Chapter 1. Introduction - IBM SAN768B Installation, Service And User Manual

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Chapter 1. Introduction

This chapter introduces the features and components of the IBM System Storage

SAN768B fabric backbone. Throughout the remainder of this document, the product

will be referred to as the SAN768B. This chapter contains the following information:

v "Overview of the SAN768B"

v "Hardware components" on page 2

v "High availability" on page 6

v "Reliability" on page 6

v "Serviceability" on page 6

v "Software features" on page 7

Overview of the SAN768B

The SAN768B represents the next generation of advanced Fibre Channel directors

used to intelligently interconnect storage devices, hosts, and servers in a Storage

Area Network (SAN). It satisfies the most demanding Reliability, Availability, and

Serviceability (RAS), performance, and scalability requirements, while delivering

investment protection, interoperability, and fabric-based intelligence advantages

found only in the IBM SAN product family.

Key features of the SAN768B include:

v Up to 384 ports in a single chassis, providing high port density for a scalable

v Support for high-performance port blades running at 1-, 2-, 4-, 8-, or 10-Gbps,

v Supports 1-, 2-, 4-, and 8-Gbps auto-sensing Fibre Channel ports. Trunking

v Dual-redundant control processor blades (CP8) and core switch blades (CR8)

v Redundant and hot-swappable CP8 and CR8 blades, power supplies, blower

v Inter-chassis linking (ICL) through CR8 blades.

v Universal ports self-configure as E_ports, F_ports, FL_ports, Ex_ports, and

solution to drive high-port-count SAN configurations.

enabling flexible system configuration.

technology groups up to eight ports to create high performance 64-Gbps ISL

trunks between switches. (10 Gbps ports (FC10-6) are 10 Gbps only.)

provide high availability and enable nondisruptive software upgrades.

assemblies, and WWN cards enable a high availability platform for mission

critical SAN applications.

M_ports (mirror ports).

– 10 Gbps ports (FC10-6) are E-Ports only.

– Ex_ports are supported only on the FR4-18i application blade.

– FL_ports are not supported on the FC8-48 port blade.

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