Adaptive fibre channel switch port role configuration system

An Information Handling System (IHS), comprising:

• a processing system;
• and
• a memory system that is coupled to the processing system and that includes instructions that, when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to provide a switch engine that is configured to:
• transmit, to a first switch device via a first ISL that is coupled to the processing system while operating as a leaf switch with a first port that is coupled to the processing system configured as an Extender port (E port), a first port reconfiguration message;
• perform, in response to receiving an acceptance of the first port reconfiguration message, link reset operations that include reconfiguring the first port as a Network port (N port);
• transmit, to the first switch device via the first ISL while the first port is configured as the N port, a first Fabric LOGIn (FLOGI) message for the first port configured as the N port;
• transmit, to the first switch device via the first ISL and in response to receiving an acceptance of the first FLOGI message, a respective Fabric DISCovery (FDISC) message for each of a plurality of end devices that are coupled to the processing system;
• receive, for each FDISC message, an FDISC message response;
• operate, using end device addresses for each of the plurality of end devices included in the FDISC message responses, as an N_Port ID Virtualization (NPIV) gateway;
• determine, while operating as an NPIV gateway, that a second ISL has become available via a second port that is coupled to the processing system and configured as an N port;
• transmit, via the second ISL, a second FLOGI message for the second port configured as the N port;
• receive an acceptance of the second FLOGI message from a second switch device and, in response, determine that the acceptance of the second FLOGI message was received from the second switch device;
• and
• perform, in response to receiving the acceptance of the second FLOGI message from the second switch device, link reset operations that include reconfiguring the second port as an E port.

A method for adaptively configuration switch port roles, comprising:

• transmitting, by a first switch device to a second switch device via a first ISL while operating as a leaf switch with a first port configured as an Extender port (E port), a first port reconfiguration message;
• performing, by the first switch device in response to receiving an acceptance of the first port reconfiguration message, link reset operations that include reconfiguring the first port as a Network port (N port);
• transmitting, by the first switch device to the second switch device via the first ISL while the first port is configured as the N port, a first Fabric LOGIn (FLOGI) message for the first port configured as the N port;
• transmitting, by the first switch device to the second switch device via the first ISL and in response to receiving an acceptance of the first FLOGI message, a respective Fabric DISCovery (FDISC) message for each of a plurality of end devices that are coupled to the first switch device;
• receiving, by the first switch device for each FDISC message, an FDISC message response;
• operating, by the first switch device using end device addresses for each of the plurality of end devices included in the FDISC message responses, as an N_Port ID Virtualization (NPIV) gateway;
• determining, by the first switch device while operating as an NPIV gateway, that a second ISL has become available via a second port configured as an N port;
• transmitting, by the first switch device via the second ISL, a second FLOGI message for the second port configured as the N port;
• receiving, by the first switch device, an acceptance of the second FLOGI message from the second switch device and, in response, determine that the acceptance of the second FLOGI message was received from the second switch device;
• and
• aggregating, by the first switch device in response to receiving the acceptance of the second FLOGI message from the second switch device, the second ISL and the first ISL.