SAN Switch

How To Find SAN Switch Serial Numbers?

June 2, 2021 by atish88076

SAN switch serial number is a unique value, which helps to identify a correct switch in a fabric. In this post, we will see, how to find SAN switch serial numbers of Brocade, Cisco, and HP in the command line.

You also need a serial number to log a case with a vendor, hence finding the correct one is important. But first, you can read our post on the basics of SAN switch to understand the fabric concepts.

As command line is faster then GUI, we will follow the CLI approach to find the serial number of Brocade, Cisco and HP SAN switch.

How To Find Serial Number Of Brocade SAN Switch?

To find the Brocade SAN switch’s serial number log in to the putty with an admin credential. Execute the below command and find a row that has a keyword serial number.

switch1:admin> chassisShow

How To Find Brocade SAN Switch Serial Number

The output of the command chassisShow will give you, two serial numbers of the Brocade SAN switch. The first one is the factory serial number, which belongs to the Brocade vendor, and the bottom one is the supplier serial number.

In case, if you have just purchased a SAN switch and you do not have remote access to it, you can also find the serial number physically. You can see it, mostly on the rear side of the switch as shown in the picture.

How To Find Brocade Serial Number Physically

How To Find Cisco MDS Switch Serial Number?

You can find Cisco MDS switch serial number by executing the command “show sprom backplane 1“. If you do not have remote access, then you can also ask an onsite person to check the serial number label, next to the power supply.

switch# show sprom backplane 1

How To Find Cisco MDS SAN Switch Serial Number

Conclusion

Finding a SAN switch serial number is quicker through CLI. However, you can find it via GUI as well. Before logging a case to the vendor or performing any outage activity you must verify the switch by its serial numbers. It helps to avoid any human error.

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How To Configure Brocade SSH Public Key Authentication?

January 28, 2021 by Manoj Patel

There are many scenarios where we need to login to Brocade switch without a password. One of the scenarios is scripting, where you have multiple switches to log in, and you do not want to put a password in a text file. In that case, configuring Brocade public key authentication is helpful.

Brocade SSH Public Key Authentication helps you log in from Unix server without giving passwords. Brocade switch stores a public key, and when you try to login from the Unix server, it validates the key and allows SSH login.

Check out Brocade Interview Question.

In this post we will discuss, how to configure SSH public key authentication in Brocade SAN switch.

Below are the overall steps.

Table Of Contents

Step 1. Generate Public Key in Unix Server.
Step 2. Import the Public Key To Brocade Switch
Step 3. Verify Brocade SSH Public Key Authentication
Conclusion Configure SSH Brocade Public Key Authentication

Step 1. Generate Public Key in Unix Server.

The first step is to generate a public key in the Unix server. If a public key file exists in the server, then you can use the same, instead of creating a new one. Go to .ssh directory and find for a file with name id_rsa.pub.

For example, if you are logging in with root account, then id_rsa.pub file may exist in the below path.

/root/.ssh/id_rsa.pub

If you are using a Unix account other than root, then the file may exist in the below path.

/home/unixuser/.ssh/id_rsa.pub

If you could not find any public key in the path, then you need to generate a new public key using ssh-keygen command.

Just follow the prompt and you should be able to generate a new public key in the Unix server.

anyuser@mymachine: ssh-keygen -t rsa
Generating public/private rsa key pair.
Enter file in which to save the key (/users/anyuser/.ssh/id_rsa ):
Type passphrase (empty for no passphrase):
Enter same passphrase again:
Your identification has been saved in /users/anyuser/.ssh/id_rsa
Your public key has been saved in /users/anyuser/.ssh/id_rsa.pub.
The key fingerprint is: 32:9f:ae:b6:7f:7e:56:e4:b5:7a:21:f0:95:42:5c:d1
anyuser@mymachine

Step 2. Import the Public Key To Brocade Switch

Once you generate the public key in Unix server, log in to Brocade switch with the admin account. Now you need to import the SSH public key to the Brocade switch.

