C H A P T E R
S e n d d o c u m e n t a t i o n c o m m e n t s t o m d s f e e d b a c k - d o c @ c i s c o . c o m
38-1
Cisco MDS 9000 Family CLI Configuration Guide
OL-16184-01, Cisco MDS SAN-OS Release 3.x
38
Configuring Fabric Binding
This chapter describes the fabric binding feature provided in the Cisco MDS 9000 Family of directors
and switches. It includes the following sections:
•
About Fabric Binding, page 38-1
•
Fabric Binding Configuration, page 38-3
•
Default Settings, page 38-9
About Fabric Binding
The fabric binding feature ensures ISLs are only enabled between specified switches in the fabric
binding configuration. Fabric binding is configured on a per-VSAN basis.
This feature helps prevent unauthorized switches from joining the fabric or disrupting current fabric
operations. It uses the Exchange Fabric Membership Data (EFMD) protocol to ensure that the list of
authorized switches is identical in all switches in the fabric.
This section has the following topics:
•
Licensing Requirements, page 38-1
•
Port Security Versus Fabric Binding, page 38-1
•
Fabric Binding Enforcement, page 38-2
Licensing Requirements
Fabric binding requires that you install either the MAINFRAME_PKG license or the
ENTERPRISE_PKG license on your switch.
See
Chapter 3, “Obtaining and Installing Licenses,”
for more information on license feature support and
installation.
Port Security Versus Fabric Binding
Port security and fabric binding are two independent features that can be configured to complement each
other.
Table 38-1
compares the two features.
