Cisco Fiber Channel Port Types

 Quick reference for which Fiber Channel port types can be used for are likely to show up on 350-601 and 300-625 Cisco Exams:

• E Port

• F Port

• NP Port

• TE Port

• SD Port

• Auto Mode


E Port

In expansion port (E port) mode, an interface functions as a fabric expansion port. 

  • This port can be connected to another E port to create an inter-switch link between two switches.
  • E ports carry frames between switches for configuration and fabric management. 
  • They serve as a conduit between switches for frames destined for remote N ports. 
  • An E port connected to another switch can also be configured to form a port channel. 


F Port

In fabric port (F port) mode, an interface functions as a fabric port. 

  • This port can be connected to a peripheral device (host or disk) operating as an N port. 
  • An F port can be attached to only one N port.


NP Ports

An NP port is a port on a device that is in NPV mode and connected to the core switch via an F port. 

  • NP ports function like N ports, except that in addition to providing N port operations, 
  • function as proxies for multiple physical N ports.


TE Port

In trunking E port (TE port) mode, an interface functions as a trunking expansion port. 

  • It can be connected to another TE port to create an extended ISL (EISL) between two switches. 
  • TE ports expand the functionality of E ports to support the following:
    • VSAN trunking
    • Transport quality of service (QoS) parameters
    • Fibre Channel traceroute (fctrace) feature
  • In TE port mode, all the frames are transmitted in EISL frame format, which contains VSAN information. 
  • Interconnected switches use the VSAN ID to multiplex traffic from one or more VSANs across the same physical link.


TF Port

In trunking F port (TF port) mode, an interface functions as a trunking expansion port. 

  • It can be connected to another trunked N port (TN port) or trunked NP port (TNP port) to create a link between a core switch and an NPV switch or a host bus adapter (HBA) in order to carry tagged frames. 
  • TF ports expand the functionality of F ports to support VSAN trunking.
  • In TF port mode, all the frames are transmitted in EISL frame format, which contains VSAN information. 
  • Interconnected switches use the VSAN ID to multiplex traffic from one or more VSANs across the same physical link.