HP StorageWorks Fabric Interoperability: Merging Fabrics Based on M-series and B-series Fibre Channel Switches Application Notes (AA-RUQQL-TE, November 2009)

To enable fabric binding:
1. On the FCR, enter the portcfgexport command to configure the preferred domain ID. This
preferred domain ID becomes insistent whenever fabric binding is enabled.
You can also use this command to set the port to M-series Fabric mode.
2. Enable the EX_Port configured in Step 1.
3. Use DCFM or EFCM to create the fabric binding list and to enable fabric binding.
CAUTION:
The front port preferred domain ID will behave as insistent while fabric binding is enabled. Fabric
Binding must be disabled prior to removing an EX_Port from a bound fabric in order to disable the
insistent domain ID behavior on that EX_Port. Failure to do this will result in insistent domain ID
behavior of the EX_Port even if it is subsequently connected to an edge fabric that is not using Fabric
Binding.
Support for coordinated hot code load
Fabric OS 6.1.0a and later supports nondisruptive HCL on all B-series single-CP switches when
connected to a mixed fabric with M-series switches running in either McDATA Fabric Mode or McDATA
Open Fabric Mode. This feature eliminates the need to automatically configure E_Ports with large
number of BB_Credits in mixed fabrics, and removes the limit for the number of E_Ports that can be
supported. All M-series switches in the fabric must be running firmware 9.7.2 or later to guarantee
a nondisruptive code load sequence.
NOTE:
HCL is guaranteed only if all switches in an interoperable fabric support the new protocol.
Coordinated HCL provides:
• Fabric-wide pause and resume
• No limitations on E_Port count or fabric membership
• Flood pause frame to all switches in the fabric before initiating a reboot
Fabric OS running on single-CP B-series switches takes approximately 60 seconds to restart as part
of the code upload process. During the time when the Fabric OS switch software is unavailable, with
the uninterrupted data traffic, M-series switches and directors in the same fabric send point-to-point
frames (Hello, LSU) and domain controller frames (GEPT) to the B-series switch.
Fabric OS 6.1.0a or later notifies all switches in the fabric about a pending hot code activation (or
HA-boot) so that they can stop sending control frames to the specified switch until it restarts and sends
a resume notification. When a switch initiates a graceful shutdown sequence to prepare for an HCL,
it can flood a notification frame to all supported switches in the fabric.
Information added to the ESS indicates which switches support the new protocol. The receiving (remote)
switches respond to the notification by suppressing both fabric controller and domain controller frames
to the hot code switch. After the restart completes, the hot code switch must flood a resume traffic
notification message to all supported switches.
HP StorageWorks Fabric Interoperability: Merging Fabrics Based on M-series and B-series Fibre
Channel Switches Application Notes 31