Fibre Channel, QLA2200F as networking device

Is it possible to use a fibre channel card such as the QLA2200F for
IP?

I installed a QLA2200F in a box running Win2k Pro and installed the
Qlogic NDIS driver. The device appears as a networking device and
installed fine. The link status in Windows reports it as working at
800Mbps. However, the link does not work and is not shown as active
on the switch.

The switch is a D-Link DGS-3204 Gigabit Fibre switch. This switch has
single speed ports that operate at 1000Mbps ( or is it 1063Mbps?).

Is there a way to get the QLA2200F to operate with this switch? If
not, then what type of hardware would be needed to bridge between the
800Mbps fibre channel card and a gigabit network?

Well, this card talks only fc-protocoll, even if you decide to use SCSI
(FCP, type 0x08) or
IP (FCIP, type 0x05) as underlaying protocol and that means that you can't
connect it
to any Ethernet switch. You should use switches that are able to route
fc-frames
(e.g. brocade - silkworm series, mcdata - es, ed or spheron series or
cisco - mds series).
If you decide to bridge it, of course, there also exists FC/IP bridges (e.g.
mcdata/nishan)

Hope that helps,

Rene

"Mark H." schrieb im Newsbeitrag
om...
Is it possible to use a fibre channel card such as the QLA2200F for
IP?

I installed a QLA2200F in a box running Win2k Pro and installed the
Qlogic NDIS driver. The device appears as a networking device and
installed fine. The link status in Windows reports it as working at
800Mbps. However, the link does not work and is not shown as active
on the switch.

The switch is a D-Link DGS-3204 Gigabit Fibre switch. This switch has
single speed ports that operate at 1000Mbps ( or is it 1063Mbps?).

Is there a way to get the QLA2200F to operate with this switch? If
not, then what type of hardware would be needed to bridge between the
800Mbps fibre channel card and a gigabit network?

On 13 Nov 2003 11:19:14 -0800, (Mark H.)
wrote:

Is it possible to use a fibre channel card such as the QLA2200F for
IP?

Yes, but they devices need to be connected with fibre channel, as the
FC HBAs implement IP over fibre channel , not Gigabit ethernet over
fiber. Or, you would need some sort of dual-purpose switch that had a
FC port and it's own IP over FC that interfaced with an internal
router to Gigabit ehternet.

Scott

"Mark H." wrote in message
om...

Is it possible to use a fibre channel card such as the QLA2200F for
IP?

Yes.

The switch is a D-Link DGS-3204 Gigabit Fibre switch. This switch has
single speed ports that operate at 1000Mbps ( or is it 1063Mbps?).

That's an Ethernet switch!

Is there a way to get the QLA2200F to operate with this switch?

No.

If not, then what type of hardware would be needed to bridge between
the 800Mbps fibre channel card and a gigabit network?

Some sort of Fibre Channel to Ethernet bridge that supports IP.
I don't know if any exist.

Rene Koehnen-Wiesemes wrote:
If you decide to bridge it, of course, there also exists FC/IP bridges (e.g.
mcdata/nishan)

They bridge to IP indeed, and allow connecting to Gigabit Ethernet switches, but
do they support IPFC ? I though Nishan for example only does FCP and iSCSI.
The Cisco MDS 9000 series does support IPFC...

Arne Joris

Rene Koehnen-Wiesemes wrote:
If you decide to bridge it, of course, there also exists FC/IP bridges
(e.g.
mcdata/nishan)

They bridge to IP indeed, and allow connecting to Gigabit Ethernet
switches, but
do they support IPFC ? I though Nishan for example only does FCP and
iSCSI.
The Cisco MDS 9000 series does support IPFC...

Arne Joris


you're right, MDS 9000 series does support FCIP, my memory mixed it with
nishans iFCP protocol ;-)

Rene