Users Guide

Using FlexAddress and FlexAdress Plus Cards
This section provides information about FlexAddress and FlexAddress Plus cards, how to configure and use these cards.
Related concepts
About Flexaddress
About FlexAddress Plus
FlexAddress and FlexAddress Plus Comparison
Topics:
• About Flexaddress
• About FlexAddress Plus
• FlexAddress and FlexAddress Plus Comparison
• Activating FlexAddress
• Activating FlexAddress Plus
• Verifying FlexAddress Activation
• Deactivating FlexAddress
• Configuring FlexAddress
• Viewing WWN or MAC Address Information
• Viewing Basic WWN or MAC Address Information Using Web Interface
• Viewing Advanced WWN or MAC Address Information Using Web Interface
• Viewing WWN or MAC Address Information Using RACADM
• Viewing World Wide Name or Media Access Control IDs
• Command Messages
• FlexAddress DELL SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT
About Flexaddress
If a server is replaced, the FlexAddress for the slot remains the same for the given server slot. If the server is inserted in a new slot or
chassis, the server-assigned WWN/MAC is used unless that chassis has the FlexAddress feature enabled for the new slot. If you remove
the server, it reverts to the server-assigned address. You need not reconfigure deployment frameworks, DHCP servers, and routers for
various fabrics for identifying the new server.
Every server module is assigned unique WWN and/or MAC IDs as part of the manufacturing process. Before FlexAddress, if you had to
replace one server module with another, the WWN/MAC IDs changes and Ethernet network management tools and SAN resources had
to be reconfigured to identify the new server module.
FlexAddress allows CMC to assign WWN/MAC IDs to a particular slot and override the factory IDs. Hence, if the server module is
replaced, the slot-based WWN/MAC IDs remain the same. This feature eliminates the need to reconfigure Ethernet network management
tools and SAN resources for a new server module.
Additionally, the override action only occurs when a server module is inserted in a FlexAddress enabled chassis; no permanent changes are
made to the server module. If a server module is moved to a chassis that does not support FlexAddress, the factory-assigned WWN/MAC
IDs is used.
The FlexAddress feature card contains a range of MAC addresses. Before installing FlexAddress, you can determine the range of MAC
addresses contained on a FlexAddress feature card by inserting the SD card into an USB Memory Card Reader and viewing the
pwwn_mac.xml file. This clear text XML file on the SD card contains an XML tag mac_start that is the first starting hex MAC address
that is used for this unique MAC address range. The mac_count tag is the total number of MAC addresses that the SD card allocates. The
total MAC range allocated can be determined by:
<mac_start> + 0xCF (208 - 1) = mac_end
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156 Using FlexAddress and FlexAdress Plus Cards