Brocade SAN Switch Training Syllabus

Target Audience

• Storage / SAN Engineers

• Data Center Support (L1/L2/L3)

• Backup & Infrastructure Engineers

• Enterprise SAN support teams

Prerequisites

• Basic understanding of storage concepts

• FC terminology (HBA, WWN, LUN – bonus, not mandatory)

• Linux/UNIX or Windows admin basics preferred

COURSE STRUCTURE

✅ Beginner → Intermediate → Advanced
✅ Theory + CLI + Troubleshooting
✅ Production‑oriented
✅ Covers Fabric OS 7.x / 8.x

Module 1: SAN Fundamentals

Topics

• What is SAN?

• SAN vs NAS vs DAS

• Fibre Channel basics

• FC speeds (8G / 16G / 32G)

• FC topologies:

  • Point‑to‑Point

  • Arbitrated Loop

  • Switched Fabric

• WWN types:

  • PWWN

  • NWWN

✅ Outcome: Understand how SAN really works

Module 2: Brocade SAN Architecture

Topics

• Brocade switch types:

  • Director vs Fixed switch

• Common models:

  • 6510, 6520, G620, X7

• ASICs and internal switching

• Fabric concepts:

  • Domain ID

  • Principal switch

  • Fabric merge

• Redundant fabrics (Fabric A & B)

✅ Outcome: Understand fabric design & hierarchy

Module 3: Brocade CLI & Switch Access

Topics

• Access methods:

  • SSH

  • Serial

  • Web Tools (Brocade GUI)

• CLI fundamentals

• Help commands

• Common show commands:

  Shell

  switchshow

  fabricshow

  cfgshow

  portshow

  version

• Role‑based access (admin/user)

✅ Outcome: Comfortable navigating Brocade CLI

Module 4: Zoning Concepts

Topics

• What is zoning & why it’s needed

• Zone types:

  • WWN zoning (best practice)

  • Port zoning

• Zoning components:

  • Alias

  • Zone

  • Configuration (cfg)

• Single‑initiator zoning (best practice)

• Best‑practice naming conventions

• Commands:

  Shell

  alicreate

  zonecreate

  cfgcreate

  cfgadd

  cfgenable

  zoneobjectrename

  Show more lines

✅ Outcome: Create & manage production‑safe zoning

Module 5: Traffic Isolation & QoS

Topics

• What is Traffic Isolation (TI)

• QoS concepts:

  • H_QOS (High priority)

  • L_QOS (Low priority)

• Use cases:

  • Backup isolation

  • Slow‑draining devices

  • Tape libraries

• TI rules & restrictions

• Commands:

  Shell

  qos --enable

  zone --ti

  qos --show

  Show more lines

• Common mistakes & real‑world scenarios

✅ Outcome: Control traffic behavior in fabric

Module 6: ISLs & Fabric Routing

Topics

• ISL fundamentals

• E‑Port, TE‑Port, EX‑Port

• FSPF & SFPF

• Path selection logic

• DPS (Dynamic Path Selection)

  Shell

  dpsenable

  dpshow

  Show more lines

• ISL Trunking:

  • Requirements

  • Benefits

✅ Outcome: Optimize inter‑switch traffic

Module 7: BB Credits & Performance

Topics

• What are BB credits?

• Advertised vs available credits

• BB Credit Zero meaning

• Slow‑draining devices

• Performance commands:

  Shell

  portstatsshow

  portperfshow

  porterrshow

  perfshow

  Show more lines

• Long‑distance ISLs

• Credit starvation scenarios

✅ Outcome: Diagnose SAN performance issues

Module 8: Troubleshooting & Operations

Topics

• Link issues:

  • CRC errors

  • LOS / LOSync

• SFP troubleshooting:

  Shell

  sfpshow

  Show more lines

• Fabric segmentation

• Zoning outages (human errors)

• ISL flaps

• Host login failures

• Real production case studies

✅ Outcome: Confident L2/L3 troubleshooting

Module 9: Maintenance & Upgrades

Topics

• Firmware concepts (Fabric OS)

• Non‑disruptive upgrade (NDU)

• Firmware compatibility

• Backup & restore:

  Shell

  configupload

  configdownload

  Show more lines

• Health checks before / after upgrade

✅ Outcome: Safe switch maintenance

Module 10: Security & Best Practices

Topics

• Switch hardening

• Secure management access

• Password policies

• Best‑practice SAN design

• Do’s & Don’ts in production

• Common real‑world mistakes

✅ Outcome: Stable & secure SAN environment

LABS (Hands‑On)

✅ Create zoning from scratch
✅ Rename old zoning to L_QOS
✅ Isolate slow‑draining device
✅ Troubleshoot BB credit zero
✅ Simulate ISL failure & recovery

FINAL SKILL LEVEL AFTER TRAINING

✅ L1 → Confident Monitoring
✅ L2 → Zoning, changes, troubleshooting
✅ L3 → Performance, TI/QoS, fabric design

OPTIONAL ADD‑ONS

• SAN Health Check checklist

• Interview questions (L2/L3)

• Real production diagrams

• Troubleshooting flowcharts