Brocade Communications Systems 53-1001761-01 User Manual

®

DRAFT: BROCADE CONFIDENTIAL

53-1001761-01
30 March 2010

Converged Enhanced
Ethernet

Administrator’s Guide

Supporting Fabric OS v6.4.0

DRAFT: BROCADE CONFIDENTIAL

Copyright © 2006-2010 Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Brocade, the B-wing symbol, BigIron, DCX, Fabric OS, FastIron, IronPoint, IronShield, IronView, IronWare, JetCore, NetIron,
SecureIron, ServerIron, StorageX, and TurboIron are registered trademarks, and DCFM, Extraordinary Networks, and SAN Health
are trademarks of Brocade Communications Systems, Inc., in the United States and/or in other countries. All other brands,
products, or service names are or may be trademarks or service marks of, and are used to identify, products or services of their
respective owners.

Notice: This document is for informational purposes only and does not set forth any warranty, expressed or implied, concerning
any equipment, equipment feature, or service offered or to be offered by Brocade. Brocade reserves the right to make changes to
this document at any time, without notice, and assumes no responsibility for its use. This informational document describes
features that may not be currently available. Contact a Brocade sales office for information on feature and product availability.
Export of technical data contained in this document may require an export license from the United States government.

The authors and Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. shall have no liability or responsibility to any person or entity with
respect to any loss, cost, liability, or damages arising from the information contained in this book or the computer programs that
accompany it.

The product described by this document may contain “open source” software covered by the GNU General Public License or other
open source license agreements. To find out which open source software is included in Brocade products, view the licensing
terms applicable to the open source software, and obtain a copy of the programming source code, please visit
http://www.brocade.com/support/oscd.

Brocade Communications Systems, Incorporated

Corporate and Latin American Headquarters
Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
1745 Technology Drive
San Jose, CA 95110
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]

European Headquarters
Brocade Communications Switzerland Sàrl
Centre Swissair
Tour B - 4ème étage
29, Route de l'Aéroport
Case Postale 105
CH-1215 Genève 15
Switzerland
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]

Asia-Pacific Headquarters
Brocade Communications Systems China HK, Ltd.
No. 1 Guanghua Road
Chao Yang District
Units 2718 and 2818
Beijing 100020, China
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]

Asia-Pacific Headquarters
Brocade Communications Systems Co., Ltd. (Shenzhen WFOE)
Citic Plaza
No. 233 Tian He Road North
Unit 1308 – 13th Floor
Guangzhou, China
Tel: [phone]
Fax [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]

Document History

Title Publication number Summary of changes Date

Converged Enhanced Ethernet

53-1001258-01 New document March 2009

Administrator’s Guide

Converged Enhanced Ethernet
Administrator’s Guide

53-1001336-02 Updated for FOS v6.3.0

Added new chapters for:

• Standard

configurations

• Port Authentication

Converged Enhanced Ethernet
Administrator’s Guide

53-1001761-01 Updated for FOS v6.4.0.

Added new chapter for
IGMP.

November 2009

March 2010

Contents

DRAFT: BROCADE CONFIDENTIAL

About This Document

In this chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv

How this document is organized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv

Supported hardware and software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvi

What’s new in this document. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xvii

Document conventions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xvii

Text formatting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvii

Command syntax conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvii

Notes, cautions, and warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xviii

Key terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xviii

Notice to the reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xix

Additional information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xix

Brocade resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xix

Other industry resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xix

Getting technical help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xix

Document feedback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xx

Chapter 1 Introducing FCoE

In this chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

FCoE terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

FCoE overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

FCoE hardware. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Layer 2 Ethernet overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Layer 2 forwarding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

VLAN tagging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Loop-free network environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Frame classification (incoming) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Congestion control and queuing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Access control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Trunking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Flow Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

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FCoE Initialization Protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

FIP discovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

FIP login . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

FIP logout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

FCoE login. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

FCoE logout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Logincfg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Name server. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

FC zoning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Registered State Change Notification (RSCN) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

FCoE queuing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Chapter 2 Using the CEE CLI

In this chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Management Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

CEE Command Line Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Saving your configuration changes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

CEE CLI RBAC permissions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Accessing the CEE CLI through the console or Telnet . . . . . . . 15

Accessing the CEE CLI from the Fabric OS shell . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

CEE CLI command modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

CEE CLI keyboard shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Using the do command as a shortcut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Displaying CEE CLI commands and command syntax . . . . . . . 18

CEE CLI command completion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

CEE CLI command output modifiers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Chapter 3 Standard CEE Integrations and Configurations

In this chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Overview of standard CEE integrations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

SAN Integration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Integrating a Brocade 8000 switch on a SAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

CEE and LAN integration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Creating the CEE map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Configuring DCBX. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Configuring Spanning Tree Protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Configuring VLAN Membership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Configuring the CEE Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Server connections to the Brocade 8000 switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Fibre Channel configuration for the CNA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Ethernet configuration for the CNA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Minimum CEE configuration to allow FCoE traffic flow. . . . . . . . . . .29

Chapter 4 Configuring VLANs Using the CEE CLI

In this chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

VLAN overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

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Ingress VLAN filtering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

VLAN configuration guidelines and restrictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Default VLAN configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

VLAN configuration and management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Enabling and disabling an interface port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Configuring the MTU on an interface port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Creating a VLAN interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Enabling STP on a VLAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Disabling STP on a VLAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Configuring a VLAN interface to forward FCoE traffic . . . . . . . .36

Configuring an interface port as a Layer 2 switch port . . . . . . . 36

Configuring an interface port as an access interface . . . . . . . .36

Configuring an interface port as a trunk interface . . . . . . . . . . 37

Disabling a VLAN on a trunk interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Configuring an interface port as a converged interface . . . . . . 38

Disabling a VLAN on a converged interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

Configuring protocol-based VLAN classifier rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

Configuring a VLAN classifier rule. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

Configuring MAC address-based VLAN classifier rules . . . . . . .39

Deleting a VLAN classifier rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Creating a VLAN classifier group and adding rules . . . . . . . . . .40

Activating a VLAN classifier group with an interface port . . . . .40

Clearing VLAN counter statistics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

Displaying VLAN information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Configuring the MAC address table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Specifying or disabling the aging time for MAC addresses. . . . 41

Adding static addresses to the MAC address table. . . . . . . . . . 41

Chapter 5 Configuring STP, RSTP, and MSTP using the CEE CLI

In this chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

STP overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

Configuring STP on Brocade FCoE hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

RSTP overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

MSTP overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Configuring MSTP on Brocade FCoE hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

STP, RSTP, and MSTP configuration guidelines and restrictions . . .49

Default STP, RSTP, and MSTP configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50

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STP, RSTP, and MSTP configuration and management . . . . . . . . . .51

Enabling STP, RSTP, or MSTP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Disabling STP, RSTP, or MSTP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Shutting down STP, RSTP, or MSTP globally . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Specifying the bridge priority. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52

Specifying the bridge forward delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52

Specifying the bridge maximum aging time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

Enabling the error disable timeout timer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

Specifying the error disable timeout interval. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

Specifying the port-channel path cost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Specifying the bridge hello time (STP and RSTP). . . . . . . . . . . .54

Specifying the transmit hold count (RSTP and MSTP). . . . . . . .54

Enabling Cisco interoperability (MSTP). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55

Disabling Cisco interoperability (MSTP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Mapping a VLAN to an MSTP instance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55

Specifying the maximum number of hops

for a BPDU (MSTP). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56

Specifying a name for an MSTP region. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56

Specifying a revision number for an MSTP configuration . . . . .56

Flushing MAC addresses (RSTP and MSTP). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Clearing spanning tree counters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Clearing spanning tree-detected protocols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Displaying STP, RSTP, and MSTP-related information . . . . . . . .58

Configuring STP, RSTP, or MSTP on CEE interface ports . . . . . . . . .58

Enabling automatic edge detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58

Configuring the path cost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58

Enabling a port (interface) as an edge port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Enabling the guard root. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59

Specifying the MSTP hello time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

Specifying restrictions for an MSTP instance . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

Specifying a link type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Enabling port fast (STP). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Specifying the port priority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61

Restricting the port from becoming a root port . . . . . . . . . . . . .62

Restricting the topology change notification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Enabling spanning tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62

Disabling spanning tree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63

Chapter 6 Configuring Link Aggregation using the CEE CLI

In this chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65

Link aggregation overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65

Link Aggregation Group configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65

Link Aggregation Control Protocol. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68

Dynamic link aggregation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68

Static link aggregation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68

Brocade-proprietary aggregation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68

LAG distribution process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68

LACP configuration guidelines and restrictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Default LACP configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69

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LACP configuration and management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Enabling LACP on a CEE interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69

Configuring the LACP system priority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Configuring the LACP timeout period on a CEE interface . . . . . 70

Clearing LACP counter statistics on a LAG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70

Clearing LACP counter statistics on all LAG groups . . . . . . . . . . 71

Displaying LACP information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

LACP troubleshooting tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Chapter 7 Configuring LLDP using the CEE CLI

In this chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73

LLDP overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73

Layer 2 topology mapping. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

DCBX overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Enhanced Transmission Selection (ETS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Priority Flow Control (PFC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77

DCBX interaction with other vendor devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77

LLDP configuration guidelines and restrictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Default LLDP configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

LLDP configuration and management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78

Enabling LLDP globally . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Disabling and resetting LLDP globally . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78

Configuring LLDP global command options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79

Configuring LLDP interface-level command options . . . . . . . . .83

Clearing LLDP-related information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Displaying LLDP-related information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84

Chapter 8 Configuring ACLs using the CEE CLI

In this chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85

ACL overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85

Default ACL configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86

ACL configuration guidelines and restrictions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

ACL configuration and management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86

Creating a standard MAC ACL and adding rules . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Creating an extended MAC ACL and adding rules . . . . . . . . . . .87

Modifying MAC ACL rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Removing a MAC ACL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88

Reordering the sequence numbers in a MAC ACL. . . . . . . . . . .88

Applying a MAC ACL to a CEE interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89

Applying a MAC ACL to a VLAN interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89

Chapter 9 Configuring QoS using the CEE CLI

In this chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

QoS overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91

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Rewriting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92

Queueing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

User-priority mapping. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92

Traffic class mapping. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95

Congestion control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98

Tail drop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98

Ethernet pause. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100

Ethernet Priority Flow Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101

Multicast rate limiting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101

Scheduling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102

Strict priority scheduling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102

Deficit weighted round robin scheduling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103

Traffic class scheduling policy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103

Multicast queue scheduling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105

Converged Enhanced Ethernet map configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . .106

Chapter 10 Configuring 802.1x Port Authentication

In this chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111

802.1x protocol overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111

802.1x configuration guidelines and restrictions. . . . . . . . . . . . . .111

802.1x authentication configuration tasks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112

Configure authentication

between the switch and CNA or NIC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112

Interface-specific administrative tasks for 802.1x . . . . . . . . . . . . .112

Configuring 802.1x on specific interface ports . . . . . . . . . . . .112

Configuring 802.1x timeouts

on specific interface ports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113

Configuring 802.1x re-authentication

on specific interface ports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113

Disabling 802.1x on specific interface ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114

Chapter 11 Configuring IGMP

In this chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115

About IGMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115

Active IGMP snooping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115

Multicast routing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116

Configuring IGMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116

Configuring IGMP snooping querier. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Monitoring IGMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Chapter 12 Configuring RMON using the CEE CLI

In this chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119

RMON overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119

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RMON configuration and management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119

Default RMON configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119

Configuring RMON settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119

Configuring RMON events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120

Configuring RMON Ethernet group statistics collection . . . . .120

Chapter 13 FCoE configuration using the Fabric OS CLI

In this chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123

FCoE configuration guidelines and restrictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123

Managing and displaying the FCoE configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . .124

Enabling or disabling an FCoE port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124

Configuring FCMAP values for a VLAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124

Configuring FIP multicast advertisement intervals . . . . . . . . .124

Clearing logins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125

Displaying FCoE configuration-related information . . . . . . . . .125

Managing and displaying the FCoE login configuration . . . . . . . . .125

Enabling or disabling FCoE login

configuration management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125

Displaying or aborting the current

configuration transaction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126

Cleaning up login groups and VN_port mappings . . . . . . . . . .126

Displaying the FCoE login configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127

Saving the current FCoE configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127

Creating and managing the FCoE login group configuration . . . . .127

Creating an FCoE login group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127

Modifying the FCoE login group device list. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128

Deleting an FCoE login group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128

Renaming an FCoE login group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129

Chapter 14 CEE configuration management

In this chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131

CEE configuration management guidelines and restrictions. . . . . 131

CEE configuration management tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131

Display the running configuration file. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132

Saving the running configuration file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132

Loading the startup configuration file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132

Erasing the startup configuration file. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132

Archiving the running configuration file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132

Restore an archived running configuration file . . . . . . . . . . . .133

Archiving the startup configuration file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133

Restore an archived startup configuration file . . . . . . . . . . . .133

Archive a startup configuration from Flash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133

Restore a startup configuration file from Flash. . . . . . . . . . . .133

CEE configuration management commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134

Flash file management commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134

Debugging and logging commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135

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Index

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Figures

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Figure 1 Multiple switch fabric configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Figure 2 CEE CLI command mode hierarchy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Figure 3 Adding the Brocade 8000 switch to the data center LAN (SAN not shown) . . . 23

Figure 4 Configuring CEE attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Figure 5 CNA protocol stack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Figure 6 Ingress VLAN filtering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Figure 7 Configuring LAGs for a top-of-the-rack CEE switch—Example 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Figure 8 Configuring LAGs for a top-of-the-rack CEE switch—Example 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Figure 9 Queue depth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Figure 10 Strict priority schedule — two queues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Figure 11 WRR schedule — two queues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Figure 12 Strict priority and Weighted Round Robin scheduler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

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Tables

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Tab l e 1 FCoE terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Tab l e 2 CEE RBAC permissions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Tab l e 3 CEE CLI command modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Tab l e 4 CEE CLI keyboard shortcuts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Tab l e 5 CEE CLI command output modifiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Tab l e 6 Default VLAN configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Tab l e 7 STP versus RSTP state comparison. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Tab l e 8 Default STP, RSTP, and MSTP configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Tab l e 9 Default MSTP configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Tab l e 10 Default 10-Gigabit Ethernet CEE interface-specific configuration . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Tab l e 11 Default LACP configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Tab l e 1 2 ETS priority grouping of IPC, LAN, and SAN traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Tab l e 13 Default LLDP configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Tab l e 14 Default MAC ACL configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Tab l e 15 Default priority value of untrusted interfaces. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Tab l e 16 IEEE 802.1Q default priority mapping. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Table 17 Default user priority for unicast traffic class mapping. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Tab l e 18 Default user priority for multicast traffic class mapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Tab l e 19 Supported scheduling configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Tab l e 2 0 Multicast traffic class equivalence mapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Tab l e 21 Default CEE Priority Group Table configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Tab l e 2 2 Default CEE priority table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Tab l e 2 3 CEE configuration management commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Tab l e 24 CEE Flash memory file management commands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Tab l e 2 5 Debugging and logging commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

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About This Document

In this chapter

•How this document is organized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv

•Supported hardware and software. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvi

•What’s new in this document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvii

•Document conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvii

•Notice to the reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xix

•Additional information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xix

•Getting technical help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xix

•Document feedback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xx

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How this document is organized

This document is organized to help you find the information that you want as quickly and easily as
possible.

The document contains the following components:

• Chapter 1, “Introducing FCoE,” provides an overview of Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) on

the Brocade FCoE hardware.

• Chapter 2, “Using the CEE CLI,” describes the Converged Enhanced Ethernet (CEE) CLI.

• Chapter 3, “Standard CEE Integrations and Configurations,” describes some basic switch

configurations for command SAN and LAN environments.

• Chapter 4, “Configuring VLANs Using the CEE CLI,” describes how to configure VLANs.

• Chapter 5, “Configuring STP, RSTP, and MSTP using the CEE CLI,” describes how to configure

the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), Rapid STP (RSTP), and Multiple STP (MSTP).

• Chapter 6, “Configuring Link Aggregation using the CEE CLI,” describes how to configure Link

Aggregation and Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP).

• Chapter 7, “Configuring LLDP using the CEE CLI,” describes how to configure the Link Layer

Discovery Protocol (LLDP) and the Data Center Bridging (DCB) Capability Exchange Protocol
(DCBX).

• Chapter 8, “Configuring ACLs using the CEE CLI,” describes how to configure Access Control

Lists (ACLs).

• Chapter 9, “Configuring QoS using the CEE CLI,” describes how to configure Quality of Service

(QoS).

• Chapter 10, “Configuring 802.1x Port Authentication,”describes how to configure the 802.1x

Port Authentication protocol.

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• Chapter 11, “Configuring IGMP,” describes how to configure IGMP snooping on the Brocade

FCoE hardware.

• Chapter 12, “Configuring RMON using the CEE CLI,” describes how to configure remote

monitoring (RMON).

• Chapter 13, “FCoE configuration using the Fabric OS CLI,” describes how to configure FCoE

using the FOS CLI.

• Chapter 14, “CEE configuration management,” describes how to perform the administrative

tasks required by the Brocade FCoE hardware.

Supported hardware and software

This document includes updated information specific to Fabric OS 6.4.0. The following hardware
platforms are supported in this release:

• Brocade 300

• Brocade 4100

• Brocade 4900

• Brocade 5000

• Brocade 5100

• Brocade 5300

• Brocade 5410

• Brocade 5424

• Brocade 5450

• Brocade 5480

• Brocade 7500

• Brocade 7500E

• Brocade 7600

• Brocade 7800

• Brocade 8000

• Brocade Encryption Switch

• Brocade VA-40FC

• Brocade 48000

• Brocade DCX

• Brocade DCX-4S

Within this manual, any appearance of the term “Brocade FCoE hardware” is referring to:

• Brocade 8000

• Brocade FCOE10-24 port blade

Although many different software and hardware configurations are tested and supported by
Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. for Fabric OS 6.4.0, documenting all possible
configurations and scenarios is beyond the scope of this document.

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To obtain information about an OS version other than 6.4.0, refer to the documentation specific to
that OS version.

What’s new in this document

This document has been updated for 6.4.0.

The following information was added:

• New chapter on Internet Group Management Protocol.

• New chapter on administering FCoE using Brocade Web Tools.

For further information about new features and documentation updates for this release, refer to
the release notes.

Document conventions

This section describes text formatting conventions and important notice formats used in this
document.

Text formatting

The narrative-text formatting conventions that are used are as follows:

bold text Identifies command names

Identifies the names of user-manipulated GUI elements
Identifies keywords and operands
Identifies text to enter at the GUI or CLI

italic text Provides emphasis

Identifies variables
Identifies paths and Internet addresses
Identifies document titles

code text Identifies CLI output

Identifies command syntax examples

For readability, command names in the narrative portions of this guide are presented in mixed
lettercase: for example, switchShow. In actual examples, command lettercase is often all
lowercase. Otherwise, this manual specifically notes those cases in which a command is case
sensitive.

Command syntax conventions

Command syntax in this manual follows these conventions:

command Commands are printed in bold.

--option, option Command options are printed in bold.

-argument, arg Arguments.

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NOTE

ATTENTION

CAUTION

DANGER

[ ] Optional element.

variable Variables are printed in italics. In the help pages, values are underlined

enclosed in angled brackets < >.

... Repeat the previous element, for example “member[;member...]”

value Fixed values following arguments are printed in plain font. For example,

--show WWN

| Boolean. Elements are exclusive. Example:

--show -mode egress | ingress

or

Notes, cautions, and warnings

The following notices and statements are used in this manual. They are listed below in order of
increasing severity of potential hazards.

A note provides a tip, guidance, or advice, emphasizes important information, or provides a
reference to related information.

An Attention statement indicates potential damage to hardware or data.

A Caution statement alerts you to situations that can be potentially hazardous to you or cause
damage to hardware, firmware, software, or data.

A Danger statement indicates conditions or situations that can be potentially lethal or extremely
hazardous to you. Safety labels are also attached directly to products to warn of these conditions
or situations.

Key terms

For definitions specific to Brocade and Fibre Channel, see the technical glossaries on Brocade
Connect. See “Brocade resources” on page xix for instructions on accessing Brocade Connect.

For terminology specific to this document, see “FCoE terminology” on page 1.

