Fabric OS Administrator's Guide v7.0.0 (53-1002148-02, June 2011)

Fabric OS Administrator’s Guide 497
53-1002148-02
FC-FC Routing and Virtual Fabrics
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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_ and
VEX_Ports to the base switch, and then enable the ports.
If you move existing EX_ or VEX_Ports to any logical switch other than the base switch, these
ports are automatically disabled.
If you want to change an EX_ or VEX_Port on the logical switch to be a non-EX 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. See “Configuring a logical
switch to use XISLs” on page 236 for instructions on disallowing XISL use.
Since XISL use is disallowed, dedicated links must be configured to route traffic across
switches in the same logical fabric, as shown in Figure 28 on page 219.
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. See “Backbone-to-edge routing
with Virtual Fabrics” on page 499 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.
• Although the Brocade 6510 supports up to 4 logical switches, if you are using FC-FC routing,
the Brocade 6510 can have a maximum of only 3 logical switches.
Logical switch configuration for FC routing
For example, Figure 82 shows 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.