Data Center Fabric Manager Enterprise User Manual v10.3.X (53-1001357-01, November 2009)

462 DCFM Enterprise User Manual

53-1001357-01

Fibre Channel routing overview

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

fabrics. For example, using Fibre Channel 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.

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 181 on page 463 shows a metaSAN. 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 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 connects hosts in one fabric with storage devices in

another fabric.

metaSAN The collection of all SANs interconnected with FC Routers.