For definitions of SAN-specific terms, visit the Storage Networking Industry Association online
dictionary at:

http://www.snia.org/education/dictionary

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Notice to the reader

This document may contain references to the trademarks of the following corporations. These
trademarks are the properties of their respective companies and corporations.

These references are made for informational purposes only.

Corporation Referenced Trademarks and Products

None Not applicable

Additional information

This section lists additional Brocade and industry-specific documentation that you might find
helpful.

DRAFT: BROCADE CONFIDENTIAL

Brocade resources

To get up-to-the-minute information, go to http://my.brocade.com and register at no cost for a user
ID and password.

White papers, online demonstrations, and data sheets are available through the Brocade website
at:

http://www.brocade.com/products-solutions/products/index.page

For additional Brocade documentation, visit the Brocade website:

http://www.brocade.com

Release notes are available on the MyBrocade website and are also bundled with the Fabric OS
firmware.

Other industry resources

For additional resource information, visit the Technical Committee T11 website. This website
provides interface standards for high-performance and mass storage applications for Fibre
Channel, storage management, and other applications:

http://www.t11.org

For information about the Fibre Channel industry, visit the Fibre Channel Industry Association
website:

http://www.fibrechannel.org

Getting technical help

Contact your switch support supplier for hardware, firmware, and software support, including
product repairs and part ordering. To expedite your call, have the following information available:

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1. General Information

• Switch model

• Switch operating system version

• Software name and software version, if applicable

• Error numbers and messages received

• supportSave command output

• Detailed description of the problem, including the switch or fabric behavior immediately

following the problem, and specific questions

• Description of any troubleshooting steps already performed and the results

• Serial console and Telnet session logs

• syslog message logs

2. Switch Serial Number

The switch serial number and corresponding bar code are provided on the serial number label,
as illustrated below:

*FT00X0054E9*

FT00X0054E9

The serial number label is located as follows:

• Brocade 300, 4100, 4900, 5100, 5300, 7500, 7800, 8000, VA-40FC, and Brocade

Encryption Switch—On the switch ID pull-out tab located inside the chassis on the port side
on the left

• Brocade 5000—On the switch ID pull-out tab located on the bottom of the port side of the

switch

• Brocade 7600—On the bottom of the chassis

• Brocade 48000—Inside the chassis next to the power supply bays

• Brocade DCX—On the bottom right on the port side of the chassis

• Brocade DCX-4S—On the bottom right on the port side of the chassis, directly above the

cable management comb

3. World Wide Name (WWN)

Use the licenseIdShow command to display the WWN of the chassis.

If you cannot use the licenseIdShow command because the switch is inoperable, you can get
the WWN from the same place as the serial number, except for the Brocade DCX. For the
Brocade DCX, access the numbers on the WWN cards by removing the Brocade logo plate at
the top of the nonport side of the chassis.

Document feedback

Quality is our first concern at Brocade and we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy and
completeness of this document. However, if you find an error or an omission, or you think that a
topic needs further development, we want to hear from you. Forward your feedback to:

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[e-mail]

Provide the title and version number of the document and as much detail as possible about your
comment, including the topic heading and page number and your suggestions for improvement.

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Chapter

Introducing FCoE

In this chapter

•FCoE terminology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

•FCoE overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

•Layer 2 Ethernet overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

•FCoE Initialization Protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

•FCoE queuing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

FCoE terminology

Tab le 1 lists and describes the FCoE terminology used in this document.

TABLE 1 FCoE terminology

Term Description

1

FCoE Fibre Channel over Ethernet

CEE Converged Enhanced Ethernet

VN_port FCoE equivalent of an FC N_port

VF_port FCoE equivalent of an FC F_port

ENode An FCoE device that supports FCoE VN_ports

FCoE Forwarder (FCF) An FCoE link end point that provides FC fabric

FCoE overview

Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) enables you to transport FC protocols and frames over
Converged Enhanced Ethernet (CEE) networks. CEE is an enhanced Ethernet that enables the
convergence of various applications in data centers (LAN, SAN, and HPC) onto a single interconnect
technology.

FCoE provides a method of encapsulating the Fibre Channel (FC) traffic over a physical Ethernet
link. FCoE frames use a unique EtherType that enables FCoE traffic and standard Ethernet traffic to
be carried on the same link. FC frames are encapsulated in an Ethernet frame and sent from one
FCoE-aware device across an Ethernet network to a second FCoE-aware device. The FCoE-aware
devices may be FCoE end nodes (ENodes) such as servers, storage arrays, or tape drives on one
end and FCoE Forwarders on the other end. FCoE Forwarders (FCFs) are switches providing FC
fabric services and FCoE-to-FC bridging.

(servers and target devices)

services

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FCoE overview

The motivation behind using CEE networks as a transport mechanism for FC arises from the desire
to simplify host protocol stacks and consolidate network interfaces in data center environments. FC
standards allow for building highly reliable, high-performance fabrics for shared storage, and these
characteristics are what CEE brings to data centers. Therefore, it is logical to consider transporting
FC protocols over a reliable CEE network in such a way that it is completely transparent to the
applications. The underlying CEE fabric is highly reliable and high performing, the same as the FC
SAN.

In FCoE, ENodes discover FCFs and initialize the FCoE connection through the FCoE Initialization
Protocol (FIP). The FIP has a separate EtherType from FCoE. The FIP includes a discovery phase in
which ENodes solicit FCFs, and FCFs respond to the solicitations with advertisements of their own.
At this point, the ENodes know enough about the FCFs to log into them. The fabric login and fabric
discovery (FLOGI/FDISC) for VN-to-VF port connections is also part of the FIP.

With pre-FIP implementations, as an alternative to FIP, directly connected devices can send an
FCoE-encapsulated FLOGI to the connected FCF.

FCoE hardware

At a fundamental level, FCoE is designed to enable the transport of storage and networking traffic
over the same physical link. Utilizing this technology, the Brocade 8000 switch and the Brocade
FCOE10-24 port blade provide a unique platform that connects servers to both LAN and SAN
environments.

Within this manual, any appearance of the term “Brocade FCoE hardware” is referring to the
following hardware:

• Brocade 8000 switch

• Brocade FCOE10-24 port blade

The intermediate switching devices in the CEE network do not have to be FCoE-aware. They simply
route the FCoE traffic to the FCoE device based on the Ethernet destination address in the FCoE
frame.

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Classic Layer 2
Ethernet switch

FC switch

FC switch

Storage

Host 1 Host 2

Host 3

Brocade 8000

switch

CNA or

classic NIC

CNA or

classic NIC

Classic NIC

Layer 2 Ethernet overview

The Brocade FCoE hardware contain CEE ports that support FCoE forwarding. The CEE ports are
also backwards compatible and support classic Layer 2 Ethernet networks (see Figure 1). In Layer
2 Ethernet operation, a host with a Converged Network Adapter (CNA) can be directly attached to a
CEE port on the Brocade FCoE hardware. Another host with a classic 10-Gigabit Ethernet NIC can
be either directly attached to a CEE port, or attached to a classic Layer 2 Ethernet network which is
attached to the Brocade FCoE hardware.

FIGURE 1 Multiple switch fabric configuration

Layer 2 Ethernet overview

1

Layer 2 forwarding

Layer 2 Ethernet frames are forwarded on the CEE ports. 802.1Q VLAN support is used to tag
incoming frames to specific VLANs, and 802.3ac VLAN tagging support is used to accept VLAN
tagged frames from external devices. The 802.1D Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), Rapid Spanning
Tree Protocol (RSTP), and Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP) are used as the bridging

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protocols between Layer 2 switches.

Layer 2 Ethernet overview

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The Brocade FCoE hardware handles Ethernet frames as follows:

• When the destination MAC address is not in the lookup table, the frame is flooded on all ports

except the ingress port.

• When the destination MAC address is present in the lookup table, the frame is switched only to

the correct egress port.

• When the destination MAC address is present in the lookup table, and the egress port is the

same as the ingress port, the frame is dropped.

• If the Ethernet Frame Check Sequence (FCS) is incorrect, because the switch is in cut-through

mode, a correctly formatted Ethernet frame is sent out with an incorrect FCS.

• If the Ethernet frame is too short, the frame is discarded and the error counter is incremented.

• If the Ethernet frame is too long, the frame is discarded and the error counter is incremented.

• Frames sent to a broadcast destination MAC address are flooded on all ports except the

ingress port.

• When MAC address entries in the lookup table time out, they are removed. In this event, frame

forwarding changes from unicast to flood.

• An existing MAC address entry in the lookup table is discarded when a device is moved to a

new location. When a device is moved, the ingress frame from the new port causes the old
lookup table entry to be discarded and the new entry inserted into the lookup table. Frame
forwarding remains unicast to the new port.

• When the lookup table is full, new entries replace the oldest MAC addresses after the oldest

MAC addresses age and time out. MAC addresses that still have traffic running are not timed
out.

New entries start replacing older entries when the lookup table reaches 90 percent of its 32k
capacity.

VLAN tagging

The Brocade FCoE hardware handles VLAN tagging as follows:

• If the CEE port is configured to tag incoming frames with a single VLAN ID, then incoming

frames that are untagged are tagged with the VLAN ID.

• If the CEE port is configured to tag incoming frames with multiple VLAN IDs, then incoming

frames that are untagged are tagged with the correct VLAN ID based on the port setting.

• If the CEE port is configured to accept externally tagged frames, then incoming frames that are

tagged with a VLAN ID are passed through unchanged.

To make a VLAN FCoE-capable, you must enable the forwarding of FCoE traffic on the VLAN interface
by entering the fcf forward CEE CLI command on the VLAN interface.

Only a single switch-wide VLAN is capable of forwarding FCoE traffic.

For detailed information on configuring VLANs, see “Configuring VLANs Using the CEE CLI” on
page 31.

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Layer 2 Ethernet overview

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Loop-free network environment

The Brocade FCoE hardware uses the following protocols to maintain a loop-free network
environment:

• 802.1D Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)—STP is required to create a loop-free topology in the LAN.

• Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP)—RSTP evolved from the 802.1D STP standard. RSTP

provides for a faster spanning tree convergence after a topology change.

• Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP)—MSTP defines an extension to RSTP to further

develop the usefulness of VLANs. With per-VLAN MSTP, you can configure a separate spanning
tree for each VLAN group. The protocol automatically blocks the links that are redundant in
each spanning tree.

Using MSTP, you can create multiple loop-free active topologies on a single physical topology.
These loop-free topologies are mapped to a set of configurable VLANs. This enables you to
better utilize the physical resources present in the network and achieve better load balancing
of VLAN traffic.

For detailed information on configuring these protocols, see “Configuring STP, RSTP, and MSTP

using the CEE CLI” on page 43.

Frame classification (incoming)

The Brocade FCoE hardware is capable of classifying incoming Ethernet frames based on the
following criteria:

• Port number

• Protocol

• MAC address

The classified frames can be tagged with a VLAN ID or with 802.1p Ethernet priority. The 802.1p
Ethernet priority tagging is done using the Layer 2 Class of Service (CoS). The 802.1p Ethernet
priority is used to tag frames in a VLAN with a Layer 2 CoS to prioritize traffic in the VLAN. The
Brocade FCoE hardware also accepts frames that have been tagged by an external device.

Frame classification options are as follows:

• VLAN ID and Layer 2 CoS by physical port number—With this option, the port is set to classify

incoming frames to a preset VLAN ID and the Layer 2 CoS by the physical port number on the
Brocade FCoE hardware.

• VLAN ID and Layer 2 CoS by LAG virtual port number—With this option, the port is set to classify

incoming frames to a preset VLAN ID and Layer 2 CoS by the Link Aggregation Group (LAG)
virtual port number.

• Layer 2 CoS mutation—With this option, the port is set to change the Layer 2 CoS setting by

enabling the QoS mutation feature.

• Layer 2 CoS trust—With this option, the port is set to accept the Layer 2 CoS of incoming

frames by enabling the QoS trust feature.

For detailed information on configuring QoS, see “Configuring QoS using the CEE CLI” on page 91.

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Congestion control and queuing

The Brocade FCoE hardware supports several congestion control and queuing strategies. As an
output queue approaches congestion, Random Early Detection (RED) is used to selectively and
proactively drop frames to maintain maximum link utilization. Incoming frames are classified into
priority queues based on the Layer 2 CoS setting of the incoming frame, or the possible rewriting of
the Layer 2 CoS field based on the settings of the CEE port or VLAN.

The Brocade FCoE hardware supports a combination of two scheduling strategies to queue frames
to the egress ports; Priority queuing, which is also referred to as strict priority, and Deficit Weighted
Round Robin (DWRR) queuing.

The scheduling algorithms work on the eight traffic classes as specified in 802.1Qaz Enhanced
Transmission Selection (ETS).

Queuing features are described as follows:

• RED—RED increases link utilization. When multiple inbound TCP traffic streams are switched

to the same outbound port, and some traffic streams send small frames while other traffic
streams send large frames, link utilization will not be able to reach 100 percent. When RED is
enabled, link utilization approaches 100 percent.

• Classification—Setting user priority.

- Inbound frames are tagged with the user priority set for the inbound port. The tag is visible

when examining the frames on the outbound port. By default, all frames are tagged to
priority zero.

- Externally tagged Layer 2 frames—When the port is set to accept externally tagged Layer 2

frames, the user priority is set to the Layer 2 CoS of the inbound frames.

• Queuing

- Input queuing—Input queuing optimizes the traffic flow in the following way. Suppose a

CEE port has inbound traffic that is tagged with several priority values, and traffic from
different priority settings is switched to different outbound ports. Some outbound ports
are already congested with background traffic while others are uncongested. With input
queuing, the traffic rate of the traffic streams switched to uncongested ports should
remain high.

- Output queuing—Output queuing optimizes the traffic flow in the following way. Suppose

that several ports carry inbound traffic with different priority settings. Traffic from all ports
is switched to the same outbound port. If the inbound ports have different traffic rates,
some outbound priority groups will be congested while others can remain uncongested.
With output queuing, the traffic rate of the traffic streams that are uncongested should
remain high.

- Multicast rate limit—A typical multicast rate limiting example is where several ports carry

multicast inbound traffic that is tagged with several priority values. Traffic with different
priority settings is switched to different outbound ports. The multicast rate limit is set so
that the total multicast traffic rate on output ports is less than the specified set rate limit.

- Multicast input queuing—A typical multicast input queuing example is where several ports

carry multicast inbound traffic that is tagged with several priority values. Traffic with
different priority settings is switched to different outbound ports. Some outbound ports
are already congested with background traffic while others are uncongested. The traffic
rate of the traffic streams switched to the uncongested ports should remain high. All
outbound ports should carry some multicast frames from all inbound ports. This enables
multicast traffic distribution relative to the set threshold values.

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Layer 2 Ethernet overview

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- Multicast output queuing—A typical multicast output queuing example is where several

ports carry multicast inbound traffic. Each port has a different priority setting. Traffic from
all ports is switched to the same outbound port. If the inbound ports have varying traffic
rates, some outbound priority groups will be congested while others remain uncongested.
The traffic rate of the traffic streams that are uncongested remains high. The outbound
ports should carry some multicast frames from all the inbound ports.

• Scheduling—A typical example of scheduling policy (using SP0 and SP1 modes) is where ports

0 through 7 carry inbound traffic, each port has a unique priority level, port 0 has priority 0,
port 1 has priority 1, and so on. All traffic is switched to the same outbound port. In SP0 mode,
all ports have DWRR scheduling; therefore, the frames-per-second (FPS) on all ports should
correspond to the DWRR settings. In SP1 mode, priority 7 traffic uses SP; therefore, priority 7
can achieve a higher FPS. Frames from input ports with the same priority level should be
scheduled in a round robin manner to the output port.

When setting the scheduling policy, each priority group that is using DWRR scheduling can be
set to use a percentage of the total bandwidth by setting the PG_Percentage parameter.

For detailed information on configuring QoS, see “Configuring QoS using the CEE CLI” on page 91.

Access control

Access Control Lists (ACLs) are used for Layer 2 switching security. Standard ACLs inspect the
source address for the inbound ports. Extended ACLs provide filtering by source and destination
addresses and protocol. ACLs can be applied to the CEE ports or to VLANs.

ACLs function as follows:

• A standard Ethernet ACL configured on a physical port is used to permit or deny frames based

on the source MAC address. The default is to permit all frames.

• An extended Ethernet ACL configured on a physical port is used to permit or deny frames

based on the source MAC address, destination MAC address, and EtherType. The default is to
permit all frames.

• A standard Ethernet ACL configured on a LAG virtual port is used to permit or deny frames

based on the source MAC address. The default is to permit all frames. LAG ACLs apply to all
ports in the LAG.

• An extended Ethernet ACL configured on a LAG virtual port is used to permit or deny frames

based on the source MAC address, destination MAC address, and EtherType. The default is to
permit all frames. LAG ACLs apply to all ports in the LAG.

• A standard Ethernet ACL configured on a VLAN is used to permit or deny frames based on the

source MAC address. The default is to permit all frames. VLAN ACLs apply to the Switch Vertical
Interface (SVI) for the VLAN.

• An extended Ethernet ACL configured on a VLAN is used to permit or deny frames based on the

source MAC address, destination MAC address, and EtherType. The default is to permit all
frames. VLAN ACLs apply to the Switch Vertical Interface (SVI) for the VLAN.

For detailed information on configuring ACLs, see “Configuring ACLs using the CEE CLI” on page 85.

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Trunking

The term “trunking” in an Ethernet network refers to the use of multiple network links (ports) in
parallel to increase the link speed beyond the limits of any one single link or port, and to increase
the redundancy for higher availability.

802.1ab Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) is used to detect links to connected switches or
hosts. Trunks can then be configured between an adjacent switch or host and the Brocade FCoE
hardware using the VLAN classifier commands. See “Configuring an interface port as a trunk

interface” on page 37.

The Data Center Bridging (DCB) Capability Exchange Protocol (DCBX) extension is used to identify a
CEE-capable port on an adjacent switch or host. For detailed information on configuring LLDP and
DCBX, see “Configuring LLDP using the CEE CLI” on page 73.

The 802.3ad Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) is used to combine multiple links to create a
trunk with the combined bandwidth of all the individual links. For detailed information on
configuring LACP, see “Configuring Link Aggregation using the CEE CLI” on page 65.

The Brocade software supports a maximum 24 LAG interfaces.

Flow Control

802.3x Ethernet pause and Ethernet Priority-based Flow Control (PFC) are used to prevent dropped
frames by slowing traffic at the source end of a link. When a port on a switch or host is not ready to
receive more traffic from the source, perhaps due to congestion, it sends pause frames to the
source to pause the traffic flow. When the congestion has been cleared, it stops requesting the
source to pause traffic flow, and traffic resumes without any frame drop.

When Ethernet pause is enabled, pause frames are sent to the traffic source. Similarly, when PFC
is enabled, there is no frame drop; pause frames are sent to the source switch.

For detailed information on configuring Ethernet pause and PFC, see “Configuring QoS using the

CEE CLI” on page 91.

FCoE Initialization Protocol

The FCoE Initialization Protocol (FIP) discovers and initializes FCoE capable entities connected to
an Ethernet cloud through a dedicated Ethertype, 0x8914, in the Ethernet frame.

FIP discovery

This software version supports the October 8, 2008 (REV 1.03) of the ANSI FC Backbone
Specification with priority-tagged FIP VLAN discovery protocol and FIP version 0. This release does
not support FIP Keep Alive.

The Brocade FCoE hardware FIP discovery phase operates as follows:

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• The Brocade FCoE hardware uses the FCoE Initialization Protocol (FIP). Enodes discover FCFs

and initialize the FCoE connection through the FIP.

• VF_port configuration—An FCoE port accepts Enode requests when it is configured as a

VF_port and enabled. An FCoE port does not accept ENode requests when disabled.

• Solicited advertisements—A typical scenario is where a Brocade FCoE hardware receives a FIP

solicitation from an ENode. Replies to the original FIP solicitation are sent to the MAC address
embedded in the original FIP solicitation. After being accepted, the ENode is added to the
VN_port table.

• Login group—When enabled, replies to solicitations are sent only by Brocade FCoE hardware

that have the ENode in the login group.

• FCF forwarding—The Brocade FCoE hardware forwards FIP frames only when the VLAN is set to

FCF forwarding mode.

• VLAN 1—The Brocade FCoE hardware should not forward FIP frames on VLAN 1 because it is

reserved for management traffic only.

• A fabric-provided MAC address is supported. A server-provided MAC-address is not supported

in the Fabric OS v6.4.0 release.

