FCoE Cookbook for HP Virtual Connect Version 4.20 Firmware Enhancements May 2014

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Figure 32: Dual-Hop FCoE with HP FlexFabric 5900CP-48XG-4QSFP+ Switch operating as an FCoE Gateway (NPV)
N_Port
VF_Ports
VN_Port
FCoE
Gateway
FC
Storage
Array
NP_Ports
NPIV
F_Port
F_Ports
Cisco MDS
SAN Switch
(NPIV Enabled)
Native FC
Lossless Ethernet network
Dual-Hop FCoE
HP 5900CP
(NPV Mode)
Virtual Connect
(FIP Snooping mode)
Server
(ENode)
Port Channel
Converged Ethernet/FCoE
FC
This cookbook provides only basic HP guidelines and configuration steps for the HP 5900 Switch Series, for a more
complete and detailed configuration guidelines, refer to:
 HP 5900 FC and FCoE Configuration Guide
https://h20566.www2.hp.com/portal/site/hpsc/template.PAGE/public/kb/docDisplay/?docId=c04088774
 HP FlexFabric 5900CP Solutions Configuration Guide
https://h20566.www2.hp.com/portal/site/hpsc/template.PAGE/public/kb/docDisplay/?docId=c04216045
Configuring Storage Array for FC is beyond the scope of this document, consult your Storage Array documentations.
Requirements
Refer to SPOCK HP FlexFabric 5900CP Ethernet/FCoE/FC Switch Connectivity stream at
http://h20272.www2.hp.com/Pages/spock2Html.aspx?htmlFile=hw_switches.html for information on:
 Minimum HP Comware Software version
 Virtual Connect firmware version
 HP FlexFabric Adapter Firmware and driver
Note: License is not required for FCoE on HP 5900 switches.
Guidelines
 Since the 5900CP is running in NPV mode, it is mandatory to connect the HPN switches to a native FC SAN
infrastructure. This SAN infrastructure can also be non-Cisco FC devices (e.g. Brocade, Qlogic SAN switches). Refer to
SPOCK for supported upstream switches.
 5900CP cannot directly connect to FC/FCoE-based Storage devices since the switch is running in NPV mode.
 NPIV support is required in the FC switches that connect to the 5900CP NP Ports.
 Since the 5900CP is running in NPV mode, all zoning needs to be performed from the MDS fabric.
 When multiple NP ports belonging to the same VSAN are used to connect to the MDS fabric, the 5900CP uses dynamic
login distribution to load balance the server connections across all available NP uplinks. The NP uplink interface with
the minimum load is selected from the available NP uplinks as the external interface.
 Different NP ports can be connected to different core switches as long as they belong to the same SAN Fabric.