Host Interface - Fujitsu Eternus DX60 User Manual

Chapter 1 Overview
> 1.2 Configuration
1.2.6

Host Interface

The ETERNUS DX60/DX80 supports three models of host interfaces: the Fibre Channel model
interface, the iSCSI model interface, and the SAS model interface.
• Fibre Channel interface
Fibre Channel supports two connection topologies, Arbitrated Loop and Fabric.
Maximum transfer speed is 4Gbps for the ETERNUS DX60, and 8Gbps or 4Gbps for the
ETERNUS DX80.
Fibre Channel is commonly used for database servers. A fabric connection via an FC switch
will allow a large number of high-performance hosts to connect to a single port if required.
• iSCSI interface
iSCSI is a communication protocol which transfers SCSI commands within IP packets over
Ethernet, and has a maximum transfer speed of 1Gbps.
Since iSCSI can be installed at lower cost than Fibre Channel, it is commonly used by divi-
sions of large companies and by small-and-medium-sized companies.
In order to secure iSCSI performance, it is recommended that the iSCSI network be physi-
cally separated from other typical purpose networks such as those used for Internet access
and file transfer.
• SAS interface
SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) is a serial transfer host interface that is as reliable as the normal
(parallel) SCSI interface, but has a higher maximum transfer speed of 3Gbps.
SAS is used to connect servers and DAS (Direct Attached Storage) devices and, while provid-
ing less expandability than a SAN connection, is still suitable for small-sized systems.
P3AM-3042-03ENZ0 ETERNUS DX60/DX80 Disk storage system User Guide
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