HP StorageWorks Fabric OS 5.0.5c Release Notes (AA-RW1WE-TE, February 2007)

Dynamic Ports O

nDemand(DPOD)

IMPORTA NT:

The DPOD feature is applicable only to the SAN Switch model 4/12 (part number

AE370A). This switch ships in a 12 –port configuration, and is upgradeable to a

24–port configuration.

DPOD automatically enables ports as they are physically cabled or in the case of a

server blade when the server is powered on. The pre-existing Ports On Demand (POD)

functionality was static, that is, a preset group of ports were individually enabled

with POD licenses. In contrast, the new Dynamic POD functionality does not require

predefined assignment of ports. With DPOD, the determining factor is the total number

of ports in use and the number of purchased dynamic por ts.

The DPOD feature:

• Automatically detects HBA connected ser ver ports or cabled por ts.

• Assigns a POD license to each of these ports.

This dynamic allocation of POD licenses is controlled with the licensePort command

(see below). When the D POD mechanism detects a server blade in an online state, it

automatically assigns a POD license to the blade.

The Dynamic POD mechanism detects which ports have active links and make license

assignments to these ports. If the initial DPOD assignment does not exhaust the number

of por ts purchased, then new connections can be made at a later time not to exceed the

total number of purchased dynamic ports. A port is connected when the Por t Status LED

indicates an online state.

NOTE:

DPOD does not consider disabled ports as candidates for license assignments. You

can persistently disable an otherwise viable port to cause it not to come online and

pr eserve a license assignment to be used by some other port.

When DPOD is used in server blades tha t a re embedded in a blade server enclosure,

such as the Brocade 4Gb SAN Switch for HP c-Class BladeSystem, a port can be

detected and assigned a POD license only if the server blade is installed with an HBA

present. A server blade that does not have a functioning HBA will not be treated as an

active link for the purpose of initial POD por t assignment.

Fabric OS 5.0.5c