- Index
- Preface
- Product Overview
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- Configuring Ethernet Interfaces
- Configuring VLANs
- Configuring Private VLANs
- Configuring Rapid PVST+
- Configuring Multiple Spanning Tree
- Configuring STP Extensions
- Configuring Port Channels
- Configuring Access and Trunk Interfaces
- Configuring the MAC Address Table
- Configuring IGMP Snooping
- Configuring Traffic Storm Control
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- Configuring Fibre Channel Interfaces
- Configuring Domain Parameters
- Configuring N-Port Virtualization
- Configuring VSAN Trunking
- Configuring SAN PortChannels
- Configuring and Managing VSANs
- Configuring and Managing Zones
- Distributing Device Alias Services
- Configuring Fibre Channel Routing Services and Protocols
- Managing FLOGI, Name Server, FDMI, and RSCN Databases
- Discovering SCSI Targets
- Advanced Features and Concepts
- Configuring FC-SP and DHCHAP
- Configuring Port Security
- Configuring Fabric Binding
- Configuring Fabric Configuration Servers
- Configuring Port Tracking
Distributing Device Alias Services
Switches in the Cisco Nexus 5000 Series support Distributed Device Alias Services (device aliases) on a fabric-wide basis.
Information About Device Aliases
When the port WWN (pWWN) of a device must be specified to configure features (for example, zoning, DPVM, or port security) in a Cisco Nexus 5000 Series switch, you must assign the correct device name each time you configure these features. An inaccurate device name may cause unexpected results. You can circumvent this problem if you define a user-friendly name for a pWWN and use this name in all the configuration commands as required. These user-friendly names are referred to as device aliases.
This section includes the following topics:
Device Alias Features
Device aliases have the following features:
- The device alias information is independent of the VSAN configuration.
- The device alias configuration and distribution is independent of the zone server and the zone server database.
- You can import legacy zone alias configurations without losing data.
- The device alias application uses the Cisco Fabric Services (CFS) infrastructure to enable efficient database management and distribution. Device aliases use the coordinated distribution mode and the fabric-wide distribution scope (see Chapter 1, “Using Cisco Fabric Services”).
- Basic and enhanced modes. See the “Device Alias Modes” section.
- Device aliases used to configure zones, IVR zones, or port security features are displayed automatically with their respective pWWNs in the show command output.
Device Alias Requirements
Device aliases have the following requirements:
- You can only assign device aliases to pWWNs.
- There must be a one-to-one relationship between the pWWN and the device alias that maps to it.
- A device alias name is restricted to 64 alphanumeric characters and may include one or more of the following characters:
–
Device alias names must begin with an alphabetic character (a to z or A to Z).
Zone Aliases Versus Device Aliases
Table 1-1 compares the configuration differences between zone-based alias configuration and device alias configuration.
Device Alias Databases
The device alias feature uses two databases to accept and implement device alias configurations.
- Effective database—The database currently used by the fabric.
- Pending database—Your subsequent device alias configuration changes are stored in the pending database.
If you modify the device alias configuration, you need to commit or discard the changes as the fabric remains locked during this period.
Device alias database changes are validated with the applications. If any of the applications cannot accept the device alias database changes, then those changes are rejected; this applies to device alias database changes resulting from either a commit or merge operation.
This section includes the following topics:
- Creating Device Aliases
- Device Alias Modes
- Changing Device Alias Mode Guidelines
- Configuring Device Alias Modes
- About Device Alias Distribution
- Locking the Fabric
- Committing Changes
- Discarding Changes
- Fabric Lock Override
- Disabling and Enabling Device Alias Distribution
Creating Device Aliases
To a create a device alias in the pending database, perform this task:
To display the device alias configuration, use the show device-alias name command:
Device Alias Modes
You can specify that aliases operate in basic or enhanced modes.
When operating in basic mode, which is the default mode, the device alias is immediately expanded to a pWWN. In basic mode, when device aliases are changed to point to a new HBA, for example, that change is not reflected in the zone server. Users must remove the previous HBA’s pWWN, add the new HBA’s pWWN, and then reactivate the zoneset.
When operating in enhanced mode, applications accept a device alias name in its “native” format. Instead of expanding the device alias to a pWWN, the device alias name is stored in the configuration and distributed in its native device alias format. So applications such as zone server, PSM or DPVM can automatically keep track of the device alias membership changes and enforce them accordingly. The primary benefit of operating in enhanced mode is that you have a single point of change.
Whenever you change device alias modes, the change is distributed to other switches in the network only if device alias distribution is enabled or on. Otherwise, the mode change only takes place on the local switch.
Note Enhanced mode, or native device alias-based configurations are not accepted in interop mode VSANs. IVR zoneset activation will fail in interop mode VSANs if the corresponding zones have native device alias-based members.
Changing Device Alias Mode Guidelines
When changing device alias modes, follow these guidelines:
- If two fabrics running in different device alias modes are joined together, the device alias merge will fail. There is no automatic conversion to one mode or the other during the merge process. In this situation, you must to select one mode over the other.
- Before changing from enhanced to basic mode, you must first explicitly remove all native device alias-based configurations from both local and remote switches, or, replace all device alias-based configuration members with the corresponding pWWN.
