Brocade Communications Systems Brocade BladeSystem 4/24, Administrator'S Manual, Page: 13 / 62

Access Gateway Administrator’s Guide 3
53-1000605-01
Access Gateway port types
1
Access Gateway port types
Brocade Access Gateway differs from a typical fabric switch because it connects to the fabric using
node ports (N_Ports). Typically fabric switches connect to the enterprise fabric using ISL
(InterSwitch Link) ports, such as an E_Port.
The following defines the Fibre Channel (FC) port terms used in this manual:
•
F_Port, fabric port. A switch port that connects a host, HBA, or storage device to the SAN.
•
N_Port, node port. A host, HBA, or storage device port that connects to the F_Port of the
fabric switch.
Comparing FC port configurations
Brocade Access Gateway multiplexes host connections to the fabric. It presents an F_Port to the
host and an N_Port to an edge fabric switch. Using N_Port ID virtualization (NPIV), Brocade Access
Gateway allows multiple FC initiators to access the SAN on the same physical port. This reduces
the hardware requirements and management overhead of hosts to the SAN connections.
A fabric switch presents F_Ports (or FL_Ports) to the host and storage devices and presents
E_Ports, TE_Ports, or EX_Ports to other switches in the fabric. A fabric switch consumes SAN
resources, such as domain IDs, and participates in fabric management and zoning distribution. A
fabric switch requires more physical ports than Brocade Access Gateway to connect the same
number of hosts.
Figure 2 compares the types of ports used by the Access Gateway to those used by a typical fabric
switch.
FIGURE 2
Port usage comparison
N_Port F_Port
N_Port
F_Port
N_Port F_Port
Hosts
Switch in AG mode
Edge Switch
Fabric
enabled
NPIV
N_Port
F_Port E_Port E_Port
N_Port
F_Port
Hosts
Switch in standard
Fabric Switch
E_Port
E_Port
Fabric
Access Gateway Ports
Fabric Switch Ports
default mode