HP A7533A HP StorageWorks Fabric OS 6.x administrator guide (5697-0015, May 20 - Page 417

FCIP concepts Fibre Channel over IP (FCIP) enables you to connect Fibre Channel SANs over IP-based networks. 400 Multi-protocol Router and FR4-18i blades use FCIP to encapsulate Fibre Channel frames within IP frames that can be sent over an IP network to a partner 400 Multi-protocol Router or FR4-18i blade. When the IP packets are received, the Fibre Channel frames are reconstructed. The Fibre Channel fabric and all Fibre Channel targets and initiators are unaware of the presence of the IP network. Virtual ports and FCIP tunnels Each FR4-18i and 400 Multi-protocol Router platform presents sixteen FC ports and sixteen virtual ports. Each GbE interface can support up to 8 FCIP Tunnels which are represented as 8 Virtual ports on ge0 and 8 virtual ports on ge1. The mapping of Tunnels on ge0 and ge1 to virtual port numbers are represented in Table 94. Table 94 Tunnel and virtual port numbering GbE port Tunnels Virtual ports ge0 0 16 1 17 2 18 3 19 4 20 5 21 6 22 7 23 ge1 0 24 1 25 2 26 3 27 4 28 5 29 6 30 7 31 Virtual port types Virtual ports may be defined as VE_Ports or VEX_Ports. VE_Ports VE_Ports (virtual E_Ports) are used to create interswitch links (ISLs) through an FCIP tunnel. If VE_Ports are used on both ends of an FCIP tunnel, the fabrics connected by the tunnel are merged. VEX_Port A VEX_Port enables FC-FC Routing Service functionality over an FCIP tunnel. VEX_Ports enable interfabric links (IFLs). if a VEX_Port on one end of an FCIP tunnel, the fabrics connected by the tunnel are not merged. The other end of the tunnel must be defined as a VE_Port. VEX_Ports are not used in pairs. Figure 39 illustrates a portion of a Fibre Channel network that uses FCIP ISLs (VE_Ports connected over the IP WAN network) to join the office and data center SANs into a single larger SAN. Fabric OS 6.x administrator guide 417