HP StorageWorks C-Series Fabric Switches for SAN-OS 3.2(3) and FabricWare 2.1(3) Release Notes ( AA-RWEHK-TE, January 2008)

5 MDS Multilayer Director & Multilayer Fabric Switches Release Notes
Cisco MDS 9000 N-Port Virtualization (NPV) Mode
N-Port Virtualization (NPV) Mode is a software feature that can be optionally enabled on the C-
Series MDS 9124 and the MDS 9124e Fabric Switches running SAN-OS 3.2(1a) or newer.
Switches operating in NPV mode do not join a fabric; rather, they pass traffic between NPV core
switch links and end devices.
NPV technology addresses the increase in the number of domain IDs needed to deploy a large
number of ports by making the MDS 9124 and the MDS 9124e behave as a host to the core FC
switch. NPV aggregates multiple locally connected N-ports into one or more external NP link(s),
which share the domain ID of the NPV core switch. NPV also allows multiple devices to attach
to the same port on the NPV core switch, thereby reducing the need for more ports on the core
switch. NPV makes use of N-port ID virtualization (NPIV) to receive multiple FCIDs allocated
from the core switch on the NP port. Refer to the Cisco MDS 9000 Family Configuration Guide
for instructions on how to configure NPV.
In addition to being supported in Cisco fabrics, NPV is supported for connectivity to B-Series and
M-Series fabrics. Refer to the hp StorageWorks Fabric Interoperability: Merging Fabrics Based
on C-Series and B-Series Fibre Channel Switches and hp StorageWorks Fabric Interoperability:
Merging Fabric Based on C-Series and M-Series Fibre Channel Switches for specific supported
B-Series and M-Series software versions.
Cisco MDS 9000 Storage Media Encryption (SME)
Overview
The SME solution is a comprehensive network-integrated encryption service with enterprise-class
key management that works transparently with existing and new SANs. The innovative network-
integrated solution has numerous advantages over competitive solutions available today:
• SME installation and provisioning are both simple and non-disruptive. Unlike other
solutions, SME does not require rewiring or SAN reconfiguration.
• Encryption engines are integrated on the MDS 9000 18/4-port Multiservice Module
(MSM-18/4) and the MDS 9222i Multiservice Fabric Switch, eliminating the need to
purchase and manage extra switch ports, cables, and applications.
• Traffic from any virtual SAN (VSAN) can be encrypted using SME, enabling flexible,
automated load balancing through network traffic management across multiple SANs.
• No additional software is required for provisioning, key, and user role management; SME
is integrated into Cisco Fabric Manager, therefore reducing operating expenses.
Features
SME is a standards-based encryption solution for heterogeneous tape libraries and virtual tape
libraries. SME is managed with Cisco Fabric Manager Web Client and a command-line interface
(CLI) for unified SAN management and security provisioning. SME includes the following
comprehensive built-in key management features:
• Transparent Fabric Service
• Encryption
• SME Roles
• Key Management
• Clustering