HP StorageWorks 4000/6000/8000 .HP StorageWorks SAN Design Reference Guide, Pa - Page 191

AG mode considerations AG mode considerations follow: • Ability to connect B-, C-, and M-series fabrics without interoperability constraints (see the release notes for support information) • Flexible licensing option (12 or 24 ports, with a 12-port upgrade option on the 12-port model) • Ability to use in either switch mode or AG mode (cannot function in both modes simultaneously, software selectable) • Share Fabric OS with B-series switches • Port failover between N_Ports (uplinks) • Reduces the number of cables and SFPs compared to a Pass-thru solution • No SAN management from the BladeSystem enclosure once the initial connections have been configured • No direct storage attachment (requires at least one external Fibre Channel switch) • Lacks Fibre Channel embedded switch features (ISL Trunking, dynamic path selection, and extended distances) with external links from AG to core switches • Managed separately from the BladeSystem, but if used with B-series switches, uses common Fabric OS • Cannot move servers without impacting the SAN (Virtual Connect feature not available) AG mode connectivity guidelines AG-based solutions are best suited for B-series-only fabrics where you want multivendor switch interoperability through N_Ports instead of E_Ports. Figure 50 shows an AG with dual redundant fabrics. Server Bay 16 Server Bay 15 Server Bay 14 Server Bay 13 Server Bay 12 Server Bay 11 Server Bay 10 Server Bay 9 Server Bay 8 Server Bay 7 Server Bay 6 Server Bay 5 Server Bay 4 Server Bay 3 Server Bay 2 Server Bay 1 Blade enclosure with 16 servers Access Gateway Acce-ss Gateway N_Ports (NPIV) (uplinks) Blade enclosure/ Server management SAN/ Storage management FC Fabric (B-, C-, or M-series) (with NPIV F_Port support) FC Fabric (B-, C-, or M-series) (with NPIV F_Port support) Figure 50 Access Gateway with dual redundant fabrics . 25317b NOTE: The N_Ports in Figure 50 are not host N_Ports and cannot be connected directly to storage. Configuration highlights for Figure 50 include: SAN Design Reference Guide 191