access each other; however, edge fabrics in one group cannot access edge fabrics in the other  
group. The edge fabrics can still communicate with the backbone fabric.  
LSAN fabric matrix definition  
With LSAN zone binding, you can specify pairs of fabrics that can access each other. Using the  
metaSAN shown in Figure 81 as an example, the following edge fabrics can access each other:  
Fabric 1 and Fabric 2  
Fabric 2 and Fabric 3  
Fabric 4 and Fabric 5  
Fabric 5 and Fabric 6  
You can use the fcrLsanMatrix command with the -lsan option to create the corresponding LSAN  
fabric matrix:  
fcrlsanmatrix --add -lsan 1 2  
fcrlsanmatrix --add -lsan 2 3  
fcrlsanmatrix --add -lsan 4 5  
fcrlsanmatrix --add -lsan 5 6  
Fabrics that are not specified are part of the default binding and can access other edge fabrics that  
are not specified. Thus, fabrics 7, 8, and 9 can access each other, but cannot access fabrics 1  
through 6.  
ATTENTION  
The fcrLsanMatrix --add -lsan 0 0 command will erase the entire LSAN fabric matrix settings in the  
cache.  
The FC router matrix and the LSAN fabric matrix are used together to determine which fabrics can  
access each other, with the LSAN fabric matrix providing more specific binding.  
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LSAN zone configuration  
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Setting up LSAN zone binding  
1. Log in to the FC router as admin.  
2. Enter the following command to add a pair of FC routers that can access each other:  
FCR:Admin> fcrlsanmatrix --add -fcr wwn1 wwn2  
The variables wwn1 and wwn2 are the WWNs of the FC routers.  
3. Enter the following command to add a pair of edge fabrics that can access each other:  
FCR:Admin> fcrlsanmatrix --add -lsan fid1 fid2  
The variables fid1 and fid2 are the fabric IDs of the edge fabrics.  
4. Enter the following command to apply the changes persistently:  
FCR:Admin> fcrlsanmatrix --apply -all  
Example  
FCR:Admin> fcrlsanmatrix --add -fcr 10:00:00:60:69:c3:12:b2  
10:00:00:60:69:c3:12:b3  
FCR:Admin> fcrlsanmatrix --add -lsan 4 5  
FCR:Admin> fcrlsanmatrix --add -lsan 4 7  
FCR:Admin> fcrlsanmatrix --add -lsan 10 19  
FCR:Admin> fcrlsanmatrix --apply -all  
Viewing the LSAN zone binding matrixes  
1. Log in to the FC router as admin.  
2. Enter the following command to view the FC router matrix:  
fcrlsanmatrix --fabricview -fcr  
3. Enter the following command to view the LSAN fabric matrix:  
fcrlsanmatrix --fabricview -lsan  
Example  
FCR:Admin> fcrlsanmatrix --fabricview -fcr  
SAVED FCR PAIRS  
======================================================  
FCR  
FCR  
------------------------------------------------------  
10:00:00:60:69:c3:12:b2 (2)  
10:00:00:60:69:c3:12:b3 (unknown)  
FCR:Admin> fcrlsanmatrix --fabricview -lsan  
LSAN MATRIX is activated  
Fabric ID  
Fabric ID  
--------------------------------------  
4
4
5
7
10  
19  
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Proxy PID configuration  
24  
Proxy PID configuration  
When an FC router is first configured, the PIDs for the proxy devices are automatically assigned.  
Proxy PIDs (as well as phantom domain IDs) persist across reboots.  
The most common situation in which you would set a proxy PID is when you replace a switch. If you  
replace the switch and want to continue using the old PID assignments, you can configure it to do  
so; this value remains in the system even if the blade is replaced. To minimize disruption to the  
edge fabrics, set the proxy PIDs to the same values used with the old hardware.  
The fcrProxyConfig command displays or sets the persistent configuration of proxy devices. Used  
with the -s slot option, it can also influence the assignment of the xlate domain port number (which  
is used to determine the Area_ID field of the PID) and the Port_ID field. Like the PIDs in a fabric, a  
proxy PID must be unique. If the slot argument results in a duplicate PID, it will be ignored. Proxy  
PIDs are automatically assigned to devices imported into a fabric, starting at f001. For Proxy IDs  
projected to an M-EOS edge fabric in McDATA fabric mode, use valid ALPAs (lower 8 bits).  
Use the fcrXlateConfig command to display or assign a preferred domain ID to a translate domain.  
Fabric parameter considerations  
By default, EX_Ports and VEX_Ports detect, autonegotiate, and configure the fabric parameters  
without user intervention.  
You can optionally configure these parameters manually.  
To change the fabric parameters on a switch in the edge fabric, use the configure command.  
Note that to access all of the fabric parameters controlled by this command, you must disable  
the switch using the switchDisable command. If executed on an enabled switch, only a subset  
of attributes is configurable.  
To change the fabric parameters of an EX_Port on the FC router, use the portCfgEXPort  
command.  
To change the fabric parameters of a VEX_Port, use the portCfgVEXPort command.  
The backbone fabric PID mode and the edge fabric PID mode do not need to match, but the PID  
mode for the EX_Port or VEX_Port and the edge fabric to which it is attached must match. You can  
statically set the PID mode for the fabric by using the -p option with the portCfgEXPort command.  
Use the -t option to disable the negotiate fabric parameter feature; otherwise, the PID mode is  
autonegotiated. The various edge fabrics may have different PID modes.  
Fabric parameter settings, namely, E_D_TOV (error-detect timeout value), R_A_TOV  
(resource-allocation timeout value), and PID format, must be the same on EX_Ports or VEX_Ports  
and on the fabrics to which they are connected. You can set the PID format on an EX_Port when you  
configure an inter-fabric link.  
The default values for E_D_TOV and R_A_TOV for an EX_Port or VEX_Port must match those values  
on other Fabric OS switches. You do not need to adjust these parameters for an EX_Port or  
VEX_Port unless you have adjusted them for the edge fabric.  
The default values for R_A_TOV and E_D_TOV are the recommended values for all but very large  
fabrics (ones requiring four or more hops) or high-latency fabrics (such as ones using long-distance  
FCIP links).  
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Inter-fabric broadcast frames  
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Inter-fabric broadcast frames  
The FC router can receive and forward broadcast frames between edge fabrics and between the  
backbone fabric and edge fabrics. Many target devices and HBAs cannot handle broadcast frames.  
In this case, you can set up broadcast zones to control which devices receive broadcast frames.  
(Refer to “Broadcast zones” on page 310 for information about setting up broadcast zones.)  
By default, broadcast frames are not forwarded from the FC router to the edge fabrics.  
NOTE  
Broadcast frame forwarding is not supported in an FCR fabric with a Brocade 8000. By default,  
broadcast frame forwarding is disabled on an FC router. If your edge fabric includes a Brocade 8000,  
do not enable broadcast frame forwarding on the FC router, because this can degrade FCR  
performance when there is excessive broadcast traffic.  
Displaying the current broadcast configuration  
1. Log in to the FC router as admin.  
2. Enter the following command:  
fcr:admin> fcrbcastconfig --show  
This command displays only the FIDs that have the broadcast frame option enabled. The FIDs  
that are not listed have the broadcast frame option disabled.  
Enabling broadcast frame forwarding  
1. Log in to the FC router as admin.  
2. Enter the following command:  
fcr:admin> fcrbcastconfig --enable -f fabricID  
The fabricID variable is the FID of the edge or backbone fabric on which you want to enable  
broadcast frame forwarding. Broadcast frame forwarding is enabled by default.  
Disabling broadcast frame forwarding  
1. Log in to the FC router as admin.  
2. Enter the following command:  
fcr:admin> fcrbcastconfig --disable -f fabricID  
The fabricID variable is the FID of the edge or backbone fabric on which you want to disable  
broadcast frame forwarding.  
Resource monitoring  
It is possible to exhaust resources, such as proxy PIDs. Whenever a resource is exhausted,  
Fabric OS generates an error message. The messages are described in the Fabric OS Message  
Reference.  
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Resource monitoring  
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You can monitor FC router resources using the fcrResourceShow command. The fcrResourceShow  
command shows FCR resource limits and usage and includes the following:  
LSAN zones and LSAN devices — The information shows the maximum versus the currently  
used zones and device database entries. Each proxy or physical device constitutes an entry. If  
LSAN zones are defined in two edge fabrics, they are counted as two and not one. One device  
imported into multiple edge fabrics counts multiple times.  
The default maximum number of LSAN zones is 3000. Refer to “Setting the maximum LSAN  
count” on page 594 for information on changing this limit.  
Proxy Device Slots — The physical and proxy devices use the 10,000 device slots.  
The information shows the maximum pool size for translate phantom node and port WWNs and  
shows the number of translate node and port WWNs from this pool.  
Phantom Node WWNs  
Phantom Port WWNs  
Max proxy devices  
Max NR_Ports  
The following example shows the use of the fcrResourceShow command to display physical port  
(EX_Port) resources.  
switch:admin> fcrresourceshow  
Daemon Limits:  
Max Allowed  
Currently Used  
-------------------------------  
LSAN Zones:  
LSAN Devices:  
Proxy Device Slots:  
3000  
10000  
10000  
28  
51  
20  
WWN Pool Size  
Allocated  
---------------------------------  
Phantom Node WWN:  
Phantom Port WWN:  
8192  
32768  
5413  
16121  
Port Limits:  
Max proxy devices:  
Max NR_Ports:  
2000  
1000  
Currently Used(column 1: proxy, column 2: NR_Ports):  
0 |  
1 |  
4 |  
5 |  
6 |  
7 |  
8 |  
9 |  
10 |  
11 |  
12 |  
13 |  
14 |  
15 |  
16 |  
17 |  
18 |  
19 |  
0
3
0
0
0
0
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
8
8
8
8
34  
34  
0
0
0
0
34  
34  
34  
34  
34  
34  
34  
34  
34  
34  
34  
34  
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FC-FC routing and Virtual Fabrics  
24  
20 |  
21 |  
22 |  
23 |  
8
8
8
8
34  
34  
34  
34  
FC-FC routing and Virtual Fabrics  
If Virtual Fabrics is not enabled, FC-FC routing behavior is unchanged. If Virtual Fabrics is enabled,  
then in the FC-FC routing context, a base switch is like a backbone switch and a base fabric is like a  
backbone fabric.  
If Virtual Fabrics is enabled, the following rules apply:  
EX_Ports and VEX_Ports can be configured only on the base switch.  
When you enable Virtual Fabrics, the chassis is automatically rebooted. When the switch  
comes up, only one default logical switch is present, with the default fabric ID (FID) of 128. All  
previously configured EX_Ports and VEX_Ports are persistently disabled with the reason  
“ExPort in non base switch”. You must explicitly create a base switch, move the EX_Ports and  
VEX_Ports to the base switch, and then enable the ports.  
If you move existing EX_Ports or VEX_Ports to any logical switch other than the base switch,  
these ports are automatically disabled.  
If you want to change an EX_Port or VEX_Port on the logical switch to be a non-EX_Port or  
VEX_Port, you must use the portCfgDefault command. You cannot use the portCfgExPort  
command because that command is allowed only on the base switch.  
EX_Ports can connect to a logical switch that is in the same chassis or a different chassis.  
However, the FID of the EX_Port must be set to a different value than the FID of the logical  
switch to which it connects.  
EX_Ports and VEX_Ports — those in FC routers and those in a base switch — cannot connect to  
any edge fabric with logical switches configured to use XISLs.  
If you connect an EX_Port or VEX_Port to an edge fabric, you must ensure that there are no  
logical switches with XISL use enabled in that edge fabric. If any logical switch in the edge  
fabric allows XISL use, then the EX_Port or VEX_Port is disabled. Refer to “Configuring a logical  
switch to use XISLs” on page 299 for instructions on disallowing XISL use.  
Because XISL use is disallowed, dedicated links must be configured to route traffic across  
switches in the same logical fabric, as shown in Figure 23 on page 282.  
ATTENTION  
If you connect an EX_Port or VEX_Port from an FC router running Fabric OS v6.1.x or earlier to a  
logical switch that allows XISL use, the EX_Port or VEX_Port is not disabled; however, this  
configuration is not supported.  
Backbone-to-edge routing is not supported in the base switch. Refer to “Backbone-to-edge  
routing with Virtual Fabrics” on page 608 for information about how to configure legacy FC  
routers to allow backbone-to-edge routing with Virtual Fabrics.  
All FCR commands can be executed only in the base switch context.  
The fcrConfigure command is not allowed when Virtual Fabrics is enabled. Instead, use the  
lsCfg command to configure the FID.  
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FC-FC routing and Virtual Fabrics  
24  
Although the Brocade 6510 and 6520 supports up to four logical switches, if you are using  
FC-FC routing, they can have a maximum of three logical switches.  
Logical switch configuration for FC routing  
Figure 82 shows an example of two chassis partitioned into logical switches. This configuration  
allows the device in Fabric 128 to communicate with the device in Fabric 15 without merging the  
fabrics. Note the following:  
The base switch in Physical chassis 1 serves as an FC router and contains EX_Ports that  
connect to logical switches in the two edge fabrics, Fabric 128 and Fabric 15.  
The other logical switches in Fabric 128 and Fabric 15 must be connected with physical ISLs,  
and do not use the XISL connection in the base fabric.  
The logical switches in Fabric 1 are configured to allow XISL use. You cannot connect an  
EX_Port to these logical switches, so the device in Fabric 1 cannot communicate with the other  
two devices.  
Physical chassis 1  
Logical switch 1  
Physical chassis 2  
Logical switch 5  
IFL  
ISL  
E
E
F
E
(Default logical switch)  
Fabric ID 128  
(Default logical switch)  
Fabric ID 128  
Logical ISL  
Logical switch 2  
Fabric ID 1  
Logical switch 6  
Fabric ID 1  
F
Allows XISL use  
Allows XISL use  
ISL  
IFL  
F
E
E
E
E
Logical switch 3  
Fabric ID 15  
Logical switch 7  
Fabric ID 15  
EX  
E
Logical switch 4  
(Base switch)  
Fabric ID 8  
Logical switch 8  
(Base switch)  
Fabric ID 8  
EX  
XISL  
FIGURE 82 EX_Ports in a base switch  
Figure 83 shows a logical representation of the physical chassis and devices in Figure 82. As  
shown in Figure 83, Fabric 128 and Fabric 15 are edge fabrics connected to a backbone fabric.  
Fabric 1 is not connected to the backbone, so the device in Fabric 1 cannot communicate with any  
of the devices in the other fabrics.  
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FC-FC routing and Virtual Fabrics  
24  
Edge fabric  
Fabric 128  
Edge fabric  
Fabric 15  
SW3  
SW5  
SW7  
E
SW1  
E
SW2  
EX  
EX  
SW4  
SW6  
Fabric 1  
Backbone fabric  
Fabric 8  
SW8  
FIGURE 83 Logical representation of EX_Ports in a base switch  
Backbone-to-edge routing with Virtual Fabrics  
Backbone-to-edge routing is not supported in the base switch, unless you use a legacy FC router.  
A legacy FC router is an FC router configured on a Brocade 7500 switch.  
Base switches can participate in a backbone fabric with legacy FC routers. You cannot connect  
devices to the base switch because the base switch does not allow F_Ports. You can, however,  
connect devices to the legacy FC router, thus enabling backbone-to-edge routing.  
If you connect a legacy FC router to a base switch, you must set the backbone FID of the FC router  
to be the same as that of the base switch.  
In Figure 82, no devices can be connected to the backbone fabric (Fabric 8) because base  
switches cannot have F_Ports. Figure 84 shows an FC router in legacy mode connected to a base  
switch. This FC router can have devices connected to it, and so you can have backbone-to-edge  
routing through this FC router. In this figure, Host A in the backbone fabric can communicate with  
device B in the edge fabric with FID 20; Host A cannot communicate with device C, however,  
because the base switches do not support backbone-to-edge routing.  
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Upgrade and downgrade considerations for FC-FC routing  
24  
Physical chassis 1  
Physical chassis 2  
Logical switch 5  
IFL  
ISL  
B
E
E
F
E
Logical switch 1  
(Default logical switch)  
Fabric ID 128  
(Default logical switch)  
Fabric ID 128  
Edge fabric  
FID 20  
Logical switch 2  
Fabric ID 1  
Logical switch 6  
Fabric ID 1  
Allows XISL use  
Allows XISL use  
C
E
ISL  
IFL  
F
E
E
E
Logical switch 3  
Fabric ID 15  
Logical switch 7  
Fabric ID 15  
IFL  
EX  
A
EX  
E
EX  
Logical switch 4  
(Base switch)  
Fabric ID 8  
Logical switch 8  
(Base switch)  
Fabric ID 8  
E
E
E
ISL  
XISL  
Legacy FC router  
Fabric ID 8  
FIGURE 84 Backbone-to-edge routing across base switch using FC router in legacy mode  
Upgrade and downgrade considerations for FC-FC routing  
When you upgrade to Fabric OS v7.0.0 or later, EX_Ports remain functional and you can continue to  
perform all FC router operations on the switch.  
Brocade recommends that you save your FC-FC routing configuration (using the configUpload  
command) before performing any downgrades.  
For further instructions on downgrading, refer to Chapter 9, “Installing and Maintaining Firmware”.  
How replacing port blades affects EX_Port configuration  
If you replace an FR4-18i blade with an 8-Gbps port blade or FX8-24 blade, the EX_Port  
configuration remains the same for the first 16 ports on the 8-Gbps port blade (and for the first 12  
FC ports on the FX8-24 blade). For all other ports on the blade, the EX_Port configuration is  
cleared. No ports are persistently disabled.  
If you replace an 8-Gbps port blade with an FX8-24 blade, the EX_Port configuration remains the  
same for the first 12 FC ports on the FX8-24 blade.  
If you replace an 8-Gbps port blade or FX8-24 blade with another 8-Gbps port blade, the EX_Port  
configuration remains the same.  
Displaying the range of output ports connected to xlate domains  
The edge fabric detects only one front domain from an FC router connected through multiple output  
ports. The output port of the front domain is not fixed to 0; the values can be in a range from 129  
through 255. The range of the output ports connected to the xlate domain is from 1 through 128.  
This range enables the front domain to connect to 127 remote xlate domains.  
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Displaying the range of output ports connected to xlate domains  
24  
1. Log in to a switch in the edge fabric.  
2. Enter the lsDbShow command on the edge fabric.  
In the lsDbShow output, ports in the range from 129 through 255 are the output ports on the  
front domain.  
The following example shows the range of output ports.  
linkCnt = 2,  
flags = 0x0  
LinkId = 53, out port =  
1, rem port = 35, cost = 500, costCnt = 0, type = 1  
LinkId = 57, out port = 129, rem port = 18, cost = 500, costCnt = 0, type = 1  
The following example also shows the use of the lsDbShow display on the edge fabric. The front  
domain, domain 3, has two links representing two EX_Port connections with output ports 129  
and 132.  
