Network OS Administrator's Guide

3.0.0

Part Number: 53-1002561-01

documentation@brocade.com

Dynamic Ports on Demand

Dynamic Ports on Demand provides a flexible mechanism for allocating port licenses that you can purchase to extend the base functionality of the Brocade VDX 6720 and VDX 6730 switches. The additional ports are enabled after you install the appropriate license keys. The Dynamic POD feature assigns port licenses based on your connectivity choices. Any port on the switch can claim a free assignment from the pool of available POD licenses.

NOTE: DPOD licenses are not supported on the Brocade VDX 6710, VDX 8770, and on the FC ports on the Brocade VDX 6730. When adding a DPOD license to a platform that does not support DPOD, you will be allowed to add the license, but the license display will show that the DPOD license is not supported on the platform.

In a Dynamic POD system, each port can be associated with one of three port sets:

•	Base Port Set – Ports that can be enabled without any POD license.

•	Single POD License Port Set – Ports that are assigned first and associated with the existence of a single POD license.

•	Double POD License Port Set – Ports that are assigned after the single POD port set is full and are therefore associated with the double POD license.

NOTE: Licenses are based on the license ID and are not interchangeable between units. For example, if you bought a single POD license for a Brocade VDX 6720-24, you cannot use that license on another Brocade VDX 6720-24, on a Brocade VDX 6720-60, or on a Brocade VDX 6730-76.

You can purchase the Brocade VDX 6720 and VDX 6730 switches with the port options indicated in Table 12. You can activate unlicensed ports up to the maximum supported per switch by purchasing and installing additional POD licenses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 12

List of available ports when implementing PODs

Platform	Base port set	Single POD set	Double POD set	Total ports
Brocade VDX 6720-24	16	+8	N/A	24
Brocade VDX 6720-60	40	+10	+10	60
Brocade VDX 6730-32	16	+8	N/A	24
Brocade VDX 6730-76	40	+10	+10	60

If you purchase both a PORTS_ON_DEMAND_1 (POD1) license and a PORTS_ON_DEMAND_2 (POD2) license for the Brocade VDX 6720-60 or VDX 6730-76, the system has a “double” POD license. If you purchased only one of these features (POD1 or POD2), the system has a “single” POD license. The specific POD license that is installed is not relevant to the port count determination. Only the number of installed POD licenses is relevant.

The Brocade VDX 6720-24 and VDX 6730-32 support only a single POD license.

Automatic POD port assignments

With the Dynamic POD feature, you can use the base port set plus the number of additional ports you purchased. All ports that do not receive a POD assignment and are trying to come online will go offline. The show ip interface brief and show interface tengigabitethernet rbridge-id/slot/port commands display the reason for the port disabled status as related to POD licensing.

The Dynamic POD mechanism detects the ports that have active links, and it makes assignments based on the remaining pool of vacancies:

•	If the count of assigned ports is below the number of ports in the purchased POD set, additional dynamic assignments can be made at a later time as new links are established. If a port comes online, that port can get assigned if you still have vacancies in your POD set.

•

If the number of detected active links is greater than the number of ports in the purchased POD set, port assignments are made in the order in which the ports come online. Because the time it takes for each port to come online varies, the order in which ports are assigned to a given POD set cannot be guaranteed.

If the given assignment order does not align with your intended use of the ports, you can make adjustments using the dpod rbridge-id/slot/port reserve or the dpod rbridge-id/slot/port release commands. Refer to “Overriding Dynamic POD assignments” for more information.

Mapping port assignments to a POD port set

Ports are associated with the single or double POD license in the order in which they come online and automatically receive a license assignment from the pool of unassigned ports in the POD set. The first ports that receive a POD assignment are associated with the base port set. When all ports in the base port set are assigned, the next ports that come online receive assignments from the single POD license port set. When this set is full, the remaining port assignments are associated with the double POD license port set.

The association of a specific port to a POD set matters only when you want to remove a POD license from the system. Ports assigned to the double POD license port set will be disabled first. The last-assigned licenses will be released first when you remove POD licenses. Refer to “Releasing a port from a POD set” for more information.