In the fabric-provided MAC address format, VN_port MAC addresses are based on a 24-bit
fabric-supplied value. The first three bytes of this value is referred to as the FCMAP. The next
three bytes are the FC ID, which is assigned by the switch when the ENode logs in to the switch.

FIP login

FIP login operates as follows:

• ENodes can log in to the Brocade FCoE hardware using FIP. Fabric login (FLOGI) and fabric

discovery (FDISC) are accepted. Brocade FCoE hardware in the fabric maintain the MAC
address, World Wide Name (WWN), and PID mappings per login. Each ENode port should have
a unique MAC address and WWN.

• FIP FLOGI—The Brocade FCoE hardware accepts the FIP FLOGI from the ENode. The FIP FLOGI

acceptance (ACC) is sent to the ENode if the ENode MAC address or WWN matches the
VN_port table on the Brocade FCoE hardware. The FIP FLOGI request is rejected if the ENode
MAC address or WWN does not match. The ENode login is added to the VN_port table. Fabric
Provided MAC addressing (FPMA) is supported.

• FIP FDISC—The Brocade FCoE hardware accepts FIP FDISC from the ENode. FIP FDISC

acceptance (ACC) is sent to the ENode if the ENode MAC address or WWN matches the
VN_port table on the Brocade FCoE hardware. The FIP FDISC request is rejected if the ENode
MAC address or WWN does not match. The ENode login is added to the VN_port table. FPMA is
supported.

• Maximum logins per VF_port—The Brocade FCoE hardware supports a maximum of 255 logins

per VF_port. The VF_port rejects further logins after the maximum is reached.

• Maximum logins per switch—The Brocade FCoE hardware accepts a maximum of 1024 logins

per switch. Note that the Brocade FCoE hardware does not reject further logins after the
maximum is reached.

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FIP logout

FIP logout operates as follows:

• ENodes can log out from the Brocade FCoE hardware using FIP. The Brocade FCoE hardware in

the fabric updates the MAC address, WWN, and PID mappings upon logout. The Brocade FCoE
hardware also handles scenarios of implicit logout where the ENode has left the fabric without
explicitly logging out.

• FIP logout (LOGO)—The Brocade FCoE hardware accepts a FIP LOGO from the ENode. The FIP

LOGO ACC should be sent to the ENode if the ENode MAC address matches the VN_port table
on the Brocade FCoE hardware. The LOGO is ignored (not rejected) if the ENode MAC address
does not match. The ENode logout is updated in the VN_port table. FPMA is supported.

• Implicit logout—With the ENode directly connected to a CEE port, if the port that the ENode is

attached to goes offline, the Brocade FCoE hardware implicitly logs out that ENode. ENode
logout is updated in the VN_port table. The Brocade FCoE hardware sends FCoE LOGO on
behalf of the ENode.

FCoE login

The Brocade FCoE hardware FCoE login operates as follows:

• ENodes can log in to the Brocade FCoE hardware using FCoE encapsulated, FC Extended Link

Service (ELS) frames. FLOGI and FDISC are accepted. Brocade FCoE hardware in the fabric
maintains the MAC address to WWN/PID mappings per login. Class 2 FLOGI is not supported.

• FCoE FLOGI—The Brocade FCoE hardware accepts FCoE FLOGI from the ENode. FCoE FLOGI

ACC is sent to the ENode if the FCMAP matches the VN_port table on the Brocade FCoE
hardware. Requests are ignored if the FCMAP does not match. The ENode login is added to the
VN_port table.

• FCoE FDISC—The Brocade FCoE hardware accepts FCoE FDISC from the ENode. FCoE FDISC

ACC is sent to the ENode if the FCMAP matches the VN_port table on the Brocade FCoE
hardware. The FCoE FDISC request is ignored if the FCMAP does not match. The ENode login is
added to the VN_port table.

• FCMAP—The Brocade FCoE hardware accepts FCoE FLOGI from the ENode. The FCMAP

determines which FCoE VLAN is accepted for the FCoE session.

Only one FCoE VLAN is supported in the Fabric OS v6.4.0 release.

FCoE logout

The Brocade FCoE hardware FCoE logout operates as follows:

• ENodes can log out from the Brocade FCoE hardware using the FCoE encapsulated, FC ELS

frame. Brocade FCoE hardware in the fabric updates the MAC address to WWN/PID mappings
upon logout. The Brocade FCoE hardware also handles scenarios of implicit logout where the
ENode has left the fabric without explicitly logging out.

• FCoE LOGO—The Brocade FCoE hardware accepts the FCoE LOGO from the ENode. The FCoE

LOGO ACC is sent to the ENode if the ENode MAC address matches the VN_port table on the
Brocade FCoE hardware. The LOGO is ignored (not rejected) if the ENode MAC address does
not match. The ENode logout is updated in the VN_port table.

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Logincfg

The Brocade FCoE hardware logincfg mechanism operates as follows:

• The logincfg is the mechanism for controlling ENode logins per Brocade FCoE hardware. Each

unit of Brocade FCoE hardware maintains its own logincfg.

• Login configuration management is optional—when login management is disabled, the default

behavior is to accept logins from any ENode.

• Logingroup creation and deletion—The Brocade FCoE hardware accepts valid logingroup

names and member WWNs. The Brocade FCoE hardware rejects invalid entries. The Brocade
FCoE hardware allows the deletion of logingroups that are defined and committed. You can
display defined and committed logingroups. The logingroup capability is disabled by default.

• Member add and remove—You can add valid member WWNs. Invalid WWNs are rejected.

Duplicate WWNs are uniquely resolved. You can display the current view of defined logingroups
when changes are made to the configuration.

• Commit and abort—Defined logingroup changes can be aborted with no effect on existing

sessions. The Brocade FCoE hardware does not apply the configurations to new sessions until
the changes are committed. Once defined, logingroups are committed. The Brocade FCoE
hardware immediately uses the new configuration.

• No traffic disruption—Changing the logingroup without committing the changes does not affect

existing sessions. After committing the changes, Enodes that were already logged in continue
to function even when that member is removed from the logingroup. New logins from the
former member are rejected.

Name server

The Brocade FCoE hardware name server function operates as follows:

• ENode login and logout to and from the Brocade FCoE hardware updates the name server in

the FC fabric. The Brocade FCoE hardware maintains the MAC address to WWN/PID mappings.

• ENode login and logout—When an ENode login occurs through any means (FIP FLOGI, FIP

FDISC, FCoE FLOGI, or FCoE FDISC), an entry is added to the name server. When an ENode
logout occurs through any means (FIP LOGO, FCoE LOGO, or implicit logout), the entry is
removed from the name server.

• ENode data—The Brocade FCoE hardware maintains a VN_port table. The table tracks the

ENode MAC address, FIP login parameters for each login from the same ENode, and WWN/PID
mappings on the FC side. You can display the VN_port table with the fcoe -loginshow port
command.

FC zoning

The Brocade FCoE hardware FC zoning operates as follows:

• The virtual devices created by the Brocade FCoE hardware on behalf of the ENodes are subject

to FC zoning. An ENode is only allowed to access devices in the same zones. Administrative
Domains (ADs) are not supported in the Fabric OS v6.4.0 release.

• ENodes can access FC devices in the same zones— FC devices that are not in the same zones

cannot be accessed. Zone members can overlap in multiple zones (that is, overlapping zones).
Zoning changes are immediately enabled by hardware enforced zoning.

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FCoE queuing

• ENodes can access all FC devices with no zoning—ENodes can access all FC devices in the

fabric when cfgdisable is issued and Default Zone is set to All Access Mode.

• Field replacement—When a Brocade FCoE hardware is replaced in the field, you can perform a

configdownload on a previously saved configuration. No zoning change is required.

Registered State Change Notification (RSCN)

The Brocade FCoE hardware RSCN function operates as follows:

• RSCN events generated in the FC fabric are forwarded to the ENodes. RSCN events generated

on the FCoE side are forwarded to the FC devices. CEE is not aware of RSCN events.

• Device RSCN—An RSCN is generated to all registered and affected members when an ENode

either logs in or logs out of an FCF through any means. An RSCN is generated when an FC
N_port device either logs in or logs out of the FC fabric.

When transmitting an RSCN, zoning rules still apply for FCoE devices as the devices are treated
as regular FC N_ports.

• VF_port RSCN—An RSCN is generated to all registered members when a VF_port goes online or

• Domain RSCN—An RSCN is generated to all registered and affected members when an FC

• Zoning RSCN—An RSCN is generated to all registered and affected members when a zoning

FCoE queuing

The QOS configuration controls the FCoE traffic distribution. Note that changing these settings
requires changes on both the Brocade FCoE hardware and the CNA; therefore, the link must be
taken offline and back online after a change is made. Traffic scheduler configuration changes
affect FCoE traffic distribution as follows:

• Changing the priority group for a port causes the FCoE traffic distribution to update. The priority

• Changing the priority table for a port causes the FCoE traffic distribution to be updated. The

• Changing the class map for a port causes the FCoE traffic distribution to be updated.

• Changing the policy map for a port causes FCoE traffic distribution to be updated.

• Changing the CEE map for a port causes the FCoE traffic distribution to be updated.

• The FCMAP to VLAN mapping determines the FCoE VLAN allowed for the FCoE session.

offline, causing ENode or FC devices to be added or removed.

switch port goes online or offline, causing ENode or FC devices to be added or removed. An
RSCN is generated when two FC switches merge or segment, causing ENode or FC devices to
be added or removed. When FC switches merge or segment, an RSCN is propagated to
ENodes.

exchange occurs in the FC fabric.

group and bandwidth are updated.

COS-to-priority group mapping is updated.

Modifying this mapping causes the existing sessions to terminate.

Only one FCoE VLAN is supported in the Fabric OS v6.4.0 release.

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Chapter

Using the CEE CLI

In this chapter

•Management Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

•CEE Command Line Interface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Management Tools

The Brocade 8000 runs traditional Fabric OS (FOS) software and can be managed using the same
tools traditionally used for SAN management. Using the FOS Command Line Interface (CLI),
administrators have access to all commands and utilities common to other Brocade switches. In
addition, FOS software on the Brocade 8000 enables Brocade Web Tools to support the following
features for configuring and managing a Converged Ethernet Network:

• CEE interface display and configuration

• FCoE trunk display and configuration

• CEE configuration including link aggregation (LACP), Virtual LANs (VLANs), Quality of Service

(QoS), and LLDP (Link Layer Discovery Protocol)/ DCBX protocol (Data Center Bridging
eXchange)

• FCoE login groups

2

CEE Command Line Interface

The Brocade 8000 introduces a new CLI designed to support the management of CEE and L2
Ethernet switching functionality. The CEE CLI uses an industry-standard hierarchical shell familiar
to Ethernet/IP networking administrators.

All conventional port-related Fabric OS CLI commands are only applicable to Fibre Channel. These
commands have no knowledge of the Ethernet ports. The CEE features and CEE ports can only be
configured through the CEE CLI interface which is accessed by entering the cmsh command from
the Fabric OS shell.

The system starts up with the default Fabric OS configuration and the CEE startup configuration.
After logging in you are in the Fabric OS shell. For information on accessing the CEE commands
from the Fabric OS shell, see “Accessing the CEE CLI from the Fabric OS shell” on page 15.

Some Fabric OS commands are available in the CEE shell. Enter the fos ? command at the CEE CLI
Privileged EXEC mode command prompt to view the available Fabric OS commands. The traditional
Fabric OS command help found in the Fabric OS shell is not available through the CEE shell.

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CEE Command Line Interface

NOTE

2

The CEE configuration is not affected by configUpload and configDownload commands entered in
the Fabric OS shell.

Saving your configuration changes

Any configuration changes made to the switch are written into the running-config file. This is a
dynamic file that is lost when the switch reboots. During the boot sequence, the switch resets all
configuration settings to the values in the startup-config file.

To make your changes permanent, you must use either the write memory command or the copy
command to commit the running-config file to the startup--config file.

Saving configuration changes with the copy command

Perform this task from Privileged EXEC mode.

1. Enter the copy command to save the running-config file to the startup-config file.

DRAFT: BROCADE CONFIDENTIAL

switch#copy running-config startup-config

Saving configuration changes with the write command

Perform this task from Privileged EXEC mode.

1. Enter the write memory command to save the running-config file to the startup-config file.

switch# write memory
Overwrite the startup config file (y/n): y
Building configuration...

CEE CLI RBAC permissions

Role-Based Action Control (RBAC) defines the capabilities that a user account has based on the
role the account has been assigned. Table 2 displays the permissions matrix for CEE. Permissions
are specifically defined as follows:

• OM—When you enter the cmsh command, you are put directly into Privileged EXEC mode.

• O—When you enter the cmsh command, you are limited to EXEC mode.

• N—You are not allowed access to the CEE CLI.

TABLE 2 CEE RBAC permissions

Root Factory Admin User Operator SwitchAdmin FabricAdmin ZoneAdmin BasicSwitchAdmin SecurityAdmin

OM OM OM O N O OM N N O

O = observe, OM = observe and modify, N = access not allowed

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NOTE

NOTE

Protocol configurationInterface configuration

Port-channel

10-Gigabit Ethernet

VLAN

CEE CLI features

CEE map

ACLs

Console and VTY (line)

configuration

Console

Virtual terminal

Global configuration

EXEC

Privileged EXEC

LLDP

Spanning-tree

CEE Command Line Interface

2

Accessing the CEE CLI through the console or Telnet

While this example uses the admin role to log in to the switch, any role listed in the “CEE CLI RBAC

permissions” section can be used.

The procedure to access the CEE CLI is the same through either the console interface or through a
Telnet session; both access methods bring you to the login prompt.

switch login: admin
Password:
switch:admin> cmsh
switch#

To return to the Fabric OS CLI, enter the following command.

switch#exit
switch:admin>

Multiple users can Telnet and issue commands using the Exec mode and the Privileged Exec mode.

Accessing the CEE CLI from the Fabric OS shell

To enter the CEE CLI from the Fabric OS shell, enter the following command.

switch:admin> cmsh
switch#

To return to the Fabric OS shell, enter the following command.

switch#exit
switch:admin>

CEE CLI command modes

Figure 2 displays the CEE CLI command mode hierarchy.

FIGURE 2 CEE CLI command mode hierarchy

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Tab le 3 lists the CEE CLI command modes and describes how to access them.

CEE Command Line Interface

NOTE

2

At system startup, if you try to enter Privileged EXEC mode before the system has fully booted, the
following message is displayed:

%Info: Please wait. System configuration is being loaded.

After the system has fully booted, a RASLOG message indicates that the CEE CLI is ready to accept
configuration commands.

TABLE 3 CEE CLI command modes

DRAFT: BROCADE CONFIDENTIAL

Command
mode

EXEC switch> Enter the cmsh command at the

Privileged
EXEC

Global
configuration

Interface
configuration

Prompt How to access the command mode Description

Fabric OS prompt after you have
logged in as an appropriate user.

switch# From the EXEC mode, enter the

enable command.

switch(config)# From the EXEC mode, enter the

configure terminal EXEC command.

Port-channel:
switch(conf-if-po-63)#

10-Gigabit Ethernet (CEE port):
switch(conf-if-te-0/1)#

From the global configuration mode,
specify an interface by entering one
of the following interface types:

• interface port-channel

• inter face tengigabitethernet

• interface vlan

VLAN:
switch(conf-if-vl-1)#

Protocol
configuration

LLDP:
switch(conf-lldp)#

Spanning-tree:
switch(conf-mstp)#
switch(conf-rstp)#
switch(conf-stp)#

From the global configuration mode,
specify a protocol by entering one of
the following protocol types:

• protocol lldp

• protocol spanning-tree mstp

• protocol spanning-tree rstp

• protocol spanning-tree stp

Display running system information
and set terminal line parameters.

Display and change system
parameters. Note that this is the
administrative mode and also
includes EXEC mode commands.

Configure features that affect the
entire switch.

Access and configure individual
interfaces.

Access and configure protocols.

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NOTE

NOTE

TABLE 3 CEE CLI command modes

Command
mode

Feature
configuration

Console and
VTY (line)
configuration

Prompt How to access the command mode Description

CEE map:
switch(config-ceemap)#

Standard ACL:

switch(conf-macl-std)#

Extended ACL:

switch(conf-macl-ext)#

switch(config-line)# From the global configuration mode,

CEE Command Line Interface

From the global configuration mode,
specify a CEE feature by entering
one of the following feature names:

• cee-map

• mac access-list

configure a terminal connected
through the console port by entering
the line console command.
Configure a terminal connected
through a Telnet session by entering
the line vty command.

2

Access and configure CEE features.

Configure a terminal connected
through the console port or a
terminal connected through a Telnet
session.

Pressing Ctrl+Z or entering the end command in any mode returns you to Privileged EXEC mode.
Entering exit in any mode returns you to the previous mode.

CEE CLI keyboard shortcuts

Tab le 4 lists CEE CLI keyboard shortcuts.

TABLE 4 CEE CLI keyboard shortcuts

Keystroke Description

Ctrl+B or the left arrow key. Moves the cursor back one character.

Ctrl+F or the right arrow key. Moves the cursor forward one character.

Ctrl+A Moves the cursor to the beginning of the command line.

Ctrl+E Moves the cursor to the end of the command line.

Esc B Moves the cursor back one word.

Esc F Moves the cursor forward one word.

Ctrl+Z Returns to Privileged EXEC mode.

Ctrl+P or the up arrow key. Displays commands in the history buffer with the most recent command

displayed first.

Ctrl+N or the down arrow key. Displays commands in the history buffer with the most recent command

displayed last.

In EXEC and Privileged EXEC modes, use the show history command to list the commands most
recently entered. The switch retains the history of the last 1000 commands entered from all

terminals.

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CEE Command Line Interface

2

Using the do command as a shortcut

You can use the do command to save time when you are working in any configuration mode and
you want to run a command in the EXEC or Privileged EXEC mode.

For example, if you are configuring an LLDP and you want to execute a Privileged EXEC mode
command, such as the dir command, you would first have to exit the LLDP configuration mode.
However, by using the do command with the dir command you can ignore the need to change
configuration modes, as shown in the example below.

switch(conf-lldp)#do dir
Contents of flash://

-rw-r----- 1276 Wed Feb 4 07:08:49 2009 startup_rmon_config

-rw-r----- 1276 Wed Feb 4 07:10:30 2009 rmon_config

-rw-r----- 1276 Wed Feb 4 07:12:33 2009 rmon_configuration

-rw-r----- 1276 Wed Feb 4 10:48:59 2009 starup-config
switch(conf-lldp)#

Displaying CEE CLI commands and command syntax

DRAFT: BROCADE CONFIDENTIAL

Enter a question mark (?) in any command mode to display the list of commands available in that
mode.

switch>?
Exec commands:
enable Turn on privileged mode command
exit End current mode and down to previous mode
help Description of the interactive help system
logout Exit from the EXEC
quit Exit current mode and down to previous mode
show Show running system information
terminal Set terminal line parameters

To display a list of commands that start with the same characters, type the characters followed by
the question mark (?).

switch>e?
enable Turn on privileged mode command
exit End current mode and down to previous mode

To display the keywords and arguments associated with a command, enter the keyword followed by
the question mark (?).

switch#terminal ?
length Set number of lines on a screen
no Negate a command or set its defaults

If the question mark (?) is typed within an incomplete keyword, and the keyword is the only keyword
starting with those characters, the CLI displays help for that keyword only.

switch#show d?
dot1x IEEE 802.1X Port-Based Access Control
<cr>

If the question mark (?) is typed within an incomplete keyword but the keyword matches several
keywords, the CLI displays help for all the matching keywords.

switch#show i?
interface Interface status and configuration
ip Internet Protocol (IP)

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CEE Command Line Interface

2

The CEE CLI accepts abbreviations for commands. This example is the abbreviation for the show
qos interface all command.

switch#sh q i a

If the switch does not recognize a command after Enter is pressed, an error message displays.

switch#hookup

^

% Invalid input detected at '^' marker.

If an incomplete command is entered, an error message displays.

switch#show
% Incomplete command.

CEE CLI command completion

To automatically complete the spelling of commands or keywords, begin typing the command or
keyword and then press Tab. For example, at the CLI command prompt type te and press Tab:

switch#te

The CLI displays:

switch#terminal

If there is more than one command or keyword associated with the characters typed, the CEE CLI
displays all choices. For example, at the CLI command prompt type show l and press Tab:

switch#show l

The CLI displays:

switch#show l
lacp line lldp

CEE CLI command output modifiers

You can filter the output of the CEE CLI show commands using the output modifiers described in

Tab le 5.