Domain = 3, Link State Database Entry pointer = 0x100bbcc0  
………  
linkCnt = 4, flags = 0x0  
LinkId = 199, out port = 129, rem port =  
LinkId = 199, out port = 132, rem port =  
2, cost = 10000, costCnt = 0, type = 1  
3, cost = 10000, costCnt = 0, type = 1  
2, cost = 10000, costCnt = 0, type = 1  
2, cost = 10000, costCnt = 0, type = 1  
LinkId =  
LinkId =  
2, out port =  
1, out port = 32, rem port =  
1, rem port =  
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Appendix  
Port Indexing  
A
This appendix shows how to use the switchShow command to determine the mapping among the  
port index, slot/port numbers, and the 24-bit port ID (PID) on any Brocade Backbone. Enter the  
switchShow command without parameters to show the port index mapping for the entire platform.  
Enter the switchShow -slot command for port mapping information for the ports on the blade in a  
specific slot. Include the --qsfp option to list also the QSFP number, for slots that contain core  
blades.  
Example of port index mapping on a CR16-4 blade in a DCX 8510-4 Backbone  
This example shows the output of the switchShow command for a CR16-4 core blade in slot 3 of a  
Brocade DCX 8510-4 Backbone. The leftmost column shows the unique port index. The second  
and third columns show the corresponding physical slot and port numbers, respectively. The  
corresponding QSFP number for the port is also shown. For a core blade, no PID exists in the  
Address column.  
switch:FID128:admin> switchshow -slot 3 -qsfp  
switchName: switch name  
switchType: 121.3  
switchState: Online  
switchMode: Native  
switchRole: Subordinate  
switchDomain: 75  
switchId: fffc4b  
switchWwn: 10:00:00:05:1e:4f:eb:00  
zoning: ON (zoning name)  
switchBeacon: OFF  
FC Router: OFF  
Allow XISL Use: OFF  
LS Attributes: [FID: 128, Base Switch: No, Default Switch: Yes, Address Mode 0]  
Index  
Slot  
Port  
QSFP  
Address  
Media  
Speed  
State  
Proto  
==========================================================================  
256  
257  
258  
259  
260  
261  
262  
263  
264  
265  
266  
267  
268  
269  
270  
271  
736  
737  
738  
739  
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
3
3
3
3
4
4
4
4
------  
------  
------  
------  
------  
------  
------  
------  
------  
------  
------  
------  
------  
------  
------  
------  
------  
------  
------  
------  
id  
id  
id  
id  
--  
--  
--  
--  
--  
--  
--  
--  
--  
--  
--  
--  
--  
--  
--  
--  
16G  
16G  
16G  
16G  
16G  
16G  
16G  
16G  
16G  
16G  
16G  
16G  
16G  
16G  
16G  
16G  
16G  
16G  
16G  
16G  
No_SigDet  
No_SigDet  
No_SigDet  
No_SigDet  
No_Module  
No_Module  
No_Module  
No_Module  
No_Module  
No_Module  
No_Module  
No_Module  
No_Module  
No_Module  
No_Module  
No_Module  
No_Module  
No_Module  
No_Module  
No_Module  
FC  
FC  
FC  
FC  
FC  
FC  
FC  
FC  
FC  
FC  
FC  
FC  
FC  
FC  
FC  
FC  
FC  
FC  
FC  
FC  
8
9
10  
11  
12  
13  
14  
15  
16  
17  
18  
19  
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Port Indexing  
A
740  
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
20  
21  
22  
23  
24  
25  
26  
27  
28  
5
5
5
5
6
6
6
6
7
------  
------  
------  
------  
------  
------  
------  
------  
------  
--  
--  
--  
--  
--  
--  
--  
--  
id  
16G  
16G  
16G  
16G  
16G  
16G  
16G  
16G  
16G  
No_Module  
No_Module  
No_Module  
No_Module  
No_Module  
No_Module  
No_Module  
No_Module  
Online  
FC  
FC  
FC  
FC  
FC  
FC  
FC  
FC  
741  
742  
743  
744  
745  
746  
747  
748  
FC E-Port  
10:00:00:05:1e:39:e4:5a trunkmaster name (Trunk master)  
749 29 ------ id 16G  
10:00:00:05:1e:39:e4:5a trunkmaster name (Trunk master)  
750 30 ------ id 16G  
10:00:00:05:1e:39:e4:5a trunkmaster name (Trunk master)  
751 31 ------ id 16G  
10:00:00:05:1e:39:e4:5a trunkmaster name (Trunk master)  
3
7
Online  
Online  
Online  
FC E-Port  
FC E-Port  
FC E-Port  
3
7
3
7
Example of port index mapping on an FC16-32 blade of a Brocade DCX 8510-8 Backbone  
This example shows the truncated output of the switchShow command for an FC16-32 port blade  
in slot 1 of a Brocade DCX 8510-8 Backbone. The Address column shows the PID.  
switch:FID128:admin> switchshow -slot 1  
switchName: DCX8510_8  
(output truncated)  
LS Attributes: [FID: 128, Base Switch: No, Default Switch: Yes, Address Mode 0]  
Index  
Slot  
Port  
Address  
Media  
Speed  
State  
Proto  
=======================================================================  
0
1
2
1
1
1
0
1
2
500000  
500100  
500200  
--  
--  
--  
N16  
N16  
N16  
No_Module  
No_Module  
No_Module  
FC  
FC  
FC  
(output truncated)  
Example of port index mapping on an FC8-64 blade on a Brocade DCX Backbone.  
This example shows the truncated switchShow output for an FC8-64 port blade on the Brocade  
DCX Backbone. The assignment of port index numbers to PIDs will vary depending on blade type,  
platform type, and slot number.  
DCX:admin> switchshow  
Index  
Slot  
Port  
Address Media  
Speed  
State  
=============================================================  
0
1
2
1
1
1
0
1
2
0a0040  
0a0140  
0a0240  
--  
--  
--  
N8  
N8  
N8  
No_Module  
No_Module  
No_Module  
(output truncated)  
768  
769  
770  
1
1
1
48  
49  
50  
0a00c0  
0a01c0  
0a02c0  
--  
--  
--  
N8  
N8  
N8  
No_Module  
No_Module  
No_Module  
(output truncated)  
784  
783  
16  
1
1
2
2
62  
63  
0
0a0ec0  
0a0fc0  
0a1040  
0a1140  
--  
--  
--  
--  
N8  
N8  
N8  
N8  
No_Module  
No_Module  
No_Module  
No_Module  
17  
1
(output truncated)  
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Port Indexing  
A
Example of port indexing on an FC8-64 blade on a Brocade DCX-4S Backbone.  
The Brocade DCX-4S does not need a mapping of ports on port blades because it is a one-to-one  
mapping. The order is sequential starting at slot 1 port 0 all the way through slot 8 port 255 for the  
FC8-64 blade. For core blades, the port index mapping for the blade in slot 3 begins with port index  
256, and port index mapping for the core blade in slot 6 begins with port index 736. There are no  
shared areas on the Brocade DCX-4S.  
The following example switchShow output is from a Brocade DCX-4S. It shows the index and PID  
addressing. The output has been truncated.  
DCX-4S:admin> switchshow  
Index  
Slot  
Port  
Address  
Media  
Speed  
State  
==========================================================  
0
1
2
1
1
1
0
1
2
0a0000  
0a0100  
0a0200  
--  
--  
--  
N8  
N8  
N8  
No_Module  
No_Module  
No_Module  
(output truncated)  
48  
49  
50  
1
1
1
48  
49  
50  
0a3000  
0a3100  
0a3200  
--  
--  
--  
N8  
N8  
N8  
No_Module  
No_Module  
No_Module  
(output truncated)  
62  
63  
64  
1
1
2
62  
63  
0
0a3e00  
0a3f00  
0a4000  
--  
--  
--  
N8  
N8  
N8  
No_Module  
No_Module  
No_Module  
(output truncated)  
Example of port indexing on an FX8-24 blade on a DCX 8510-8 Backbone  
This example shows the truncated switchShow output for an FX8-24 application blade on the  
Brocade DCX 8510-8 Backbone. The assignment of port index numbers to PIDs will vary depending  
on blade type, platform type, and slot number.  
switch:FID128:admin> switchshow -slot 10  
switchName: my8510-8  
(output truncated)  
Slot  
Blade Type  
ID  
75  
Address  
Model Name  
Status  
--------------------------------------------------  
10  
AP BLADE  
Slot Port  
FX8-24  
Media  
ENABLED  
Speed State  
Index  
Proto  
=============================================================  
80  
81  
82  
10  
10  
10  
0
1
2
505000  
505100  
505200  
id  
--  
id  
4G  
4G  
4G  
No_Light  
No_Module FC  
Mod_Inv  
FC  
FC “Speed Mismatch /  
Incompatible SFP”  
83  
84  
10  
10  
3
4
505300  
505400  
--  
--  
4G  
4G  
No_Module FC  
No_Module FC  
(output truncated)  
95  
208  
209  
10  
10  
10  
15  
16  
17  
505f00 --  
50d000 --  
50d100 --  
--  
--  
4G  
Offline  
Offline  
Offline  
VE  
VE  
VE  
(output truncated)  
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Port Indexing  
A
Example of port indexing on an FS8-18 blade on a DCX 8510-8 Backbone  
This example shows the truncated switchShow output for an FS8-18 encryption blade on the  
Brocade DCX 8510-8 Backbone. The assignment of port index numbers to PIDs will vary depending  
on blade type, platform type, and slot number.  
switch:FID128:admin> switchshow -slot 2  
switchName: myswitch  
(output truncated)  
Slot  
Blade Type  
ID  
Model Name  
Status  
--------------------------------------------------  
2
AP BLADE  
Slot  
43  
FS8-18  
Media  
ENABLED  
Speed State  
Index  
Port  
Address  
Proto  
==================================================================  
16  
2
2
2
2
2
0
1
2
3
4
501000  
501100  
501200  
501300  
501400  
--  
--  
--  
--  
--  
N8  
N8  
N8  
N8  
N8  
No_Module  
No_Module  
No_Module  
No_Module  
No_Module  
FC  
FC  
FC  
FC  
FC  
17  
18  
19  
20  
(output truncated)  
15  
31  
2
501f00  
id  
N4  
No_Light  
FC  
614  
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Appendix  
FIPS Support  
B
In this appendix  
FIPS overview  
Federal information processing standards (FIPS) specify the security standards to be satisfied by a  
cryptographic module utilized in Fabric OS v6.0.0 and later to protect sensitive information in the  
switch. As part of FIPS 140-2 level 2, compliance passwords, shared secrets, and the private keys  
used in SSL, TLS, and system login need to be cleared out or zeroized. Before enabling FIPS  
compliance mode, a power-on self-test (POST) is executed when the switch is powered on to check  
for the consistency of the algorithms implemented in the switch. Known-answer tests (KATs) are  
used to exercise various features of the algorithm and their results are displayed on the console for  
your reference. Conditional tests are performed whenever an RSA key pair is generated. These  
tests verify the randomness of the deterministic random number generator (DRNG) and the  
non-deterministic random number generator (non-DRNG). They also verify the consistency of RSA  
keys with regard to signing and verification and encryption and decryption.  
ATTENTION  
FIPS mode, when enabled, is a chassis-wide setting that affects all logical switches. Once enabled,  
FIPS mode cannot be disabled.  
Zeroization functions  
Zeroization functions can be performed at the discretion of the security administrator. These  
functions clear the passwords and the shared secrets. Core files and FFDC data are also removed  
upon FIPS Zeroization. Table 86 lists the various keys used in the system that will be zeroized in a  
FIPS-compliant Fabric OS module.  
TABLE 86  
Zeroization behavior  
Keys  
Zeroization CLI  
Description  
DH private keys  
No command required  
Keys will be zeroized within code before they are  
released from memory.  
FCAP private key  
secCertUtil delete --fcapall  
The secCertUtil delete --fcapall -nowarn command  
-nowarn  
removes all FCAP certificates and FCAP private keys.  
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Zeroization functions  
B
TABLE 86  
Zeroization behavior (Continued)  
Zeroization CLI  
Keys  
Description  
FCSP Challenge  
Handshake  
Authentication Protocol  
(CHAP) Secret  
LDAP CA certificate  
Passwords  
secAuthSecret –-remove  
The secAuthsecret -–create command is used to input  
the keys, and the secAuthsecret -–remove command is  
used to remove and zeroize the keys. All the  
DHCHAP/FCAP authenticated ports are disabled after  
zeroization.  
secCertUtil delete –  
ldapcacert <certname>  
The given LDAP certificate file is zeroized and deleted  
from the module.  
passwdDefault  
The passwdDefault command removes user-defined  
accounts in addition to default passwords for the root,  
admin, and user default accounts. However, only the  
root account has permissions for this command. Users  
with securityadmin and admin permissions must use  
fipsCfg –-zeroize, which, in addition to removing user  
accounts and resetting passwords, also performs the  
complete zeroization of the system.  
Notes:  
In a dual CP system, executing passwdDefault  
syncs with the standby. This means that when  
passwdDefault is executed in the active CP, user-  
defined accounts are removed from both the  
active and standby CPs and only the default  
accounts [root, factory, admin, and user] will be  
retained. These accounts will have the generic  
default passwords set.  
To maintain FIPS 140-2 compliance, passwords  
for the default accounts (admin and user) must be  
changed after every zeroization operation.  
RADIUS secret  
RNG seed key  
aaaConfig –-remove  
The aaaConfig --remove command zeroizes the secret  
and deletes a configured server. The aaaConfig --add  
command configures the RADIUS server.  
No command required  
/dev/urandom is used as the initial source of seed for  
RNG. The RNG seed key is zeroized on every random  
number generation.  
SFTP session keys  
No command required  
sshUtil delprivkey  
Automatically zeroized on session termination.  
SSH RSA private key  
Key-based SSH authentication is not used for SSH  
sessions.  
SSH public keys  
SSH session key  
sshUtil delpubkeys  
Zeroizes the SSH public.  
No command required  
This key is generated for each SSH session that is  
established with the host. It automatically zeroizes on  
session termination.  
TLS authentication key  
TLS pre-master secret  
TLS private keys  
No command required  
No command required  
secCertUtil delkey -all  
Automatically zeroized on session termination.  
Automatically zeroized on session termination.  
The secCertUtil delkey -all command is used to zeroize  
these keys. The secCertUtil genkey command creates  
the keys. Only RSA keys of size 1024 or 2048 are  
allowed.  
TLS session key  
No command required  
Automatically zeroized on session termination.  
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B
Power-on self tests  
A power-on self-test (POST) is invoked by powering on the switch in FIPS mode and does not require  
any operator intervention. If any KATs fail, the switch goes into a FIPS Error state, which reboots the  
system to start the test again. If the switch continues to fail the FIPS POST, you will need to return  
your switch to your switch service provider for repair. Refer to the Fabric OS Troubleshooting and  
Diagnostics Guide for information about preparing a case for your service provider.  
Conditional tests  
These tests are for the random number generators and are executed to verify the randomness of  
the random number generator. The conditional tests are executed each time prior to using the  
random number provided by the random number generator.  
The results of the POST and conditional tests are recorded in the system log or are output to the  
local console. This action includes logging both passing and failing results. Refer to the Fabric OS  
Troubleshooting and Diagnostics Guide for instructions on how to recover if your system cannot get  
out of the conditional test mode.  
FIPS mode configuration  
By default, the switch comes up in non-FIPS mode. You can run the fipsCfg --enable fips command  
to enable FIPS mode, but you must configure the switch first. Self-test mode must be enabled  
before FIPS mode can be enabled. A set of prerequisites (as shown in Table 87) must be satisfied  
for the system to enter FIPS mode. To be FIPS-compliant, the switch must be rebooted. For  
directors, either reboot both CPs, or power the chassis down and then up again. KATs are run on  
the reboot. If the KATs are successful, the switch enters FIPS mode. If the KATs fail, then the switch  
reboots until the KATs succeed. If the switch cannot enter FIPS mode and continues to reboot, you  
must return the switch to your switch service provider. For information about how to prepare a  
service provider case, refer to the Fabric OS Troubleshooting and Diagnostics Guide.  
When the switch successfully reboots in FIPS mode, only FIPS-compliant algorithms are run.  
NOTE  
RPC is not supported in FIPS mode.  
Table 87 lists Fabric OS features and their behaviors in FIPS and non-FIPS mode.  
TABLE 87  
FIPS mode restrictions  
Features  
FIPS mode  
Non-FIPS mode  
Configupload/ download/  
SCP only  
FTP and SCP  
supportsave/ firmwaredownload  
DH-CHAP/FCAP  
SHA-1  
MD5 and SHA-1  
hashing algorithms  
DH-CHAP Shared Secret  
Minimum length of 32 bytes for secret used Minimum length of 8 bytes for  
in in-flight encryption  
secret  
HTTP/HTTPS access  
HTTPS only  
HTTP and HTTPS  
HTTPS protocol/algorithms  
TLS/AES128 cipher suite  
TLS AES 128 cipher suite  
SSL is not supported.  
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FIPS mode configuration  
B
TABLE 87  
FIPS mode restrictions (Continued)  
FIPS mode  
Features  
Non-FIPS mode  
IPsec  
Usage of AES-XCBC, MD5, and DH group 1  
No restrictions  
are blocked.  
LDAP CA  
CA certificate must be available.  
CA certificate is optional.  
Supported  
Common certificate for FCAP and Not supported  
HTTPS authentication  
Radius auth protocols  
Root account  
PEAP-MSCHAPv2  
Disabled  
CHAP, PAP, PEAP-MSCHAPv2  
Enabled  
Secure RPC protocols  
Signed firmware download  
TLS/AES128 cipher suite  
SSL and TLS – all cipher suites  
Mandatory firmware signature validation  
(SCP only)  
Optional firmware signature  
validation (FTP and SCP)  
SNMP  
Read-only operations  
Read and write operations  
No restrictions  
SSH algorithms  
HMAC-SHA1 (mac)  
3DES-CBC, AES128-CBC, AES192-CBC,  
AES256-CBC (cipher suites)  
SSH public keys  
RSA 1024 bit keys and RSA 2048 bit keys  
RSA 1024 bit keys, RSA 2048  
bit keys, and DSA 1024 bit keys  
TACACS + authentication  
Telnet/SSH access  
Not supported  
Only SSH  
Supported  
Telnet and SSH  
LDAP in FIPS mode  
You can configure your Microsoft Active Directory server to use the Lightweight Directory Access  
Protocol (LDAP) while in FIPS mode. There is no option provided on the switch to configure TLS  
ciphers for LDAP in FIPS mode. However, the LDAP client checks if FIPS mode is set on the switch  
and uses the FIPS-compliant TLS ciphers for LDAP. If the FIPS mode is not set and the Microsoft  
Active Directory server is configured for FIPS ciphers, it uses FIPS-compliant ciphers.  
Table 88 lists the differences between FIPS and non-FIPS modes of operation.  
TABLE 88  
FIPS and non-FIPS modes of operation  
FIPS mode  
non-FIPS mode  
The certificate of the CA that issued the Microsoft Active  
There is no mandatory CA certificate installation on  
Directory server certificate must be installed on the switch. the switch.  
