Reference Guide

Ethernet local area network (LAN) (IP cloud) for data — as well as FC links to one or more storage area
network (SAN) fabrics.
FCoE works with the Ethernet enhancements provided in Data Center Bridging (DCB) to support lossless
(no-drop) SAN and LAN traffic. In addition, DCB provides flexible bandwidth sharing for different traffic
types, such as LAN and SAN, according to 802.1p priority classes of service. DCBx should be enabled on
the system before the FIP snooping feature is enabled.
All of the commands that are supported for FCoE on the MXL and I/O Aggregator apply to the FC Flex IO
modules. Similarly, all of the configuration procedures and the settings that are applicable for FCoE on
the MXL and I/O Aggregator are valid for the FC Flex IO modules.
Legacy FIP snooping-related commands are supported on 10G optional modules when the Fiber channel
capability is disabled (by using the no feature fc command). If the FC capability is enabled, only the
fip-snooping max-sessions-per-enodemac command is supported and the remaining FIP
snooping commands are not supported.
NPIV Proxy Gateway for FC Flex IO Modules
The N-port identifier virtualization (NPIV) Proxy Gateway (NPG) feature provides FCoE-FC bridging
capability on the M I/O Aggregator and MXL 10/40GbE Switch with the FC Flex IO module switch,
allowing server CNAs to communicate with SAN fabrics over the M I/O Aggregator and MXL 10/40GbE
Switch with the FC Flex IO module.
To configure the M I/O Aggregator and MXL 10/40GbE Switch with the FC Flex IO module to operate as
an NPIV proxy gateway, use the following commands:
NPIV Proxy Gateway Configuration on FC Flex IO Modules
The Fibre Channel (FC) Flex IO module is supported on the MXL 10/40GbE Switch and M I/O Aggregator
(IOA). The MXL and IOA switches, installed with the FC Flex IO module, function as a top-of-rack edge
switch that supports Converged Enhanced Ethernet (CEE) traffic — Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE)
for storage, Interprocess Communication (IPC) for servers, and Ethernet local area network (LAN) (IP
cloud) for data — as well as FC links to one or more storage area network (SAN) fabrics.
The N-port identifier virtualization (NPIV) proxy gateway (NPG) provides FCoE-FC bridging capability on
the MXL 10/40GbE Switch and M I/O Aggregator with the FC Flex IO module.
This chapter describes how to configure and use an NPIV proxy gateway on an MXL 10/40GbE Switch
and M I/O Aggregator with the FC Flex IO module in a (SAN.
NPIV Proxy Gateway Operations and Capabilities
Benefits of an NPIV Proxy Gateway
The MXL 10/40GbE Switch and M I/O Aggregator with the FC Flex IO module functions as a top-of-rack
edge switch that supports Converged Enhanced Ethernet (CEE) traffic — FCoE for storage, Interprocess
Communication (IPC) for servers, and Ethernet LAN (IP cloud) for data — as well as Fibre Channel (FC)
links to one or more SAN fabrics.
Using an NPIV proxy gateway (NPG) helps resolve the following problems in a storage area network:
• Fibre Channel storage networks typically consist of servers connected to edge switches, which are
connected to SAN core switches. As the SAN grows, it is necessary to add more ports and SAN
FC Flex IO Modules
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