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Introduction to McDATA Multi-Protocol Products
1
Connectivity
Features
McDATA Products in a SAN Environment - Planning Manual
1-26
McDATA directors, fabric switches, SAN routers, and their associated
Element Manager applications support the following connectivity
features. Products or product classes that do not support a
connectivity feature are noted.
•
Any-to-any connectivity - Subject to user-defined restrictions
such as zoning, directors, fabric switches, and FCP ports on SAN
routers define the destination port with which a source port is
allowed to communicate and provide any-to-any port
connectivity. In addition, most directors and fabric switches
provide connectivity for both FCP and FICON devices.
NOTE: SAN routers do not support FICON connectivity.
•
Port blocking - System administrators can block or unblock any
director or fabric switch port through the associated Element
Manager application. Blocking a port prevents an attached device
from logging in to the director or switch or communicating with
any attached device. A blocked port continuously transmits a
Fibre Channel offline sequence (OLS).
NOTE: SAN routers do not support port blocking.
•
Zoning - System administrators can partition attached devices
into restricted-access groups called zones. Devices in the same
zone can recognize and communicate with each other through
port-to-port connections. Devices in separate zones cannot
recognize and communicate with each other. Directors, fabric
switches, and SAN routers support port number and world-wide
name (WWN) zoning.
•
State change notification - Directors and the Sphereon 3232
Fabric Switch support a state change notification function that
allows attached N_Ports to request notification when other
N_Ports change operational state.
Sphereon 4000-series fabric switches and FCP ports on SAN
routers support a state change notification function that allows
attached N_Ports and NL_Ports to request notification when
fabric or loop-attached devices change operational state.
Intelligent ports on SAN routers support a state change
notification function using the iSNS protocol.
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