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BCFP in a Nutshell
Study Guide for Exam 143-050
Revision July 2007

Exam Preparation Materials

Brocade Education Services

©2007 Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. Revision Feb 2007
Education

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BCFP IN A NUTSHELL 4 GBIT/SEC EDITION

Welcome to this BCFP in a Nutshell 4 Gbit/sec Edition study aid.

Objective: We've put together this guide is to help you prepare for the BCFP certification exam
number 143-050. We’ve added some additional items to help you even more.

Audience: This self-study guide is targeted for those who have attended CFP 264 Brocade 4
Gbit/sec Accelerated BCFP BLS course, and who wish to undertake self-study or review activities
before taking the actual BCFP test. It is also for those individuals who do not have the time to attend
the formal training, but who still wish to be certified as a BCFP. This guide is aimed at anyone who
works with Brocade products and is proficient in their knowledge of the features and functionality as
well as the day-to-day operations of. It is not intended as a substitute for classroom training, and
hands-on time. We still highly recommend you attend CFP 264 Brocade 4 Gbit/sec Accelerated
BCFP BLS.

Usage: This guide summarizes the key topics on the BCFP exam for you in an easy to use format. It
is organized closely around the exam objectives. Use the Table of Contents, List of Tables and List
of Figures to quickly jump to a given area. We also suggest this guide be used in conjunction with
our free online knowledge assessment test, CFP 265 BCFP Knowledge Assessment.

We hope you find this useful in your journey towards BCFP Certification, and we welcome your
feedback.

Helen Lautenschlager Joe Cannata

Director of Education Services Certification Manager

© 2007 Brocade Communications Systems, Incorporated.

Page 1 of 39
BCFP IN A NUTSHELL 4 GBIT/SEC EDITION

TABLE OF CONTENTS
List of Tables ................................................................................................................................4
List of Figures ...............................................................................................................................5
1 Fibre Channel Concepts..........................................................................................................6
1.1 Decoding 24-bit address components.................................................................................6
1.2 Selection of Routes...........................................................................................................7
1.3 Fibre Channel Classes of Service .......................................................................................8
1.4 Port Initialization Sequences, Topologies and Characteristics ................................................8
1.5 Principal Switches ..........................................................................................................10
2 Switch, Fabric OS and licensed features .................................................................................11
2.1 Output From Key Fabric OS Commands ...........................................................................11
2.2 Components and Functions of FRUs..................................................................................11
2.3 Zoning Concepts and Implementation ..............................................................................13
2.4 Zone Usage Related to Zone Merge Operations and I/O...................................................14
2.5 Trunking Concepts .........................................................................................................16
2.6 Long Distance Fabric Technologies ..................................................................................17
2.7 Licensed Products...........................................................................................................18
3 SAN Hardware Components .................................................................................................19
3.1 Fibre Channel Cables and Transceivers............................................................................19
4 Initial Configuration ..............................................................................................................20
4.1 Switch Installation and Initial Configuration Steps ..............................................................20
4.2 Port-specific Configurations .............................................................................................20
4.3 Switch Configuration and Capturing a Baseline Configuration ............................................21
4.4 Verifying the Switch Configuration...................................................................................22
4.5 Validating Device Connectivity ........................................................................................23
5 Management Interfaces.........................................................................................................24
5.1 Adding an Initiator And Target Pair .................................................................................24
5.2 Fabric OS Tools to Monitor a Switch or Fabric ..................................................................25
5.3 PID Formats...................................................................................................................27
5.4 Maintenance Operation Impacts......................................................................................28
6 Security and Access Control ..................................................................................................29
6.1 Security Benefits and Implementation Requirements ............................................................29

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BCFP IN A NUTSHELL 4 GBIT/SEC EDITION

6.2 Administering Multiple User Accounts...............................................................................30

6.3 Security-related Base Fabric OS Features ..........................................................................30
7 Troubleshooting ...................................................................................................................32
7.1 Determining the Operational Status of a Brocade Product...................................................32
7.2 Troubleshooting Connectivity Issues..................................................................................33
7.3 Relevant Tools for Problem Escalation...............................................................................34
8 Taking the Test .....................................................................................................................36

© 2007 Brocade Communications Systems, Incorporated.

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BCFP IN A NUTSHELL 4 GBIT/SEC EDITION

LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Routing Commands ..........................................................................................................7
Table 2: Classes of Service ............................................................................................................8
Table 3: Brocade Switch States ....................................................................................................10
Table 4: Commands to Troubleshoot Fabric Segmentation ...............................................................11
Table 5: Commands to Determine the Switch WWN ......................................................................11
Table 6: Brocade Director Blade Support.......................................................................................11
Table 7: FRU Status Commands ....................................................................................................12
Table 8: Zoning Enforcement Type................................................................................................13
Table 9: Zone Member Definitions ................................................................................................13
Table 10: Zoning Transaction Commands......................................................................................14
Table 11: Segmentation Errors .....................................................................................................15
Table 12: RSCN Suppression .......................................................................................................15
Table 13: portcfglondistance Settings ..................................................................................17
Table 14: Distance Limitations by Speed .......................................................................................19
Table 15: Port Management Commands........................................................................................20
Table 16: Switch Configuration Management Commands ...............................................................21
Table 17: System Support Commands ...........................................................................................21
Table 18: Ethernet Port Management Commands ...........................................................................22
Table 19: Switch Configuration Display Commands .......................................................................22
Table 20: Device Connectivity Commands.....................................................................................23
Table 21: Fabric Watch Information .............................................................................................26
Table 22: Fabric Watch Events.....................................................................................................27
Table 23: Extended Edge PID Format ............................................................................................28
Table 24: SSL Certificate Files ......................................................................................................29
Table 25: Commands to Diagnose Physical Switch Connectivity.......................................................32
Table 26: Commands to Diagnose Routing Issues ...........................................................................32
Table 27: FC Router Commands ...................................................................................................33
Table 28: portcmd Command ....................................................................................................33
Table 29: Switch Data Collection Commands.................................................................................34

© 2007 Brocade Communications Systems, Incorporated.

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BCFP IN A NUTSHELL 4 GBIT/SEC EDITION

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Fibre Channel Network Addressing...................................................................................6
Figure 2: Brocade 48000 Port Area Numbers..................................................................................6
Figure 3: Device Initialization.........................................................................................................9
Figure 4: Principal Switch in a Fabric ............................................................................................10
Figure 5: Zoning Database Sizes..................................................................................................14
Figure 6: Multi-speed Trunk Groups ..............................................................................................16
Figure 7: Types of Connectors ......................................................................................................19
Figure 8: Name Server Model......................................................................................................23
Figure 9: fcping Command Example ..........................................................................................24
Figure 10: Fabric Manager Toolbar ..............................................................................................25
Figure 11: SAN Health................................................................................................................35
Figure 12: Exam Introduction Screen.............................................................................................36
Figure 13: Non-disclosure Agreement ...........................................................................................37
Figure 14: Sample Question ........................................................................................................38
Figure 15: Sample Score Sheet ....................................................................................................39

© 2007 Brocade Communications Systems, Incorporated.

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BCFP IN A NUTSHELL 4 GBIT/SEC EDITION

1 FIBRE CHANNEL CONCEPTS

1.1 DECODING 24-BIT ADDRESS COMPONENTS

Figure 1: Fibre Channel Network Addressing

NOTES ABOUT THE 24-BIT FIBRE CHANNEL ADDRESS FORMAT

• A 24-bit address has 3 parts, Domain (1-239), Area (0-255) and Node Address (the AL_PA)
• On a Brocade 48000, each slot could have a 16 or 32-port card
• Port numbering is constant; if a 16-port card is in a slot, only the grey ports below would be used
for that slot

Figure 2: Brocade 48000 Port Area Numbers

© 2007 Brocade Communications Systems, Incorporated.

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BCFP IN A NUTSHELL 4 GBIT/SEC EDITION

1.2 SELECTION OF ROUTES

Routing
aptpolicy Sets the routing policy for the switch. Valid options are port-based or
exchange-based.
linkcost Set a unidirectional cost for a link:
1000 @ 1 Gbit/sec
500 @ 2 Gbit/sec
500 @ 4 Gbit/sec
pathinfo Used to determine exact path frames follow from source port to destination
port

Dynamic Load Sharing

dlsset Enables Dynamic Load Sharing – allows re-computing of routes every time
an E_Port fails or is used (default setting)
dlsshow Indicates if Dynamic Load Sharing is enabled
dlsreset Disables Dynamic Load Sharing

In-order Delivery
iodset Frames are delivered in order or dropped. A new route will not be added
until the hold down period is met on the old path – hold down is equal to the
E_D_TOV = 2000ms
iodreset Wait 650ms to detect then re-run routing protocol (default setting)
iodshow Displays mode

Table 1: Routing Commands

NOTES ABOUT ROUTING

• The default routing policy for 4 Gbit/sec Condor-based switches is exchange-based
• The linkcost command should not be used unless there is some extraordinary circumstance

© 2007 Brocade Communications Systems, Incorporated.

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BCFP IN A NUTSHELL 4 GBIT/SEC EDITION

1.3 FIBRE CHANNEL CLASSES OF SERVICE

Class Description ACK Supported by Brocade

1 Dedicated connection transmitter/receiver

X

2 Connectionless switch to switch communication between ports –

X Yes
transfers frames (acknowledgement)

3 Connectionless switch to switch communication between ports -

Yes
transfers frames (no acknowledgement)

