HP StorageWorks 2/64, StorageWorks Fabric OS 5.x Switch Manual

HP StorageWorks

Fabric OS 5.x master glossary

Par t number: AA −RW7NA−TE

irst edition: September 2005

F

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Fabric OS 5.x master glossary

Glossary

This glossary defines terms used in the HP StorageWorks Fabric OS 5.x documentation set or related to
the Fabric OS 5.x product. It is not a comprehensive glossary of computer terms.

8b/10b encoding An encoding scheme that c onverts each 8-bit byte into 10 bits. Used to balance

ABTS Abort Basic Link Service. Also called Abort Sequence

ACC Accept link service reply. The normal reply to an Extended Link Service request

access fairness A process by which contending nodes are guaranteed access to an arbitrated

active copper A Fibre Channel connection that allows copper cabling up to 33 meters (36

address identifier A24-bitor8-bitvalueusedtoidentifythesourceordestinationofaframe.

AL_PA Arbitrated-loop physical address. A unique 8-bit value assigned during loop

AL_TIME Arbitrated-loop timeout value. Twice the amount of time it would take for a

ones and zeroes in high-speed transports.

(such as FLOGI), indicating that the request has been completed.

loop.

yards) between devices.

See also D_ID and S_ID.

initialization to a port in an arbitrated loop.

transmission word to propagate around a worst-case loop. The default value is
15 milliseconds.

alias A logical grouping of elements in a fabric. An alias is a collection of port

numbers and connected devices, used to simplify the entry of port numbers and
WWNs when creating zones.

alias address
identifier

alias AL_PA An AL_PA value recognized by an L_Port in addition to the AL_PA assigned to

alias object A name assigned to one device or group of devices to allow an intuitive name

alias ser ver A fabric software facility that supports multicast group management.

ANSI American National Standards Institute. A private, nonprofitorganizationthat

ARB Arbitrative primitive signal. Applies only to an arbitrated-loop topology.

arbitrated loop A shared 100-Mbps Fibre Channel transport structured as a loop. Can support

An address identifier recognized by a port in addition to its standard identifier.
An alias address identifier can be shared by multiple ports.

See also alias.

the port.

See also AL_PA.

structure for a zone object.

See also zone object.

administers and coordinates voluntary standards in the United States. ANSI
has a number of working committees. The X3T11 committee is principally
responsible for Fibre Channel interface standards.

Transmitted as the fill word by an L_Port to indicate that the port is arbitrating
access to the loop.

up to 126 devices and one fabric attachment.

See also topology.

Fabric OS 5.x master glossary

3

arbitration A method of gaining orderly access to a shared-loop topology.

area number In Fabric OS 4.0 and later, ports on a switch are assigned a logical area

number. These area numbers can be viewed by entering the switchShow
command. They are used to define the operative port for many Fabric OS
commands; for example, area numbers can be used to define the ports within
an alias or zone.

ARP Address Resolution Protocol. A TCP/IP function for associating an IP address

with a link-level address.

ARR Asynchronous response router. A term that refers to Management Server

GS_Subtype Code E4, which appears in portLogDump command output.

ASD Alias server daemon. Used for managing multicast groups by supporting the

create, add, remove, and destroy functions.

ASIC Application-specific integrated circuit. A chip designed for a particular

application, as contrasted with integrated circuits that control general functions,
such as RAM in a PC.

ATM Asynchronous Transfer Mode. A transport used for transmitting data over

LANs or WANs that transmit fixed-length units of data. Provides any-to-any
connectivity and allows nodes to transmit s imultaneously.

authentication The process of verifying that an entity in a fabric (such as a switch) is what it

claims to be.

See a lso digital certificate and switch-to-switch authentication.

autocommit A feature of the firmwareDownload command. Enabled by default,

autocommit commits new firmware to both par titions of a control processor.

autoreboot Refers to the -b option of thefirmwareDownload command. Enabled by

default.

AW_TOV Arbitration wait tim eout value. The minimum time an arbitrating L_Port waits

for a response before beginning loop initialization.

backbone fabric An optional capability that enables scalable m eta-SANs by allowing the

networking of multiple Fibre Channel (FC) routers, which connect to the
backbonefabricviaEB_Portinterfaces.

backup FCS Relates to the Secure Fabric OS feature. The backup fabric configuration server

switch serves as a backup in case the primary F CS switch fails.

See also FCS and primary FCS.

BB_Credit Buffer-to-buffer credit. The number of frames that can be transmitted to a directly

connected recipient or within an arbitrated loop. Determined by the number
of receive buffers available.

See also buffer-to-buffer flow control and EE_Credit.

BB fabric A backbone fabric that connects MP Routers. The MP Routers communicate over

the backbone fabric using FCRP (Fibre Channel Router Protocol).

beacon An activity in which all the port LEDs on a switch are set to flash from one side

of the switch to the other, to enable identification of an individual switch in a
largefabric. AswitchcanbesettobeaconbyaCLIcommandorthroughHP
Advanced Web Tools.

beginning running
disparity

The disparity at the transmitter or receiver when the special character associated
with an ordered set is encoded or decoded.

See also disparity and running disparity.

4

Glossary

BER Bit error rate. The rate at which bits are expected to be received in error.

Expressed as the ratio of error bits to total bits transmitted.

See also error.

BISR Built-in self-repair.

BIST Built-in self-test.

bit synchroniza­tion

blind-mate con­nector

The condition in which a receiver is delivering retimed serial data at the
required bit error rate.

A two-way connector used in some HP StorageWorks switches to provide a
connection between the motherboard and the power supply.

block As it applies to Fibre Channel technology, upper-level application data that

is transferred in a single sequence.

boot code Software that initializes the system environment during the early phase of the

boot-up process. For example, boot code might determine the amount of
available memory and how to access it.

boot flash Flash (temporary) memory that stores the boot code.

bport Back-end p

ort of the ASIC.

broadcast The transmission of data from a single source to all devices in the fabric,

regardless of zoning.

See also multicast and unicast.

buffer-to-buffer
flow control

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

See also BB_Credit.

bypass circuitry Circuits that automatically remove a device from the data path when valid

signals are dropped.

CA Certificate authority. A trusted organization that issues digital certificates.

See also digital certificate.

CAM Content-addressable memory. A memory chip in which each bit position can be

compared. In regular dynamic RAM (DRAM) and static RAM (SRAM) chips,
the contents are addressed by bit location and then transferred to the CPU for
comparison. In CAM chips, the content is compared in each bit cell, allowing
for very fast table lookups. Since the entire chip is compared, the data content
can often be stored randomly without regard to an addressing scheme, which
would otherwise be required. CAM chips are c onsiderably smaller in storage
capacity than regular memory chips. Also called associative storage.

CAN Campus area network. A network comprising a limited area but not just one

building.

See also LAN, MAN,andWAN.

cascade Two or more interconnected Fibre Channel switches. HP StorageWorks 1 GB

and greater switches can be c ascaded up to 239 switches, with a recommended
maximum of seven interswitch links (no path longer than eight switches).

See also fabric and ISL.

CDR Clock and data recovery circuitry.

CE Conformité Européenne (European Conformity). A conformity m arking for

products that satisfy the essential requirements and safety regulations for the
European Economic Area. It is a mandatory safety marking for the European
market.

CFG See configuration.

Fabric OS 5.x master glossary

5

CFN Change fabric name. An ELS field that appears in portLogDump command

output.

CHAP Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol. Allows remote servers and

clients to securely exchange authentication credentials. Both the server and
client are configured with the same shared secret.

chassis The metal frame in which the switch and switch components are mounted.

CIM Common Information Model. A management structure enabling disparate

resources to be managed by a common application. CIM is implementation
independent, allowing different management applications to collect the required
data from a variety of sources. CIM is divided into a Core Model and Common
Models. The Core Model addresses high-level concepts (such as systems and
devices), as well as fundamental relationships (such as dependencies). The
Common Models describe specific problem domains such as computer system,
network, user or device management. The Common Models are subclasses of
the Core Model and may also be subclasses of each other.

CIMOM Common Information Model Object Manager. A model for describing

management information from the Distributed Mana gement Task Force (DMTF) .

See also CIM.

circuit An established communication path between two ports. Consists of two virtual

circuits capable of transmitting in opposite directions.

Class 1 service The class of frame-switching service for a dedicated connection between

two communicating por ts. Also called connection-oriented service. Includes
acknowledgement of frame delivery or nondelivery.

Class 2 service A connectionless class of frame-switching service that includes acknowledgement

of frame delivery or nondelivery.

Class 3 service A connectionless class of frame-switching service that does not include

acknowledgement of frame delivery or nondelivery. Can be used to provide
a multicast connection between the frame originator and recipients, with
acknowledgement of frame delivery or nondelivery.

Class 4 service A connection-oriented service that allows fractional parts of the bandwidth

to be used in a virtual circuit.

Class 6 service A connection-oriented multicast service geared toward

video b roadcasts

between a central server and clients.

Class F service The class of frame-switching ser vice for a direct connection between two

switches, allowing communication of control traffic between the E_Ports. Includes
acknowledgement of data delivery or nondelivery.

class of service Aspecified set of delivery characteristics and attributes for frame delivery.

