Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Switch CLI Software Configuration Guide (OL-16597-01, July 2009)

CHAPTER 30
Configuring FCoE
This chapter describes how to configure Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) on Cisco Nexus 5000 Series
switches. It contains the following sections:
• Information About FCoE, page 393
• FCoE Topologies, page 398
• FCoE Best Practices, page 400
• Licensing Requirements for FCoE, page 403
• Configuring FCoE, page 403
• Configuring LLDP, page 407
• Verifying FCoE Configuration, page 408
Information About FCoE
Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) provides a method of transporting Fibre Channel traffic over a physical
Ethernet connection. FCoE requires the underlying Ethernet to be full duplex and to provide lossless behavior
for Fibre Channel traffic.
Lossless behavior on Ethernet is provided by using a priority flow control (PFC) mechanism that prevents
packet loss during congestion conditions.
Note
Cisco Nexus 5000 Series switches support T11-compliant FCoE on all 10-Gigabit Ethernet interfaces.
Information About FCoE and FIP
FCoE Initiation Protocol
The FCoE Initialization Protocol (FIP) allows the switch to discover and initialize FCoE-capable entities that
are connected to an Ethernet LAN. Two versions of FIP are supported by the Cisco Nexus 5000 Series switch:
Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Switch CLI Software Configuration Guide
OL-16597-01 393