4 Dedicated connections transmitter/receiver - virtual circuits

X

6 Connectionless multicast service

F Communication between switches only

X Yes

Table 2: Classes of Service

1.4 PORT INITIALIZATION SEQUENCES, TOPOLOGIES AND

CHARACTERISTICS

SWITCH PORT TYPES

• E_Port - Expansion port, used for inter-switch links (ISLs)
• F_Port - A Fabric port to which an N_Port (node) attaches
• FL_Port - A Fabric Loop port, a port to which an NL_Port (loop device) attaches
• G_Port - A Generic port that is in a transitional state either to become an E_Port or F_Port
• U_Port - A Universal port, waiting to become some other port
• L_Port - A Loop port, only displayed in switchshow output
• VE_Port - A virtual E_Port that uses an FCIP connection
• EX_Port - An E_Port from a router to an edge fabric; the router terminates EX_Ports preventing
fabric merges
• VEX_Port - A virtual E_Port that terminates at the switch and does not propagate fabric services or
routing topology information from one edge fabric to the other, when an FCIP connection is
involved

DEVICE PORT TYPES

• N_Port – Node port, a fabric device that is directly attached
• NL_Port – Node Loop port, a device attached to a loop

© 2007 Brocade Communications Systems, Incorporated.

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BCFP IN A NUTSHELL 4 GBIT/SEC EDITION

Device Initialization into the Fabric from the switch’s perspective

U_Port What do I want to be when I grow up?

(State 1)

y/n Is something plugged into the port?

no (Transition 1)
yes

FL_Port y/n Do you want to talk loop?

yes (Transition 2)
(State 2) no

G_Port I’m waiting for someone to talk to me…

(State 3)

Fabric Are you a switch or a Fabric port?-

F_Port device
(State 5) Switch

E_Port (State 4)

Figure 3: Device Initialization

© 2007 Brocade Communications Systems, Incorporated.

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BCFP IN A NUTSHELL 4 GBIT/SEC EDITION

1.5 PRINCIPAL SWITCHES

Switch States in switchshow Output Notes

Principal Ensure unique Domain IDs throughout the fabric
Time synchronization across the fabric
Subordinate Any non-principal switch

Table 3: Brocade Switch States

PRINCIPAL SWITCHES IN ROUTING

Figure 4: Principal Switch in a Fabric

PRINCIPAL SWITCH NOTES

• The switch with the lowest WWN will be the principal switch
• Using the fabricprincipal command will set a priority bit to make that switch the preferred
principal next time there is an election
• Upstream ISLs are principal routes to the principal switch; downstream routes go away from it
• Using the tsclockserver command will associate a principal switch with an NTP time server;
the date command then becomes read-only for the rest of the switches in the fabric

© 2007 Brocade Communications Systems, Incorporated.

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BCFP IN A NUTSHELL 4 GBIT/SEC EDITION

2 SWITCH, FABRIC OS AND LICENSED FEATURES

2.1 OUTPUT FROM KEY FABRIC OS COMMANDS

Command Definition
errshow Displays the contents of the switch error log
switchshow Displays switch and port status information
fabstatsshow One use is to list the reason for fabric segmentation

Table 4: Commands to Troubleshoot Fabric Segmentation

Command Definition
wwn Displays the switch’s worldwide name
switchshow Displays WWN after switchWwn: heading in command output
licenseidshow Displays the system’s license ID

Table 5: Commands to Determine the Switch WWN

2.2 COMPONENTS AND FUNCTIONS OF FRUS

Director Supported Blade ID Installation Notes

Blades
Brocade 24000 CP2 5 24K CP; 16-port Port Cards only (2 Gbit/sec)
FC-16 2 12K Port Card works with CP2 only
FC2-16 4 24K Port Card works with CP2 or CP4
FC4-16 17 48K Port Card works with CP2 or CP4
Brocade 48000 CP4 16 48K CP; 16 & 32-port Port Cards (4 Gbit/sec)
FC4-16 17 48K Port Card works with CP4
FC4-32 14 CP4 only
FR4-18i 24 CP4 only using chassisconfig 5

Table 6: Brocade Director Blade Support

© 2007 Brocade Communications Systems, Incorporated.

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BCFP IN A NUTSHELL 4 GBIT/SEC EDITION

GETTING A BLADE INVENTORY

sw2:admin> slotshow

Slot Blade Type ID Status

---------------------------------
1 SW BLADE 17 ENABLED
2 UNKNOWN VACANT
3 UNKNOWN VACANT
4 UNKNOWN VACANT
5 CP BLADE 16 ENABLED
6 CP BLADE 16 FAULTY
7 UNKNOWN VACANT
8 UNKNOWN VACANT
9 SW BLADE 18 ENABLED
10 AP BLADE 24 ENABLED

FRU STATUS

Command Description
psshow Display status of the power supplies
tempshow Display temperature sensor readings
fanshow Display fan or blower status
sfpshow Display serial ID SFP information
sensorshow Display sensor readings
chassisshow Display all FRUs in a Director chassis

Table 7: FRU Status Commands

© 2007 Brocade Communications Systems, Incorporated.