CLI Command line interface. An interface that depends entirely on the use of

commands, such as through telnet or SNMP, and does not involve a GUI.

client An entity that, using its com mon transport (CT), makes requests of a server.

CLS Close primitive signal. Used only in an arbitrated loop. Sent by an L_Port that is

currently communicating in the loop, to close communication with a nother L_Port.

CM Central memory. Physical memory that is internal to the computer. Also called

main memory.

CMA Central memory architecture. An architecture centralizing memory usage in

switches.

CMBISR Central memory built-in self-repair.

6

Glossary

CMT Central memory test.

comma A unique pattern (either 1100000 or 0011111) used in 8b

/10b encoding to

specify character alignment within a data stream.

See also K28.5.

community
(SNMP)

A relationship between a group of SNMP managers and an SNMP agent, in
which authentication, access control, and proxy characteristics are defined.

See also SNMP.

compact flash 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.

configuration (1) The number, type, and arrangement of components that make up a system

or network.
(2) The set of parameters that guide switch operation. May include general
system parameters, IP ad dress information, domain ID, and other information.
Modifiable by any login with administrative privileges. Use the configShow
command to view the current configuration of a switch.
(3) In HP Zoning, a zoning element that contains a set of zones. The
configuration is the highest-level zoning element and is used to enable or
disableasetofzonesonthefabric.

See also zone configuration.

congestion A condition that occurs when the offered load for a data communication path

exceeds its capacity. For example, a congested link is one on which multiple
devices are contending for bandwidth.

connection initia­tor

connection recip­ient

A port that has originated a Class 1 dedicated connection and received a
response from the recipient.

A port that has received a Class 1 dedicated connection request and transmitted
a response to the originator.

core PID Core switch port identifier.ThecorePIDmustbesetforFabricOS3.1and

earlier switches included in a fabric of Fabric OS 4.1 switches. This parameter
is located in the configure command of Fabric OS 3.1 and earlier firmware.
All Fabric OS 4.1 switches and later use the core PID format by default; this
parameter is not present in the configure command for these switches.

See also PID.

COS See Class of service.

CP Control processor .

CPLD Complex PLD. Also called Enhanced PLD (EPLD, Super PAL, a nd Mega PAL.

See also PLD.

CRC Cyclic redundancy check. A check for transmission errors that is included

in every data frame.

credit As it applies to Fibre Channel technology, the number of receive buffers

available to transmit frames between ports.

See also BB_Credit, EE_Credit.

CSCN Common services connection framework.

cut-through A switching technique that allows the route for a frame to be selected as soon

as the destination add ress is received.

See also route.

DAS Direct attached storage.

Fabric OS 5.x master glossary

7

datagram A Class 3 Fibre Channel service that allows data to be sent quickly to devices

attached to the fabric, without receipt confirmation.

data word A type of transmission word that occurs within frames. The frame header, data

field, and CRC all consist of data words.

See also frame, ordered set,andtransmission word.

DCC Direct cable connection. A type of c onnection that does not require network

interface cards (NICs), making it relatively inexpensive and simple; however, it
provides a limited connection between two PCs, and the data transfer rate is
slower than with a true LAN.

DCE Data Communications Equipment. Usually refers to a modem.

dedicated simplex A connection method that permits a single N_Port to simultaneously initiate a

session with one N_Port as an initiator and have a separate Class 1 connection
to another N_Port as a recipient.

defined zone con-
figuration

The complete set of all zone objects defined in the fabric. Can include multiple
zone configurations.

See also effective zone configuration, enabled zone configuration,andzone

configuration.

deskew Related to the HP Trunking feature. The time difference between traffictraveling

over each ISL other than the shortest ISL in the group and traffictravelingover
that shortest ISL. The deskew number corresponds to nanoseconds divided by

10. The firmware automatically sets the minimum deskew value of the shortest
ISL to 15.

DH-CHAP Diffie-Hellman Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol. An

implementation of CHAP using Diffie-Hellman encryption.

See also CHAP.

DHCP Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. Provides a way to automate and manage

the network con figuration of desktop computers and other n etwork devices
that use the TCP/IP protocol.

DHCPD Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol daemon.

D_ID Destination identifier. A 3-byte field in the frame header, used to indicate the

address identifier of the N_Port to which the frame is headed.

digital certificate An electronic document issued by a CA (certificate authority) to an entity,

containing the public key and identity of the entity. Entities in a secure fabric
are authenticated based on these certificates.

See also authentication, CA,andpublic key.

director The HP StorageWorks Core Switch 2/64, SAN Director 2/128, or 4/256

SAN Director.

disparity The proportion of ones and zeroes in an encoded character. Neutral disparity

means an equal number of each, Positive disparity means a majority of ones,
and Negative disparity means a majority of zeroes.

DLS Dynamic load-sharing. Dynamic distribution of traffic over available paths.

Allows for recomputing of routes when an Fx_Port or E_Port changes status.

DMTF Distributed Management Task Force. An organization that promotes the

development of management standards for enterprise a nd Internet environments.
Its purpose is to allows the exchange of m anagement information in order to
develop multi-vendor interoperability.

8

Glossary

domain controller An embedd ed port that communicates with and gets updates from the

embedded p orts on other switches. The well-known address is fffcdd,where

dd = domain number).
See well-known address.

domain I D A unique identifier for each switch in a fabric. It is used in routing frames.

Usually assigned by the principal switch but can be assigned manually. The
domain ID for an HP StorageWorks switch can be any integer from 1 through

239.

DTE Data terminal equipment. A sing le piece of equipment or an interconnected

subsystem of multiple pieces of equipment that perform all the required functions
necessary to permit users to communicate. It usually refers to a terminal.

DWDM Dense wave division multiplexing. A set of technologies that allows up to 80

separate channels of data to be carried over a single fibre optical cable using
different wavelengths for each channel.

See WDM.

ECCN Export classification control number. A government classification of encryption

schemes. For example, SSH is in the high-encryption category (number 5x02),
and therefore, has certain restrictions regarding transfer of encrypted data.

edge fabric A Fibre Channel fabric connected to an M P Router via an EX_Port (where hosts

and storage are a ttached in a meta-SAN).

edge switch (1) A network switch used to convert LAN frames (Ethernet, and so forth) to

asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) cells and vice versa. It is typically a device
with one ATM port and multiple LAN ports.
(2) A Fibre Channel switch used to provide user ports for servers and storage.

E_D_TOV Error-detect timeout 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 is declared.

See also R_A_TOV,andRR_TOV.

EE_Credit End-to-end credit. The number of receive buffers allocated by a recipient port

to an originating port. Used by the Class 1 and 2 services to manage frame
exchange a cross the fabric, between source a nd destination.

See also BB_Credit,andend-to-end flow control.

effectivezonecon­figuration

Asubsetofthedefined zone configuration, containing only the zone
configuration object that is currently enabled. Only one configuration can be
enabled at a time, but since multiple configurations can be defined in the
database, a new configuration can be easily enabled.

See also defined zone configuration,andzone configuration.

EIA rack A storage rack that meets the standards set by the Electronics Industry

Association (EIA).

ELP Exchange link parameters. Used as a fabric login to exchange service

parameters with another E_Port; it also helps to establish a multi-functional por t’s
operational mode.

ELS Extended link service. ELSs are sent to the destination N_Port to perform a

requested function or service. A Fibre Channel standard, which is also called
Fibre Channel Physical (FC_PH) ELS.

EM Environmental monitor. A device that monitors FRUs and reports failures.

embedded port A domain controller that communicates with and gets updates from the

embedded p orts on other switches. The well-known address is fffcdd,where
dd = domain number.

Fabric OS 5.x master glossary

9

EMI Electromagnetic interference. Any electromagnetic disturbance that interrupts,

obstructs, or otherwise degrades or limits the effective performance of
electronics/electrical equipment.

Emulex A brand of host bus adapter (HBA).

enabled zone con ­figuration

The currently enabled configuration of zones. Only one configuration can be
enabled at a time, but since multiple configurations can be defined in the
database, a new config uration can be easily enabled.

See also defined zone configuration and zone configuration.

end-to-end flow
control

Aprocessthatgovernsflow of Class 1 and 2 frames between N_Ports.

See also EE_Credit.

entry fabric The basic HP software license that allows one E_Port per switch.

EOF Endofframe.Agroupoforderedse

ts used to mark the end of a frame.

E_Port Expansion port. A type of switch port that can be connected to an E_Port on

anotherswitchtocreateanISL.

See also ISL and isolated E_Port.

EPPID Dynamic identifier for the chassis in which a port ca rd resides. The identifier is

written to the card each time the card is inserted into a chassis.

error As it applies to the Fibre Channel industry, a missing or corrupted frame,

timeout, loss of synchronization, or loss of signal (link error).

See also loop failure.

ESCON Enterprise Systems CONnection. An IBM S/390 fiber-optic channel that

transfers 17 M bps over distances up to 60 km depending on connection type.
ESCON allows peripheral devices to be located across large campuses and
metropolitan areas.

See FICON

Ethernet The most widely used LAN access method, d efined by the Institute of Electrical

and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) as the 802.3 standard.

