H3C Technologies H3C S5830V2 Series Switches - Manual (Page 115)

104
Configuring NPV
Overview
NPV enables an FC SAN to accommodate more than 239 switches.
NPV switches forward traffic from nodes to the core switch.
Figure 33 shows a typical NPV network diagram.
Figure 33 NPV network diagram
NOTE:
An NPV switch must be directly connected to the core switch.
Downlink interface and downlink
A downlink interface, also known as a server interface, is an interface through which an NPV switch
connects to a node. It can be an FC interface or VFC interface, both of which must be configured to
operate in F mode.
A downlink is a link from an NPV switch to its node.
Each downlink interface is uniquely mapped to an operational uplink interface. All traffic from the node
connected to the downlink interface is forwarded to the core switch through the uplink interface.
Uplink interface and uplink
An uplink interface, also known as an external interface, is the interface through which an NPV switch
connects to the core switch. It can be an FC interface or VFC interface, both of which must be configured
to operate in NP mode.
An uplink is a link from an NPV switch to the core switch.
When the uplink becomes operational, the NPV switch sends a fabric login (FLOGI) packet to the core
switch for registration, which assigns the uplink interface (NP_Port) an FC address. Then, the NPV switch
registers itself with the name server on the core switch. The NPV switch forwards traffic (including FLOGI