Port Modes; Fabric Ports; Translated Loop Port; Fibre Channel Ports - Qlogic SANbox2-8c Installation Manual

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2.2.3

Port Modes

SANbox2-8c switches support the following port modes:
Generic ports (GL_Port and G_Port)
Fabric ports (FL_Port and F_Port)
Translated loop ports (TL_Port)
Expansion ports (E_Port)
Switches come from the factory with all ports configured as GL_Ports. GL_Ports
self-configure in the following ways:
FL_Port when connected to a loop of public devices
F_Port when connected to a single public device. If the device is a single
device on a loop, the GL_Port will attempt to configure first as an F_Port,
then if that fails, as an FL_Port.
E_Port when connected to another FC-SW-2 compliant switch
G_Ports self-configure in the following ways:
F_Port when connected to a public device
E_Port when connected to another FC-SW-2 compliant switch
A TL_Port supports private loop devices and must be configured explicitly. Refer
to the SANbox2-8c/16 Switch Management User's Guide for more information
about defining port modes.
2.2.3.1

Fabric Ports

An FL_Port can support a loop of up to 126 public devices. An FL_Port can also
configure itself during the fabric login process as an F_Port when connected to a
single public device (N_Port).
2.2.3.2

Translated Loop Port

A TL_Port supports a loop of up 124 private target devices with the ability to
communicate with up to 63 "off-loop" public devices. The TL_Port acts as a proxy
for the off-loop device translating private frames into and from public frames. The
set of off-loop devices are maintained in the TL_Port's translation entries list. The
switch firmware automatically creates an entry in the translation entries list for
each off-loop initiator device that attempts to establish communication. Soft or
VPF zoning can be used to limit the number of potential initiators to 63. Zone
membership must be done by worldwide name, or domain ID and port ID.
TL_Ports connect to devices that conform to the Fibre Channel-Private Loop SCSI
Direct Attach (FC-PLDA) standard. Devices connected to TL_Ports are registered
with the Name Server.
59042-03 A
2 – General Description

Fibre Channel Ports

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