Difference between FCAlias & Device-Alias

FC aliases are used to associate 1 or more PWWNs to a user friendly name. FCali
ases are VSAN specific, so if a device is moved from VSAN 1 to VSAN 2, you shoul
d delete the FCalias in VSAN 1 and create a new one in VSAN 2. FCalias will int
eroperate with some non-Cisco fibre channel switches.FCaliases are propagated vi
a a zoneset activate.
Device aliases associate 1 PWWN to a user friendly name. They are not vsan sepc
ific, and can be used for other features beside zoning. Device Aliases are conf
igured manually in each switch, or can be propagated via Cisco Fabric Services.T
here is a Device Alias mode known as enhanced mode, which is not enabled unless
configured. With enhanced mode device alias, if an HBA is associated with a de
vice alias, and that device alias is placed into 20 zones, then that HBA fails a
nd is replaced so the PWWN changes, you can edit the device alias database and t
hat will push the new PWWN into the 20 zones automatically.
replace XXX with the appropriate VSAN number):
switch(config)# fcalias name stor-array-processor-a vsan XXX
switch(config-fcalias)# member pwwn AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF:00:11
switch(config-fclias)# exit
switch(config)#
To create a device alias, you ll use the device-alias database command in global c
onfiguration mode. Once you are in database configuration mode, you can create d
evice aliases using the device-alias command, like this:
mds(config)# device-alias database
mds(config-device-alias-db)# device-alias name <Friendly name> pwwn <Fibre Chann
el WWPN>
mds(config-device-alias-db)# exit
mds(config)# end
There is an additional step required after defining the device aliases. You must
also commit the changes to the device alias database, like this:
mds(config)# device-alias commit
This commits the changes to the device alias database and makes the device alias
es active in the switch.
Once a device alias is created, it applies to that WWPN regardless of VSAN. This
means that you only have to define a single device alias for any given WWPN, wh
ereas with the fcalias command a different alias needed to be defined for each V
SAN.
Using device aliases also provides a couple other key benefits:
Device aliases are automatically distributed to other Cisco-attached switche
s. For example, I defined the device aliases on a Cisco MDS 9134 that was attach
ed to the Fibre Channel expansion port of a Cisco Nexus 5010 switch. The Nexus s
witch automatically picked up the device aliases. As best I can tell, this is co
ntrolled by the device-alias distribute global configuration command (or its rev
erse, the no device-alias distribute, which would disable device alias distribut
ion).
Once a device alias is defined for a WWPN, anytime the WWPN is displayed the
device alias is also displayed. So in the output of various commands like show

flogi database, show fcns database, or show zone you will see not only the WWPN,
but also that WWPN s associated device alias.