Glossary

A fabric software facility that supports multicast group management.

Application programming interface. A defined protocol that allows applications to interface with a set of services.

Arbitration wait time-out value. The minimum time an arbitrating L_Port waits for a response before beginning loop initialization.

Backup fabric configuration server switch. The switch or switches assigned as backup in case the primary FCS switch fails.

The total transmission capacity of a cable, link, or system. Usually measured in bits per second (bps). May also refer to the range of transmission frequencies available to a link or system.

The transmission of data from a single source to all devices in the fabric, regardless of zoning.

Management of the frame transmission rate in either a point-to-point topology or an arbitrated loop. See also point-to-point and topology.

Command line interface. Interface that depends entirely on the use of commands, such as through Telnet or SNMP, and does not involve a GUI.

Flash (temporary) memory that is used in a manner similar to hard disk storage. It is connected to a bridging component that connects to the PCI bus of the processor. Not visible within the processor's memory space.

The way a system is set up. May refer to hardware or software:

Cyclic redundancy check. A check for transmission errors that is included in every data frame.

A type of transmission word that occurs within frames. The frame header, data field, and CRC all consist of data words.

The set of all zone objects defined in the fabric. May include multiple zone configurations. See also zone, zone configuration.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

See SNS.

Dynamic load sharing. Dynamic distribution of traffic over available paths. Allows for recomputing of routes when an Fx_Port or E_Port changes status.

Unique identifier used in routing frames for all switches in a fabric. Usually assigned by the principal switch, but can be assigned manually. The domain ID for an HPE switch can be any integer between 1 and 239. The default domain ID is usually 1.

Dynamic Ports on Demand.

Error-detect time-out value. The minimum time a target waits for a sequence to complete before initiating recovery. Can also be defined as the maximum time allowed for a round-trip transmission before an error condition is declared.

Expansion port. A type of switch port that can be connected to an E_Port on another switch to create an ISL. See also ISL trunking, U_Port.

End-to-end credit. The number of receive buffers allocated by a recipient port to an originating port. Used by Class 1 and Class 2 services to manage the exchange of frames across the fabric between source and destination.

A storage rack that meets the standards set by the Electronics Industry Association.

The currently enabled configuration of zones. Only one configuration can be enabled at a time. See also zone, and zone configuration.

A facility that governs flow of class 1 and class 2 frames between N_Ports.

With respect to FC, a missing or corrupted frame, time-out, loss of synchronization, or loss of signal (link error).

The highest-level FC mechanism used for communication between N_Ports. Composed of one or more related sequences; exchange can work in one or both directions.

Fabric port. A port that is able to transmit under fabric protocol and interface over links. Can be used to connect an N_Port to a switch. See also U_Port.

An FC network containing two or more switches in addition to hosts and devices. May also be called a switched fabric.

The unique identifier assigned to a fabric and communicated during login and port discovery.

Fibre Channel.

Fibre Channel Industry Association. An international organization of FC industry professionals. Among other things, provides oversight of ANSI and industry standards.

Fibre Channel Protocol. Mapping of protocols onto the FC standard protocols. For example, SCSI FCP maps SCSI-3 onto FC.

Fabric Configuration Server switch. One or more designated HPE switches that store and manage the configuration and security parameters for all switches in the fabric.

The primary protocol for building SANs to transmit data between servers, switches, and storage devices. Unlike IP and Ethernet, Fibre Channel is designed to support the needs of storage devices of all types. It is a high-speed, serial, bidirectional, topology-independent protocol, and is a highly scalable interconnection between computers, peripherals, and networks.

An IDLE or ARB ordered set that is transmitted during breaks between data frames to keep the link active.

The process by which an N_Port determines whether a fabric is present and, if so, exchanges service parameters with it. See also PLOGI.

The FC structure used to transmit data between ports. Consists of a start-of-frame delimiter, header, optional headers, data payload, cyclic redundancy check, and end-of-frame delimiter. There are two types of frames: link control frames and data frames. See also packet.

Field-replaceable unit. A component that can be replaced on site.

FC Service. A service that is defined by FC standards and exists at a well-known address. The Simple Name Server, for example, is an FC service.

Fibre Channel Service Protocol. The common protocol for all fabric services; it is transparent to the fabric type or topology.

Fabric shortest path first. HPE routing protocol for FC switches.

A fabric port that can operate as an F_Port or FL_Port.

Generic port. A port that can operate as an E_Port or F_Port. A port is defined as a G_Port when it is not yet connected or has not yet assumed a specific function in the fabric. See also E_Port, F_Port, and U_Port.

Continuous transmission of an ordered set over an FC link when no data is being transmitted, to keep the link active and maintain bit, byte, and word synchronization.

The fabric created by connecting multiple HPE switches with multiple ISL cables, and configuring the switches to handle traffic as a seamless group.

The distribution of traffic over the combined bandwidth of multiple ISLs. A set of trunked ISLs is called a trunking group; the ports in a trunking group are called trunking ports.

An E_Port that is online but not operational due to overlapping domain IDs or due to nonidentical parameters (such as E_D_TOVs). See also E_D_TOV.

A special 10-bit character that indicates the beginning of a transmission word that performs FC control and signaling functions. The first seven bits are the common pattern.

