Fabric OS Native mode and Access Gateway mode
12
Brocade 6542 Blade Server SAN I/O Module for Inspur Shangri-la Chassis Hardware Reference Manual
53-1003885-01
• Brocade Advanced Web Tools enables advanced administration, configuration, and maintenance of
the fabric switches.
• Brocade Advanced Zoning segments a fabric into virtual private SANs. You can create zones using
the Ease of Setup tool to set up and configure the entry-level SAN automatically.
• All the models support both Fabric OS Native mode and Brocade Access Gateway mode.
• Brocade Enhanced Group Management (EGM) enables switches, directors, and DCX backbone
platforms to be managed as a group. Group management tasks can include:
-
Replicating security settings for a group of switches.
-
Downloading firmware to a group of switches.
-
Uploading the configuration from a group of switches.
-
Managing and editing multiple PCDM configurations.
-
Scheduling periodic backup to a server database.
• Brocade Secure Fabric OS delivers protection from unauthorized access and corruption through
change control management.
Fabric OS Native mode and Access Gateway mode
The switch module can function in either Fabric OS Native mode or Brocade Access Gateway mode.
The features available on the switch module depend on the mode that has been configured. The
switch module is shipped in Fabric OS Native mode by default.
Access Gateway mode simplifies SAN deployment by using N_Port ID virtualization (NPIV)
technology. NPIV provides Fibre Channel switch functions that improve switch module scalability,
manageability, and interoperability. For more information on Access Gateway, refer to the following
references:
• For a list of switch module F_Ports mapped to N_Ports in the switch module as shipped from the
factory, refer to
Brocade 6542 Blade Server SAN I/O Module Technical Specifications
on page 53.
• Because Access Gateway relies on NPIV technology for its connection to the edge fabric, you must
prepare the edge fabric before connecting it to Access Gateway. For general information and details
on using Access Gateway, refer to the
Brocade Access Gateway Administrator’s Guide
.
NOTE
When the switch is in Access Gateway mode, it can be directly connected to a storage array if and
only if at least one other N_Port on the same switch is connected to a SAN network.
Fabric OS Native mode
The switch module supports the following features when operating in Fabric OS Native mode:
NOTE
The switch module does not support FL_Ports.
• Dynamic Ports on Demand, which allows ports to be activated as needed based on available
licenses. This also applies to Access Gateway mode.
• Frame filtering that augments the hardware zoning capabilities of the Brocade ASIC, which
implements hardware zoning at the port level of the switch module. The single switch ASIC design
eliminates blocking, guaranteeing full transmit and receive bandwidth to all Fibre Channel ports at
all times.
