Brocade Communications Systems DCX Quick user guide

53-1000685-11
23 November 2009
®
5
Brocade DCX Backbone
Hardware Reference Manual

Copyright © 2007-2009 Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Brocade, the B-wing symbol, BigIron, DCX, Fabric OS, FastIron, IronPoint, IronShield, IronView, IronWare, JetCore, NetIron,
SecureIron, ServerIron, StorageX, and TurboIron are registered trademarks, and DCFM, Extraordinary Networks, and SAN Health
are trademarks of Brocade Communications Systems, Inc., in the United States and/or in other countries. All other brands,
products, or service names are or may be trademarks or service marks of, and are used to identify, products or services of their
respective owners.
Notice: This document is for informational purposes only and does not set forth any warranty, expressed or implied, concerning
any equipment, equipment feature, or service offered or to be offered by Brocade. Brocade reserves the right to make changes to
this document at any time, without notice, and assumes no responsibility for its use. This informational document describes
features that may not be currently available. Contact a Brocade sales office for information on feature and product availability.
Export of technical data contained in this document may require an export license from the United States government.
The authors and Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. shall have no liability or responsibility to any person or entity with
respect to any loss, cost, liability, or damages arising from the information contained in this book or the computer programs that
accompany it.
The product described by this document may contain “open source” software covered by the GNU General Public License or other
open source license agreements. To find out which open source software is included in Brocade products, view the licensing
terms applicable to the open source software, and obtain a copy of the programming source code, please visit
http://www.brocade.com/support/oscd.
Brocade Communications Systems, Incorporated
Corporate and Latin American Headquarters
Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
1745 Technology Drive
San Jose, CA 95110
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: inf[email protected]
Asia-Pacific Headquarters
Brocade Communications Systems China HK, Ltd.
No. 1 Guanghua Road
Chao Yang District
Units 2718 and 2818
Beijing 100020, China
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [email protected]
European Headquarters
Brocade Communications Switzerland Sàrl
Centre Swissair
Tour B - 4ème étage
29, Route de l'Aéroport
Case Postale 105
CH-1215 Genève 15
Switzerland
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]
Asia-Pacific Headquarters
Brocade Communications Systems Co., Ltd. (Shenzhen WFOE)
Citic Plaza
No. 233 Tian He Road North
Unit 1308 – 13th Floor
Guangzhou, China
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [email protected]

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53-1000685-11
Document History
Title Publication Number Summary of Changes Date
Brocade DCX Data Center Backbone
Director Hardware Reference Manual
53-1000685-01 New document. Early
version.
September 2007
Brocade DCX Data Center Backbone
Director Hardware Reference Manual
53-1000685-02 Updated. Formal release of
product.
January 2008
Brocade DCX Backbone Hardware
Reference Manual
53-1000685-03 Updated for product name
change.
January 2008
Brocade DCX Backbone Hardware
Reference Manual
53-1000685-04 Updated for Fabric OS
6.1.0.
March 2008
Brocade DCX Backbone Hardware
Reference Manual
53-1000685-05 Updated for Fabric OS 6.1.1
and 6.1.1_enc
August 2008
Brocade DCX Backbone Hardware
Reference Manual
53-1000685-06 Updated. Blade
incompatibility.
December 2008
Brocade DCX Backbone Hardware
Reference Manual
53-1000685-07 Updated specification table. December 2008
Brocade DCX Backbone Hardware
Reference Manual
53-1000685-08 Various updates. March 2009
Brocade DCX Backbone Hardware
Reference Manual
53-1000685-09 Updated power cord table. May 2009
Brocade DCX Backbone Hardware
Reference Manual
53-1000685-10 Updated to include new
blades.
July 2009
Brocade DCX Backbone Hardware
Reference Manual
53-1000685-11 Corrected CP swap
instructions and IPAddrSet
command. Added blade
power supply requirements.
November 2009

iv Brocade DCX Hardware Reference Manual
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Contents
About This Document
In this chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
How this document is organized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
Supported hardware and software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x
What’s new in this document. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x
Document conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x
Text formatting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x
Command syntax conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Command examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Notes, cautions, and warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Notice to the reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xii
Additional information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xii
Brocade resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xii
Other industry resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xii
Getting technical help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii
ESD precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii
Safety notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiv
Document feedback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiv
Chapter 1 Overview
In this chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Brocade DCX features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Hardware components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Port side of the Brocade DCX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Nonport side of the Brocade DCX. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Brocade DCX blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
High availability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Reliability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Serviceability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Software features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Network manageability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

