Transparent router – HP 8.20q Fibre Channel Switch User Manual
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8/20q Fibre Channel Switch QuickTools switch management user guide
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Transparent Router
IMPORTANT:
The Simple SAN Connection Manager (SSCM) application version 2.10 can manage
8/20q Fibre Channel Switches with active TR_Ports; however, SSCM cannot manage or discover remote
switches or devices in the remote fabric. Use QuickTools and the storage management interface to present
Logical Unit Numbers (LUNs) to remote devices. SSCM displays the remote fabric as a grayed-out switch,
but no management can be performed. SSCM version 2.0 and earlier versions do not support the
management of fabrics that include 8/20q Fibre Channel Switches with active TR_Ports and may disrupt
communication between the 8/20q Fibre Channel Switch and the remote fabric. If you intend to manage
the SAN using SSCM, be sure to use SSCM version 2.10 or later.
The Transparent Router (TR) feature on the HP Storageworks 8/20q Fibre Channel Switch provides
inter-fabric routing to allow controlled and limited access between devices on a 8/20q Fibre Channel
Switch (local) fabric and devices on a remote fabric of other vendor switches.
The local fabric may consist of one or multiple HP Storageworks 8/20q Fibre Channel Switches connected
by their Inter-Switch Links (ISLs). A specific device attached to an 8/20q Fibre Channel Switch can be
mapped with one or more devices in one remote fabric over only one TR_Port on that 8/20q Fibre
Channel Switch. If a device attached to an 8/20q Fibre Channel Switch is mapped with multiple devices
in the same remote fabric, the same TR_Port must be used.
A device attached to a remote fabric can be mapped with multiple devices in multiple local fabrics. If a
device in a remote fabric is mapped with multiple devices in the local fabric attached to a given 8/20q
Fibre Channel Switch, the same TR_Port on the 8/20q Fibre Channel Switch must be used for all mappings
involving that remote device. However, the same remote device can be mapped with other local devices
attached to a different 8/20q Fibre Channel Switch in the same local fabric over a TR port from that
switch. A remote device can be mapped through more than one TR port, as long as each of those TR ports
is on a different HP StorageWorks 8/20q Fibre Channel Switch.
Furthermore, you cannot map a local device to a remote device over an E_Port to another local switch and
then over a TR_Port to the remote switch. The transparent route cannot include an E_Port on the local fabric.
Local devices will not discover remote devices until the corresponding inter-fabric zones are activated on
both the local and remote fabrics. To remove a mapping, in addition to removing the local inter-fabric
zone, you must also remove the corresponding remote inter-fabric zone.
NOTE:
When a local device is mapped over a TR_Port to a remote device, the local device and its
TR_Port appear as an NPIV connected device in the remote fabric. It is possible, though not recommended,
to map such a local device over a second TR_Port to a local device in a second local fabric. In this case, if
you merge the two local fabrics, the transparent route becomes inactive for the devices that now have a
path over an ISL, and an alarm is generated.
For details of switches supported in a remote fabric, see release notes for the 8/20q Fibre Channel Switch,
and the HP StorageWorks SAN Design reference guide located at the HP website:
A user (“admin” rights required) can configure TR mappings to
connect devices on the local 8/20q Fibre Channel Switch fabric with devices on remote fabrics.
The transparent route between these devices is accomplished by connecting a remote switch to a TR_port
on the 8/20q Fibre Channel Switch, mapping the devices together, and then creating and activating the
IFZ (inter-fabric zones) in both fabrics. Each fabric will contain a matching IFZ. Each IFZ must contain
exactly three WWN members: the local device, the remote device, and the TR_Port attached to the remote
fabric.
A TR_Port is used as a bridge between the transparent router’s local fabric and a remote fabric. A TR_Port
uses standard NPIV login methods to attach to the remote fabric. The TR_Port logs into the remote fabric
using the world wide name of the TR_Port. The TR_Port accesses fabric services of the remote fabric, such
as Name Server and Management Server, and may receive registered state change notifications (RSCNs).