Administrator Guide

from the end-device. In addition, the FIP application periodically sends advertisement packets to the end-
devices for each FCF that is part of the NPIV proxy gateway.
On FN IOM switches, you can configure the switch to operate in FIP Snooping or NPIV mode.
If the FN IOM Switch functions in the NPIV mode and you attempt to set the uplink port to be an FCF or a
bridge port, a warning message displays and the settings are not saved.
Operation of the NPIV Proxy Gateway
The NPIV application on the FC Flex IO module manages the FC functionalities configured in Dell Networking
OS. After the FC link comes up, the gateway sends the initial FLOGI request to the connected switch using the
switch and port WWN methods. After a successful login, the NPIV gateway sends a notification to inform the
CNA that the FCF available to log in. The source address of the FIP advertisement and FIP discovery
advertisement response contain the MAC address of the FC Flex IO module port. Depending on the number
of login sessions on a particular FCF, the NPIV gateway can load-balance the login sessions from ENodes.
The NPIV application performs the FLOGI to FDISC conversion and sends the new FC frame on the associated
FC ports. After the external switch responds to the FLOGI request, the NPIV gateway establishes the NPIV
session and sends the frame to the FIP application. The FIP application establishes virtual links to convert
FCoE FLOGI accept messages into FIP FLOGI accept messages. The corresponding ACL for the accept
message is then applied. If a FIP timeout from ENode or VN_PORT occurs, the NPIV application performs the
FC fabric logout to the external FC switch. The NPIV application manages the sessions between the FCoE and
the FC domain.
FC Flex IO Modules 1050