HP Mainframe Connectivity Design Guide

NOTE: Do not use the shared-link configuration if you require high availability because it does

not provide redundancy between fabrics. It may also decrease performance because the total

bandwidth available for storage is shared by the two fabrics.

FCIP network considerations

How you implement FCIP on your network depends on the expected application data load and

network traffic. Important considerations follow:

• Is there enough available bandwidth on the IP network to support the load and future growth?

• Can the IP network handle the anticipated application load and demands?

• Is the QoS of the IP network high enough to support FICON?

FICON and data replication applications require a high QoS, which the IP network may not

be able to support. FICON is more sensitive than other IP applications to dropped bits, frequent

rerouting of IP packets, and network congestion.

Table 87 (page 139) lists considerations for determining whether to use an IP existing network.

Table 87 FICON over IP network considerations

FactorsUse existing IP network?Configuration type

For peak performance, HP recommends using a

separate, dedicated network, which is the

Production DASD

replication or

benchmark for FICON over IP solutions.

tape applications

You can use your existing network if it supports the

application.

MaybeData migration

Because data migration is typically a one-time event,

you may be able to use your existing network. Data

migration can impact network performance, and data

migration time can increase if other applications are

using network resources.

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