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Cisco MDS 9000 Family IP storage (IPS) services extend the reach of Fibre Channel SANs by using open-standard, IP-based technology. The switch connects separated SAN islands using Fibre Channel over IP (FCIP), and it allows IP hosts to access Fibre Channel storage using the iSCSI protocol.
Note FCIP and iSCSI features are specific to the IPS module and are available in Cisco MDS 9200 Switches or Cisco MDS 9500 Directors.
The Cisco MDS 9222i switch and the 14/2 Multiprotocol Services (MSM-18/4 ) module also allow you to use Fibre Channel, FCIP, and iSCSI features. The MSM-18/4 module is available for use in any switch in the Cisco MDS 9200 Series or Cisco MDS 9500 Series.
This section briefly describes the new and updated features for releases, starting from Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 6.2(13).
The IP Storage services module (IPS module) and the MSM-18/4 module allow you to use FCIP and iSCSI features. Both modules integrate seamlessly into the Cisco MDS 9000 Family, and support the full range of features available on other switching modules, including VSANs, security, and traffic management. The following types of storage services modules are currently available for use in any switch in the Cisco MDS 9200 Series or in the Cisco MDS 9500 Series:
Gigabit Ethernet ports in these modules can be configured to support the FCIP protocol, the iSCSI protocol, or both protocols simultaneously:
To verify the status of the module using Fabric Manager, follow these steps:
Step 1 Select a switch in the Fabric pane.
Step 2 Open the Switches folder and select Hardware in the Physical Attributes pane.
You see the status for all modules in the switch in the Information pane.
After inserting the module, verify the status of the module using the show module command:
IPS modules use a rolling upgrade install mechanism where each module in a given switch can only be upgraded in sequence. To guarantee a stable state, each IPS module in a switch requires a 5-minute delay before the next IPS module is upgraded.
The MSM-18/4 modules have 14 Fibre Channel ports (nondisruptive upgrade) and two Gigabit Ethernet ports (disruptive upgrade). MSM-18/4 modules use a rolling upgrade install mechanism for the two Gigabit Ethernet ports where each module in a given switch can only be upgraded in sequence. To guarantee a stable state, each MSM-18/4 module in a switch requires a 5-minute delay before the next module is upgraded.
You can configure the FCIP and iSCSI features using one or more of the following hardware:
Note In both the MSM-18/4 module and the Cisco MDS 9222i integrated supervisor module, the port numbering differs for the Fibre Channel ports and the Gigabit Ethernet ports. The Fibre Channel ports are numbered from 1 through 14 and the Gigabit Ethernet ports are numbered 1 and 2.
Both FCIP and iSCSI rely on TCP/IP for network connectivity. On each IPS module or MPS-14/2 module, connectivity is provided in the form of Gigabit Ethernet interfaces that are appropriately configured. This section covers the steps required to configure IP for subsequent use by FCIP and iSCSI.
Note For information about configuring FCIP, see Chapter2, “Configuring FCIP” For information about configuring iSCSI, see Chapter4, “Configuring iSCSI”
A new port mode, called IPS, is defined for Gigabit Ethernet ports on each IPS module or MPS-14/2 module. IP storage ports are implicitly set to IPS mode, so it can only be used to perform iSCSI and FCIP storage functions. IP storage ports do not bridge Ethernet frames or route other IP packets.
Each IPS port represents a single virtual Fibre Channel host in the Fibre Channel SAN. All the iSCSI hosts connected to this IPS port are merged and multiplexed through the single Fibre Channel host.
In large scale iSCSI deployments where the Fibre Channel storage subsystems require explicit LUN access control for every host device, use of proxy-initiator mode simplifies the configuration.
Note The Gigabit Ethernet interfaces on the MPS-14/2 module do not support EtherChannel.
Note To configure IPv6 on a Gigabit Ethernet interface, see the Cisco Fabric Manager Security Configuration Guide.
Tip Gigabit Ethernet ports on any IPS module or MPS-14/2 module should not be configured in the same Ethernet broadcast domain as the management Ethernet port—they should be configured in a different broadcast domain, either by using separate standalone hubs or switches or by using separate VLANs.
Figure 6-3 shows an example of a basic Gigabit Ethernet IP version 4 (IPv4) configuration.