Please note that you can configure SSH key authentication in Brocade switch only with the admin account. The commands will throw errors in case you are using other accounts of Brocade switch.

To import the SSH public from Unix server to Brocade switch you need use “sshutil importpubkey” command.

switch:admin> sshutil importpubkey
Enter user name for whom key is imported: admin
Enter IP address:192.168.38.244
Remote directory:/home/unixuser/.ssh
Enter public key name(must have .pub suffix):id_rsa.pub
Enter login name: unixuser
Password:
Public key is imported successfully.

Step 3. Verify Brocade SSH Public Key Authentication

In step 2, if you see a message, Public key is imported successfully, then you are ready to verify the access.

Log in to the Unix server with the same account that is used to generate SSH public key. Try to SSH to brocade switch using below command.

ssh admin@SANSwitch

If ssh command does not asks for a password, then the set up for Brocade SSH public key authentication is successful.

Conclusion Configure SSH Brocade Public Key Authentication

Public key authentication is helpful to avoid dependency on password, which is better for security. You can even use a single server, to log in to multiple switches without a password.

Moreover, public key authentication is an efficient way if you are accessing Brocade switch via script.

In the comment section, let me know how you are using public key authentication. If you feel any steps is missing then, comment and I will add it.

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What Is NPV And How It Works SAN Switch

February 5, 2020 by Manoj Patel

In this blog, we will discuss what is NPV and how it works in a SAN switch. NPV sounds similar to NPIV but they are different in terms of their use.

Check out the post on what is NPIV and how NPIV works in SAN switch.

What Is NPV and How NPV Works In SAN Switch

What Is NPV In SAN Switch?

NPV stands for N_Port Virtualization and a switch level feature. NPV enabled switches do not participate in the Device login process. However, they act as a proxy switch that bypasses all FC requests to its up-link switch. For example, assigning of FCID to end devices.

This feature is also available in is a Brocade switch but called Access Gateway Switch. In the next

Below is a YouTube video that explains what is N_Port Virtualization and how it works in the SAN switch. Subscribe the channel for more such videos on SAN switch training.

How NPV Works In SAN Switch

In order to understand how NPV works first let’s understand what happens when a new switch connects to the fabric. Generally, when a SAN switch is connected to a fabric its gets Domain ID. As a result of which, it participates in Fabric Services like assigning FCID to the initiator.

Now if you enable NPV in the switch then it will not have any Domain ID and does not participate in any device login process. Whatever Device is connected to the switch such as host, switch or UCS gets a domain ID from its up-link switch.

For example in the above diagram the host supposed to get an FCID from the middle switch. Due to this feature host gets an FCID from the uplink NPIV core switch.

Use Cases Of NPV SAN Switch Network

There are various ways to use the NPV feature in a SAN switch. Some of them are rare in many SAN. I was fortunate enough to witness one of these scenarios.

Fabric Needs Beyond 239 Switches

One of the rare used cases is when fabric needs more than 239 switches. Each switch in a fabric must have a domain ID. Now as the fabric grows the number of SAN switches also grows. As a result, you need more Domain ID for each switch.

If the number of switches reaches 239 then domain id also reaches 239. In such a scenario NPV is a solution to add more switches to the fabric.

Multiple Vendor Switches In Same Fabric

Another practical use of this feature is multi-vendor SAN switches in same fabric. If you have a SAN fabric with switches of multiple vendors then this feature is necessary.

For example, you can connect a Cisco Core switch with a Brocade SAN switch. Note both switches must be interoperability mode.

Migrating One Switch Vendor To Another Switch

You can also use NPV for migrating SAN switches from one vendor to another. We can use this for SAN switch migration from one vendor switch to another.

If you need to know the complete steps to migrate Brocade switch to Cisco Switch then follow the link. Similar steps can be used to migrate a Brocade switch to a Cisco MDS switch.

Port Channel Configuration Cisco MDS SAN Switch

January 26, 2020 by Atish patel

In this blog, we will discuss what is port-channel in the Cisco MDS switch. Along with that, we will also talk about the F port Channel, what are the types of port-channel, Modes of port-channel.

