Dell Brocade G620 Brocade 8.0.1 Fabric OS Administratiors Guide - Page 474

EX_Port trunking, Masterless EX_Port trunking

Page 474 highlights

Managing Trunking Connections The distance supported depends on the available buffers, the number of back-end ports, and the number of ports that are offline. For more information on setting port speeds, refer to Performing Advanced Configuration Tasks on page 69. EX_Port trunking You can configure EX_Ports to use trunking just as you do regular E_Ports. EX_Port trunking support is designed to provide the best utilization and balance of frames transmitted on each link between the FC router and the edge fabric. You should trunk all ports connected to the same edge fabrics. The FC router front domain has a higher node WWN, derived from the FC router, than that of the edge fabric. Therefore, the FC router front domain initiates the trunking protocol on the EX_Port. After initiation, the first port from the trunk group that comes online is designated as the master port. The other ports that come online on the trunk group are considered to be the slave ports. Adding or removing a slave port does not cause frame drop. However, removing a slave port causes the loss of frames in transit. If router port cost is used with EX_Port trunking, the master port and slave ports share the router port cost of the master port. The restrictions for EX_Port frame trunking are the same as for E_Ports. All the ports must be adjacent to each other, in the clearly marked groups on the front of the switch. ATTENTION EX_Port trunking should be enabled only if the entire configuration is running Fabric OS v5.2.0 or later. Refer to Using FC-FC Routing to Connect Fabrics on page 489 for more information about EX_Ports and the FC router. Masterless EX_Port trunking EX_Port trunking is masterless except for EX_Ports on Brocade DCX and DCX 8510 Backbones. For the Backbones, Virtual Fabrics must be enabled for masterless EX_Port trunking to take effect. For the fixed-port switches, Virtual Fabrics can be enabled or disabled. If masterless EX_Port trunking is not in effect and the master port goes offline, the entire EX_Port-based trunk re-forms and is taken offline for a short period of time. If there are no other links to the edge fabric from the Backbone, the master port going offline may cause a traffic disruption in the backbone fabric. Supported configurations and platforms for EX_Port trunking EX_Port trunking is a Fiber Channel Routing (FCR) software feature and requires that you have a Trunking license installed on the FC router and on the edge fabric connected to the other side of the trunked EX_Ports. The Trunking license is not required for EX_Ports on an ICL. EX_Port trunking is supported only with Brocade edge fabrics. You can use EX_Port frame trunking in the following configurations and cases: ∙ For ports with speeds of 2 Gbps up to maximum speed and trunking over long distance. ∙ In the edge fabric, when the FC router is connected to a switch that supports eight ports from the trunkable group. ∙ When the FC router is connected to an edge fabric through a mix of trunked and nontrunked EX_Ports; all will share the same front domain. ∙ In edge-to-edge, backbone-to-edge, and dual-backbone configurations. Brocade Fabric OS Administration Guide, 8.0.1 474 53-1004111-02

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The distance supported depends on the available buffers, the number of back-end ports, and the number of ports that are offline. For
more information on setting port speeds, refer to
Performing Advanced Configuration Tasks
on page 69.
EX_Port trunking
You can configure EX_Ports to use trunking just as you do regular E_Ports. EX_Port trunking support is designed to provide the best
utilization and balance of frames transmitted on each link between the FC router and the edge fabric. You should trunk all ports
connected to the same edge fabrics.
The FC router front domain has a higher node WWN, derived from the FC router, than that of the edge fabric. Therefore, the FC router
front domain initiates the trunking protocol on the EX_Port.
After initiation, the first port from the trunk group that comes online is designated as the master port. The other ports that come online on
the trunk group are considered to be the slave ports. Adding or removing a slave port does not cause frame drop. However, removing a
slave port causes the loss of frames in transit.
If router port cost is used with EX_Port trunking, the master port and slave ports share the router port cost of the master port.
The restrictions for EX_Port frame trunking are the same as for E_Ports. All the ports must be adjacent to each other, in the clearly
marked groups on the front of the switch.
ATTENTION
EX_Port trunking should be enabled only if the entire configuration is running Fabric OS v5.2.0 or later.
Refer to
Using FC-FC Routing to Connect Fabrics
on page 489 for more information about EX_Ports and the FC router.
Masterless EX_Port trunking
EX_Port trunking is masterless except for EX_Ports on Brocade DCX and DCX 8510 Backbones.
For the Backbones, Virtual Fabrics must be enabled for masterless EX_Port trunking to take effect. For the fixed-port switches, Virtual
Fabrics can be enabled or disabled.
If masterless EX_Port trunking is not in effect and the master port goes offline, the entire EX_Port-based trunk re-forms and is taken
offline for a short period of time. If there are no other links to the edge fabric from the Backbone, the master port going offline may
cause a traffic disruption in the backbone fabric.
Supported configurations and platforms for EX_Port trunking
EX_Port trunking is a Fiber Channel Routing (FCR) software feature and requires that you have a Trunking license installed on the FC
router and on the edge fabric connected to the other side of the trunked EX_Ports. The Trunking license is not required for EX_Ports on
an ICL.
EX_Port trunking is supported only with Brocade edge fabrics.
You can use EX_Port frame trunking in the following configurations and cases:
For ports with speeds of 2 Gbps up to maximum speed and trunking over long distance.
In the edge fabric, when the FC router is connected to a switch that supports eight ports from the trunkable group.
When the FC router is connected to an edge fabric through a mix of trunked and nontrunked EX_Ports; all will share the same
front domain.
In edge-to-edge, backbone-to-edge, and dual-backbone configurations.
Managing Trunking Connections
Brocade Fabric OS Administration Guide, 8.0.1
474
53-1004111-02