Nexus 55xx used SOLELY as an FC switch? - ROBERT BURNS!! ANYONE??:-)

[visitor68]

Can the Nexus 55xx with Unified Ports be deployed as strictly an FC switch WITHOUT FCoE? For example, take an HBA and connect it directly to a UP port configured as an FC port and use the switch as such - no FCoE.

[Robert Burns]

Yes.


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[visitor68]

Thanks, Robert....sorry to bug you, but you seem to be very active on this board and very knowledgeable.

Curious, though, why the "feature fcoe" command has to be entered for the FC ports to be enabled. This is what is says in the Nexus 5500 config guide. Makes one think that for FC services to be enabled, it has to be in conjuntion with FCoE....may sound silly, since I consider an FCF to basically be an FC switch with Ethernet ports on it - sort of.

[dfilenko]

According to NXOS 5.1 guide,

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/switches/datacenter/nexus5000/sw/san_switching/513_n1_1/b_Cisco_n5k_nxos_sanswitching_config_guide_rel513_n1_1_chapter_011.html#con_1614804

Only Storage protocol services license is required.

Licensing Requirements for Fibre Channel

On                 Cisco Nexus 5000 Series switches, Fibre Channel capability is included in the Storage Protocol Services license.

Ensure that you have the correct license installed (N5010SS or N5020SS) before using Fibre Channel interfaces and capabilities.

[visitor68]

Curious, though, why the "feature fcoe" command has to be entered for  the FC ports to be enabled. This is what is says in the Nexus 5500  config guide. Makes one think that for FC services to be enabled, it has  to be in conjuntion with FCoE....

Also, have you ever seen anyone deploy a Nexus switch like this? I havent seen one deployment scenario from Cisco that leverages the nexus solely as an FC switch

[Robert Burns]

Which exact  guide & section are you pulling this info from?

Robert

[Marcel Zehnder]

If you just use native FC, you should have a look at the MDS 9124/MDS9148 - They are cheaper than the N5k.

Regards

[Robert Burns]

I did confirm you do have to enable FCoE even if you just want the FC features.  It is what it is.  They're all part of the Storage Protocol Service license. 

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/switches/datacenter/sw/nx-os/licensing/guide/b_Cisco_NX-OS_Licensing_Guide_chapter_01.html

The N5K is more like the 9100 MDS in regards they have almost identical features.  I agree with Marcel, that if you just want a pure FC switch, the 9100 is your switch, but sounds like you're re-purposing a spare N5K as your FC switch in this case.  If you require advanced FC services such as IVR, then you;ll need the higher 9200 series directors.  

Regards,

Robert

[visitor68]

Thanks, Robert....

I am not looking to deploy the nexus 5k this way, my client is. He wants to do something along the lines of using a nexus 5548 to support 24 servers, each with 1 ethernet and 1 fc connection....so, the switch will be dual purpose...

I asked whether the nexus55xx can be deployed in such a manner because I had never seen a deployment scenario as such ever depicted anywhere....so the purpose is not to use it solely as an FC switch (my mistake), but as dual Ethernet and FC switch....still can do that, right?

[Robert Burns]

Correct the N5K can support pure Eth and pure FC connections - but hopefully you're referring to the hosts using a CNA (Converged Network Adaptor) which is a single host adaptor that provides 10G Ethernet plus 8G FC functionality.  This is the direction server consolidated IO is morving towards rather than each host being equipped with a dedicated ethernet NIC and dedicated FC HBA.  One adapter with redudant ports gives you better IO consolidation, uses less power, generates less heat and less devices to manage.

Regards,

Robert

[visitor68]

Robert, I agree - but these knuckleheads are talking about separate ethernet and fc cards with connections terminating on the same ToR switch....its as if theyre trying to save the cost of a separate fc switch at the expense of connecting more server ethernet ports....dont know what theyre thinking, and dont care anymore lol