Finally, we will see the commands for creating an F port channel between a Cisco MDS core switch and an NPV switch.

How To Configure F Port Channel Cisco MDS Switch

What Is Port Channel In Cisco SAN Switch

Port Channel is a logical aggregation of multiple FC ports that increases total bandwidth, provides load balancing, and link redundancy. A Port-channel can have ports from two different modules in the same SAN switch.

You cannot create a port-channel from two different switches. This is more clear in the below diagram.

Port Selection In Cisco MDS Port Channel

The above diagram has two switch switch1 and switch2. There are three port-channels between the switches PortChannelA, PortChannelB, and PortChannelC.

PortChannelA contains an aggregation of ports from the same module of both switches. Meantime, PortChannelB has ports from two different modules.

Now in the case of PortChannelC, there are three ports from each switch. In switch1 two ports are from the same module but the third port is from a different module. In switch2 all three ports are from the same module.

The conclusion here is that you can select various port combinations in the same switch but you cannot select ports from different switches.

What are the Types Of Port Channel

There are two types of port-channel E port-channel and F port channel. E Port Channel is a logical combination of Multiple E ports. E Ports connect two SAN Switches for ISL connectivity.

If we enable trunking then the port-channel then it becomes a TE port channel and the ISL link becomes EISL.

F Port Channel is a logical Combination of Multiple F ports that connects from one Switch (F) to NPV switch (NP) or FI interconnect.

Modes Of Port Channel In Cisco MDS Switch

There are two types of Port Channel Mode one is ON and the other is ACTIVE. Both modes have a different purpose. Below are some basic differences between them.

ON	ACTIVE
Default	You must explicitly configure this mode.
Need To Disable port while adding or modifying members to port-channel.	Port-Channel automatically recovers while adding or modifying it.
Not Recommended	Recommended
Only Supports E port-channel	Supports both F and E port-channel

How To Configure F Port Channel In Cisco MDS Switch

This section will discuss how to create an F Port Channel between the Cisco MDS switch and NPV switch. Before we start we have to check a few things which are very important for port-channel configuration.

The first thing we need to make sure that Physical connection is present between switches.

Configuration of individual ports and port channel must be the same. Make sure configuration like speed, mode, rate mode, port VSAN, trunking mode and allowed VSAN for individual port and port-channel are the same.

Steps and Commands To Create F Port Channel

Step 1. Enable F port trunking and channel protocol

Switch(config)# feature fport-channel-trunk

Step 2. Enable NPIV on the MDS core switch:

Switch(config)# feature npiv

Step 3 Create PortChannel and Add FC Ports

This command creates a port-channel with name 1.

Switch(config)# interface port-channel 1

These commands ensure that the port-channel type is F port-channel

Switch(config-if)# switchport mode F

Below commands sets channel mode active. F port channel only supports ACTIVE port-channel mode hence it is important to set the channel mode as ACTIVE.

Switch(config-if)# channel mode active

Below Command disable the trunking in Port Channel

Switch(config-if)# switchport trunk mode off

The below command sets the rate mode of port-channel to shared.

Switch(config-if)# switchport rate-mode shared
Switch(config-if)# exit

Till now we have completed creating an F port-channel in Core Switch whose number is 1. Now in the below steps, we will add ports to Port Channel 1.

Make a note that the configuration for Port Channel 1 and the interfaces must be the same.

Step 4. Configure the PortChannel member interfaces

Below two commands select FC ports fc2/1 , fc2/2 and fc2/3 as port-channel members and then disable them

Switch(config)# interface fc2/1-3
Switch(config-if)# shut

Below four commands will set the port mode as F, disables the trunking, set the speed as 4000 and the rate mode as shared.

switch(config-if)# switchport mode F
switch(config-if)# switchport trunk mode off

switch(config-if)# switchport speed 4000
switch(config-if)# switchport rate-mode shared

Below commands is for adding the interfaces to the port-channel. In this case ports fc2/1, fc2/2 and fc2/3 are added to Port Channel 1. The second command will disable all ports.

switch(config-if)# channel-group 1
switch(config-if)# no shut

So far we have completed the port-channel configuration in Core switch. Now we have to repeat the same steps to configure F Port-channel an NPV switch.