EVMd Event management database. D elivers FDMI-related events.

exchange The highest-level Fibre Channel mechanism used for communication between

N_Ports. Composed of one or more related sequences, it can work in either
one or both directions.

EX_Port A type of E_Port that connects an MP Router to an e dg e fabric. EX_Ports limit

thescopeoffabricservicesscopebutprovidedeviceconnectivityusingFC-NAT.

exported device A device that has been mapped between fabrics. A host or storage port in one

edge fabric can be exported to any other fabric by using LSAN zoning.

fabric A collection of Fibre Channel switches and devices, such as hosts and storage.

Also called switched fabric.
See also cascade, SAN,andtopology.

fabric application
platform

A device that enables fabric-based storage applications such as mirroring, data
migration, snapshots, and virtual tape. The HP StorageWorks Fabric Application
Platform can run in a central location, process data at wire speed, and reside
in existing data paths.

Fabric Manager Optionally licensed HP StorageWorks software. Fabric Manager is a GUI

that allows for fabric-wide administration and management. Switches can be
treated as groups, and actions such as firmware downloads can be performed
simultaneously.

10

Glossary

Fabric Mode One of two possible modes for an L_Port, in which the L_Port is connected to

another port that is not loop capable, using fabric protocol.

fabric name Theuniqueidentifier assigned to a fabric and communicated during login and

port discovery.

fabric port count The number of por ts available for connection by nodes in a fabric.

fabric services Codes that describe the communication to and from any well-known address.

fabric topology The arrangement of switches that form a fabric.

Fabric Watch Optionally licensed HP StorageWorks software. Fabric Watch can be accessed

through either the command line or Advanced Web Tools, and it provides the
ability to set thresholds for monitoring fabric conditions.

failover A nondisruptive process in the HP StorageWorks Core Switch 2/64, SAN

Director 2/128, and 4/256 SAN Director during which one CP passes active
status to another CP.

FAN Fabric address notification. Retains the AL_PA and fabric address when a loop

reinitializes, if the switch supports FAN.

fan-in The ratio of hosts to storage devices; the view of the SAN from the storage

port’s perspective.

fan-out The ratio of storage devices to hosts; the view of the SAN from the host port’s

perspective.

F_BSY Fabric port busy frame. A frame issued by the fabric to indicate that a frame

cannot be delivered because the fabric or destination N_Port is busy.

FC-0 The lowest layer of the Fibre Channel transport. Represents physical med ia.

FC-1 The layer of the Fibre Channel transport that contains the 8b/10b encoding

scheme.

FC-2 The layer of the Fibre Channel transport that handles framing and protocol,

frame format, sequence/exchange management, and ordered set usage.

FC-3 The layer of the Fibre Channel transport that contains common services used by

multiple N_Ports in a node.

FC-4 The layer of the Fibre Channel transport that handles standards and profiles for

mapping upper-level protocols such as SCSI and IP onto the Fibre Channel
Protocol.

FC-AL-3 The Fibre Channel arbitrated-loop standard defined by ANSI, which is defined

op of the FC-PH standards.

on t

See also ANSI and FC-PH.

FC-AV Fibre Channel audio visual.

FCC Federal Communications Commission. An agency of the U. S. government

responsible for communication standards for electrical emissions in the United
States.

FC-CT Fibre Channel common transport.

FC-FG Fibre Cha nnel generic requirements. Refers to the ANSI FC-FG document which

specifies tools and alg orithms for interconnection and initialization of Fibre
Channel switches to create a multiswitch Fibre Channel Fabric.

FC-FLA The Fibre Channel fabric loop-attach standard defined by ANSI.

FC-FS Fibre Channel framing and signaling.

Fabric OS 5.x master glossary

11

FC-GS Fibre Channel generic services. A standard that describes in detail all of the

basic Fibre Channel services introduced in ANSI X3.230, FC-PH. In addition,
this document describes any ancillary functions and services required to suppor t
the Fibre Channel services.

FC-GS-2 Fibre Channel generic services, second generation.

FC-GS-3 Fibre Channel Generic Services, third generation.

FCIP Fibre Channel over I P. FCIP is a TCP/IP-based tunneling protocol that allows the

transparent interconnection of geographically distributed SAN islands through
an IP-based network.

See also FCIP Tunneling Service.

FC-NAT Fibre Channel network address translation.

FC-PH The Fibre Channel physical and signaling standard for the FC-0, FC-1, and FC-2

layers of the Fibre Channel Protocol. Indicates signaling used for cable plants,
media types, and transmission speeds.

FC-PH-2 Fibre Channel Physical Interface, second generation.

FC-PH-3 Fibre Channel Physical Interface, third generation.

FC-PI Fibre Channel Physical Interface standard, defined by ANSI.

FC-PLDA The Fibre Channel Private Loop Direct Attach standard defined by ANSI. Applies

to the operation of peripheral devices on a private loop.

FC-SB Fibre Channel single bytes. Also called Single-Byte Command Code Sets

(SBCCS) Mapping Protocol (FC-SB) standard. This standard describes the
mapping, or channel protocol associated with Single-Byte Command Sets (SB)
and is intended for use with the Fibre Channel-Physical and Signaling Interface
(FC-PH).

FC-VI Fibre Channel virtual interface.

FCA (1) Flow-control acknowledgement.

(2) Fibre Channel Association. Formed in January 1993 to provide Fibre
Channel support for system integrators, peripheral manufacturers, software
developers, component manufacturers, communications companies and
computer service providers.

FCIA Fibre Channel Industry Association. An international organization of

Fibre Channel industry professionals. Provides oversight of ANSI and
industry-developed standards, among other tasks.

FCIP Tunneling
Service

The HP Multi-protocol SAN Routing Service that enables SANs to span longer
distances than could be supported with native Fibre Channel links.

See FCIP.

FCLC Fibre Channel Loop Community.

FCP Fibre Channel Protocol. FCP serializes or maps SCSI commands into Fibre

Channel frames. For example, SCSI FCP maps SCSI-3 onto Fibre Channel.

FCRP Fibre Channel Router Protocol. A protocol that enables LSAN switches to perform

routing between different edge fabrics, optionally across a backbone fabric.

FCRS Fibre Channel Rout

extends hierarchi
devices located o
It also enables th

12

Glossary

ing Service. The HP Multi-protocol SAN Routing Service that

cal networking capabilities to Fibre Channel fabrics. Enables

n separate fabrics to communicate without merging the fabrics.

ecreationofLSANs.Sometimes called FC-to-FC routing.

FCS Fibre Channel switch; also called fabric configuration server. Relates to the

Secure Fabric OS feature. One or more designated switches that store and
manage security parameters and configuration data for all switches in the
fabric. The designated switches also act as a set of backup switches to the
primary FCS switch.

See also backbone fabric and primary FCS.

FC-SW-2 The second-generation Fibre Channel Switch Fabric standard defined by ANSI.

Specifies tools and algorithms for the interconnection and initialization of Fibre
Channel switches to create a multiswitch Fibre Channel fabric.

FDDI Fibre Distributed Data Interface. An ANSI architecture for a metropolitan area

network (MAN); a network based on the use of fiber-optic cable to transmit
data at 100 Mbps.

FDMI Fabric-Device Management Interface. FDMI is a database service provided by

the fabric for Nx_Ports. Primarily used by HBA devices that register information
about themselves and their ports.

FFFFF5 Well-known Fibre Channel address for a Class 6 multicast ser ver.

FFFFF6 Well-known Fibre Channel address for a clock synchronization server.

FFFFF7 Well-known Fibre Channel address for a security key distribution server.

FFFFF8 Well-known Fibre Channel add ress for an alias server.

FFFFF9 Well-known Fibre Channel address for a QoS facilitator.

FFFFFA Well-known Fibre Channel address for a management server.

FFFFFB Well-known Fibre Channel address for a time server.

FFFFFC Well-known Fibre Channel address for a directory server.

FFFFFD Well-known Fibre Channel address for a fabric controller.

FFFFFE Well-known Fibre Channel address for a fabric F_Port.

FFFFFF Well-known Fibre Channel address for a broadcast alias ID.

Fibre Channel The primary protocol used for building SANs to transmit da ta between servers,

switches, and storage devices. Unlike I P and Ethernet, Fibre Channel was
designed to support the needs of storage devices of all types. It is a high-speed,
serial, bidirectional, topology-independent, multi-protocol, and highly scalable
interconnection between computers, peripherals, and networks.

Fibre Channel
transport

A protocol service that sup ports communication between Fibre Channel service
providers.

See also FSP.

FICON FIbre CONnectivity. A p rotocol used on IBM mainframes. Based on the Fibre

Channel standard, it boosts the transfer rate of ESCON’s half-duplex 17 MBps
to a full-duplex 100 MBps. FICON support enables a fabric to transmit FICON
format data between FICON-capable servers and storage.

See ESCON.

FID Fabric ID. Unique identifier of a fabric in a meta-SAN.

FIFO First in, first out. A storage method that retrieves the item stored for the longest

time.

fill word An IDLE- or ARB-ordered set that is transmitted during breaks between data

frames to keep the Fibre Channel link active.

See also ARB.

