HP StorageWorks Fabric OS 6.1.1 administrator guide (5697-0235, December 2009)

386 Configuring and monitoring FCIP extension services
• A VEX_Port enables FC-FC Routing Service functionality over an FCIP tunnel. VEX_Ports enable
interfabric links (IFLs). If a VEX_Port is on one end of an FCIP tunnel, the fabrics connected by the tunnel
are not merged. The other end of the tunnel must be defined as a VE_Port. VEX_Ports are not used in
pairs.
Figure 50 illustrates a portion of a Fibre Channel network that uses FCIP ISLs, which are VE_Ports
connected over the IP WAN network, to join the office and data center SANs into a single larger SAN.
Figure 50 Network using FCIP
Compression on FCIP tunnels
Data compression can be enabled or disabled on FCIP tunnels. The default setting is to disable
compression.
Traffic shaping
Traffic can be shaped by establishing a rate limit per tunnel. A committed rate can be assigned to a port
that guarantees a fixed amount of bandwidth. The committed rate setting insures that an FCIP tunnel
operates at the specific fixed rate for FCIP traffic. The rest of the possible 1000 Mbps rate that a GE
interface provides is available to other tunnels created on this GE interface. If the committed rate is too
small for the amount of FCIP traffic, the FCIP tunnel is limited to that rate and performance may be
affected. Total bandwidth of all committed and uncommited rate tunnels must not exceed 1000 Mbps.
When allocating committed rates to tunnels, do not allocate more bandwidth than the WAN can support
or your FCIP tunnel may not be stable.
Fibre
Channel
initiator
Fibre
Channel
initiator
Fibre
Channel
Target
Fibre
Channel
Target
VE_Port
VE_Port
VE_Port
VE_Port
Data Center
FC SAN
Office
FC SAN
Office
FC SAN
Office
FC SAN
IP WAN
Network
Brocade
48000
with FR4-18i
Blade
Brocade
48000
with FR4-18i
Blade
Brocade
7500
Brocade
7500