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

Fabric OS 6.2 administrator guide 457

21 Configuring and monitoring FCIP extension services

FCIP concepts

Fibre Channel over IP (FCIP) enables you to connect Fibre Channel SANs over IP-based networks. The HP

StorageWorks 400 Multi-Protocol Router and B-Series Multi-Protocol Router Blade uses FCIP to encapsulate

Fibre Channel frames within IP frames that can be sent over an IP network to a partner HP StorageWorks

400 Multi-Protocol Router or B-Series Multi-Protocol Router Blade. When the IP packets are received, the

Fibre Channel frames are reconstructed. The Fibre Channel fabric and all Fibre Channel targets and

initiators are unaware of the presence of the IP network.

Virtual ports and FCIP tunnels

Each HP StorageWorks 400 Multi-Protocol Router with an upgraded license and B-Series Multi-Protocol

Router Blade presents 16 FC ports and 16 virtual ports. Each GbE interface can support up to 8 FCIP

tunnels which are represented as 8 virtual ports on ge0 and 8 virtual ports on ge1. The mapping of tunnels

on ge0 and ge1 to virtual port numbers is represented in Table 90.

Virtual Port Types

Virtual ports may be defined as VE_Ports or VEX_Ports:

• VE_Ports (virtual E_Ports) are used to create interswitch links (ISLs) through an FCIP tunnel. If VE_Ports

are used on both ends of an FCIP tunnel, the fabrics connected by the tunnel are merged.

• VEX_Ports enable FC-FC Routing Service functionality over an FCIP tunnel. VEX_Ports enable interfabric

links (IFLs). If a VEX_Port is on one end of an FCIP tunnel, the fabrics connected by the tunnel are not

merged. The other end of the tunnel must be defined as a VE_Port. VEX_Ports are not used in pairs.

Figure 78 illustrates a portion of a Fibre Channel network that uses FCIP ISLs, which are VE_Ports

connected over the IP WAN network, to join the office and data center SANs into a single larger SAN.

Table 90 Tunnel and virtual port numbering

GbE port Tunnels Virtual ports

ge0 0

ge1 0