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Chapter 2 Installation
In this chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Time and items required. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Site preparation, unpacking the Brocade DCX, and safety . . . . . . . 12
Items included with the Brocade DCX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Providing power to the Brocade DCX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Port numbering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Cable management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Installing ICL cables (optional) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Chapter 3 Log In and Configuration
In this chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Configuring the Brocade DCX. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Establishing a serial connection and logging on to the
Brocade DCX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Configuring IP addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Establishing an Ethernet connection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Customizing a switch name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Customizing a chassis name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Setting the domain ID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Verifying the PID mode and connecting to the fabric . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Software licenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Backing up the configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Chapter 4 Monitor System Components
In this chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Monitoring overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Determining the status of a port or application blade . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Determining the status of a control processor blade (CP8). . . . . . . 38
Determining status of a core switch blade (CR8) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
Determining the status of a power supply. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Determining the status of a blower assembly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Determining the status of a WWN card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Chapter 5 Removal and Replacement Procedures (RRPs)
In this chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
RRP: Chassis door. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

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RRP: Cable management comb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
RRP: Port, application, and encryption blade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
RRP: Blade filler panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
RRP: Control processor blade (CP8) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
Verifying operation of the new CP blade. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
RRP: Core switch blade (CR8) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
RRP: Power supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
RRP: Blower assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
RRP: WWN bezel (logo plate) and WWN card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
RRP: SFPs and XFPs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
RRP: Inter-chassis link (ICL) cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
RRP: Brocade DCX chassis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Appendix A Specifications
In this appendix. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95
System architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
System size and weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
System blade and FRU weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Facility requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Power specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98
Power cords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99
Power-cord notice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102
Power-cord notice (Japan, Denan) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102
Environmental requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102
Fibre Channel port specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103
Data transmission ranges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103
General specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104
Regulatory compliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104
FCC warning (US only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105
KCC statement (Republic of Korea) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105
VCCI statement (Japan) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105
CE statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105
Canadian requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106
Laser compliance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106
Regulatory compliance standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106
Environmental regulation compliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107
China RoHS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107
Chapter B Application and Encryption Blades
In this appendix. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111

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Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111
FA4-18 blade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111
FR4-18i blade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111
FS8-18 blade. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112
FX8-24 blade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112
FCOE10-24 blade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114
Appendix C Diagnostics and Troubleshooting
In this appendix. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115
Obtaining chassis and component status. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116
Interpreting POST and boot results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116
POST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116
Boot. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117
Troubleshooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
Powering off the Brocade DCX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120
Chapter D Port Numbering Template
Index

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In this chapter
About This Document
In this chapter
•How this document is organized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
•Supported hardware and software. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x
•What’s new in this document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x
•Document conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x
•Notice to the reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xii
•Additional information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xii
•Getting technical help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii
•ESD precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii
•Safety notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiv
•Document feedback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiv
How this document is organized
This document is a hardware reference manual written for system administrators and technicians
experienced with networking, Fibre Channel, and SAN technologies to help them install, set up,
configure, operate, maintain, and troubleshoot the Brocade DCX Backbone (“Brocade DCX”).
This document presents information on setting-up and operating the Brocade DCX. It is organized
in a loosely chronological order, beginning with an overview of the Brocade DCX and ending with
removal and replacement procedures of field replaceable components.
The document contains the following sections:
•Chapter 1, “Overview,” identifies the components of the Brocade DCX and provides a brief
description of its features.
•Chapter 2, “Installation,” describes how to install, set up, and power on the Brocade DCX.
•Chapter 3, “Log In and Configuration,” provides the initial configuration information required to
get the Brocade DCX established in a fabric.
•Chapter 4, “Monitor System Components,” provides descriptions of the LEDs and their
functions, and also lists Fabric OS commands required for monitoring.
•Chapter 5, “Removal and Replacement Procedures (RRPs),” describes how to remove and
replace each of the FRUs in the Brocade DCX.
•Appendix A, “Specifications,” provides information on the physical characteristics,
environmental requirements, and regulatory certifications for the Brocade DCX.
•Appendix B, “Application and Encryption Blades” provides information about application
blades that are optionally available for the Brocade DCX.

