Information About Flexattach Virtual Pwwn; Flexattach Virtual Pwwn; Difference Between San Device Virtualization And Flexattach Port Virtualization - Cisco MDS 9000 Series Configuration Manual

Configuring FlexAttach Virtual pWWN

Information About FlexAttach Virtual pWWN

FlexAttach Virtual pWWN

FlexAttach virtual pWWN feature facilitates server and configuration management. In a SAN environment,
the server installation or replacement, requires interaction and coordination among the SAN and server
administrators. For coordination, it is important that the SAN configuration does not change when a new
server is installed, or when an existing server is replaced. FlexAttach virtual pWWN minimizes the interaction
between the server administrator and the SAN administrator by abstracting the real pWWN using virtual
pWWNs.
When FlexAttach virtual pWWN is enabled on an interface, a virtual pWWN is assigned to the server interface.
The real pWWN is replaced by a virtual pWWN, which is used for a SAN configuration such as zoning.
Server administrators can benefit from FlexAttach in the following scenarios:
• Pre-configure—Pre-configure SAN for new servers that are not available physically yet. For example,
• Replacement to the same port—A failed server can be replaced onto the same port without changing the
• Replacement to (spare)—A spare server, which is on the same NPV device or a different NPV device)
• Server Mobility—A server can be moved to another port on the same NPV device or another NPV device
Difference Between San Device Virtualization and FlexAttach Port
Virtualization
Table describes the difference between SAN device virtualization (SDV) and FlexAttach port virtualization.
Table 31: Difference Between SDV and FlexAttach Virtualization
SAN Device Virtualization (SDV)
Facilitates target and disk management, and only
facilitates disk and data migration.
WWN NAT and Fibre Channel ID (FC-ID) are
allocated on the virtual device, both primary and
secondary.
they may be on order. FlexAttach can be enabled on the ports designated for the new servers and use the
virtual WWNs assigned for configuring SAN. The new servers are then plugged into the fabric without
any change needed in the SAN.
SAN. The new server gets a same pWWN as the failed server because the virtual pWWN is assigned to
the port.
can be brought online without changes to the SAN. This action is achieved by moving the virtual port
WWN from the current server port to the spare port.
without changing the SAN. This is accomplished by moving the virtual pWWN to the new port. No
change is needed if FlexAttach was configured using the physical port WWN of the server to the virtual
port WWN mapping.
FlexAttach Virtualization
Facilitates server management and has no restriction
on the end devices used.
WWN and Network Address Transport (NAT) is
allocated to host bus adapter (HBA).
Cisco MDS 9000 Series Interfaces Configuration Guide, Release 8.x

Information About FlexAttach Virtual pWWN

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