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Figure 3-7
Tape Device
Consolidation
Server Consolidation
Providing fabric connectivity for multiple FC-AL tape drives by
attaching them individually to a Fibre Channel director is likewise
not a cost-effective solution. A practical solution is to consolidate the
tape drives on an inexpensive loop switch, then connect the switch to
a director E_Port.
Figure 3-8
illustrates the consolidation of three tape drives through
one E_Port connection to a fabric director. Each tape drive has a 30
MBps bandwidth, therefore the sum of the bandwidths of all
consolidated servers is slightly less (90 MBps) than the E_Port
bandwidth of 1.0625 Gbps. Connecting another FC-AL tape drive to
the switch would exceed the E_Port capability and adversely impact
director-to-switch link performance. Other devices (such as servers)
should not be connected to a switch used for tape drive
consolidation.
Planning Considerations for Fibre Channel Topologies
Planning Considerations for Fibre Channel Topologies
3
3-13
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