HP StorageWorks Fabric OS 6.1.1 administrator guide (5697-0235, December 2009)

Fabric OS 6.1.x administrator guide 441
22
Configuring and monitoring FICON Extension
Services
This chapter describes the FICON extension concepts, configuration procedures, and tools and procedures
for monitoring network performance. Commands described in this chapter require Admin or root user
access. See the Fabric OS Command Reference for detailed information on command syntax.
FICON extension products licensing
Several specific licensed features are available for FICON extension. These include the following.
• XRC emulation.
• Tape write pipelining.
• Tape read pipelining.
Use the licenseShow command to verify the licenses present on the hardware used on both ends the
FCIP tunnel. For details on obtaining and installing licensed features, see ”Licensed features” on page 34.
These features are described later in this chapter under ”FICON emulation concepts and features” on
page 442.
Platforms that support FICON extension over IP
Fabric OS supports SAN extension between 400 MP Router, or between FR4-18i blades. The 400 MP
Router and the FR4-18i blade both have 16 physical Fibre Channel ports and 2 physical GbE ports.
FCIP Configuration requirements for FICON extension
FICON extension uses FCIP for transport. FCIP interfaces and tunnels used for FICON extension must be
defined prior to configuring FICON emulation. Ports should remain persistently disabled until after FICON
emulation is configured. See ”Configuring and monitoring FCIP extension services” on page 385 for
information about configuring FCIP interfaces and tunnels.
Configuration requirements for switches and directors
There are three configuration issues to consider when a SAN router is connected to a switch in a FICON
configuration.
• Ensure enough buffer credits are configured to support extending the FICON channel over distance.
• If you are creating a cascaded configuration (connecting two switches or directors with different
domain IDs), be aware of IBM requirements for high integrity fabrics.
• In configurations with ISLs, ensure that ISL paths are properly configured to meet FICON emulation
requirements for a determinate path for FICON commands and responses.
Configuration of sufficient buffer credits
Many switches may have default values that are not sufficient for extending a FICON channel over
distance. Having the buffer credits too low may result in device paths not coming online and Fibre Channel
aborts. FICON hosts and devices commonly have in excess of 60 credits. A minimum of 60 buffer credits
available to all Fibre Channel ports in the path is recommended.
High integrity fabric requirements for cascaded configurations
Extended FICON connections between or through 400 MP Router models or FR4-18i blade Ethernet
interfaces create a cascaded FICON switched configuration. The fabric must be set up to provide a secure,
or high integrity fabric to enable this configuration to operate in an IBM environment. See ”FICON fabrics”
on page 423 for an explanation of these requirements.