Users Guide

Using FlexAddress and FlexAdress Plus

Cards

This section provides information about FlexAddress, FlexAddress Plus Cards, and configuring and using

these the cards.

NOTE: An Enterprise License must be installed on the CMC to use the Flexaddress feature.

About FlexAddress

The FlexAddress feature is an optional upgrade that allows server modules to replace the factory-

assigned World Wide Name and Media Access Control (WWN/MAC) network IDs with WWN/MAC IDs

provided by the chassis.

Every server module is assigned unique WWN and/or MAC IDs as part of the manufacturing process.

Before FlexAddress, if you had to replace one server module with another, the WWN/MAC IDs changes

and Ethernet network management tools and SAN resources had to be reconfigured to identify the new

server module.

FlexAddress allows CMC to assign WWN/MAC IDs to a particular slot and override the factory IDs. Hence,

if the server module is replaced, the slotbased WWN/MAC IDs remain the same. This feature eliminates

the need to reconfigure Ethernet network management tools and SAN resources for a new server

module.

Additionally, the override action only occurs when a server module is inserted in a FlexAddress enabled

chassis; no permanent changes are made to the server module. If a server module is moved to a chassis

that does not support FlexAddress, the factory-assigned WWN/MAC IDs is used.

The FlexAddress feature card contains a range of MAC addresses. Before installing FlexAddress, you can

determine the range of MAC addresses contained on a FlexAddress feature card by inserting the SD card

into an USB Memory Card Reader and viewing the pwwn_mac.xml file. This clear text XML file on the SD

card contains an XML tag mac_start that is the first starting hex MAC address that is used for this unique

MAC address range. The mac_count tag is the total number of MAC addresses that the SD card allocates.

The total MAC range allocated can be determined by:

<mac_start> + 0xCF (208 - 1) = mac_end

where 208 is the mac_count and the formula is:

<mac_start> + <mac_start> - 1 = <mac_end>

For example:

(starting_mac)00188BFFDCFA + 0xCF = (ending_mac)00188BFFDDC9

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