Why bind FCoE nics to separate vSwitches?

[RanjnaAggarwal]

If your host has multiple network adapters or multiple ports on the adapter, connect each FCoE NIC to a separate standard switch. but why this is what i do not understand?

[zXi_Gamer]

Have you considered the requirement of switch failovers?

[RanjnaAggarwal]

means what?

[rickardnobel]

Ranjna Aggarwal wrote:

If your host has multiple network adapters or multiple ports on the adapter, connect each FCoE NIC to a separate standard switch. but why this is what i do not understand?

I think the statements about FCoE in the ICM book is a bit confusing and contradictory.

One reason for adding each FCoE nic port to a different vSwitch could be to give the software FCoE initator in the vmkernel the same "view" as for software iSCSI, that is that each path has only one "active" way, much the same as for iSCSI multipathing.

However, from the recent manual it states clearly that you do not have to attach them to different vSwitches, so it might just be an error in the ICM guide.

"If your host has multiple network adapters or multiple ports on the adapter, you can add all of them to a single vSphere standard switch. An alternative is to connect each FCoE NIC to a separate standard switch."

http://pubs.vmware.com/vsphere-51/index.jsp?topic=%2Fcom.vmware.vsphere.storage.doc%2FGUID-93983024-...

[rickardnobel]

* Thread title adjusted to a shorter version.

Regards /  Rickard

[zXi_Gamer]

In case one of your switch goes down due to any external or configuration changes.

"This practice helps you to avoid an APD  condition when a  disruptive event, such as  an MTU change, occurs."

[rickardnobel]

I belive however that the question was about internal standard vSwitches. I of course agree that it is very good to have physical switch redundancy.

[zXi_Gamer]

I belive however that the question was about internal standard vSwitches. I of course agree that it is very good to have physical switch redundancy.

I did believe that the reference was for vSwitch. But the word "standard switch" made me wonder for a while before typing

great explanation btw on the target and initiator side