Fibre channel switched fabric is the first reference text other than the standards. Fibre channel arbitrated loop is similar in concept to token ring. The fabric is a network of fibre channel devices which allows manytomany communication. While the benefits of san have been long apparent, it was only with the advent of fibre channel that massive adoption of open san topology became feasible. Its an indepth examination of the fibre channel fabric including concepts, addressing, initialization. Kembel is the author of fibre channel a comprehensive introduction 4. It was initially designed for supercomputers but is now commonly implemented in storage networking server environments as a replacement to small computer system interface scsi and other. Table 1 lists the topologies in which the library can operate, the fibre channel server connections that are available, and the port nl, n, fl, or f through which communication must occur. Within a switched or mixed fabric, a set of auxiliary servers, including a name server for device discovery and network address resolution. Switched fabric up to 224 ports in a switched interconnect multiple concurrent communications for high aggregate throughout.
Module 5 fiber channel storage area network fc san. E1 module 5 fiber channel storage area network fc san study guide by acehaja includes 42 questions covering vocabulary, terms and more. As foundation knowledge and consistently useful reference material, keep these books close at hand. Cisco nexus 5000 series nxos software configuration guide. The most unique feature of this book is the fibre channel troubleshooting section. Channel share what is new in fibre channel standards for protocols apis, and management. Fibre channel is primarily used to connect computer data storage to servers in storage area networks san in commercial data centers. All devices or loops of devices are connected to fibre channel switches. This scheme is used to address the ports in the switched fabric. A loop may also be made by cabling each port to the next in a ring. Its an indepth examination of the fibre channel fabric including concepts, addressing, initialization, principal switch selection, routing concepts and protocols, path selection, and switching constructs. A fiber channel fc is a computer networking technology that is used to transfer data between one or more computers at very high speeds.
Switches fibre channel products for sans cisco press. Provide a concise, ataglance summary of key information when working in the office, lab, or a customer. Despite its name, fibre channel signaling can run on both twisted pair copper wire and fiberoptic cables. The device is a standalone fibre channeltoethernet adapter, designed primarily to analyze span traffic from a fibre channel port on a cisco mds 9000 family switch. This book makes the complexities of fabrics intelligible and shows how each fibre channel switch standard fits into an integrated whole. Fibre channel hubs exist to connect multiple devices together and may bypass failed ports. Unlike the previous categories of fibre channel hubs, switched hubs actively participate in protocolrelated activities, such as discovery, identification, and management of other devices on the storage network, event logging, and diagnostics. Fibre channel fc is a highspeed data transfer protocol commonly running at 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, and 128 gigabit per second rates providing inorder, lossless delivery of raw block data. A comprehensive introduction, fibre channel arbitrated loop, and fibre channel switched fabric. Fibre channel is a networking technology primarily used for storage area networking. A switched fabric is a fibre channel topology in which individual node ports are interconnected and managed by switches. With fabric, many devices can be active at the same time and the medium is not shared each pair has its own virtual circuit, established by the switch. Switched fabric or switching fabric is a network topology in which network nodes interconnect.
As a result, each direction of a link only requires one optical fiber or one pair of. Fibre channel is a serial data transfer protocol, meaning it transfers data one bit at a time. An introduction to fibre channel fibre channel is a flexible, scalable, highspeed data transfer. The topologies are pointtopoint, arbitrated loop, and crosspoint switched, or fabric a fibre channel term for a network of one or more switches connecting multiple nodes. A fibre channel switch, namely, is a networking device that is compatible with the fibre channel protocol fcp, and features with highperformance, lowlatency, and losslesstransmission in a fibre channel fabric. Building sans with brocade fibre channel fabric switches is written for system administrators who are designing, building, and maintaining storage area networks with brocade fibre switches. The book provides the reader with all of the techniques necessary to integrate fibrebased switches with an ip. Discount prices on books by robert w kembel, including titles like fibre channel over ethernet fcoe. They are found embedded in various devices, such as an io adapter, array or tape controller, and switched fabric.
Fibre channel switches and other data storage products at. Discover a variety of fibre channel switches and other storage area networking products at. Storage networking involves amassing large volumes of data and distributing it. A channel is a direct or switched pointtopoint connection. Helpful fibre channel links recent events in fibre channel references fibre channel overview the universal interface fibre channel is designed to combine the best of both channel and network data communication. In the fibre channel switched fabric fcsw6 topology, devices are. A storage area network san using a switched fabric and the fibre channel protocol provides higher throughput compared with lan backup. Fibre channel switched fabric this latest update to the fibre channel consultant series continues the tradition of providing comprehensive information on fibre channel technology. Robert is a member of the national committee for information technology standards, which is responsible for developing the fibre channel standards.
