Virtual Fibre Channel Interfaces; Interface Modes - Cisco AP775A - Nexus Converged Network Switch 5010 Configuration Manual

Virtual Fibre Channel Interfaces

Virtual Fibre Channel Interfaces
Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) encapsulation allows a physical Ethernet cable to simultaneously carry
Fibre Channel and Ethernet traffic. In Cisco Nexus 5000 Series switches, an FCoE-capable physical Ethernet
interface can carry traffic for one virtual Fibre Channel interface.
Native Fibre Channel and virtual Fibre Channel interfaces are configured using the same CLI commands.
Virtual Fibre Channel interfaces support only F mode, and offer a subset of the features that are supported on
native Fibre Channel interfaces.
The following capabilities are not supported for virtual Fibre Channel interfaces:
• SAN port channels.
• VSAN trunking. The virtual Fibre Channel is associated with one VSAN.
• The SPAN destination cannot be a virtual Fibre Channel interface.
• Buffer-to-buffer credits.
• Exchange link parameters (ELP), or Fabric Shortest Path First (FSPF) protocol.
• Configuration of physical attributes (speed, rate, mode, transmitter information, MTU size).
• Port tracking.

Interface Modes

Each physical Fibre Channel interface in a switch may operate in one of several port modes: E mode, TE
mode, F mode, and SD mode (see the figure below). A physical Fibre Channel interface can be configured
as an E port, an F port, or an SD port. Interfaces may also be configured in Auto mode; the port type is
determined during interface initialization.
In NPV mode, Fibre Channel interfaces may operate in NP mode, F mode or SD mode.
Virtual Fibre Channel interfaces can only be configured in F mode.
Figure 43: Switch Port Modes
Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Switch CLI Software Configuration Guide
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Configuring Fibre Channel Interfaces
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