Brocade Network Advisor SAN User Manual v11.1x (53-1002167-01, May 2011)

408 Brocade Network Advisor SAN User Manual

53-1002167-01

Fibre Channel routing overview

Fibre Channel (FC) routing provides connectivity to devices in different fabrics without merging the

fabrics. Using Fibre Channel routing, you can share tape drives across multiple fabrics without the

administrative overhead, such as change management and network management, and scalability

issues that might result from merging the fabrics.

Fibre Channel routing allows you to create logical storage area networks (LSANs) that can span

fabrics. These LSANs allow Fibre Channel zones to cross physical SAN boundaries without merging

the fabrics and while maintaining the access controls of zones.

Refer to the Fabric OS Administrator’s Guide for detailed information about Fibre Channel routing.

The following terminology is used in this chapter:

Figure 150 on page 409 shows a metaSAN with a backbone fabric and three edge fabrics. The

backbone consists of one 4 Gbps Router, Extension Switch connecting hosts in Edge fabrics 1 and

3 with storage in Edge fabric 2 and the backbone fabric. LSANs provide device sharing between the

following pairs of fabrics:

• The backbone fabric and Edge fabric 1

• Edge fabric 1 and Edge fabric 2

• Edge fabric 2 and Edge fabric 3

FC router A switch running the FC-FC Routing Service.

Interfabric link (IFL) The link between an E_Port and an EX_Port, or a VE_Port and a VEX_Port.

Edge fabric A standard Fibre Channel fabric with targets and initiators connected

through an FC router to another Fibre Channel fabric.

Backbone fabric The fabric to which the FC router belongs. An FC router connects two or

more edge fabrics; a backbone fabric connects FC routers. A backbone

fabric consists of at least one FC router and possibly a number of

Fabric OS-based Fibre Channel switches. Initiators and targets in the edge

fabric can communicate with devices in the backbone fabric through the FC

router.

LSAN A logical SAN that spans fabrics. An LSAN is defined by zones in two or more

edge or backbone fabrics that contain the same devices. LSANs enable

Fibre Channel zones to cross physical SAN boundaries without merging the

fabrics while maintaining the access controls of zones.

metaSAN The collection of all SANs interconnected with FC routers.