Administrator Guide

• Multiple domains are supported in an NPIV proxy gateway (NPG).
• You cannot congure the MXL or Aggregator switches in Stacking mode if the switches contain the FC Flex IO module. Similarly,
FC Flex IO modules do not function when you insert them in to a stack of MXL or Aggregrator switches.
• If the switch does not contain FC Flex modules, you cannot create a stack, and a log message states that stacking is not
supported unless the switches contain only FC Flex modules.
Guidelines for Working with FC Flex IO Modules
The following guidelines apply to the FC Flex IO module:
• All the ports of FC Flex IO modules operate in FC mode, and do not support Ethernet mode.
• FC Flex IO modules are not supported in the chassis management controller (CMC) GUI.
• The only supported FCoE functionality is NPIV proxy gateway. Congure the other FCoE services, such as name server, zone
server, and login server on an external FC switch.
• With the FC Flex IO module, the MXL 10/40GbE Switch continues to support bare metal provisioning (BMP) on any Ethernet
port. BMP is not supported on FC ports. BMP improves accessibility to the MXL 10/40GbE Switch by automatically loading pre-
dened congurations and boot images that are stored in le servers. You can use BMP on a single switch or on multiple
switches.
• FC Flex IOM module is a eld-replaceable unit (FRU). Its memory type is electrically erasable programmable read-only memory
(EEPROM), which enables it to save manufacturing information, such as the serial number. It is hot-swappable, assuming that
the module that is removed is replaced by the same type of module in that same slot.
• The FC Flex IO does not have persistent storage for any runtime conguration. All the persistent storage for runtime
conguration is on the MXL and IOA baseboard.
• With both FC Flex IO modules present in the MXL or I/O Aggregator switches, the power supply requirement and maximum
thermal output are the same as these parameters needed for the M1000 chassis.
• Each port on the FC Flex IO module contains status indicators to denote the link status and transmission activity. For trac that
is being transmitted, the port LED shows a blinking green light. The Link LED displays solid green when a proper link with the
peer is established. If there is no connectivity, the LEDs are not lit
• The MXL and IOA switches continue to operate in FCoE Gateway mode even if connectivity to a ToR switch does not exist.
• The I/O Aggregator examines whether the FC Flex IO module is inserted into the switch. When the FC Flex IO module is present
during the boot process, the switch runs in FCoE NPIV gateway mode by default.
• When an FC Flex IO module is present in the I/O Aggregator, the software autocongures the DCB settings on the ports that
support DCB and does not retrieve these settings from the ToR switch.
• Active fabric manager (AFM) is compatible with FC Flex IO modules.
• All SNMP MIBs that are supported for MXL and IOA switches apply equally for FC Flex IO modules. The interface MIB indicates
the FC interface when you install the FC ex IO module. The interface MIB statistical counters compute and display the FC
interface metrics.
• When the Dell Networking OS sends FC frames (the initial FLOGI or FLOGO messages), or converts FLOGI to FDISC messages
or processes any internally generated FC frames, the software computes and veries the FC cyclic redundancy check (CRC)
value before sending the frame to FC ports.
• Fabric worldwide name (WWN) verication is available for eight FC ports. Single-switching WWN capability is provided when the
switch operates in NPIV mode.
• With FC Flex IO modules, you can connect the IOA in Simple MUX mode to a single fabric.
• With FC Flex IO modules on an IOA, the FC port speed is set to auto. The following parameters are automatically congured on
the ENode facing and FC ports
• Description: SAN_FABRIC
• Fabric-id: 1002
• Fcoe-vlan: 1002
FC Flex IO Modules
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