Supported Configurations; Cable Requirements - HP 316095-B21 - StorageWorks Edge Switch 2/24 Release Note

Firmware 09.02.00
Firmware 09.02.00 is the latest firmware released for the HP M-Series Edge Switches and Directors.
Firmware 09.02.00 is common for all M-Series fabric products, except the McDATA 4Gb SAN Switch for
HP p-Class BladeSystem, which has separate firmware.
The firmware is available on the HP website
index.html. Select Retired Products and navigate to your switch model, and then to Download drivers
and software.
For more information on upgrading firmware versions, see the appropriate Director or Edge Switch
service manual.
Supported configurations
Operating multiple switches in a fabric topology is subject to topology limits.
NOTE:
For more information about planning the fabric, see the SAN high availability planning guide.
Consider the impact of the following limits when planning the fabric:
• Fabric elements—Each fabric element is defined by a unique domain ID that ranges between
1 and 31; therefore, the theoretical limit of interconnected Directors in a single fabric is 31.
The supported limit of interconnected switches in a single fabric is 24. The supported limit of
interconnected switches in a single fabric can be increased to 31, provided that any Edge Switch
2/16, Edge Switch 2/32, or Director 2/64 in the fabric be deployed at the edge of the fabric.
Because this is subject to change, contact your HP-authorized service representative for the current
number of interconnected switches supported in a single fabric.
• Inhomogeneous fabric—To determine if interoperability is supported for a product, or if restrictions
apply, see the product publications or contact your HP-authorized service representative.
• Number of interswitch links (ISLs)—The maximum supported number of ISLs is 75% of installed
ports for the Director 2/64, and 100% of installed ports for the Director 2/140. The maximum
supported number of ISLs for Edge Switches is all available switch ports. For redundancy, at least
two ISLs should connect any two Edge Switch or Director-class fabric elements. Because this
number is subject to change, contact your HP-authorized service representative for the current
number of ISLs supported for each Director or Edge Switch.
• Hop count—The Fibre Channel theoretical limit of ISL connections traversed (hop count) in a
single path through a fabric is seven. The maximum supported hop count in a single path through
a fabric is three. Because this number is subject to change, contact your HP-authorized service
representative for the current hop count supported by a single fabric path.
The hop count is equal to the number of ISL connections traversed in a single path, not the total
number of ISL connections between devices.

Cable requirements

Consider the following switch cable requirements.
NOTE:
Optical cables for Director and Edge Switch products must be ordered separately.
• For cables measuring up to 500 meters (1 Gb/s) or 300 meters (2 Gb/s), use multimode Fibre
Channel cables. For longer cables, use single-mode Fibre Channel cables.
• Multimode optical cables are connected to short-wave optical transceiver modules in a switch.
Single-mode optical cables are connected to long-wave optical transceiver modules in a switch.
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