By default, the persistent FC_ID feature is disabled. When a N/NL-port logs into a switch, and gets assigned an FC ID, the WWN of the requesting N/NL-port and the assigned FC ID is retained and stored in a volatile cache (the content is lost after a reboot).
If the persistent FC ID feature is disabled, binding of the FC ID to the WWN is preserved on a best effort basis.
For example, after the disconnection of one N-Port from the switch, if its FC ID is requested by another device, the request is granted and the initial association WWN FC ID is released. Also, if the 4K entries of the volatile cache used to store the WWN-to- FC ID binding get completely filled up, a new (more recent) entry will overwrite the oldest one, losing the corresponding binding WWN to FC ID.
The behavior is different for an N-Port than for an NL-Port:
The assigned FC IDs in a fcdomain can be activated to remain persistent, even after a reboot. This ensures that an attached N Port receives the same FC ID after a switch reboot. If you enable this feature, the following apply:
To configure persistent FCIDs from the Fabric Manager, choose FC > Domain Manager on the menu tree and click the Persistent FCIDs tab. The Information pane from the Fabric Manager displays persistent FCIDs for multiple switches.
To configure persistent FCIDs from the Device Manager, choose Domain Manager from the FC menu and click the Persistent FCIDs tab. The Domain Manager dialog box, with the Persistent FCIDs tab selected, displays persistent FCIDs for a single switch.
Configure the attributes for persistent FCIDs.
Before you can create persistent FCIDs, you must:
Note | If you connect to the switch from an AIX or HP-UX host, be sure to create the persistent FC ID in the VSAN that connects these hosts. |
Note | Persistent FC IDs with loop-attache devices (FL ports) need to remain connected to the same port in which they were configured. |