- If you remove a device alias from the device alias database, all applications will automatically stop enforcing the corresponding device alias. If that corresponding device alias is part of an active zoneset, all the traffic to and from that pWWN is disrupted.
- Renaming the device alias not only changes the device alias name in the device alias database, but also replaces the corresponding device alias configuration in all the applications.
- When a new device alias is added to the device alias database, and the application configuration is present on that device alias, it automatically takes effect. For example, if the corresponding device alias is part of the active zoneset and the device is online, then zoning is enforced automatically. You do not have to reactivate the zoneset.
- If a device alias name is mapped to a new HBA’s pWWN, then the application’s enforcement changes accordingly. In this case, the zone server automatically enforces zoning based on the new HBA’s pWWN.
Configuring Device Alias Modes
To configure device aliases to operate in enhanced mode, perform this task:
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To view the current device alias mode setting, enter the show device-alias status command.
About Device Alias Distribution
By default, device alias distribution is enabled. The device alias feature uses CFS to distribute the modifications to all switches in a fabric.
If device alias distribution is disabled, database changes are not distributed to the switches in the fabric. The same changes would have to be performed manually on all switches in the fabric to keep the device alias database up-to-date. Database changes immediately take effect, so there would not be any pending database and commit or abort operations either. If you have not committed the changes and you disable distribution, then a commit task will fail.
The following example displays a failed device alias status:
Locking the Fabric
When you perform any device alias configuration task (regardless of which device alias task), the fabric is automatically locked for the device alias feature. Once you lock the fabric, the following situations apply:
- No other user can make any configuration changes to this feature.
- A copy of the effective database is obtained and used as the pending database. Subsequent modifications are made to the pending database. The pending database remains in use until you commit the modifications to the pending database or discard (abort) the changes to the pending database.
Committing Changes
If you commit the changes made to the pending database, the following events occur:
1. The pending database content overwrites the effective database content.
2. The pending database is distributed to the switches in the fabric and the effective database on those switches is overwritten with the new changes.
3. The pending database is emptied of its contents.
4. The fabric lock is released for this feature.
To commit the changes, perform this task:
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Discarding Changes
If you discard the changes made to the pending database, the following events occur:
1. The effective database contents remain unaffected.
2. The pending database is emptied of its contents.
3. The fabric lock is released for this feature.
To discard the device alias session, perform this task:
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To display the status of the discard operation, use the show device alias status command.
Fabric Lock Override
You can use locking operations (clear, commit, abort) only when device alias distribution is enabled. If you have performed a device alias task and have forgotten to release the lock by either committing or discarding the changes, an administrator can release the lock from any switch in the fabric. If the administrator performs this task, your changes to the pending database are discarded and the fabric lock is released.
Tip The changes are only available in the volatile directory and may be discarded if the switch is restarted.
To use administrative privileges and release a locked device alias session, use the clear device-alias session command in EXEC mode.
To display the status of the clear operation, use the show device-alias status command.
Disabling and Enabling Device Alias Distribution
To disable or enable the device alias distribution, perform this task:
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To display the status of device alias distribution, use the show device-alias status command. The following example shows the device alias display when distribution is enabled:
The following example shows the device alias display when distribution is disabled:
About Legacy Zone Alias Configuration
You can import legacy zone alias configurations to use this feature without losing data if they satisfy the following restrictions:
If any name or definition conflict exists, the zone aliases are not imported.
Tip Ensure that you copy any required zone aliases to the device alias database as required by your configuration.
When an import operation is complete, the modified alias database is distributed to all other switches in the physical fabric when you perform the commit operation. If you do not want to distribute the configuration to other switches in the fabric, you can perform the abort operation and the merge changes are completely discarded.
Importing a Zone Alias
To import the zone alias for a specific VSAN, perform this task:
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Database Merge Guidelines
When merging two device alias databases, follow these guidelines:
- Verify that two device aliases with different names are not mapped to the same pWWN.
- Verify that two identical pWWNs are not mapped to two different device aliases.
- Verify that the combined number of device aliases in both databases does not exceed 8K (8191 device aliases) in fabrics running Cisco MDS SAN-OS release 3.0 (x) and earlier, and 20K in fabrics running Cisco MDS SAN-OS release 3.1(x) and later.
If the combined number of device entries in both databases exceeds the supported configuration limit, then the merge will fail. For example, if database N has 6000 device aliases and database M has 2192 device aliases, and you are running SAN-OS 3.0(x) or earlier, then this merge operation will fail. Merge operations will also fail if there is a device alias mode mismatch.
For additional information, see the “CFS Merge Support” section.
Verifying Device Alias Configuration
To display device alias information, perform one of the following tasks:
The following example shows how to display device alias information in the zone set:
The following example shows how to display pending changes in the device alias database:
The following example shows how to display a specific pWWN in the device alias database:
The following example shows how to display the difference between the pending and effective device alias databases:
Where available, device aliases are displayed regardless of a member being configured using a device-alias command or a zone-specific member pwwn command.
Default Settings
Table 1-2 lists the default settings for device alias parameters.
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