Deployment Guide

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 48)
• Activating DHCP (refer to DHCP activation on page 50)
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 page 38.
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 Fabric,
refer to Managing Virtual Fabrics on page 267.
The switch Ethernet interface
46 Fabric OS Administrators Guide
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