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ISS Technology Update Volume 6, Number 9
7
If DPOD has been turned off, simply use the licensePort command to initiate it.
NOTE
For the Brocade 4Gb SAN switch, DPOD assigns a port license only when a server blade with
HBA installed is inserted in the enclosure. A server blade without an active HBA will not prompt
the switch to assign a port license.
Dynamic licensing
Today, the concept of dynamic licensing is really quite flexible, enabling users to license any port and move licenses around
from port to port. In fact, they can allocate a license to a port, and then later de-allocate that license, putting it back in the pool
of available licenses.
A 12-port switch has 24 physical connections, but a maximum of 12 can be used at any given time. Licenses can be pre-
reserved for any port. Two external ports are pre-reserved as an out-of-box default, leaving 10 available for dynamic port
assignment. Customers are allowed to change this assignment ratio if desired (1:11 or 3:9 for example).
If DPOD is enabled, ports are assigned as activity is detected. Removing a connection does not de-allocate the port⎯this allows
maintenance removal and replacement without the license being given away to another port. As such, license persistence can
sometimes exhaust the pool of licenses. For instance, moving a server with an HBA across four server bays will result in licenses
being allocated to all four of those bays. Users are advised to occasionally review license assignments made by DPOD to free
up unneeded license associations; this will return them to the available license pool.
NOTE
It is possible to upgrade the Brocade 4Gb SAN switch to 24 licensed ports by purchasing
optional licenses. (Refer to “Additional resources” below for links to further information.)
Brocade Access Gateway feature
Users might also wonder if a license is required to enable the Brocade Access Gateway feature. Since this is a feature of the
FOS that is user-enabled through Brocade Web Tools or the Brocade CLI, no additional license is required. The number of port
licenses is still controlled by the switch’s number of DPOD licenses.
Summary
Flexibility is the hallmark of port licensing; it can be assigned automatically or manually. The DPOD feature simplifies port
management:
• Automatically detects HBA connected server ports or cabled ports
• Automatically enables ports
• Automatically assigns port licenses