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BCFP IN A NUTSHELL 4 GBIT/SEC EDITION

2.3 ZONING CONCEPTS AND IMPLEMENTATION

ZONING ENFORCEMENT

Enforcement Type Method

Hardware Frame filter at destination port
Session Trap PLOGI, issues reject to initiator

Table 8: Zoning Enforcement Type

Zone Members Enforcement

All <domain, port or area> Hardware
All WWNs Hardware
Mixed Session

Table 9: Zone Member Definitions

ZONING NOTES
• LSAN zones must begin with “LSAN_” or “lsan_” (case-insensitive)
• Only Port WWNs may be used in LSAN zone device definitions
• LSAN zones are created in the edge fabrics when routing between multiple edge fabrics
• A best practice is single-initiator zones; 1 HBA/zone
• LSAN zones may also be created in backbone fabrics that run Fabric OS v5.1

© 2007 Brocade Communications Systems, Incorporated.

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BCFP IN A NUTSHELL 4 GBIT/SEC EDITION

2.4 ZONE USAGE RELATED TO ZONE MERGE OPERATIONS AND I/O

THE ZONING DATABASE

Figure 5: Zoning Database Sizes

ZONING TRANSACTIONS

Command Description
cfgtransshow Displays the current zoning transaction information
cfgtransabort Aborts the current zoning transaction (anything since the last save)

Table 10: Zoning Transaction Commands

© 2007 Brocade Communications Systems, Incorporated.

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BCFP IN A NUTSHELL 4 GBIT/SEC EDITION

SEGMENTATION

Segmentation due to: Description

Configuration mismatch Occurs when zoning is enabled in both fabrics and the effective
configurations are different
Type mismatch Occurs when the name of a zone object in one fabric is also used for a
different type of zone object in the other fabric.
Fabric A: alias: Mkt_Host 1,16
Fabric B: zone: Mkt_Host 1,16

Content mismatch Occurs when the name and type of a zone object in one fabric is also
used in the other fabric but the content or order is different..
Fabric A: alias: Eng_Stor wwn1; wwn2
Fabric B: alias: Eng_Stor wwn2; wwn1

Table 11: Segmentation Errors

RSCN BEHAVIOR

portcfg Command RSCN Suppression Options

portcfg rscnsupr [slot/]port -range Specifies a range of ports in the same slot to apply to the configuration

--disable Device changes on the port generate another RSCN to an end device
that is zoned with this one

--enable Any device change on the port does not generate an RSCN to any
other end device

Table 12: RSCN Suppression

RSCN NOTES
• RSCN suppression status may be determined by output from the portcfgshow command
• Look for RSCN Suppressed under the particular port in portcfgshow output
sw2:admin> portcfgshow
Ports 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
-------------------+--+--+--+--+----+--+--+--+----+--+--+--+----+--+--+--
Speed 2G 2G AN AN AN AN 4G 4G AN AN AN AN 1G AN 1G AN
Trunk Port ON ON ON ON ON ON ON ON ON ON ON ON ON ON ON ON
Long Distance L1 L1 .. .. L2 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
VC link init .. .. .. .. ON .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Locked L_Port .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ON .. .. ..
Locked G_Port .. .. .. .. .. ON .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ON .. ..
Disabled E_Port .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ON ..
RSCN Suppressed .. .. .. .. ON .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Persistent Disable .. .. .. ON .. .. .. .. .. .. ON .. .. .. .. ..
ISL R_RDY Mode .. .. ON .. .. .. .. .. .. ON .. .. .. .. .. ..

where AN:AutoNegotiate, ..:OFF, ??:INVALID

© 2007 Brocade Communications Systems, Incorporated.

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BCFP IN A NUTSHELL 4 GBIT/SEC EDITION

2.5 TRUNKING CONCEPTS

TRUNKING NOTES
• On a 4 Gbit/sec Brocade Condor ASIC-based product, there are a maximum of 8 ISLs permitted in
one trunk group
• ISLs with different speeds within a port group will form multiple trunks
• The maximum cable differential between ISLs in a trunk group is 400 meters
• The point at which performance starts to degrade is when the deskew difference > 15
• A trunking cable differential > 30 m between ISLs will start to experience degradation due to
deskew
• The trunkshow command will display the trunk groups and deskew values
• 4 Gbit/sec Brocade products use masterless trunking
• Once trunking licenses have been added, a portdisable/portenable is required on the ports
to be used for trunking or issue switchcfgtrunk 0; switchcfgtrunk 1
• Trunked ports must be set to the same speed and long-distance settings

One port group can have both 2 Gbit/sec and 4 Gbit/sec trunks simultaneously
A two-ISL
Brocade4900:admin> switchshow 4
A six-ISL
switchName: Brocade4900 2 Gbit/sec
switchType: 44.0 Gbit/sec trunk
switchState: Online trunk

… <output truncated> …
Area Port Media Speed State
==============================
0 0 id N2 Online E-Port (Trunk port, master is Port 4 )
1 1 id N2 Online E-Port (Trunk port, master is Port 4 )
2 2 id N2 Online E-Port (Trunk port, master is Port 4 )
3 3 id N2 Online E-Port (Trunk port, master is Port 4 )
4 4 id N2 Online E-Port 10:00:00:05:1e:34:01:e6 "toist04b41"
(upstream)(Trunk master)
5 5 id N2 Online E-Port (Trunk port, master is Port 4 )
6 6 id N4 Online E-Port (Trunk port, master is Port 7 )
7 7 id N4 Online E-Port 10:00:00:05:1e:34:3b:8b "toist03b41"
(upstream)(Trunk master)
… <output truncated> …

Figure 6: Multi-speed Trunk Groups

© 2007 Brocade Communications Systems, Incorporated.