Fabric OS 5.x master glossary

13

firmware Software (programs or data) that has been written onto read-only memory

devices, such as ROM, PROM, EPROM, and EEPROM.

firmware water­marking

An HP StorageWorks switch feature that prevents an incompatible version of the
HP Fabric OS to be downloaded to HP StorageWorks 2 GB switches.

flash Programmable nonvolatile RAM (NVRAM) memory that maintains i ts contents

without power.

FLOGI Fabric login. The process by which a n N_Port determines whether a fabric is

present and, if so, exchanges service parameters with it.

See also PLOGI.

FL

_Port

bric loop port. A port that is able to transmit using fabric protocol and also

Fa
has arbitrated-loop capabilities. Can be used to connect an NL_Port to a switch.

See also F_Port and Fx_Port.

FMPS Fabric management policy set.

FOTP Fiber O ptic Test Procedure. Standards developed and published by the

Electronic Industries Association (EIA) under the EIA-RS-455 series of standards.

FPD Field-programmable device. Interchangeable with PLD.

See PLD.

FPGA Field-programmable gate array. An FPD that allows high logic capacity.

F_Port Fabric port. The link control facility within the Fabric that attaches to an N_Port

through a link. An F_Port is addressable by the N_Port attached to it, with a
common well-known address identifier FFFFFE. Can be used to connect an
N_Port to a switch.

See also FL_Port, Fx_Port, link control facility.

fractional band­width

The partial use of a link to send data back and forth, with a maximum of 254
Class 4 connections per N_Port.

frame The Fibre Channel structure used to transmit data between ports. Consists

of a star t-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 (transmission acknowledgements and so forth) and data
frames.
See also packet.

Frame Relay A protocol that uses logical channels, as used in X.25. Provides very little

error-checking ability. D iscards the frames that arrive with errors. Allows a
certain level of bandwidth between two locations (also called committed
information rate, CIR) to be guaranteed by the service provider. If the CIR is
exceeded for short periods (known as bursts), the network accommodates the
extra data if spare capacity is available. Frame Relay is also called bandwidth
on demand.

F_RJT Fabric port reject frame. A frame issued by the fabric to indicate that delivery of

a frame is being denied, perhaps because a class is not supported, there is an
invalid header, or no N_Port is available.

FRU Field replaceable unit. A component that can be replaced onsite.

FS Fibre Channel service. A service that is defined by Fibre Channel standards and

exists at a well-known address. For example, the Simple Name Server is a
Fibre Channel service.

See also FSP.

FSP Fibre Channel Service Protocol. The common protocol for all fabric services,

transparent to the fabric type or topology.

See also FS.

14

Glossary

FSPF Fabric shortest path first. The routing protocol for Fibre Channel switches.

FSS Fabric OS state synchronization. A ser vice is related to high availability (HA).

The primary function of FSS is to deliver state update messages from active
components to their peer standby components. FSS determines if fabric elements
are synchronized (and thus FSS compliant).

FTP File Transfer Protocol. A protocol for transferring files over some form of media

(usually, the Internet).

FTS Fiber Transport Services.

full duplex A mode of communication that allows the same port to simultaneously transmit

and receive frames.

See also half duplex.

full fabric The HP software license that allows multiple E_ Ports on a switch, m a king it

possible to create multiple ISL links.

full fabric

A loop device that has an entry in the Simple Name Ser ver.

citizenship

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

See also F_Port andFL_Po

rt.

gateway H ardware that connects incompatible networks by providing translation for both

hardware and software. For example, an ATM gateway can be used to connect
a Fibre Channel link to an ATM connection.

GBIC Gigabit interface converter. A removable serial transceiver module that allows

gigabaud physical-level transport for Fibre Channel and gigabit Ethernet.

Gbps Gigabits per second (1,062,500,000 bits/second).

GBps Gigabytes per second (1,062,500,000 bytes/second).

GLM Gigabit Link Module. A semitransparent transceiver that incorporates

serializing/deserializing functions.

GMT Greenwich Mean Time. Also called UTC . The international time standard. Zero

hours GMT is midnight in Greenwich, England.

See also UTC.

G_Port Generic por t. A port that can operate as either an E_Port or an F_Port. A por t

is defined as a G_Port when it is not yet connected or has not yet assumed a
specific function in the fabric.

GUI A graphical user interface, such as Advanced Web Tools and Fabric M anager.

HA High availability. A set of features in HP StorageWorks switches that is de

to provide maximum reliability and nondisruptive replacement of key har
and software modules.

half duplex A mode of communication that allows a port to either transmit or receive frames

at any time except simultaneously (with the exception of link control frames,
which can be transmitted at any time).

See also full duplex.

hard address The AL_PA that an NL_Port attempts to acquire during loop initialization.

HBA Host bus adapter. The interface card between a server or workstation bus and

the Fibre Channel network.

HCPLD High-capacity PLD. Refers to both CPLDs and FPGAs.

See also PLD, CPLD,andFPGA.

signed

dware

Fabric OS 5.x master glossary

15

header The portion of a Fibre Channel frame that contains control and addressing

information associated with the frame.

HiPPI High-Performance Parallel Interface. An 800 Mbps interface normally used in

supercomputer environments.

hop count ThenumberofISLsaframemusttraversetogetfromitssourcetoitsdestination.

host A computer system that provides end users with services, such as computation

and storage access.

hot swappable Description of a replacement unit that can be substituted for a defective unit

while the subsystem is running (performing its normal function).

HSSDC High-speed serial data connection. A form factor that allows quick connections

forcopperinterface.

HSSDC-2 A second-generation HSSDC connector.

See also HSSDC.

HTTP Hypertext Transfer Protocol. The standard TCP/IP transfer protocol used on

the World Wide Web.

hub A Fibre Channel wiring concentrator that collapses a loop topology into a

physical star topology. Nodes are automatically a dded to the loop when they
are active and removed when they are inactive.

hunt group A number of N_Ports registered as a single Alias_ID so that the fabric can

routeawordtoaportthatisnotbusy.

I2C Inter-integrated circuit. A type of bus used to connect integrated circuits (ICs).

ICT Intracircuit test.

Idle Continuous transmission of an ordered set over a Fibre Channel link when no

data is being transmitted in order to keep the link active and m aintain bit,
byte, and word synchronization.

ID_ID Insistent domain ID. A parameter of the configure command in Fabric OS.

iFCP Internet Fibre Channel Protocol. A protocol that supports Fibre Channel Layer 4

FCP-Over-TCP/IP. It is a gateway-to-gateway protocol in which TCP/IP switching
and routing components enhance/replace Fibre Channel fabric.

iFCS IP storage fabric configuration server.

IFL Interfabric link. A connection between a router and an edge fabric.

Architecturally, such connections can be of type EX_Port-to-E_Port or
EX_Port-to-EX_Port.

in-band Transmission of management protocol over the Fibre Channel.

initiator A server or workstation on a Fibre Channel network that initiates communications

with storage devices.

See also target.

Insistent Domain
ID Mode

Sets the domain ID of a switch as insistent, so that it remains the same over
reboots, power cycles, failovers, and fabric reconfigurations. This mode is
required to support FICON traffic.

See ID_ID.

integrated fabric The fabric created by an HP StorageWorks SAN Switch Integrated/64,

consisting of six HP StorageWorks 1 GB switches cabled together and
configured to handle trafficseamlesslyasagroup.

16

Glossary

intercabinet Aspecification for cop per cabling tha t allows up to 33-meter distances between

cabinets.

intermix A service in which Class 2 and Class 3 frames m ay be delivered to an N_Port

that has an open Class 1 dedicated connection. The Class 2 and 3 frames are
delivered during times in which there are no Class 1 frames being delivered
on the connection.

interswitch link See ISL.

intracabinet Aspecification for copper cabling that allows up to a 13-meter (42-foot)

distance within a single cabinet.

IOCTL I/O control.

IOD In-order delivery. A pa rameter that, when set, guarantees that frames are either

delivered in order or dropped.

IP Internet Protocol. The network layer protocol in the TCP/IP communications

protocol suite. IP contains a network address and allows messages to be routed
to a different network or subnet. IP does not ensure delivery of a complete
message; the TCP transport layer provides that guarantee.

IPI Intelligent Peripheral Interface. A high-bandwidth interface between a computer

and a hard disk or tape device. Devices using IPI can transfer data between the
hard drive and R A M in the range 3 to 25 megabytes per s

econd.

IQN iSCSI qualified name.

ISC Internet Software Consortium. An organization that develops open source

resources for Internet protocols.

iSCSI Internet Sm all Computer Systems Interface. A protocol that defines the

processes for transferring block storage applications over TCP/IP networks by
encapsulating SCSI commands into TCP and transporting them over the network
via IP .

iSCSI G ateway
Service

The multi-protocol SAN routing service that maps the FCP protocol to the IP
transport. This service projects iSCSI hosts onto the backbone fabric of a
gateway switch.

ISL Interswitch link. A Fibre Channel link from the E_Port of one switch to the E_Port

of another.

See also cascade and E_Port.

ISL

Theratioofthenumberoffreeports(non-ISL)tothenumberofISLsonaswitch.

oversubscription
ratio

isolated E_Port An E_Port that is online but not operational due to overlapping domain IDs or

nonidentical parameters (such as E_D_TOVs).

