Configuring Fabric Configuration Servers; About Fcs - Cisco DS-C9216I-K9 Configuration Manual

Configuring Fabric Configuration Servers

This chapter describes the Fabric Configuration Server (FCS) feature provided in the Cisco MDS 9000
Family of directors and switches.
This chapter contains the following topics:
•

About FCS

The Fabric Configuration Server (FCS) provides discovery of topology attributes and maintains a
repository of configuration information of fabric elements. A management application is usually
connected to the FCS on the switch through an N port. The FCS views the entire fabric based on the
following objects:
•
•
•
Each object has its own set of attributes and their values. A null value may also be defined for some
attributes.
In the Cisco MDS 9000 Family switch environment, multiple VSANs constitute a fabric, where one
instance of the FCS is present per VSAN.
If you have attached a management application to a switch, all the frames directed towards the FCS in
the switch is a part of the port VSAN in the switch port (Fx port). Hence your view of the management
application is limited only to this VSAN. However information about other VSANs that this switch is
part of can be obtained either through SNMP or CLI.
In Figure
and Management Application 2 (M2) is connected through an F port with a port VSAN ID 2. M1 can
query FCS info of switches S1 and S3, and M2 can query switches S3 and S4. Switch S2 information is
not known to both of them. FCS operations can be done only on those switches that are visible in the
VSAN. Note that M2 can send FCS requests only for VSAN 2 even though S3 is also a part of VSAN 1.
OL-7753-01
About FCS, page 32-1
Interconnect element (IE) object—Each switch in the fabric corresponds to an IE object. One or
more IE objects form a fabric.
Port object— Each physical port in an IE corresponds to a port object. This includes the switch ports
(xE, Fx, and TL ports), and its attached Nx ports.
Platform object—A set of nodes may be defined as a platform object to make it a single manageable
entity. These nodes are end-devices (host systems, storage subsystems) attached to the fabric.
platform objects reside at the edge switches of the fabric.
32-1, Management Application 1 (M1) is connected through an F port with a port VSAN ID 1
C H A P T E R
Cisco MDS 9000 Fabric Manager Switch Configuration Guide
32
32-1