Flash (temporary) memory connected to the peripheral bus of the processor and visible within the processor's memory space. Also called a user flash.

The time required to transmit a frame from the time it is sent until it arrives. Together, latency and bandwidth define the speed and capacity of a link or system.

With respect to FC, a physical connection between two ports, consisting of both transmit and receive fibers.

A protocol for link-related actions.

Loop master time-out value. The minimum time the loop master waits for a loop initialization sequence to return.

Long wavelength. A type of fiber optic cabling that is based on 1300 mm lasers and supports link speeds up to 2 Gbps. May also refer to the type of transceiver. See also SWL.

The port that determines the routing paths for all traffic flowing through a trunking group. One of the ports in the first ISL in the trunking group is designated as the master port for that group. See also ISL trunking.

Management Information Base. An SNMP structure to help with device management, providing configuration and device information. See also SNMP.

The transmission of data from a single source to multiple specified N_Ports (as opposed to all ports on the network).

Node port. A port on a node that can connect to an FC port or to another N_Port in a point-to-point connection.

A term frequently used to indicate an SNS. See also SNS.

Node loop port. A node port that has arbitrated loop capabilities. Used to connect an equipment port to the fabric in a loop configuration through an FL_Port. See also node.

An FC device that contains an N_Port or NL_Port.

A mode in which an L_Port in a loop is inactive and cannot arbitrate or send frames, but can retransmit any received transmissions. This mode is entered if there are more than 127 devices in a loop and an AL_PA cannot be acquired.

A node port that can operate as an N_Port or NL_Port.

A set of information transmitted across a network.

The selection of a transmission path through the fabric. HPE switches use the FSPF protocol for transmission path selection.

Port login. The port-to-port login process by which initiators establish sessions with targets. See also FLOGI.

An FC topology that employs direct links between each pair of communicating entities. See also buffer-to-buffer flow control.

The metal casing extending out of the FC port on the switch and into which a GBIC or SFP transceiver can be inserted.

The unique identifier assigned to an FC port. It is communicated during login and port discovery.

Power-on self-test. A series of diagnostic tests run by a switch after it is powered on.

Primary Fabric Configuration Server switch. The switch that actively manages the configuration and security parameters for all switches in the fabric.

A group of four adjacent ports that share a common pool of frame buffers.

Resource allocation time-out value. The maximum time a frame can be delayed in the fabric and still be delivered.

Redundant Array of Independent Disks. A collection of disk drives that appear as a single volume to the server and are fault tolerant through mirroring or parity checking.

The rate at which requests arrive at a servicing entity.

With respect to a fabric, the communication path between two switches. May also apply to the specific path taken by an individual frame from source to destination.

The assignment of frames to specific switch ports according to frame destination.

Resource recovery time-out value. The minimum time a target device in a loop waits after a LIP before logging out a SCSI initiator.

Registered state change notification. A switch function that allows notification of fabric changes to be sent from the switch to the specified nodes.

Storage area network. A network of systems and storage devices that communicate using FC protocols.

Synchronous dynamic random access memory. The main memory for a switch. See also switch.

A group of related frames transmitted in the same direction between two N_ports.

The rate at which an entity can service requests.

The rate at which an entity can service requests.

Small Form-Factor Pluggable

Simple Network Management Protocol. An Internet management protocol that uses either IP for network-level functions and UDP for transport functions, or TCP/IP for both. SNMP can be made available over other protocols (such as UDP/IP) because it does not rely on the underlying communication protocols. See also MIB, trap (SNMP).

Simple Name Server. A switch service that stores names, addresses, and attributes for up to 15 minutes, and provides them as required to other devices in the fabric. May also be referred to as a directory service.

Hardware that routes frames according to FC protocol and is controlled by software.

A port on a switch. Switch ports can be E_Ports, F_Ports, or N_Port.

short-wavelength. A type of fiber optic cabling that is based on 850 mm lasers and supports link speeds up to 2 Gbps. May also refer to the type of transceiver.

The time span that begins when a port wins arbitration in a loop and ends when the same port returns to the monitoring state. Also called loop tenancy.

The rate of data flow achieved within a cable, link, or system. Usually measured in bits per second.

With respect to FC, the configuration of the FC network and the resulting communication paths allowed. There are three possible topologies:

A 10-bit character encoded according to the rules of the 8b/10b algorithm.

A group of transmission characters.

The message sent by an SNMP agent to inform the SNMP management station of a critical error. See also SNMP.

Universal port. A switch port that can operate as a G_Port, E_Port, F_Port, or FL_Port. A port is defined as a U_Port when it is not connected or has not yet assumed a specific function in the fabric. See also E_Port, F_Port, G_Port.

With respect to FC, a logical address defined by the FC standards as assigned to a specific function and stored on the switch.

A computer used to access and manage the fabric. May also be called a management station or host.

World wide name. An identifier that is unique worldwide. Each entity in a fabric has a distinct WWN.

A set of devices and hosts attached to the same fabric and configured as being in the same zone. Devices and hosts within the same zone have access permission to others in the zone, but are not visible to any outside the zone. See also defined zone configuration, enabled zone configuration.

A specified set of zones. Enabling a configuration enables all zones in that configuration. See also defined zone configuration, enabled zone configuration.