Installation guide

Chapter 29.
251
N_Port ID Virtualization (NPIV)
N_Port ID Virtualization (NPIV) is a function available with some Fibre Channel devices. NPIV shares
a single physical N_Port as multiple N_Port IDs. NPIV provides similar functionality for Host Bus
Adaptors (HBAs) that SR-IOV provides for network interfaces. With NPIV, virtualized guests can be
provided with a virtual Fibre Channel initiator to Storage Area Networks (SANs).
N_Ports are addressed with a 24 bit N_Port ID, which is assigned by the Fibre Channel switch.
Why use NPIV
• Without NPIV virtualized guests must share an HBA's WWN on the SAN. With NPIV, it is possible to
use LUN masking and zoning for virtualized guest.
• With NPIV migration with zones and LUN masking is possible.
• Physical HBAs are expensive and use an expansion slot. With NPIV, more guests can access SAN
resources and guest density can be increased.
Each N_Port has a unique identity (port WWN and node WWN) on the SAN and can be used for
zoning and LUN masking. Soft zoning, which you can use to group ports together by port WWN, is the
preferred method of zoning.
29.1. Enabling NPIV on the switch
Enabling the NPIV on a Fibre Channel port on a switch
admin> portcfgshow 0
......
NPIV capability ON
......
Usage
portCfgNPIVPort <PortNumber> <Mode>
Mode Meaning
0 Disable the NPIV capability on the port
1 Enable the NPIV capability on the port
Example:
admin> portCfgNPIVPort 0 1
29.1.1. Identifying HBAs in a Host System
To determine the types of HBAs in the system, enter the following command:
# ls /proc/scsi
QLogic HBAs are listed as qla2xxx. Emulex HBAs are listed as lpfc.
QLogic Example
# ls /proc/scsi/qla2xxx
Emulex Example
# ls /proc/scsi/lpfc