Reference Guide

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FC-FC routing and Virtual Fabrics
If Virtual Fabrics is not enabled, FC-FC routing behavior is unchanged. If Virtual Fabrics is enabled, then in the FC-FC routing context, a
base switch is like a backbone switch and a base fabric is like a backbone fabric.
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_Ports and
VEX_Ports to the base switch, and then enable the ports.
If you move existing EX_Ports or VEX_Ports to any logical switch other than the base switch, these ports are automatically
disabled.
If you want to change an EX_Port or VEX_Port on the logical switch to be a non-EX_Port 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 in a different chassis. However, the following
configuration rules apply:
– If the logical switch is on the same chassis, the EX_Port FID must be set to a different value than the FID of the logical
switch to which it is connecting.
– If the logical switch is on a different chassis, no FID for any logical switch in the FC router backbone fabric can be the same
as the FID of the logical switch to which the EX_Port is connecting.
∙ EX_Ports and VEX_Ports 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.
Refer to Configuring a logical switch for XISL use on page 292 for instructions on disallowing XISL use.
Because XISL use is disallowed, dedicated links must be configured to route traffic across switches in the same logical fabric.
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. Refer to Figure 23 on page 274 for information about how to
configure legacy FC routers to allow backbone-to-edge routing with Virtual Fabrics.
Using FC-FC Routing to Connect Fabrics
Brocade Fabric OS Administration Guide, 8.0.1
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