Cisco Cisco Nexus 2224TP GE Fabric Extender White Paper

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No configuration is required from the chassis MMB. Only the minimum CMM firmware is required to properly
detect and enable the Cisco Nexus B22 for IBM in the blade chassis (Figure 2).

Figure 2: Cisco Nexus B22 for IBM Fabric Extenders as Seen in the CMM

Fabric Extender Management Model

The Cisco Nexus fabric extenders are managed by a parent switch through the fabric interfaces using a zero-
touch configuration model. The switch discovers the fabric extender by using a detection protocol.

After discovery, if the fabric extender has been correctly associated with the parent switch, the following
operations are performed:

1. The switch checks the software image compatibility and upgrades the fabric extender if necessary.

2. The switch and fabric extender establish in-band IP connectivity with each other. The switch assigns an IP

address in the range of loopback addresses (127.15.1.0/24) to the fabric extender to avoid conflicts with IP
addresses that might be in use on the network.

3. The switch pushes the configuration data to the fabric extender. The fabric extender does not store any

configuration locally.

4. The fabric extender updates the switch with its operating status. All fabric extender information is displayed

using the switch commands for monitoring and troubleshooting.

This management model allows fabric extender modules to be added without adding management points or
complexity. Software image and configuration management is also handled automatically, without the need for
user intervention.