Figure 6-3 Gigabit Ethernet IPv4 Configuration Example
Note The port on the Ethernet switch to which the Gigabit Ethernet interface is connected should be configured as a host port (also known as access port) instead of a switch port. Spanning tree configuration for that port (on the ethernet switch) should disabled. This helps avoid the delay in the management port coming up due to delay from Ethernet spanning tree processing that the Ethernet switch would run if enabled. For Cisco Ethernet switches, use either the switchport host command in Cisco IOS or the set port host command in Catalyst OS.
IPS core dumps are different from the system’s kernel core dumps for other modules. When the IPS module’s operating system (OS) unexpectedly resets, it is useful to obtain a copy of the memory image (called a IPS core dump) to identify the cause of the reset. Under that condition, the IPS module sends the core dump to the supervisor module for storage. Cisco MDS switches have two levels of IPS core dumps:
Use the show cores command to list these files.
Use the system cores tftp: command to configure an external TFTP server to copy the IPS core dump (and other core dumps).
To configure IPS core dumps on the IPS module, follow these steps:
Configures a dump of the full core generation for all IPS modules in the switch. |
||
Configures a dump of the partial core (default) generation for the IPS module in slot 9. |
To configure the Gigabit Ethernet interface for the scenario in Figure 6-3, follow these steps:
Step 1 From Fabric Manager, choose Switches > Interfaces > Gigabit Ethernet in the Physical Attributes pane. You see the Gigabit Ethernet configuration in the Information pane.
From Device Manager, right-click the Gigabit Ethernet port that you want to configure and choose Configure.... You see the Gigabit Ethernet configuration dialog box.
Step 2 Click the General tab in Fabric Manager, or click the GigE tab in Device Manager to display the general configuration options for the interface.
Step 3 Set the description and MTU value for the interface. The valid value for the MTU field can be a number in the range from 576 to 9000.
Step 4 Set Admin up or down and check the CDP check box if you want this interface to participate in CDP.
Step 5 Set IpAddress/Mask with the IP address and subnet mask for this interface.
Step 6 From Fabric Manager, click the Apply Changes icon to save these changes, or click the Undo Changes icon to discard changes.
From Device Manager, click Apply to save these changes, or click Close to discard changes and close the Gigabit Ethernet configuration dialog box.
See the Cisco Fabric Manager Interfaces Configuration Guide for details on configuring the switch port description for any interface.
See the Cisco Fabric Manager Interfaces Configuration Guide for details on configuring the beacon mode for any interface.
By default, autonegotiation is enabled all Gigabit Ethernet interface. You can enable or disable autonegotiation for a specified Gigabit Ethernet interface. When autonegotiation is enabled, the port automatically detects the speed or pause method, and duplex of incoming signals based on the link partner. You can also detect link up conditions using the autonegotiation feature.
You can configure the interfaces on a switch to transfer large (or jumbo) frames on a port. The default IP maximum transmission unit (MTU) frame size is 1500 bytes for all Ethernet ports. By configuring jumbo frames on a port, the MTU size can be increased up to 9000 bytes.
Note The minimum MTU size is 576 bytes.
Tip MTU changes are disruptive, all FCIP links and iSCSI sessions flap when the software detects a change in the MTU size.
You can enable or disable promiscuous mode on a specific Gigabit Ethernet interface. By enabling the promiscuous mode, the Gigabit Ethernet interface receives all the packets and the software then filters and discards the packets that are not destined for that Gigabit Ethernet interface.
Virtual LANs (VLANs) create multiple virtual Layer 2 networks over a physical LAN network. VLANs provide traffic isolation, security, and broadcast control.
Gigabit Ethernet ports automatically recognize Ethernet frames with IEEE 802.1Q VLAN encapsulation. If you need to have traffic from multiple VLANs terminated on one Gigabit Ethernet port, configure subinterfaces—one for each VLAN.
If the IPS module or MPS-14/2 module is connected to a Cisco Ethernet switch, and you need to have traffic from multiple VLANs coming to one IPS port, verify the following requirements on the Ethernet switch:
Use the VLAN ID as a subscription to the Gigabit Ethernet interface name to create the subinterface name:
slot-number / port-numberVLAN-ID
.
Gigabit Ethernet interfaces (major), subinterfaces (VLAN ID), and management interfaces (mgmt 0) can be configured in the same or different subnet depending on the configuration (see Table 6-2 ).
Note The configuration requirements in Table 6-2 also apply to Ethernet PortChannels.
Once the Gigabit Ethernet interfaces are connected with valid IP addresses, verify the interface connectivity on each switch. Ping the IP host using the IP address of the host to verify that the static IP route is configured correctly.
