Fcip Link; Fcip Profiles - Cisco DS-C9216I-K9 Configuration Manual

Configuring FCIP
Figure 24-6
FC

FCIP Link

FCIP links consist of one or more TCP connections between two FCIP link end points. Each link carries
encapsulated Fibre Channel frames.
When the FCIP link comes up, the VE ports at both ends of the FCIP link create a virtual Fibre Channel
(E)ISL and initiate the E port protocol to bring up the (E)ISL.
By default, the FCIP feature on any Cisco MDS 9000 Family switch creates two TCP connections for
each FCIP link.
•
•
To enable FCIP on the IPS module, a FCIP profile and FCIP interface (interface FCIP) must be
configured.
The FCIP link is established between two peers, the VE port initialization behavior is identical to a
normal E port. This behavior is independent of the link being FCIP or pure Fibre Channel, and is based
on the E port discovery process (ELP, ESC).
Once the FCIP link is established, the VE port behavior is identical to E port behavior for all inter-switch
communication (including domain management, zones, and VSANs). At the Fibre Channel layer, all VE
and E port operations are identical.

FCIP Profiles

The FCIP profile contains information about local IP address and TCP parameters. The profile defines
the following information:
Cisco MDS 9000 Fabric Manager Switch Configuration Guide
24-8
FCIP Links and Virtual ISLs
Switch A
FC
F
F
E
FC
Switch B
VE
FC
E
F
FC
One connection is used for data frames.
The second connection is used only for Fibre Channel control frames, i.e. switch-to-switch protocol
frames (all Class F) frames. This arrangement is used to provide low latency for all control frames.
IP
FCIP link
GE
Virtual ISL
Chapter 24 Configuring IP Storage
Switch C
FC
F
GE
VE
E
FC
OL-7753-01