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BCFP IN A NUTSHELL 4 GBIT/SEC EDITION

2.6 LONG DISTANCE FABRIC TECHNOLOGIES

LONG DISTANCE NOTES

• To connect two edge fabrics over an FCIP connection, a Brocade AP7420 Multiprotocol
Router, Brocade 7500 or FR4-18i blade must be used on both sides
• When seeking an FCIP solution, the circuit should have the lowest possible round-trip time and
least percentage of packets lost
• Extended Fabrics enables a single fabric using two switches over a WAN at distance
• Extended Fabrics is an optional license key
• Both bookend switches must have the same configurations and be the same generation ASIC
• Can use extenders or repeaters
• Use the portcfglongdistance command to set the distance level for a port
• ISL R_RDY may be used to connect two fabrics using gateway devices for ATM or SONET
• LD is used when the Fabric OS will calculate the distance
• LS is used when the user specifies the distance

Level Distance @ Distance @ Distance @ License

1 Gbit/sec 2 Gbit/sec 4 Gbit/sec Required
L0 0 - 10 km 0 - 5 km 0 - 2 km No

LE 0 - 10 km 0 - 10 km 0 - 10 km No
L0.5 11 - 25 km 11 - 25 km 11 - 25 km Yes
L1 26 - 50 km 26 - 50 km 26 - 50 km Yes
L2 51 - 100 km 51 - 100 km 51 - 100 km Yes
LD 0 - 500 km 0 - 250 km 0 - 100 km Yes if > 10 km
LS 0 - 500 km 0 - 250 km 0 - 100 km Yes if > 10 km

Table 13: portcfglondistance Settings

© 2007 Brocade Communications Systems, Incorporated.

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BCFP IN A NUTSHELL 4 GBIT/SEC EDITION

2.7 LICENSED PRODUCTS

BROCADE’S LICENSED PRODUCTS

• Fabric OS
• Web Tools
• Zoning
• Trunking
• Fabric Watch
• Extended Fabrics
• Remote Switch
• Ports on Demand
• FCIP
• FICON_CUP
• NPIV
• Secure Fabric OS
• Advanced Performance Monitor

MONITORING SWITCHES
• Web Tools, Advanced Performance Monitor and Fabric Watch can be used to monitor a switch
• SNMP may also be configured to set traps with the snmpconfig command

© 2007 Brocade Communications Systems, Incorporated.

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BCFP IN A NUTSHELL 4 GBIT/SEC EDITION

3 SAN HARDWARE COMPONENTS

3.1 FIBRE CHANNEL CABLES AND TRANSCEIVERS

Maximum Supported Distances for FC Cables

50µ Cable 62.5µ Cable 9µ Cable

1 Gbit/sec 500 m 300 m 10 km

2 Gbit/sec 300 m 150 m 10 km

4 Gbit/sec 100 m 70 m 10 km

Table 14: Distance Limitations by Speed

MEDIA NOTES
• Multimode uses SWL SFPs only
• Single mode uses LWL SFPs up to 10 km; ELWL SFPs > 10 km
• SFPs should match any port speeds that are hard set via the portcfgspeed command

Figure 7: Types of Connectors

© 2007 Brocade Communications Systems, Incorporated.

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BCFP IN A NUTSHELL 4 GBIT/SEC EDITION

4 INITIAL CONFIGURATION

4.1 SWITCH INSTALLATION AND INITIAL CONFIGURATION STEPS

INITIAL CONFIGURATION NOTES

• fabric.ops parameters must be the same on all switches that participate in a fabric
• PID format is one of the fabric.ops parameters
• Switch parameters are set with the configure command
• RS232 ports on a Director are used for serial & modem connections
• IP addresses should be set with a serial connection before plugging in the Ethernet cable

4.2 PORT-SPECIFIC CONFIGURATIONS

Command Description
portcfg Use this command to configure the address resolution protocol (ARP)
entries, IP interfaces on the gigabit Ethernet (GbE) port, static routes on
the IP interface, FCIP tunnels, and registered state change notification
(RSCN) suppression.
portcfgeport Enable or disable a port from becoming an E_Port
portcfggport Enable a port as a G_Port, preventing loop initialization
portcfgshow Shows status and speed of ports
portcfgspeed Configures the port speed at AN, 1, 2 or 4 Gbit/sec

Table 15: Port Management Commands

PORT CONFIGURATION NOTES

• The SFP and hard-coded port speed should match, otherwise a Mod_Inv will display in
switchshow output
• Some devices prefer hard-coded speeds to auto-negotiation

© 2007 Brocade Communications Systems, Incorporated.

