What is the failover capability of data LIFs assigned a SAN protocol?

The failover capability of data LIFs (Logical Interfaces) assigned a SAN (Storage Area Network) protocol is that they cannot fail over. In a SAN environment, data LIFs are typically associated with storage protocols such as iSCSI or Fibre Channel, where the failover mechanisms operate differently compared to protocols used in NAS (Network Attached Storage) environments.

In a SAN context, the connection paths between the LIFs and the initiators are crucial. Because these connections depend heavily on the underlying architecture, LIFs assigned to SAN protocols are configured to remain available on their respective nodes without automatic failover to another node. If a node goes down, the LIF associated with it will not transition to another node automatically.

Understanding this behavior is important for designing resilient SAN environments, as it requires additional planning for redundancy and high availability, such as using multipathing software or other failover mechanisms at the host level.