Ficon/Zhpf Host Attachment; Ficon/Zhpf For Zseries Hosts; Attaching Ficon/Zhpf Chas; Ficon/Zhpf Physical Specifications - HP XP P9500 Operation Manual

2 FICON/zHPF host attachment

This chapter describes and provides general instructions for attaching the storage system to a
mainframe host using a FICON/zHPF CHA.
For details on FICON/zHPF connectivity, FICON/Open intermix configurations, and supported
HBAs, switches, and directors, contact your HP representative.

FICON/zHPF for zSeries hosts

This section describes some things you should consider before you configure your system with
FICON/zHPF adapters for zSeries hosts.

Attaching FICON/zHPF CHAs

You can attach the storage system to a host system using FICON adapters. The storage system
can be configured with up to 176 FICON physical channel interfaces.
FICON/zHPF uses a mapping layer technique based on Fibre Channel and multiplexing
technologies to improve data-transfer rates, reduce the number of channel connections, and support
greater distances between storage systems and mainframe hosts. FICON and FICON/zHPF have
identical hardware specifications, but FICON/zHPF offers improved performance.
By supporting full-duplex data transfers and allowing greater throughput rates over longer distances
than ESCON, FICON/zHPF delivers faster data access, higher transaction rates, higher data
movement speeds between mainframe servers and storage devices. Infrastructure management is
simplified, and allows geographically dispersed data centers for optimal business continuity. This
simplifies data center operations and reduces hardware and storage management costs.
In summary, FICON/zHPF provides the following key features:
Full-duplex bi-directional data transfers
Multiple I/O processes
Allows small and large data transfers to be transmitted at the same time
High-bandwidth transfer (up to 8 Gbps)
Greater throughput rates over longer distances than ESCON
Lowered interlock between the disk controller and channel
Executing pipeline CCW
Use of FCP as the fibre-channel link transport for zHPF

FICON/zHPF physical specifications

The following table compares the physical specifications between ESCON and FICON/zHPF.
Table 4 FICON/zHPF physical specifications
Physical Interface
Logical Interface
Bandwidth and Direction
Item FICON/zHPF
ANSI FC-PH/PC-PI-2 etc. For details, see ANSI standard
Fibre Channel Single-Byte Command Code Sets Mapping
Protocol – 4.
ANSI FC-SB-2/FC-SB-3/FC-SB-4
1 Gbps / 2 Gbps / 4 Gbps / 8 Gbps
Bidirectional
FICON/zHPF for zSeries hosts 9