Configure FIPS-compliant TLS ciphers [TDES-168, SHA1  
and RSA-1024] on the Microsoft Active Directory server.  
The host needs a reboot for the changes to take effect.  
On the Microsoft Active Directory server, there is no  
configuration of the FIPS-compliant TLS ciphers.  
The switch uses FIPS-compliant ciphers regardless of the  
Microsoft Active Directory server configuration. If the  
Microsoft Active Directory server is not configured for FIPS  
ciphers, authentication will still succeed.  
The Microsoft Active Directory server certificate is  
validated if the CA certificate is found on the switch.  
The Microsoft Active Directory server certificate is validated If the Microsoft Active Directory server is configured  
by the LDAP client. If the CA certificate is not present on the for FIPS ciphers and the switch is in non-FIPS mode,  
switch then user authentication will fail.  
then user authentication will succeed.  
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B
Setting up LDAP for FIPS mode  
1. Log in to the switch using an account with admin or securityadmin permissions, or an account  
with OM permissions for the RADIUS and switch configuration RBAC classes of commands.  
2. Enter the dnsConfig command to configure the DNS on the switch.  
Example of setting the DNS  
switch:admin> dnsconfig  
Enter option  
1 Display Domain Name Service (DNS) configuration  
2 Set DNS configuration  
3 Remove DNS configuration  
4 Quit  
Select an item: (1..4) [4] 2  
Enter Domain Name: [] domain.com  
Enter Name Server IP address in dot notation: [] 123.123.123.123  
Enter Name Server IP address in dot notation: [] 123.123.123.124  
DNS parameters saved successfully  
Enter option  
1 Display Domain Name Service (DNS) configuration  
2 Set DNS configuration  
3 Remove DNS configuration  
4 Quit  
Select an item: (1..4) [4] 4  
Specify the DNS IP address using either IPv4 or IPv6. This address is needed for the switch to  
resolve the domain name to the IP address because LDAP initiates a TCP session to connect to  
your Microsoft Active Directory server. A Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) is needed to  
validate the server identity as mentioned in the common name of the server certificate.  
3. Set the switch authentication mode and add your LDAP server by using the commands shown  
in the following example. Provide the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) of the Microsoft  
Active Directory server for the host name parameter while configuring LDAP.  
Example of setting up LDAP for FIPS mode  
switch:admin> aaaconfig --add GEOFF5.ADLDAP.LOCAL -conf ldap -d adldap.local  
-p 389 -t 3  
switch:admin> aaaconfig --authspec "ldap;local"  
switch:admin> aaaconfig –show  
RADIUS CONFIGURATIONS  
=====================  
RADIUS configuration does not exist.  
LDAP CONFIGURATIONS  
===================  
Position  
Server  
: 1  
: GEOFF5.ADLDAP.LOCAL  
Port  
: 389  
Domain  
Timeout(s)  
: adldap.local  
: 3  
Primary AAA Service: LDAP  
Secondary AAA Service: Switch database  
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FIPS mode configuration  
B
4. Set up LDAP according to the instructions in “LDAP configuration and Microsoft Active  
Directory” on page 162, and then perform the following additional Microsoft Active Directory  
settings  
a. To support FIPS-compliant TLS cipher suites on the Microsoft Active Directory server, allow  
the SCHANNEL settings listed in Table 89.  
TABLE 89  
Active Directory keys to modify  
Sub-key  
Key  
Ciphers  
Hashes  
3DES  
SHA1  
Key exchange algorithm PKCS  
Protocols  
TLSv1.0  
b. Enable the FIPS algorithm policy on the Microsoft Active Directory.  
LDAP certificates for FIPS mode  
To utilize the LDAP services for FIPS between the switch and the host, you must generate a  
certificate signing request (CSR) on the Active Directory server and import and export the CA  
certificates. To support server certificate validation, it is essential to have the CA certificate  
installed on the switch and Microsoft Active Directory server. Use the secCertUtil command to  
import the CA certificate to the switch. This command will prompt for the remote IP and login  
credentials to retrieve the CA certificate. The CA certificate should be in any of the standard  
certificate formats, “.cer”, ”.crt,” or “.pem”.  
LDAP CA certificate file names should not contain spaces when using the secCertUtil command to  
import and export the certificate.  
Importing an LDAP switch certificate  
This procedure imports the LDAP CA certificate from the remote host to the switch.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions, or an account with  
OM permissions for the PKI RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter the secCertUtil import -ldapcacert command.  
Example of importing an LDAP certificate  
switch:admin> seccertutil import -ldapcacert  
Select protocol [ftp or scp]: scp  
Enter IP address: 192.168.38.206  
Enter remote directory: /users/aUser/certs  
Enter certificate name (must have ".crt" or ".cer" ".pem" suffix):  
LDAPTestCa.cer  
Enter Login Name: aUser  
Password: <hidden>  
Success: imported certificate [LDAPTestCa.cer].  
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B
Exporting an LDAP switch certificate  
This procedure exports the LDAP CA certificate from the switch to the remote host.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions, or an account with  
OM permissions for the PKI RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter the secCertUtil export -ldapcacert command.  
Example of exporting an LDAP CA certificate  
switch:admin> seccertutil export -ldapcacert  
Select protocol [ftp or scp]: scp  
Enter IP address: 192.168.38.206  
Enter remote directory: /users/aUser/certs  
Enter Login Name: aUser  
Enter LDAP certificate name (must have ".pem" suffix): swLdapca.pem  
Password: <hidden>  
Success: exported LDAP certificate  
Deleting an LDAP switch certificate  
This procedure deletes the LDAP CA certificate from the switch.  
1. Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions, or an account with  
OM permissions for the PKI RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter the secCertUtil show -ldapcacert command to determine the name of the LDAP  
certificate file.  
3. Enter the secCertUtil delete -ldapcacert file_name command, where file_name is the name of  
the LDAP certificate on the switch.  
Example of deleting an LDAP CA certificate  
switch:admin> seccertutil delete -ldapcacert swLdapca.pem  
WARNING!!!  
About to delete certificate: swLdapca.pem  
ARE YOU SURE (yes, y, no, n): [no] y  
Deleted LDAP certificate successfully  
Preparing a switch for FIPS  
It is important to prepare a switch for the following restrictions that exist in FIPS mode:  
The root account and all root-only functions are not available.  
HTTP, Telnet, RPC, and SNMP need to be disabled. Once these ports are blocked, you cannot  
use them to read or write data from and to the switch.  
The configDownload and firmwareDownload commands using an FTP server are blocked.  
See Table 88 on page 618 for a complete list of restrictions between FIPS and non-FIPS modes.  
ATTENTION  
You need both security admin and admin permissions to enable FIPS mode.  
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B
Overview of steps  
1. Remove legacy OpenSSH DSA keys.  
2. Optional: Configure the RADIUS server or the LDAP server.  
3. Optional: Configure any authentication protocols.  
4. For LDAP only: Install an SSL certificate on the Microsoft Active Directory server and a CA  
certificate on the switch for using LDAP authentication.  
5. Create separate IP filter policies for IPv4 and IPv6 and block access to Telnet (TCP port 23),  
HTTP (TCP port 80), or RPC (TCP and UDP ports 897 and 898).  
6. Set the SNMP security level to off.  
7. Disable the boot PROM access.  
8. Configure the switch for signed firmware.  
9. Disable in-flight encryption.  
10. Disable IPsec for Ethernet and IPsec for FCIP.  
11. Disable in-band management.  
12. Disable authspec modes if TACACS + authentication or non-PEAP radius are configured.  
13. Disable root access.  
14. Enable the KATs and the conditional tests.  
15. Enable FIPS.  
16. Perform zeroization as described in the section “Zeroizing for FIPS” on page 624.  
Enabling FIPS mode  
1. Log in to the switch using an account with securityadmin permissions.  
2. Enter the sshutil delpubkeys and sshutil delprivkey commands to remove legacy OpenSSH DSA  
keys.  
These keys, which previously were the default keys, migrate to Fabric OS v7.0.0 but are no  
longer supported in FIPS mode. You must remove these keys to remain FIPS compliant.  
NOTE  
Support for RSA keys is retained. You can implement RSA keys using the sshutil command.  
3. Optional: Select the appropriate authentication method based on your needs:  
If the switch is set for RADIUS, enter the aaaConfig --change or aaaConfig --remove  
command to modify each server to use only PEAP-MSCHAPv2 as the authentication  
protocol.  
The RADIUS server must also be configured to use only PEAP-MSCHAPv2. Note that among  
the Windows RADIUS servers supported, only Windows 2000-, Windows 2003, and  
Windows 2008-based RADIUS servers may be used in a FIPS-compliant configuration.  
If the switch is set for LDAP, refer to the instructions in “Setting up LDAP for FIPS mode” on  
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B
4. Optional: Set the authentication protocols.  
a. Enter the authUtil --set -h sha1 command to set the hash type for MD5, which is used in  
the DH-CHAP and FCAP authentication protocols.  
b. Enter the authUtil --set -g n command (where n represents the DH group) to set the DH  
group to 1, 2, 3, or 4.  
5. Install the LDAP CA certificate on the switch and Microsoft Active Directory server. Refer to  
6. Enter the ipFilter --show command and verify that no active IP filter policy permits access to  
Telnet, HTTP, or RPC ports, even if a higher priority policy explicitly denies such access. If an  
active IP policy does permit any of these ports, you must modify or deactivate the policy. Create  
separate policies for IPv4 and IPv6, and block access on Telnet, HTTP, and RPC ports.  
a. Enter the ipFilter command to create IP filter policies for IPv4 and IPv6. Refer to “Creating  
b. Add rules to each IP filter policy. Refer to “Adding a rule to an IP Filter policy” on page 223.  
You can use the following modifications to the rule to block access to Telnet, HTTP, and  
RPC ports:  
ipfilter --addrule policyname -rule rule_number -sip source_IP -dp  
dest_port -proto protocol -act deny  
The -sip option can be given as any.  
The -dp options for the port numbers for Telnet, HTTP, and RPC are 23, 80, and 898,  
respectively.  
The -proto option should be set to TCP.  
c. Activate each IP filter policy. Refer to “Activating an IP Filter policy” on page 219.  
d. Save each IP filter policy. Refer to “Saving an IP Filter policy” on page 218.  
Example  
ipfilter --create http_block_v4 -type ipv4  
ipfilter --addrule http_block_v4 -rule 1 -sip any -dp 80 -proto tcp -act deny  
ipfilter --activate http_block_v4  
7. Use the snmpConfig --set seclevel command to turn on SNMP security. When prompted to  
select the SNMP SET Security Level, enter 3, for no access.  
Example  
switch:FID128:admin> snmpconfig --set seclevel  
Select SNMP GET Security Level  
(0 = No security, 1 = Authentication only, 2 = Authentication and Privacy, 3 =  
No Access): (0..3) [0]  
Select SNMP SET Security Level  
(0 = No security, 1 = Authentication only, 2 = Authentication and Privacy, 3 =  
No Access): (0..3) [0] 3  
8. Enter the fipsCfg --disable bootprom command to block access to the boot PROM.  
NOTE  
This command can be entered only from the root account. It must be entered before disabling  
the root account.  
9. Enter the configure command and respond to the following prompts to enable signed firmware:  
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B
System services: No  
cfgload attributes: Yes  
Enforce secure config Upload/Download: Press Enter to accept the default.  
Enforce firmware signature validation: Yes  
Example  
switch:admin> configure  
Not all options will be available on an enabled switch.  
To disable the switch, use the "switchDisable" command.  
Configure...  
System services (yes, y, no, n): [no]  
cfgload attributes (yes, y, no, n): [no] yes  
Enforce secure config Upload/Download (yes, y, no, n): [no]  
Enforce firmware signature validation (yes, y, no, n): [no] yes  
10. Enter the userConfig --change root -e no command to block access to the root account.  
By disabling the root account, RADIUS and LDAP users with root permissions are also blocked  
in FIPS mode.  
11. Enter the portCfgEncrypt --disable command to disable in-flight encryption. You must first  
disable the port.  
Example  
myswitch:root> portdisable 0  
myswitch:root> portcfgencrypt --disable 0  
myswitch:root> portenable 0  
12. Enter the ipSecConfig --disable command to disable Ethernet IPsec.  
13. Disable IPsec for FCIP connections. The procedure depends on the type of extension blade  
used.  
For FX8-24 extension blades, enter the portCfg fciptunnel [slot/]port modify -ipsec 0  
command.  
14. Enter the portCfg --mgmtif delete command to disable in-band management.  
15. Enter the following command to disable to authspec mode if TACACS + authentication, PAP, or  
CHAP are configured:  
sw0:FID128:root> aaaconfig --authspec local  
16. Enter the fipsCfg --enable selftests command to enable KAT and conditional tests on the  
switch.  
17. Enter the fipsCfg --verify fips command to verify the switch is FIPS-ready.  
18. Enter the fipsCfg --enable fips command.  
19. Reboot the switch. For a director, reboot both CPs.  
Zeroizing for FIPS  
1. Log in to the switch using an account with admin or securityadmin permissions, or a user  
account with OM permissions for the FIPSCfg RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter the fipsCfg --zeroize command.  
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B
NOTE  
Passwords of the default accounts (admin and user) should be changed after every zeroization  
operation to maintain FIPS 140-2 compliance.  
3. Power-cycle the switch.  
Displaying FIPS configuration  
1. Log in to the switch using an account with admin or securityadmin permissions, or a user  
account with OM permissions for the FCIPCfg RBAC class of commands.  
2. Enter the fipsCfg --showall command.  
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Appendix  
Hexadecimal Conversion  
C
Hexadecimal overview  
Hexadecimal, also known as hex, is a numeral system with a base of 16, usually written by means  
of symbols 0–9 and A–F (or a–f). Its primary purpose is to represent the binary code that  
computers interpret in a format easier for humans to remember. It acts as a form of shorthand, in  
which one hexadecimal digit takes the place of four binary bits. For example, the decimal numeral  
79, with the binary representation of 01001111, is 4F (or 4f) in hexadecimal where 4 = 0100, and  
F = 1111.  
Hexadecimal numbers can have either an 0x prefix or an h suffix. The address 0xFFFFFA is the  
same address as FFFFFAh.This type of address with 6 digits representing 3 bytes, is called a hex  
triplet. Fibre Channel uses hexadecimal notation in hex triplets to specify well-known addresses  
and port IDs.  
Example conversion of the hexadecimal triplet Ox616000  
Notice the PID (610600 - bolded) in the nsShow output is in hexadecimal.  
switch:admin> nsshow  
{
Type Pid  
610600;  
FC4s: FCP  
COS  
PortName  
NodeName  
TTL(sec)  
N
2,3;10:00:00:00:c9:29:b3:84;20:00:00:00:c9:29:b3:84; na  
NodeSymb: [36] "Emulex LP9002 FV3.90A7 DV5-5.10A10 "  
Fabric Port Name: 20:08:00:05:1e:01:23:e0  
Permanent Port Name: 10:00:00:00:c9:29:b3:84  
Port Index: 6  
Share Area: No  
Device Shared in Other AD: No  
Redirect: No  
LSAN: Yes  
The Local Name Server has 1 entry }  
1. Separate the 6 digits into triplets by inserting a space after every 2 digits: 61 06 00  
2. Convert each hexadecimal value to a decimal representation:  
61 = Domain ID = 97  
06 = Area (port number) = 06  
00 = Port (ALPA) = 0 (not used in this instance, but is used in loop, shared areas in PID  
assignments on blades, NPIV, and Access Gateway devices)  
Result: hexadecimal triplet 610600 = decimal triplet 97,06,00  
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Hexadecimal Conversion  
C
Decimal-to-hexadecimal conversion table  
TABLE 90  
Decimal-to-hexadecimal conversion table  
Decimal 01  
02  
02  
12  
0c  
03  
03  
13  
0d  
04  
04  
14  
05  
05  
15  
0f  
06  
06  
16  
07  
08  
08  
18  
09  
09  
19  
13  
29  
1d  
10  
Hex  
Decimal 11  
Hex 0b  
Decimal 21  
Hex 15  
Decimal 31  
Hex 1f  
Decimal 41  
Hex 29  
Decimal 51  
Hex 33  
Decimal 61  
Hex 3d  
Decimal 71  
Hex 47  
Decimal 81  
Hex 51  
Decimal 91  
Hex 5b  
Decimal 101  
Hex 65  
Decimal 111  
Hex 6f  
Decimal 121  
Hex 79  
Decimal 131  
Hex 83  
Decimal 141  
Hex 8d  
Decimal 151  
Hex 97  
Decimal 161  
Hex a1  
Decimal 171  
01  
07  
0a  
17  
20  
0e  
10  
11  
27  
12  
28  
1c  
14  
22  
16  
23  
17  
24  
25  
19  
35  
23  
45  
2d  
26  
1a  
30  
18  
34  
22  
44  
2c  
1b  
1e  
32  
20  
42  
2a  
33  
21  
36  
24  
37  
38  
26  
48  
30  
58  
3a  
39  
27  
40  
25  
47  
28  
43  
2b  
46  
2e  
49  
31  
50  
2f  
32  
52  
34  
62  
3e  
53  
35  
63  
3f  
54  
36  
64  
40  
74  
55  
37  
56  
38  
66  
42  
76  
57  
59  
3b  
60  
39  
67  
43  
77  
4d  
3c  
65  
41  
68  
44  
78  
4e  
69  
45  
79  
4f  
70  
46  
72  
48  
82  
52  
92  
5c  
73  
49  
83  
53  
93  
5d  
75  
4b  
80  
4a  
4c  
50  
84  
54  
94  
5e  
85  
55  
95  
5f  
86  
56  
96  
60  
106  
6a  
87  
88  
58  
98  
62  
108  
6c  
89  
59  
99  
63  
109  
6d  
90  
57  
5a  
97  
100  
64  
110  
6e  
61  
107  
6b  
102  
66  
112  
70  
122  
7a  
103  
67  
113  
71  
104  
68  
114  
72  
124  
7c  
105  
69  
115  
73  
125  
7d  
116  
74  
117  
75  
127  
7f  
118  
76  
119  
77  
120  
78  
123  
7b  
126  
7e  
128  
80  
138  
8a  
129  
81  
130  
82  
132  
84  
142  
8e  
133  
85  
143  
8f  
134  
86  
144  
90  
154  
9a  
135  
87  
136  
88  
146  
92  
156  
9c  
137  
89  
147  
93  
157  
9d  
139  
8b  
140  
8c  
145  
91  
148  
94  
158  
9e  
149  
95  
159  
9f  
150  
96  
152  
98  
162  
a2  
153  
99  
163  
a3  
155  
9b  
160  
a0  
164  
a4  
165  
a5  
166  
a6  
167  
a7  
168  
a8  
169  
a9  
170  
aa  
172  
173  
174  
175  
176  
177  
178  
179  
180  
628  
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Hexadecimal Conversion  
C
TABLE 90  
Decimal-to-hexadecimal conversion table (Continued)  
Hex  
ab  
ac  
ad  
ae  
af  
b0  
b1  
b2  
b3  
b4  
Decimal 181  
Hex b5  
Decimal 191  
Hex bf  
Decimal 201  
Hex c9  
Decimal 211  
Hex d3  
Decimal 221  
Hex dd  
Decimal 231  
Hex e7  
Decimal 241  
Hex f1  
Decimal 251  
182  
b6  
183  
b7  
184  
b8  
185  
b9  
186  
ba  
187  
bb  
188  
bc  
189  
bd  
190  
be  
192  
c0  
193  
c1  
194  
c2  
195  
c3  
196  
c4  
197  
c5  
198  
c6  
199  
c7  
200  
c8  
202  
ca  
203  
cb  
204  
cc  
205  
cd  
206  
ce  
207  
cf  
208  
d0  
209  
d1  
210  
d2  
212  
d4  
213  
d5  
214  
d6  
215  
d7  
216  
d8  
217  
d9  
218  
da  
219  
db  
220  
dc  
222  
de  
223  
df  
224  
e0  
225  
e1  
226  
e2  
227  
e3  
228  
e4  
229  
e5  
230  
e6  
232  
e8  
233  
e9  
234  
ea  
235  
eb  
236  
ec  
237  
ed  
238  
ef  
239  
ee  
240  
f0  
242  
f2  
243  
f3  
244  
f4  
245  
f5  
246  
f6  
247  
f7  
248  
f8  
249  
f9  
250  
fa  
252  
fc  
253  
fd  
254  
fe  
255  
ff  
Hex  
fb  
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Hexadecimal Conversion  
C
630  
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Index  
configuring F_Port trunking on, 544  
considerations for Advanced Performance Monitoring,  
Numerics  
10 Gbps operation on an FC port, enabling, 476  
10-bit addressing mode, 80  
10G license, 475478  
128-bit encryption, in browser, 182  
16-link ICL license, 472  
1st POD ICL license, 471  
F_Port trunking for, 543  
F_Port trunking requirements on, 544  
N_Port failover with FA-PWWN, 431  
shared secrets, 213  
accessing  
devices, 192  
hosts, 192  
switches and fabrics, 192  
zones, 192  
256-area addressing mode, 81  
2nd POD ICL license, 471  
8G license, 473  
8-link ICL license, 472  
account ID, 58  
account management for Virtual Fabrics, 286  
accounts, 133176  
changing parameters, 139  
creating, 138  
A
deleting, 139  
AAA service requests, 149  
aaaConfig command, 151, 152, 171, 175, 176, 622  
accepting distributed user databases locally, 140  
access  
displaying information, 138  
local database of users, 137140  
lockout policy, 143  
lockout policy, duration, 144  
lockout policy, threshold, 144  
lockouts and denial of service implications, 145  
managing passwords, 140  
password policies, 141145  
unlocking, 144  
API, 192  
browser security support, 182  
changing account parameters, 139  
creating accounts, 138  
deleting accounts, 139  
HTTP, 192  
IP address changes, 57  
log in fails, 57  
management server, 193  
NTP, 72  
password, changing, 62  
remote access policies, 159  
secure using SSL, 182  
serial, 193  
user-defined, 137  
See also: user accounts.  
