Can CNA adapter be used for a regular Eithernet port?

[CITMAGIC123]

We have a QLogic CNA adapter installed on FAS 3250, and could be recognized by the filer as e1b, 10G. Can I use the port as like a regular 10G Eithernet connection?  are there any required additional configurations ?

Appreciate your inputs.

[CITMAGIC123]

Can anybody please pick up this question? Thanks!

[FLECHABUS]

Hi!

The FCoE is just a FC frame covered with ETHERNET information , so the Switch FCOE can receive it a transfer it as Ethernet even if it is FC.

So the answer is NO.

This is a complete guide http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/solutions/Enterprise/Data_Center/UF_FCoE_final.html

Also this, taken from Netapp TR-3800 :

Configuration of the FCoE side of the Unified Target Adapter

in Data ONTAP is the same as it is for a traditional Fibre Channel target adapter. The storage controller determines the appropriate DCB settings

and VLAN to use for FCoE from the upstream FCF with no user involvement needed.

Regards!

[CITMAGIC123]

This is interesting now...

However, why I can see two "ports" (entries) for one identified physical CNA port, one is shown as "e1a MAC Address:    00:c0:dd:26:05:fc (auto-10g_sr-fd-up)", a Ethernet port, and the other is shown as " Fibre Channel Target Host Adapter 1a"?

On Ethernet part, I already have connect it to CISCO switch, so, showing up, on the FC part, showing "no link". So, that's why I raised the question here, and asking for CNA port can be used as a regular Ethernet card.

Any thoughts on that?

[FLECHABUS]

I hate to tell people to read a manual but ...

http://www.netapp.com/us/media/TR-3800.pdf

Is all about FCOE:

Chapter 2 Qlogic 8100 series 10 Gigabit  CNA

Page 5

That is what you are looking for, the ethernet part is used to comunicate with switches, that is the point of FCoE, to have a ETHERNET component connected to negotiate with Switches (that they have to construct their own VLAN-VSAN so they mix the 2 portions)

Kind Regards

[CITMAGIC123]

So, answer should be Yes, the CNA port can be used for NAS connection, and could be treated the same as a regular Ethernet port?

Sorry, I am a slow man...

[FLECHABUS]

No, http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/ECATS/Solutions_Guides/White_Papers/FCoE_NetApp_V12.pdf

The FCoE is FiberChannel (over ethernet).

You cannot share a NFS with fcoe. What you will present is a FiberChannel LUN request over ethernet.

It is SAN over Ethernet, so the ETHERNET driver you see installed is just for communication proposes.

The core of all the transaction is to share LUNs, typically of a SAN FABRIC, in a Ethernet like environment.

You are not slow! i have a very very incisive english, so i am abocated just to answer your question and not to graph it with words!

Regards

[aborzenkov · Accepted solution]

There seems to be some misunderstanding. You cannot export NFS via FCoE, but CNA adapter provides both LAN and FC functions via the same physical connection, so you can use LAN part as normal (although possibly more expensive) LAN adapter.

[CITMAGIC123]

It seems that I am getting conflcting answers

Though we have this CNA card, but we are not going to use FCoE, and only want to get Ethernet LAN connection out of it, hoping we can use it as a  regular LAN card.

aborzenkov,

If I just wanted to use it as a regular LAN port, can I then export NFS via this connection?

[johannbell]

Hi,

Yes you can use a CNA in Ethernet mode or in FCoE mode.

It can function as a NIC or as an FCoE adapter.

There is a trick with the X1139 and X1140. The 39 is optical ONLY, no twinax support. The 40 is copper ONLY, no optical support. So choose your media ahead of time.

J

Sent from my iPhone

[CITMAGIC123]

Alright, the answer to my original question is YES, I can use CNA card for Ethernet connection, exactly the same as a regular NIC card.

johannbell, I am using Dual-port, QLogic CNA 8112(8152) rev. 2), not X1139 or X1140 card.

[aborzenkov]

This is exactly X1139 or X1140.