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Cisco MDS 9000 Family Fabric Manager Configuration Guide, Release 3.4(1a)
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Index
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New and Changed Information
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Preface
- Getting Started
- Installation and Switch Management
- Switch Configuration
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Fabric Configuration
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Configuring and Managing VSANs
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SAN Device Virtualization
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Creating Dynamic VSANs
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Configuring Inter-VSAN Routing
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Configuring and Managing Zones
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Distributing Device Alias Services
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Configuring Fibre Channel Routing Services and Protocols
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Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing
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Managing FLOGI, Name Server, FDMI, and RSCN Databases
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Discovering SCSI Targets
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Configuring FICON
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Advanced Features and Concepts
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Security
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Configuring FIPS
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Configuring Users and Common Roles
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Configuring SNMP
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Configuring RADIUS and TACACS+
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Configuring IPv4 Access Control Lists
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Configuring Certificate Authorities and Digital Certificates
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Configuring IPsec Network Security
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Configuring FC-SP and DHCHAP
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Configuring Port Security
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Configuring Fabric Binding
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- IP Services
- Intelligent Storage Services
- Network and Switch Monitoring
- Traffic Management
- Troubleshooting
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Launching Fabric Manager in Cisco SAN-OS Releases Prior to 3.2(1)
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Cisco Fabric Manager Unsupported Feature List
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Interface Nonoperational Reason Codes
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Managing Cisco FabricWare
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Configuration Limits for Cisco MDS SAN-OS Release 3.1(x) and 3.2(x)
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Feedback
Table Of Contents
Common Interface Configuration
32-Port Switching Module Configuration Guidelines
Setting the Interface Administrative State
Configuring Administrative Speeds
Configuring Receive Data Field Size
Switch Port Attribute Default Values
Displaying SFP Transmitter Types
About Gathering Interface Statistics
Gathering Interface Statistics
About Buffer-to-Buffer Credits
Configuring Buffer-to-Buffer Credits
Configuring Performance Buffers
Extended BB_credits on Generation 1 Switching Modules
Extended BB_credits on Generation 2 Switching Modules
Configuring Extended BB_credits
Configuring Management Interfaces
Configuring Interfaces
A switch's main function is to relay frames from one data link to another. To do that, the characteristics of the interfaces through which the frames are received and sent must be defined. The configured interfaces can be Fibre Channel interfaces, Gigabit Ethernet interfaces, the management interface (mgmt0), or VSAN interfaces.
This chapter describes the basic interface configuration to get your switch up and running. It includes the following sections:
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Common Interface Configuration
See Chapter 12, "Initial Configuration," and Chapter 43, "Configuring IP Services," for more information on configuring mgmt0 interfaces.
See Chapter 53, "Configuring IPv4 for Gigabit Ethernet Interfaces" and Chapter 46, "Configuring IPv6 for Gigabit Ethernet Interfaces"for more information on configuring Gigabit Ethernet interfaces.
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Common Interface Configuration
Some configuration settings are similar for Fibre Channel, management, and VSAN interfaces. You can configure interfaces from Fabric Manager by expanding Switches > Interfaces and selecting the interface type from the Physical Attributes pane.
Figure 20-1 shows a sample of what you might see in the Information pane for Fibre Channel Interfaces.
Figure 20-1 Fibre Channel Interface Configuration
Fibre Channel Interfaces
This section describes Fibre Channel interface characteristics, including (but not limited to) modes, frame encapsulation, states, SFPs, and speeds.
This section includes the following topics:
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32-Port Switching Module Configuration Guidelines
The 32-port switching module guidelines apply to the following hardware:
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When configuring these host-optimized ports, the following port mode guidelines apply:
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About Interface Modes
Each physical Fibre Channel interface in a switch may operate in one of several port modes: E port, F port, FL port, TL port, TE port, SD port, ST port, and B port (see Figure 20-2). Besides these modes, each interface may be configured in auto or Fx port modes. These two modes determine the port type during interface initialization.
Figure 20-2 Cisco MDS 9000 Family Switch Port Modes
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Each interface has an associated administrative configuration and an operational status:
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A brief description of each interface mode follows.
E Port
In expansion port (E port) mode, an interface functions as a fabric expansion port. This port may be connected to another E port to create an Inter-Switch Link (ISL) between two switches. E ports carry frames between switches for configuration and fabric management. They serve as a conduit between switches for frames destined to remote N ports and NL ports. E ports support class 2, class 3, and class F service.