ACL  
activating policy changes, 197  
adding member, 46  
adding policy member, 198  
deleting member, 47  
deleting policy, 197  
distributing local policies, 227  
how policies are stored, 195  
manually distributing policy database, 225  
policies, 195199  
SNMP, 192  
SNMP access control list, 188  
switch defaults, 192  
telnet, 192  
Admin Domain considerations, 196  
storage, 195  
viewing, 197  
blocking, 190  
unblocking, 191  
using SSL, HTTPS, 182  
Access Gateway  
Virtual Fabric considerations, 196  
policy database distribution, 224  
policy database management, 224  
authentication, 211  
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policy distribution to other switches, 227  
policy management, 196199  
policy members, 196  
removing policy member, 198  
resolving conflicting ACL policies, 229  
Admin Domain number and domain ID, 434  
Admin Domains  
about, 433  
access levels, 435  
ACL policy considerations, 196  
activating, 446  
AD list  
activating  
ACL policy changes, 197  
Admin Domains, 446  
IP Filter policy, 219  
licenses, 481  
ports on demand, 483  
TI zones, 368  
Microsoft Active Directory, 165  
OpenLDAP, 170  
RADIUS, 155  
TACACS+, 173  
AD0, 436  
AD255, 436, 437  
ad command, 442, 446, 447, 448, 449, 450, 451, 454,  
AD0, ACL management, 196  
AD0, and Admin Domains, 436  
AD255, ACL management, 196  
AD255, and Admin Domains, 437  
Adaptive Networking  
adding members, 447  
assigning to an existing user account, 445  
assigning users to, 444  
compatibility, availability, and merging, 442  
configDownload command, 460  
configUpload command, 460  
configuration, defined, 442  
configuration, displaying, 456  
creating, 443  
deactivating, 447  
defined AD configuration, 442  
deleting, 449, 450  
device members, 439  
effective AD configuration, 442  
features, 435  
bottleneck detection, 517  
Ingress Rate Limiting, 518  
license, 520  
license considerations for trunking, 523  
overview, 517518  
Quality of Service, 518  
SID/DID traffic prioritization, 518  
Top Talkers, 517  
Traffic Isolation Zoning, 517  
adding  
home AD, 438  
Microsoft Active Directory, 165  
OpenLDAP, 170  
RADIUS, 155  
a Top Talker monitor to a port (port mode), 513  
Admin Domain members, 447  
alias members, 313  
TACACS+, 173  
end-to-end monitors, 501  
frame monitors to a port, 508  
licensed features, 481  
members to a zone configuration, 329  
ports to logical switches, 295  
public key to switch, 180  
rules to an IP Filter policy, 223  
switch or fabric to a zone, 336  
switches to a zone, 336  
Top Talker monitors on all switches in fabric (fabric  
mode), 513  
implementing, 443  
interaction with Fabric OS features, 457  
LDAP server, 164, 169  
logging in to, 438  
LSAN zones, 459  
managing, 433460  
member types, 439440  
Microsoft Active Directory service, 164  
numbering, 433  
OpenLDAP server, 169  
physical fabric administrator, 435  
RADIUS configuration, 155  
RADIUS server configuration, 155  
recommended maximum number, 433  
removing from user accounts, 446  
removing members, 448  
renaming, 448  
zone members, 317  
address  
IPv4 filter policy, 220  
IPv6 filter policy, 220  
addressing mode  
10-bit, 80  
256-area, 81  
core PID, 80  
fixed, 80, 420  
requirements, 435  
role considerations, 135  
632  
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switch members, 440  
switch port members, 439  
switch WWN, 440  
switching context, 456  
system-defined, 436  
aptPolicy command, 119, 121  
assigning user-defined roles, 137  
assigning users to Admin Domains, 444  
audit log  
configuration, 107  
TACACS+ service, 173  
configuring for specific event classes, 108  
auditCfg command, 108  
auditDump command, 109  
AUTH module, Virtual Fabric considerations, 208  
AUTH policy, 207, 208  
distributing fabric-wide, 217  
authenticating devices, 210  
Virtual Fabrics considerations, 211  
authenticating E_Ports, 208  
authentication  
TI zone considerations, 360  
transaction model, 442  
trunk area, 540  
user-defined, 436  
using, 454  
validating members, 454  
VF mode and, 290  
Virtual Fabrics permissions, 133  
zone database, 458  
admin lockout policy, disabling, 144  
admin lockout policy, enabling, 144  
Administrative Domains. See: Admin Domains.  
Advanced Performance Monitoring, 499501  
Access Gateway considerations, 501  
monitor types, 499  
algorithms used, 234  
authentication policy restrictions, 211  
configuring and enabling, 403  
configuring for devices, 211  
configuring for E_Ports, 209  
configuring incoming SSH, 180  
configuring outgoing SSH, 181  
configuring policy, 207217  
enabling, 152  
fabric license, 207  
FCAP, starting, 217  
joining FC routers and edge fabric switchws, 400  
key generation, 398  
protocols, 212  
restrictions, 500  
Virtual Fabrics considerations, 500  
Advanced Performance Monitoring license, and fmMonitor  
command, 506  
advanced zoning, 303342  
advanced zoning commands, 304  
alerts  
bottleneck, 381, 382389  
congestion or latency, 382  
using bottleneckMon command, 382  
alias  
re-authenticating an E_Port, 210  
setting protocols, 212  
TACACS+ service, 171  
adding members, 313  
creating, 313  
deleting, 314  
using with Access Gateway, 211  
viewing parameter settings, 212  
authentication server, 175  
adding, 175  
removing members, 314  
Alias server, described, 44  
aliCreate command, 312, 313  
aliDelete command, 314  
aliRemove command, 314  
aliShow command, 315  
AP Dedicated Link policy, 120  
AP policies and routing policies, 120  
AP route  
data, 150  
deleting, 175  
reordering, 175  
authentication service  
configuring, 149152  
disabling, 175  
enabling, 175  
local, 176  
Microsoft Active Directory and LDAP, 162  
modifying, 175  
OpenLDAP, 165171  
RADIUS, 154  
remote, 149176  
policies, 120  
setting route policy, 121  
AP Shared Link policy, 120  
applications  
blade compatibility, 96  
listener applications blocked, 192  
used by switches, 192  
authorization, fabric-wide distribution of policy, 217  
authUtil command, 209, 210, 211, 212, 217, 403, 623  
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auto-assigned FA-PWWN behavior, 426  
auto-leveling, FR4-18i blade, 264, 270  
automatic PID assignment, enabling, 82  
bladeCfgGeMode command, 477  
bladeDisable command, 97  
bladeEnable command, 97  
bladeSwap command, 97  
blocked listener applications, list, 192  
blocking telnet access, 190  
bond0 logical network interface, 85  
boot PROM password, 145149  
Backbone with recovery string, 146  
Backbone without recovery string, 148  
switch with recovery string, 145  
switch without recovery string, 147  
bottleneck, 375392  
B
Backbone  
assigning fabric IDs, 582  
blade compatibility, 96  
fabric ID, 581582  
fabric, described, 572  
port blades, described, 84  
port configurations supported, 287  
port restrictions, 287  
shutdown, 77  
access gateway considerations, 378  
alert-related parameters, 388  
alerts, 382389  
upgrading firmware, 263  
Backbone fabric, and TI zones, 355  
Backbone firmware, 262265  
download, 262  
download process overview, 262  
version testing, 270  
Backbone-to-edge routing, 576, 581  
backing up a configuration, 244  
base fabric, 285  
congestion or latency alerts, 382  
congestion type, 376  
defined, 375  
disabling detection, 392  
displaying statistics, 391  
enabling detection, 380  
excluding a port from detection, 389  
high availability considerations, 378  
latency type, 376  
reporting, 376  
base switch  
settings retention, 388  
trunking considerations, 378  
types, 376  
about, 283  
creating, 292  
defined, 283  
upgrade and downgrade considerations, 378  
virtual fabrics considerations, 378  
bottleneck detection, 375392  
advanced settings, 388  
alert status, 381  
extended ISLs and, 283  
blade  
application compatibility, 96  
Backbone compatibility, 96  
compatibility, 93  
control processor (CP), 95  
core, 95  
disabling, 97  
disabling port blades, 96  
enabling, 97  
FX8-24 compatibility, 96  
limits, 96  
port area ID, 87  
port compatibility, 96  
port identification, 87  
port indexing, 87  
port numbering schemes, 85  
powering off, 102  
configuration retention, 378  
configurations, 377  
considerations  
access gateway, 378  
high availability, 378  
trunking, 378  
upgrades and downgrades, 378  
virtual fabrics, 378  
disabling, 392  
displaying status, 381  
enabling, 380  
history, 376  
history retention time, 376  
licensing, 376  
limitations, 377  
overview, 375380  
parameters, 384  
powering on, 102  
swapping, 97100  
terminology and compatibility, 93  
types, 85  
slave ports, 390  
upgrading firmware, 263  
634  
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bottleneckMon command, 376, 380, 381, 382, 385,  
C
Broadcast server, described, 44  
broadcast zones, 303, 310  
name restriction, 316  
capitalization in commands, 56  
certificates  
Brocade 6520, 464, 467  
browser, configuring, 186  
certificate authorities (CA), 183  
FCAP, 208  
importing for FCAP, 216  
installing on switch, 185  
installing root certificate for Java plugin, 187  
IP sec and, 236  
IPSECCA.pem certificate name, 236  
obtaining, 185  
private key generation, 183  
public key generation, 183  
root, 185  
root, configuring, 187  
security, 178  
signing requests, generating and storing, 184  
SSL, 178, 182, 215  
SSL certificate files, 185  
Brocade 7800, upgrade license, 464, 470  
Brocade 7800, XISL restriction, 286  
Brocade adapters, configuring F_Port trunking for, 545  
Brocade adapters, F_Port trunking for, 545  
Brocade configuration setup form, 253  
Brocade DCX, 466, 491, 494  
auto-leveling, 256  
ICLs, 493  
Brocade DCX 8510, 466, 491  
auto-leveling, 256  
ICLs, 492  
Brocade DCX 8510-4, 466  
Brocade DCX 8510-8, 466  
Brocade DCX-4S, 494  
Brocade FC16-48 port blade enabling exceptions, 97  
Brocade FC8-48 port blade enabling exceptions, 97  
Brocade FC8-48E port blade enabling exceptions, 97  
Brocade FC8-64 port blade enabling exceptions, 97  
Brocade fixed-port switches, upgrading firmware, 261  
Brocade FX8-24  
switch, 185, 215  
See also: root certificates or security certificates.  
cfgActvShow command, 326, 332  
cfgAdd command, 329, 530  
cfgClear command, 333  
compatibility, 96  
cfgCreate command, 328  
cfgDelete command, 331  
cfgDisable command, 330  
cfgEnable command, 330, 348, 368  
cfgRemove command, 329, 532  
cfgSave command, 314  
cfgShow command, 131, 316, 322, 331, 332  
cfgSize command, 328  
cfgTransAbort command, 331  
cfgTransShow command, 343  
changing  
enabling 10-GbE ports, 477  
XISL use and VE_Ports, 287  
Brocade Network Advisor, 55  
browser  
128-bit encryption, 182  
displaying encryption support, 182  
root certificates in Firefox, 187  
root certificates in Internet Explorer, 186  
security certificate configuration, 186  
browser support, 182  
buffer credit  
management, 555  
buffer credit recovery, 566  
authentication server configuration, 175  
authentication server contact order, 175  
chassis name, 75  
logical switch to base switch, 297  
passwords, 61  
buffer credits, 115  
allocating, 557562  
for average-size frames, 560  
for F_Ports, 562  
for full-size frames, 557  
CHAP, 616  
alternatives, 159  
password encryption requirement, 159  
See also: DH-CHAP.  
