Cisco Mds 9000 N-Port Virtualization (Npv) Mode; Cisco Mds 9000 Flexattach - HP Cisco MDS 8/12c Release Note

CISCO MDS 9000 N-PORT VIRTUALIZATION (NPV)
MODE
N-Port Virtualization (NPV) Mode is a software feature that can be optionally enabled on the C-
series MDS 9124, MDS 9134, MDS 9124e, and SN6000C Fabric Switches. Switches operating
in NPV mode do not join a fabric; rather, they pass traffic between NPV core switch links and
end devices.
NPV technology addresses the increase in the number of domain IDs needed to deploy a large
number of ports by making the MDS 9124, MDS 9134, MDS 9124e, and the SN6000C behave as
a host to the core FC switch. NPV aggregates multiple locally connected N-ports into one or
more external NP link(s), which share the domain ID of the NPV core switch. NPV also allows
multiple devices to attach to the same port on the NPV core switch, thereby reducing the need for
more ports on the core switch. NPV makes use of N-port ID virtualization (NPIV) to receive
multiple FCIDs allocated from the core switch on the NP port. Refer to the Cisco MDS 9000
Family Configuration Guide for instructions on how to configure NPV.
In addition to being supported in Cisco fabrics, NPV is supported for connectivity to B-Series and
M-Series fabrics. Refer to the hp Fabric Interoperability: Merging Fabrics Based on C-series
and B-Series Fibre Channel Switches and hp Fabric Interoperability: Merging Fabric Based on
C-series and M-Series Fibre Channel Switches for specific supported B-Series and M-Series
software versions.

CISCO MDS 9000 FLEXATTACH

FlexAttach is supported on the Cisco MDS 9124e Fabric Switch for HP c-Class BladeSystem, the
Cisco MDS 9124 switch, the Cisco MDS 9134 switch, and the SN6000C switch, when NPV
mode is enabled. The FlexAttach feature reduces the time and coordination effort required by
SAN and server administrators when installing and replacing servers. The use of FlexAttach
alleviates the need for re-zoning and LUN reconfiguration changes when a new server is installed
or when an existing server needs replacement. For information on FlexAttach, refer to the
Configuring FlexAttach Virtual pWWN chapter in the Cisco MDS 9000 Family Configuration
Guide.
With FlexAttach, you can perform the following tasks:

Preconfiguration – You can preconfigure the SAN for the addition of new servers whose
WWPNs are unknown, using the virtual WWPNs. Once the servers are available, you
can bring them online and into the fabric.

Replacement (new server) – You can replace an existing server with a new server.
FlexAttach assigns a virtual WWPN to the server port.

Replacement (spare server) – You can bring a spare server online by moving the virtual
WWPN from the current server port to the spare server port.

Server redeployment – You can move a server to a different NPV switch (in the same
fabric or VSAN). FlexAttach allows you to manually create and transfer virtual
WWPNs from one server port to another server port.
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Note: 3 party software management applications may not detect virtual pWWNs
19 MDS 9000 Series Multilayer Director & Multilayer Fabric Switches Release Notes