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In this chapter
•Appendix C, “Diagnostics and Troubleshooting,” provides methods for receiving system-wide or
component-level status, interpreting POST and boot activities and diagnostic tests; it also
includes troubleshooting tips.
•Appendix D, “Port Numbering Template,” contains templates where you can record the port
numbering sequence for the port blades.
Supported hardware and software
This document includes information specific to the Brocade DCX running Brocade Fabric OS
version 6.3.
What’s new in this document
The control blade replacement instructions have been updated.
The Setting IP Addresses procedure has been updated.
Added power supply requirements for blades.
Document conventions
This section describes text formatting conventions and important notices formats.
Text formatting
The narrative-text formatting conventions that are used in this document are as follows:
bold text Identifies command names
Identifies GUI elements
Identifies keywords and operands
Identifies text to enter at the GUI or CLI
italic text Provides emphasis
Identifies variables
Identifies paths and Internet addresses
Identifies document titles
code text Identifies CLI output
Identifies syntax examples
For readability, command names in the narrative portions of this guide are presented in mixed
lettercase: for example, switchShow. In actual examples, command lettercase is often all
lowercase. Otherwise, this manual specifically notes those cases in which a command is case
sensitive.

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In this chapter
Command syntax conventions
Command syntax in this manual follows these conventions:
Command examples
This book describes how to perform configuration tasks using the Fabric OS command line
interface, but does not describe the commands in detail. For complete descriptions of all Fabric OS
commands, including syntax, operand description, and sample output, see the Fabric OS
Command Reference.
Notes, cautions, and warnings
The following notices and statements are used in this manual. They are listed below in order of
increasing severity of potential hazards.
NOTE
A note provides a tip, guidance or advice, emphasizes important information, or provides a reference
to related information.
ATTENTION
An Attention statement indicates potential damage to hardware or data.
CAUTION
A Caution statement alerts you to situations that can be potentially hazardous to you or cause
damage to hardware, firmware, software, or data.
DANGER
A Danger statement indicates conditions or situations that can be potentially lethal or extremely
hazardous to you. Safety labels are also attached directly to products to warn of these conditions
or situations.
command Commands are printed in bold.
--option, option Command options are printed in bold.
-argument, arg Arguments.
[ ] Optional element.
variable Variables are printed in italics. In the help pages, values are underlined or
enclosed in angled brackets < >.
... Repeat the previous element, for example “member[;member...]”
value Fixed values following arguments are printed in plain font. For example,
--show WWN
| Boolean. Elements are exclusive. Example: --show -mode egress | ingress

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In this chapter
Notice to the reader
This document may contain references to the trademarks of the following corporations. These
trademarks are the properties of their respective companies and corporations.
These references are made for informational purposes only.
Additional information
This section lists additional Brocade and industry-specific documentation that you might find
helpful.
Brocade resources
To get up-to-the-minute information, go to http://my.brocade.com to register at no cost for a user ID
and password.
For practical discussions about SAN design, implementation, and maintenance, you can obtain
Building SANs with Brocade Fabric Switches through:
http://www.amazon.com
White papers, online demos, and data sheets are available through the Brocade Web site at:
http://www.brocade.com/products-solutions/products/index.page
For additional Brocade documentation, visit the Brocade Web site:
http://www.brocade.com
Release notes are available on the MyBrocade web site and are also bundled with the Fabric OS
firmware.
Other industry resources
For additional resource information, visit the Technical Committee T11 Web site. This Web site
provides interface standards for high-performance and mass storage applications for Fibre
Channel, storage management, and other applications:
http://www.t11.org
For information about the Fibre Channel industry, visit the Fibre Channel Industry Association Web
site:
http://www.fibrechannel.org
Corporation Referenced Trademarks and Products
Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. Web Tools, Extended Fabrics, Enhanced Group Management,
Brocade Zoning, Fabric Watch
Microsoft Corporation Windows, Windows NT, Internet Explorer

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In this chapter
Getting technical help
Contact your Brocade DCX supplier for hardware, firmware, and software support, including
product repairs and part ordering. To expedite your call, have the following information available:
1. General information
•Technical Support contract number, if applicable
•Brocade DCX model
•Brocade DCX operating system version
•Error numbers and messages received
•supportSave command output
•Detailed description of the problem and specific questions
•Description of any troubleshooting steps already performed and results
•Serial console and Telnet session logs
•syslog message logs
2. Brocade DCX serial number
The Brocade DCX serial number (Switch Serial No.) and corresponding bar code are provided
on the serial number label, as shown here:
The serial number label is located on the port side of the chassis, on the lower right side and
directly above the cable management comb.
In addition, the chassisShow command displays the Brocade DCX serial number, as well as
information about the port and application blades, and other field-replaceable units (FRUs).
3. License ID
Use the licenseIdShow command to display the license ID.
ESD precautions
The Brocade DCX contains electrostatic discharge (ESD) sensitive FRUs. When working with
any Brocade DCX FRU, use correct ESD procedures.
•Wear a wrist grounding strap connected to chassis ground (if the Brocade DCX is plugged
in) or a bench ground.
•Store ESD-sensitive components in antistatic packaging.
*FT00X0054E9*
FT00X0054E9