by switch model, 563  
buffer-to-buffer credits, 115, 555  
chargen listener application, 192  
chassis management IP interface, setting, 65  
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chassis names, 75  
cfgSave, 314  
cfgShow, 131, 316, 322, 331, 332  
cfgSize, 328  
cfgTransAbort, 331  
cfgTransShow, 343  
chassisDistribute, 224, 226  
chassisName, 75  
chassisShow, 103  
classConfig, 135  
cliHistory, 59  
configDefault, 250, 460  
configDownload, 246, 248, 250, 251, 336, 479  
restrictions, 246  
Virtual Fabrics mode restrictions, 252  
configShow, 241  
configUpload, 241, 244, 250, 251, 258, 336, 479  
Virtual Fabrics mode restrictions, 252  
configure, 110, 179, 267, 289, 299, 623  
configureChassis, 291, 522  
date, 69  
defZone, 326, 327  
distribute, 134, 202, 227, 229  
dlsReset, 122  
dlsSet, 122, 127  
dlsShow, 122  
chassis, changing name of, 75  
chassisDistribute command, 224, 226  
chassisName command, 75  
ChassisRole  
Microsoft Active Directory, 165  
OpenLDAP, 170  
RADIUS, 155  
TACACS+, 170  
chassisShow command, 103  
CIDR block notation, 64  
class 2 and 3 traffic support, 111  
classConfig command, 135  
clearing performance monitor counters, 505  
clearing zone configurations, 333  
CLI  
capitalization in, 56  
command history, 59  
commands to display switch configuration, 247  
commands to modify switch configuration, 247  
Fabric OS, 5659  
cliHistory command, 59  
command  
dnsConfig, 619  
errClear, 259  
errDump, 105  
errShow, 105  
fabricName, 75  
fabricShow, 73, 103  
described, 273  
fanShow, 103  
getting help on, 58  
aaaConfig, 151, 152, 171, 175, 176, 622  
ad, 442, 446, 447, 448, 449, 450, 451, 454, 455,  
aliCreate, 312, 313  
aliDelete, 314  
aliRemove, 314  
aliShow, 315  
aptPolicy, 119, 121  
auditCfg, 108  
faPwwn, 426  
fcoe, 422  
fcrConfigure, 581, 582  
fcrEdgeShow, 400, 412, 418  
fcrXlateConfig, 578, 579  
fddCfg, 202, 224, 226, 227, 228, 229, 581  
fipsCfg, 617, 623, 624, 625  
firmwareCommit, 262, 269, 270, 271  
firmwareDownload, 256, 257, 259, 260, 261, 262,  
firmwareDownloadStatus, 260, 273  
firmwareKeyUpdate, 266, 267  
firmwareRestore, 269, 270  
firmwareShow, 258, 261, 263, 268, 269  
described, 273  
auditDump, 109  
authUtil, 209, 210, 211, 212, 217, 403, 623  
bladeCfgGeMode, 477  
bladeDisable, 97  
bladeEnable, 97  
bladeSwap, 97  
bottleneckMon, 376, 380, 381, 382, 385, 390, 391,  
capitalization in, 56  
cfgActvShow, 326, 332  
cfgAdd, 329, 530  
cfgClear, 333  
cfgCreate, 328  
cfgDelete, 331  
cfgDisable, 330  
cfgEnable, 330, 348, 368  
cfgRemove, 329, 532  
fmMonitor, 224, 505, 507, 508, 509  
for advanced zoning, 304  
fosConfig, 290, 291, 582  
fosExec, 293  
636  
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frameLog, 124  
haDisable, 146  
portBufferShow, 402, 562, 399  
portCfg, 624  
haFailover, 147, 272  
haShow, 103, 262, 263, 271  
haSyncStart, 263  
portCfgCompress, 397, 404, 405  
portCfgEncrypt, 397, 404, 405, 624  
portCfgExPort, 414, 415, 418  
portCfgExport, 579  
help, 58  
ifModeSet, 91  
iodReset, 123  
iodSet, 123  
iodShow, 123  
IP secConfig, 231, 236, 238, 239  
ipAddrSet, 65, 66, 67, 223, 298  
ipAddrShow, 63, 67  
ipFilter, 190, 191, 218, 219, 223, 224, 623  
ipSecConfig, 234, 624  
islShow, 400, 524, 538  
keyTool, 187  
portCfgFec, 128  
portCfgFillWord, 88, 553  
portCfgISLMode, 115, 118  
portCfgLongDistance, 129, 553  
portCfgNpivPort, 421, 422  
portCfgOctetSpeedCombo, 93, 476  
portCfgPersistentDisable, 90  
portCfgPersistentEnable, 89  
portCfgQos, 519, 522, 530, 532  
portCfgShow, 408, 409, 413, 414, 423  
portCfgSpeed, 92, 402, 476  
portCfgTrunkPort, 538, 545  
portDecom, 90  
killTelnet, 57  
ldapAdd, 171  
ldapCfg, 152, 163, 164, 166, 168  
licenseAdd, 476, 477, 482  
licenseIdShow, 39  
portDisable, 90, 538  
portEnable, 89, 485  
portEncCompShow, 396, 399, 401, 402, 404  
portLoginShow, 424  
portName, 86  
portShow, 397, 423, 485  
portStatsShow, 402  
portSwap, 80, 88  
portSwapEnable, 89  
portTrunkArea, 538, 540, 545, 549  
portZoneShow, 309  
licensePort, 486, 487, 488, 489  
licenseRemove, 482  
licenseShow, 476, 477, 480, 481, 482, 580  
licenseSlotCfg, 476, 477, 479  
lsCfg, 291, 292, 294, 295, 296, 297  
msCapabilityShow, 45  
msConfigure, 46, 47  
msPlatShow, 45, 48  
msPlClearDb, 49  
powerOffListSet, 101  
msplMgmtActivate, 44, 45  
msplMgmtDeactivate, 44, 45  
mstdDisable, 50  
mstdEnable, 49  
mstdReadConfig, 49  
nsAllShow, 52, 104  
powerOffListShow, 102  
psShow, 103  
roleConfig, 136  
secAuthSecret, 213, 214, 403  
secCertUtil, 183, 184, 185, 215, 216, 236, 620  
secModeEnable, 192  
described, 273  
nsShow, 52, 104  
secPolicyAbort, 198  
secPolicyActivate, 197, 200, 201, 229  
secPolicyAdd, 198  
described, 273  
passwd, 61  
secPolicyCreate, 200, 204, 207  
secPolicyDelete, 197, 203, 205  
secPolicyFCSMove, 201  
secPolicyRemove, 198  
passwdCfg, 141, 143  
passwdDefault, 616  
perfAddEeMonitor, 502  
perfCfgClear, 516  
secPolicySave, 204  
perfCfgRestore, 516  
perfCfgSave, 516  
perfMonitorClear, 505  
perfMonitorShow, 504  
perfSetPortEEMask, 503  
perfTTmon, 513, 514, 515  
portBufferCalc, 399  
secPolicyShow, 197  
setContext, 121, 299  
slotPowerOff, 102  
slotPowerOn, 102  
slotShow, 103, 580  
snmpConfig, 188, 190, 623  
snmpWalk, 189  
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ssh-keygen, 180  
sshUtil, 180, 182, 622  
sshutil, 257  
viewing configuration, 401  
concurrent zone transactions, 342  
conditional tests for FIPS, 617  
configDefault command, 250, 460  
configDownload command, 246, 248, 250, 251, 336,  
supportSave, 39  
switchCfgPersistentDisable, 100  
switchCfgSpeed, 92  
switchCfgTrunk, 538, 539  
switchDisable, 76, 110, 121, 489  
switchEnable, 76, 110, 301  
switchName, 74  
switchShow, 87, 102, 104, 299, 301, 400, 419, 423,  
switchShow, 611  
switchStatusPolicySet, 106  
switchStatusPolicyShow, 105  
switchStatusShow, 103  
syslogDIpAdd, 108  
sysShutdown, 77  
tac_plus, 172  
restrictions, 246  
Virtual Fabrics mode restrictions, 252  
configShow command, 241  
configUpload command, 241, 244, 250, 251, 258, 336,  
in Admin Domain context, 460  
Virtual Fabrics mode restrictions, 252  
configuration  
changing for SNMPv3 or SNMPv1, 190  
configDownload command, 246  
configuration management for Virtual Fabrics, 250  
CP8 blade dual port, 85  
FA-PWWN upload and download considerations, 430  
format of configuration file, 242  
in fabrics, 250  
modifying for switches, 247  
restoring, 248  
saving for frame monitors, 508  
security considerations, 250  
setup form, 253  
topologyShow, 364  
trackChangesSet, 104  
trackChangesShow, 105  
trunkShow, 539  
tsClockServer, 71  
tsTimeZone, 69, 70  
usbStorage, 265  
userConfig, 137, 445, 446, 624  
version, 580  
wwn, 39  
wwnAddress, 83  
zone, 130, 131, 333, 334, 357, 364, 367, 368, 369,  
supported for FA-PWWN, 429  
without disabling a switch, 248  
zones, 336  
configuration file  
backing up, 244  
backup, 244  
chassis section, 243  
configDownload command, in Admin Domain context,  
display settings, 241  
downloading, 460  
fabric name issues, 76  
format, 242  
information not saved, 244  
restoring, 246  
save to a host, 241  
sharing between identical switch models, 250  
switch section, 244  
uploading, 460  
zoneAdd, 317  
zoneCreate, 316, 530  
zoneDelete, 320  
zoneHelp, 304  
zoneObjectRename, 335  
zoneObjectReplace, 319  
zoneRemove, 318  
zoneShow, 322  
compression  
configuring, 404  
disabling, 405  
E_Port example, 407  
enabling, 396, 404  
enabling on a port, 400  
EX_Port example, 412  
in-flight, 393418  
in interactive mode, 245  
with Virtual Fabrics enabled, 251  
configuration settings, 241253  
configure command, 110, 179, 267, 289, 299, 623  
configureChassis command, 291, 522  
configuring  
license, 394  
long distance ports, 399  
ratios for enc/comp enabled ports, 402  
restrictions, 394  
a switch for signed firmware, 267  
638  
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access methods, Web Tools, 55  
audit log, 107  
authentication, 403  
restrictions, 136  
ssh, 57  
telnet, 57  
authentication policy, 207217  
browser security certificates, 186  
compression, 404  
consistency policies, matching fabric-wide, 229  
consistency policies, non-matching fabric-wide, 230  
console session on serial port, 56  
converting hexadecimal numbers, 627629  
core blades, 95  
core/edge topology and ISL trunking, 537  
core-edge topology, 496  
CP blades, 95  
date and time, 69  
device authentication, 211  
device-switch connection, 88  
DHCP, 66  
encryption, 399405  
Enforce LSAN tag, 597  
extended ISLs, 553  
F_Port trunking on an Access Gateway, 544  
FA-PWWNs, 426429  
FCAP, 215  
FibreAlliance MIB, 188  
FIPS mode, 617621  
FLOGI-time handling of duplicate PWWNs, 109  
HTTPS access, 182  
incoming SSH authentication, 180  
in-flight encryption, 404  
interfabric link, 583  
IPv6 automatically, 68  
links through a gateway, 118  
lossless DLS, 127  
accessing, 156  
licensed features and, 481  
standby, 156  
swapping, 481  
CP8 blade  
devices supporting dual port, 86  
dual port configuration, 85  
creating  
Admin Domains, 443  
alias, 313  
base switches, 292  
DCC policies, 204  
FCS policies, 201  
frame monitors, 507  
NTP, 72  
frame redirect zones, 130  
frame types to be monitored, 506  
logical switches, 292  
SCC policies, 207  
TI zones, 364  
user-defined roles, 136  
zone configurations, 328  
zones, 316  
outgoing SSH authentication, 181  
remote authentication, 149152  
remote authentication on switch, 174  
root certificates, 187  
security certificates, 182  
security levels, 190  
SNMP, 188190  
SNMP and Virtual Fabrics, 189190  
SNMP traps, 188  
Speed LSAN tag, 597  
SSL, 182, 183187  
TACACS+ service, 171  
zone, rules for, 309  
CS_CTL auto mode, using at the chassis level, 522  
CS_CTL-based frame prioritization, 521523  
considerations, 523  
default and auto modes, 521  
enabling and disabling, 522  
high availability considerations, 522  
supported configurations, 521  
CSR  
conflicting ACL policies, resolving, 229  
congestion bottleneck type, 376  
congestions versus over-subscription, 115  
connected devices and logical switches, 279  
connecting  
defined, 620  
exporting for FCAP, 216  
generating and storing, 184  
generating for FCAP, 215  
obtaining certificates, 185  
customizing the switch name, 72  
cut-through routing, 113  
device to a switch, 88  
multiple EX_Ports to an edge fabric, 579  
switches running different firmware versions, 78  
to devices, 78  
to switch, 78  
connection  
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frame redirect zones, 131  
IP Filter policy, 219  
LDAP certificates, 621  
logical switches, 294  
private key from switch, 182  
public key from switch, 182  
rule from an IP Filter policy, 223  
TI zones, 369  
zone configurations, 331  
zones, 320  
D
D_Port, described, 84  
daemon processes and High Availability, 53  
daemon, tac_plus, 172  
daemons automatically restarted, 53  
date and time, 69  
date change license restriction, 479  
date command, 69  
date settings, 69  
delivery order, forcing for frames, 123  
deploying secure protocols, 178  
device  
daytime listener application, 192  
DCC  
creating policy, 204  
deleting policy, 205  
policies, 196, 203206  
policy member, 196  
accessing, 192  
configuring authentication, 211  
connecting, 78  
CP8 blade dual port configuration, 85  
CP8 blade dual port support, 86  
limiting traffic from, 519  
login, 5153  
policy restrictions, 203  
policy, maximum name length, 204  
DCC policies  
for NPIV ports, 205  
proxy devices, 575  
recovery, 53  
policy behavior with fabric-assigned PWWNs, 205  
Virtual Fabric considerations, 203  
deactivating  
Admin Domains, 447  
TI zones, 368  
decimal to hexadecimal conversion table, 628  
decommissioning ports, 90  
default  
verifying connectivity, 104  
device authentication policy, 210  
and Virtual Fabrics considerations, 211  
device-based routing, 120  
FICON environments only., 120  
DH-CHAP, 212, 398  
account passwords, 61  
accounts, listed, 61  
Fabric OS roles, 134  
IP Filter policy names, 218  
IP Policy Rules, 222  
and F_Ports, 210  
and FIPS, 617  
authentication on E_Ports, 208  
configuring authentication, 207  
secret key pairs, 213  
logical switch, 276  
specifying as authentication protocol, 212  
See also: CHAP.  
DHCP  
zone access mode, viewing current, 327  
zone mode, 326, 443  
zoning mode, setting, 326  
default logical switch  
activation, 66  
configuration, 66  
base switch restriction, 287  
XISL restriction, 287  
defZone command, 326, 327  
deleting  
disabling, 67  
enabling, 66  
stateful IPv6 addresses, 66  
diagnostic port. See: D_Port.  
dictionary.brocade, 154  
Protocol. See: DH-CHAP.  
Directory server, described, 43  
disabled zone configuration, defined, 308  
disabling  
a Top Talker monitor on a port, 514  
ACL policy, 197  
Admin Domains, 449, 450  
alias, 314  
all fabric mode Top Talker monitors, 515  
DCC policy, 205  
end-to-end monitors, 504  
frame monitors, 508  
admin lockout policy, 144  
bottleneck detection, 392  
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compression, 405  
CS_CTL-based frame prioritization, 522  
DHCP, 67  
overview, 122  
rebalancing triggers, 126  
See also: Dynamic Load Sharing.  
dlsReset command, 122  
dlsSet command, 122, 127  
dlsShow command, 122  
dnsConfig command, 619  
domain ID  
F_Port trunking, 549  
failover in TI zones, considerations, 347  
in-flight encryption, 405  
ingress rate limiting, 519  
ISL trunking, 538  
local switch protection, 226  
NPIV, 422  
and Admin Domain number, 434  
domain IDs, 7274  
port, 90  
conflicts, 292  
displaying, 73  
displaying top talking flows for, 514  
domain ID 0, 72  
setting, 74  
QoS manually on trunked ports, 524  
QoS zone-based traffic prioritization, 532  
remote authentication, 175  
switches, 76, 100  
topology discovery, 50  
Virtual Fabrics, 290  
downgrading firmware, 257  
download configuration file, 460  
DPS  
zone configurations, 330  
discard listener application, 192  
displaying  
described, 119  
device-based routing, 120  
support on Virtual Fabrics, 120  
dropped frames, discovering why, 124  
DSA key pair generation, 180  
duplicate  
Admin Domain configuration, 456  
configuration settings, 241  
current routing policy, 119  
domain IDs, 73  
encryption support in browser, 182  
existing zones, 316  
F_Port trunking information, 549  
frame monitors, 508  
logical switch configuration, 296  
LSAN tags, 598  
F_Port login, 110  
NPIV port login, 110  
Port World Wide Name (PWWN), 53  
duplicate FA-PWWNs, checking for, 426  
duplicate PWWNs, handling, 109  
dynamic fabric provisioning using FA-PWWN, 425431  
dynamic PID binding, 79  
monitor counters, 504  
network interface settings, 63  
port license assignments, 486  
switch name server contents, 52  
TI zones, 369  
trunking information, 539  
distance vector, in routing, 111  
distribute command, 134, 202, 227, 229  
Distributed Management Server  
FCS policy, 45  
management server database, 45  
topology discovery, 49  
well-known address, 44, 45  
distributing  
E
E_Port  
authentication, 208  
authentication using DH-CHAP or FCAP, 208  
compression/encryption example, 407  
configuring authentication, 209  
described, 84  
inter-switch link, 114  
login process, 51  
authorization policy fabric-wide, 217  
FCS policies, 202  
IP Filter policy, 224  
re-authenticating, 210  
Virtual Fabric considerations, 209  
echo listener application, 192  
edge fabric  
local ACL policies, 227  
local user account database, 140  
distribution policy states, 202  
DLS  
described, 572  
TI zones and, 354  
computation trigger, 122  
effect on other logical switches, 127  
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edge-to-edge routing, 581  
EE monitors  
restrictions, 394  
using SSL, 182  
viewing configuration, 401  
encryption keys, expiration, 396  
end-to-end (EE) monitoring, 501  
end-to-end monitors  
about, 501  
adding, 502  
clearing statistic counters, 505  
defined, 499  
deleting, 504  
deleting, 504  
displaying counters, 504  
maximum number, 501  
setting a mask for, 503  
supported port configurations for, 502  
effective AD configuration, 442  
effective zone configuration, defined, 308  
ELP mode, 117  
restoring configuration, 515  
saving configuration, 515  
setting a mask, 503  
end-to-end performance monitoring, 501  
end-to-end transport tunnel mode, example, 238  
enforce LSAN tag, 595  
enforcement of zones, 308  
ensuring fabric domains share policies, 200  
enterprise ICL license, 472  
equipment status, 102  
enabling  
10 Gbps operation on an FC port, 476  
10-GbE ports on an FX8-24 blade, 477  
admin lockout policy, 144  
authentication, 403  
bottleneck detection, 380  
compression, 404  
CS_CTL-based frame prioritization, 522  
DCC policy on a trunk area, 550  
DHCP, 66  
errClear command, 259  
errDump command, 105  
errShow command, 105  
ESP, described, 234  
eth0 port on CP8 blade, 86  
eth3 port on CP8 blade, 86  
ethernet address, static, 64  
ethernet interface  
FIPS mode, 622  
FIPS mode, permissions needed, 621  
ISL trunking, 538  
local switch protection, 226  
NPIV, 422  
port, 89  
remote authentication, 175  
switches, 76, 100  
on switch, 62  
Virtual Fabrics, 63  
ethernet IP address, setting static, 65  
ETIZ  
configuration rules, 358  
defined, 350  
platform restrictions and FC router domains, 358  
events, logging date and time, 69  
EX_Port, 605  
track changes feature, 104  
Virtual Fabrics mode, 290  
zone configurations, 330  
encryption  
128-bit in browser, 182  
algorithms used, 234  
configuring, 399405  
configuring in-flight, 404  
disabling in-flight, 405  
E_Port example, 407  
enabling, 396  
enabling on a port, 400  
EX_Port example, 412  
in-flight, 393418  
key entry limitations, 395  
key generation, 398  
license, 394  
payload length, 395  
payload size limits, 395  
compression/encryption example, 412  
configuring trunking, 542  
described, 84, 411, 572  
displaying trunking information, 542  
downgrade considerations, 418  
FCR authentication, 579  
in FICON environment, 411  
in-flight encryption/compression, 411  
masterless trunking, 542  
segmentation, 411  
supported trunking configurations and platforms, 542  
EX_Port commands, 418  
EX_Port trunking, 541543  
configuring, 542  
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displaying information, 542  
masterless, 542  
supported configurations and platforms, 542  
exchange-based routing, 118, 119, 123  
expired licenses, 480  
removing, 480  
expiry keys, 396  
exporting  
and Virtual Fabrics, 548  
configuring for Brocade adapters, 545  
considerations, 546  
for access gateways, 543  
for Brocade adapters, 545  
fabric  
access, 192  
adding Top Talker monitors, 513  
addresses. See: PID.  
authentication availability, 207  
authentication license, 207  
authentication policies, 207217  
changing name, 75  
configurations in, 250  
connectivity, 103  
deleting all Top Talker monitors, 515  
domain policy sharing, 200  
element authentication, 207  
fabric login. See: FLOGI.  
fabric-assigned PWWN, 425  
fabric-assigned PWWNs and DCC policy behavior, 205  
fabric-wide consistency policy  
distribution, 225  
setting, 228  
viewing, 228  
fabric-wide distribution of authorization policy, 217  
fabric-wide policy enforcement, 227  
joining switches to, 229  
login command, 51  
login process, 52  
matching fabric-wide consistency policies, 229  
name, 7576  
CSR for FCAP, 216  
LDAP certificates, 621  
public key from switch, 181  
extended fabrics  
about, 552  
buffer credit management, 555  
buffer credit recovery, 566  
buffer requirement calculation, 557  
buffer-to-buffer credits, 555  
device limitations, 552  
extended ISLs, 553  
F_Port buffer credits, 562  
ISL, 556  
long-distance mode, 558  
port buffer credit, 557  
QoS buffer credit requirements, 565  
time-division multiplexing, 554  
extended ISL  
about, 283  
and base switches, 283  
and fmsmode, 289  
logical fabric creation, 300  
restrictions, 289  
See also: XISL.  
config file issues, 76  
high avaliability issues, 76  
upgrade and downgrade considerations, 76  
non-matching fabric-wide consistency policies, 230  
optimizing behavior, 517532  
parameters for ISLs, 114  
segmentation and zoning, 338  
fabric administrator user account, 445  
Fabric controller, described, 43  
fabric ID  
extending a universal temporary license, 480  
F
F_Port  
configuring trunking for Brocade adapters, 545  
configuring trunking on an Access Gateway, 544  
described, 84  
DH-CHAP protocol failure, 210  
disabling trunking, 549  
displaying trunking information, 549  
duplicate logins, 110  
assigning for Backbones, 582  
conflicts, 292  
described, 574  
logical switches and, 277  
See also: FID.  
