Reference Guide

Alias server — The alias server keeps a group of nodes registered as one name to handle multicast groups.
Broadcast server — The broadcast server is optional. When frames are transmitted to this address, they are broadcast to all operational
N_ and NL_Ports.
When registration and query frames are sent to a well-known address, a different protocol service, Fibre Channel Common Transport
(FC-CT), is used. This protocol provides a simple, consistent format and behavior when a service provider is accessed for registration
and query purposes.
Management server
The Brocade Fabric OS management server (MS) allows a SAN management application to retrieve information and administer
interconnected switches, servers, and storage devices. The management server assists in the autodiscovery of switch-based fabrics and
their associated topologies.
A client of the management server can find basic information about the switches in the fabric and use this information to construct
topology relationships. The management server also allows you to obtain certain switch attributes and, in some cases, modify them. For
example, logical names identifying switches can be registered with the management server.
The management server provides several advantages for managing a Fibre Channel fabric:
∙ It is accessed by an external Fibre Channel node at the well-known address FFFFFAh , so an application can access information
about the entire fabric management with minimal knowledge of the existing configuration.
∙ It is replicated on every Brocade switch within a fabric.
∙ It provides an unzoned view of the overall fabric configuration. This fabric topology view exposes the internal configuration of a
fabric for management purposes; it contains interconnect information about switches and devices connected to the fabric.
Under normal circumstances, a device (typically an FCP initiator) queries the name server for storage devices within its member
zones. Because this limited view is not always sufficient, the management server provides the application with a list of the entire
name server database.
Platform services
By default, all management services except platform services are enabled; the MS platform service and topology discovery are disabled.
You can activate and deactivate the platform services throughout the fabric. Activating the platform services attempts to activate the MS
platform service for each switch in the fabric. The change takes effect immediately and is committed to the configuration database of
each affected switch. MS activation is persistent across power cycles and reboots.
NOTE
The commands msplMgmtActivate and msplMgmtDeactivate are allowed only in AD0 and AD255.
Platform services and Virtual Fabrics
Each logical switch has a separate platform database. All platform registrations done to a logical switch are valid only in that particular
logical switch’s Virtual Fabric.
Activating the platform services on a switch activates the platform services on all logical switches in a Virtual Fabric. Similarly,
deactivating the platform services deactivates the platform service on all logical switches in a Virtual Fabric. The msPlatShow command
displays all platforms registered in a Virtual Fabric.
Understanding Fibre Channel Services
Brocade Fabric OS Administration Guide, 8.0.1
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