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Using Your Fibre
Channel Adapter
Fibre Channel Topologies
Fibre Channel-Arbitrated Loop
The Fibre Channel-Arbitrated Loop (FC-AL) topology allows
you to attach up to 127 nodes without hubs and switches. FC-AL
is a time-shared, full-bandwidth, distributed topology where
each port includes the minimum necessary connection function.
Workstations or servers can be connected to a single disk or a
disk loop with either optical fibre or copper media depending on
the distance requirement. The following figure shows an exam-
ple of this configuration.
Host Worksta-
Single FC-AL
tion
or
Fibre Channel
Cable
Note:
Disk drives connected in this configuration
must have an FC-AL interface.
Point-to-Point
The Point-to-Point topology uses Fibre Channel, without the
loop overhead, to increase performance and simplify cabling
between a RAID storage box and a host or multiple hosts. The
following figure shows an example of this configuration.
Host Worksta-
tion
SCSI
RAID
Control-
Fibre Channel
Cable
4
Troubleshooting Checklist
If you have problems using your host adapter, check these
items first.
Are all devices powered?
n
Are all cables properly connected?
n
Is the host adapter firmly seated and secured in the PCI bus
n
slot?
Does your system CMOS setup require you to enable PCI
n
bus parameters? If so, refer to your computer's documenta-
tion for instructions. Check that IRQ channel assignment,
board, and BIOS settings have been made.
Some configuration options apply to a specific PCI bus
n
slot, so if you change these options be sure you are apply-
ing them to the slot in which the host adapter is installed.
Check your computer documentation to verify which slot
corresponds to which number.
–
If there is an interrupt type or interrupt line option in
the setup program, be sure to select Int-A or Interrupt
Type = A. Depending on your system design, you may
FC-AL
also be required to change a motherboard jumper set-
ting.
–
If there is a triggering interrupt option, be sure to select
Level.
–
If there is an option to enable or disable bus mastering
for the PCI slots, be sure to select Enabled.
–
If there is an option to enable or disable individual PCI
slots, be sure the slot in which you install the host
adapter is Enabled.
–
If your computer has a combination of ISA (or EISA)
boards and PCI boards, you may need to mark the
IRQs used by ISA/EISA boards as used so the system
BIOS will not try to assign these IRQs to other PCI
boards.
–
In some systems the BIOS reserves a set of available
IRQs for PCI boards, and you have to assign these
IRQs manually.
r
SCSI Drives
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