HP StorageWorks Fabric OS 6.2 administrator guide (5697-0016, May 2009)

372 Using the FC-FC routing service
Figure 62 MetaSAN with imported devices
Routing types
The FC-FC routing service provides two types of routing:
• Edge-to-Edge
Occurs when devices in one edge fabric communicate with devices in another edge fabric through one
or more FC routers.
• Backbone-to-Edge
Occurs when FC routers connect to a common fabric—known as a backbone fabric—through E_Ports.
A backbone fabric can be used as a transport fabric that interconnects edge fabrics. FC routers also
enable hosts and targets in edge fabrics to communicate with devices in the backbone fabric, known as
backbone-to-edge routing. From the edge fabric's perspective, the backbone fabric is just like any other
edge fabric. For the edge fabric and backbone fabric devices to communicate, the shared devices must
be presented to each other's native fabric.
To do so, at least one translate phantom domain is created in the backbone fabric. This translate
phantom domain represents the entire edge fabric. The shared physical devices in the edge have
corresponding proxy devices on the translate phantom domain.
Each edge fabric has one and only one xlate domain to the backbone fabric. The backbone fabric
device communicates with the proxy devices whenever it needs to contact the shared physical devices
in the edge. The FC-FC Routing Service receives the frames from the backbone switches destined to the
proxy devices, and redirects the frames to the actual physical devices. As with an edge fabric, the
translate phantom domain can never be the principal switch of the backbone fabric. Front domains are
not created; only translate phantom domains are created in the backbone fabric.
Devices are exported from the backbone fabric to one or more edge fabrics using LSANs. See ”LSAN zone
configuration” on page 386 for more information.
NOTE: Management Server Platform services and interopmode are not supported in the backbone fabric.
Phantom domains
A phantom domain is a domain emulated by the Fibre Channel router. The FC router can emulate two
types of phantom domains: front phantom domains and translate phantom domains.
A front phantom domain is a domain that is projected from the FC router to the edge fabric. There is one
front phantom domain from each FC router to an edge fabric, regardless of the number of EX_Ports
Fabric 2
Target
Proxy host
(imported device)
Proxy target
(imported device)
Host
Fabric 1
Brocade
7500
E_Port
E_Port
IFL
IFL
EX_Port