Qlogic QLA2 Series, User Manual

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SN0054614-00 K Glossary-1
Glossary
adapter
The board that interfaces between the
host system and the target devices.
Adapter is synonymous with
host bus
adapter (HBA) , host channel adapter
(HCA) , host adapter , and adapter board .
adapter alias
A user-defined name for an adapter.
adapter port
A port on the adapter board.
adapter port alias
A user-defined name for an adapter port.
adapter port beacon
An LED on the adapter. Flashing it enables
you to locate the adapter.
AL
Arbitrated loop. A circular (ring) topology
(versus point-to-point) where two or more
ports can be interconnected, but only two
ports can communicate at a time. All
communication passes through all ports
connected to the loop.
AL_PA
Arbitrated loop physical address. A
low-level address on the FC loop.
arbitrated loop
See AL .
arbitrated loop_physical address
See AL_PA .
basic input output system
See BIOS .
BIOS
Basic input output system (typically in
Flash PROM). The program (or utility) that
serves as an interface between the
hardware and the operating system and
allows booting from the adapter at startup.
boot code
The program that initializes a system or an
adapter. Boot code is the first program to
run when a system or a device within a
system, such as an adapter. FCode, BIOS,
and EFI (enhanced firmware interface) are
all forms of boot code for specific
hardware/operating system environments.
Boot code for QLogic FC adapters is
required if the computer system is booting
from a storage device (disk drive) attached
to the adapter. The primary function of the
boot code is communication with the
external boot device before the operating
system is up and running. There are also
secondary functions that can be performed
by the boot code, including managing the
setup for the adapter and initializing and
testing the adapter's ISP.