An E port connected to another switch may also be configured to form a PortChannel (see Chapter 23, "Configuring PortChannels").
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F Port
In fabric port (F port) mode, an interface functions as a fabric port. This port may be connected to a peripheral device (host or disk) operating as an N port. An F port can be attached to only one N port. F ports support class 2 and class 3 service.
FL Port
In fabric loop port (FL port) mode, an interface functions as a fabric loop port. This port may be connected to one or more NL ports (including FL ports in other switches) to form a public arbitrated loop. If more than one FL port is detected on the arbitrated loop during initialization, only one FL port becomes operational and the other FL ports enter nonparticipating mode. FL ports support class 2 and class 3 service.
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NP Ports
An NP port is a port on a device that is in NPV mode and connected to the core switch via a F port. NP ports behave like N ports except that in addition to providing N port behavior, they also function as proxies for multiple, physical N ports.
For more details about NP ports and NPV, see Chapter 21, "Configuring N Port Virtualization."
TL Port
In translative loop port (TL port) mode, an interface functions as a translative loop port. It may be connected to one or more private loop devices (NL ports). TL ports are specific to Cisco MDS 9000 Family switches and have similar properties as FL ports. TL ports enable communication between a private loop device and one of the following devices:
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TL ports support class 2 and class 3 services.
Private loop devices refer to legacy devices that reside on arbitrated loops. These devices are not aware of a switch fabric because they only communicate with devices on the same physical loop (see the "About TL Port ALPA Caches" section).
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TE Port
In trunking E port (TE port) mode, an interface functions as a trunking expansion port. It may be connected to another TE port to create an extended ISL (EISL) between two switches. TE ports are specific to Cisco MDS 9000 Family switches. They expand the functionality of E ports to support the following:
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In TE port mode, all frames are transmitted in EISL frame format, which contains VSAN information. Interconnected switches use the VSAN ID to multiplex traffic from one or more VSANs across the same physical link. This feature is referred to as trunking in the Cisco MDS 9000 Family (see Chapter 24, "Configuring Trunking"). TE ports support class 2, class 3, and class F service.
SD Port
In SPAN destination port (SD port) mode, an interface functions as a switched port analyzer (SPAN). The SPAN feature is specific to switches in the Cisco MDS 9000 Family. It monitors network traffic that passes though a Fibre Channel interface. This monitoring is done using a standard Fibre Channel analyzer (or a similar switch probe) that is attached to an SD port. SD ports do not receive frames, they merely transmit a copy of the source traffic. The SPAN feature is nonintrusive and does not affect switching of network traffic for any SPAN source ports (see Chapter 52, "Monitoring Network Traffic Using SPAN").
ST Port
In the SPAN tunnel port (ST port) mode, an interface functions as an entry point port in the source switch for the RSPAN Fibre Channel tunnel. The ST port mode and the remote SPAN (RSPAN) feature are specific to switches in the Cisco MDS 9000 Family. When configured in ST port mode, the interface cannot be attached to any device, and thus cannot be used for normal Fibre Channel traffic (see the "Configuring SPAN" section on page 52-7).
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Fx Port
Interfaces configured as Fx ports can operate in either F port or FL port mode. The Fx port mode is determined during interface initialization depending on the attached N port or NL port. This administrative configuration disallows interfaces to operate in any other mode—for example, preventing an interface to connect to another switch.
B Port
While E ports typically interconnect Fibre Channel switches, some SAN extender devices, such as the Cisco PA-FC-1G Fibre Channel port adapter, implement a bridge port (B port) model to connect geographically dispersed fabrics. This model uses B ports as described in the T11 Standard FC-BB-2.
Figure 44-1 on page 44-2 depicts a typical SAN extension over an IP network.
If an FCIP peer is a SAN extender device that only supports Fibre Channel B ports, you need to enable the B port mode for the FCIP link. When a B port is enabled, the E port functionality is also enabled and they coexist. If the B port is disabled, the E port functionality remains enabled (see Chapter 44, "Configuring IP Storage").
Auto Mode
Interfaces configured in auto mode can operate in one of the following modes: F port, FL port, E port, or TE port. The port mode is determined during interface initialization. For example, if the interface is connected to a node (host or disk), it operates in F port or FL port mode depending on the N port or NL port mode. If the interface is attached to a third-party switch, it operates in E port mode. If the interface is attached to another switch in the Cisco MDS 9000 Family, it may become operational in TE port mode (see Chapter 24, "Configuring Trunking").
TL ports and SD ports are not determined during initialization and are administratively configured.