Step 5. Create the PortChannel In NPV switch

eswitch(config)# interface port-channel 1
eswitch(config-if)# switchport mode NP
eswitch(config-if)# switchport rate-mode shared

Now we have to configure the individual ports and add them To Port Channel 1 in NPV switch.

Step 6. Configure the PortChannel interfaces In NPV switch

eswitch(config)# interface fc2/1-3
eswitch(config-if)# shut

The above command will shut down all the ports that fc2/1, fc2/2, and fc2/3.

eswitch(config-if)# switchport mode NP
eswitch(config-if)# switchport speed 4000
eswitch(config-if)# switchport rate-mode shared
eswitch(config-if)# switchport trunk mode off
eswitch(config-if)# channel-group 1

Finally, you can enable all ports using the below command.

eswitch(config-if)# no shut

The final step is to disable and enable all interfaces from both Core switch and NPV switch.

Step 7. Set admin State of PortChannel Ports of NPIV and NPV switch to ON

Disable and enables interfaces in Core switch.

Switch(config)# interface fc1/1-3
Switch(config-if)# shut
Switch(config-if)# no shut

Disable and enables interfaces in NPV Switch.

eswitch(config)# interface fc2/1-3
eswitch(config-if)# shut

Last, enable all the ports.

eswitch(config-if)# no shut

This completes the F port-channel configuration between the Cisco MDS and an NPV switch. I hope you have like this. Watch below YouTube for more details. Feel free comment on this topic and Subscribe For more such videos

What Is NPIV How NPIV Works In SAN Switch?

January 20, 2020 by Atish patel

NPIV stands for N-Port ID Virtualization. NPIV allows multiple initiators to logged in to the same physical target port. This feature is most useful in the SAN network where ESX Host, Blade Server, and UCS deployment.

How NPIV Works In SAN Switch

In order to understand how NPIV works in SAN switch, Let us understand whats happens when we connect a cable between server HBA and a SAN switch.

In the usual case, one initiator or host is connected to a single port of the SAN switch. During the FLOGI process, the switch assigns an FCID to the initiator and the initiator is registered to switch port.

The below diagram shows the simple connectivity of two servers to the SAN switch. Here two ports from the server connect to the switch via two ports.

Basic Connection Between Server and SAN Switch

Now in the case of NPIV, multiple initiators try to log in to the same single physical port of SAN switch. If the SAN switch port is NPIV enabled then switch port accepts the request from each initiator. Then the switch assigns an FCID to each initiator.

Once all the initiator receives an FCID all of them are logged to the same physical port.

The below diagram explains the connectivity and how N-Port ID Virtualization works in the SAN switch network. Here the compute-system is similar to blade server of ESX host that has single physical HBA.

The HBA port connects to a single SAN switch port. In the back-end, the computing system has multiple nodes that share the same common physical HBA.

During the FLOGI Process, each virtual WWPN sends a request to the same SAN switch port. Now, if the SAN switch port is NPIV enabled it accepts all request and assign an FCID to the initiator. This way multiple initiators logged in the same SAN switch port.

Where We Use NPIV In SAN switch?

There are various uses of NPIV in the SAN network but below are the most common use of this feature.

1. ESX UCS Deployment

If your environment has ESX, UCS, or Blade Server Deployment then definitely your need N-Port ID Virtualization.

2. Masking Of LUNs to VM

The second common use of NPIV is that it allows masking of LUN to individuals VMs. It means if you have multiple VMs in ESX host then you can do zoning between the VMs and Storage array. Then you can share LUNs to a particular VM.

3. Reduce Messy Cable Connection

A third common use is that it reduces the messy cable connectivity of the SAN switch network. N-Port ID Virtualization reduces the number of cable connections between the server and switches the physical management of Datacenter make simpler.