See also E_Port.

ISP Intern

et service provider. An organization that provides access to the internet.

IU Information unit. An organized collection of data specified by the FC P to be

transferred as a single sequence by the Fibre Channel service interface.

See also FCP.

JBOD Just a b unch of d isks. A term for a number of disks connected in a single

chassis to one or more controllers.

See also RAID.

jitter A deviation in timing for a bit stream as it flows through a phys

ical medium.

Fabric OS 5.x master glossary

17

K28.5 A special 10-bit character that indicates the beginning of a transmission word

that performs Fibre Channel control and signaling functions. The first seven bits
of the character are the comma pattern.

See also comma.

key A string of data (usually a numeric value) shared between two entities and used

to control a cryptographic algorithm.

See also key pair.

key pair In public key cryptography, a pair of keys consisting of an entity’s public and

private key. The public key can be publicized, but the private key must be kept
secret.

See also key and public key cryptography.

LAN Local area network. A network in which transmissions typically take p lace over

fewer than 5 kilometers (3.4 miles).

See also MAN and WAN.

latency The time required to transmit a frame. Together, latency and bandwidth define

the speed and c apacity of a link or system.

leaf class In SMI, a class that has no subclasses.

See also SMI.

LED Light-emitting diode. A device used to ind icate the status of elements on a switch.

LIFA Loop-initialization fabric-assigned frame. A frame that contains a bitmap of all

fabric-assigned AL_PAs and is the first frame transmitted in the loop initialization
process after a temporary loo p master has been selected.

LIHA Loop-initialization hard-assigned frame. A hard-assigned AL_PA that is indicated

by a bit set and is the third frame transmitted in the loop initialization process
after a temporary loop master has been selected.

LILP Loop-initialization loop-position frame. The last frame transmitted in a loop

initialization process after all L_Ports have selected an AL_PA. This frame is
transmitted a round the Loop so that all L_Ports can determine the relative position
of all other L_Ports around the Loop. L_Port support for this frame is optional,
and this frame is not transmitted unless the LIRP is also transmitted.

See also LIRP.

link control facility A link hardware facility that at taches to an end of a link and manages

transmission and reception of data. It handles the physical and logical control
of the Fibre Channel link for each mode.

Link Services A p rotocol for link-related actions.

LIP Loop initialization primitive. The signal used to begin initialization in a loop.

Indicates either loop failure or node resetting.

LIPA Loop-initialization previously assigned frame. The second frame transmitted in

the loop initialization process after a temporary Loop master has been selected.
L_Ports that had an AL_PA prior to the loop initialization will select their AL_PA’s
in this frame as it makes its way around the loop.

LIRP Loop-initialization report position frame. The first frame transmitted in the loop

initialization process after all L_Ports have selected an AL_PA.The LIRP gets
transmitted around the lo o p so all L_Ports can report their relative physical
position. Thisisanoptionalframe.

See also LILP.

18

Glossary

LISA Loop-initialization soft-assigned frame. The fourth frame transmitted in the

loop initialization process after a temporary loop master has been selected.
L_Ports that have not selected an AL_PA in a LIFA, LIPA, or LIHA frame select
their AL_PA here.

LISM Loop-initialization select m aster frame. This Frame applies only to the Arbitrated

Loop topology. It is the first frame transmitted in the loop initialization process
in which L_Ports select an AL_PA. LISM is used to select a temporary loop
master or the L_Port that will subsequently start transmission of the LI FA, LIPA,
LIHA, LISA, LIRP, or LILP frames.

LM_TOV Loop master timeout value. The minimum time that the loop master waits for a

loop initialization sequence to return.

login server Theunitthatrespondstologinrequests.

loop circuit A temporary bidirectional communication path established between L_Ports.

loop failure Loss of signal within a loop for any period of time, or loss of synchronization for

longer than the timeout value.

Loop_ID A hexadecimal value representing one of the 127 possible AL_PA values in

an arbitrated loop.

loop initialization The logical procedure used by an L_Port to discover its environment. Can be

used to assign AL_PA addresses, detect loop failure, or reset a node.

looplet A set of devices connected in a loop to a port that is a member of another loop.

Loop Mode One of two possible modes for an L_Port, in which the L_Port is in an arbitrated

loop, using loop protocol. An L_Port in Loop Mode can also be in Participating
Mode or Nonparticipating M ode.

LPB Loop port bypass. A primitive sequence

transmitted by an L_Port to bypass one
or all L_Ports to which it is d irected. For example, i f Port A suspects that Port B
is malfunctioning, Port A can send an LPB to Port B so that Port B retransmits
everything it receives, but it is not b

e active on the loop. This sequence is used

only in arbitrated loops.

LPE Loop port enable. A primitive sequence transmitted by an L_Port to enable

one or all L_Ports that have been bypassed with the LPB. It is used only in
arbitrated loops.

L_Port Loop port. A node port (NL_Port) or fabric port (FL_Port) that has arbitrated-loop

capabilities. An L_Port can be in either Fabric Mode or Loop Mode.

LPSM Loop Port State Machine. Logic that monitors and performs the tasks required

for initialization and access to the loop. It is maintained by an L_Port to track
behavior through different phases of loop operations. Alternatively,
entity that performs arbitrated-loop protocols and defines the behavi

the logical
or of L_Ports

when they require access to an arbitrated loop.

LR Link reset. A primitive sequence used during link initialization between two

N_Ports in point-to-point top ology or an N_Port and an F_Port in fabric topology.
The expected response is an LRR.

LRR Link reset response. A primitive sequence during link initialization between two

N_Ports in point-to-point top ology or an N_Port and an F_Port in fabric topology.
An LRR is sent in response to an LR.

LSAN Logical storage area network. A network that enables device and storage

connectivity that spans two or more fabrics. The path between devices in an
LSAN can be local to a fabric or cross one or more MP Routers and one or
more backbone fabrics.

Fabric OS 5.x master glossary

19

LSAN zone The mechanism by which LSANs are administered. An MP Router attached to

two fabrics will listen for the creation of matching LSAN zones on both fabrics. If
this occurs, it will create phantom domains and FC-NAT entries as appropriate,
and insert entries for them into the name servers on the fabrics. LSAN zones are
compatible with all standard zoning m echanisms.

LUN Logical unit number. The physical number of a device in a chain of drives

connected in series.

LWL Long wavelength. A t ype of fiber optic cabling that is b ased on 1310-mm lasers

and supports link speeds of 1.0625, 2.125, or 4.25 Gbps. Can also refer
tothetypeofGBICorSFP.

See also SFP and SWL.

MALLOC Memory allocation. Usually relates to buffer credits.

MAN Metropolitan area network. A com munications network that covers a

geographic area, such as a city or a suburb.

See also LAN and WAN.

Mbps Megabits per second (1,048,576 bits/second).

MBps Megabytes per second (1, 048,576 bytes/second).

meta-SAN The collection of all devices, switches, edge and backbone fabrics, LSANs,

and MP Routers that make up a physically connected but logically partitioned
storage network. LSANs span between edge fabrics using M P Routers. In a
data network, this would simply be called the network. However, an additional
term is required to specify the difference bet ween a single-fabric network (SAN),
a multifabric network without cross-fabric connectivity (dual-redundant fabric
SAN), and a multifabric network with connectivity (meta-SAN).

metric A relative value assigned to a route to aid in calculating the shortest path

(defaults to 1000 at 1 Gbps and 500 at 2 or 4 Gbps).

MIA Media interface adapter. A device that converts optical connections to copper

ones, and vice-versa.

MIB Management Information Base. An SNMP structure to help with device

management, providing configuration and device information.

MMF Multimode fiber. An optical fiber with a larger c ore than singlemo de fiber. It is

the most c ommonly used fiber for short distances, such as in LANs.

See also LAN and SWL.

MOF Managed Object Format file.

MP Management Platform. A platform running the HP Fibre Channel Routing Service

or FC -to-FC routing (for instance, the HP StorageWorks Multi-protocol Router)
thatenablestwoormorefabricstoshareresources(suchhostsorstorage
devices) without merging those fabrics. The platform could simultaneously be
used as an MP Router and as an FCIP tunnel or iSCSI gateway.

MRK Mark primitive signal. A signal that is used only in a n arbitrated loop, is

vendor-specific, and is transmitted by an L_Port for synchronization and is
vendor specific.

MS Management Server. A server allows a storage area network (SAN)

management application to retrieve information and administer the fabric and
interconnected elements, such as switches, servers, and storage devices. The
MS is located at the Fibre Channel well-known address FFFFFAh.

MSD Management Server daemon. A daemon tha t monitors the MS. Includes the

Fabric Configuration Service and the Unzoned Name Server.

20

Glossary

MSRS Multi-protocol SAN Routing Services. An optionally licensed software bundle

available on certain HP platforms, such as the HP StorageWorks Multi-protocol
Router, which includes the Fibre Channel Routing Service, the iSCSI Gateway
Service, and the FCIP Tunneling Service.

MTBF Mean time between failures. The average time a component works without

failure. This average is calculated by dividing the number of failures by the
hours under observation.

multicast The transmission of data from a single source to multiple specified N_Ports (as

opposed to all the ports on the network).