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About Interface States
The interface state depends on the administrative configuration of the interface and the dynamic state of the physical link.
Administrative States
The administrative state refers to the administrative configuration of the interface as described in Table 20-1.
Operational States
The operational state indicates the current operational state of the interface as described in Table 20-2.
Reason Codes
Reason codes are dependent on the operational state of the interface as described in Table 20-3.
Table 20-3 Reason Codes for Interface States
Up
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None.
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Down
Administratively down—If you administratively configure an interface as down, you disable the interface. No traffic is received or transmitted.
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Down
See Table 20-4.
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If the administrative state is up and the operational state is down, the reason code differs based on the nonoperational reason code as described in Table 20-4.
For the Cisco Fabric Switch for HP c-Class BladeSystem and the Cisco Fabric Switch for IBM BladeCenter, you can configure a range of interfaces among internal ports or external ports, but you cannot mix both interface types within the same range. For example, "bay 1-10, bay 12" or "ext 0, ext 15-18" are valid ranges, but "bay 1-5, ext 15-17" is not.
Graceful Shutdown
Interfaces on a port are shutdown by default (unless you modified the initial configuration).
The Cisco SAN-OS software implicitly performs a graceful shutdown in response to either of the following actions for interfaces operating in the E port mode:
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A graceful shutdown ensures that no frames are lost when the interface is shutting down. When a shutdown is triggered either by you or the Cisco SAN-OS software, the switches connected to the shutdown link coordinate with each other to ensure that all frames in the ports are safely sent through the link before shutting down. This enhancement reduces the chance of frame loss.
A graceful shutdown is not possible in the following situations:
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Setting the Interface Administrative State
To disable or enable an interface using Fabric Manager, follow these steps:
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You see the drop-down box shown in Figure 20-3.
Figure 20-3 Changing the Administrative Status of a Switch
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Step 6
Configuring Interface Modes
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To configure the interface Fabric Manager, follow these steps:
Step 1
You see the interface configuration in the Information pane.
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Configuring Administrative Speeds
By default, the administrative speed for an interface is automatically calculated by the switch.
Caution
To configure administrative speed of the interface using Fabric Manager, follow these steps:
Step 1
You see the interface configuration in the Information pane.
Step 2
Step 3
The number indicates the speed in megabits per second (Mbps). You can set the speed to 1-Gbps, 2-Gbps, 4-Gbps, or auto (default).
Step 4
For internal ports on the Cisco Fabric Switch for HP c_Class BladeSystem and Cisco Fabric Switch for IBM BladeCenter a port speed of 1 Gbps is not supported. Auto-negotiation is supported between 2 Gbps and 4 Gbps only. Also, if the BladeCenter is a "T" chassis, then port speeds are fixed at 2 Gbps and auto-negotiation is not enabled.
Autosensing
Autosensing speed is enabled on all 4-Gbps switching module interfaces by default. This configuration enables the interfaces to operate at speeds of 1 Gbps, 2 Gbps, or 4 Gbps on the 4-Gbps switching modules. When autosensing is enabled for an interface operating in dedicated rate mode, 4-Gbps of bandwidth is reserved, even if the port negotiates at an operating speed of 1-Gbps or 2-Gbps.
To avoid wasting unused bandwidth on 48-port and 24-port 4-Gbps Fibre Channel switching modules, you can specify that only 2 Gbps of required bandwidth be reserved, not the default of 4 Gbps. This feature shares the unused bandwidth within the port group provided that it does not exceed the rate limit configuration for the port. You can also use this feature for shared rate ports that are configured for autosensing.
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About Interface Descriptions
Interface descriptions should help you identify the traffic or use for that interface. The interface description can be any alphanumeric string.
About Frame Encapsulation
You can set the frame format to EISL for all frames transmitted by the interface in SD port mode. If you sent the frame encapsulation to EISL, all outgoing frames are transmitted in the EISL frame format, irrespective of the SPAN source(s). See the "Monitoring Network Traffic Using SPAN" section on page 52-1.
Refer to the Cisco MDS 9000 Family CLI Configuration Guide to configure frame encapsulation on an interface.
About Receive Data Field Size
You can also configure the receive data field size for Fibre Channel interfaces. If the default data field size is 2112 bytes, the frame length will be 2148 bytes.
Configuring Receive Data Field Size
You can also configure the receive data field size for Fibre Channel interfaces. If the default data field size is 2112 bytes, the frame length will be 2148 bytes.
