Fx Port; B Port; Auto Mode; About Interface States - Cisco AP775A - Nexus Converged Network Switch 5010 Configuration Manual

Chapter 20 Configuring Interfaces
S e n d d o c u m e n t a t i o n c o m m e n t s t o m d s f e e d b a c k - d o c @ c i s c o . c o m
ST port mode is not supported on the Cisco MDS 9124 Fabric Switch, the Cisco Fabric Switch for HP
Note
c-Class BladeSystem, and the Cisco Fabric Switch for IBM BladeCenter.

Fx Port

Interfaces configured as Fx ports can operate in either F port or FL port mode. The Fx port mode is
determined during interface initialization depending on the attached N port or NL port. This
administrative configuration disallows interfaces to operate in any other mode—for example, preventing
an interface to connect to another switch.

B Port

While E ports typically interconnect Fibre Channel switches, some SAN extender devices, such as the
Cisco PA-FC-1G Fibre Channel port adapter, implement a bridge port (B port) model to connect
geographically dispersed fabrics. This model uses B ports as described in the T11 Standard FC-BB-2.
Figure 52-1 on page 52-2
If an FCIP peer is a SAN extender device that only supports Fibre Channel B ports, you need to enable
the B port mode for the FCIP link. When a B port is enabled, the E port functionality is also enabled and
they coexist. If the B port is disabled, the E port functionality remains enabled (see
"Configuring IP

Auto Mode

Interfaces configured in auto mode can operate in one of the following modes: F port, FL port, E port,
TE port, or TF port. The port mode is determined during interface initialization. For example, if the
interface is connected to a node (host or disk), it operates in F port or FL port mode depending on the N
port or NL port mode. If the interface is attached to a third-party switch, it operates in E port mode. If
the interface is attached to another switch in the Cisco MDS 9000 Family, it may become operational in
TE port mode (see
TL ports and SD ports are not determined during initialization and are administratively configured.
Fibre Channel interfaces on Storage Services Modules (SSMs) cannot be configured in auto mode.
Note

About Interface States

The interface state depends on the administrative configuration of the interface and the dynamic state of
the physical link.

Administrative States

The administrative state refers to the administrative configuration of the interface as described in
Table
OL-17256-03, Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 4.x
depicts a typical SAN extension over an IP network.
Storage").
Chapter 24, "Configuring
20-1.
Trunking").
Cisco MDS 9000 Family Fabric Manager Configuration Guide
Fibre Channel Interfaces
Chapter 52,
20-7