See also broadcast and unicast.

multimode A fib er optic cabling specification that allows up to 500 meters between devices.

N_Port Node port. A port on a node that ca n connect to a Fibre Channel port or to

another N _Port in a p oint-to-point connection.

See also NL_Port and Nx_Port.

Name Server See Simple Name Server

NAS Network-attached storage. A disk array connected to a co ntroller that provides

access via a LAN.

NDMP Network Data Management Protocol. Used for tape backup without using

server resources.

NIC Network interconnect card. A printed circuit board that plugs into the bus of

both the client machines and ser vers in a network. Controls the transmission
and reception of data at the data link level. Also called a Network Interface
Card and a network adapter.

NL_Port Node loop port. A node por t that has arbitrated-loop capabil

ities. Used to
connect an equipment por t to the fabric in a loop configuration through an
FL_Port.

See a lso N_Port, Nx_Port, private NL_Port,andpublic NL_

Por t.

node A Fibre Channel device that contains an N_Port or NL_Port.

node count The number of nodes attached to a fabric.

node name Theuniqueidentifier for a node, which is communicated during login and port

discovery.

Nonparticipating
Mode

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

See also L_Port and Participating Mode.

NOS Not operational. A sequence that is transmitted b

y an FC_Port to indicate that
the FC_Port has detected a link failure or is offline and is waiting for the offline
sequence (OLS) to be received.

NR_Port A normal E_Port used to connect an MP Router to a backbone fabric.

NS See Simple Name Server.

NSCAM Name Server Cache Manager. Software that updates the Name Server

databases across switches as a background task.

Nx_Port AnodeportthatcanoperateaseitheranN_PortorNL_Port.

OFC Open fiber control. A method used to enable and disable laser signaling for

higher-intensity laser transceivers.

Fabric OS 5.x master glossary

21

OLS Primitive sequence offline. A primitive sequence that is used during link

initialization between two N _Ports in a point-to-point topology or an N_Port and
an F_Port in a Fabric topology. It is sent to indicate that the transmitting port is
attempting to initialize the link, has recognized the NOS primitive sequence, or
is going offline.

OLTP Online transaction processing. Online updating of the appropriate database

recordsassoonasatransactionisentered.

ON Offline notification. A term that refers to an ELS field that appears in

portLogDump command output.

OPN Open primitive signal. Applies only to arbitrated loops; sent by an L_Port that

has won the arbitration process to open communication with one or more ports
on the loo p.

ordered set A transmission word that uses 8b/10b mapping and begins with the K28.5

character. Ordered sets are used to differentiate Fibre Channel control
information from data frames and to manage frame transport. They occur
outside of frames and include the following items:

• Frame delimiters, which mark frame boundaries and describe frame contents

• Primitive signals, which indicate events

• Primitive sequences, which indicate or initiate port states

originator The Nx_Port that originated an exchange.

out-of-band Transmission of management protocol outside of the Fibre Channel net work,

usually over Ethernet.

oversubscription A situation in which more nodes could potentially contend for a resource than

the resource (typically an ISL) could simultaneously support. Oversubscription
could be a desirable at tribute in fabric topology, as long as it does not produce
unacceptable levels of congestion.

OX_ID Originator ID or exchange ID. A term that refers to the exchange ID assigned

by the originator port.

packet A block of data that is transmitted over the net work in a packet-switched system.

The terms packet, frame,anddatagram are often used synonymously.

See also frame.

PAL Programmable Array Logic. A relatively small FPD.

l

paralle

Participating
Mode

Atermth

A mode in which an L_Port in a lo
frames, and retransmit received transmissions.

at refers to the simultaneous transmission of data bits over multiple lines.

op has a valid AL_PA and can arbitrate, send

See also L_Port and Nonparticipating Mode.

passive copper A low-cost copper Fibre Channel connection, allowing distances up to 13

meters between devices.

path selection The selection of a transmission path through the fabric. HP switches use

the

FSPF protocol.

See also FSPF.

payload The portion of a Fibre Channel frame that contains the information being

transported by the frame. There are many different payload formats, which
are based on protocol.

PBC Port bypass circuit. A circuit in hubs or a disk enclosure that opens or closes a

loop to add or remove nodes.

22

Glossary

PCBA Printed circuit board assembly.

PCM Pulse-code modulation. A standard method of encoding analog audio signals

in digital form.

Performance
Monitoring

An HP StorageWorks switch feature that monitors port trafficandincludesframe
counters, SCSI read monitors, SCSI write monitors, a nd other types of monitors.

phantom address An AL_PA value that is assigned to a device that is not physically in the loop.

Also called phantom AL_PA.

phantom device A device that is not physically in an arbitrated-loop but is logically included

through the use of a phantom address.

PID Port identifier. A s defined in FC-FG, bits 7 through 0 of an address identifier.

See also core PID.

PKI Public key infrastructure. An infrastructure that is based on public key

phy and CA and that uses digital certificates.

, digital certificate,andpublic key cryptography.

PKI certification
utility

cryptogra

See also CA

Public key infr astructure certification utility. A utility that makes it possible to
collect cer ti ficate requests from switches and to load certificates to switches.

See also digital certificate, PKI.

PLA Programmable logic array. A small FPD.

See also FPD.

PLD Programmable logic device. Also called FPD.

See also FPD.

PLDA Private l

oop direct-attached. A technical report specifying a logical loop.

PLOGI Port login. The port-to-port login process by which initiators establish sessions

with targets.

See also FLOGI.

point-to-point A Fibre Channel topology that employs direct links between each pair of

communicating entities.

See also topology.

port In an HP StorageWorks switch environment, an SFP or GBIC receptacle on a

switch to which an optic cable for another device is attached.

port address In Fabric OS, a port address can be d efined by a domain and port number

combination or by area number. In an ESCON Director, an address is used to

fy port connectivity p arameters and to assign link addresses for attached

speci
channels and control units.

See ESCON.

port cage The metal casing extending out of the optical port on the switch, into which the

SFP can be inserted.

port card A hardware component that provides a platform for fi eld-replaceable, hot

swappable por ts.

port group A group of adjacent ports that share a common pool of frame buffers for

long-distance connections.

port-level zoning Aprocessthatdefines a zone member by domain,port,whichisthephysical

port to which the member is connected.

lso zone member and WWN-level zoning.

See a

port log A record of all activity on a switch, kept in volatile memory.

port log dump TheoutputwhentheportLogDump command is used to read the port lo g.

Fabric OS 5.x master glossary

23

port name Auser-defined alphanumeric name for a port.

port_name Theuniqueid

entifier assigned to a Fibre Channel port. Communicated during

login and port discovery.

port swapping The ability to redirect a failed port to another port. This feature is available

in Fabric OS 4.1.0 and later.

POST Power

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

PPID A unique static identifier for each blade in a bladed server. It resides on a

printed label and on an electronic tag on the card.

PPP Point-to-Point Protocol. The most popular method for transporting IP packets over

a serial link between a user and an ISP.

primary FCS Relates to the Secure Fabric OS feature. The primary fabric configuration server

switch actively manages security and configurations for all switches in the fabric.

See also backbone fabric, FCS,andbackup FCS.

primitive sequence An ordered set that is transmitted repeatedly and continuously. Primitive

sequences are transmitted to indicate specific conditions within or conditions
encountered by the receiver logic of an FC_Port.

See also OLS and NOS.

primitive signals An ordered set that indicates actions or events and requires just one occurrence

to trigger a response. IDLE and R_RDY are used in all three topologies: ARB,
OPN, and CLS. MRK is used in arbitrated loop.

principal switch The firstswitchtobootupinafabric. EnsuresuniquedomainIDsamongroles.

private device A device that supports arbitrated-loop protocol and can interpret 8-bit addresses

but cannot log in to the fabric.

private key The secret half of a key pair.

See also key, key pair, PKI,andpublic key cryptography.

private loop An arbitrated loop that does not include a participating FL_Port.

private loop
device

A device that supports a loop and can understand 8-bit addresses but does
not log in to the fabric.

private NL_Port An NL_Port that communicates only with other private NL_Ports in the same

loop and does not log in to the fabric.

protocol Adefined method and set of standards for communication. Determines the type

of error checking, the data-compression method, how sending devices indicate
an end of message, and how receiving devices indicate receipt of a message.

pstate Port State Machine.

PSU Power supply unit. An electrical system that converts AC current from the wall

outlet to the DC current required by the computer circuitry.

public device A device that s upports arbitrated-loop protocol, can interpret 8-bit addresses,

and can log in to the fabric.

public key The public half of a key pair.

See also key, key pair, PKI, private key,andpublic key cryptography.

public key cryp­tography

A type of cryptography that uses a key pair, with the t wo keys in the pair
called at different points in the algorithm. The sender uses the recipient’s public
key to encrypt the message, and the recipient uses the recipient’s private key
to decrypt it.

See also key pair, PKI, private key,andpublic key.

24

Glossary

public loop An arbitrated loop that includes a participating FL_Port and can contain both

public and private NL_Ports.

public NL_Port An NL_Port that logs in to the fabric, can functi

on within either a public or a

private loop, and can communicate with either p rivate or public NL_Ports.