To configure the receive data field size using Fabric Manager, follow these steps:
Step 1
You see the interface configuration in the Information pane.
Step 2
Figure 20-4 Changing Rx Data Size
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Identifying the Beacon LEDs
Figure 20-5 displays the status, link, and speed LEDs in a 16-port switching module.
Figure 20-5 Cisco MDS 9000 Family Switch Interface Modes
Status LED1
Link LEDs1 and speed LEDs2
1/2-Gbps Fibre Channel port group
Asset tag3
1 See the "Identifying Module LEDs" section on page 19-13.
2 See the "About Speed LEDs" section.
3 Refer to the Cisco MDS 9000 Family hardware installation guide for your platform.
About Speed LEDs
Each port has one link LED on the left and one speed LED on the right.
The speed LED displays the speed of the port interface:
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The speed LED also displays if the beacon mode is enabled or disabled:
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About Beacon Mode
By default, the beacon mode is disabled on all switches. The beacon mode is indicated by a flashing green light that helps you identify the physical location of the specified interface.
Configuring the beacon mode has no effect on the operation of the interface.
Configuring Beacon Mode
To enable beacon mode for a specified interface or range of interfaces using Fabric Manager, follow these steps:
Step 1
You see the interface configuration in the Information pane.
Step 2
Step 3
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About Bit Error Thresholds
The bit error rate threshold is used by the switch to detect an increased error rate before performance degradation seriously affects traffic.
The bit errors can occur for the following reasons:
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A bit error rate threshold is detected when 15 error bursts occur in a 5-minute period. By default, the switch disables the interface when the threshold is reached. You can to reenable the interface.
You can configure the switch to not disable an interface when the threshold is crossed. By default, the threshold disables the interface.
Refer to the Cisco MDS 9000 Family CLI Configuration Guide to disable the bit error threshold for an interface.
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Switch Port Attribute Default Values
You can configure attribute default values for various switch port attributes. These attributes will be applied globally to all future switch port configurations, even if you do not individually specify them at that time.
Refer to the Cisco MDS 9000 Family CLI Configuration Guide to configure switch port attributes.
About SFP Transmitter Types
The small form-factor pluggable (SFP) hardware transmitters are identified by their acronyms when displayed. Table 20-5 defines the acronyms used for SFPs (see the "Displaying SFP Transmitter Types" section).
Displaying SFP Transmitter Types
To show the SFP types for an interface using Fabric Manager, follow these steps:
Step 1
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About Gathering Interface Statistics
You can use Fabric Manager or Device Manager to collect interface statistics on any switch. These statistics are collected at intervals that you can set.
Gathering Interface Statistics
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To gather and display interface counters using Device Manager, follow these steps:
Step 1
You see the Interface Monitor dialog box.
Step 2
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Figure 20-6 Device Manager Interface Monitor Dialog Box
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TL Ports for Private Loops
Private loops require setting the interface mode to TL. This section describes TL ports and includes the following sections:
About TL Ports
TL port mode is not supported on the following:
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Private loop devices refer to legacy devices that reside on arbitrated loops. These devices are not aware of a switch fabric because they only communicate with devices on the same physical loop.
The legacy devices are used in Fibre Channel networks and devices outside the loop may need to communicate with them.The communication functionality is provided through TL ports. See the "About Interface Modes" section.
Follow these guidelines when configuring private loops:
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Table 20-6 lists the TL port translations supported in Cisco MDS 9000 Family switches. Figure 20-7 shows examples of TL port translation support.
Figure 20-7 TL Port Translation Support Examples
Configuring TL Ports
To configure the TL interface mode using Fabric Manager, follow these steps:
Step 1
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About TL Port ALPA Caches
Although TL ports cannot be automatically configured, you can manually configure entries in arbitrated loop physical address (ALPA) caches. Generally, ALPA cache entries are automatically populated when an ALPA is assigned to a device. Each device is identified by its port world wide name (pWWN). When a device is allocated an ALPA, an entry for that device is automatically created in the ALPA cache.
A cache contains entries for recently allocated ALPA values. These caches are maintained on various TL ports. If a device already has an ALPA, the Cisco SAN-OS software attempts to allocate the same ALPA to the device each time. The ALPA cache is maintained in persistent storage and saves information across switch reboots. The maximum cache size is 1000 entries. If the cache is full, and a new ALPA is allocated, the Cisco SAN-OS software discards an inactive cache entry (if available) to make space for the new entry. See the "TL Port" section for more information on TL ports.
