7 M-Series Switches And Fabric Rules; M-Series Switches - HP StorageWorks 4000/6000/8000 - Enterprise Virtual Arrays Reference Manual

7 M-series switches and fabric rules

This chapter describes the M-series switches and the fabric rules for building M-series fabrics. It
describes the following topics:
M-series switches, page 157
Fibre Channel fabric
NOTE:
See "SAN fabric connectivity and switch interoperability
using switches from the different series in the same SAN or the same fabric.

M-series switches

M-series switches:
Can be core or edge switches. When configured in a core-edge fabric topology, a core switch
typically connects to other switches in the SAN; an edge switch typically connects to servers and
storage.
Have 10, 12, 24, 32, 64, or 140 ports.
Include entry-level and high-availability switches.
Use the same level of internal firmware for the same switch models.
Support plug-and-play compatibility.
Support iSCSI (see
Contact an HP storage representative for information about switch model support with iSCSI and
FCIP.
The M-series switches offer:
High availability
Scalability
Cost efficiency
rules, page 161
"iSCSI storage" on page 355) and FCIP (see
rules" on page 167 for information about
"SAN extension" on page 279).
SAN Design Reference Guide 157