San Components: Multi-Protocol Storage Routers (ex. MDS 9222i)
- Supports FC, FCIP, iSCSI (Initiators and Targets)
- 1,2,4,8 and 10 Gbps FC and 1Gbps Ethernet (10 G is for Switch to Switch trunking. Not HBA’s exist)
- Server Based config and management just like Nexus with DCNM
Nexus 5000
- Combined Ethernet and FC switch
- 8 ports of 1/2/4 FC or 6 ports of 2/4/8 FC
- Requires both Fabric Manager and CLI or DCNM
Why Build a SAN
- Improved flexibility and non-disruptive service scalability
Fiber Channel: Flow Based vs Collision based control
- High Speed
- High Avail
- Block Data Based
- Peer to Peer
- Hardware Intensive
- %95 of FC uses SCSI
Class of Service: Most is Class 3
- Class1: Connect oriented and confirmed delivery
- Class2: Packet Switched and confirmed delivery
- Class3: Packet switched Non confirm delivery
- Class4: Fractional bandwidth virtual circuit and confirmed delivery
- Class6: Connection orientiented multicast with confirmed delivery
- ClassF: Packet Switch Confirmed (Switch to Switch Coms) Auto defined in Fabric Build
- 40 Nodes in a Fabric max (Fabric nodes = switches) ?
Topologies:
- Point to Point
- Arbitrated Loop (similar to FDDI)
- Switched fabric (Star) Mixed speed possible
Switched Topology:
Max nodes = 16 million
Idles are “ordered sets” used for sync and signaling
Frame Length = 2148 Bytes
FC Port Types:
N Port: Node port used to connect to switch fabric or point to point (Server or Storage PortP
F Port: Fabric ports on switches for connecting to N port devices.
xL Port: Loop ports used in arbitrated loop config. Seldom used
E Port: Expansion Ports used to connet two FC switches
Auto Port: Generic port able to auto negotiate E or F: Auto Discovery
Port Types can be used for low level security design.
Addition Cisco Port Types:
SD: Span
TL: Translative Loop ( No Longer seen)
ST: Span Tunnel,
TE: Trunking mode functions as an expansion port can be connected to another TE to created extended ISL between swiches only found in Cisco MDS 9000 switches
NP: Proxy N Port
Inter-Switch LINK (ISL)
Switch to Switch = Eport to Eport
Supports all Class of Services
Fiber Channel is a Flow based Control using Buffer to Buffer Credits
These are defined on a link to link basis
Fiber Channel World Wide Name (WWN)
Similar to Mac But longer and always unique
- Each Switch is unique
- Each Port is unique
- Each host is unique
FC-IS is assigned by FC switch during the Fabric Login (FLOGI)
Unique Domain number (8bits) and is assigned by Principal Switch (Statically or Dynamically designed)
UD numbers are 1 – 239 ( Each switch = a new domain, in VSANS a switch can be multiple UDS
Max Switch domains = 239, max supported = 40 @ 239 most traffic would be class F and not real storage traffic. Cisco can support up to 75.
Typical FC design = A fab and B fab so always redundant
If you change modes of operation it is disruptive. Cisco can do interop mode or brocade mode or NPV (endpoint virtualization mode, becomes transparent to brocade and the 5000 becomes a pass-through device and is a global config setting and requires NPIV functionality in brocade is non-disruptive)
UCS Extender is NPV Mode only
Each switch has its own FLOGI Services (Login Server, Name Server) Class F traffic is used to share this info (admin traffic)
Virtual SAN (VSAN) MDS 9000 Family (equiv of VLAN in Storage)
Each port lives in a vsan
Up to 16/256 VSANS in a single Switch/Director
Logical config to move a port from one fabric to another
WWN-Based VSANS can provide auto VSAN Membership
Each VSAN has its own Services and are full Virtual fabrics
Inter VSAN Routing = more lic and more config
Fabric disruptions are limited to VSANS
SAN Zoning:
Zoning arrangeds FC connected devices int logical groups and allows lun policies to control access to luns from zones
Zone members can be part of multiple zones unlike VSANS. These should be seen as storage Access Lists. Zonesets are per VSAN
Default Zone should be disabled. Otherwise no access policy can be applied. Plus admin traffic dramatically increases