About the Book
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This book provides general information about multiprotocol routing for Storage Area Networks (SANs) as well as guidance and reference material specific to the Brocade SilkWorm Multiprotocol Router platform and software. It can therefore be considered a reference work on the subject as a whole as well as being useful for customers deploying Brocade products.

The subjects covered for each router protocol and service include theory of operations, usage cases, and advice on designing, implementing, and managing routed SANs. All of the capabilities of the Brocade router are discussed as they stand at the time of this writing, as well as the hardware platforms that the software currently runs on. Planned near-future capabilities are discussed where they are expected to be available at or near the publication date of this book.

The material in each chapter is intended to be useful both for tutorial and reference. However, the four sections into which the book is divided each have a different focus.

The first section focuses on the theory behind each platform and service: why it is needed and how the Brocade implementation works at a high level. These chapters are for readers who want an overview of the routing services and the platforms that they run on.

The second section discusses practical usage cases. It provides high-level SAN designs that show how the router can solve real-world business problems. It gives the business case for why multiprotocol SAN routers are needed, and how the Brocade product addresses real business needs.

The third section gives more specific deployment guidance, discussing design, installation, configuration, troubleshooting, and management. Most of this material is likely to apply to current and future router implementations.

The last section contains reference material. First, it has a basic reference covering things like media types and cabling. Next, it has an advanced chapter that goes into more detail on the routing services. Finally, it has a glossary and index.

Table of Contents
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SECTION ONE..........................1
1: STORAGE NETWORK EVOLUTION..........3
2: ROUTER HARDWARE PLATFORMS..........9
Licensing Model.....................9
SilkWorm AP7420....................10
The SilkWorm 24000 Director........15
Software Layering..................18
Other Multiprotocol Platforms......19
3: FC-FC ROUTING SERVICE ............25
FCR and LSANs......................25
Meta SANs..........................27
EX_Ports, FC-NAT, and IFLs.........28
Exporting Devices with LSANs.......29
Installation and Management .......32
Backbone Fabrics...................39
Redundant Deployments..............42
Phantom Topologies & Proxy Devices.42
Scalability........................45
Fabric Multi-Pathing...............46
Detailed Walkthroughs..............47
FC-FC Routing Service Summary......54
4: ISCSI GATEWAY SERVICE.............55
SCSI over TCP/IP...................55
iSCSI Killer App...................56
Connecting iSCSI to Fibre Channel..58
Stranded Servers...................60
IP SAN Subnet Configuration........61
iSCSI vs. FC SAN Models............62
iSCSI vs. Network Filesystems......70
Internet Storage Name Server.......71
Sessions Limits....................74
iSCSI Naming.......................75
Fibre Channel Identifiers..........79
Zoning and SNS Integration.........80
iSCSI CHAP Authentication..........82
IP Fabric Configuration Server.....84
Redundant Configurations...........85
Detailed Walkthrough...............86
iSCSI Gateway Summary..............88
5: FCIP TUNNELING SERVICE............89
E_Port Over TCP/IP.................89
FCIP Applications..................91
FCR Integration....................92
Multipoint FCIP Networks...........94
Redundant Configurations...........97
Ongoing Management.................99
WWN VE_Port Authentication........100
Integrated vs. 3rd-Party Gateways.100
FCIP vs. SONET/SDH, ATM, and xWDM.101
FCIP vs. iFCP.....................102
Detailed Walkthrough..............103
FCIP Tunneling Summary............107
6: TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW FAQ..........109
Multiprotocol Router Platform FAQ.109
FC-FC Routing Service FAQ.........112
iSCSI Gateway Service FAQ.........116
FCIP Tunneling Service FAQ........122
SECTION TWO........................125
7: FC ROUTER USAGE..................127
Business Drivers..................127
Large Scale SANs..................128
SAN Island Consolidation..........130
Centralized Disaster Recovery.....134
Disk and Tape Consolidation.......135
Large Buildings and CANs..........137
Extended Distance Fabrics.........140
Inter-Island Security.............142
Data and Server Migration.........144
8: ISCSI GATEWAY USAGE..............149
Business Drivers..................149
Low-End Storage Consolidation.....150
Low-End Distance Extension........151
Low-End Disaster Recovery.........153
Low-End Cluster Server............155
9: FCIP TUNNEL USAGE................157
Business Drivers..................157
Disaster Recovery.................157
Site Consolidation................159
CAN/MAN Resource Utilization......161
10: COMBINED SERVICES USAGE.........165
Business Drivers..................165
Combined iSCSI/FCIP Solution......166
Combined FCIP/FCR Solution........167
Combined iSCSI/FCR Solution.......169
Combined iSCSI/FCR/FCIP Solution..171
Future Directions.................173
11: MULTI-VENDOR USAGE..............179
Tape Consolidation................180
Island Consolidation..............180
xWDM and FCR......................182
CAN Resource Sharing..............184
Low Impact Vendor Migration.......185
12: USAGE CASES FAQ.................189
FC-FC Router Usage FAQ............189
iSCSI Gateway Usage FAQ...........191
FCIP Tunnel Usage FAQ.............192
SECTION THREE......................195
13: META SAN DESIGN ................197
Basic Networking Models...........197
Core/Edge Networking Extended.....203
Meta SAN Locality.................211
Redundant Meta SAN Designs........219
IP Network Redundancy.............225
Rightsizing Fabrics and Subnets...236
14: GUIDELINES, TIPS, & CAVEATS.....239
FC-FC Routing Service Tips........239
iSCSI Gateway Service Tips........250
FCIP Tunneling Service Tips.......254
Security Notes....................263
Rollout and Change Control........264
Installation Procedures...........267
Meta SAN Documentation............272
Troubleshooting Tips..............274
15: DEPLOYMENT GUIDE FAQ............287
Design FAQ........................287
Installation FAQ..................289
Troubleshooting FAQ...............290
SECTION FOUR.......................295
APPENDIX A: BASIC REFERENCE ........297
Cables and Media..................297
Ethernet and IP Network Equipment.305
APPENDIX B: ADVANCED REF............313
Routing Protocols.................313
FC-FC Router Details..............322
FC Protocols and Standards........338
IP/Ethernet Protocols & Standards.339
iSCSI Protocols and Standards.....341
FCIP Protocols and Standards......342
GLOSSARY............................345
INDEX...............................365