TABLE 5 CEE CLI command output modifiers

Output modifier Description

redirect Redirects the command output to the specified file.

include Displays the command output that includes the specified expression.

exclude Displays the command output that excludes the specified expression.

append Appends the command output to the specified file.

begin Displays the command output that begins with the specified expression.

last Displays only the last few lines of the command output.

tee Redirects the command output to the specified file. Note that this modifier also

displays the command output.

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CEE Command Line Interface

2

DRAFT: BROCADE CONFIDENTIAL

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Chapter

Standard CEE Integrations and Configurations

In this chapter

•Overview of standard CEE integrations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

•SAN Integration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

•CEE and LAN integration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

•Server connections to the Brocade 8000 switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

•Minimum CEE configuration to allow FCoE traffic flow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Overview of standard CEE integrations

This chapter describes standard configurations that are commonly required for the Brocade FCoE
hardware. Brocade believes these configurations cover approximately 90 percent of customer
needs.

The following scenarios for the newly installed converged network are described:

3

• SAN integration with the Brocade 8000 switch

• LAN configuration for the Brocade FCoE hardware

• Connecting Servers to the Brocade FCoE hardware

• Minimum CEE configuration to allow FCoE

All of the CLI commands are entered using the Telnet or console interface on the Brocade FCoE
hardware. See “CEE CLI command modes” on page 15 for complete instructions on logging into the
Brocade FCoE hardware.

SAN Integration

FC SANs are typically deployed in a core-edge topology with servers connecting to edge switches in
the fabric. Since the Brocade 8000 FC switching module operates with the same features and
functionality of a regular FC switch, this topology is preserved when the Brocade 8000 switch is
introduced into the fabric. The Brocade 8000 switch can be treated as just another edge switch
connecting to the core FC infrastructure. The only difference is that servers are directly attached
using a CNA supporting the FCoE protocol instead of an HBA supporting the FC protocol.

Connecting the Brocade 8000 switch to an existing FC SAN follows the same process as adding a
new FC edge switch into a SAN. Most SAN environments include redundant fabrics (A and B). A
typical installation involves connecting a Brocade 8000 switch to Fabric A, verifying stability, and
then installing a second Brocade 8000 switch into Fabric B.

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CEE and LAN integration

NOTE

NOTE

3

DRAFT: BROCADE CONFIDENTIAL

FCoE devices log in to one of the six FCoE ports on the Brocade 8000 switch. The FCoE ports
provide FC services to FCoE initiators and enable bridging between FCoE initiators and FC targets.
FCoE ports differ from regular FC ports in that they are not directly associated with an external
physical port on the switch. Instead, each FCoE port supports up to four logical traffic paths.
Brocade’s implementation of FCoE on the Brocade 8000 switch provides integral NPIV support so
that multiple FCoE initiators can log in to a single FCoE interface.

When a CNA logs into the fabric, it is assigned a new MAC address using a function called Fabric
Provided MAC Address (FPMA). This address is used for all FCoE communication. The first three
bytes of the MAC address are provided by the FC-MAP and the last three bytes are determined by
the FCID. The VF_Port or FC entity that the CNA logs in to determines the FCID.

The Brocade 8000 switch also supports the FIP or Fabric Initialization Protocol standard for CNAs to
discover FCFs and initialize an FCoE connection.

Integrating a Brocade 8000 switch on a SAN

Perform the following process to install a new Brocade 8000 switch.

1. On the Brocade 8000 switch, verify that the Zone database is empty and change the domain
ID to a unique number. If there are any non-default fabric configuration changes in the existing
fabric, ensure that these are also configured on the new switch. For details, see the
“Administering Advanced Zoning” and “Performing Basic Configuration Tasks-Domain IDs”
sections of the Fabric OS Administrator’s Guide.

2. Power off the Brocade 8000 switch and connect the Inter-Switch Link (ISL) cables to the core
FC switch or director. For details, see the Brocade 8000 Hardware Reference Guide.

Connecting a new Brocade 8000 switch to the fabric while it is powered off ensures that
reconfiguration will not occur.

3. Power on the Brocade 8000 switch and verify that the ISLs are online and the fabric is merged.

4. Check to make sure the existing Zone database files for the fabric were copied over to the
Brocade 8000 switch. For details, see the same sections of the Fabric OS Administrator’s
Guide.

5. Use the FOS CLI command nsShow to display any FCoE or FC devices connected to the switch.
Any CNAs should be able to log in to the fabric and can be zoned using standard management
tools, including the FOS CLI or Web Tools.

6. Enter the copy command to save the running-config file to the startup-config file.

7. Repeat this procedure for the second Brocade 8000 switch attached to Fabric B.

CEE and LAN integration

Because Brocade FCoE hardware is IEEE 802.1Q compliant, it easily integrates into the existing
LAN infrastructure in a variety of data center network topologies. In a typical installation, the
Brocade 8000 switch acts as an access layer switch connecting to a distribution or core layer
switch in the LAN.

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Brocade

8000

VLAN
trunks

Brocade

8000

Data center

servers

Data center

access layer

Data center

core layer

...connected

to SAN fabric

FCoE

VLAN 100

Server Group 1

VLAN 10

Server Group 2

VLAN 20

Aggregation layer

CORE

CEE and LAN integration

3

Figure 3 illustrates a representative data center LAN with Brocade FCoE hardware. The information

and procedures that follow outline the configuration process for introducing the Brocade FCoE
hardware into the network and for feature sets unique to CEE. Unless otherwise noted, all
commands are entered through the CEE CLI. See the Brocade FCoE Administrator’s Guide for
configuration details and supported L2 functionality.

FIGURE 3 Adding the Brocade 8000 switch to the data center LAN (SAN not shown)

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The following steps are the basic process for integrating the Brocade FCoE hardware on a LAN.

1. Create a CEE map for the Brocade FCoE hardware to define the traffic types on your LAN. For
details, see“Creating the CEE map” on page 24.

2. Define your present DCBX setup for TLV. For details, see“Configuring DCBX” on page 25.

3. Configure the Brocade FCoE hardware for your present type of STP. For details, see

“Configuring Spanning Tree Protocol” on page 26.

4. Assign the Brocade FCoE hardware to the correct VLAN membership and VLAN group. For
details, see “Configuring VLAN Membership” on page 26.

5. Assign the CEE interfaces on the Brocade FCoE hardware to the correct VLAN groups. For
details, see “Configuring the CEE Interfaces” on page 27.

6. Enter the copy command to save the running-config file to the startup-config file.

About CEE map attributes

The following information is needed for CEE configuration:

• The types of traffic flowing through an interface, FCoE, TCP/IP, and so on.

• The minimum bandwidth required for each traffic type.

CEE and LAN integration

3

DRAFT: BROCADE CONFIDENTIAL

• Which traffic type needs lossless behavior.

Brocade uses CEE Maps to simplify the configuration of QoS and flow control. Users assign
different priorities to different traffic types and enable lossless connectivity. A CEE map configures
two features: Enhanced Transmission Selection (ETS) and Priority Flow Control (PFC).

ETS is used to allocate bandwidth based on the different priority settings of the converged traffic.
For example, users may want Inter-Process Communications (IPC) traffic to use as much bandwidth
as needed, while LAN and SAN traffic share a designated percentage of the remaining bandwidth.
ETS is used to manage the traffic priorities between traffic types by regulating flow and by
assigning preset amounts of link bandwidth and relative priority to each application.

802.1q-tagged Ethernet frames contain a Priority Code Point (PCP) field, which describes the

802.1p class of service priority. This field indicates that a priority level that can be applied to
different classes of traffic on a CEE link, using values ranging from 0 to 7. For example, a server
administrator may assign FCoE traffic priority 3. Priorities are then grouped into Priority Group IDs
(PGID), which are used by the switch to schedule frame forwarding.

The Brocade FCoE hardware supports two types of scheduling: Strict Priority (SP) and Deficit
Weighted Round Robin (DWRR). An SP scheduler drains all packets queued in the highest-priority
queue before servicing lower-priority traffic classes. Use PGID 15 for strict priority scheduling. Use
DWRR scheduling to facilitate controlled sharing of the network bandwidth. DWRR assigns each
queue a weight, which is used to determine the frequency of frame forwarded for the queue. The
round robin aspect of the scheduling allows each queue to be serviced in a set ordering, sending a
limited amount of data before moving onto the next queue and cycling back to the highest priority
queue after the lowest priority is serviced. PGIDs 0 to 7 can be used for DWRR scheduling.

PFC is an enhancement to the current link-level flow control mechanism defined in IEEE 802.3X
(PAUSE) so that it can operate individually on each priority. PFC is what enables lossless
connectivity and is required for FCoE traffic.

Creating the CEE map

The first step is to define the types of traffic carried over the CEE network. As an example, servers
in Figure 4 use the CEE network for both FCoE and IP. The administrator associates FCoE traffic
with priorities 2 and 3 and IP traffic with priorities 0, 1, and 4-7. All the priorities used for IP traffic
are grouped into a single Priority Group ID titled “PGID 2”, and the priorities used for FCoE are
grouped into “PGID 1”.

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Priority

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

0

2

2

2

2

1

1

2

2

IP

IP

IP

IP

FCoE

FCoE

IP

IP

PGID Desc

Priority

-

1

3
2

7
6
5
4
1
0

2

-

-

40

60

-

BW%

-

FCoE

FCoE _ 40%

IP _ 60%

IP

-

-

Ye s

No

WRR

-

Desc PFC

CEE and LAN integration

3

Bandwidth requirements for each PGID are then chosen. The administrator decides to give IP
traffic 60 percent of the schedule and FCoE traffic 40 percent. Finally, since FCoE traffic requires
lossless communication, PFC is also enabled for PGID 1.

FIGURE 4 Configuring CEE attributes

For the given example, a CEE Map named “srvgroup” is created using the following syntax.

Perform the following steps in global configuration mode.

1. Define the name of the CEE map

Example of setting the CEE map name as “srvgroup”.

switch(config)#cee-map srvgroup

2. Specify the traffic requirements for each PGID using priority-group-table

Example of setting two traffic requirements.

switch(config)#priority-group-table 1 weight 40 pfc
switch(config)#priority-group-table 2 weight 60

3. The priority-table is then used to specify which priorities are mapped to which PGID. The
priorities are defined from lowest to highest.

Example of setting the priority mappings.

switch(config)#priority-table 2 2 1 1 2 2 2 2

4. Enter the copy command to save the running-config file to the startup-config file.

switch(config)#end
switch#copy running-config startup-config

Configuring DCBX

DCBX (Data Center Bridging eXchange Protocol) runs on CEE links and is an extension of the Link
Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP). The primary goal of DCBX is to allow the discovery of CEE-capable
hosts and switches and allow CEE-specific parameters—such as those for ETS and PFC—to be sent
before the link is shared. DCBX parameters use a type-length-value (TLV) format. By default, DCBX

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is turned on, but there are two TLVs that must be enabled to support FCoE on a CEE link:

• dcbx-fcoe-app-tlv – IEEE Data Center Bridging eXchange FCoE Application TLV.

• dcbx-fcoe-logical-link-tlv - IEEE Data Center Bridging eXchange FCoE Logical Link TLV. The

presence of this TLV declares that the FCoE part of the converged link is UP.

CEE and LAN integration

3

DRAFT: BROCADE CONFIDENTIAL

To configure the TLVs for DCBX, perform the following steps in global configuration mode.

1. Set the protocol type to LLDP.

switch(config)#protocol lldp

2. Activate the protocol.

switch(conf-lldp)#no disable

3. Activate the TLV formats using the advertise command in Protocol LLDP Configuration Mode.

switch(conf-lldp)#advertise dcbx-fcoe-app-tlv
switch(conf-lldp)#advertise dcbx-fcoe-logical-link-tlv

4. Enter the copy command to save the running-config file to the startup-config file.

switch(conf-lldp)#exit
switch(config)#end
switch#copy running-config startup-config

Configuring Spanning Tree Protocol

Spanning Tree Protocol is a mechanism to detect and avoid loops in Ethernet networks by
establishing a fixed path between all the switches in a LAN. The Brocade FCoE hardware supports
three spanning tree variations: Standard Spanning Tree (STP), Rapid Spanning Tree (RSTP), and
Multiple Instance Spanning Tree (MSTP).

It is best practice that an access layer switch, such as the Brocade 8000 switch, does not become
the root switch. Changing the bridge or STP priority helps to ensure that this does not occur. The
example below performed from the CEE CLI configures the Brocade 8000 switch for RSTP and sets
the bridge priority to the highest value ensuring it will not become the root switch in an existing
LAN.

To configure RSTP, perform the following steps in global configuration mode.

1. Configure the Brocade 8000 switch for RSTP.

switch(config)#protocol spanning-tree rstp

2. Set the bridge priority to the highest value so it does not become the root switch in an existing
LAN.

switch(conf-rstp)#bridge-priority 61440

3. Enter the copy command to save the running-config file to the startup-config file.

switch(conf-rstp)#exit
switch(config)#end
switch#copy running-config startup-config

Configuring VLAN Membership

IEEE 802.1q Virtual LANs (VLANs) provide the capability to overlay the physical network with
multiple virtual networks. VLANs allow network traffic isolation into separate virtual networks
reducing the size of administrative and broadcast domains.

A VLAN contains end stations that have a common set of requirements which can be in
independent physical locations. You can group end stations in a VLAN even if they are not physically
located in the same LAN segment. VLANs are typically associated with IP subnets and all the end
stations in a particular IP subnet belong to the same VLAN.

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CEE and LAN integration

3

In the sample network shown in Figure 5, there are three VLANs: VLAN 100, VLAN 10, and VLAN 20.
VLAN 10 and 20 are used to isolate the L2 traffic from the two server groups. These VLANs carry IP
traffic from the servers to the data center LAN. Any routing between these VLANs is performed at
the distribution layer of the network. VLAN 100 is a special VLAN used for FCoE traffic between the
servers and storage connected to the Fibre Channel fabric and must be configured as an FCoE
Forwarder (FCF). Only FCF-capable VLANs can carry FCoE traffic.

In addition to creating a special VLAN for FCoE traffic, VLAN classifiers are applied to incoming
EtherTypes for FCoE Initiation Protocol (FIP) and FCoE. VLAN classifiers are rules used to
dynamically classify Ethernet frames on an untagged interface to VLANs.

To configure VLAN membership, perform the following steps in global configuration mode.

1. Create the VLAN interfaces on the Brocade FCoE hardware using the CEE CLI. For details, see

“Creating a VLAN interface” on page 35.

Example of creating two VLAN interfaces and assigning each one to a server group.

switch(config)#interface vlan 10
switch-cmsh(conf-if-vl-10)#description server group 1
switch(config)#interface vlan 20
switch-cmsh(conf-if-vl-20)#description server group 2
switch(config)#interface vlan 100
switch-cmsh(conf-if-vl-100)#description FCoE VLAN
switch-cmsh(conf-if-vl-100)#fcf forward

2. Create VLAN rules and a VLAN classifier group for these two EtherTypes. For details, see

“Creating a VLAN classifier group and adding rules” on page 40.

Example of creating VLAN rules and classifier groups.

switch(config)#vlan classifier rule 1 proto fip encap ethv2
switch(config)#vlan classifier rule 2 proto fcoe encap ethv2
switch(config)#vlan classifier group 1 add rule 1
switch(config)#vlan classifier group 1 add rule 2

3. Apply the VLAN classifier group to any CEE interface. This step is optional. For details, see

“Activating a VLAN classifier group with an interface port” on page 40.

4. Enter the copy command to save the running-config file to the startup-config file.

switch(config)#end
switch#copy running-config startup-config

Configuring the CEE Interfaces

Traffic from downstream CEE interfaces can be assigned to a VLAN using several methods:

• The VLAN tag contained in the incoming frame

• The VLAN classifiers

• The Port-VLAN ID (PVID)

Because the Ethernet uplink ports from the Brocade FCoE hardware to the distribution layer
switches will carry traffic for multiple VLANs, they are configured as 802.1q trunk ports.

The downstream CEE ports connected to the server CNAs are configured as access ports with a
PVID of either 10 or 20. The VLAN classifier group created for the FIP and FCoE EtherTypes must be
applied to the interfaces in order to place FCoE traffic on the correct VLAN. The CEE map is also
applied to the interface.

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NOTE

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To configure the CEE interfaces, perform the following steps in global configuration mode.

1. Assign VLANs to the uplink Ethernet port.

You must repeat this step for all uplink interfaces. For details, see “Configuring an interface

port as a trunk interface” on page 37.

Example of assigning VLAN 10 and VLAN 20 to the uplink Ethernet port.

switch(config)#interface TenGigabitEthernet 0/1
switch(conf-if-te-0/1)#switchport
switch(conf-if-te-0/1)#switchport mode trunk
switch(conf-if-te-0/1)#switchport trunk allowed vlan add 10
switch(conf-if-te-0/1)#switchport trunk allowed vlan add 20
switch(conf-if-te-0/1)#no shutdown

2. Apply the VLAN classifier group to the interfaces. For details, see “Activating a VLAN classifier

group with an interface port” on page 40.

Example of applying a VLAN classifier group 1 to the interfaces.

switch(config)#interface TenGigabitEthernet 0/10
switch(conf-if-te-0/1)#switchport
switch(conf-if-te-0/1)#switchport mode access
switch(conf-if-te-0/1)#switchport access vlan 10
switch(conf-if-te-0/1)#vlan classifier activate group 1 vlan 100
switch(conf-if-te-0/1)#no shutdown

3. Apply the CEE map to the interfaces. For details, see “Applying a CEE provisioning map to an

interface” on page 110.

Example of setting the map name to srvgroup.

switch(conf-if-te-0/1)#cee srvgroup

4. Enter the copy command to save the running-config file to the startup-config file.

switch(conf-if-te-0/1)#exit
switch(config)#end
switch#copy running-config startup-config

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SCSI

MPIO

FC

FCoE

TCP

IP

CNA

CEE

Brocade

8000

Server connections to the Brocade 8000 switch

Server connections to the Brocade 8000 switch

Converged Network Adapters (CNAs) support FCoE and Ethernet LAN communication over the
same cable from the server to a CEE switch, such as the Brocade 8000 switch as shown in

Figure 5. The CNA is presented to the host operating system as both an Ethernet NIC and a Fibre

Channel HBA so that network configuration and server management practices do not change.

FIGURE 5 CNA protocol stack

3

The CNA supports CEE features required to support lossless connectivity and QoS of different
traffic types. Although modification of parameters is possible with some CNAs, most adapters are
set up in a “Willing” mode, meaning that they automatically accept CEE configurations for QoS and
PFC from the connected switch using the DCBX protocol.

Fibre Channel configuration for the CNA

The CNA discovers storage on the FC SAN and presents LUNs to the operating system in the same
manner as an HBA. The same multipathing software needed for high availability in a traditional
SAN can be used in a converged network.

Ethernet configuration for the CNA

Most CNAs support some type of Network Teaming or Link Aggregation protocol to allow the use of
multiple ports in parallel, to improve performance or create redundancy for higher availability. For

Minimum CEE configuration to allow FCoE traffic flow

highest availability it is always recommended that you install two CNAs into a server and connect
each to a different Brocade 8000 switch.

The following process shows the minimum configuration steps required to run FCoE on the Brocade
8000 switch. Treat the sample code for each step as a single CLI batch file.

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Minimum CEE configuration to allow FCoE traffic flow

3

To set the minimum CEE configuration, perform the following steps in global configuration mode.

1. Configure the CEE interface as a Layer 2 switch port. For details, see “Configuring an interface

port as a Layer 2 switch port” on page 36.

Example of configuring the switch port as a 10-Gigabit Ethernet interface.

switch(config)#interface tengigabitethernet 0/0
switch(config-if)#switchport
switch(config-if)#no shutdown
switch(config-if)#exit

switch(config)#end

2. Create a CEE Map to carry LAN and SAN traffic and apply it to an interface. For details, see

“Converged Enhanced Ethernet map configuration” on page 106.

Example of creating a CEE map for 10-Gigabit Ethernet interface.

switch(config)#cee-map default
switch(conf-cee-map)#priority-group-table 1 weight 40 pfc
switch(conf-cee-map)#priority-group-table 2 weight 60
switch(conf-cee-map)#priority-table 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 2
switch(conf-cee-map)#interface tengigabitethernet 0/2
switch(conf-if-te-0/2)#cee default
switch(conf-if-te-0/2)#exit

3. Create an FCoE VLAN and add an interface to it. For details, see “Configuring an interface port

as an access interface” on page 36.

