HP 4400 HP StorageWorks Fabric OS 6.4.1 Release Notes (5697-0760, November 201 - Page 37
Implementation, 8Gb link initialization and fill words, Overview
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control mode that uses IDLE primitives does not support frame-based trunking for devices such as Time Division Multiplexor (TDM). To overcome this limitation and provide support for frame-based trunking with Extended Fabrics, Fabric OS 6.2.x and later has been enhanced to support interoperability with these distance extension devices. Fabric OS 6.3.0 and later allows Extended Fabrics E_Ports to operate in VC_RDY mode using either ARB or IDLE primitives as fill words. This allows frame-based trunking to be supported on Extended Fabrics E_Ports even when IDLE primitives are configured for these ports when operating in native VC_RDY mode. Prior to this change, frame-based trunking was supported only when ARB primitives were used in VC_RDY mode. With Fabric OS 6.2.x, frame-based trunking is supported on Extended Fabrics E_Ports even if IDLE or ARB primitives are used when operating in native VC_RDY mode. Implementation The portcfglongdistance CLI parameter VC Translation Link Init is now overloaded to specify whether the long-distance link should use IDLE or ARB primitives. By default vc_init is enabled. When vc_init is enabled, the long-distance link uses ARB primitives. When vc_init is disabled, the link uses IDLE primitives. The buffer-to-buffer credit recovery feature is not supported on Extended Fabrics E_Port when it is configured to use IDLE primitives. You must disable the buffer-to-buffer credit recovery feature using the portcfgcreditrecovery command and specifying the disable option; otherwise, the link continuously resets. The Adaptive Networking SID/DID Traffic Prioritization QoS feature is not supported on Extended Fabrics E_Ports when IDLE primitives are configured on these ports. In this mode, only data virtual channels are available when QoS-related virtual channels are not available. When connecting to an extension device that does not support ARB primitives (such as some TDM products), the following configuration must be used: • portcfgqos -disable • portcfgcreditrecovery -disable • portcfglongdistance 0 The fabric parameter fabric.ops.mode.longdistance is now deprecated and should not be used. 8Gb link initialization and fill words Overview The Fibre Channel Physical Interfaces (FC-PI) standard defines the requirements for a physical layer. It considers all aspects of transmit, receive, and cable-plant performance requirements for optical and electrical links. The FC-PI standard has been modified to support new physical-layer variants that operate at higher data rates than those specified in FC-PI-2. The standard enables interoperability of transmitter devices, receiver devices, interconnects, and components from different manufacturers. New variants include support for a data rate of 800 MB/s. The previous implementation by Brocade was to use Idles for link initialization and as fill words, which works for 1Gb, 2Gb, 4Gb, and most 8Gb devices. However, some of the new 8Gb devices may require that the ARB(FF)/ARB(FF) sequence have successful link initialization. Brocade has developed an implementation of ARB(FF)/ARB(FF) for initialization and fill words. The portcfgfillword command, first introduced in Fabric OS 6.1.2, configures the ARB(FF)/ARB(FF) implementation. See the Fabric OS Command Reference Manual supporting Fabric OS v6.4 for details on the portcfgfillword command. HP StorageWorks Fabric OS 6.4.1 Release Notes 37