Enables FCIP optimization. By default, RiOS directs all traffic on the standard ports 3225, 3226, 3227, and 3228 through the FCIP optimization module.

FCIP optimization is disabled by default.

Environments with RF-originated SRDF traffic between VMAX arrays need additional configuration to isolate and optimize the DIFs embedded within the headers of the FCIP data payload. For details, see protocol fcip rule.

Fibre Channel over TCP/IP (FCIP) is a transparent Fibre Channel (FC) tunneling protocol that transmits FC information between FC storage facilities over IP networks. FCIP is designed to overcome the distance limitations of FC.

FCIP storage optimization provides support for environments using storage technology that originates traffic as FC and then uses either a Cisco MDS or a Brocade 7500 FCIP gateway to convert the FC traffic to TCP for WAN transport.

To increase the data reduction LAN-to-WAN ratio with either equal or greater data throughput in environments with FCIP traffic, RiOS separates the FCIP headers from the application data workload written to storage. The FCIP headers contain changing protocol state information, such as sequence numbers. These headers interrupt the network stream and reduce the ability of SDR to match large, contiguous data patterns. After isolating the header data, the SteelHead performs SDR network deduplication on the larger, uninterrupted storage data workload and LZ compression on the headers. RiOS then optimizes, reassembles, and delivers the data to the TCP consumer without compromising data integrity.

Environments with SRDF traffic originated through Symmetrix FC ports (RF ports) only require configuration of the RiOS FCIP storage optimization module. Traffic originated through Symmetrix GigE ports (RE ports) require configuration of the RiOS SRDF storage optimization module. For details on storage technologies that originate traffic through FC, see the SteelHead Deployment Guide.

You configure the RiOS FCIP storage optimization module on the SteelHead closest to the FCIP gateway that opens the FCIP TCP connection by sending the initial SYN packet. This can vary by environment. If you are unsure which gateway initiates the SYN, enable FCIP on both the client-side and server-side SteelHeads.

If you have enabled or disabled FCIP optimization or changed a port, you must restart the optimization service.

The no command option disables FCIP optimization.

For details, see the SteelHead Management Console User’s Guide and the SteelHead Deployment Guide.

SteelHead CX, SteelHead EX, SteelHead-v, SteelHead-c

show protocol fcip rules, show protocol fcip settings