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21 Advanced Server Configuration in Dell EMC OpenManage Enterprise 3.0
and virtual WWPN addresses for the FC virtual identity. It does this by prepending a two-octet prefix to each
possible address in the MAC address range (0x2000 for virtual WWNN addresses and 0x2001 for virtual
WWPN addresses). As a result, customers do not have to specify address pools for FC virtual WWNN and
WWPN addresses.
3.3.4 Fibre Channel (FC) Identities
FC identities are virtual identities required by a device to support virtual FC operations. The FC page of the
Identity Pool wizard is used to define a sub-pool to use for generating unique FC virtual identities. The
following values are specified to define a sub-pool for generating unique FC virtual identities:
Starting Postfix and Count
As mentioned earlier, Fibre Channel requires 8-octet virtual WWNN addresses (for nodes) and virtual WWPN
addresses (for ports on a node). In OpenManage Enterprise, the Identity Pool wizard page for defining an FC
virtual identity pool has a starting postfix value, which takes a 6-octet value, and a count. Like it does for
generating unique FC virtual WWNN and WWPN addresses for FCoE (as discussed above), OpenManage
Enterprise prepends a two-octet prefix to each 6-octet value defined by the Postfix and Count values entered
for a pool. The same prefixes are used as were indicated for FCoE.
Note that the Starting Postfix value is NOT a MAC address, even though it happens to be a 6-octet value. It is
merely a 6-octet value; OpenManage Enterprise prepends two prefix octets, as mentioned above, in order to
generate valid 8-octet FC WWNN and WWPN addresses. This approach means that the customer only has to
specify one range (from which OpenManage Enterprise will generate values as if there were two FC address
pools).
3.3.5 Address constraints
Identity addresses within and across Identity Pools cannot overlap. For example:
The MAC addresses that can be generated by sub-pools for Ethernet, iSCSI, and FCoE cannot overlap
with each other, either within one pool or in different Identity Pools.
The FC addresses that can be generated by sub-pools for FC and FCoE cannot overlap with each other,
either within one pool or in different Identity Pools. Both FCoE sub-pools and FC sub-pools generate FC
virtual WWNN and WWPN addresses which could conflict with each other.
In each case, the Identity Pool wizard will report an error if it finds an address overlap within a pool or
between pools. Note that since FCoE pools generate both virtual MAC addresses and virtual FC addresses
(virtual WWNN and virtual WWPN), they have two possibilities for range conflict, both within or across Identity
Pools.
3.4 Identity Pool operations
This section discusses the functionalities provided by OpenManage Enterprise for managing Identity
Pools.
Identity Pools are created and managed via the Identity Pool portal. This page displays a list of identity
pools, provides buttons for creating and managing identity pools, and identity pool summary and usage
information.
The Identity Pool portal page lists the current set of Identity Pools.
If a single Identity Pool is selected, summary and usage information is displayed for it at the bottom of the
page, and it can be edited, exported, or deleted.