FA components dynamically communicate with each other using FA signaling.
FA has defined organizational specific TLVs within the standard LLDP protocol, to exchange messages and data amongst components of an FA solution. The FA TLVs facilitate handshaking and authentication, processing of requests for the creation of services, and providing responses on whether the requests succeeded. In addition, these services are deleted when the service requests are terminated, or when the authentication criteria are no longer valid. All components that participate in FA must be able to send, receive, and interpret the FA TLVs.
FA includes the following network elements as components:
FA Server:
An SPB-capable switch at the edge of a Fabric Connect cloud.
An FA Server receives requests from FA Clients or FA Proxies to create services with specific I-SID-to-VLAN bindings. The FA Server completes the association between conventional networks and fabric-based virtual service networks. For more details on the operation of an FA Server, see Fabric Attach Server.
FA Proxy:
A network switch that supports the definition of I-SID-to-VLAN assignments and has the ability to advertise these assignments for possible use by an FA Server. FA Proxy switches also support the client mode for directly attached users or end devices. Typically, FA Proxies support downstream FA Client devices, while being directly connected to an upstream FA Server device.
FA Client:
A network attached end-point device that advertises I-SID-to-VLAN binding requests for service creation, to an FA Proxy or an FA Server. FA Clients use FA signaling to automatically attach to fabric services.