IBM TotalStorage SAN256N Director 2045-N16, Installation And Maintenance Manual, Page: 21 / 157

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2004
1
Chapter 1. Introduction
This chapter discusses the IBM TotalStorage SAN256N director 2045-N16 and provides
several installation topics that should be addressed before you begin unpacking the
SAN256N director equipment.
Introducing the IBM TotalStorage SAN256N director 2045-N16
The SAN256N director provides IT managers with an expandable and scalable fibre
channel switching platform for migrating Storage Area Networks (SANs) into true-
enterprise-class environments for data center applications. The SAN256N director
provides a high-speed backbone infrastructure for controlling server and/or storage
connectivity and a centralized point from which to manage and expand storage networks
efficiently.
The SAN256N director shown below is a 256-port Fibre Channel Director (SANC40N),
which may be configured up to 256-ports via sixteen 16-port I/O blades. The SAN256N
director has a port speed of 2 Gbps with a maximum frame size of 2148 bytes.
Refer to the IBM TotalStorage SAN n-type Director Series Site Planning Guide (GC26-
7715) for additional configuration details for the SANC40N.
Figure 1. SANC40 cabinet Fibre Channel director, front and rear view
IBM TotalStorage SAN n-type Director Series Site Planning Guide
(GC26-7715)
Refer to the IBM TotalStorage SAN n-type Director Series Site Planning Guide if you
need to familiarize yourself with SAN256N director product features, components,
specifications, or configuration options. The site planning guide also includes examples
of all the worksheets that should be completed prior to installation.