trunking considerations, 546  
trunking for access gateways, 543  
trunking for Brocade adapters, 545  
trunking requirements on an Access Gateway, 544  
F_Port trunking, 543550  
Fabric Login server, described, 43  
Fabric mode Top Talker monitor, described, 510  
Fabric OS  
authentication services, external, 149  
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command line interface, 56, 5659  
default roles, 134  
feature interaction with Virtual Fabrics, 288  
interaction with Virtual Fabrics, 288  
policies, 196  
protocols supported, 178  
security protocols supported, 177  
user accounts, 152153  
and Virtual Fabrics, 606  
backbone-to-edge, 576  
configurations supported, 571  
edge-to-edge, 576  
fabric mode Top Talker monitors, 581  
license requirements, 570  
platforms supported, 570  
routing service, 569  
on RADIUS servers, 154162  
user accounts through LDAP, 153  
web server, 186  
setup, 579581  
setup verification, 580  
Top Talker monitors and, 511  
topologies, 576  
See also: FCR and Fibre Channel routing  
fabricName command, 75  
fabricShow command, 73, 103  
described, 273  
fabric-wide consistency policy, 196, 581  
failover, for traffic isolation, 346348  
fanShow command, 103  
FCIP  
and FC-FC routing, 582  
tunnel configuration, 582  
tunnel hop support, 287  
FC-NAT, defined, 113  
fcoe command, 422  
FCoE, NPIV required, 422  
FCR  
FA-PWWN, 425  
auto-assigned behavior, 426  
checking for duplicates, 426  
configuration upload and download considerations,  
and traffic isolation, 352  
authentication, 579  
Brocade 7800 logical switches, 570  
fcrConfigure command, 581, 582  
fcrEdgeShow command, 400, 412, 418  
fcrXlateConfig command, 578, 579  
FCS  
configuring, 426429  
DCC policy behavior, 205  
dynamic fabric provisioning, 425431  
firmware upgrade and downgrade considerations, 430  
N_Port Access Gateway failover, 431  
priority, 426  
creating policy, 201  
modifying policy, 199  
restrictions, 431  
security considerations, 430  
supported switches and configurations, 429  
user-assigned behavior, 426  
faPwwn command, 426  
modifying switch order, 201  
policies, 196, 199, 199202  
policy distribution, 202  
policy member, 196  
policy restrictions, 199  
policy states, 199  
FC routers  
setting QoS zone-based traffic prioritization over, 532  
FCAP  
fddCfg command, 202, 224, 226, 227, 228, 229, 581  
feature licenses, 463  
and FIPS, 617  
authentication on E_Ports, 208  
certificates, 208  
listed, 464  
FEC  
configuration overview, 215  
CSR export, 216  
configuration requirements, 128  
disabling, 129  
fabric element authentication, 207  
generating key and CSR, 215  
importing security certificate, 216  
importing switch certificate, 216  
PKI certificates required, 207  
specifying as authentication protocol, 212  
starting authentication, 217  
FC-FC routing  
disabling for long distance ports, 129  
enabling, 128, 129  
enabling for long distance ports, 129  
limitations, 128  
PortFecCap, 128  
viewing settings, 129  
Fibre Channel  
and FCIP, 582  
NAT, 113  
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restrictions, 617  
Fibre Channel Common Transport (FC-CT) protocol service,  
described, 44  
Fibre Channel fabrics, and port ID, 113  
Fibre Channel port, 84  
Fibre Channel port, enabling 10 Gbps operation, 476  
Fibre Channel protocol auto discovery process, 52  
Fibre Channel router, described, 572  
Fibre Channel routers  
domains and ETIZ platform restrictions, 358  
SCC policies, 206  
TI zone limitations, 356  
Fibre Channel routing, 572  
concepts, 572579  
See also: FCR and FC-FC routing.  
Fibre Channel services, 4354  
overview, 43  
FICON CUP environment considerations, 257  
FICON, EX_Ports and, 411  
FICON-MIB, 188  
fipsCfg command, 617, 623, 624, 625  
Firefox  
root certificate installation and verification, 187  
SSL support, 182  
firmware, 255273  
Backbone, 262265  
Backbone download process overview, 262  
Backbone version testing, 270  
downgrading, 257  
download process, 255  
downloading without a password, 257  
FA-PWWN upgrade and downgrade considerations,  
finding version, 259  
for switches, 260261  
obtaining and decompressing, 259  
power-on checksum test for FIPS, 268  
signed, 267  
switch version testing, 268  
upgrading, 257  
upgrading for Brocade fixed-port switches, 261  
upgrading on Backbones, 263  
upgrading on blades, 263  
FID. See: fabric ID.  
firmware download, 256  
FIPS  
auto-leveling, 270  
Backbones, 262  
connected switches, 259  
conditional tests, 617  
described, 266  
DH-CHAP, 617  
FICON CUP considerations, 257  
FIPS, 266  
displaying configuration, 625  
error state, 617  
high availability synchronization, 257  
preparing for download, 258  
process overview, 260  
protocol, FTP and SCP, 256  
switches, 260  
FCAP, 617  
firmware considerations, 266  
firmwareDownload command, 267  
LDAP certificates  
deleting, 621  
test and restore on Backbones, 270  
test and restore on switches, 268  
testing different firmware versions, 270  
USB device, 265266  
validating, 273  
verify progress, 256  
displaying and deleting, 620  
exporting, 621  
installing, 620  
overview, 615  
permissions needed to enable, 621  
power-on self tests, 617  
preparing a switch, 621  
RADIUS server configuration, 622  
RPC unsupported, 617  
support, 615625  
firmwareCommit command, 262, 269, 270, 271  
firmwareDownload command, 256, 257, 259, 260, 261,  
firmwareDownloadStatus command, 260, 273  
firmwareKeyUpdate command, 266, 267  
firmwareRestore command, 269, 270  
firmwareShow command, 258, 261, 263, 268, 269  
described, 273  
zeroization functions, 615  
zeroizing for, 624  
FIPS mode  
configuration, 617621  
enabling, 622  
LDAP, 618  
fixed addressing mode, 80  
fixed-port switches  
LDAP certificates, 620  
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port configurations supported, 286  
port restrictions, 286  
FL_Port, described, 84  
FLOGI, 52  
configuring, 156  
Fabric OS user setup, 154  
user, adding, 157  
vendor attributes, 157  
See also: RADIUS and Linux.  
defined, 51  
FC-SP bit setting, 210  
process, 52  
FSPF  
described, 112  
number of routes supported, 112  
path calculation, 113  
traffic isolation routing rules, 349  
FSPF-1009 RASLOG message, 360  
ftp listener application, 192  
rejected, 210  
request frame header value, 52  
fmMonitor command, 224, 505, 507, 508, 509  
Advanced Performance Monitoring license, 506  
fmsmode, and XISL, 289  
forcing frame delivery order, 123  
fosConfig command, 290, 291, 582  
fosExec command, 293  
frame delivery and topology changes, 123  
frame monitoring, 505  
frame monitors  
G
G_Port, described, 84  
gateway links, 117  
buffer credits, 552  
gateway, configuring a link through, 118  
generating  
adding to a port, 508  
clearing statistic counters, 509  
creating, 507  
defined, 499  
deleting, 508  
DSA or RSA key pairs, 180  
key and CSR for FCAP, 215  
PKI key pairs, 181  
displaying, 508  
removing from a port, 508  
restoring configuration, 515  
saving configuration, 508, 515  
frame order, specifying delivery, 123  
frame prioritization, CS_CTL-based, 521523  
frame redirection, 130–??  
frame redirection zones, 303  
creating, 130  
deleting, 131  
viewing, 131  
frame types  
creating to be monitored, 506  
deleting, 507  
Frame Viewer  
filtering results, 124  
using, 124  
frameLog command, 124  
frames  
creating frame redirect zones, 130  
deleting frame redirect zones, 131  
discovering why dropped, 124  
forcing delivery order, 123  
restoring unordered delivery order, 123  
viewing frame redirect zones, 131  
FreeRADIUS  
H
HA. See: High Availability.  
haDisable command, 146  
haFailover command, 147, 272  
haShow command, 103, 262, 263, 271  
haSyncStart command, 263  
help command, 58  
help for commands, 58  
hexadecimal conversion, 627629  
hexadecimal to decimal conversion table, 628  
High Availability  
daemon processes, 53  
failover and passwords, 141  
failover on RADIUS server, 156  
QoS zone-based traffic prioritization considerations,  
support for trunking, 536  
synchronization, 257  
verifying features, 103  
history of CLI commands, 59  
home Admin Domain, 438  
Microsoft Access Directory, 165  
OpenLDAP, 170  
clients, enabling, 158  
RADIUS, 155  
646  
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TACACS+, 173  
home LF  
indexing ports, 611614  
in-flight compression and port decommissioning, 396  
in-flight encryption  
Microsoft Active Directory, 165  
OpenLDAP, 170  
RADIUS, 155  
configuring, 404  
disabling, 405  
license, 394  
TACACS+, 173  
host syslog, verifying, 108  
hosts, accessing, 192  
HTTPS protocol, 182  
described, 177  
port decommissioning, 396  
restrictions, 394  
in-flight encryption and compression, 393418  
on EX_Ports, 411  
secure protocol, 178  
overview, 393  
ingress rate limiting, 518519  
disabling, 519  
Virtual Fabrics considerations, 519  
in-order frame delivery, forcing, 123  
installing  
I
IAS  
certificates on switch, 185  
LDAP certificates, 620  
configuring, 159  
remote access policies, 159  
ICL  
root certificate to Java plugin, 187  
Integrated Routing license, 570  
inter-fabric link See: IFL.  
Internet Explorer and SSL support, 182  
iodReset command, 123  
iodSet command, 123  
iodShow command, 123  
IP addresses  
configuring for a Virtual Fabric, 298  
removing from a Virtual Fabric, 298  
IP Filter  
16-link license, 472  
1st POD license, 471  
2nd POD license, 471  
8-link license, 472  
about Inter-Chassis Links, 491  
core-edge topology, 496  
enterprise license, 472  
for DCX 8510 family, 492  
for DCX family, 493  
license, 491  
licensing, 471472  
limitations for lossless core, 127  
maximum numbers of, 492  
mesh topology, 495  
aborting transaction, 223  
activating policy, 219  
adding rule to policy, 223  
cloning policy, 218  
prohibited connections, 494  
topologies supported, 495497  
triangular topology, 495  
trunking on DCX and DCX-4S, 494  
Virtual Fabric considerations, 494  
ICL ports and XISL, 287  
identifying ports, 87  
creating policy, 218  
default policy names, 218  
default policy rules, 222  
deleting policy, 219  
deleting rule from policy, 223  
displaying policy, 218  
IE, root certificate installation and verification, 186  
IFL  
about, 572  
configuration, 583  
configuring, 583  
described, 572  
implicit rules, 222  
IP Filter policy destination port, 220  
IP Filter policy source address, 220  
IP Filter policy traffic type and destination IP, 222  
managing thresholds, 224  
policy, 217224  
policy and Virtual Fabrics considerations, 218  
policy distribution, 224  
ifModeSet command, 91  
IKE  
policies and IP sec, 235  
policies, null encryption support, 240  
implementing Admin Domains, 443  
policy enforcement, 223  
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policy rules, 219  
islShow command, 400, 524, 538  
policy rules using service names, 220  
saving policy, 218  
supported actions, 221  
J
Java  
supported protocols, 221  
supported services and port numbers, 220  
IP interface for chassis management, 65  
IP sec  
installing root certificate in plugin, 187  
installing root certificate to plugin, 187  
support for SSL, 182  
algorithms, 234  
Authentication Header protocol, 233  
configuration on the management interface, 231  
Encapsulating Security Payload protocol, 233  
flushing security associations, 240  
IKE policies, 235  
supported version, 183  
Java plugin, installing root certificate for, 187  
joining a switch to a fabric, 229  
key management, 235  
manual key entry, 236  
null encryption support for IKE policies, 240  
policies, 234240  
K
key  
adding public key to switch, 180  
deleting private from switch, 182  
deleting public from switch, 182  
generating for FCAP, 215  
policy described, 234  
pre-shared key, 235  
protocol, described, 177  
protocols, 233  
sa-proposal, 234  
generation, 183  
key management and IP sec, 235  
key pair generation for RSA or DSA, 180  
manual key entry and IP sec, 236  
PKI key pair generation on switch, 181  
pre-shared, and IP sec, 235  
private key generation, 183  
secret pairs for DH-CHAP, 213  
setting a secret key pair, 214  
viewing list of secret key pairs, 213  
key entry limitations, for encryption, 395  
key generation, 398  
security association, 233  
security certificate, 236  
traffic selector, 235  
transform set, 235  
tunnel configurations, 231233  
IP secConfig command, 231, 236, 238, 239  
ipAddrSet command, 65, 66, 67, 223, 298  
ipAddrShow command, 63, 67  
ipFilter command, 190, 191, 218, 219, 223, 224, 623  
IP-NAT, 113  
IPSECCA.pem, certificate name, 236  
ipSecConfig command, 234, 624  
IPv4 filter policy address, 220  
IPv6  
keys, expiry, 396  
keyTool command, 187  
killTelnet command, 57  
autoconfiguration, 68  
DHCP and stateful IPv6 addresses, 66  
filter policy address, 220  
IPv6 policies tunneling IMCP traffic, 240  
ISL, 78  
L
L_Port, described, 84  
latency bottleneck type, 376  
Layer 2 routing. See also: FSPF.  
LDAP  
best practices, 114  
configuring extended, 553  
fabric parameters, 114  
logical fabrics and, 282  
maximum distances in LO mode, 78  
ISL R_RDY mode, 117  
Active Directory LDAP versions supported, 163  
authentication, non-FIPS mode, 166  
certificates for FIPS mode, 620  
configuring for Microsoft Active Directory, 163  
creating Fabric OS user accounts, 153  
deleting certificates, 621  
ISL trunking  
disabling, 538  
enabling, 538  
over long distance fabrics, 540  
exporting certificates, 621  
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in FIPS mode, 618  
installing certificates, 620  
ICL 8-link, 472  
in-flight encryption, 394  
IPv4 and IPv6 support, 162  
non-FIPS mode restrictions, 162  
role mapping and OpenLDAP, 168  
role mapping, and Microsoft Active Directory, 163  
secure service, 150  
installation requirements and location, 467  
Integrated Routing, 570  
preserving, 463  
purchasing keys, 484  
removing expired, 480  
LDAP server  
removing features, 482  
requirements for SID/DID prioritization, 520  
requirements for trunking, 535  
reserving for POD, 488  
adding, 175  
deleting, 175  
reordering, 175  
slot-based, 474475  
LDAP service  
temporary, 478480  
time-based, 478480  
universal temporary  
configuration, displaying, 176  
configuring, 162  
configuring for OpenLDAP, 165171  
disabling, 175  
extending, 480  
shelf life, 480  
universal temporary, described, 480  
viewing installed, 481  
licenseAdd command, 476, 477, 482  
licensed features, 463  
enabling, 175  
group assignment, 168  
groups, creating, 164  
modifying, 175  
overview, 134  
role, assigning, 164  
users, adding, 164, 167  
vendor attributes, 165  
ldapAdd command, 171  
ldapCfg command, 152, 163, 164, 166, 168  
LDAPS protocol, described, 177  
Ldifde.exe utility, using, 165  
LF role  
listed, 464  
licenseIdShow command, 39  
licensePort command, 486, 487, 488, 489  
licenseRemove command, 482  
licenseShow command, 476, 477, 480, 481, 482, 580  
licenseSlotCfg command, 476, 477, 479  
licensing, 463489  
overview, 463470  
limiting traffic from a device, 519  
link operating mode, 90  
link state database, 112  
link state, in routing, 111  
link, configuring through a gateway, 118  
Linux  
FreeRADIUS and Fabric OS user setup, 154  
LDAP authentication, 165171  
RADIUS server support, 156  
TACACS+ authentication on, 172  
LISL. See: Logical ISL.  
Microsoft Active Directory, 165  
OpenLDAP, 170  
RADIUS, 155  
TACACS+, 173  
licence. See: license.  
license  
10G, 475478  
8G, 473  
activating, 481  
Adaptive Networking, 520  
adding features, 481  
Brocade 7800 upgrade, 470  
compression, 394  
date change restriction, 479  
encryption, 394  
list of port types, 84  
listener application  
enterprise ICL, 472  
expired, 480  
Extended Fabrics, 551  
fabric authentication, 207  
ICL, 471472, 491  
ICL 16-link, 472  
ICL 1st POD, 471  
ICL 2nd POD, 471  
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blocked  
chargen, 192  
basic configuration values, 291  
changing to a base switch, 297  
commanding in a different context, 293  
connected devices and, 279  
creating, 292  
daytime, 192  
discard, 192  
echo, 192  
ftp, 192  
rexec, 192  
rlogin, 192  
deleting, 294  
displaying configuration, 296  
DLS effect on, 127  
rsh, 192  
rstats, 192  
rusers, 192  
fabric IDs and, 277  
management model, 281  
moving ports, 295  
time, 192  
blocked list, 192  
chargen, 192  
daytime, 192  
discard, 192  
echo, 192  
ftp, 192  
multiple FIDs, 282  
number, 277  
number per chassis, 288  
port assignment, 278  
restoring configuration, 251  
Top Talkers and, 295  
unique names for, 74  
rexec, 192  
login  
rlogin, 192  
rsh, 192  
rstats, 192  
rusers, 192  
changing password, 139  
command for fabric, 51  
fails, 57  
process for fabric, 52  
time, 192  
with Admin Domains, 438  
login sessions, maximum allowed, 136  
long distance fabrics, and ISL trunking, 540  
long distance ports, compression, 399  
lossless core, 126  
local ACL policies, distributing, 227  
local authentication  
backup, as, 176  
overview, 134  
local clock, 72  
ICL limitations, 127  
local database user accounts, 137140  
local user account database  
distributing, 140  
local user account database distribution, 140  
local user account passwords, 139  
LOCL, 72  
traffic flow limitations, 127  
lossless DLS, 125128  
configuring, 127  
in Virtual Fabrics, 127  
lossless dynamic load sharing. See: lossless DLS.  
