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N_Port ID Virtualization, a new HBA feature, lets you assign different WWNs to each virtual server and determine which applications run on specific hardware and even when they run.
Fibre Channel (FC) host bus adapters (HBAs) are becoming one of the pivotal points in the emerging virtual data center. With nearly every facet of data centers--servers, storage, SANs and I/O--becoming virtual, HBAs are taking on more responsibilities to ensure that each virtual server accesses only its assigned virtual storage. As FC HBAs assume more critical but largely invisible roles, storage administrators must ensure that their SAN infrastructures are sufficiently modernized to support the new capabilities of FC HBAs.
Changes need to occur at all layers of the storage network to make the virtual data center a reality. With FC HBAs initially designed to enable one physical server to connect to one or more LUNs on multiple storage arrays, the introduction of a new HBA software feature called N_Port ID Virtualization (NPIV) allows admins to assign different worldwide names (WWNs) to each virtual server. This means a virtual server can access only the volumes specifically assigned to it.
NPIV creates new dependencies at the server and network layers in the storage fabric (see "NPIV checklist" on Storage's Web site). For instance, OSes like AIX, HP-UX, Linux, Solaris, VMware and Microsoft Corp.'s Virtual Server must recognize and support the new APIs associated with NPIV before they can move a virtual server image from one set of hardware to another. On FC switches and directors, admins may need to upgrade their network OS to recognize and manage NPIV logins, pay additional licensing fees to use this feature on their network and create new zones for the virtual WWNs to access their assigned storage. In the new virtual storage environment, FC HBA features such as beaconing and link-speed indicators take on increased importance for admins to identify the actual physical location of an FC HBA in a fabric or to determine at a glance the speed at which an HBA port is connecting to the FC SAN.
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