B-Series Fibre Channel Switch Fabric Rules - HP StorageWorks 4000/6000/8000 - Enterprise Virtual Arrays Reference Manual

Table 27 describes the rules for creating a Fibre Channel SAN with B-series Fibre Channel switches.
Table 27 B-series Fibre Channel switch fabric rules
Rule
nl
number
1 A maximum of 56 switches, 2,560 total ports, and 2,300 user ports in a single fabric with DC
SAN Backbone Director, 8/8, 8/24, 8/40, 8/80, 4/8, 4/16, 4/32B, 4/32, 4/64, or 4/256
switches using firmware 6.x (or later), or 2/16N, 2/32, 2/64, or 2/128 switches using firmware
5.3.x (or later) .
A maximum of 16 DC SAN Backbone Director or DC04 SAN Director chassis, or 6,000 virtual
or physical connections (WWNs logged into a single fabric), are supported in a fabric containing
DC SAN Backbone Directors or DC04 SAN Directors only.
A maximum of 4,096 virtual or physical connections are supported in a fabric containing other
switch models using firmware 6.1.x or later.
2 A maximum of 56 switches, 2,560 total ports, and 2,300 user ports in a single fabric with 4/8,
4/16, 4/32B, 4/32, 4/64, 4/256, 2/16N, 2/32, 2/64, or 2/128 switches using firmware
5.x (or later).
3 A maximum of 34 switches and 1,280 total ports in a single fabric with switches using firmware
2.6.x, 3.x, and 5.x.
A fabric that contains 2/8 or 2/16 2 Gb/s switches only, or 2/8 or 2/16 and 4 Gb/s
switches only, supports a maximum of 1,200 user ports. With security enabled, the fabric
supports a maximum of 728 user ports.
A fabric that contains 1 Gb/s switches using firmware 2.6.x (or later) supports a maximum
of 728 user ports. With security enabled, the fabric supports a maximum of 500 user ports.
4 HP does not support a fabric that contains switches using firmware 5.2.x (or later) and firmware
2.x. For configurations that require support for 5.2.x (or later) and 2.x switches, use the Fibre
Channel routing feature of the B-series 400 Multi-protocol Router, Multi-protocol Router Blade,
or Multi-protocol Router to ensure interoperability between 5.2.x (or later) and 2.x switch fabrics.
For fabrics that contain 2.x switches and 5.x switches without the need for 5.2.x features, use
firmware 5.1.x.
5 HP StorageWorks 4/256 SAN Director—Maximum of 20 chassis per fabric with all 16-port
Fibre Channel blades, maximum of 10 chassis with all 32-port Fibre Channel blades. For all
configurations the maximum total port count must not exceed 2,560. Each chassis adds one
switch to the fabric switch count if it is configured as one domain. This switch does not support
port-based routing. See "Routing Traffic" in the HP StorageWorks Fabric OS 5.x administrator
guide.
6 HP StorageWorks 2/128 SAN Director—Maximum of 20 chassis per fabric. Each chassis adds
one switch to the fabric switch count if it is configured as one domain.
7 HP StorageWorks Core Switch 2/64—Maximum of 20 chassis per fabric. Each chassis contains
two logical switches, adding two switches to the fabric switch count.
B-series switches and routers with Continuous Access products—For Continuous Access EVA,
use port-based routing (aptpolicy = 1) (see
port-based routing and exchange-based routing (aptpolicy = 3) are supported (see
8
176 on page 349).
Routing policy—HP recommends the same routing policy be used in all switches within a fabric.
108 B-series switches and fabric rules
Description
Table 151 on page 316). For XP Continuous Access,
Table