Note If the connection fails, verify the following, and ping the IP host again:
- The IP address for the destination (IP host) is correctly configured.
- The host is active (powered on).
- The IP route is configured correctly.
- The IP host has a route to get to the Gigabit Ethernet interface subnet.
- The Gigabit Ethernet interface is in the up
state.
Tip If IPv4-ACLs are already configured in a Gigabit Ethernet interface, you cannot add this interface to an Ethernet PortChannel group.
Follow these guidelines when configuring IPv4-ACLs for Gigabit Ethernet interfaces:
Note Other protocols such as User Datagram Protocol (UDP) and HTTP are not supported in Gigabit Ethernet interfaces. Applying an ACL that contains rules for these protocols to a Gigabit Ethernet interface is allowed but those rules have no effect.
– If you use the log-deny option, a maximum of 50 messages are logged per second.
– The established , precedence , and fragments options are ignored when you apply IPv4-ACLs (containing these options) to Gigabit Ethernet interfaces.
– If an IPv4-ACL rule applies to a preexisting TCP connection, that rule is ignored. For example if there is an existing TCP connection between A and B, and an IPv4-ACL specifies dropping all packets whose source is A and destination is B is subsequently applied, it will have no effect.
Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) and Ethernet PortChannels are two Gigabit Ethernet features that provide high availability for iSCSI and FCIP services.
VRRP provides a redundant alternate path to the Gigabit Ethernet port for iSCSI and FCIP services. VRRP provides IP address failover protection to an alternate Gigabit Ethernet interface so the IP address is always available (see Figure 6-4).
In Figure 6-4, all members of the VRRP group must be IP storage Gigabit Ethernet ports. VRRP group members can be one or more of the following interfaces:
Note You can configure no more than seven VRRP groups, both IPv4 and IPv6, on a Gigabit Ethernet interface, including the main interface and all subinterfaces.
To configure VRRP for Gigabit Ethernet interfaces using IPv4, follow these steps:
To configure VRRP for Gigabit Ethernet interfaces using IPv6, follow these steps:
Note If you configure secondary VRRP IPv6 addresses on an IPFC VSAN interface, before a downgrading to a release prior to Cisco Release 3.0(1), you must remove the secondary VRRP IPv6 addresses. This is required only when you configure IPv6 addresses.
Note The VRRP preempt option is not supported on IPS Gigabit Ethernet interfaces. However, if the virtual IPv4 IP address is also the IPv4 IP address for the interface, then preemption is implicitly applied.
Note If you configure secondary VRRP IPv6 addresses on an IPFC VSAN interface, before a downgrading to a release prior to Cisco Release 3.0(1), you must remove the secondary VRRP IPv6 addresses. This is required only when you configure IPv6 addresses.
Ethernet PortChannels refer to the aggregation of multiple physical Gigabit Ethernet interfaces into one logical Ethernet interface to provide link redundancy and, in some cases, higher aggregated bandwidth and load balancing.
An Ethernet switch connecting to the MDS switch Gigabit Ethernet port can implement load balancing based on the IP address, IP address and UDP/TCP port number, or MAC address. Due to the load balancing scheme, the data traffic from one TCP connection is always sent out on the same physical Gigabit Ethernet port of an Ethernet PortChannel. For the traffic coming to the MDS, an Ethernet switch can implement load balancing based on its IP address, its source-destination MAC address, or its IP address and port. The data traffic from one TCP connection always travels on the same physical links. To make use of both ports for the outgoing direction, multiple TCP connections are required.
All FCIP data traffic for one FCIP link is carried on one TCP connection. Consequently, the aggregated bandwidth is 1 Gbps for that FCIP link.
Note The Cisco Ethernet switch’s PortChannel should be configured as a static PortChannel, and not the default 802.3ad protocol.
Ethernet PortChannels can only aggregate two physical interfaces that are adjacent to each other on a given IPS module (see Figure 6-5).
Note PortChannel members must be one of these combinations: ports 1–2, ports 3–4, ports 5–6, or ports 7–8.
Figure 6-5 Ethernet PortChannel Scenario
In Figure 6-5, Gigabit Ethernet ports 3 and 4 in slot 9 are aggregated into an Ethernet PortChannel. Ethernet PortChannels are not supported on MSM-18/4 modules and 9222i IPS modules.
Note PortChannel interfaces provide configuration options for both Gigabit Ethernet and Fibre Channel. However, based on the PortChannel membership, only Gigabit Ethernet parameters or Fibre Channel parameters are applicable.