LSAN, 590  
logging timestamp, 69  
logical fabrics, 281285  
about, 281  
LSAN tags, 594  
LSAN zone binding, 598  
LSAN zone name length consideration, 460  
LSAN zones, 303  
in Admin Domains, 459  
lsCfg command, 291, 292, 294, 295, 296, 297  
changing context, 299  
creating using XISLs, 300  
defined, 276  
formation, 285  
ISLs and, 282  
logical ISLs, 284  
logical network interface, bond0, 85  
logical ports  
M
M_Port, described, 84  
making basic connections, 78  
management channel, 136  
management interface  
IP sec configuration, 231  
security, 231240  
zoning, 316  
logical ports in ISL, 285  
Logical SANs, described, 573  
logical switches, 276280  
about, 276  
allowing XISL use, 299  
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management server  
msplMgmtActivate command, 44, 45  
msplMgmtDeactivate command, 44, 45  
mstdDisable command, 50  
displaying ACL, 46  
viewing database, 48  
management server database, 4549  
Management server, described, 44  
managing  
mstdEnable command, 49  
mstdReadConfig command, 49  
Admin Domains, 433460  
IP Filter thresholds, 224  
trunking connections, 533550  
user accounts, 133176  
user-defined roles, 136137  
zoning configurations in a fabric, 333  
manually distributing ACL policy database, 225  
mask for end-to-end monitors, setting, 503  
masterless EX_Port trunking, 542  
masterless trunking, 534  
matching fabric parameters, 579  
maximum ISL distances in LO mode, 78  
maximum zone database size, 327  
members  
policy, 196  
merging zones, 327  
mesh topology, 495  
MetaSAN, described, 574  
MIB, 188  
Microsoft Active Directory and LDAP role mapping, 163  
Microsoft Active Directory LDAP service  
configuring, 163  
Microsoft Active Directory service  
configuring for LDAP, 162  
groups, creating, 164  
N
N_Port, Access Gateway failover with FA-PWWN, 431  
name  
chassis, 75  
fabric, 7576  
security certificate name, 236  
switch, 74  
name server contents, displaying, 52  
naming ports, 86  
NAT, 113  
network interface  
displaying settings, 63  
logical (bond0), 85  
Network OS connectivity, 569  
Network OS connectivity, unsupported configurations,  
network time protocol, 71  
NPIV, 419424  
10-bit addressing mode, 420  
configuring, 421422  
disabling, 422  
enabling, 422  
F_Ports, 422  
FCoE requirement, 422  
fixed addressing mode, 420  
overview, 419420  
role, assigning, 164  
users, adding, 164  
vendor attributes, adding to schema, 165  
mirror port. See also: M_Port.  
modifying  
FCS policy, 199  
FCS switch order, 201  
TI zones, 367  
PIDs, 82  
upgrade considerations, 420  
viewing PID login information, 424  
viewing port configuration information, 423  
NPIV ports  
zoning configurations, 328  
monitor configuration, restoring, 515  
monitoring  
end-to-end performance, 501  
frames, 505  
trunks, 515  
DCC policy behavior, 205  
duplicate login, 110  
nsAllShow command, 52, 104  
described, 273  
nsShow command, 52, 104  
described, 273  
NTP, 71  
Mozilla Firefox. See: Firefox.  
msCapabilityShow command, 45  
msConfigure command, 46, 47  
msPlatShow command, 45, 48  
msPlClearDb command, 49  
NTP access, 72  
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null encryption support for IKE policies, 240  
passwordless firmware download, 257  
passwords  
boot PROM, 145149  
Backbone with recovery string, 146  
Backbone without recovery string, 148  
switch with recovery string, 145  
switch without recovery string, 147  
local user accounts, 139  
policies for, 141145  
rules, 139  
O
on-demand ports, 483489  
activating, 485  
available ports, 484  
disabling dynamic, 487  
displaying installed licenses, 484  
dynamic, 485  
path calculation using FSPF, 113  
path selection for routing, 112  
paths, defined, 112  
enabling dynamic, 486  
supported devices, 483  
Open LDAP  
payload size limits for encryption, 395  
PEAP-MSCHAPv2, 159, 618, 622  
perfAddEeMonitor command, 502  
perfCfgClear command, 516  
perfCfgRestore command, 516  
perfCfgSave command, 516  
perfMonitorClear command, 505  
perfMonitorShow command, 504  
performance data collection, 516  
perfSetPortEEMask command, 503  
perfTTmon command, 513, 514, 515  
permissions assigned to roles, 135  
phantom domains, 577579  
described, 575  
See also: LDAP.  
OpenLDAP  
configuring, 165171  
group assignment, 168  
group membership, 166  
group membership, enabling, 166  
LDAP role mapping and, 168  
memberOf overlay, 166  
restrictions, 166  
server configuration, 166  
users, adding, 167  
users, modifying, 168  
over-subscription versus congestions, 115  
physical fabric administrator, 435  
physical fabric administrator user account, creating, 445  
PID, 7983  
P
10-bit addressing mode, 80  
assigning static, 83  
automatic assignment, 82  
binding overview, 79  
passwd command, 61  
passwdCfg command, 141, 143  
passwdDefault command, 616  
password, 58  
clearing binding, 83  
changing, 61, 140  
changing defaults, 62  
CHAP encryption requirement, 159  
default for accounts, 61  
limits, 61  
core addressing mode, 80  
maximum number of assignments, 82  
showing assignments, 83  
static and NPIV, 82  
swapping port area IDs, 88  
WWN-based assignment, 82  
WWN-based Virtual Fabrics assignment, 82  
PKI  
recovery string, 147  
recovery string, boot PROM password, 145  
Password Authentication Protocol (PAP), 159  
password database, distribution restrictions, 140  
password expiration policy, 143  
password history policy, 142  
password policy  
generating DSA or RSA key pairs, 180  
generating key pairs, 181  
private key generation, 183  
public key generation, 183  
used with SSL, 182  
account lockout, 143  
strength, 141  
platform database, 45  
password strength policy, 141  
platform services, 4445  
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disabling, 45  
enabling, 45  
ACL deleting, 197  
ACL distribution, 227  
Virtual Fabrics, 45  
platforms, FC-FC routing supported, 570  
PLOGI, 52  
defined, 51  
POD  
activating IP Filter, 219  
adding rule to an IP Filter policy, 223  
authentication restrictions, 211  
cloning an IP Filter, 218  
creating DCC, 204  
creating FCS, 201  
creating for IP Filter, 218  
creating SCC, 207  
DCC deleting, 205  
DCC restrictions, 203  
default IP Filter policy rules, 222  
deleting IP Filter, 219  
deleting rule from an IP Filter policy, 223  
device authentication, 210  
device authentication and Virtual Fabrics  
considerations, 211  
displaying IP Filter, 218  
enforcing IP Filter, 223  
FCS restrictions, 199  
IP Filter, 217224  
IP Filter policy distribution, 224  
management of ACL, 196199  
members, identifying, 196  
modifying FCS, 199  
enabling ports, 89  
releasing a port from a set, 488  
reserving a port license, 488  
See also: ports on demand.  
policies  
account lockout, 143  
account lockout duration, 144  
account lockout threshold, 144  
ACL, 195199  
ACL and Admin Domain considerations, 196  
ACL and Virtual Fabric considerations, 196  
ACL changes, activating, 197  
ACL, storage, 195  
ACL, viewing, 197  
adding member to ACL, 198  
admin lockout, 144  
AUTH, 208  
AUTH, distributing fabric-wide, 217  
authentication for fabric, 207217  
DCC, 196, 203206  
DCC and Virtual Fabric considerations, 203  
distributing local ACL, 227  
ensuring fabric domains share policies, 200  
fabric-wide consistency, 196, 581  
fabric-wide consistency policy distribution, 225  
fabric-wide policy enforcement, 227  
FCS, 196, 199202  
FCS policy distribution, 202  
IP sec, 234240  
IPv6 tunneling IMCP traffic, 240  
manually distributing ACL policy database, 225  
matching fabric-wide consistency policies, 229  
non-matching fabric-wide consistency policies, 230  
password, 141145  
password strength, 141  
rules for IP Filter, 219  
saving IP Filter, 218  
using service names in IP Filter rules, 220  
policy database distribution, 224  
settings, 225  
viewing settings, 226  
Virtual Fabric considerations, 225  
policy set, defined, 196  
port, 8493  
activating POD, 485  
activation, 89  
adding frame monitors to, 508  
and blade compatibility, 96  
assignment in logical switches, 278  
blade enabling exceptions, 97  
changing speed on encryption/compression ports,  
password expiration, 143  
password history, 142  
removing member from ACL, 198  
resolving conflicting ACL policies, 229  
routing, 118121  
compression for long distance, 399  
compression ratios  
for compression-enabled ports, 402  
for encryption-enabled ports, 402  
configuration of ports, 193  
configurations supported for Backbones, 287  
configurations supported for fixed-port switches, 286  
configuring E_Port authentication, 209  
saving changes without activating, 197  
SCC, 196, 206207  
SCC and Virtual Fabric considerations, 206  
security, 195240  
switch database distribution setting, 224  
policy  
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deactivation, 89  
port area ID, 87  
decommissioning, 90  
deleting Top Talker monitor on, 514  
disabling, 90  
disabling dynamic POD, 487  
disabling on blades, 96  
displaying license assignments, 486  
displaying the top n bandwidth-using flows, 513  
dynamic POD, 485  
E_Port compression/encryption example, 407  
enabling, 89  
enabling compression, 400  
enabling dynamic POD, 486  
enabling encryption, 400  
port area IDs, swapping, 88  
port decommissioning  
on port with in-flight encryption/compression, 396  
port groups for trunking, 535  
port identifier. See also: PID.  
port index, 611  
port indexing, 87, 611614  
port mirroring, 84  
Port mode Top Talker monitor, described, 510  
port numbering schemes, 85  
port speeds, setting, 92  
port type  
EX_Port commands, 418  
D_Port, 84  
diagnostic, 84  
E_Port, 84  
EX_Port, 84, 411  
F_Port, 84  
FL_Port, 84  
G_Port, 84  
L_Port, 84  
EX_Port compression/encryption example, 412  
EX_Port downgrade considerations, 418  
EX_Port segmentation, 411  
excluding from bottleneck detection, 389  
FEC disabling for long distance, 129  
FEC enabling for long distance, 129  
ICL, 493  
ID and Fibre Channel fabrics, 113  
identification  
M_Port, 84  
mirror, 84  
by index, 87  
by port area ID, 87  
U_Port, 84  
VE_Port, 84  
by slot and port number, 87  
logical and zoning, 316  
logical in ISL, 285  
lossless dynamic load sharing, 125128  
manually disabling QoS on trunked ports, 524  
moving, 279  
VEX_Port, 84  
Port World Wide Name. See also: PWWN.  
port-based routing, 118, 119, 123  
portBufferCalc command, 399  
portBufferShow command, 402, 562  
portBufferShow command, 399  
portCfg command, 624  
naming, 86  
port login command, 51  
portCfgCompress command, 397, 404, 405  
portCfgEncrypt command, 397, 404, 405, 624  
portCfgExPort command, 414, 415, 418  
portCfgExport command, 579  
portCfgFec command, 128  
portCfgFillWord command, 88, 553  
portCfgISLMode command, 115, 118  
portCfgLongDistance command, 129, 553  
portCfgNpivPort command, 421, 422  
portCfgOctetSpeedCombo command, 93, 476  
portCfgPersistentDisable command, 90  
portCfgPersistentEnable command, 89  
portCfgQos command, 519, 522, 530, 532  
portCfgShow command, 408  
portCfgShow command, 409, 413, 414, 423  
portCfgSpeed command, 92, 402, 476  
portCfgTrunkPort command, 538, 545  
port login process, 52  
port types, 84  
ports and applications used by switches, 192  
re-authenticating an E_Port, 210  
releasing from a POD set, 488  
removing frame monitors from, 508  
reserving a POD license, 488  
restrictions on Backbones, 287  
restrictions on fixed-port switches, 286  
restrictions on moving, 289  
serial connection, 56  
setting mode, 90  
setting speed for a port octet, 93  
slave port bottleneck detection, 390  
SNMP filtering, 189  
speed and number of encryption/compression ports,  
Top Talker monitor, adding, 513  
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portDecom command, 90  
portDisable command, 90, 538  
portEnable command, 89, 485  
portEncCompShow command, 396, 399, 401, 402, 404  
PortFecCap, 128  
portLoginShow command, 424  
portName command, 86  
ports on demand, 483489  
activating, 485  
secure  
HTTPS, 178  
SCP, 178  
SNMPv1, 178  
SNMPv2, 178  
SNMPv3, 178  
SSHv2, 178  
SNMP, described, 177  
SSH, described, 178  
SSL, 182  
SSL, described, 178  
telnet, 190  
available ports, 484  
disabling dynamic, 487  
displaying installed licenses, 484  
dynamic, 485  
protocols  
authentication, 212  
IP sec, 233  
items needed to deploy secure, 178  
secure, 178  
enabling dynamic, 486  
licence restrictions, 483  
supported devices, 483  
See also: POD.  
security, 177  
portShow command, 397, 423, 485  
portStatsShow command, 402  
portSwap command, 80, 88  
portSwapEnable command, 89  
portTrunkArea command, 538, 540, 545, 549  
portZoneShow command, 309  
power management, 101  
powering down, 76  
setting for authentication, 212  
supported for IP Filter, 221  
proxy device, 575576  
described, 573  
proxy PID, 603  
proxy PID, described, 573  
psShow command, 103  
public key  
powerOffListSet command, 101  
powerOffListShow command, 102  
power-on self tests for FIPS, 617  
preparing a switch for FIPS, 621  
preserving licenses, 463  
pre-shared key, and IP sec, 235  
pre-shared secret, length, 399  
primary FCS, 45  
adding to switch, 180  
authentication, 180  
deleting from switch, 182  
generation, 183  
public key infrastructure and encryption, 182  
PWWN  
assigned by fabric, 425  
configuring FLOGI-time handling of duplicates, 109  
duplicates, 53  
handling duplicates, 110  
See also: Port World Wide Name.  
primary FCS modifying, 201  
Principal ISLs, 112  
principal switch  
defined, 51  
principal switch, capabilities, 51  
priority groups, for virtual channels, 115  
private key  
Q
QoS  
deleting from switch, 182  
generation, 183  
buffer credit requirement, 565  
described, 115  
enabled by default, 531  
on E_Ports, 526  
PRLI, 52  
protocol  
Fibre Channel Common Transport (FC-CT), described,  
HTTPS, described, 177  
IPsec, described, 177  
LDAPS, described, 177  
over FC routers, 527  
SID/DID traffic prioritization, 519  
traffic prioritization, 527  
QoS CS_CTL-based frame prioritization, 521523  
QoS port buffer configuration, 561  
SCP, described, 177  
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QoS zone-based traffic prioritization, 523  
disabling, 532  
RBAC, 134  
Admin Domain considerations, 135  
and Fabric OS, 56  
role permissions, 135  
recommendations for trunk groups, 537  
recovering a device, 53  
redirecting frames, 130–??  
Registered State Change Notification, 52  
rejecting distributed user databases locally, 141  
releasing a port from a POD set, 488  
remote access policies, 159  
remote authentication, 149176  
adding server to the switch configuration, 175  
changing authentication server configuration, 175  
changing authentication server contact order, 175  
deleting server from the switch configuration, 175  
displaying current configuration, 176  
enabling and disabling, 175  
switch configuration, 174  
High Availability considerations, 528  
limitations and restrictions, 529  
setting, 530  
ssetting over FC routers, 532  
supported configurations, 529  
trunking considerations, 530  
Virtual Fabrics considerations, 528  
QoS zones, 115, 304  
defined, 525  
name prefix specified in an LSAN zone, 526  
QSFP ports in DCX 8510 chassis, 492  
R
RADIUS client  
configuration, 158  
removing  
enabling, 158  
RADIUS server  
Admin Domain members, 448  
Admin Domains from user accounts, 446  
alias members, 314  
adding, 175  
configuration for FIPS, 622  
configuration with Admin Domains or Virtual Fabrics,  
frame monitors, 508  
frame monitors from a port, 508  
licensed features, 482  
configuring support with Linux, 156  
configuring support with Windows 2000, 158  
deleting, 175  
High Availability failover on, 156  
reordering, 175  
LSAN tags, 597  
members from a zone configuration, 329  
ports from logical switches, 295  
zone configuration members, 329  
zone members, 318  
RSA setup, 160  
setup, 156162  
renaming Admin Domains, 448  
requirements  
RADIUS service  
Admin Domains, 435  
for F_Port trunking on an Access Gateway, 544  
for trunk groups, 536  
ADList, 155  
configuration, displaying, 176  
configuring, 156  
restoring  
ContextRoleList, 155, 173  
disabling, 175  
enabling, 175  
homeAD, 155  
Linux server-based, 156  
modifying, 175  
configuration file, 246  
logical switch configuration, 251  
monitor configuration, 515  
unordered frame delivery, 123  
restrictions  
authentication policies, 211  
Backbone ports, 287  
compression, 394  
encryption, 394  
fixed-port switch ports, 286  
in-flight encryption, 394  
on FA-PWWN, 431  
on moving ports, 289  
QoS zone-based traffic prioritization, 529  
overview, 134, 154  
user, adding, 157  
Virtual Fabrics HomeContext, 155  
Windows 2008 support, 160  
Windows server-based, 158  
RASLOG message  
FSPF-1009, 360  
ZONE-1062, 325  
656  
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upgrading temporary slot-based licenses, 479  
Virtual Fabrics, 288  
XISLs, 289  
RSA RADIUS server, 160  
RSA RADIUS server, setup, 160  
RSA SecurID, 160  
rexec listener application, 192  
rlogin listener application, 192  
roleConfig command, 136  
roles  
RSCN, 74  
RSCN. See: Registered State Change Notification.  
rsh listener application, 192  
rstats listener application, 192  
rule  
Admin Domain considerations, 135  
assigning user-defined, 137  
creating user-defined, 136  
default, 134  
managing user-defined, 136137  
role permissions, 135  
adding to an IP Filter policy, 223  
configuring zones, 309  
deleting from an IP Filter policy, 223  
passwords, 139  
rusers listener application, 192  
root certificates  
in Firefox, 187  
S
in Internet Explorer, 186  
installing in Java plugin, 187  
installing to the Java plugin, 187  
See also: security certificates.  
route selection for routing, 112  
route selection, defined, 112  
routes, number supported using FSPF, 112  
routing  
sa-proposal, 234  
saved zone configuration, defined, 308  
saving monitor configuration, 515  
SCC  
creating policy, 207  
policies, 196, 206207  
Virtual Fabric considerations, 206  
policy member, 196  
AP policies, 120  
AP route policies, 120  
Backbone-to-edge, 576, 581  
cut-through, 113  
device-based, 120  
displaying current policy, 119  
distance vector, 111  
dynamic load sharing, 122  
exchange-based, 118, 119, 123  
FC-FC setup, 579581  
frame order delivery, 123  
frame redirection, 130–??  
