User manual

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McDATA Sphereon™ 4500 Fabric Switch Product Manager User Manual
Optional Features
Enterprise Fabric Mode
Enterprise Fabric Mode is an option available on the Fabrics menu in
the EFC Manager application if the SANtegrity Binding feature key is
installed. This option automatically enables the following features
and operating parameters that are necessary in multiswitch
Enterprise Fabric environments. Note that there are specific
requirements for disabling these parameters and features when the
director or switch is offline or online.
Features and Parameters Enabled
Fabric Binding This is a SANtegrity Binding feature enabled through the Fabrics
menu in the EFC Manager that allows or prohibits switches and
directors from merging with a selected fabric. Refer to Enable/Disable
and Online State Functions on page 6-3 for details on
enabling/disabling Fabric Binding with Enterprise Fabric Mode
enabled.
Switch Binding This is a SANtegrity Binding feature enabled through the Configure
menu in the Product Manager that allows or prohibits switches
and/or directors from connecting to switch E_Ports, devices from
connecting to F_Ports. Refer to Enable/Disable and Online State
Functions on page 6-8 for details on enabling/disabling Switch
Binding with Enterprise Fabric Mode enabled.
Rerouting Delay Rerouting delay is a parameter in the Configure Switch Parameters
dialog box, available from Configure menu in the Product Manager
application.
Rerouting Delay ensures that frames are delivered through the fabric
in order to their destination. If there is a change to the fabric topology
that creates a new path (for example, a new switch is added to the
fabric), frames may be routed over this new path if its hop count is
less than a previous path with a minimum hop count. This may result
in frames being delivered to a destination out of order since frames
sent over the new, shorter path may arrive ahead of older frames still
in route over the older path. If Rerouting Delay is enabled, traffic
ceases in the fabric for the time specified in the E_D_TOV field of the
Configure Fabric Parameters dialog box (Configure menu). This
delay enables frames sent on the old path to exit to their destination
before new frames begin traversing the new path.