N Port Virtualization - Cisco MDS 9000 Series Configuration Manual

Interface Overview

N Port Virtualization

N Port Virtualization
Cisco NX-OS software supports industry-standard N port identifier virtualization (NPIV), which allows
multiple N port fabric logins concurrently on a single physical Fibre Channel link. HBAs that support NPIV
can help improve SAN security by enabling zoning and port security to be configured independently for each
virtual machine (OS partition) on a host. In addition to being useful for server connections, NPIV is beneficial
for connectivity between core and edge SAN switches.
N port virtualizer (NPV) is a complementary feature that reduces the number of Fibre Channel domain IDs
in core-edge SANs. Cisco MDS 9000 Series Multilayer switches operating in the NPV mode do not join a
fabric; they only pass traffic between core switch links and end devices, which eliminates the domain IDs for
these switches. NPIV is used by edge switches in the NPV mode to log in to multiple end devices that share
a link to the core switch. This feature is available only for Cisco MDS Blade Switch Series, the Cisco MDS
9124 Multilayer Fabric Switch, Cisco MDS 9134 Multilayer Fabric Switch, Cisco MDS 9148 Multilayer
Fabric Switch, Cisco MDS 9148S Multilayer Fabric Switch, and Cisco MDS 9396S Multilayer Fabric Switch.
Cisco MDS 9000 Series Interfaces Configuration Guide, Release 8.x
11