link state, 111  
SCC policies, 206  
SCP  
configuration for uploads and downloads, 179  
described, 178  
for certificates, 184  
protocol, described, 177  
secure protocol, 178  
SCR, defined, 51  
secAuthSecret command, 213, 214, 403  
secCertUtil command, 183, 184, 185, 215, 216, 236,  
lossless dynamic load sharing, 125  
out-of-order exchanges, 123  
overview, 111113  
path and route selection, 112  
performance, 118  
port-based, 118, 119, 123  
route selection, 122  
setting AP route policy, 121  
setting policy, 121  
secModeEnable command, 192  
secPolicyAbort command, 198  
secPolicyActivate command, 197, 200, 201, 229  
secPolicyAdd command, 198  
secPolicyCreate command, 200, 204, 207  
secPolicyDelete command, 197, 203, 205  
secPolicyFCSMove command, 201  
secPolicyRemove command, 198  
secPolicySave command, 204  
secPolicyShow command, 197  
secret key pair  
Virtual Fabrics, 120  
routing policies, 118121  
VE_Ports, 119  
RPC, unsupported in FIPS mode, 617  
RSA key pair generation, 180  
communicating, 213  
for DH-CHAP, 213  
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length, 213  
setting, 214  
viewing list of, 213  
serial port, console session, 56  
sessions, maximum allowed, 136  
setContext command, 121, 299  
setting  
Secure Fabric OS policies, 196  
secure LDAP, 150  
changing passwords, 62  
chassis configurations, 93  
chassis management IP interface, 65  
date, 69  
default zone mode, 443  
fabric-wide consistency policy, 228  
mask for end-to-end monitors, 503  
port speeds, 92  
secure protocol  
HTTPS, 178  
items needed to deploy, 178  
SCP, 178  
SNMPv1, 178  
SNMPv2, 178  
SNMPv3, 178  
SSHv2, 178  
QoS zone-based traffic prioritization, 530  
QoS zone-based traffic prioritization over FC routers,  
security  
security level, 190  
static ethernet IP address, 65  
switch date and time, 69  
time, 69  
AUTH policy, 207  
Brocade MIB, 188  
browser support, 182  
certificates, 178  
time zone, 70  
time zone interactively, 71  
settings, configuration, 241253  
shared ISL. See: extended ISL.  
shared secrets on Access Gateway, 213  
shelf life of a universal temporary license, 480  
shutdown  
encryption and SSL, 182  
FibreAlliance MIB, 188  
IAS remote access policies, 159  
IP policy rules, 222  
key generation, 183  
management interface, 231240  
obtaining certificates, 185  
policies, ACL, 195  
Backbone, 77  
switch, 77  
protocols supported, 177  
public key authentication, 180  
root certificates in Firefox, 187  
root certificates in Internet Explorer, 186  
root certificates in Java plugin, 187  
secure protocols, supported, 178  
setting levels, 190  
SNMP traps, 188  
SSL certificates, 178  
tunnel creation, 236240  
zoning and, 336  
SID/DID traffic prioritization, 519  
signed firmware, 267  
slapd.conf file, 166  
slave port bottleneck detection, 390  
slot-based licensing, 474475  
slotPowerOff command, 102  
slotPowerOn command, 102  
slotShow command, 103, 580  
SNMP, 188  
Security Association Database (SADB), described, 233  
security associations, 234  
flushing, 240  
access control list, 188  
agent, 188  
attributes, 190  
changing SNMPv3 or SNMPv1 configuration, 190  
configuration, 190  
configuration changes, 190  
configuring, 188190  
configuring for Virtual Fabrics, 189190  
described, 177  
filtering ports, 189  
host access, 192  
IP sec and, 233  
security certificates. See: certificates or root certificates.  
security considerations for FA-PWWN, 430  
security policies, 195240  
security protocols, 177178  
security scenarios, 178  
serial number, location on switch, 39  
serial port connection, 56  
password change, 139  
658  
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security levels, 190  
SNMPv1  
supported browsers, 182  
supportSave command, 39  
swapping blades, 97100  
SW-EXTTRAP, 189  
secure protocol, 178  
SNMPv2  
secure protocol, 178  
SNMPv3  
secure protocol, 178  
switch and chassis context enforcement, 189  
v1 support, 188  
switch  
access, 192  
access methods, Web Tools, 55  
ACL policy distribution, 227  
activation and deactivation, 76  
adding public key, 180  
applications used, 192  
buffer credits by model, 563  
certificates, installing, 185  
changing name, 74  
configuring for signed firmware, 267  
configuring without disabling, 248  
connecting, 78  
connecting to a device, 88  
connecting with different firmware, 78  
default access, 192  
deleting private key, 182  
deleting public key, 182  
disabling, 76, 100  
disabling local switch protection, 226  
disabling port, 90  
displaying name server contents, 52  
enabling, 76, 100  
v3 support, 188  
Virtual Fabrics and, 189  
snmpConfig command, 188, 190, 623  
snmpWalk command, 189  
special zones, 303  
specification of ACL policy members, 196  
Speed LSAN tag, 595  
speed, setting for ports, 92  
SSH  
allowed-user, 180  
configuring incoming authentication, 180  
configuring outgoing authentication, 181  
connection, 57  
encrypted sessions, 179  
protocol, described, 178  
public key authentication, 180  
SSHv2 protocol, 178  
support, 179  
enabling local switch protection, 226  
ethernet interface, 62  
exporting public key, 181  
firmware download, 260  
firmware version testing, 268  
firmware version, finding, 259  
host access, 192  
supported OpenSSH protocol version, 179  
sshd daemon, 179  
ssh-keygen command, 180  
sshUtil command, 180, 182, 622  
sshutil command, 257  
SSL, 215  
browser support, 182  
certificate files, 185  
configuring, 183187  
encryption strength, 182  
protocol, 182  
joining to fabric, 229  
LDAP certificates  
deleting, 621  
exporting, 621  
installing, 620  
protocol, described, 178  
security certificates, 182  
SSL security certificates, 178  
standby CP blade, 156  
static ethernet address, 64  
static ethernet IP address, setting, 65  
static PID, assigning, 83  
static PIDs, NPIV, 82  
statistics, bottleneck, 391  
status of equipment, 102  
status policy threshold values, setting, 106  
status policy threshold values, viewing, 105  
modifying FCS order, 201  
modifying switch configuration, 247  
name limitations, 74  
names, 74  
naming, 72  
PKI key pair generation, 181  
ports used, 192  
restoring a configuration, 248  
serial number location, 39  
setting date and time, 69  
setting port speed, 92  
setting status policy threshold values, 106  
shutdown, 77  
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switch database distribution setting, 224  
unique names for logical, 74  
user-defined accounts, 137  
enabling, 175  
home Virtual Fabric, 173  
homeAD, 173  
viewing status policy threshold values, 105  
switch authentication mode, setting, 152  
switch authentication policy, 208  
See also: AUTH.  
LINUX based, 172  
modifying, 175  
overview, 134  
password expiration, configuring, 174  
user, adding, 172  
vendor attributes, 172  
Virtual Fabrics, configuring, 173  
Windows server-based, 174  
tags for LSAN zones, 594  
telnet  
switch firmware, 260261  
switch WWN in Admin Domains, 440  
switchCfgPersistentDisable command, 100  
switchCfgSpeed command, 92  
switchCfgTrunk command, 538, 539  
switchDisable command, 76, 110, 121, 489  
switchEnable command, 76, 110, 301  
switches supported for FA-PWWN, 429  
switchName command, 74  
switchShowcommand, 611  
switchShow command, 87, 102, 104, 299, 301, 400,  
switchStatusPolicySet command, 106  
switchStatusPolicyShow command, 105  
switchStatusShow command, 103  
syslogDIpAdd command, 108  
blocking access, 190  
connection, 57  
protocol, 190  
unblocking access, 191  
temporary licenses, 478480  
defined, 478  
temporary slot-based licenses, upgrade restrictions, 479  
protocol. See: TACACS+.  
TI zones, 304  
activating, 368  
admin domain considerations, 360  
changing state, 368  
sysShutdown command, 77  
creating, 364  
system-defined Admin Domains, 436  
creating in a base fabric, 366  
deactivating, 368  
defined, 345  
deleting, 369  
displaying, 369  
failover, 346348  
FC router limitations, 356  
FC routers, 352  
limitations and restrictions, 359  
modifying, 367  
supported configurations, 358  
trunk port violation handling, 357  
trunking, 359  
T
tac_plus command, 172  
tac_plus daemon, 172  
tac_plus.cfg file, 172  
TACACS+ server  
adding, 175  
deleting, 175  
failover, 171  
installing, 172  
reordering, 175  
retry, 171  
supported protocols, 171  
timeout, 171  
Virtual Fabric considerations, 364  
Virtual Fabrics considerations, 361  
with Virtual Fabrics, 363  
within a Backbone fabric, 355  
within an edge fabric, 354  
time and date, 69  
TACACS+ service  
ADList, 173  
Admin Domains, configuring, 173  
authentication service, 171  
configuration, 171  
configuration, displaying, 176  
disabling, 175  
time listener application, 192  
Time server, described, 43  
time settings, 69  
time zone  
setting, 70  
660  
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setting interactively, 71  
time zone settings, 6971  
time, synchronizing local and external, 71  
time-based licenses, 478480  
Top Talker monitors  
transaction model for managing Admin Domains, 442  
transform set, and IP sec, 235  
transform set, defined, 235  
traps  
MIB, 188  
adding on all switches in fabric, 513  
adding to aport (port mode), 513  
and FC-FC routing, 511  
defined, 499  
SNMP, 188  
trunk area and admin domains, 540  
trunk area, enabling DCC policy on, 550  
trunk groups  
deleting all in fabric, 515  
deleting on a port, 514  
fabric mode, described, 510  
limitations, 512  
configuring, 538  
recommendations, 537  
requirements, 536  
trunk monitoring, 515  
port mode, described, 510  
Top Talkers, 510  
logical switches and, 295  
topologies  
core-edge, 496  
mesh, 495  
supported for ICL connections, 495497  
topology database, 112  
topology discovery, 4950  
disabling, 50  
trunk port violation handling, for TI zones, 357  
trunked ports, manually disabling QoS on, 524  
trunking  
Adaptive Networking license considerations, 523  
configuring F_Port for Brocade adapters, 545  
disabling, 538  
disabling F_Port trunking, 549  
disabling ISL, 538  
displaying F_Port information, 549  
displaying information, 539  
enabling, 538  
displaying status, 49  
enabling, 49  
topologyShow command, 364  
track changes feature  
enabling ISL, 538  
EX_Port, 541543  
F_Port, 543550  
displaying status, 105  
enabling, 104  
F_Port considerations, 546  
F_Port for access gateways, 543  
F_Port for Brocade adapters, 545  
F_Ports and Virtual Fabrics, 548  
High Availability support, 536  
ICL on DCX and DCX-4S, 494  
ISL over long distance fabrics, 540  
license requirements, 535  
managing, 533550  
masterless, 534  
overview, 533  
port groups, 535  
supported configurations, 535  
supported platforms, 536  
types, 534  
trackChangesSet command, 104  
trackChangesShow command, 105  
tracking and controlling switch changes, 104  
traffic flow limitations for lossless core, 127  
traffic isolation, 345373  
enhanced zones, 350352  
failover, 346348  
FSPF routing rules, 349  
over FCR, 352  
over FCR with Virtual Fabrics, 363  
overview, 345  
traffic isolation zones, 304  
traffic isolation zoning, 345373  
Traffic Isolation. See also TI.  
traffic patterns, planning for, 537  
traffic prioritization, 527  
QoS zone-based, 523  
SID/DID, 519  
traffic selector, and IP sec, 235  
traffic support, 111  
with TI zones, 359  
trunkShow command, 539  
tsClockServer command, 71  
tsTimeZone command, 69, 70  
tunnel  
configurations using IP sec, 231233  
creation, 236240  
traffic, limiting from a device, 519  
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U
V
U_Port, described, 84  
validating a zone, 323  
validating Admin Domain members, 454  
VE_Ports  
unblocking telnet access, 191  
universal temporary license  
defined, 478  
described, 84  
described, 480  
extending, 480  
shelf life, 480  
routing policy, 119  
XISL and FX8-24, 287  
verification check, 580  
verifying  
unlocking an account, 144  
unordered frame delivery, restoring, 123  
upgrading firmware, 257  
upgrading temporary slot-based licenses, restrictions, 479  
uploading AD configuration file, 460  
USB device, 265, 265266  
usbStorage command, 265  
user account  
assigning Admin Domains to, 445  
creating a physical fabric administrator, 445  
for managing Admin Domains, 445  
user accounts, 133176  
distributing local database, 140  
Fabric OS and LDAP, 153  
Fabric OS, 152153  
device connectivity, 78, 104  
High Availability features, 103  
host syslog, 108  
version command, 580  
VEX_Port  
described, 84  
FCIP required, 582  
in Fibre Channel, 572  
VF mode  
Admin Domains and, 290  
definition, 290  
See also: Virtual Fabrics  
viewing  
ACL policies, 197  
alias, 315  
Fabric OS and RADIUS servers, 154162  
local database distribution, 140  
local database of, 137140  
managing, 133176  
overview, 133  
password policies, 141145  
password rules, 139  
authentication parameter settings, 212  
compression configuration, 401  
current default zone access mode, 327  
encryption configuration, 401  
fabric-wide consistency policy, 228  
frame redirect zones, 131  
installed licenses, 481  
list of secret key pairs, 213  
NPIV port configuration information, 423  
policy database distribution settings, 226  
virtual PID login information, 424  
zone configuration information  
all, 331  
removing Admin Domains, 446  
user authentication, 153  
user databases, 140  
accepting distributed locally, 140  
rejecting distributed locally, 141  
user-assigned FA-PWWN behavior, 426  
userConfig command, 137, 445, 446, 624  
user-defined accounts, 137  
user-defined Admin Domains, 436  
user-defined role  
in effective zone database, 332  
selected zones, 332  
zones, 322  
virtual channels, 115  
priority groups, 115  
Virtual Fabrics  
assigning, 137  
creating, 136  
managing, 136137  
account management, 286  
ACL policy considerations, 196  
AUTH module considerations, 208  
base switch  
User-Principal-Name, 163  
users  
assigning to Admin Domains, 444  
authenticating, 134  
using security certificates, 182  
about, 283  
creating, 292  
changing logical switch to base switch, 297  
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configDownload restrictions, 252  
configUpload restrictions, 252  
configuration management, 250  
configuring SNMP for, 189190  
considerations  
for Adv. Perf. Monitoring, 500  
for WWN-based PID assignment, 82  
considerations for ICLs, 494  
ContextRoleList, 155, 173  
date settings, 69  
DCC policy considerations, 203  
disabling, 290  
DPS support, 120  
E_Port considerations, 209  
enabling, 290  
SCC policy considerations, 206  
supported platforms, 286  
TACACS+ service, 173  
TI zone considerations, 361, 364  
with traffic isolation over FCR, 363  
XISL, allowing on logical switches, 299  
zone alias considerations, 312  
zone database size considerations, 327  
virtual PID login information  
viewing, 424  
VSA  
permissions assignment, 153  
VSA-based account role syntax, 153  
ethernet interface, 63  
extended ISL (XISL), 283  
F_Port trunking, 548  
W
web server used by Fabric OS, 186  
Web Tools access methods, configuration, 55  
well-known address, described, 43  
Windows 2000  
IAS and Fabric OS user setup, 154  
RADIUS authentication on, 158  
Windows 2008 RADIUS (NPS) support, 160  
Windows IAS, Fabric OS user setup, 154  
Windows server  
LDAP authentication on, 163  
RADIUS authentication on, 158  
TACACS+ authentication on, 174  
World Wide Name command. See: wwn command.  
WWN, 481  
format for logical ports, 285  
switch WWNs in Admin Domains, 440  
wwn command, 39  
wwnAddress command, 83  
WWN-based PID assignment, 82  
considerations for Virtual Fabrics, 82  
FC-FC routing, 606  
home Virtual Fabric, TACCS+, 173  
HomeContext, 155  
ingress rate limiting, 519  
interaction with Fabric OS features, 288  
interaction with other Fabric OS features, 288  
IP address removal, 298  
IP address setup, 298  
IP Filter policy considerations, 218  
LDAP server, 164, 169  
logical fabrics  
about, 281  
context change, 299  
logical ISL (LISL), 284  
logical switch  
creating, 292  
default, 276  
deleting, 294  
displaying configuration, 296  
overview, 276  
lossless dynamic load sharing, 127  
Microsoft Active Directory service, 164  
OpenLDAP server, 169  
X
XISL  
overview, 275  
password database distribution restrictions, 140  
permissions and Admin Domains, 133  
platform services, 45  
policy database distribution considerations, 225  
ports, moving, 295  
QoS zone-based traffic prioritization considerations,  
RADIUS configuration, 155  
RADIUS server configuration, 155  
restrictions, 288  
Brocade 7800 restriction, 286  
default logical switch restriction, 287  
ICL port restriction, 287  
on FX8-24, 287  
See also: extended ISL.  
xlate domain ID, 578  
xlate domains, 577  
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objects, 306  
optimizing resources, 304  
QoS, 304  
QoS zones, defined, 525  
removing members, 318  
from a configuration, 329  
replacing member, 319  
saved zone configuration, defined, 308  
schemes, 307  
setting default zoning mode, 326  
special, 303  
splitting a fabric, 338  
terminology, 304  
TI, 304  
TI zones, defined, 345  
traffic isolation, 304  
Z
zeroization functions for FIPS, 615  
zeroizing for FIPS, 624  
zone  
access mode, viewing current, 327  
accessing, 192  
adding a new switch or fabric, 336  
adding members, 317  
administering security, 336  
alias  
adding members, 313  
deleting, 314  
removing members, 314  
viewing, 315  
Virtual Fabrics considerations, 312  
wildcard usage, 316, 317, 318, 319  
aliases, 307  
all access, 326  
broadcast, 303, 310  
broadcast (reserved name), 316  
concepts, 304  
concurrent transactions, 342  
configuration management, 336  
configurations, 307  
types, 305  
viewing  
database transactions, 343  
frame redirect, 131  
zones, 322  
viewing configuration information  
for all, 331  
for selected zones, 332  
in effective zone database, 332  
zone configuration, defined, 308  
zone object, 306  
adding members, 329  
creating and maintaining, 328  
managing, 333  
zone types, 303  
zone command, 130, 131, 333, 334, 357, 364, 367,  
zone configuration database, maximum items, 328  
zone configurations  
configuring rules, 309  
creating, 316  
creating a configuration, 328  
creating frame redirect, 130  
creation and maintenance, 316325  
database changes, examining, 322  
database configurations, viewing, 332  
database size, 327  
database size and Virtual Fabric considerations, 327  
default zone mode, 326, 443  
deleting, 320  
clearing, 333  
creating, 328  
deleting, 331  
disabling, 330  
enabling, 330  
removing members, 329  
zone database and Admin Domains, 458  
zone database, maximum size, 327  
zone object  
configurations, 331  
deleting frame redirect, 131  
disabled zone configuration, defined, 308  
disabling a configuration, 330  
effective zone configuration, defined, 308  
enabling a configuration, 330  
existing, 316  
frame redirection, 303  
LSAN, 303  
maximum database size, 327  
merging, 327, 336342  
merging scenarios, 339  
no access, 326  
copying, 333  
deleting, 334  
maintenance, 333335  
renaming, 335  
zoneAdd command, 317  
zoneCreate command, 316, 530  
zoneDelete command, 320  
zoneHelp command, 304  
zoneObjectRename command, 335  
zoneObjectReplace command, 319  
664  
Fabric OS Administrator’s Guide  
53-1002745-02  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
zoneRemove command, 318  
zoneShow command, 322  
zoning  
advanced, 303342  
advanced commands, 304  
defined, 304  
enforcement, 308  
on logical ports, 316  
overview, 304  
Fabric OS Administrator’s Guide  
53-1002745-02  
665  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
666  
Fabric OS Administrator’s Guide  
53-1002745-02  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  

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