Example of creating a FCoE VLAN and adding a single interface.

switch(config)#vlan classifier rule 1 proto fcoe encap ethv2
switch(config)#vlan classifier rule 2 proto fip encap ethv2
switch(config)#vlan classifier group 1 add rule 1
switch(config)#vlan classifier group 1 add rule 2
switch(config)#interface vlan 1002
switch(conf-if-vl-1002 )#fcf forward
switch(conf-if-vl-1002 )#interface tengigabitethernet 0/0
switch(config-if-te-0/0)#switchport
switch(config-if-te-0/0)#switchport mode converged
switch(config-if-te-0/0)#switchport converged allowed vlan add 1002
switch(config-if-te-0/0)#vlan classifier activate group 1 vlan 1002
switch(config-if-te-0/0)#cee default
switch(config-if-te-0/0)#no shutdown
switch(config-if-te-0/0)#exit

4. Configure LLDP for FCoE. For details, see “Configuring LLDP interface-level command options”
on page 83.

Example of configuring LLDP for 10-Gigabit Ethernet interface.

switch(config)#protocol lldp
switch(conf-lldp)#advertise dcbx-fcoe-app-tlv
switch(conf-lldp)#advertise dcbx-fcoe-logical-link-tlv

5. Enter the copy command to save the running-config file to the startup-config file.

switch(conf-lldp)#exit
switch(config)#end
switch#copy running-config startup-config

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NOTE

Chapter

Configuring VLANs Using the CEE CLI

In this chapter

•VLAN overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

•Ingress VLAN filtering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

•VLAN configuration guidelines and restrictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

•Default VLAN configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

•VLAN configuration and management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

•Configuring protocol-based VLAN classifier rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

•Configuring the MAC address table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

VLAN overview

IEEE 802.1Q Virtual LANs (VLANs) provide the capability to overlay the physical network with
multiple virtual networks. VLANs allow you to isolate network traffic between virtual networks and
reduce the size of administrative and broadcast domains.

4

A VLAN contains end stations that have a common set of requirements that are independent of
physical location. You can group end stations in a VLAN even if they are not physically located in the
same LAN segment. VLANs are typically associated with IP subnetworks and all the end stations in
a particular IP subnet belong to the same VLAN. Traffic between VLANs must be routed. VLAN
membership is configurable on a per interface basis.

The VLAN used for carrying FCoE traffic needs to be explicitly designated as the FCoE VLAN. FCoE
VLANs are configured through the CEE CLI (see “Configuring a VLAN interface to forward FCoE

traffic” on page 36).

Currently only one VLAN can be configured as the FCoE VLAN.

Ingress VLAN filtering

A frame arriving at Brocade FCoE hardware is either associated with a specific port or with a VLAN,
based on whether the frame is tagged or untagged:

• Admit tagged frames only—The port the frame came in on is assigned to a single VLAN or to

multiple VLANs depending on the VLAN ID in the frame’s VLAN tag. This is called trunk mode.

• Admit untagged frames only—These frames are assigned the port VLAN ID (PVID) assigned to

the port the frame came in on. This is called access mode.

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Ingress VLAN filtering

NOTE

Is the port

a trunk?

Assign the

frame to the

classified VLAN

Assign the

frame to the

configured PVID

Drop frame

Drop frame

Is the VLAN ID

an allowed VLAN?

Assign the frame to the

VLAN present in the VLAN ID

field of the Ethernet header

Incoming frame

on an interface

No

No

No

Ye s

Ye s

Is the port an

access interface?

No

Ye s

Ye s

Does the frame match any

of the configured VLAN classifiers

(MAC address based and

protocol based)?

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• Admit VLAN tagged and untagged frames—All tagged and untagged frames would be

processed as follows:

- All untagged frames are classified into native VLANs.

- All frames egressing are untagged for the native VLANs.

- Any tagged frames coming with a VLAN tag equal to the configured native VLAN are

processed.

- For ingress and egress, non-native VLAN tagged frames are processed according to the

allowed VLAN user specifications. This is called converged mode.

Ingress VLAN filtering is enabled by default on all Layer 2 interfaces. This ensures that VLANs are
filtered on the incoming port (depending on the user configuration).

Figure 6 displays the frame processing logic for an incoming frame.

FIGURE 6 Ingress VLAN filtering

32 Converged Enhanced Ethernet Admin istrator’s Guide

There are important facts you should know about Ingress VLAN filtering:

• Ingress VLAN filtering is based on port VLAN membership.

• Port VLAN membership is configured through the CEE CLI.

• Dynamic VLAN registration is not supported.

• The Brocade FCoE hardware does VLAN filtering at both the ingress and egress ports.

• The VLAN filtering behavior on logical Layer 2 interfaces such as LAG interfaces is the same as

• The VLAN filtering database (FDB) determines the forwarding of an incoming frame.

on port interfaces.

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VLAN configuration guidelines and restrictions

Additionally, there are important facts you should know about the VLAN FDB:

• The VLAN FDB contains information that helps determine the forwarding of an arriving frame

based on MAC address and VLAN ID data. The FDB contains both statically configured data
and dynamic data that is learned by the switch.

• The dynamic updating of FDB entries using learning is supported (if the port state permits).

• Dynamic FDB entries are not created for multicast group addresses.

• Dynamic FDB entries are aged out based on the aging time configured per Brocade FCoE

hardware. The aging time is between 10 and 1000000 seconds. The default is 300 seconds.

• You can add static MAC address entries specifying a VLAN ID. Static entries are not aged out.

• A static FDB entry overwrites an existing dynamically learned FDB entry and disables learning

of the entry going forward.

For more information on frame handling for Brocade FCoE hardware, see “Layer 2 Ethernet

overview” on page 3.

VLAN configuration guidelines and restrictions

4

Follow these VLAN configuration guidelines and restrictions when configuring VLANs.

• In an active topology, MAC addresses can be learned, per VLAN, using Independent VLAN

Learning (IVL) only.

• A MAC address ACL always overrides a static MAC address entry. In this case, the MAC address

is the forwarding address and the forwarding entry can be overwritten by the ACL.

• The Brocade CEE switch supports Ethernet DIX frames and 802.2 LLC SNAP encapsulated

frames only.

Default VLAN configuration

Tab le 6 lists the default VLAN configuration.

TABLE 6 Default VLAN configuration

Parameter Default setting

Default VLAN VLAN 1

Interface VLAN assignment All interfaces assigned to VLAN 1

VLAN state Active

MTU size 2500 bytes

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NOTE

NOTE

NOTE

NOTE

VLAN configuration and management

4

VLAN configuration and management

To see the minimum configuration required to enable FCoE on Brocade FCoE hardware, refer to

“Minimum CEE configuration to allow FCoE traffic flow” on page 29.

You need to enter either the copy running-config startup-config command or the write memory
command to save your configuration changes to Flash so that they are not lost if there is a system
reload or power outage.

Enabling and disabling an interface port

CEE interfaces are disabled by default.

CEE interfaces do not support auto-negotiation of Ethernet link speeds. The CEE interfaces only
support 10-Gigabit Ethernet.

To enable and disable an interface port, perform the following steps from Privileged EXEC mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the interface command to specify the CEE interface type and slot/port number.

Example of selecting the Ten Gigabit Ethernet port number 0/1.

switch(config)#interface tengigabitethernet 0/1

3. Enter the shutdown command to toggle the availability of the interface.

To enable the CEE interface:

switch(conf-if-te-0/1)#no shutdown

To disable the CEE interface:

switch(conf-if-te-0/1)#shutdown

Configuring the MTU on an interface port

To configure the maximum transmission unit (MTU) on an interface port, perform the following
steps from Privileged EXEC mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the interface command to specify the interface port type and slot/port number.

Example of selecting the Ten Gigabit Ethernet port number 0/1.

switch(config)#interface tengigabitethernet 0/1

3. Enter the no shutdown command to enable the interface port.

4. Enter the mtu command to specify the MTU value on the interface port.

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VLAN configuration and management

Example of setting the MTU value to 4200.

switch(conf-if-te-0/1)#mtu 4200

4

Creating a VLAN interface

On Brocade FCoE hardware, VLANs are treated as interfaces from a configuration point of view.

By default all the CEE ports are assigned to VLAN 1 (VLAN ID equals 1). The vlan_ID value can be 1
through 3583. VLAN IDs 3584 through 4094 are internally-reserved VLAN IDs.

To create a VLAN interface, perform the following steps from Privileged EXEC mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the interface vlan command to assign the VLAN interface number.

Example of assigning the VLAN interface number to “1002”.

switch(config)#interface vlan 1002

Enabling STP on a VLAN

Once all of the interface ports have been configured for a VLAN, you can enable spanning tree
protocol (STP) for all members of the VLAN with a single command. Whichever protocol is currently
selected is used by the VLAN. Only one type of STP can be active at a time.

A physical interface port can be a member of multiple VLANs. For example, a physical port can be a
member of VLAN 1002 and VLAN 55 simultaneously. In addition, VLAN 1002 can have STP enabled
and VLAN 55 can have STP disabled simultaneously.

To enable STP for a VLAN, perform the following steps from Privileged EXEC mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the protocol spanning tree command to select the type of STP for the VLAN.

Example of selecting the MSTP protocol.

switch(config)#protocol spanning tree mstp

3. Enter the interface command to select the VLAN interface number.

Example of selecting the VLAN interface number “1002”.

switch(config)#interface vlan 1002

4. Enter the spanning-tree shutdown command to enable spanning tree on VLAN 1002.

switch(conf-if-vl-1002)#no spanning-tree shutdown

Disabling STP on a VLAN

Once all of the interface ports have been configured for a VLAN, you can disable STP for all
members of the VLAN with a single command.

To disable STP for a VLAN, perform the following steps from Privileged EXEC mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the interface command to select the VLAN interface number.

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VLAN configuration and management

4

Example of selecting the VLAN interface number “55”.

switch(config)#interface vlan 55

3. Enter the spanning-tree shutdown command to disable spanning tree on VLAN 1002.

switch(conf-if-vl-55)#spanning-tree shutdown

Configuring a VLAN interface to forward FCoE traffic

An FCoE Forwarder (FCF) is an FCoE device that supports FCoE VF_ports. It is the equivalent of an
FC switch. A VLAN can be made FCF-capable. Only FCF-capable VLANs can carry FCoE traffic.

To configure a VLAN interface to forward FCoE traffic, perform the following steps from Privileged
EXEC mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the interface command to select the VLAN interface number.

Example of selecting the VLAN interface number “1002”.

switch(config)#interface vlan 1002

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3. Enter the fcf forward command to enable the forwarding of FCoE traffic on the VLAN interface.

switch(conf-if-vl-1002)#fcf forward

Configuring an interface port as a Layer 2 switch port

To configure the interface as a Layer 2 switch port, perform the following steps from Privileged
EXEC mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the interface command to specify the CEE interface type and slot/port number.

Example of selecting the Ten Gigabit Ethernet port number 0/1.

switch(config)#interface tengigabitethernet 0/1

3. Enter the no shutdown command to enable the CEE interface.

4. Enter the switchport command to configure the interface as a Layer 2 switch port.

5. Enter the do show command to confirm the status of the CEE interface. For example

switch(conf-if-te-0/1)#do show interface tengigabitethernet 0/1

6. Enter the do show command to confirm the status of the CEE interface running configuration.

switch(conf-if-te-0/1)#do show running-config interface tengigabitethernet 0/1

Configuring an interface port as an access interface

Each CEE interface port supports admission policies based on whether the frames are untagged or
tagged. Access mode admits only untagged and priority-tagged frames.

To configure the interface as an access interface, perform the following steps from Privileged EXEC
mode.

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VLAN configuration and management

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the interface command to specify the CEE interface type and slot/port number.

Example of selecting the Ten Gigabit Ethernet port number 0/1.

switch(config)#interface tengigabitethernet 0/1

3. Enter the no shutdown command to enable the CEE interface.

4. Enter the switchport command to configure the CEE interface as a Layer 2 switch port.

switch(conf-if-te-0/1)#switchport access vlan 20

4

Configuring an interface port as a trunk interface

Each CEE interface port supports admission policies based on whether the frames are untagged or
tagged. Trunk mode admits only VLAN-tagged frames.

To configure the interface as a trunk interface, perform the following steps from Privileged EXEC
mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the interface command to specify the CEE interface type and slot/port number.

Example of selecting the Ten Gigabit Ethernet port number 0/19.

switch(config)#interface tengigabitethernet 0/19

3. Enter the no shutdown command to enable the CEE interface.

4. Enter the switchport command to place the CEE interface into trunk mode.

switch(conf-if-te-0/19)#switchport mode trunk

5. Specify whether all, one, or none of the VLAN interfaces are allowed to transmit and receive
through the CEE interface. Enter the following command that is appropriate for your needs.

• This example allows the VLAN numbered as 30 to transmit/receive through the CEE

interface:

switch(conf-if-te-0/19)#switchport trunk allowed vlan add 30

• To allow all VLANs to transmit/receive through the CEE interface:

switch(conf-if-te-0/19)#switchport trunk allowed vlan all

• This example allows all except VLAN 11 to transmit/receive through the CEE interface:

switch(conf-if-te-0/19)#switchport trunk allowed vlan except 11

• To allow none of the VLANs to transmit/receive through the CEE interface:

switch(conf-if-te-0/19)#switchport trunk allowed vlan none

Disabling a VLAN on a trunk interface

To disable a VLAN on a trunk interface, perform the following steps from Privileged EXEC mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the interface command to specify the CEE interface type and slot/port number.

Example of selecting the Ten Gigabit Ethernet port number 0/10.

switch(config)#interface tengigabitethernet 0/10

3. Enter the no shutdown command to enable the CEE interface.

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Configuring protocol-based VLAN classifier rules

4

4. Enter the switchport command to place the CEE interface into trunk mode.

switch(conf-if-te-0/10)#switchport mode trunk none

Configuring an interface port as a converged interface

Each CEE interface port supports admission policies based on whether the frames are untagged or
tagged. Converged mode admits both tagged and untagged frames. Any tagged frames coming
with a VLAN tag equal to the configured native VLAN are dropped.

To configure the interface as converged interface, perform the following steps from Privileged EXEC
mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the interface command to specify the CEE interface type and slot/port number.

Example of selecting the Ten Gigabit Ethernet port number 0/1.

switch(config)#interface tengigabitethernet 0/1

3. Enter the no shutdown command to enable the CEE interface.

4. Enter the switchport command to set the tagged VLAN on the interface to 100.

switch(conf-if-te-0/1)#switchport converged allowed vlan add 100

Disabling a VLAN on a converged interface

To disable a VLAN on a converged interface, perform the following steps from Privileged EXEC
mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the interface command to specify the CEE interface type and slot/port number.

Example of selecting the Ten Gigabit Ethernet port number 0/10.

switch(config)#interface tengigabitethernet 0/10

3. Enter the no shutdown command to enable the CEE interface.

4. Enter the switchport command to place the CEE interface into converged mode.

switch(conf-if-te-0/10)#switchport mode converged none

Configuring protocol-based VLAN classifier rules

You can configure VLAN classifier rules to define specific rules for classifying frames to selected
VLANs based on protocol and MAC addresses. Sets of rules can be grouped into VLAN classifier
groups (see “Creating a VLAN classifier group and adding rules” on page 40).

VLAN classifier rules (1 through 256) are a set of configurable rules that reside in one of these
categories:

• 802.1Q protocol-based classifier rules

• Source MAC address-based classifier rules

• Encapsulated Ethernet classifier rules

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NOTE

NOTE

Configuring protocol-based VLAN classifier rules

Multiple VLAN classifier rules can be applied per interface provided the resulting VLAN IDs are
unique for the different rules.

802.1Q protocol-based VLANs apply only to untagged frames, or frames with priority tagging.

With both Ethernet-II and 802.2 SNAP encapsulated frames, the following protocol types are
supported:

4

• Ethernet hexadecimal (0x0000 through 0xffff)

• Address Resolution Protocol (ARP)

• Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE)

• FCoE Initialization Protocol (FIP)

• IP version 6 (IPv6)

For complete information on all available VLAN classifier rule options, see the Converged Enhanced
Ethernet Command Reference.

Configuring a VLAN classifier rule

To configure a protocol-based VLAN classifier rule, perform the following steps from Privileged
EXEC mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the vlan classifier rule command to configure a protocol-based VLAN classifier rule.

switch(config)#vlan classifier rule 1 proto fcoe encap ethv2

Configuring MAC address-based VLAN classifier rules

To configure a MAC address-based VLAN classifier rule, perform the following steps from Privileged
EXEC mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the vlan classifier rule command to configure a MAC address-based VLAN classifier rule.

switch(config)#vlan classifier rule 5 mac 0008.744c.7fid

Deleting a VLAN classifier rule

VLAN classifier groups (1 through 16) can contain any number of VLAN classifier rules.

To configure a VLAN classifier group and remove a VLAN classifier rule, perform the following steps
from Privileged EXEC mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Specify a VLAN classifier group and delete a rule.

switch(config)#vlan classifier group 1 delete rule 1

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NOTE

Configuring protocol-based VLAN classifier rules

4

Creating a VLAN classifier group and adding rules

VLAN classifier groups (1 through 16) can contain any number of VLAN classifier rules.

To configure a VLAN classifier group and add a VLAN classifier rule, perform the following steps
from Privileged EXEC mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Create a VLAN classifier group and add a rule.

switch(config)#vlan classifier group 1 add rule 1

Activating a VLAN classifier group with an interface port

To associate a VLAN classifier group with an interface port, perform the following steps from
Privileged EXEC mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the interface command to specify the CEE interface type and slot/port number.

Example of selecting the Ten Gigabit Ethernet port number 0/10.

switch(config)#interface tengigabitethernet 0/10

3. Enter the no shutdown command to enable the CEE interface.

4. Enter the vlan classifier command to activate and associate it with a VLAN interface (group 1
and VLAN 2 are used in this example).

switch(conf-if-te-0/10)#vlan classifier activate group 1 vlan 2

This example assumes that VLAN 2 was already created.

Clearing VLAN counter statistics

To clear VLAN counter statistics, perform the following steps from Privileged EXEC mode.

1. Enter the clear command to clear the VLAN counter statistics for the specified VLAN. The
vlan_ID value can be 1 through 3583. For example, to clear the counter for VLAN 20:

switch#clear counter interface vlan 20

Displaying VLAN information

To display VLAN information, perform the following steps from Privileged EXEC mode.

1. Enter the show interface command to display the configuration and status of the specified
interface.

Example

switch#show interface tengigabitethernet 0/10 port-channel 10 switchport

2. Enter the show vlan command to display the specified VLAN information. For example, this
syntax displays the status of VLAN 20 for all interfaces, including static and dynamic:

switch#show vlan 20 brief

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NOTE

Configuring the MAC address table

Each CEE port has a MAC address table. The MAC address table stores a number of unicast and
multicast address entries without flooding any frames. Brocade FCoE hardware has a configurable
aging timer. If a MAC address remains inactive for a specified number of seconds, it is removed
from the address table. For detailed information on how the switch handles MAC addresses in a
Layer 2 Ethernet environment, see “Layer 2 Ethernet overview” on page 3.

Specifying or disabling the aging time for MAC addresses

You can set the length of time that a dynamic entry remains in the MAC address table after the
entry is used or updated. Static address entries are never aged or removed from the table. You can
also disable the aging time. The default is 300 seconds.

To disable the aging time for MAC addresses, enter an aging time value of 0.

To specify an aging time or disable the aging time for MAC addresses, perform the following steps
from Privileged EXEC mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

Configuring the MAC address table

4

2. Enter the appropriate command based on whether you want to specify an aging time or disable
the aging time for MAC addresses:

switch(config)#mac-address-table aging-time 600

Adding static addresses to the MAC address table

To add a static address to the MAC address table, perform the following steps from Privileged EXEC
mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Add the static address 0011.2222.3333 to the MAC address table with a packet received on
VLAN 100:

switch(config)#mac-address-table static 0011.2222.3333 forward
tengigabitethernet 0/1 vlan 100

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Chapter

Configuring STP, RSTP, and MSTP using the CEE CLI

In this chapter

•STP overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

•RSTP overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

•MSTP overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

•STP, RSTP, and MSTP configuration guidelines and restrictions . . . . . . . . . 49

•Default STP, RSTP, and MSTP configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

•STP, RSTP, and MSTP configuration and management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

•Configuring STP, RSTP, or MSTP on CEE interface ports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

STP overview

The IEEE 802.1D Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) runs on bridges and switches that are

802.1D-compliant. STP prevents loops in the network by providing redundant links. If a primary link

fails, the backup link is activated and network traffic is not affected. Without STP running on the
switch or bridge, a link failure can result in a loop.

