Addendum

• A distance of up to 300 meters is supported at 8 Gbps for Fibre Channel traffic.
• Multiple domains are supported in an NPIV proxy gateway (NPG).
• You cannot configure the MXL and Aggregator switches in Stacking mode if the switches contain the
FC Flex IO module. Similarly, FC Flex IO modules do not function when you insert them in to a stack
of MXL/Aggregrator switches.
• If the switch does not contain FC Flex modules, you cannot create a stack and a log message displays
stating that stacking is not supported unless the switches contain only FC Flex modules.
Guidelines for Working with FC Flex IO Modules
The following guidelines apply to the FC Flex IO module:
• All the ports of FC Flex IO modules operate in FC mode, and do not support Ethernet mode.
• FC Flex IO modules are not supported in the chassis management controller (CMC) GUI.
• The only supported FCoE functionality is NPIV proxy gateway. You must configure the other FCoE
services, such as name server, zone server, and login server on an external FC switch.
• With the FC Flex IO module, the MXL 10/40GbE Switch continues to support bare metal provisioning
(BMP) on any Ethernet port. BMP is not supported on FC ports. BMP improves accessibility to the MXL
10/40GbE Switch by automatically loading pre-defined configurations and boot images that are
stored in file servers. You can use BMP on a single switch or on multiple switches.
• FC Flex IOM module is a field-replaceable unit (FRU). Its memory type is electrically erasable
programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), which enables it to save manufacturing information,
such as the serial number. It is hot-swappable, assuming that the module that is removed is replaced
by the same type of module in that same slot.
• The FC FlexIO does not have persistent storage for any runtime configuration. All the persistent
storage for runtime configuration is on the MXL and IOA baseboard.
• With both FC Flex IO modules present in the MXL or I/O Aggregator switches, the power supply
requirement and maximum thermal output are the same as these parameters needed for the M1000
chassis.
• Each port on the FC Flex IO module contains status indicators to denote the link status and
transmission activity. For traffic that is being transmitted, the port LED shows a blinking green light.
The Link LED displays solid green when a proper link with the peer is established. If there is no
connectivity, the LEDs are not lit
• The MXL and IOA switches continue to operate in FCoE Gateway mode even if connectivity to a TOR
switch does not exist.
• The I/O Aggregrator examines whether the FC Flex IO module is inserted into the switch. When the
FC Flex IO module is present during the boot process, the switch runs in FCoE NPIV gateway mode by
default.
• When an FC Flex IO module is present in the IO Aggregrator, the software auto-configures the DCB
settings on the ports that support DCB and does not retrieve these settings from the ToR switch.
• Active fabric manager (AFM) is compatible with FC Flex IO modules.
• All SNMP MIBs that are supported for MXL and IOA switches apply equally for FC Flex IO modules. The
interface MIB indicates the FC interface when you install the FC flex IO module. The interface MIB
statistical counters compute and display the FC interface metrics.
Understanding and Working of the FC Flex IO Modules
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