HP StorageWorks 2.128 SAN Director Switch - Manual (Page 105)

Fabric OS 5.x administrator guide 105
7 Administering FICON fabrics
NOTE: FICON is not supported on HP B-Series Fibre Channel switches. The FICON information in this
document is included for reference only.
FICON overview
IBM FICON is an industry-standard, high-speed input/output (I/O) interface for mainframe connections to
storage devices. Fabric OS supports intermix mode operations, in which FICON and Fibre Channel
technology work together. For specific information about intermix mode and other aspects of FICON, see
the IBM Redbook, FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide.
Fabric OS provides standard support for FICON single-switch operation.
Multiple-switch cascaded FICON operation requires an HP Secure Fabric OS license.
CUP operation requires an HP FICON CUP license.
The following Fabric OS standard features support FICON fabrics:
• Port swapping: Redirects resources from a failed port to a healthy port without changing the FICON
host configuration. Port swapping is available for both FICON and open system environments. Port
swapping resolves situations in which the hardware has failed and the channel configurations cannot
be changed quickly. Port swapping has minimal or no impact on other switch features.
• Insistent domain ID (IDID): Allows the switch to insist on a specific domain ID before joining a fabric.
This feature guarantees that a switch operates only with its preassigned domain ID.
• The FICON MIB module: Addresses link incident data for FICON hosts and devices connected to a
switch. It supplements other MIBs used to manage switches and should be used with those other MIBs.
For more information, see the HP StorageWorks Fabric OS 5.x MIB reference guide.
• Link incident detection, registration, and reporting: Provides administrative and diagnostic
information.
The following optional features provide further support:
• The Secure Fabric OS optional license: Includes fabric binding, switch binding, and port binding
security methods that prevent unauthorized devices from joining a fabric.
• A Fabric Manager optional license: Can be used to manage a fabric that supports FICON and Fibre
Channel Protocol (FCP) devices and traffic. This is the recommended GUI management tool for FICON
environments.
• Advanced Web Tools: Can be used to manage a director (switch) that supports FICON and FCP
devices and traffic.
To incorporate and manage FICON on a switch or fabric, your system must have Fabric OS 4.1.2 or later
installed. If you are implementing FICON in a single-switch non-candidate environment, there are no
additional software requirements. The Secure Fabric OS and Advanced Zoning optional licensed features
are required on all switches participating in a FICON multiple-switch cascaded environment.
NOTE: Some licenses are installed and activated on the switch at the factory. Use an HP management
interface to verify that the required licenses are installed and activated on the switch.
The optional Secure Fabric OS license provides the following fabric, switch, and port binding features:
• Fabric binding is a security method for restricting switches within a multiple-switch fabric. The Switch
Connection Control (SCC) policy prevents unauthorized switches from joining a fabric. Switches are
authenticated using digital certificates and unique private keys provided to the Switch Link
Authentication Protocol (SLAP).