5

When the spanning tree algorithm is run, the network switches transform the real network topology
into a spanning tree topology in which any LAN in the network can be reached from any other LAN
through a unique path. The network switches recalculate a new spanning tree topology whenever
there is a change to the network topology.

For each LAN, the switches that attach to the LAN choose a designated switch that is the closest
switch to the root switch. This designated switch is responsible for forwarding all traffic to and from
the LAN. The port on the designated switch that connects to the LAN is called the designated port.

The switches decide which of their ports will be part of the spanning tree. A port is included in the
spanning tree if it is a root port or a designated port.

With STP, data traffic is allowed only on those ports that are part of the spanning tree topology.
Ports that are not part of the spanning tree topology are automatically changed to a blocking
(inactive) state. They are kept in the blocking state until there is a break in the spanning tree
topology, at which time they are automatically activated to provide a new path.

The STP interface states for every Layer 2 interface running STP are as follows:

• Blocking—The interface does not forward frames.

• Listening—The interface is identified by the spanning tree as one that should participate in

frame forwarding. This is a transitional state after the blocking state.

• Learning—The interface prepares to participate in frame forwarding.

• Forwarding—The interface forwards frames.

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STP overview

• Disabled—The interface is not participating in spanning tree because of a shutdown port, no

link on the port, or no spanning tree instance running on the port.

A port participating in spanning tree moves through these states:

• From initialization to blocking.

• From blocking to listening or to disabled.

• From listening to learning or to disabled.

• From learning to forwarding, blocking, or disabled.

• From forwarding to disabled.

The following STP features are considered optional features although you might use them in your
STP configuration:

• Root guard—For detailed information, see “Enabling the guard root” on page 59.

• PortFast BPDU guard and BPDU filter—For detailed information, see “Enabling port fast (STP)”

on page 61.

Configuring STP on Brocade FCoE hardware

The process for configuring STP on your Brocade FCoE hardware is as follows.

1. Enter Global Configuration mode.

2. Enable RSTP using the global protocol spanning-tree command. For details, see “Enabling STP,

RSTP, or MSTP” on page 51.

switch(config)#protocol spanning-tree rstp

3. Designate the root switch using the bridge-priority command. For details, see “Specifying the

bridge priority” on page 52. The range is 0 through 61440 and the priority values can be set

only in increments of 4096.

switch(conf-stp)#bridge-priority 28582

4. Enable PortFast on switch ports using the spanning-tree portfast command. For details, see

“Enabling port fast (STP)” on page 61. Note that this step is optional.

PortFast only needs to be enabled on ports that connect to workstations or PCs. Repeat these
commands for every port connected to workstations or PCs. Do not enable PortFast on ports
that connect to other switches.

switch(config)#interface tengigabitethernet 0/10
switch(conf-if-te-0/10)#spanning-tree portfast
switch(conf-if-te-0/10)#exit
switch(config)#interface tengigabitethernet 0/11
switch(conf-if-te-0/11)#spanning-tree portfast
switch(conf-if-te-0/11)#exit

Repeat these commands for every port connected to workstations or PCs.

5. Set the following ports to forwarding mode:

• All ports of the root switch

• The root port

• The designated port

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NOTE

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RSTP overview

6. Enable the guard root feature with the spanning-tree guard root command. The guard root
feature provides a way to enforce the root bridge placement in the network. For detailed
information, refer to“Enabling the guard root” on page 59. Note that this step is optional.

All other switch ports connect to other switches and bridges are automatically placed in
blocking mode.

This does not apply to ports connected to workstations or PCs; these ports remain in the
forwarding state.

7. E nt e r t he copy command to save the running-config file to the startup-config file.

When the spanning tree topology is completed, the network switches send and receive data only on
the ports that are part of the spanning tree. Data received on ports that are not part of the
spanning tree is blocked.

Brocade recommends leaving other STP variables at their default values.

For more information on STP, see “STP, RSTP, and MSTP configuration and management” on
page 51.

5

RSTP overview

RSTP is designed to be compatible and interoperate with STP. However, the advantages of the RSTP
fast reconvergence are lost when it interoperates with switches running STP.

The IEEE 802.1w Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) standard is an evolution of the 802.1D STP
standard. It provides rapid reconvergence following the failure of a switch, a switch port, or a LAN. It
provides rapid reconvergence of edge ports, new root ports, and ports connected through
point-to-point links.

The RSTP interface states for every Layer 2 interface running RSTP are as follows:

• Learning—The interface prepares to participate in frame forwarding.

• Forwarding—The interface forwards frames.

• Discarding—The interface discards frames. Note that the 802.1D disabled, blocking, and

Tab le 7 lists the interface state changes between STP and RSTP.

TABLE 7 STP versus RSTP state comparison

STP interface state RSTP interface state Is the interface included in the

Disabled Discarding No No

Blocking Discarding No No

Listening Discarding Yes No

Learning Learning Yes Yes

Forwarding Forwarding Yes Yes

listening states are merged into the RSTP discarding state. Ports in the discarding state do not
take part in the active topology and do not learn MAC addresses.

Is the interface learning MAC

active topology?

addresses?

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RSTP overview

With RSTP, the port roles for the new interface states are also different. RSTP differentiates
explicitly between the state of the port and the role it plays in the topology. RSTP uses the root port
and designated port roles defined by STP, but splits the blocked port role into backup port and
alternate port roles:

• Backup port—Provides a backup for the designated port and can only exist where two or more

ports of the switch are connected to the same LAN; the LAN where the bridge serves as a
designated switch.

• Alternate port—Serves as an alternate port for the root port providing a redundant path towards

the root bridge.

Only the root port and the designated ports are part of the active topology; the alternate and
backup ports do not participate in it.

When the network is stable, the root and the designated ports are in the forwarding state, while the
the alternate and backup ports are in the discarding state. When there is a topology change, the
new RSTP port roles allow a faster transition of an alternate port into the forwarding state.

For more information on RSTP, see “STP, RSTP, and MSTP configuration and management” on
page 51.

Configuring RSTP on Brocade FCoE hardware

The basic process for configuring RSTP on your Brocade FCoE hardware is as follows.

1. Enter Global Configuration mode.

2. Enable RSTP using the global protocol spanning-tree command. For details, see “Enabling STP,

RSTP, or MSTP” on page 51.

switch(config)#protocol spanning-tree rstp

3. Designate the root switch using the bridge-priority command. For details, see “Specifying the

bridge priority” on page 52. The range is 0 through 61440 and the priority values can be set

only in increments of 4096.

switch(conf-stp)#bridge-priority 28582

4. Configure the bridge forward delay value. For details, see “Specifying the bridge forward delay”
on page 52.

switch(conf-stp)#forward-delay 20

5. Configure the bridge maximum aging time value. For details, see “Specifying the bridge

maximum aging time” on page 53.

switch(conf-stp)#max-age 25

6. Enable the error disable timeout timer value. For details, see “Enabling the error disable

timeout timer” on page 53.

switch(conf-stp)#error-disable-timeout enable

7. Configure the error-disable-timeout interval value. For details, see “Specifying the error disable

timeout interval” on page 53.

8. switch(conf-stp)#error-disable-timeout interval 60

9. Configure the port-channel path cost. For details, see “Specifying the port-channel path cost”
on page 54.

switch(conf-stp)#port-channel path-cost custom

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NOTE

MSTP overview

10. Configure the bridge hello time value. For details, see “Specifying the bridge hello time (STP

and RSTP)” on page 54.

switch(conf-stp)#hello-time 5

11. Flush the MAC addresses from the VLAN FDB. For details, see “Flushing MAC addresses (RSTP

and MSTP)” on page 57.

switch(config)#spanning-tree tc-flush-standard

12. Enable PortFast on switch ports using the spanning-tree portfast command. For details, see

“Enabling port fast (STP)” on page 61. Note that this step is optional.

PortFast only needs to be enabled on ports that connect to workstations or PCs. Repeat these
commands for every port connected to workstations or PCs. Do not enable PortFast on ports
that connect to other switches.

switch(config)#interface tengigabitethernet 0/10
switch(conf-if-te-0/10)#spanning-tree portfast
switch(conf-if-te-0/10)#exit
switch(config)#interface tengigabitethernet 0/11
switch(conf-if-te-0/11)#spanning-tree portfast
switch(conf-if-te-0/11)#exit

5

13. Set the following ports to forwarding mode:

14. Enable the guard root feature with the spanning-tree guard root command. The guard root

15. Enter the copy command to save the running-config file to the startup-config file.

MSTP overview

Repeat these commands for every port connected to workstations or PCs.

• All ports of the root switch

• The root port

• The designated port

For details, see “Specifying the port priority” on page 61.

feature provides a way to enforce the root bridge placement in the network. For detailed
information, refer to“Enabling the guard root” on page 59. Note that this step is optional.

All other switch ports connect to other switches and bridges are automatically placed in
blocking mode.

This does not apply to ports connected to workstations or PCs; these ports remain in the
forwarding state.

switch(conf-if-te-0/1)#exit
switch(config)#end
switch#copy running-config startup-config

The IEEE 802.1s Multiple STP (MSTP) helps create multiple loop-free active topologies on a single
physical topology. MSTP enables multiple VLANs to be mapped to the same spanning tree instance
(forwarding path), which reduces the number of spanning tree instances needed to support a large
number of VLANs. Each MSTP instance has a spanning tree topology independent of other

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NOTE

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spanning tree instances. With MSTP you can have multiple forwarding paths for data traffic. A
failure in one instance does not affect other instances. With MSTP, you are able to more effectively
utilize the physical resources present in the network and achieve better load balancing of VLAN
traffic.

In MSTP mode, RSTP is automatically enabled to provide rapid convergence.

Multiple switches must be configured consistently with the same MSTP configuration to participate
in multiple spanning tree instances. A group of interconnected switches that have the same MSTP
configuration is called an MSTP region.

Brocade supports 16 MSTP instances and one MSTP region.

MSTP introduces a hierarchical way of managing switch domains using regions. Switches that
share common MSTP configuration attributes belong to a region. The MSTP configuration
determines the MSTP region where each switch resides. The common MSTP configuration
attributes are as follows:

• Alphanumeric configuration name (32 bytes)

• Configuration revision number (2 bytes)

• 4096-element table that maps each of the VLANs to an MSTP instance

Region boundaries are determined based on the above attributes. A multiple spanning tree
instance is an RSTP instance that operates inside an MSTP region and determines the active
topology for the set of VLANs mapping to that instance. Every region has a common internal
spanning tree (CIST) that forms a single spanning tree instance that includes all the switches in the
region. The difference between the CIST instance and the MSTP instance is that the CIST instance
operates across the MSTP region and forms a loop-free topology across regions, while the MSTP
instance operates only within a region. The CIST instance can operate using RSTP if all the switches
across the regions support RSTP. However, if any of the switches operate using 802.1D STP, the
CIST instance reverts to 802.1D. Each region is viewed logically as a single STP/RSTP bridge to
other regions.

Configuring MSTP on Brocade FCoE hardware

The basic process for configuring MSTP on your Brocade FCoE hardware is as follows.

1. Enter Global Configuration mode.

2. Enable MSTP using the global protocol spanning-tree command. For more details see

“Enabling STP, RSTP, or MSTP” on page 51.

switch(config)#protocol spanning-tree mstp

3. Specify the region name using the region region_name command. For more details see

“Specifying a name for an MSTP region” on page 56.

switch(conf-mstp)#region brocade1

4. Specify the revision number using the revision command. For more details see “Specifying a

revision number for an MSTP configuration” on page 56.

switch(conf-mstp)#revision 1

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STP, RSTP, and MSTP configuration guidelines and restrictions

5. Map a VLAN to an MSTP instance using the instance command. For more details see “Mapping

a VLAN to an MSTP instance” on page 55.

switch(conf-mstp)#instance 1 vlan 2, 3
switch(conf-mstp)#instance 2 vlan 4-6
switch(conf-mstp)#instance 1 priority 4096

6. Specify the maximum hops for a BPDU to prevent the messages from looping indefinitely on
the interface using the max-hops hop_count command. For more details see “Specifying the

maximum number of hops for a BPDU (MSTP)” on page 56.

switch(conf-mstp)#max-hops 25

7. E nt e r t he copy command to save the running-config file to the startup-config file.

switch(conf-mstp)#exit
switch(config)#end
switch#copy running-config startup-config

For more information on MSTP, see “STP, RSTP, and MSTP configuration and management” on
page 51.

STP, RSTP, and MSTP configuration guidelines and restrictions

5

Follow these configuration guidelines and restrictions when configuring STP, RSTP, and MSTP:

• You have to disable one form of xSTP before enabling another.

• Packet drops or packet flooding may occur if you do not enable xSTP on all devices connected

on both sides of parallel links.

• LAGs are treated as normal links and by default are enabled for STP.

• You can have 16 MSTP instances and one MSTP region.

• Create VLANs before mapping them to MSTP instances.

• The MSTP force-version option is not supported.

• For load balancing across redundant paths in the network to work, all VLAN-to-instance

mapping assignments must match; otherwise, all traffic flows on a single link.

• When you enable MSTP by using the global protocol spanning-tree mstp command, RSTP is

automatically enabled.

• For two or more switches to be in the same MSTP region, they must have the same

VLAN-to-instance map, the same configuration revision number, and the same name.

• Spanning Tree topologies must not be enabled on any direct server connections to the

front-end Ten Gigabit Ethernet ports that may run FCoE traffic. This may result in lost or
dropped FCoE logins.

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Default STP, RSTP, and MSTP configuration

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Default STP, RSTP, and MSTP configuration

Tab le 8 lists the default STP, RSTP, and MSTP configuration.

TABLE 8 Default STP, RSTP, and MSTP configuration

Parameter Default setting

Spanning-tree mode By default, STP, RSTP, and MSTP are disabled

Bridge priority 32768

Bridge forward delay 15 seconds

Bridge maximum aging time 20 seconds

Error disable timeout timer Disabled

Error disable timeout interval 300 seconds

Port-channel path cost Standard

Bridge hello time 2 seconds

Flush MAC addresses from the VLAN FDB Enabled

Tab le 9 lists the switch defaults that apply only to MSTP configurations.

TABLE 9 Default MSTP configuration

Parameter Default setting

Cisco interoperability Disabled

Switch priority (when mapping a VLAN to an
MSTP instance)

Maximum hops 20 hops

Revision number 0

32768

Tab le 10 lists the switch defaults for the 10-Gigabit Ethernet CEE interface-specific configuration.

TABLE 10 Default 10-Gigabit Ethernet CEE interface-specific configuration

Parameter Default setting

Spanning tree Disabled on the interface

Automatic edge detection Disabled

Path cost 2000

Edge port Disabled

Guard root Disabled

Hello time 2 seconds

Link type Point-to-point

Port fast Disabled

Port priority 128

CEE interface root port Allow the CEE interface to become a root port.

CEE interface BPDU restriction Restriction is disabled

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NOTE

STP, RSTP, and MSTP configuration and management

STP, RSTP, and MSTP configuration and management

To see the minimum configuration required to enable FCoE on the Brocade 8000 switch, refer to

“Minimum CEE configuration to allow FCoE traffic flow” on page 29.

You need to enter either the copy running-config startup-config command or the write memory
command to save your configuration changes to Flash so that they are not lost if there is a system
reload or power outage.

Enabling STP, RSTP, or MSTP

You enable STP to detect or avoid loops. STP is not required in a loop-free topology. You must turn
off one form of STP before turning on another form. By default, STP, RSTP, and MSTP are not
enabled.

Perform the following steps from Privileged EXEC mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

5

2. Enter the protocol command to enable STP, RSTP, or MSTP.

Example

switch(config)#protocol spanning-tree rstp

Disabling STP, RSTP, or MSTP

Using the no protocol spanning-tree command deletes the context and all the configurations defined
within the context or protocol for the interface.

To disable STP, RSTP, or MSTP, perform the following steps from Privileged EXEC mode. By default,
STP, RSTP, and MSTP are not enabled.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the protocol command to disable STP, RSTP, or MSTP.

switch(config)#no protocol spanning-tree

Shutting down STP, RSTP, or MSTP globally

To shut down STP, RSTP, or MSTP globally, perform the following steps from Privileged EXEC mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the shutdown command to globally shutdown STP, RSTP, or MSTP. The shutdown
command below works in all three modes.

switch(conf-mstp)#shutdown

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STP, RSTP, and MSTP configuration and management

5

Specifying the bridge priority

In any mode (STP, RSTP, or MSTP), use this command to specify the priority of the switch. After you
decide on the root switch, set the appropriate values to designate the switch as the root switch. If a
switch has a bridge priority that is lower than all the other switches, the other switches
automatically select the switch as the root switch.

The root switch should be centrally located and not in a “disruptive” location. Backbone switches
typically serve as the root switch because they often do not connect to end stations. All other
decisions in the network, such as which port to block and which port to put in forwarding mode, are
made from the perspective of the root switch.

Bridge protocol data units (BPDUs) carry the information exchanged between switches. When all
the switches in the network are powered up, they start the process of selecting the root switch.
Each switch transmits a BPDU to directly connected switches on a per-VLAN basis. Each switch
compares the received BPDU to the BPDU that the switch sent. In the root switch selection process,
if switch 1 advertises a root ID that is a lower number than the root ID that switch 2 advertises,
switch 2 stops the advertisement of its root ID, and accepts the root ID of switch 1. The switch with
the lowest bridge priority becomes the root switch.

Because each VLAN is in a separate broadcast domain, each VLAN must have its own root switch.

To specify the bridge priority, perform the following steps from Privileged EXEC mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the protocol command to enable STP, RSTP, or MSTP.

switch(config)#protocol spanning-tree rstp

3. Specify the bridge priority. The range is 0 through 61440 and the priority values can be set only
in increments of 4096. The default priority is 32678.

switch(conf-stp)#bridge-priority 20480

Specifying the bridge forward delay

In any mode (STP, RSTP, or MSTP), use this command to specify how long an interface remains in
the listening and learning states before the interface begins forwarding all spanning tree instances.

The range is 4 through 30 seconds. The default is 15 seconds. The following relationship should be
kept:

2*(forward_delay - 1)>=max_age>=2*(hello_time + 1)

To specify the bridge forward delay, perform the following steps from Privileged EXEC mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the protocol command to enable STP, RSTP, or MSTP.

switch(config)#protocol spanning-tree stp

3. Specify the bridge forward delay.

switch(conf-stp)#forward-delay 20

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Specifying the bridge maximum aging time

In any mode (STP, RSTP, or MSTP), use this command to control the maximum length of time that
passes before an interface saves its Bridge Protocol Data Unit (BPDU) configuration information.

When configuring the maximum aging time, the max-age setting must be greater than the
hello-time setting. The range is 6 through 40 seconds. The default is 20 seconds. The following
relationship should be kept:

2*(forward_delay - 1)>=max_age>=2*(hello_time + 1)

To specify the bridge maximum aging time, perform the following steps from Privileged EXEC mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the protocol command to enable STP, RSTP, or MSTP.

switch(config)#protocol spanning-tree stp

3. Specify the bridge maximum aging time.

switch(conf-stp)##max-age 25

Enabling the error disable timeout timer

In any mode (STP, RSTP, or MSTP), use this command to enable the timer to bring a port out of the
disabled state. When the STP BPDU guard disables a port, the port remains in the disabled state
unless the port is enabled manually. This command allows you to enable the port from the disabled
state. For details on configuring the error disable timeout interval, see “Specifying the error disable

timeout interval” on page 53.

To enable the error disable timeout timer, perform the following steps from Privileged EXEC mode.
By default, the timeout feature is disabled.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the protocol command to enable STP, RSTP, or MSTP.

switch(config)#protocol spanning-tree stp

3. Enable the error disable timeout timer.

switch(conf-stp)#error-disable-timeout enable

Specifying the error disable timeout interval

In any mode (STP, RSTP, or MSTP), use this command to specify the time in seconds it takes for an
interface to time out. The range is 10 through 1000000 seconds. The default is 300 seconds. By
default, the timeout feature is disabled.

