Setup Guide

Access Gateway Basic Concepts
∙ Brocade Access Gateway overview ........................................................................................................................................................................13
∙ Fabric OS features in Access Gateway mode....................................................................................................................................................15
∙ Access Gateway port types.........................................................................................................................................................................................22
∙ Access Gateway hardware considerations......................................................................................................................................................... 24
Brocade Access Gateway overview
Brocade Access Gateway (AG) is a Fabric OS feature that you can use to configure your fabric to handle additional devices instead of
domains. You do this by configuring F_Ports to connect to the fabric as N_Ports, which increases the number of device ports you can
connect to a single fabric. Multiple AG devices can connect to the Brocade DCX 8510-4, Brocade DCX 8510-8, and Brocade G620
switches.
Access Gateway is compatible with M-EOS v9.1 or v9.6 or later, and Cisco-based fabrics that support standards-based N_Port ID
Virtualization (NPIV). You can use the command line interface (CLI), Web Tools, or Brocade Network Advisor (BNA) to enable and
disable AG mode and configure AG features on a switch. This document describes configurations using the CLI commands. Refer to the
Fabric OS Command Reference , the Brocade Web Tools Administrator’s Guide , or the Brocade Network Advisor User Guide for more
information.
After you enable AG mode on a switch, the F_Ports connect to the fabric as N_Ports rather than as E_Ports.
Comparing Native Fabric and Access Gateway modes on page 13 shows a comparison of a configuration that connects eight hosts to
a fabric using AG mode to the same configuration with Fabric OS switches in Native mode.
Switches in AG mode are logically transparent to the host and the fabric. Therefore, you can increase the number of hosts that have
access to the fabric without increasing the number of switch domains. AG mode simplifies configuration and management in a large
fabric by reducing the number of domain IDs and ports.
NOTE
In this document, a switch operating in Access Gateway mode is also referred to as an Access Gateway device or AG device.
Comparing Native Fabric and Access Gateway modes
The following points summarize the differences between a Fabric OS switch functioning in Native operating mode and a Fabric OS
switch functioning in AG operating mode:
∙ The Fabric OS switch in Native mode is a part of the fabric; it requires two to four times as many physical ports, consumes
fabric resources, and can connect to a Fabric OS fabric only.
∙ A switch in AG mode is outside of the fabric; it reduces the number of switches in the fabric and the number of required
physical ports. You can connect a switch in AG mode to a Fabric OS, M-EOS, or Cisco-based fabric.
The following figures show differences between the switch function in Native mode and switch function in AG mode.
Brocade Fabric OS Access GatewayAdministration Guide
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