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BCFP IN A NUTSHELL 4 GBIT/SEC EDITION

4.3 SWITCH CONFIGURATION AND CAPTURING A BASELINE

CONFIGURATION

Command Description
configupload Saves a copy of the switch configuration file
configdownload Restores the switch configuration file from a backup

Table 16: Switch Configuration Management Commands

Command Description
syslogdipadd Enables you to redirect error log messages to 1-6 external servers
errshow Show the contents of the switch error log
syslogdfacility Use this command to change the syslog facility to LOG_LOCALx, where x is in the range of 1 - 7

Table 17: System Support Commands

SUPPORT NOTES
• The syslogd daemon enables you to send error messages off of the switch to a central location
• The errdelimiterset command allows you to set custom delimiters at the start and the end of a
standard switch error message
• Running the supportsave command captures the contents of supportshow, as well as all of the
system RASLOG, TRACE, core, FFDC and other files
• Configuring SNMP with the snmpconfig command will enable the switch to send traps under
certain conditions to the SNMP management software
• SNMPv1 and SNMPv3 are supported

© 2007 Brocade Communications Systems, Incorporated.

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BCFP IN A NUTSHELL 4 GBIT/SEC EDITION

4.4 VERIFYING THE SWITCH CONFIGURATION

Command Description
ifshow Displays speed of network
ifmodeshow Displays detailed network configuration
ifmodeset Sets network configuration

Table 18: Ethernet Port Management Commands

Command Description
configshow Displays the switch configuration file
portcfgshow Displays port configuration settings
chassisshow Display all FRUs in a Director chassis

Table 19: Switch Configuration Display Commands

PARAMETERS NOT RESET WHEN RESETTING SWITCH CONFIGURATION

When a configdefault is issued, none of these are reset to defaults:
• IP Address
• MAC Address
• Subnet mask
• IP gateway
• License keys
• SNMP parameters
• System Name
• WWN
• Zone Configuration

© 2007 Brocade Communications Systems, Incorporated.

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4.5 VALIDATING DEVICE CONNECTIVITY

Command Description
nsallshow Displays the 24-bit addresses for all devices in the fabric
nsshow Displays contents of the local Name Server
nscamshow Display contents of the remote Name Servers
switchshow Validates a device has logged in to the fabric
nodefind Displays Name Server entries matching a WWN, PID or alias
cfgshow Displays the zoning configuration
cfgtransshow Displays information about the current zoning transaction
nszonemember Displays all online devices zoned with a given device

Table 20: Device Connectivity Commands

THE NAME SERVER

Figure 8: Name Server Model

© 2007 Brocade Communications Systems, Incorporated.

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BCFP IN A NUTSHELL 4 GBIT/SEC EDITION

5 MANAGEMENT INTERFACES

5.1 ADDING AN INITIATOR AND TARGET PAIR

NOTES
• Once an initiator and target have been added, connectivity between the two must be verified
• If zoning is involved, the zoning configuration must be checked using cfgshow
• A way to test initiator-to-target communication is by using fcping
• A device contacted by fcping could either ignore the ELS Echo request or issue an ELS ACCEPT
• By default, fcping sends 5 ELS Echo requests to each port

Figure 9: fcping Command Example

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5.2 FABRIC OS TOOLS TO MONITOR A SWITCH OR FABRIC

WEB TOOLS SUPPORT NOTES

• Fabric OS v5.1.0 Web Tools is supported only on the Brocade 200E, 3250, 3850, 3900, 4100,
4900, 7500, 24000 & 48000 products

FABRIC MANAGER NOTES

• With the Change Management Profile feature, you may monitor changes to:
o Firmware
o Name server
o Zoning
o Port state changes (online/offline)
o License keys
• Fabric Manager may be used to download firmware to multiple switches simultaneously, even if
they are in different fabrics

Figure 10: Fabric Manager Toolbar

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FABRIC WATCH NOTES

• Fabric Watch monitors several different classes, and within those classes exist many more areas

Information Description
Classes Environment
Fabric
Performance Monitor
Port
E_Port
F/FL_Port (Optical)
AL_PA Performance Monitor
EE Performance Monitor
Filter Performance Monitor
Resource
Security
SFP
Configurations Default and custom
Events Triggered or continuous
Alarms SNMP trap
Event is logged to switch error log
Port log lock
RAPITrap
Email alert
One Fabric Watch configuration per switch Can be the same file for each switch
fwalarmsfilterset 0 = disable alarms, 1 = enable alarms
fwalarmsfiltershow Display current alarm settings
fwmailcfg Configure email address to receive notifications
fwconfigure Configure Fabric Watch from the command line

Table 21: Fabric Watch Information

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Event Type Definition

Above Counter > Upper boundary
Below Counter < Lower boundary
Changed Counter is different than preceding counter
In-between Counter < (Upper boundary – Buffer)
Counter > (Lower boundary + Buffer)