QLA A type of Fibre Channel c ontroller.

QLFA QuickLoop Fabric Assist. Arbitrated-loop technology.

See also arbitrated loop.

QoS Q ualit y of service. A defined level of performance in a data communications

system. When data is broken into packets that travel through the same routers
in a L AN or WAN with all other data, QoS mechanisms are the only way to
guarantee quality by giving real-time data priority over non-real-time data.

queue A mechanism for e ach AL_PA address that allows for collecting frames prior

to sending them to the loop.

QuickLoop A software product that allows multiple ports on a switch to create a logical

loop. Devices connected via QuickLoop appear to each other as if they are
onthesamearbitratedloop.

QuickLoop Mode Amodethatallowsinitiatordevicestocommunicatewithprivateorpublic

devices that are not in the same loop.

radius The greatest distance between any edge switch and the center of a fabric. A

low-radius network is better than a high-radius network.

RAID 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.

See also JBOD.

RAIT Redundant a

rray of independent tapes. A collection of tape drives that appear

as a single volume to the server and are fault tolerant.

R_A_TOV Resource allocation timeout value. The maximum time a frame can b e delayed

in the fabric and still be delivered.

See also E_D_TOV and RR_TOV.

RCS Reliable Commit Service. Refers to Brocade-specific ILS command code.

RCS_SFC RCS Stage Fabric Confi g. Refers to Brocade-specific ILS command code.

R_CTL Route control. The first 8 bits of the header, which defines the type of frame

and its contents.

receiver A device that performs detection and signal processing.

redundancy Having multiple occurrences of a component to maintain high availability (HA).

Remote Switch An optionally licensed product for long-distance fabrics, requiring a Fibre

Channel-to-ATM or SONET gateway.

repeater A circuit that uses a recovered clock to regenerate and transmit an outbound

signal.

request rate Therateatwhichrequestsarriveataservicingentity.

See also service rate.

resilience A fabric’s ability to adapt to or tolerate a failure of a component within the

fabric.

Fabric OS 5.x master glossary

25

resilient core/
edge topology

Two or more switches acting as a co re to interconnect multiple edge switches.
Nodes attach to the edge switches.

See also edge switch.

responder The N_Port with which an exchange originator attempts to communicate.

retimer A circuit that uses an independ ent clock to generate outbound signals.

return loss The ratio expressed in decibels ) of incident power to reflected power, when a

component or assembly is introduced into a link or system. Can refer to optical
powerortoelectricalpowerinaspecified frequency range.

RLS Read Link Status.

route As it applies to a fabric, the communication path between t wo switches. It might

also apply to the specific path taken by an individual frame, from source to
destination.

See also FSPF.

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

R_RDY Receiver ready. A primitive signal indicating that the port is ready to receive

aframe.

RR_TOV Resource recovery timeout value. The minimum tim e a target device in a loop

waits after an LIP before logging out a SCSI initiator.

See also E_D_TOV and R_A_TOV.

RSCN Registered state change notification. A switch function that allows notification

of fabric changes to be sent from the switch to specified nodes. The fabric
controller issues RSCN requests to N _Ports and NL_Ports, but only if they have
registered to be notifie d of state changes that occur in other N_Ports and
NL_Ports. This registration is performed via the State Change Registration (SCR)
Extended Link Service. An N_Port or NL_Port can issue an RSCN to the fabric
controller without having completed SCR with the fabric controller.

R_T_TOV Receiver transmitter timeout value. Used by receiver logic to detect loss of

synchronization between transmitters and receivers.

RTWR Reliable transport with response. Might appear as a task in portLogDump

command output.

running disparity A binary parameter indicating the cumulative disparity (positive or negative) of

all p reviously issued transmission characters.

RW Read/write. A term that refers to access rights.

RX An abbreviation for communications term receive.

See also TX.

RX_ID Responder exchange identifier. A 2-byte field in the frame header that c an be

used by the responder of the exchange to identify frames as being part of a
particular exchange.

SAN Storage area network. A network of systems and storage devices that

communicate using Fibre Channel protocols.

See also fabric.

SAN architecture The overall design of a storage network solution, which includes one or more

related fabrics, each of which has a topology.

SANportcount The number of ports available for connection by nodes in the entire SAN.

SCA Single connector attachment. A type of disk drive connector that is frequently

used for attaching SCSI drives to host systems.

26

Glossary

scalability One of the properties of a SAN, the size to which a SAN topology can grow

port and switch counts with ease.

SCC SC connector. A fiber-optic cable connector that uses a push-pull latching

mechanism similar to common audio and video cables. For bidirectional
transmissions, two fiber cables and two SC connectors (dual SC) are generally
used.

SCN State change notification. Information the switch logs about internal (not

external) state changes, for example, a port coming online or a port being
an Fx_Port. State change notifications are not used to log information that is
sent from the switch to the Nx_Ports.

SCR State change registration. An event that occurs when the Extended Link Service

(ELS) requests that the fabric controller add the N _Port or NL_Port to the list
of N_Ports and NL_Ports registered to receive the Registered State Change
Notification (RSCN) Extended Link Service.

SCSI Small Computer Systems Interface. A parallel bus architecture and a protocol

for transmitting large data blocks to a distance of 15 to 25 meters.

SCSI-2 Thearchitecturedefined by the Small Computer System Interface-2 standard. An

updated version of the SCSI bus architecture.

SCSI-3 A SCSI standard that defines transmission of SCSI protocol data over different

kinds of links.

SDRAM Synchronous dynamic random access memory. The main memory for a switch.

sectelnet A p rotocol similar to telnet but with encrypted passwords for increased security.

Secure Fabric OS An HP StorageWorks optionally licensed feature that provides advanced,

centralizedsecurityforafabric.

security policy Rules that determine how security is implemented in a fabric. Security policies

can be customized through Secure Fabric OS or Fabric Manager.

SEQ_ID Sequence identifier. A 1-byte field in the frame header that is changed to

identify the frames as being part of a particular exchange sequence between a
pair of ports.

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

N_Ports.

sequence initiator The N _Port that begins a new sequence and transmits frames to another N_Port.

sequence recipient The N_Port to which a particular sequence of data frames is directed.

serial The transmission of data bits in sequential order over a single line.

server A computer that processes end-user applications or requests.

service rate The rate at which an entity can service requests.

See also request rate.

SES SCSIEnclosureServices. AsubsetoftheSCSIprotocolusedtomonitor

temperature, power, and fan status for enclosed devices.

SFF Small-form-factor. An industry term for a small transceiver.

See also SFP.

SFP Small-form-factor pluggable. A type of transceiver used on 2-Gbps and 4 -Gbps

switches that replaces the GBIC.

See also SFF.

Fabric OS 5.x master glossary

27

SFP cable A cable specifically designed for use with an SFP tranceivers. Not compatible

with GBICs.

SI Sequence initiative.

S_ID Source ID. A term that refers to the native port address (24 bit address).

Simple Name
Server

A switch service that stores names, ad dresses, and attributes for up to 15
minutes and provides them as required to other devices in the fabric. SNS is
defined by Fibre Channel standards and exists at a well-known address. Also
called directory service or name server.

Single CP Mode The mode that is entered by using the -s option of the Fabric OS

firmwareDownload command.

In the HP StorageWorks Core Switch 2/64, SAN Director 2/128, and 4/256
SAN Director, Single CP Mode enables a user to upgrade a single CP and to
select the full install, autoreboot, and autocommit options.

Single Mode The fiber-optic cabling standard for devices up to 10 km apart.

SLAP Switch Link Authentication Protocol. An authentication method for Fibre Channel

switches that uses digital certificates to authenticate switch ports.

S-Link Service Facilities used between an N_Port and the fabric, or between two N_Ports, for

login, sequence/exchange management, and m aintaining connections.

SLP Service Location Protocol. An Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) standard

used to discover services over the Internet.

SMDS Switched Multimegabit Data Service. A protocol for interconnecting LANs;

however, SMDS has less error-checking capability than Frame Relay.

SMF Single-mode fiber. An optical fiber with a core diameter of less than 10

microns. Used for high-speed transmission over long distances, it provides
greater bandwidth than multimode.

See also multimode and LW L.

SMI (1) Storage Management Initiative. A broad-based initiative sponsored by the

Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) to standardize all aspects of
storage management for multivendor storage networking products.
(2) Structure of management information. A notation for setting or retrieving
SNMP management variables.

SMI-S Storage Management Initiative Specification. Defines the interface that allows

storage management systems to manage and monitor storage area network
(SAN) resources.

SNA/SDLC Systems Network Architecture/Synchronous Data Link Control. A structure for

transferring data among a variety of computing platforms.

SNMP Simple Network Management P rotocol. An Internet ma n agem ent protocol that

uses either IP for network-level functions and UDP for transport-level functions, or
TCP/IP for both. Can be m ade available over other protocols, such as UDP/IP,
because it does not rely on the underlying communication protocols.

See also community (SNMP).

SNS See Simple Name Ser ver.

SOF Start of frame. A group of ordered sets that m arks the beginning of a frame

and indicates the class of service the frame will use.

