Configuring Mdcs; Overview; Mdc Applications - HP FlexFabric 12500 Series Configuration Manual

Configuring MDCs

Overview

The Multitenant Device Context (MDC) technology can partition a physical device or an IRF fabric into
multiple logical switches called "MDCs."
Each MDC uses its own hardware and software resources, runs independently of other MDCs, and
provides services for its own customer. Creating, starting, rebooting, or deleting an MDC does not affect
any other MDC. From the user's perspective, an MDC is a standalone device.
Each MDC is isolated from the other MDCs on the same physical device and cannot directly
communicate with them. To allow two MDCs on the same physical device to communicate, you must
physically connect a port allocated to one MDC to a port allocated to the other MDC.
Each MDC has its own operation data space, which is of the size as the operation space of the device.
For example, if the device has a 64-KB space for ARP entries, each MDC created on the device gets a
separate 64-KB space for its own ARP entries.
To manage the MDCs on the same physical device, you only need to log in to the physical device.
Using MDC together with the IRF technology, you can improve network resource utilization while
integrating network resources.
Figure 23 MDC technology
Physical device

MDC applications

The MDC technology can be widely used for such applications as device renting, service hosting, and
student labs. Instead of purchasing new devices, you can configure more MDCs on existing network
devices to expand the network.
As shown in
for the three companies, you can deploy a single physical device and configure an MDC for each
company. Then, the administrators of each company can log in to only their own MDC to maintain their
own network, without affecting any other MDC or network. The effect equals deploying a separate
gateway for each company.
Figure 24, LAN 1, LAN 2, and LAN 3 are three companies' LANs. To provide access service
Physical device
MDC 1 MDC 2
MDC 3 MDC n
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