Q: What is the Brocade Access Gateway?
A: The Brocade Access Gateway is a powerful Brocade Fabric OS feature for Brocade blade server SAN switches that enables seamless connectivity to any SAN fabric, enhanced scalability, and simplified manageability. Utilizing N_Port ID Virtualization (NPIV) standards, the Brocade Access Gateway connects server blades to any SAN fabric. With blade servers connecting directly to the fabric, the Brocade Access Gateway eliminates switch/domain considerations while improving SAN scalability.

Q: What Brocade products support the Brocade Access Gateway feature?
A: The Brocade Access Gateway is designed for Brocade blade server 4 Gbit/sec Fibre Channel SAN switches available from Brocade OEM Partners.

Q: Which Fabric OS version includes the Brocade Access Gateway feature?
A: The Brocade Access Gateway is included in Fabric OS 5.2.1 and higher.

Q: Is a license required to enable the Brocade Access Gateway feature?
A: The Brocade Access Gateway is a feature of Fabric OS that is user-enabled through Brocade Web Tools or the Brocade Command Line Interface (CLI). No additional license is required.

Q: What are the minimum fabric requirements for the Brocade Access Gateway?
A: The fabric edge switch/director (the switch connected to the Brocade Access Gateway) must support NPIV functionality as described in version 1.4 of the FC-LS specification.

Q: Can I enable the Brocade Access Gateway feature on my current 4 Gbit/sec Brocade blade server SAN switches?
A: Yes, if you are running Brocade Fabric OS 5.2.1 or higher and connecting to an NPIV switch/director on the fabric edge.

Q: If I am running in Brocade Access Gateway mode, can I revert to the standard switch mode of operation?
A: Yes. You can switch between Brocade Access Gateway mode and the standard switch mode of operation. Consult the Brocade Access Gateway administrator's guide for details.

Q: When running in Brocade Access Gateway mode, how disruptive is a firmware upgrade?
A: The Brocade Access Gateway supports non-disruptive hot code load and activation. The functionality is the same as in the standard switch mode of operation.

Q: Does the Brocade Access Gateway support fault-tolerant fabric connectivity?
A: Yes. It supports fault-tolerant external ports for mission-critical high-availability environments.

Q: What is NPIV and how does it fit with the Brocade Access Gateway?
A: NPIV, or N_Port ID Virtualization, is an industry standard available to SAN switches and directors. The Brocade Access Gateway utilizes NPIV standards to present blade server Fibre Channel connections as logical host devices to SAN fabrics. Attaching through NPIV-enabled switches and directors, the Brocade Access Gateway can seamlessly connect server blades to Brocade, McDATA, Cisco, or other SAN fabrics.

Q: How do I manage the Brocade Access Gateway?
A: No specific management of the Brocade Access Gateway is required. Custom configuration is possible through Brocade Web Tools or the Brocade CLI.

Q: How is fabric management simplified by the Brocade Access Gateway?
A: The Brocade Access Gateway improves how blade servers connect to SAN fabrics. Eliminating incremental switches/domains and the associated management workload for each blade enclosure greatly simplifies overall management.

Q: What are the differences between Brocade Access Gateway mode and standard switch mode?
A: When the Brocade blade server SAN switch is in Brocade Access Gateway mode, most switch features are no longer applicable. These features include Admin Domains, Brocade Advanced Performance Monitoring, Brocade Advanced Zoning, direct connection to SAN target devices, Fibre Channel Arbitrated Loop support, Brocade Fabric Manager, FICON, IP over Fibre Channel, Brocade ISL Trunking, Brocade Extended Fabrics, Management Services, Name Services (SNS), port mirroring, Brocade Secure Fabric OS, and SMI-S. These switch features are available in the default switch mode of operation. In addition, the Brocade Access Gateway can connect to switches providing these services.

Q: What are the differences between a Fibre Channel pass-through solution and a Brocade blade server switch module operating in Brocade Access Gateway mode?
A: Both the switch and Brocade Access Gateway modes of operation on Brocade blade server SAN switches share significant benefits over Fibre Channel pass-through solutions. Pass-through solutions add incremental cost, potential points of failure, and overall complexity. In contrast, Brocade blade server switches reduce approximately 50 percent of the components/cost, provide fault tolerance, and help optimize the utilization of the reduced resources. In addition, Brocade Access Gateway mode offers SAN-facing port failover and failback capabilities, improving availability.

Q: Can the Brocade Access Gateway participate in Admin Domains?
A: The Brocade Access Gateway can connect Fibre Channel server blades to fabric device ports utilizing Admin Domains.

Q: When will interoperability be supported for fabrics based on McDATA or Cisco switches?
A: The Brocade Access Gateway eliminates switch-to-switch interoperability challenges since it behaves as a logical host device. As long as the fabric edge switch is NPIV-enabled, the connection is vendor-agnostic.

Q: Is cascading of the Brocade Access Gateway supported?
A: This is not planned for the initial release.

Q: Can I connect the Brocade Access Gateway to multiple fabrics?
A: This is not planned for the initial release.