28

Glossary

soft zone A zone consisting of zone members that are made visible to e ach other through

client service requests. Typically, soft zones contain zone members that are
visibletodevicesusingNameServerexposureofzonemembers. Thefabric
does not enforce a soft zone. Note that well-known addresses are implicitly
included in every zone.

SoIP Storage over IP or SoIP is a technology for accessing storage devices over

TCP/IP networks. Storage becomes accessible to users directly across the
network, and much of the overhead imposed by server and operating system
intervention is removed to improve performance.

SONET Synchronous optical network. A standard for optical networks that provides

building blocks and flexible payload mappings.

special character A10-bitcharacterthatdoesnothaveacorresponding8-bitvaluebutisstill

considered valid. The special character is used to indicate that a particular
transmission word is an ordered set. This is the only type of character that has
five ones or zeroes in a row.

SPLD Simple PLD. Usually, either a PLA or PAL.

SPOF Single point of failure. Any component in a SAN whose malfunction could

bring down the entire SAN.

SQ_ID Sequence ID. An identifier used to select and track all of the frames within a

sequence between a source (S_ID) and destination (D_ID) port pair.

SRM Storage resource manag em ent. The management of disk volumes and file

resources.

SSH Secure shell. Starting in Fabric OS 4.1, software used to support encrypted

telnet sessions to the switch. SSH encrypts all messages, including the client
sending the password at login.

SSL Secure sockets layer. A web protocol for establishing authenticated and

encrypted sessions between web servers and web clients.

Standard
Translative Mode

A method that allows public devices to c ommunicate with private devices that
are directly connected to the fabric.

stealth mode A method used in some switches to simulate HP switches using QuickLoop.

Stitch Thecodenamegiventothefirst-generation Fabric ASIC. This is the ASIC that is

used in the Fibre Channel Storage Switch 8 and Fibre Channel Storage Switch
16 switches.

storage A device used to store data, such as a disk or tape.

store-and-forward A switching technique that requires buffering an entire frame before m aking a

routing decision.

striping A RAID technique for writing a file to multiple disks on a block-by-block basis,

with or without parity.

witch

s

fabric device providing bandwidth and high-speed routing of data via

A
link-level addressing.

switch name The arbitrary name assigned to a switch.

switch port An access point on a switch where a link attaches. Switch ports can be E _Ports,

F_Ports, or FL_Ports.

switch-to-switc
authentication

h

The process of aut
using digital ce

See also authent

henticating both switches in a switch-to-switch connection

rtificates.

ication and digital certificate.

Fabric OS 5.x master glossary

29

SWL Short wavelength. A type of fiber optic cabling tha t is based on 850 mm lasers

and supports 1.0625, 2.125, and 4.25 Gbps link speeds. Can also refer to
the type of GBIC or SFP tranceivers.

See also LWL.

syslog A daemon that is used to forward error messages.

T10 A standards commit tee chartered with creating standards for SCSI.

T11 A standards committee chartered with creating standards for Fibre Channel.

tachyon A chip that supports FC-0 through FC-2 on a single chip.

target A storage device on a Fibre Channel network.

See also initiator.

TC See track changes.

TCP/IP Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. A communications protocol

developed by the U.S. Department of Defense to internetwork dissimilar systems.

telnet A virtual terminal emulation used with TCP/IP.

tenancy The time period that starts when a port wins arbitration in a loop until the same

port returns to the monitoring state. Also called loop tenancy.

throughput The rate of data flow achieved within a cable, link, or system. Usually measured

in bps (bits per second).

See also BB fabric.

tiering The process of grouping particular SAN devices by function and then attaching

these devices to particular switches or groups of switches based on that function.

Time Server A Fibre Channel service that allows for the management of all timers.

topology As it applies to Fibre Channel technology, the configuration of the Fibre

Channel network and the resulting comm

unication paths allowed. There a re

threepossibletopologies:

• Point-to-point—A direct link between two communication ports.

• Switched fabric—Multiple N_Ports linked to a switch by F_Ports.

• Arbitrated loop—Multiple NL_Ports connected in a loo p.

TPC Third-party copy. A protocol for performing tape backups without using ser ver

resources.

track changes A Fabric OS feature that can be enabled to report specificactivities(for

example, logins, logouts, and configuration task changes). The output from the
track-changes feature is dumped to the error log for the switch.

transceiver A device that converts one form of signaling to another for transmission and

reception; in fiber optics, converts optical signals to electrical signals.

translate domain A router virtual d oma in that represents an entire fabric. Device connectivity

can be a chieved from one fabric to another, over the router and through this
virtual domain, without merging the two fabrics. Also called phantom domain,
phantom translate domain, or xlate domain.

Translative Mode A mode in which private devices can communicate with public devices across

the fabric.

transmission char-

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

acter

30

Glossary

transmission word A group of four transmission characters.

See also transmission character.

trap (SNMP) The message sent by an SNMP agent to inform the SNMP management station

of a critical error.

See also SNMP.

trunking In Fibre Channel technology, a feature that enables distribution of trafficover

the com bined bandwidth of up to four ISLs between adjacent switches, while
preserving in-order delivery.

trunking group A set of up to four trunked ISLs for HP StorageWorks SAN Switch 2/8–EL,

2/8V, 2/16, 2/16V, 2/32, Core Switch 2/64, and SAN Director 2/128; a
set of up to eight trunked ISLs for HP StorageWorks SAN Switch 4/32 and
4/256 SAN Director.

trunking ports The ports in a set of trunked ISLs.

TS Time Server. An intelligent entity in a network that enables all nodes in the

network to maintain a common time base. It provides the time values required
to manage expiration timers.

TTL Time-to-live. The number of seconds an entry exists in cache before it expires.

tunneling A technique for enabling two networks to communicate when the source and

destination hosts are both on the same type of network but are connected by
a different type of network.

TX Transmit. An abbreviation for the communications term transmit.

See also RX.

UDP User Datagram Protocol. A protocol that runs on top of IP and provides port

multiplexing for upper-level protocols.

UL Underwriters Laboratories. An independent, not-for-profit, product-safety testing

and certification organization.

ULP Upper-level protocol. A protocol that runs o n top of Fibre Channel. Typical

upper-level protocols are SCSI, IP, HIPPI, and IPI.

ULP_TOV Upper-level protocol timeo ut value. The minimum tim e that a SCSI ULP process

waits for SCSI status before initiating ULP recovery.

unicast The transmission of data from a single source to a single destination.

See also broadcast and multicast.

U_Port Universal port. A switch port that can operate as a G_Port, E_Port, F_Port, or

FL_Port. A por t is defined as a U_Port when it is not c onnected or has not yet
assumed a specificfunctioninthefabric.

UTC Universal Time Conversion. Also called Coordinated Universal Time, which is

an international standard of time. UTC is 8 hours behind Pacific Standard Time
and5hoursbehindEasternStandardTime.

See also GMT.

WAN Wide area network. A communications network that covers a wide geographic

area, such as a state or a country.

See also LAN and MAN.

WAN_TOV Wide area network timeout value.

watchdog A software daemon that monitors Fabric OS modules on the kernel.

Fabric OS 5.x master glossary

31

WDM Wavelength division multiplexer. A set of technologies that allows multiple

wavelengths to be combined or filtered on a single cable.

See DWDM.

well-known ad­dress

In Fibre Channel technology, a logical address defined by Fibre Channel
standards, as assigned to a specific function and stored on the switch.

workstation A computer used to access and manage the fabric. Also called management

station or host.

WTV Write timeout value. An ELS field that appears in portLogDump command

output.

WWN World Wide Name. An identifier that is unique worldwide. Each entity in a

fabric has a separate WWN.

WWN-level zon­ing

This type of zoning defines a zone member using a WWW port or a WWN
node. Defining a zone member with a WW N allows the memb er (device) to
be attached without regard to its physical location.

X.25 A protocol that uses logical channels. X.25 allows high-quality communications

between computers and can accommodate noisy data communications through
error-detection and error-correction (retransmission) algorithms.

zone A collection of Fibre Channel N_Ports and NL_Ports ( device ports) that are

allowed to communicate with each other via the fabric. Any two N_Ports and
NL_Ports that are not members of at least one common zone are not permitted
to communicate via the fabric. Zone membership may be specified by:

• Port location on a switch (for example, Domain_ID and port number)

• Device N_Port_Name

• Device Node_Name device’s address identifier

• Device Node_Name

Well-known addresses are implicitly included in every zone. D evices and hosts
within the same zone have access to others in the zone but are not visible to
any outside the zone.

zone configuration Aspecified set of zones. Enabling a configuration enables all zones in that

configuration.

See also defined zone configuration, enabled zone configuration,andeffective

zone configuration.

zone configuration
object

Defines a list of zone objects. The zone database can contain several zone
configuration objects, but only one zone configuration object can be enabled
andenforcedatatime.

See also zone object.

zone member The specification of a device to be included in a zone. A zone member may be

defined as a port on a switch or a World Wide Name. A zone member can
belong to more than one zone at a time.

See also port-level zoning and WWN-level zoning.

zone object Defines a list of zone members. A zone object can exist across multiple zone

configuration objects.

zoning A feature in fabric switches or hubs that allows segmentation of a node by

physical port, name, or address.

32

Glossary