N_Port ID Virtualization, a new HBA feature, lets you assign different WWNs to each virtual server and determine which applications run on specific hardware and even when they run.

Fibre Channel (FC) host bus adapters (HBAs) are becoming one of the pivotal points in the emerging virtual data center. With nearly every facet of data centers--servers, storage, SANs and I/O--becoming virtual, HBAs are taking on more responsibilities to ensure that each virtual server accesses only its assigned virtual storage. As FC HBAs assume more critical but largely invisible roles, storage administrators must ensure that their SAN infrastructures are sufficiently modernized to support the new capabilities of FC HBAs.

Changes need to occur at all layers of the storage network to make the virtual data center a reality. With FC HBAs initially designed to enable one physical server to connect to one or more LUNs on multiple storage arrays, the introduction of a new HBA software feature called N_Port ID Virtualization (NPIV) allows admins to assign different worldwide names (WWNs) to each virtual server. This means a virtual server can access only the volumes specifically assigned to it.