R21xx-HP FlexFabric 11900 FCoE Configuration Guide

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field carries the FCF priority of the VFC interface. If they do not match, it discards the Discovery
Solicitation.
3. The FCF switch periodically sends unsolicited Discovery Advertisements, whose fcf priority field
carries the FCF priority of the system. The sending interval is specified by using the fcoe
fka-adv-period command and defaults to 8 seconds.
4. After receiving the Discovery Advertisements, the ENode determines the FCF switch with the
highest priority according to the fcf priority field and sends a FLOGI request frame to that switch
for login.
5. After receiving the FLOGI request frame, the FCF checks whether the source MAC address matches
its learned or bound FCoE MAC address. If they match, it sends a FLOGI LS_ACC, which indicates
the setup of the virtual link. Otherwise, it discards the FLOGI frame.
6. The FCF switch also periodically sends unsolicited Discovery Advertisements to maintain
established virtual links. If the ENode fails to receive an unsolicited Discovery Advertisement within
a period 2.5 times the interval specified by the fcoe fka-adv-period command, it deletes the virtual
link.
FCoE modes
The switch supports the following FCoE modes:
• FCF mode—A switch operating in this mode is called an FCF switch. Its VFC interfaces support E
mode (E_Port) and F mode (F_Port).
• NPV mode—A switch operating in this mode is called an N_Port Virtualization (NPV) switch. Its
VFC interfaces support F mode (F_Port) and NP mode (NP_Port).
An FCoE-capable switch can operate in the following modes:
• FCF mode—When the switch operates in this mode, it can connect to the E_Port on another FCF
switch through its E_Port, or connect to the N_Port on a node or the NP_Port on an NPV switch
through its F_Port.
• NPV mode—When the switch operates in this mode, it can connect to the N_Port on a node
through its F_Port or to the F_Port on an FCF switch through its NP_Port.
• Non-FCoE mode—When the switch operates in this mode, it is a standard switch and does not
provide any FCoE capabilities.
FCF mode
An FCF switch encapsulates FC frames in Ethernet frames and uses FCoE virtual links to simulate physical
FC links. Therefore, it provides standard FC switching capabilities and features on a lossless Ethernet
network.