Qlogic SANbox 5000 Series, Installation Manual

Page: 41 / 130

59096-04 A 3-1
Section 3
Planning
Consider the following when planning a fabric:
„
Devices
„
Device Access
„
Performance
„
Feature Licensing
„
Multiple Chassis Fabrics
„
Switch Services
„
Fabric Security
„
Fabric Management
3.1
Devices
When planning a fabric, consider the number of devices and the anticipated
demand. This will determine the number of ports that are needed and in turn the
number of switches. Consider how many and what types of switches are needed.
The switch uses SFP transceivers in the 1/2/4-Gbps ports, but the device host bus
adapters you are using may not. Consider whether the device adapters use SFP
or Gigabit Interface Converters (GBIC) transceivers, and choose fiber optic cables
accordingly. Use LC-type cable connectors for SFP transceivers and SC-type
cable connectors for GBIC transceivers. Also consider the transmission speed
compatibility of your devices, HBAs, switches, and SFPs.
Consider the distribution of targets and initiators. An F_Port supports a single
device. An FL_Port can support up to 126 devices in an arbitrated loop.
NOTE: This document refers to ports 0–15 as 1/2/4-Gbps ports for
convenience though SANbox 5200 Series switches do not support
4-Gbps transmission.