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In this chapter
Safety notices
NOTE
Translated safety notices are in the Brocade Product Safety Notices publication, which is on the
CD-ROM that accompanies this product.
When using this product, observe the danger, caution, and attention notices in this manual. The
notices are accompanied by symbols that represent the severity of the safety condition.
The danger and caution notices are listed in numerical order based on their IDs, which are
displayed in parentheses, for example (D004), at the end of each notice. Use this ID to locate the
translations of these danger and caution notices in the Brocade Product Safety Notices.
Document feedback
Because quality is our first concern at Brocade, we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy
and completeness of this document. However, if you find an error or an omission, or you think that
a topic needs further development, we want to hear from you. Forward your feedback to:
[e-mail]
Provide the title and version number and as much detail as possible about your comment,
including the topic heading and page number and your suggestions for improvement.

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Chapter
1
Overview
In this chapter
•Brocade DCX features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
•Hardware components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
•Brocade DCX blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
•High availability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
•Reliability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
•Serviceability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
•Software features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
•Security. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
•Network manageability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Brocade DCX features
The Brocade DCX represents the next generation of advanced Fibre Channel enterprise-class
platforms used to intelligently interconnect storage devices, hosts, and servers in a Storage Area
Network (SAN). The Brocade DCX is the highest-performance and highest-scalability
enterprise-class platform offered by Brocade. It satisfies the most demanding Reliability,
Availability, and Serviceability (RAS), performance, and scalability requirements, while delivering
investment protection, interoperability, and fabric-based intelligence advantages found only in the
Brocade product family.
Key features of the Brocade DCX include:
•Up to 384 ports in a single chassis, providing high port density for a scalable solution to drive
high-port-count SAN configurations.
•Support for high-performance port blades running at 1-, 2-, 4-, 8-, or 10-Gbps, enabling flexible
system configuration.
•Support for 1-, 2-, 4-, and 8-Gbps auto-sensing Fibre Channel ports. Trunking technology
groups up to eight ports to create high performance 64-Gbps ISL trunks between switches. (10
Gbps ports (FC10-6) are 10 Gbps only.)
•Dual-redundant control processor blades (CP8) and core switch blades (CR8) that provide high
availability and enable nondisruptive software upgrades.
•Redundant and hot-swappable CP8 and CR8 blades, power supplies, blower assemblies, and
WWN cards that enable a high availability platform for mission-critical SAN applications.
•Universal ports that self-configure as E_Ports, F_Ports, FL_Ports, Ex_Ports and M_Ports (mirror
ports). (10 Gbps ports (FC10-6) are E-Ports only.)
•Inter-chassis linking (ICL) through the CR8 blades.

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Hardware components
1
•Data cryptographic (encryption/decryption) and data compression capabilities through the
Brocade FS8-18 Encryption Blade.
•Fibre Channel over IP (FCIP) functionality through the FX8-24 blade.
•Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) capability through the FCOE10-24 blade.
Hardware components
The Brocade DCX features a modular and scalable mechanical construction that allows a wide
range of flexibility in installation, fabric design, and maintenance. The chassis may be mounted
with the cables facing the front of the equipment rack or to the rear, and consists of the following:
•Up to eight hot-swappable port blade assemblies that can be configured in a single chassis,
delivering up to 384 Fibre Channel ports.
•Two slots for control processor blades (CP8):
•A single active CP8 blade can control all 384 ports in the chassis.
•The standby CP8 blade assumes control of the Brocade DCX if the active CP fails.
•Two slots for core switch blades (CR8):
•CR8 blade interconnects all port blades.
•Two inter-chassis link (ICL) connectors per blade to connect to another chassis.
•Both CR8 blades are active.
•Modular hot-swappable port blades:
•16-port, 8-Gbps blades (FC8-16)
•32-port, 8-Gbps blades (FC8-32)
•48-port, 8-Gbps blades (FC8-48)
•6-port, 10-Gbps blades (FC10-6)
•Modular hot-swappable application blades:
•FA4-18: 18-port (16 FC + 2 10/100/1000 BaseT Ethernet copper interfaces), up to 4
blades per chassis, supporting Fibre Channel Application Services and blade
management.
•FR4-18i: 18-port (16 FC + 2 GbE), up to 4 blades per chassis, supporting Fibre Channel
Routing Services and FCIP.
•FX8-24: 24-port (12 FC, 10 GbE, 2 10GbE) FCIP extension blade enabling long distance
communication over existing IP infrastructure.
•FCOE10-24: 24-port (24 10GbE) CEE-based FCoE blade enabling enhanced connectiveity
using existing Ethernet infrastructure.
•Modular hot-swappable encryption blades:
•FS8-18: 16-port, up to 4 blades per chassis, supporting data cryptographic
(encryption/decryption) and data-compression capabilities.
•Modular hot-swappable field replaceable units (FRUs):
•Three blower assemblies.
•Up to 4 power supplies (100-240 VAC auto-sensing).

