User`s guide

Chapter 8 Virtual Host Bus Adapters (vHBAs) 135
N_Port ID Virtualization (NPIV) enables multiple fibre channel initiators (WWNs) to
log in and occupy a single physical port. Your switch device (between the Oracle
Fabric Interconnect and the storage device) must support NPIV and NPIV must be
turned on. Some switches might require a software upgrade to support NPIV.
Without NPIV, a vHBA cannot log into the fabric. Note that some switches require
configuring the max number of NPIV logins.
Note – Reset the Oracle Fabric Interconnect’s FC I/O module whenever the
firmware is changed on the upstream FC switch. The I/O module needs to
rediscover the FC setting attributes. Do this by using the set fc-card <slot>
reset command
See “SAN QoS for vHBAs” on page 209 for information about using vHBAs with
QoS.
Determining the Number of LUNs Supported on
a Single Host
As a general guideline, on each particular host server, the total number of supported
LUNs should be less than or equal to 256. However, on some hosts, it might be
possible to exceed the guideline of 256 LUNs per host by changing host hardware or
software settings.
When you are configuring vHBAs on individual host servers, use the following
formula to verify that your deployment is in compliance with the general guideline
of less than or equal to 256 LUNs per host:
(Number of vHBAs) * (Number of Targets per vHBA) * (Number of LUNs per target) <= 256
where:
■ Maximum number of vHBAs for a host is 16
■ Maximum number of targets for an vHBA is 64
■ Maximum number of LUNs per targets for a target is 256
Some examples of the formula and individual limits:
■ (2 vHBAs) * (64 targets) * (2 LUNs) = 256, which complies with the rule of 256
total LUNs per host, and the maximum of 64 targets per vHBA
■ (4 vHBAs) * (16 targets) * (4 LUNs) = 256, which complies with the rule of 256
total LUNs per host
■ (16 vHBAs) * (4 targets) * (4 LUNs) = 256, which complies with the rule of 256
total LUNs per host, and the maximum of 16 vHBAs per host