Q-Logic 8100 SERIES manual QLogic CNA Npiv Solution

8–Configuring FCoE in a Linux Environment N_Port ID Virtualization

Figure 8-9. N_Port ID Virtualization

QLogic CNA NPIV Solution

To complement Linux server virtualization software solutions, QLogic has extended virtualization capabilities to the adapter hardware through NPIV. All QLogic 8100 Series Adapters support NPIV. QLogic supports creating, deleting, and managing NPIV ports through the FCoE driver sysfs interface. The sysfs virtual file system is available in all RHEL 5 installations.

With the combined QLogic and Linux solution, storage administrators can create virtual FCoE adapter ports within multiple zones, and assign them to VMs for migration without reconfiguring zoning or LUN masking. This solution creates a virtualized network that is easier to manage and maintain. In addition, support for Linux-based virtualization solutions combined with QLogic’s 8100 Series Adapter virtualization technologies, increases hardware efficiency, and enables rapid configuration and deployment of VMs.

NPIV Deployment Requirements

The following hardware and software elements are required to deploy a QLogic NPIV solution in an RHEL 5 environment:

A compatible Converged Networking Ethernet switch that supports NPIV. For information about compatible switches, refer to “System Requirements” on page 4-1.

A QLogic 8100 Series Converged Networking Adapter.

An active link (link up) between the QLogic 8100 Series Adapter and the FCoE switch.

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