Activating the Dynamic POD feature

1.	Verify the current states of the ports with the show ip interface brief command.

The command output indicates whether a port is licensed.

2.	Install the Brocade Dynamic POD license.

For instructions on how to install a license, refer to “Installing a license”.

3.	Use the shutdown and no shutdown commands to disable and re-enable the ports.

Alternatively, you can disable and re-enable the chassis to activate ports.

4.	Use the show ip interface brief command to verify the newly activated ports.

5.	Use the show interface tengigabitethernet rbridge-id/slot/port command to display port details.

The following example shows a Brocade VDX 6720-24 without a Dynamic POD license installed. The 16 ports in the base port set are online and assigned. The remaining 8 ports are unassigned and are down.

switch# show ip interface brief

Interface IP-Address Status Protocol

========= ========== ====== ========

TengigabitEthernet 5/0/1 unassigned up up

TengigabitEthernet 5/0/2 unassigned up up

TengigabitEthernet 5/0/3 unassigned up up

TengigabitEthernet 5/0/4 unassigned up up

TengigabitEthernet 5/0/5 unassigned up up

TengigabitEthernet 5/0/6 unassigned administratively down down(No DPOD License)

TengigabitEthernet 5/0/7 unassigned administratively down down(No DPOD License)

TengigabitEthernet 5/0/8 unassigned up up

TengigabitEthernet 5/0/9 unassigned up up

TengigabitEthernet 5/0/10 unassigned up up

TengigabitEthernet 5/0/11 unassigned administratively down down(No DPOD License)

TengigabitEthernet 5/0/12 unassigned administratively down down(No DPOD License)

TengigabitEthernet 5/0/13 unassigned up up

TengigabitEthernet 5/0/14 unassigned up up

TengigabitEthernet 5/0/15 unassigned up up

TengigabitEthernet 5/0/16 unassigned up up

TengigabitEthernet 5/0/17 unassigned administratively down down(No DPOD License)

TengigabitEthernet 5/0/18 unassigned administratively down down(No DPOD License)

TengigabitEthernet 5/0/19 unassigned administratively down down(No DPOD License)

TengigabitEthernet 5/0/20 unassigned administratively down down(No DPOD License)

TengigabitEthernet 5/0/21 unassigned up up

TengigabitEthernet 5/0/22 unassigned up up

TengigabitEthernet 5/0/23 unassigned up up

TengigabitEthernet 5/0/24 unassigned up up

 

The following example displays details for a single port that is offline because it does not have a Dynamic POD license.

switch# show interface tengigabitethernet 5/0/6

TengigabitEthernet 5/0/6 is down, line protocol is down (No DPOD License)

Hardware is Ethernet, address is 0005.1eb6.0a25

Current address is 0005.1eb6.0a25

Tracking status: Disabled

Tracked interfaces: None

Pluggable media present, Media type is sfp

Interface index (ifindex) is 1744896001

MTU 2500 bytes

LineSpeed: Auto - 10000 Mbit, Duplex: Full

Flowcontrol rx: on, tx: on

Displaying the Dynamic POD assignments

To display the Dynamic POD assignments, enter the show dpod command.

The show dpod command provides a summary of POD license status and POD license assignments.

In the following example, all 24 ports are licensed and potentially available. The three unassigned ports are currently persistently disabled and therefore are not assigned to any Dynamic POD license port set.

switch# show dpod

rbridge-id: 1

24 ports are available in this switch

1 POD license is installed

Dynamic POD method is in use

24 port assignments are provisioned for use in this switch:

16 port assignments are provisioned by the base switch license

8 port assignments are provisioned by the first POD license

* 0 more assignments are added if the second POD license is installed

21 ports are assigned to installed licenses:

16 ports are assigned to the base switch license

5 ports are assigned to the first POD license

Ports assigned to the base switch license:

