A common storage connectivity method using an NPIV Proxy Gateway (NPG), may be used when connecting VMs in an PowerEdge MX compute sled to a storage area network hosting a storage array.
NPG mode is very simple to implement on the MX9116n FSE. There is very little configuration that needs to be done. In NPG mode, the MX9116n FSE converts FCoE from the server to native FC and aggregates the traffic into an uplink. The NPG switch is effectively transparent to the FC SAN, which “sees” the hosts themselves. NPG mode allows for larger SAN deployments that aggregate the I/O traffic at the NPG switch. The figure below shows the topology and ports used on the MX9116n FSE to setup this scenario.
Topology
To configure the NPG scenario in SmartFabric mode and allow VM access, perform the following steps:
- Connect the MX9116n FSE to the FC SAN.Note: Verify that the cables do not cris-cross between the switches.
- Configure the MX SmartFabric as described in the Configure SmartFabric section. This information is also used to configure the NPG settings.
- Configure vCenter as described in Chapter 4.
- Use the steps provided in the Configuration steps section to complete the configuration.