Thanks Oleg for your reply.
I would like to sniff as much as possible (including encrypted FC3
layers).
I am aware of your statement that all HBAs attempt handling FC1-FC4 at
firmware level but I hope that I can still find an HBA which will allow
my CPU handle those layers by itself.
I would have settled for sniffing layer FC4 and above (which is feasible
in all FC HBA) but then I have another problem: I need my FC port
(interface) to be transparent to the peer FC port, to be able to connect
to any FC peer Port whatever it is: N_Port, F_Port, FL_Port, etc...
I could do so if I worked at FC1 layer, letting higher layers passing
through transparently, but if my HBA operates at FC4 layer, then I can
only be an N_Port and being connected to limited peer types. I would not
be a transparent sniffer anymore...
Can anyone think of something?
-----Original Message-----
> I am looking for a Fiber Channel HBA (under Linux of course) that
> will operate in sniffing mode and will enable the inspection of all
> FC traffic at all layers: FC1-FC4. Common device drivers
> (e.g. Emulex and QLogic) handle most FC layers at firmware level
> while I need to send those packets to the kernel instead (for
> sniffing purposes).
Can you explain what you are trying to sniff? All FC traffic through
an arbitrated loop that passes through your HBA? Even if it is
encrypted (in FC-3)?
I cannot give you a statement regarding all HBAs, but I think that it
is one of the FC design goals that all the transmission protocols are
implemented in HW to offload them from the CPU. This probably means
FC-{1,2,3} at least. If this is correct then you _may_ be out of luck.
--
Oleg Goldshmidt | [EMAIL PROTECTED] | http://www.goldshmidt.org
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