IBM SAN32M1, Installation And Service Manual

Page: 578 / 626

SAN32M1 Fabric Switch Installation and Service Manual 546
A switch is the smallest entity that can function as a complete
switched fabric topology.
fabric element Any active director, switch, or node in a switched fabric.
fabric login The process by which node ports (N_Ports) establish their operating
parameters. During fabric login, the presence or absence of a fabric is
determined, and paths to other N_Ports are mapped. Specific operat-
ing characteristics for each port, such as buffer-to-buffer credit
(BB_Credit) and data frame size, are also established.
fabric login command FLOGI. The command that establishes the initial operating parame-
ters and topology for a fabric. The command is accepted by a fabric
port (F_Port).
fabric mode See interoperability mode .
fabric port F_Port. Physical interface within the fabric that connects to a node
port (N_Port) through a point-to-point full duplex connection. See
also
bridge port ; expansion port ; generic port ; node port ; segmented
expansion port .
fabric services The services that implement the various Fibre Channel protocol ser-
vices that are described in the standards. These services include the
fabric controller (login server), name server, and management server.
fabric switches A device which allows the communication between multiple devices
using Fibre Channel protocols. A fabric switch enables the sharing
bandwidth and end-nodes using basic multiplexing techniques.
failover Automatic and nondisruptive transition of functions from an active
field-replaceable unit (FRU) that has failed to a backup FRU.
FC
See Fibre Channel .
FC-0 The Fibre Channel layer that describes the physical link between two
ports, including the transmission media, transmitter and receiver cir-
cuitry, and interfaces (D). This consists of a pair of either optical fiber
or electrical cables (link media) along with transceiver circuitry which
work together to convert a stream of bits at one end of the link to a
stream of bits at the other end.