HP Mainframe Connectivity Design Guide
For more information about using FCIP products for FICON extension and FICON SAN extension,
see “FICON extension overview” (page 120) and “FICON SAN extension overview” (page 121).
NOTE: You must use the same gateway model or family at both ends to ensure interoperability.
For more information, see “FCIP gateway interoperability”.
B-series, C-series, and McDATA FICON directors connect to an FCIP gateway through an E_Port.
Some B-series and C-series FICON directors have FCIP gateways that you can install as blades.
For information about FCIP gateways that can be installed in FICON directors, see “B-series 400
MP Router and MP Router Blade”, “B-series 1606 Extension SAN Switch and DC Dir Switch MP
Extension Blade”, and “C-series MDS 9216i, 9222i, IPS-4, IPS-8, 14/2, and 18/4 modules”.
FCIP link configurations
Using FCIP, you can configure a FICON ISL through a single link, dual links, or shared links.
Figure 28 (page 138), Figure 29 (page 138), and Figure 30 (page 138) show IP link configurations.
The simplest FCIP configuration comprises one link. For an example, see Figure 28 (page 138).
Figure 28 FCIP single-link configuration
IP
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Fabric 1
Local
Fabric 1
Remote
A dual-link configuration provides redundancy. If one link fails, the other link temporarily handles
all data replication. For enhanced fault tolerance, you can use two IP providers. For an example,
see Figure 29 (page 138).
Figure 29 FCIP dual-link configuration
IP
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IP
Fabric A1
Local
Fabric A1
Remote
Fabric B1
Local
Fabric B1
Remote
In a dual-link configuration, HP recommends that you limit the maximum sustained I/O load to
40% of the maximum available bandwidth for each link. This allows for instantaneous bursts of
I/O activity and minimizes the effect of a link failure on performance.
A shared-link configuration uses only one IP network. For an example, see Figure 30 (page 138).
Figure 30 FCIP shared-link configuration
IP
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Fabric A1
Remote
Fabric B1
Local
Fabric B1
Remote
Fabric A1
Local
138 FICON and FICON SAN extension