Because of this, there is another addressing scheme used in fibre channel networks. Fc is available at 1, 2, 4, 8, 10, 16, 32 and 128 gbits speeds. Fibre channel over ethernet fcoe by robert w kembel. Large number of servers and storage subsystems are connected using fibre channel switches. Ficon itself is a protocol layer created by ibm which builds upon the fibre channel transport protocol. Therefore, the three san topologiespointtopoint, fibre channelarbitrated loop fcal, and switched fabricare the same as fibre channel topologies.
Fundamentals of fibre channel fibre channel industry association. Fibre channel switches are one of the most powerful components of a san. When a node initializes in a fibre channel fabric environment, there are a number of steps the node and node port may perform. Provides thorough and uptothe minute discussions of fibre channel switched fabric topology. Fibre channel over ethernet fcoe burst upon the data center storage scene in april of. It allows the creation of a fibre channel fabric, that is the core component of a storage area network san.
Quizlet flashcards, activities and games help you improve your grades. Fibre channel arbitrated loop, and fibre channel switched fabric. The paa2 enables effective, lowcost analysis of fibre channel traffic. A fibre channel fabric is one or more fibre channel switches in a single network. This is the reason why almost all new infrastructures use the storage network to send data from the exchange server to the backup library. Principal switch, fspf fabric shortest path first routing, isl initialization. His books comprise the fibre channel consultant series. Fibre channel network topologies consist of the following. These switches are the basis of the switched fabric topology, where the switches are interconnected to form the fabric. Fibre channel technologies storage networking industry. They are responsible for the efficient and highspeed switching of frames over a storage network. A storage area network san is based on fibre channel technology.
Fibre channel is really hard to match for its low latency and high throughput because it. Fcids are dynamically acquired addresses that are routable in a switch fabric. The purpose of this book is to examine the fcoe technology and provide an. Fibre channel protocol fcp is the interface protocol of scsi on the fibre channel. Storage area networking is a term used to describe one of the most popular uses of fibre channel. Newly updated with a major revision for 2007 to include virtual fabrics, interfabric routing and other changes to the standards, this valuable. In the switched fabric topology the only one requiring switches, all the devices are connected and communicated via switches. Fc switches can be combined to create large san fabrics that interconnect thousands of servers and storage ports. With this 24bit addressing scheme, we get a smaller frame header, and this can speed up the routing process. Multiple devices as many as 126 end nodes can share a common medium, but must arbitrate for access to it before beginning transmission. Of these three, fcal and switched fabric are implemented more commonly because they are costeffective, highperforming, and scalable. The main function of the port analyzer adapter 2 is to encapsulate fibre channel frames into ethernet frames. San topologies storage area network fundamentals book. The complete fibre channel standard is quite complex.
In a fibre channel switched fabric fcsw, fibre channel switches connect devices together. From the fibre channel basics to the physical interface, data encoding and framing. Networkattached storage nas and storage area networks. Fibre channel addressing ccna data center dcict 640916. Fibre channel protocol for linux and zvm on ibm system z december 2007 international technical support organization sg24726600.
The fabric is a network of fibre channel devices which allows manytomany communication, device name lookup, security, and redundancy. Switched fabrica network consisting of switching elements. It relies on one or more central switches to establish direct, pointtopoint connections between the source and destination devices. Pierre bijaoui, juergen hasslauer, in designing storage for exchange 2007 sp1, 2008. Cisco fabric manager fundamentals configuration guide. Fibre channel ports are intelligent interface points on the fibre channel san. Newly updated with a major revision for 2007 to include virtual fabrics, interfabric routing and other changes to the standards, this valuable resource provides thorough and uptothe minute discussions of fibre. Each port in the switched fabric has its own unique 24bit address. Switched fabric topology terminology ibm knowledge center. Fibre channel protocol an overview sciencedirect topics. Fabric can do for you networking nextgen storage for dummies book.
Fibre channel protocol for linux and zvm on ibm system z. Robert w kembel books list of books by robert w kembel. His works on arbitrated loop, fibre channel technology and fibre channel fabric switches are essential reading for san technicians and system designers. Highly reliable and scalable, brocade fibre channel directors and switches deliver. Pointtopoint, arbitrated loop, and switched fabric. This latest update to the fibre channel consultant series continues the tradition of providing comprehensive information on fibre channel technology. Arbitrated loop remains the only book devoted exclusively to the theory and operation of arbitrated loop technology.