Table 22: Fabric Watch Events

5.3 PID FORMATS

THE FORMAT OF A 24-BIT ADDRESS IN NATIVE MODE

XX1YZZ
XX is a value between 0x1 to 0xef inclusive (Domain ID 1-239 in decimal)
The “1” means Native Mode
Y is the port number 0x0 to 0xf (0-15 decimal)
ZZ is the AL_PA for a loop device or 00 for an F_Port

THE FORMAT OF A 24-BIT ADDRESS IN CORE PID MODE

XXYYZZ
XX is a value between 0x1 to 0xef inclusive (Domain ID 1-239 in decimal)
YY is the port area
ZZ is the AL_PA for a loop device or 00 for an F_Port

THE FORMAT OF A 24-BIT ADDRESS IN EXTENDED EDGE PID MODE

XXYYZZ
XX is a value between 0x1 to 0xef inclusive (Domain ID 1-239 in decimal)
YY is the port area + 0x10, wrapping at 0x7f
ZZ is the AL_PA for a loop device or 00 for an F_Port

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Brocade 24000 Brocade 24000 YY Value Brocade 24000 YY Value

Slot Core PID Extended Edge PID
1 0x00 – 0x0f 0x10 – 0x1f

2 0x10 – 0x1f 0x20 – 0x2f

3 0x20 – 0x2f 0x30 – 0x3f
4 0x30 – 0x3f 0x40 – 0x4f
7 0x40 – 0x4f 0x50 – 0x5f
8 0x50 – 0x5f 0x60 – 0x6f
9 0x60 – 0x6f 0x70 – 0x7f
10 0x70 – 0x7f 0x00 – 0x0f

Table 23: Extended Edge PID Format

PID FORMAT NOTES

• Switches in a fabric will not merge unless the PID formats are exactly the same

5.4 MAINTENANCE OPERATION IMPACTS

SWITCH MAINTENANCE NOTES

• Certain configuration parameters may be changed without disabling the switch
o System Services such as rstatd, ruserd and telnetd
o SNMP settings
o Fabric Watch settings
o Zoning
• Firmware downloads will not disrupt the flow of data on any of these versions of Fabric OS:
o v4.x
o v5.x
• To avoid a disruptive firmware download to Directors, it is essential that these conditions are met:
o HA is enabled
o The heartbeat is up
o The CPs are in sync
• Adding a new switch or Director to a fabric with a unique domain ID will not cause a disruption
o New switches or Directors joining a fabric with a duplicate domain ID will not join

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6 SECURITY AND ACCESS CONTROL

6.1 SECURITY BENEFITS AND IMPLEMENTATION REQUIREMENTS

SSL NOTES
• SSL provides secures access to a switch through a GUI like Web Tools
• SSL uses PKI encryption
• Depending upon the CA, certificates are based on IP address or a fully-qualified domain name

Certificate File Description

name.crt The switch certificate

nameRoot.crt The root certificate, which may already be installed in the browser. If not, it must be installed

nameCA.crt The CA certificate, installed only if you want the CA name displayed in the browser window

Table 24: SSL Certificate Files

SNMP NOTES
• Fabric OS v5.1.0 supports SNMPv1 and SNMPv3
• The SNMP security level is set with the configure command
• The SNMP agent and traps are configured with the snmpconfig command

WEB TOOLS
• Web Tools may be disabled with the configure command
• Using the configure command, you may also enable the upfront login feature
• Upfront login requires validation before the GUI will be launched

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6.2 ADMINISTERING MULTIPLE USER ACCOUNTS

NOTES ABOUT MULTIPLE USER ACCOUNTS

• New accounts may created with the userconfig command
• There are different account roles
o Admin – has all abilities
o SwitchAdmin – can do everything except modify zoning, create or modify accounts
o User – view switch information only

NOTES ABOUT RADIUS

• When configured for RADIUS, the switch becomes a RADIUS client
• With RADIUS enabled, all account passwords are managed through the RADIUS server
• Authentication may be done from a RADIUS server, and use the local switch database as a backup
if RADIUS is unavailable
• If only RADIUS is used for authentication, and unavailable, no access to the switch is possible
through telnet

6.3 SECURITY-RELATED BASE FABRIC OS FEATURES

NOTES ABOUT TRACKING CHANGES

• The track changes feature allows you to keep record of changes that might not be considered
switch events
• Output from the track changes feature goes to the switch error log and/or an external log
• Items that may be tracked:
o Successful logins
o Unsuccessful logins
o Logouts
o Configuration file changes
o Turning track changes on/off

SAMPLE ERROR MESSAGES REGARDING TRACK CHANGES

2006/06/29-08:43:02, [TRCK-1002], 4,, INFO, switch2,
Unsuccessful login by user jcannata.

2006/06/29-08:43:14, [TRCK-1006], 5,, INFO, switch2,

Track-changes off.

