HP StorageWorks 4000/6000/8000 - Enterprise Virtual Arrays - Cisco MDS 9124 E Fabric Switch for HP C-Class Bladesystem in NPV Mode; Failover Policy; NPV Mode Considerations

25345a
Blade enclosure
with 16 servers
Server Bay 16, fc1/21
Server Bay 15, fc1/7
Server Bay 14, fc1/6
Server Bay 13, fc1/3
Server Bay 12, fc1/13
Server Bay 11, fc1/12
Server Bay 10, fc1/17
Server Bay 9, fc1/19
Server Bay 8, fc1/22
Server Bay 7, fc1/8
Server Bay 6, fc1/2
Server Bay 5, fc1/4
Server Bay 4, fc1/9
Server Bay 3, fc1/11
Server Bay 2, fc1/15
Server Bay 1, fc1/16
N_Port (host)
NPV Core Switch
FLOGI/FDISC on all
available NP links is
load balanced using
round-robin.
c-Class BladeSystem
N_Port Virtualization
(NPV)
F_Port (virtual)
Server HBA ports, N_Ports
F_Port (NPIV)
F_Port (NPIV)
F_Port (NPIV)
F_Port (NPIV)
F_Port (NPIV)
F_Port (NPIV)
F_Port (NPIV)
F_Port (NPIV)
NP_Port
NP_Port
ext2, fc1/14
NP_Port
ext3, fc1/18
NP_Port
ext4, fc1/20
NP_Port
ext5, fc1/24
NP_Port
ext6, fc1/23
NP_Port
ext7, fc1/5
NP_Port
ext8, fc1/1
ext1, fc1/10
c-Class BladeSystem N_Port Virtualization
If there are multiple
uplinks, then the
server logins are
distributed equally
among them.
Figure 51 Cisco MDS 9124e Fabric Switch for HP c-Class BladeSystem in NPV mode
.
NOTE:
The NP_Ports in Figure 51 are on the NPV devices, not the hosts.
Failover policy
The failover policy enables automatic remapping of hosts if NP_Ports go offline. It evenly distributes
the hosts among the available NP_Ports. This policy ensures a smooth transition with minimal traffic
disruption when a link fails between an NP_Port on the NPV devices and an F_Port on the external
fabric. To avoid disruption when an NP_Port goes online, the logins are not redistributed.
NPV mode considerations
Consider the following:
• Nondisruptive upgrades are supported.
• Grouping devices into different VSANs is supported.
• A load-balancing algorithm automatically assigns end devices in a VSAN to one of the NPV core
switch links (in the same VSAN) at initial login.
• You can connect B-, C-, and M-series fabrics without interoperability constraints (see the release
notes for support information).
• A flexible licensing option is available (12 or 24 ports, with a 12-port upgrade option on the 12-
port model).
• You can select to use either switch mode or NPV mode.
SAN Design Reference Guide 193