Te 1/0/1, Te 1/0/10, Te 1/0/11, Te 1/0/12, Te 1/0/13, Te 1/0/14, Te 1/0/15, Te 1/0/16, Te 1/0/17, Te 1/0/18, Te 1/0/19, Te 1/0/20, Te 1/0/21, Te 1/0/22, Te 1/0/23, Te 1/0/24

Ports assigned to the first POD license:

Te 1/0/5, Te 1/0/6, Te 1/0/7, Te 1/0/8, Te 1/0/9

Ports assigned to the second POD license:

None

Ports not assigned to a license:

Te 1/0/2, Te 1/0/3, Te 1/0/4

 

3 license reservations are still available for use by unassigned ports

Overriding Dynamic POD assignments

You can override the automatic port license assignments by releasing Dynamic POD assignments from a port and by reserving an assignment for a specific port.

Reserving a port assignment

Reserving an assignment for a port assigns that port to a POD license regardless of whether the port is online or offline. Reserving assignments allocates the POD license to specified ports. This operation overrides automatic port assignments. The reserved assignment will not be available to other ports that come online. To reserve an assignment for a port, a free assignment must be available.

1.	Enter the show dpod command to determine the unassigned ports.

If all ports are assigned, select a port to release its POD assignment. Follow the instructions in “Releasing a port from a POD set” to release a port from its POD assignment. Once the port is released, you can reuse the assignment for another port.

2.	Enter the global configuration mode by issuing the configure terminal command.

3.	Select the port for which you want to reserve an assignment and enter the dpod reserve command.

4.	Enter the exit command to return to the global configuration mode before you reserve another port.

switch# configure terminal

Entering configuration mode terminal

switch(config)# dpod 5/0/10 reserve

switch(config-dpod-5/0/10)# exit

switch(config)# dpod 5/0/11 reserve

switch0(config-dpod-5/0/11)# exit

NOTE: License reservations or removals do not persist across switch reboots and power cycles. To make them persistent, save the configuration changes by issuing the use copy running-config startup-config command before you reboot the switch.

5.	Save the configuration changes.

switch# copy running-config startup-config

6.	Reboot the switch.

7.	Enter the show running-config dpod command to verify the port is reserved.

switch# show running-config dpod 5/0/10

dpod 5/0/10

reserve

!

switch# show running-config dpod 5/0/11

dpod 5/0/11

reserve

!

Releasing a port from a POD set

Once a port has been assigned to a Dynamic POD license port set, it remains licensed (or “reserved”) until you remove the port from the port set. You remove a port from the port set by releasing the port with the dpod release command. Releasing a port removes it from the Dynamic POD license port set; the port appears as unassigned until it comes back online.

To prevent a port from coming back online and taking a POD assignment, disable the port and save the running configuration. This action will disable the port persistently.

A port POD assignment can only be released if the port is currently offline. Use the shutdown command to disable the port or use the chassis disable command to disable the switch if you plan to release multiple ports.

1.	Enter the global configuration mode by issuing the configure terminal command.

2.	Select the interface for the port that you wish to disable using the interface rbridge-id/slot/port command.

3.	Enter the shutdown command to take the port offline.

4.	Enter the exit command to return to the global configuration mode before you release the port.

5.	Enter the dpod release command to remove the port from the POD license.

6.	Enter the exit command to return to the global configuration mode before you reserve another port.

switch# configure terminal

Entering configuration mode terminal

switch(config)# interface 1/0/10

switch(conf-if-te-1/0/10)# shutdown

switch(conf-if-te-1/0/10)# exit

switch(config)# dpod 1/0/10 release

switch(config-dpod-1/0/10)# exit

7.	Enter exit to return to the privileged EXEC mode.

8.	Enter the show dpod command to verify that the port is no longer assigned to a POD set.

9.	Enter the enable chassis command to bring the switch back online.

10.	Save the configuration changes.

switch# copy running-config startup-config

NOTE: Do not release a port unless you plan to disconnect the optical link or disable the port persistently. If you leave the link in a state where the port could be brought online, the POD mechanism will detect this unassigned port and attempt to reassign it to a port set.