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NOTES ABOUT PASSWORDS AND POLICIES

• Passwords should be changed on a regular basis
• Administration of Fabric OS v5.1.0 account passwords consists of these policy features:
o Password strength
o Password history
o Password expiration
o Account lockout
• The strength policy enforces format rules such as case, digits, punctuation and minimum length
• The history policy prevents users from recycling passwords
• The expiration policy forces the minimum and maximum time a password may exist
• The lockout policy allows you to set the number of failed attempts, and the duration of the lockout
• When an administrator sets a user’s password, the history policy will be ignored

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7 TROUBLESHOOTING

7.1 DETERMINING THE OPERATIONAL STATUS OF A BROCADE PRODUCT

Command Description
nsallshow Displays the 24-bit addresses for all devices in the fabric
nsshow Displays contents of the local Name Server
portlogdump Display the switch port log
switchshow Validates a device has logged in to the fabric
porterrshow Displays a port error summary
cfgshow Displays the current zoning configuration
portflagsshow Shows the port status and initialization
fcping Sends a Fibre Channel ELS Echo request to a pair of ports

Table 25: Commands to Diagnose Physical Switch Connectivity

Command Description
urouteshow Displays routing information for a port
islshow Displays current connections and status of ISLs
trunkdebug Debugs failures in trunks
topologyshow Display fabric topology as it appears to the local switch
aptpolicy View or set the switch routing policy

Table 26: Commands to Diagnose Routing Issues

NOTES ABOUT FICON

• FICON is a high-speed mainframe interface
• Configurable as a single-switch or cascaded fabric
• Cascaded fabrics require a Secure Fabric OS license and digital certificates from Brocade’s CA
• Allows for port swapping
o Redirects resources from a failed port to a healthy port without changing the FICON
host configuration using the portswap command
• It uses Insistent Domain IDs (IDID)
o Switch insists on a specific Domain ID which guarantees it operates only with its pre-
assigned Domain ID

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MANAGING DEVICES IN LSAN ZONES

Command Description
fcrrouteshow Displays routes through the Router backbone fabric
fcrphydevshow Displays physical devices configured to be exported to another fabric
fcrfabricshow Display Routers that exist in a backbone fabric
fcrresourceshow Display available resources on the Router
fcrproxydevshow Display devices presented by Router EX_Ports

Table 27: FC Router Commands

7.2 TROUBLESHOOTING CONNECTIVITY ISSUES

VERIFYING IP LAYER CONNECTIVITY

portcmd Command Description

portcmd ping [slot/]geport –s source_ip – d dest_ip -s source_ip Specifies the IP interface issuing the ping

-d dest_ip Specifies the IP interface receiving the ping

Table 28: portcmd Command

GUARANTEEING IN-ORDER FRAME DELIVERY

• Set the routing policy to port-based
• Turn on in-order delivery
• Turn off dynamic load sharing

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7.3 RELEVANT TOOLS FOR PROBLEM ESCALATION

AUTOMATING DATA COLLECTION

Command Description
tracetrig Set/clear a trace trigger on a specific error message
traceftp Enable an immediate trace dump to be retrieved from the switch to the FTP site;
configured in supportftp
supportftp Set/clear auto-FTP parameters, and/or check connectivity to the FTP server
fcrresourceshow Display available resources on the Router
fcrproxydevshow Display devices presented by Router EX_Ports
supportsave Captures the contents of supportshow, as well as all of the system RASLOG, TRACE,
core, FFDC and other files; for Directors – run on both CPs

Table 29: Switch Data Collection Commands

PROBLEM ESCALATION NOTES

• When escalating a problem to a support provider, include the following:
o A very detailed description of the problem citing specific information
o Capture the error log, port details, and the switch configuration
o Gather the historic record of the current and past state of the switch (trace dump)
o Identify vital information important in problem determination
• Collect this information by running the supportsave command
o All supportshow groups are included in capture
o RASLog output includes external and internal messages
o Most recent trace dump file is included
o First-Failure-Data-Capture (FFDC) files are captured
o Out-Of-Memory (OOM) information is also captured
o When relevant, FR4-18i blade data is included
• Collect dual-CP supportsave output from Active and Standby CPs

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SAN HEALTH NOTES

• SAN Health is a free utility that helps you create:
o Comprehensive Documentation
o Historical Performance Graphs
o Detailed Topology Diagrams
o Best Practice Recommendations
• SAN Health may be run against:
o Brocade systems running any version of Fabric OS, XPath OS or E/OS systems 4.x+

Figure 11: SAN Health

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8 TAKING THE TEST

Once the test begins, you will first see this screen:

Figure 12: Exam Introduction Screen

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After the Introduction Screen, once you click on Next, you will see the non-disclosure agreement:

Figure 13: Non-disclosure Agreement

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Once you agree to the non-disclosure terms, the timed exam will begin. This is a sample of how the
questions will look. In this example, you see a multiple-choice question.

Figure 14: Sample Question

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This is a sample of the score sheet you will see at the end of the exam. You also see the breakdown of
how many questions there are in each section of the exam. A hard copy of this will be printed at the
testing center. It is vital that you obtain and save this hard copy as proof and validation.

Figure 15: Sample Score Sheet

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