Refer to the Cisco MDS 9000 Family CLI Configuration Guide to manage the TL Port ALPA cache.
Buffer Credits
Fibre Channel interfaces use buffer credits to ensure all packets are delivered to their destination. This section describes the different buffer credits available on the Cisco MDS Family switches and includes the following topics:
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About Buffer-to-Buffer Credits
Buffer-to-buffer credits (BB_credits) are a flow control mechanism to ensure that FC switches do not run out of buffers, because switches must not drop frames. BB_credits are negotiated on a per-hop basis.
The receive BB_credit (
fcrxbbcredit) value may be configured for each FC interface. In most cases, you do not need to modify the default configuration.
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Configuring Buffer-to-Buffer Credits
To configure BB_credits for a Fibre Channel interface using Fabric Manager, follow these steps:
Step 1
Step 2
You see the buffer credits.
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About Performance Buffers
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Regardless of the configured receive BB_credit value, additional buffers, called performance buffers, improve switch port performance. Instead of relying on the built-in switch algorithm, you can manually configure the performance buffer value for specific applications (for example, forwarding frames over FCIP interfaces).
For each physical Fibre Channel interface in any switch in the Cisco MDS 9000 Family, you can specify the amount of performance buffers allocated in addition to the configured receive BB_credit value.
The default performance buffer value is 0. If you set the performance buffer value to 0, the built-in algorithm is used. If you do not specify the performance buffer value, 0 is automatically used.
Configuring Performance Buffers
To configure performance buffers for a Fibre Channel interface using Fabric Manager, follow these steps:
Step 1
You see the interface configuration in the Information pane.
Step 2
You see performance buffer information in the columns Perf Bufs Admin and Perf Bufs Oper.
Step 3
Step 4
About Extended BB_credits
You can use the extended BB_credits flow control mechanism in addition to BB_credits for long haul links.
This section includes the following topics:
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Extended BB_credits on Generation 1 Switching Modules
The BB_credits feature allows you to configure up to 255 receive buffers on Generation 1 switching modules. To facilitate BB_credits for long haul links, you can configure up to 3,500 receive BB_credits on a Fibre Channel port on a Generation 1 switching module.
To use this feature on Generation 1 switching modules, you must meet the following requirements:
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Figure 20-8 Port Group Support for the Extended BB_Credits Feature
The port groups that support extended credit configurations are as follows.
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Extended BB_credits on Generation 2 Switching Modules
To use this feature on Generation 2 switching modules, you must meet the following requirements:
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Configuring Extended BB_credits
To configure extended BB_credits for an MDS-14/2 interface, for a Generation 2 switching module interface, or for an interface in a Cisco MDS 9216i switch using Fabric Manager, follow these steps:
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Management Interfaces
You can remotely configure the switch through the management interface (mgmt0). To configure a connection on the mgmt0 interface, you must configure either the IP version 4 (IPv4) parameters (IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway) or the IP version 6 (IPv6) parameters so that the switch is reachable.
This section describes the management interfaces and includes the following topics:
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About Management Interfaces
Before you begin to configure the management interface manually, obtain the switch's IPv4 address and subnet mask, or the IPv6 address.
The management port (mgmt0) is autosensing and operates in full duplex mode at a speed of 10/100/1000 Mbps. Autosensing supports both the speed and the duplex mode. On a Supervisor-1 module, the default speed is 100 Mbps and the default duplex mode is auto. On a Supervisor-2 module, the default speed is auto and the default duplex mode is auto.
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Configuring Management Interfaces
To configure the mgmt0 Ethernet interface using Fabric Manager, follow these steps:
Step 1
Step 2
You see the interface configuration in the Information pane.
Step 3
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Step 7
VSAN Interfaces
VSANs apply to Fibre Channel fabrics and enable you to configure multiple isolated SAN topologies within the same physical infrastructure. You can create an IP interface on top of a VSAN and then use this interface to send frames to this VSAN. To use this feature, you must configure the IP address for this VSAN. VSAN interfaces cannot be created for nonexisting VSANs.
This section describes VSAN interfaces and includes the following topics:
About VSAN Interfaces
Follow these guidelines when creating or deleting VSAN interfaces:
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Creating VSAN Interfaces
To create a VSAN interface using Fabric Manager, follow these steps:
Step 1
Figure 20-9 General Management Tab
Step 2
You see the Create Interface dialog box (see Figure 20-10).
Figure 20-10 Create Interface Dialog Box
Step 3
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Default Settings
Table 20-7 lists the default settings for interface parameters.