The PortChannel configuration specified in the Cisco Fabric Manager Interfaces Configuration GuidCisco MDS 9000 Family NX-OS Interfaces Configuration Guide also applies to Ethernet PortChannel configurations.
To configure Ethernet PortChannels, follow these steps:
Note Gigabit Ethernet interfaces cannot be added to a PortChannel if one of the following cases apply:
- The interface already has an IP address assigned.
- The subinterfaces are configured on that interface.
- The interface already has an associated IPv4-ACL rule and the PortChannel does not.
The Cisco Discovery Protocol (CDP) is supported on the management Ethernet interface on the supervisor module and the Gigabit Ethernet interfaces on the IPS module or MSM-18/4 module.
See the Cisco MDS 9000 Family NX-OS Fundamentals Configuration Guide.
The Cisco MDS 9250i Multiservice Fabric Switch has two IP storage ports that support 1 Gbps and 10 Gbps link speeds. By default, IP storage ports are configured at 10 Gbps link speed.
Note Switching between different link speeds is supported on Cisco 10 Gbps IP storage platforms starting from Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 6.2(13). An ISSD to a release earlier than Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 6.2(13) when any of the IP storage ports are configured at 1 Gbps, is disallowed. Reconfigure such ports back to the default link speed of 10 Gbps before attempting such a downgrade.
To configure 1 Gbps link speed on a 10 Gbps IP storage port, follow these steps:
Administratively disables the interface and stops traffic through the interface. |
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switch(config-if)# switchport speed 10001
|
Sets the link speed of the interface and all subinterfaces to 1000 Mbps (1 Gbps).
This command causes all IP storage ports on the selected FCIP engine to be reset. This may cause traffic disruption for up to 5 minutes. By default,
n
is selected. Press
Enter
to abort the command. Enter
y
and press
Enter
to continue. |
|
Exits IPStorage interface configuration mode and returns to privileged EXEC mode. |
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Note • To configure 10 Gbps link speed on an IP storage port, follow the steps listed in the above table and change the switchport speed to 10000 in Step 4 by issuing the following command: switch(config-if)#
switchport speed 10000
When you run this command, the following message is displayed, asking for your confirmation:
“This speed change will disrupt FCIP/iSCSI traffic for 5 mins on all IPStorage ports. Do you want to continue(y/n) ? [n]”
If there is a mismatch between the configured link speed and the small form-factor pluggable (SFP) speed capabilities, the port goes into an Error Disabled state and a corresponding syslog message is logged. In such a scenario, either the configured link speed or the SFP should be changed. If the link speed is changed, even if the port is already enabled, the shutdown and no shutdown commands must be explicitly issued for the change to be applied.
For more information about supported 1 Gbps SFPs for a Cisco MDS 9250i Multiservice Fabric Switch, see the Cisco MDS 9000 Family Pluggable Transceivers Data Sheet .
For information about configuring FCIP tunnels with IP storage ports at 1 Gbps speed, see the Configuring FCIP chapter.
This section provides examples to verify Gigabit Ethernet and TCP/IP statistics on the IP storage ports.
Use the show interface gigabitethernet command on each switch to verify that the interfaces are up and functioning as desired. See Example 6-1 and Example 6-2.
The show ips stats mac interface gigabitethernet command takes the main Gigabit Ethernet interface as a parameter and returns Ethernet statistics for that interface. See Example 6-3.
Note Use the physical interface, not the subinterface, to display Ethernet MAC statistics.
You can display direct memory access (DMA) device statistics using the show ips stats dma-bridge interface gigabitethernet command. This command takes the main Gigabit Ethernet interface as a parameter and returns DMA bridge statistics for that interface. See Example 6-4.
Note Use the physical interface, not the subinterface, to display DMA-bridge statistics.
Example 6-4 Displays DMA-Bridge Statistics
This output shows all Fibre Channel frames that ingress or egress from the Gigabit Ethernet port.
Use the show ips stats tcp interface gigabitethernet to display and verify TCP statistics. This command takes the main Ethernet interface as a parameter, and shows TCP stats along with the connection list and TCP state. The detail option shows all information maintained by the interface. See Example 6-5 and Example 6-6.
Example 6-5 Displays TCP Statistics
Example 6-6 Displays Detailed TCP Statistics
Use the show ips stats icmp interface gigabitethernet to display and verify IP statistics. This command takes the main Ethernet interface as a parameter and returns the ICMP statistics for that interface. See Example 6-7.
Table 6-3 lists the default settings for IP storage services parameters.