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Some terms used in the Fibre Channel industry are defined below. More information is available through
the Fibre Channel Industry Association (
Association
(www.snia.org)
Term
Definition
fabric
A Fibre Channel switch or two or more Fibre Channel switches
interconnected to physically transmit data between any two
N_Ports on a switch or switches.
failover
The substitution of a working system for one which has failed.
FC-AL
Fibre Channel Arbitrated Loop: A Fibre Channel network in which
up to 126 systems and devices are connected in a loop topology,
with each transmitter connecting to the receiver of the device to
its logical right. The Fibre Channel Arbitrated Loop protocol used
for transmission is different from Fibre Channel switched and
point to point protocols. Multiple FC-AL loops can be connected
via a fabric switch to extend the network.
firmware
Software stored in read-only memory (ROM) or programmable
ROM (PROM). Firmware is often responsible for the behavior of a
system when it is first switched on.
F_port
A port in the Fibre Channel fabric where a N_port may attach
FL-port
A port in the Fibre Channel fabric where a NL_port may attach in
an arbitrated loop
hot swapping
Components are removed and replaced while the unit is running,
with power to either the component or a device connected to the
unit. Not all components are hot swappable: please read
installation and maintenance instructions carefully.
initiator device
A component which originates a command
JBOD
Just a Bunch Of Disks: a storage subsystem using multiple
independent disk drives with or without RAID configuration.
LED
Light-emitting diode, a type of diode that emits light when current
passes through it. Visible LEDs are used as indicator lights on all
sorts of electronic devices.
LUN
Logical Unit Number: a SCSI or Fibre Channel identifier of a
device
NL port
A port attached to a node in Fibre Channel arbitrated loop or
fabric loop configurations
N_port
A port attached to a node used with point to point or fabric
configurations
RAID
Originally Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks, now Redundant
Array of Independent Drives: a storage system spanning multiple
disk drives.
vii
ATTO Technology Inc. FibreBridge Installation and Operation Manual
Appendix B
www.fibrechannel.org
and the Fibre Channel Consortium (
Glossary
), the Storage Area Networking Industry
www.iol.unh.edu
).
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