Configuration manual

Interconnectivity of FC Flex IO Modules with Cisco MDS Switches
In a network topology that contains Cisco MDS switches, FC Flex IO modules that are plugged into the
MXL and I/O Aggregator switches enable interoperation for a robust, effective deployment of the NPIV
proxy gateway and FCoE-FC bridging behavior. In an environment that contains FC Flex IO modules and
Cisco MDS switches, perform the following steps:
• Insert the FC Flex IO module into any of the optional module slots of the MXL 10/40GBE Switch or the
I/O Aggregator Switch and reload the switch.
• When the device is reloaded, NPIV mode is automatically enabled.
• Configure the NPIV-related commands on MXL or I/O Aggregator.
After you perform the preceding procedure, the following operations take place:
• A physical link is established between the FC Flex I/O module and the Cisco MDS switch.
• The FC Flex I/O module sends a proxy FLOGI request to the upstream F_Port of the FC switch or the
MDS switch. The F_port accepts the proxy FLOGI request for the FC Flex IO virtual N_Port. The
converged network adapters (CNAs) are brought online and the FIP application is run.
• Discovery of the VLAN and FCF MAC addresses is completed.
• The CNA sends a FIP fabric login (FLOGI) request to the FC Flex IO module, which converts FLOGI to
FDISC messages or processes any internally generated FC frames and sends these messages to the
SAN environment.
• When the FC fabric discovery (FDISC) accept message is received from the SAN side, the FC Flex IO
module converts the FDISC message again into an FLOGI accept message and transmits it to the
CNA.
• Internal tables of the switch are then programmed to enable the gateway device to forward FCoE
traffic directly back and forth between the devices.
• The FC Flex IO module sends an FC or FCoE registered state change notification (RSCN) message to
the upstream or downstream devices whenever an error occurs in the appropriate direction.
• An F_Port is a port on an FC switch that connects to an N_Port of an FC device and is called a fabric
port.
By default, the NPIV functionality is disabled on the Cisco MDS switch; enable this capability before you
connect the FC port of the MXL or I/O Aggregator to these upstream switches.
Data Center Bridging, Fibre Channel over Ethernet, and NPIV Proxy Gateway features are supported on
the FC Flex IO modules. For detailed information about these applications and their working, see the
corresponding chapters for these applications in this manual.
The following figures illustrate two deployment scenarios of configuring FC Flex IO modules:
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FC Flex IO Modules