To specify the time in seconds it takes for an interface to time out, perform the following steps from
Privileged EXEC mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the protocol command to enable STP, RSTP, or MSTP.

switch(config)#protocol spanning-tree stp

3. Specify the time in seconds it takes for an interface to time out.

switch(conf-stp)#error-disable-timeout interval 60

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Specifying the port-channel path cost

In any mode (STP, RSTP, or MSTP), use this command to specify the port-channel path cost. The
default port cost is standard. The path cost options are:

• custom—Specifies that the path cost changes according to the port-channel’s bandwidth.

• standard—Specifies that the path cost does not change according to the port-channel’s

bandwidth.

To specify the port-channel path cost, perform the following steps from Privileged EXEC mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the protocol command to enable STP, RSTP, or MSTP.

switch(config)#protocol spanning-tree stp

3. Specify the port-channel path cost.

switch(conf-stp)#port-channel path-cost custom

Specifying the bridge hello time (STP and RSTP)

In STP or RSTP mode, use this command to configure the bridge hello time. The hello time
determines how often the switch interface broadcasts hello Bridge Protocol Data Units (BPDUs) to
other devices.The range is 1 through 10 seconds. The default is 2 seconds.

When configuring the hello-time, the max-age setting must be greater than the hello-time setting.
The following relationship should be kept:

2*(forward_delay - 1)>=max_age>=2*(hello_time + 1)

To specify the bridge hello time, perform the following steps from Privileged EXEC mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the protocol command to enable STP, RSTP, or MSTP.

switch(config)#protocol spanning-tree stp

3. Specify the time range in seconds for the interval between the hello BPDUs sent on an
interface.

switch(conf-stp)#hello-time 5

Specifying the transmit hold count (RSTP and MSTP)

In RSTP and MSTP mode, use this command to configure the BPDU burst size by specifying the
transmit hold count value. The command configures the maximum number of BPDUs transmitted
per second for RSTP and MSTP before pausing for 1 second. The range is 1 through 10. The default
is 6 seconds.

To specify the transmit hold count, perform the following steps from Privileged EXEC mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Specify the transmit hold count.

switch(config)#transmit-holdcount 5

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Enabling Cisco interoperability (MSTP)

In MSTP mode, use this command to enable or disable the ability of the Brocade FCoE hardware to
interoperate with certain legacy Cisco switches. If Cisco interoperability is required on any switch in
the network, then all switches in the network must be compatible, and therefore enabled using this
command. The default is Cisco interoperability is disabled.

This command is necessary because the “version 3 length” field in the MSTP BPDU on some legacy
Cisco switches does not conform to current standards.

To enable Brocade FCoE hardware to interoperate with certain legacy Cisco switches, perform the
following steps from Privileged EXEC mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the protocol command to enable MSTP.

switch(config)#protocol spanning-tree mstp

3. Enable the ability of Brocade FCoE hardware to interoperate with certain legacy Cisco switches.

switch(conf-mstp)#cisco-interoperability enable

Disabling Cisco interoperability (MSTP)

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the protocol command to enable MSTP.

switch(config)#protocol spanning-tree mstp

3. Disable the ability of Brocade FCoE hardware to interoperate with certain legacy Cisco
switches.

switch(conf-mstp)#cisco-interoperability disable

Mapping a VLAN to an MSTP instance

In MSTP mode, use this command to map a VLAN to an MTSP instance. You can group a set of
VLANs to an instance. This command can be used only after the VLAN is created. VLAN instance
mapping is removed from the configuration if the underlying VLANs are deleted.

To map a VLAN to an MSTP instance, perform the following steps from Privileged EXEC mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the protocol command to enable MSTP.

switch(config)#protocol spanning-tree mstp

3. Map a VLAN to an MSTP instance.

switch(conf-mstp)#instance 5 vlan 4096

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Specifying the maximum number of hops for a BPDU (MSTP)

In MSTP mode, use this command to configure the maximum number of hops for a BPDU in an
MSTP region. Specifying the maximum hops for a BPDU prevents the messages from looping
indefinitely on the interface. When you change the number of hops, it affects all spanning tree
instances. The range is 1 through 40. The default is 20 hops.

To configure the maximum number of hops for a BPDU in an MSTP region, perform the following
steps from Privileged EXEC mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the protocol command to enable MSTP.

switch(config)#protocol spanning-tree mstp

3. Enter the max-hops command to configure the maximum number of hops for a BPDU in an
MSTP region.

switch(conf-mstp)#max-hops hop_count

Specifying a name for an MSTP region

In MSTP mode, use this command to assign a name to an MSTP region. The region name has a
maximum length of 32 characters and is case-sensitive.

To assign a name to an MSTP region, perform the following steps from Privileged EXEC mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the protocol command to enable MSTP.

switch(config)#protocol spanning-tree mstp

3. Enter the region command to assign a name to an MSTP region.

switch(conf-mstp)#region sydney

Specifying a revision number for an MSTP configuration

In MSTP mode, use this command to specify a revision number for an MSTP configuration. The
range is 0 through 255. The default is 0.

To specify a revision number for an MSTP configuration, perform the following steps from Privileged
EXEC mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the protocol command to enable MSTP.

switch(config)#protocol spanning-tree mstp

3. Enter the revision command to specify a revision number for an MSTP configuration.

switch(conf-mstp)#revision 17

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Flushing MAC addresses (RSTP and MSTP)

For RSTP and MSTP, use this command to flush the MAC addresses from the VLAN filtering
database (FDB). The VLAN FDB determines the forwarding of an incoming frame. The VLAN FDB
contains information that helps determine the forwarding of an arriving frame based on MAC
address and VLAN ID data (see “VLAN configuration guidelines and restrictions” on page 33).

There are two ways to flush the MAC addresses:

• Standard method—When one port receives a BPDU frame with a topology change flag, it

flushes the FDB for the other ports in the switch. If a BPDU frame with the topology change flag
is received continuously, the switch continues to flush the FDB. This behavior is the default
behavior.

• Brocade method—With this method, the FDB is only flushed for the first and last BPDU with a

topology change flag.

Both methods flush the FDB when the switch receives BPDUs with a topology change flag, but the
Brocade method causes less flushing.

To flush the MAC addresses from the VLAN FDB, perform the following steps.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the appropriate form of the spanning-tree command based on how you want to flush the
address:

• To flush the MAC address using the standard method:

switch(config)#spanning-tree tc-flush-standard

• To flush the MAC addresses from the VLAN FDB using the Brocade method:

switch(config)#no spanning-tree tc-flush-standard

Clearing spanning tree counters

In Privileged EXEC mode, use this command to clear spanning tree counters on all interfaces or on
the specified interface.

To clear spanning tree counters, perform the following steps from Privileged EXEC mode.

1. Enter the appropriate form of the clear command based on what you want to clear:

• To clear all spanning tree counters on all interfaces:

switch#clear spanning-tree counter

• To clear the spanning tree counters associated with a specific port-channel or CEE port

interface:

switch#clear spanning-tree counter interface tengigabitethernet 0/1

Clearing spanning tree-detected protocols

In Privileged EXEC mode, restart the protocol migration process (force the renegotiation with
neighboring switches) on all interfaces or on the specified interface.

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To restart the protocol migration process, perform the following tasks from Privileged EXEC mode.

1. Enter the appropriate form of the clear command based on what you want to clear:

• To clear all spanning tree counters on all interfaces:

switch#clear spanning-tree detected-protocols

• To clear the spanning tree counters associated with a specific port-channel or CEE port

interface:

switch#clear spanning-tree detected-protocols interface tengigabitethernet
0/1

Displaying STP, RSTP, and MSTP-related information

To display STP, RSTP, and MSTP-related information, perform the following tasks from Privileged
EXEC mode.

1. Enter the show spanning tree command to display all STP, RSTP, and MSTP-related information.

switch#show spanning-tree brief

Configuring STP, RSTP, or MSTP on CEE interface ports

This section details the commands for enabling and configuring STP, RSTP, or MSTP on individual
10-Gigabit Ethernet CEE interface ports on Brocade FCoE hardware.

Enabling automatic edge detection

From the CEE interface, use this command to automatically identify the edge port. The port can
become an edge port if no BPDU is received. By default, automatic edge detection is disabled.

To enable automatic edge detection on the CEE interface, perform the following steps from
Privileged EXEC mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the interface command to specify the CEE interface type and slot/port number.

switch(config)#interface tengigabitethernet 0/1

3. Enter the no shutdown command to enable the CEE interface.

4. Enter the spanning-tree command to enable automatic edge detection on the CEE interface.

switch(conf-if-te-0/1)#spanning-tree autoedge

Configuring the path cost

From the CEE interface, use this command to configure the path cost for spanning tree
calculations. The lower the path cost means there is a greater chance of the interface becoming
the root. The range is 1 through 200000000. The default path cost is 2000.

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To configure the path cost for spanning tree calculations on the CEE interface, perform the
following steps from Privileged EXEC mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the interface command to specify the CEE interface type and slot/port number.

switch(config)#interface tengigabitethernet 0/1

3. Enter the no shutdown command to enable the CEE interface.

4. Enter the spanning-tree command to configure the path cost for spanning tree calculations on
the CEE interface.

switch(conf-if-te-0/1)#spanning-tree cost cost

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Enabling a port (interface) as an edge port

From the CEE interface, use this command to enable the port as an edge port to allow the port to
quickly transition to the forwarding state. To configure a port as an edge port, follow these
guidelines:

• A port can become an edge port if no BPDU is received.

• When an edge port receives a BPDU, it becomes a normal spanning tree port and is no longer

an edge port.

• Because ports that are directly connected to end stations cannot create bridging loops in the

network, edge ports transition directly to the forwarding state and skip the listening and
learning states.

• This command is only for RSTP and MSTP. Use the spanning-tree portfast command for STP

(see “Enabling port fast (STP)” on page 61).

To enable the CEE interface as an edge port, perform the following steps from Privileged EXEC
mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the interface command to specify the CEE interface type and slot/port number.

switch(config)#interface tengigabitethernet 0/1

3. Enter the no shutdown command to enable the CEE interface.

4. Enter the spanning-tree command to enable the CEE interface as an edge port.

switch(conf-if-te-0/1)#spanning-tree edgeport bpdu-filter

Enabling the guard root

From the CEE interface, use this command to enable the guard root on the switch. The guard root
feature provides a way to enforce the root bridge placement in the network. With the guard root
enabled on an interface, the switch is able to restrict which interface is allowed to be the spanning
tree root port or the path to the root for the switch. The root port provides the best path from the
switch to the root switch. By default, guard root is disabled.

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Guard root protects the root bridge from malicious attacks and unintentional misconfigurations
where a bridge device that is not intended to be the root bridge becomes the root bridge. This
causes severe bottlenecks in the data path. Guard root ensures that the port on which it is enabled
is a designated port. If the guard root-enabled port receives a superior BPDU, it goes to a
discarding state.

To enable the guard root on a CEE interface, perform the following steps from Privileged EXEC
mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the interface command to specify the CEE interface type and slot/port number.

switch(config)#interface tengigabitethernet 0/1

3. Enter the no shutdown command to enable the CEE interface.

4. Enter the spanning-tree command to enable the guard root on a CEE interface.

switch(conf-if-te-0/1)#spanning-tree guard root

Specifying the MSTP hello time

From the CEE interface, use this command to set the time interval between BPDUs sent by the root
switch. Changing the hello-time affects all spanning tree instances.

The max-age setting must be greater than the hello-time setting (see “Specifying the bridge

maximum aging time” on page 53). The range is 1 through 10 seconds. The default is 2 seconds.

To specify the MSTP hello time on a CEE interface, perform the following steps from Privileged EXEC
mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the interface command to specify the CEE interface type and slot/port number.

switch(config)#interface tengigabitethernet 0/1

3. Enter the no shutdown command to enable the CEE interface.

4. Enter the spanning-tree command to specify the hello time on a CEE interface.

switch(conf-if-te-0/1)#spanning-tree hello-time 5

Specifying restrictions for an MSTP instance

From the CEE interface, use this command to specify restrictions on the interface for an MSTP
instance.

To specify restrictions for an MSTP instance on a CEE interface, perform the following steps.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode from Privileged
EXEC mode.

2. Enter the interface command to specify the CEE interface type and slot/port number.

switch(config)#interface tengigabitethernet 0/1

3. Enter the no shutdown command to enable the CEE interface.

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4. Enter the spanning-tree command to specify the restrictions for an MSTP instance on a CEE
interface.

switch(conf-if-te-0/1)#spanning-tree instance 5 cost 3550 restricted-tcn

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Specifying a link type

From the CEE interface, use this command to specify a link type. Specifying the point-to-point
keyword enables rapid spanning tree transitions to the forwarding state. Specifying the shared
keyword disables spanning tree rapid transitions. The default setting is point-to-point.

To specify a link type on a CEE interface, perform the following steps from Privileged EXEC mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the interface command to specify the CEE interface type and slot/port number.

switch(config)#interface tengigabitethernet 0/1

3. Enter the no shutdown command to enable the CEE interface.

4. Enter the spanning-tree command to specify the link type on the CEE interface.

switch(conf-if-te-0/1)#spanning-tree link-type shared

Enabling port fast (STP)

From the CEE interface, use this command to enable port fast on an interface to allow the interface
to quickly transition to the forwarding state. Port fast immediately puts the interface into the
forwarding state without having to wait for the standard forward time.

If you enable the portfast bpdu-guard option on an interface and the interface receives a BPDU, the
software disables the interface and puts the interface in the ERR_DISABLE state.

Use the spanning-tree edgeport command for MSTP and RSTP (see “Enabling a port (interface) as

an edge port” on page 59).

To enable port fast on the CEE interface for STP, perform the following steps from Privileged EXEC
mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the interface command to specify the CEE interface type and slot/port number.

switch(config)#interface tengigabitethernet 0/1

3. Enter the no shutdown command to enable the CEE interface.

4. Enter the spanning-tree command to enable port fast on the CEE interface.

switch(conf-if-te-0/1)#spanning-tree portfast

Specifying the port priority

From the CEE interface, use this command to specify the port priority. The range is 0 through 240
in increments of 16. The default is 128.

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To specify the port priority on the CEE interface, perform the following steps from Privileged EXEC
mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the interface command to specify the CEE interface type and slot/port number.

switch(config)#interface tengigabitethernet 0/1

3. Enter the no shutdown command to enable the CEE interface.

4. Enter the spanning-tree command to specify the port priority on the CEE interface.

switch(conf-if-te-0/1)#spanning-tree priority 32

Restricting the port from becoming a root port

From the CEE interface, use this command to restrict a port from becoming a root port. The default
is to allow the CEE interface to become a root port.

To restrict the CEE interface from becoming a root port, perform the following steps from Privileged
EXEC mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the interface command to specify the CEE interface type and slot/port number.

switch(config)#interface tengigabitethernet 0/1

3. Enter the no shutdown command to enable the CEE interface.

4. Enter the spanning-tree command to restrict the CEE interface from becoming a root port.

switch(conf-if-te-0/1)#spanning-tree restricted-role

Restricting the topology change notification

From the CEE interface, use this command to restrict the topology change notification BPDUs sent
on the interface. By default, the restriction is disabled.

To restrict the topology change notification BPDUs sent on the CEE interface, perform the following
steps from Privileged EXEC mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the interface command to specify the CEE interface type and slot/port number.

switch(config)#interface tengigabitethernet 0/1

3. Enter the no shutdown command to enable the CEE interface.

4. Enter the spanning-tree command to restrict the topology change notification BPDUs sent on
the CEE interface.

switch(conf-if-te-0/1)#spanning-tree restricted-tcn

Enabling spanning tree

From the CEE interface, use this command to enable spanning tree on the CEE interface. By
default, spanning tree is disabled.

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To enable spanning tree on the CEE interface, perform the following steps from Privileged EXEC
mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the interface command to specify the CEE interface type and slot/port number.

switch(config)#interface tengigabitethernet 0/1

3. Enter the no shutdown command to enable the CEE interface.

4. Enter the spanning-tree command to enable spanning tree on the CEE interface.

switch(conf-if-te-0/1)#no spanning-tree shutdown

Disabling spanning tree

From the CEE interface, use this command to disable spanning tree on the CEE interface. By
default, spanning tree is disabled.

To enable spanning tree on the CEE interface, perform the following steps from Privileged EXEC
mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

5

2. Enter the interface command to specify the CEE interface type and slot/port number.

switch(config)#interface tengigabitethernet 0/1

3. Enter the no shutdown command to enable the CEE interface.

4. Enter the spanning-tree command to enable spanning tree on the CEE interface.

switch(conf-if-te-0/1)#spanning-tree shutdown

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Chapter

Configuring Link Aggregation using the CEE CLI

In this chapter

•Link aggregation overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

•LACP configuration guidelines and restrictions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

•Default LACP configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

•LACP configuration and management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

•LACP troubleshooting tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Link aggregation overview

Link aggregation allows you to bundle multiple physical Ethernet links to form a single logical trunk
providing enhanced performance and redundancy. The aggregated trunk is referred to as a Link
Aggregation Group (LAG). The LAG is viewed as a single link by connected devices, the spanning
tree protocol, IEEE 802.1Q VLANs, and so on. When one physical link in the LAG fails, the other
links stay up and there is no disruption to traffic.

6

To configure links to form a LAG, the physical links must be the same speed and all links must go to
the same neighboring device. Link aggregation can be done by manually configuring the LAG or by
dynamically configuring the LAG using the IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP).

The LAG or LAG interface is also referred to as a port-channel.

The benefits of link aggregation are summarized as follows:

• Increased bandwidth. The logical bandwidth can be dynamically changed as the demand

changes.

• Increased availability.

• Load sharing.

• Rapid configuration and reconfiguration.

The Brocade FCoE hardware supports the following trunk types:

• Static, standards-based LAG.

• Dynamic, standards-based LAG using LACP.

• Static, Brocade-proprietary LAG.

• Dynamic, Brocade-proprietary LAG using proprietary enhancements to LACP.

Link Aggregation Group configuration

You can configure a maximum of 24 Link Aggregation Groups (LAG) with up to 16 links per standard
LAG and four links per Brocade-proprietary LAG. Each LAG is associated with an aggregator. The
aggregator manages the Ethernet frame collection and distribution functions.

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On each port, link aggregation control:

• Maintains configuration information to control port aggregation.

• Exchanges configuration information with other devices to form LAGs.

• Attaches ports to and detaches ports from the aggregator when they join or leave a LAG.

• Enables or disables an aggregator’s frame collection and distribution functions.

Each link in the Brocade FCoE hardware can be associated with a LAG; a link cannot be associated
with more than one LAG. The process of adding and removing links to and from a LAG is controlled
either statically, dynamically, or through LACP.

Each LAG consists of the following components:

• A MAC address that is different from the MAC addresses of the LAG’s individual member links.

• An interface index for each link to identify the link to neighboring devices.

• An administrative key for each link. Only links having the same administrative key value can be

aggregated into a LAG. On each link configured to use LACP, LACP automatically configures an
administrative key value equal to the port-channel identification number.

Figure 7 and Figure 8 show typical IP SAN configurations using LAGs. In a data center the Brocade

8000 switch fits into the top-of-the-rack use case where all the servers in a rack are connected to
the Brocade 8000 switch through Twinax copper or optical fiber cable. The database server layer
connects to the top-of-the-rack Brocade 8000 switch which is located in the network access layer.

The Brocade 8000 switch connects to Layer 2/Layer 3 aggregation routers which provide access
into the existing LAN. This connectivity is formed in a standard V-design or square-design. Both
designs use the LAG as the uplink to provide redundancy and improved bandwidth.

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Data Center Core

Brocade 8000

Switch

Brocade 8000

Switch

Data Center Network

Core Layer

Data Center Network

Aggregation Layer

Data Center Network

Access Layer

(Brocade 8000s)

Data Center Database

Server Layer

Servers Servers

Router Router

Data Center Core

Brocade 8000

Switch

Brocade 8000

Switch

Data Center Network

Core Layer

Data Center Network

Aggregation Layer

Data Center Network

Access Layer

(Brocade 8000s)

Data Center Database

Server Layer

Servers Servers

Router Router

Link aggregation overview

6

The Brocade 8000 switch interoperates with all of the major Layer 2/Layer 3 aggregation routers
including Foundry Networks, Cisco Systems, and Force10 Networks.

