SnapMirror over Fibre Channel is typically used in SAN-based data centers where Fibre Channel infrastructure may already be in use.
SnapMirror traffic between source and destination storage systems travels through the Fibre Channel network. The adapters installed in the storage systems translate the SnapMirror IP packets to and from Fibre Channel frames.
SnapMirror over Fibre Channel requires at least one Fibre Channel switch in the data path.
More complex topologies can involve multiple paths and switches between source and destination storage systems, as shown in the following illustration:
The storage systems in each building are arranged in an HA pair. An HA pair removes single points of failure and provides a more practical, fault-tolerant setup.
SnapMirror over Fibre Channel supports multipath configurations, just as SnapMirror over Ethernet. The configurations are identical.
The storage system needs to direct Fibre Channel Virtual Interface (FCVI) traffic to the Fibre Channel NIC adapter. Therefore, you should configure the IP address of a Fibre Channel NIC port within the range of the private subnet, one that is not globally routable.
A typical SnapMirror over Fibre Channel setup involves an extended fabric configuration to mirror data on the primary storage system to a remote site.
For information about how to check the extended license and configure a switch port to be in extended-fabric mode, see the documentation for the specific switch.