Users Guide
Operation of the FIP Application
The NPIV proxy gateway terminates the FIP sessions and responses to FIP messages. The FIP packets are intercepted by the FC
Flex IO module and sent to the Dell Networking OS for further analysis. The FIP application responds to the FIP VLAN discovery
request from the host based on the congured FCoE VLANs. For every ENode and VN_Port that is logged in, the FIP application
responds to keepalive messages for the virtual channel. If the FC link becomes inactive or a logging o of the switch occurs, the FIP
engine sends clear virtual link (CVL) messages to the host. The FIP application also responds to solicited advertisements 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.
If FC Flex IO modules are installed, the I/O Aggregator does not perform FIP snooping because the FIP frames are terminated on the
switch for NPIV operations.
On the Aggregator, if the FC module is present, the uplink ports are not automatically set up as FCF or bridge ports. The FC Flex
module cannot function as both an NPIV proxy gateway and a FIP snooping bridge at the same time.
Operation of the NPIV Proxy Gateway
The NPIV application on the FC Flex IO module manages the FC functionalities congured 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 notication 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.
Installing and Conguring the Switch
After you unpack the I/O Aggregator, refer to the ow chart in the following gure for an overview of the steps you must follow to
install the blade and perform the initial conguration.
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FC Flex IO Modules