FIGURE 7 Configuring LAGs for a top-of-the-rack CEE switch—Example 1

FIGURE 8 Configuring LAGs for a top-of-the-rack CEE switch—Example 2

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Link Aggregation Control Protocol

Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) is an IEEE 802.3ad standards-based protocol that allows
two partner systems to dynamically negotiate attributes of physical links between them to form
logical trunks. LACP determines whether a link can be aggregated into a LAG. If a link can be
aggregated into a LAG, LACP puts the link into the LAG. All links in a LAG inherit the same
administrative characteristics. LACP operates in two modes:

• Passive mode—LACP responds to Link Aggregation Control Protocol Data Units (LACPDUs)

initiated by its partner system but does not initiate the LACPDU exchange.

• Active mode—LACP initiates the LACPDU exchange regardless of whether the partner system

sends LACPDUs.

Dynamic link aggregation

Dynamic link aggregation uses LACP to negotiate which links can be added and removed from a
LAG. Typically, two partner systems sharing multiple physical Ethernet links can aggregate a
number of those physical links using LACP. LACP creates a LAG on both partner systems and
identifies the LAG by the LAG ID. All links with the same administrative key and all links that are
connected to the same partner switch become members of the LAG. LACP continuously exchanges
LACPDUs to monitor the health of each member link.

Static link aggregation

In static link aggregation, links are added into a LAG without exchanging LACPDUs between the
partner systems. The distribution and collection of frames on static links is determined by the
operational status and administrative state of the link.

Brocade-proprietary aggregation

Brocade-proprietary aggregation is similar to standards-based link aggregation but differs in how
the traffic is distributed. It also has additional rules that member links must meet before they are
aggregated:

• The most important rule requires that there is not a significant difference in the length of the

fiber between the member links, and that all member links are part of the same port-group.
The ports that belong to port-group 1, port-group 2, and port-group 3 are te0/0 to te0/7, te0/8
to te0/15, and te0/16 to te0/23, respectively.

• A maximum of four Brocade LAGs can be created per port-group.

LAG distribution process

The LAG aggregator is associated with the collection and distribution of Ethernet frames. The
collection and distribution process is required to guarantee the following:

• Inserting and capturing control PDUs.

• Restricting the traffic of a given conversation to a specific link.

• Load balancing between individual links.

• Handling dynamic changes in LAG membership.

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LACP configuration guidelines and restrictions

LACP configuration guidelines and restrictions

This section applies to standards-based and Brocade-proprietary LAG configurations except where
specifically noted otherwise.

Follow these LACP configuration guidelines and restrictions when configuring LACP:

• All ports on the Brocade FCoE hardware can operate only in full-duplex mode.

• QoS—In the Fabric OS version 6.4.0 release, QoS commands for a LAG need to be specified on

each LAG member link, instead of on the logical LAG interface (port-group). Additionally, the
QoS commands specified on each LAG member link need to be the same on each link.

• Brocade-proprietary LAGs only—All LAG member links need to be part of the same port-group.

• Switchport interfaces—Interfaces configured as “switchport” interfaces cannot be aggregated

into a LAG. However, a LAG can be configured as a switchport.

Default LACP configuration

Tab le 11 lists the default LACP configuration.

6

TABLE 11 Default LACP configuration

Parameter Default setting

System priority 32768

Port priority 32768

Timeout Long (standard LAG) and short (Brocade LAG)

LACP configuration and management

You need to enter either the copy running-config startup-config command or the write memory
command to save your configuration changes to Flash memory so that they are not lost if there is a
system reload or power outage.

To see the minimum configuration required to enable FCoE on the Brocade 8000 switch, refer to

“Minimum CEE configuration to allow FCoE traffic flow” on page 29.

Enabling LACP on a CEE interface

To add additional interfaces to an existing LAG, repeat this procedure using the same LAG group
number for the new interfaces.

To enable LACP on a CEE interface, perform the following steps from Privileged EXEC mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the interface command to specify the CEE interface type and slot/port number.

Example

switch(config)#interface tengigabitethernet 0/1

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3. Enter the no shutdown command to enable the CEE interface.

4. Enter the channel-group command to configure the LACP for the CEE interface.

Example

switch(conf-if)#channel-group 4 mode active type brocade

Configuring the LACP system priority

You configure an LACP system priority on each switch running LACP. LACP uses the system priority
with the switch MAC address to form the system ID and also during negotiation with other switches.

The system priority value must be a number in the range of 1 through 65535. The higher the
number, the lower the priority. The default priority is 32768.

To configure the global LACP system priority, perform the following steps from Privileged EXEC
mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Specify the LACP system priority.

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Example

switch(config)#lacp system-priority 25000

Configuring the LACP timeout period on a CEE interface

The LACP timeout period indicates how long LACP waits before timing out the neighboring device.
The short timeout period is 3 seconds and the long timeout period is 90 seconds. The default is
long.

To configure the LACP timeout period on a CEE interface, perform the following steps from
Privileged EXEC mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter the interface command to specify the CEE interface type and slot/port number.

Example of selecting the Ten Gigabit Ethernet port number 0/1.

switch(config)#interface tengigabitethernet 0/1

3. Enter the no shutdown command to enable the CEE interface.

4. Specify the LACP timeout period for the CEE interface.

Example

switch(conf-if-te-0/1)#lacp timeout short

Clearing LACP counter statistics on a LAG

To clear LACP counter statistics, perform the following task from Privileged EXEC mode.

1. Enter the clear command to clear the LACP counter statistics for the specified LAG group
number.

Example of clearing counter statistics on LAG group 42

switch#clear lacp 42 counters

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Clearing LACP counter statistics on all LAG groups

To clear LACP counter statistics, perform the following task from Privileged EXEC mode.

1. Enter the clear command to clear the LACP counter statistics for all LAG groups.

switch#clear lacp counters

Displaying LACP information

Use the show command to display LACP statistics and configuration information. See the
Converged Enhanced Ethernet Command Reference for information.

LACP troubleshooting tips

To troubleshoot problems with your LACP configuration, use the following troubleshooting tips.

If a standard IEEE 802.3ad-based dynamic trunk is configured on a link and the link is not able to
join the LAG:

• Make sure that both ends of the link are configured as standard for the trunk type.

• Make sure that both ends of the link are not configured for passive mode. They must be

configured as either active/active, active/passive, or passive/active.

• Make sure that the port-channel interface is in the administrative “up” state by ensuring that

the no shutdown command was entered on the interface on both ends of the link.

• Make sure that the links that are part of the LAG are connected to the same neighboring

switch.

• Make sure that the system ID of the switches connected by the link is unique. This can be

verified by entering the show lacp sys-id command on both switches.

• Make sure that LACPDUs are being received and transmitted on both ends of the link and that

there are no error PDUs. This can be verified by entering the show lacp counters
port-channel-num command and looking at the receive mode (rx) and transmit mode (tx)
statistics. The statistics should be incrementing and should not be at zero or a fixed value. If
the PDU rx count is not incrementing, check the interface for possible CRC errors by entering
the show interface link-name command on the neighboring switch. If the PDU tx count is not
incrementing, check the operational status of the link by entering the show interface link-name
command and verifying that the interface status is “up.”

If a Brocade-based dynamic trunk is configured on a link and the link is not able to join the LAG:

LACP troubleshooting tips

6

• Make sure that both ends of the link are configured as Brocade for trunk type.

• Make sure that both ends of the link are not configured for passive mode. They must be

configured as either active/active, active/passive, or passive/active.

• Make sure that the port-channel interface is in the administrative “up” state by ensuring that

the no shutdown command was entered on the interface on both ends of the link.

• Make sure that the links that are part of the LAG are connected to the same neighboring

switch.

• Make sure that the system ID of the switches connected by the link is unique. This can be

verified by entering the show lacp sys-id command on both switches.

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• Make sure that LACPDUs are being received and transmitted on both ends of the link and

there are no error PDUs. This can be verified by entering the show lacp port-channel-num
counters command and looking at the rx and tx statistics. The statistics should be
incrementing and should not be at zero or a fixed value. If the PDU rx count is not
incrementing, check the interface for possible CRC errors by entering the show interface
link-name command on the neighboring switch.

• Make sure that the fiber length of the link has a deskew value of 7 microseconds. If it does not,

the link will not be able to join the LAG and the following RASLOG message is generated:

Deskew calculation failed for link <link-name>.

When a link has this problem, the show port-channel command displays the following:

Mux machine state : Deskew not OK.

If a Brocade-based static trunk is configured on a link and the link is not able to join the LAG:

• Make sure that both ends of the link are configured as Brocade for trunk type and verify that

the mode is “on.”

• Make sure that the port-channel interface is in the administrative “up” state by ensuring that

the no shutdown command was entered on the interface on both ends of the link.

If a standards-based static trunk is configured on a link and the link is not able to join the LAG:

• Make sure that both ends of the link are configured as standard for trunk type and verify that

the mode is “on.”

• Make sure that the port-channel interface is in the administrative “up” state by ensuring that

the no shutdown command was entered on the interface on both ends of the link.

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NOTE

Chapter

Configuring LLDP using the CEE CLI

In this chapter

•LLDP overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

•Layer 2 topology mapping. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

•DCBX overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

•DCBX interaction with other vendor devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

•LLDP configuration guidelines and restrictions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

•Default LLDP configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

•LLDP configuration and management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

LLDP overview

The IEEE 802.1AB Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) enhances the ability of network
management tools to discover and maintain accurate network topologies and simplify LAN
troubleshooting in multi-vendor environments. To efficiently and effectively operate the various
devices in a LAN you must ensure the correct and valid configuration of the protocols and
applications that are enabled on these devices. With Layer 2 networks expanding dramatically, it is
difficult for a network administrator to statically monitor and configure each device in the network.

7

Using LLDP, network devices such as routers and switches advertise information about themselves
to other network devices and store the information they discover. Details such as device
configuration, device capabilities, and device identification are advertised. LLDP defines the
following:

• A common set of advertisement messages.

• A protocol for transmitting the advertisements.

• A method for storing the information contained in received advertisements.

LLDP runs over the data-link layer which allows two devices running different network layer protocols
to learn about each other.

LLDP information is transmitted periodically and stored for a finite period. Every time a device
receives an LLDP advertisement frame, it stores the information and initializes a timer. If the timer
reaches the time to live (TTL) value, the LLDP device deletes the stored information ensuring that
only valid and current LLDP information is stored in network devices and is available to network
management systems.

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Layer 2 topology mapping

7

Layer 2 topology mapping

The LLDP protocol lets network management systems accurately discover and model Layer 2
network topologies. As LLDP devices transmit and receive advertisements, the devices store
information they discover about their neighbors. Advertisement data such as a neighbor's
management address, device type, and port identification is useful in determining what
neighboring devices are in the network.

Brocade’s LLDP implementation supports a one-to-one connection. Each interface has one and only
one neighbor.

The higher level management tools, such as Brocade’s DCFM, can query the LLDP information to
draw Layer 2 physical topologies. The management tools can continue to query a neighboring
device through the device’s management address provided in the LLDP information exchange. As
this process is repeated, the complete Layer 2 topology is mapped.

In LLDP the link discovery is achieved through the exchange of link-level information between two
link partners. The link-level information is refreshed periodically to reflect any dynamic changes in
link-level parameters. The basic format for exchanging information in LLDP is in the form of a type,
length, value (TLV) field.

LLDP keeps a database for both local and remote configurations. The LLDP standard currently
supports three categories of TLVs. Brocade’s LLDP implementation adds a proprietary Brocade
extension TLV set. The four TLV sets are described as follows:

• Basic management TLV set. This set provides information to map the Layer 2 topology and

includes the following TLVs:

- Chassis ID TLV—Provides the ID for the switch or router where the port resides. This is a

mandatory TLV.

- Port description TLV—Provides a description of the port in an alphanumeric format. If the

LAN device supports RFC-2863, the port description TLV value equals the “ifDescr” object.
This is a mandatory TLV.

- System name TLV—Provides the system-assigned name in an alphanumeric format. If the

LAN device supports RFC-3418, the system name TLV value equals the “sysName” object.
This is an optional TLV.

- System description TLV—Provides a description of the network entity in an alphanumeric

format. This includes system name, hardware version, operating system, and supported
networking software. If the LAN device supports RFC-3418, the value equals the
“sysDescr” object. This is an optional TLV.

- System capabilities TLV—Indicates the primary functions of the device and whether these

functions are enabled in the device. The capabilities are indicated by two octets. The first
octet indicates Other, Repeater, Bridge, WLAN AP, Router, Telephone, DOCSIS cable device,
and Station, respectively. The second octet is reserved. This is an optional TLV.

- Management address TLV—Indicates the addresses of the local switch. Remote switches

can use this address to obtain information related to the local switch. This is an optional
TLV.

• IEEE 802.1 organizational TLV set. This set provides information to detect mismatched settings

between local and remote devices. A trap or event can be reported once a mismatch is
detected. This is an optional TLV. This set includes the following TLVs:

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Layer 2 topology mapping

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- Port VLANID TLV—Indicates the port VLAN ID (PVID) that is associated with an untagged or

priority tagged data frame received on the VLAN port.

- PPVLAN ID TLV—Indicates the port- and protocol--based VLAN ID (PPVID) that is associated

with an untagged or priority tagged data frame received on the VLAN port. The TLV
supports a “flags” field that indicates whether the port is capable of supporting port- and
protocol-based VLANs (PPVLANs) and whether one or more PPVLANs are enabled. The
number of PPVLAN ID TLVs in a Link Layer Discovery Protocol Data Unit (LLDPDU)
corresponds to the number of the PPVLANs enabled on the port.

- VLAN name TLV—Indicates the assigned name of any VLAN on the device. If the LAN device

supports RFC-2674, the value equals the “dot1QVLANStaticName” object. The number of
VLAN name TLVs in an LLDPDU corresponds to the number of VLANs enabled on the port.

- Protocol identity TLV—Indicates the set of protocols that are accessible at the device's port.

The protocol identity field in the TLV contains a number of octets after the Layer 2 address
that can enable the receiving device to recognize the protocol. For example, a device that
wishes to advertise the spanning tree protocol includes at least eight octets: 802.3 length
(two octets), LLC addresses (two octets), 802.3 control (one octet), protocol ID (two octets),
and the protocol version (one octet).

• IEEE 802.3 organizational TLV set. This is an optional TLV set. This set includes the following

TLVs:

- MAC/PHY configuration/status TLV—Indicates duplex and bit rate capabilities and the

current duplex and bit rate settings of the local interface. It also indicates whether the
current settings were configured through auto-negotiation or through manual
configuration.

- Power through media dependent interface (MDI) TLV—Indicates the power capabilities of

the LAN device.

- Link aggregation TLV—Indicates whether the link (associated with the port on which the

LLDPDU is transmitted) can be aggregated. It also indicates whether the link is currently
aggregated and provides the aggregated port identifier if the link is aggregated.

- Maximum Ethernet frame size TLV—Indicates the maximum frame size capability of the

device’s MAC and PHY implementation.

• Brocade extension TLV set. This set is used to identify vendor-specific information. This set

includes the following TLVs:

- Link Vendor/Version TLV—Indicates the vendor for the switch, host, or router where the

port resides.

- Primitive supported/version TLV—Indicates where the link-level primitives are supported (if

supported) and the link-level primitive version.

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DCBX overview

Storage traffic requires a lossless communication which is provided by CEE. The Data Center
Bridging (DCB) Capability Exchange Protocol (DCBX) is used to exchange CEE-related parameters
with neighbors to achieve more efficient scheduling and a priority-based flow control for link traffic.

DCBX uses LLDP to exchange parameters between two link peers; DCBX is built on the LLDP
infrastructure for the exchange of information. DCBX-exchanged parameters are packaged into
organizationally specific TLVs. The DCBX protocol requires an acknowledgement from the other
side of the link, therefore LLDP is turned on in both transmit and receive directions. DCBX requires
version number checking for both control TLVs and feature TLVs.

DCBX interacts with other protocols and features as follows:

• LLDP—LLDP is run in parallel with other Layer 2 protocols such as RSTP and LACP. DCBX is built

• QoS management—DCBX capabilities exchanged with a link partner are passed down to the

The DCBX standard is subdivided into two features sets:

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on the LLDP infrastructure to communicate capabilities supported between link partners. The
DCBX protocol and feature TLVs are treated as a superset of the LLDP standard.

QoS management entity to set up the Brocade FCoE hardware to control the scheduling and
priority-based flow control in the hardware.

• “Enhanced Transmission Selection (ETS)”

• “Priority Flow Control (PFC)”

Enhanced Transmission Selection (ETS)

In a converged network, different traffic types affect the network bandwidth differently. The
purpose of ETS is to allocate bandwidth based on the different priority settings of the converged
traffic. For example, Inter-process communications (IPC) traffic can use as much bandwidth as
needed and there is no bandwidth check; LAN and SAN traffic share the remaining bandwidth.

Tab le 12 displays three traffic groups: IPC, LAN, and SAN. ETS allocates the bandwidth based on

traffic type and also assigns a priority to the three traffic types as follows: Priority 7 traffic is
mapped to priority group 0 which does not get a bandwidth check, priority 2 and priority 3 are
mapped to priority group 1, priorities 6, 5, 4, 1 and 0 are mapped to priority group 2.

The priority settings shown in Tab le 12 are translated to priority groups in the Brocade FCoE
hardware.

TABLE 12 ETS priority grouping of IPC, LAN, and SAN traffic

Priority Priority group Bandwidth check

70 No

62 Yes

52 Yes

42 Yes

31 Yes

21 Yes

12 Yes

02 Yes

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DCBX interaction with other vendor devices

Priority Flow Control (PFC)

With PFC, it is important to provide lossless frame delivery for certain traffic classes while
maintaining existing LAN behavior for other traffic classes on the converged link. This differs from
the traditional 802.3 PAUSE type of flow control where the pause affects all traffic on an interface.

PFC is defined by a one-byte bitmap. Each bit position stands for a user priority. If a bit is set, the
flow control is enabled in both directions (Rx and Tx).

DCBX interaction with other vendor devices

When the Brocade FCoE hardware interacts with other vendor devices, the other vendor devices
might not have support for the same DCBX version as the Brocade FCoE hardware.

The Brocade FCoE hardware supports two DCBX versions:

• CEE version (1.0.1)—Based on the CEE standard.

• Pre-CEE version.

To accommodate the different DCBX versions, the Brocade FCoE hardware provides the following
options.

7

• Auto-sense (plug and play)

This is the default. The Brocade FCoE hardware detects the version used by the link neighbor
and automatically switches between the CEE version and the pre-CEE version.

• CEE version

Forces the use of the CEE version for the link (auto-sense is off).

• Pre-CEE version

Forces the use of the pre-CEE version for the link (auto-sense is off).

LLDP configuration guidelines and restrictions

Follow these LLDP configuration guidelines and restrictions when configuring LLDP:

• Brocade’s implementation of LLDP supports Brocade-specific TLV exchange in addition to the

standard LLDP information.

• Mandatory TLVs are always advertised.

• The exchange of LLDP link-level parameters is transparent to the other Layer 2 protocols. The

LLDP link-level parameters are reported by LLDP to other interested protocols.

DCBX configuration simply involves configuring DCBX-related TLVs to be advertised. Detailed
information is provided in the “LLDP configuration and management” on page 78.

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Default LLDP configuration

7

Default LLDP configuration

Tab le 13 lists the default LLDP configuration.

TABLE 13 Default LLDP configuration

Parameter Default setting

LLDP global state Enabled

LLDP receive Enabled

LLDP transmit Enabled

Transmission frequency of LLDP updates 30 seconds

Hold time for receiving devices before discarding 120 seconds

DCBX-related TLVs to be advertised dcbx-tlv

LLDP configuration and management

You need to enter either the copy running-config startup-config command or the write memory
command to save your configuration changes to Flash so that they are not lost if there is a system
reload or power outage.

Enabling LLDP globally

The protocol lldp command enables LLDP globally on all interfaces unless it has been specifically
disabled on an interface. LLDP is globally enabled by default.

To enable LLDP globally, perform the following steps from Privileged EXEC mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Enter LLDP configuration mode.

switch(config)#protocol lldp

Disabling and resetting LLDP globally

The protocol lldp command returns all configuration settings made using the protocol lldp
commands to their default settings. LLDP is globally enabled by default.

To disable and reset LLDP globally, perform the following steps from Privileged EXEC mode.

1. Enter the configure terminal command to access global configuration mode.

2. Disable LLDP globally.

switch(config)#no protocol lldp

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