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Hardware components 1
•At 240 VAC: a minimum of two power supplies is required, regardless of the number of
port or application blades. 240 VAC is recommended for efficiency and high
availability.
•At 120 VAC: four power supplies are required when using the FA4-18, FR4-18i,
FS8-18, FX8-24, or FCOE10-24 blades.
•Two WWN cards.
•Small Form-factor Pluggable (SFP) optical transceivers (1-, 2-, 4-, and 8-Gbps).
•Extended Form-factor Pluggable (XFP) optical transceivers (10-Gbps).
NOTE
The 8-Gbps SFPs auto-negotiate at 2, 4, and 8 Gbps. The 4-Gbps SFPs auto-negotiate at 1, 2,
and 4 Gbps.
•Blades that are serviced from the port side of the Brocade DCX. Blowers, power supplies, and
power cables that are serviced from the nonport side.
•Improved cable management using a redesigned cable management comb and chassis door.
•Constant intake and FRU temperature monitoring.
•World Wide Name (WWN) cards on the nonport side, to maintain chassis-specific information
such as WWNs, IP addresses, and summary status information of each port blade and power
supply through LEDs.
•Redundant AC primary power connections to ensure high availability. Each power supply has its
own connector, so the number of primary power connections varies from two (240 VAC, two
power supplies) to four (120 VAC, four power supplies).

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Hardware components
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Port side of the Brocade DCX
NOTE
Airflow in the Brocade DCX is from the nonport (noncable) side to the port (cable) side and out the
exhaust vent.
Figure 1 displays a sample configuration of the port side of the Brocade DCX.
FIGURE 1 Port side of the Brocade DCX (sample configuration)
1ExhaustVent 4FC8-48portblade
2 Core switch blade (CR8) 5 Cable management comb
3 Control processor blade (CP8)
2
3
4
5
1

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Hardware components 1
Nonport side of the Brocade DCX
Figure 2 displays a sample configuration of the nonport side view of the Brocade DCX.
FIGURE 2 Nonport side of the Brocade DCX (sample configuration)
1 WWN bezel (logo plate) 3 Blower assembly
2Powersupply
3
1
2

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Brocade DCX blades
1
Brocade DCX blades
Table 1 summarizes the port, application, control processor, and core switch blades that are
available for the Brocade DCX.
TABLE 1 Blades available for the Brocade DCX
Description Name Function
Brocade DCX control
processor blade
CP8 The CP8 blade contains the control plane for the chassis. There
are two CP8 blades for redundancy. This control processor blade
is compatible with the Brocade DCX and Brocade DCX-4S.
Brocade DCX core
switch blade
CR8 The CR8 blade contains the ASICs for switching between port
blades. Every port blade connects to every core switch blade.
There are 384 total ports for port blades. Each core switch blade
connects to 128 backplane ports. Core switch blades have
additional front port connectivity to connect multiple chassis and
backplane connections for the storage server blade. This core
switch blade is compatible only with the Brocade DCX.
16-port 8-Gbps port
blade
FC8-16 A 16-port Brocade port blade supporting 1, 2, 4, and 8 Gbps port
speeds. This port blade is compatible with the Brocade 48000
Director, Brocade DCX and Brocade DCX-4S.
32-port 8-Gbps port
blade
FC8-32 A 32-port Brocade port blade supporting 1, 2, 4, and 8 Gbps port
speeds. This port blade is compatible with the Brocade 48000
Director, Brocade DCX and Brocade DCX-4S.
48-port 8-Gbps port
blade
FC8-48 A 48-port Brocade port blade supporting 1, 2, 4, and 8 Gbps port
speeds. This port blade is compatible with the Brocade 48000
Director, Brocade DCX and Brocade DCX-4S.
6-port 10-Gbps port
blade
FC10-6 A 6-port Brocade port blade supporting 10 Gbps port speed.
Blade provides 10-Gbps ISLs. This port blade is compatible with
the Brocade 48000 Director, Brocade DCX and Brocade DCX-4S.
Fibre Channel
application blade
FA4-18 The FR4-18 blade has 16 (1-, 2-, and 4-Gbps) physical ports
supporting Fibre Channel Application Services and 2
10/100/1000 BaseT Ethernet copper interfaces supporting blade
management. This application blade is compatible with the
Brocade 48000 Director, Brocade DCX and Brocade DCX-4S..