user's guide version 3.0 isl trunking

Transcription

1 user's guide version 3.0 isl trunking

2 Notice Hewlett-Packard Company, All rights reserved. Edition: E1201 Safety notices Any servicing, adjustment, maintenance, or repair must be performed only by authorized service-trained personnel. Hewlett-Packard Company makes no warranty of any kind with regard to this material, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. Hewlett-Packard shall not be liable for errors contained herein or for incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing, performance, or use of this material. This document contains proprietary information, which is protected by copyright. No part of this document may be photocopied, reproduced, or translated into another language without the prior written consent of Hewlett-Packard. The information contained in this document is subject to change without notice. Use, duplication, or disclosure by government is subject to restrictions as set forth in subdivision (c) (1) (ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software Clause at DFARS Warranty If you have any questions about the warranty for this product, contact your dealer or local Hewlett-Packard sales representative. Trademarks BROCADE, the Brocade B weave logo, Brocade: the Intelligent Platform for Networking Storage, SilkWorm, and SilkWorm Express, are trademarks or registered trademarks of Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or in other countries. All other brands, product or service names are or may be trademarks or service marks of, and are used to identify products of services of their respective owners.

3 Contents Preface About This Guide Related Publications Getting Help Getting Software Updates v v vii vii Chapter 1 Introducing ISL Trunking Overview Advantages of ISL Trunking Trunking Groups, Ports and Masters Chapter 2 Installing ISL Trunking Overview Installing ISL Trunking through Telnet Installing ISL Trunking through Web Tools Chapter 3 Using ISL Trunking Overview Administering ISL Trunking Frequently Asked Questions about ISL Trunking Glossary Index iii

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5 Preface ISL Trunking is a licensed option that requires a valid license key to function. It is included and enabled in switches with the performance upgrade option. It is supported for the HP Surestore FC 1Gb/2Gb Entry Switch 8B, FC 1Gb/2Gb Switch 8B, and FC 1Gb/2Gb Switch 16B products using Fabric OS version 3.0.1b or later. About This Guide This guide provides the following information about ISL Trunking: Chapter 1 Introducing ISL Trunking Chapter 2 Installing ISL Trunking Chapter 3 Using ISL Trunking Overview of the ISL Trunking feature. Instructions for installing an ISL Trunking license key. Information on how to use the ISL Trunking feature with telnet commands or Web Tools. This chapter also includes a Frequently Asked Questions section. Related Publications Related product information can be found in the following publications. Provided with the FC Entry Switch 8B and FC Switch 8B: HP Surestore FC 1Gb/2Gb Entry Switch 8B and FC 1Gb/2Gb Switch 8B Getting Started Guide (A ) HP Surestore FC 1Gb/2Gb Entry Switch 8B and FC 1Gb/2Gb Switch 8B Documentation CD (A ) v

6 Provided on the FC Entry Switch 8B and FC Switch 8B Documentation CD, and at the HP Web site at HP Surestore FC 1Gb/2Gb Entry Switch 8B and FC 1Gb/2Gb Switch 8B Getting Started Guide (A ) HP Surestore FC 1Gb/2Gb Entry Switch 8B and FC 1Gb/2Gb Switch 8B Installation and Reference Guide Fabric OS Reference Manual, version 3.0 Fabric OS Procedures Guide, version 3.0 Fabric OS Version 3.0.1b Release Notes Fabric Watch User s Guide, version 3.0 QuickLoop User s Guide, version 3.0 Web Tools User s Guide, version 3.0 Distributed Fabrics User s Guide, version 3.0 Zoning User s Guide, version 3.0 MIB Reference Manual, version 3.0, version 3.0 Advanced Performance Monitoring User s Guide, version 3.0 Merging Heterogeneous Fabrics Instructions Provided with the FC 16B: HP Surestore FC 1Gb/2Gb Switch 16B Quick Start Guide (A ) HP Surestore FC 1Gb/2Gb Switch 16B Documentation CD (A ) Provided on the FC 1Gb/2Gb Switch 16B Documentation CD and at the HP Web site at HP Surestore FC 1Gb/2Gb Switch 16B Quick Start Guide (A ) HP Surestore FC 1Gb/2Gb Switch 16B Installation and Reference Guide Fabric OS Reference Manual, version 3.0 Fabric OS Procedures Guide, version 3.0 Fabric OS Version Release Notes Fabric Watch User s Guide, version 3.0 QuickLoop User s Guide, version 3.0 Web Tools User s Guide, version 3.0 Distributed Fabrics User s Guide, version 3.0 Zoning User s Guide, version 3.0 MIB Reference Manual, version 3.0, version 3.0 Advanced Performance Monitoring User s Guide, version 3.0 Merging Heterogeneous Fabrics Instructions Information about Fibre Channel standards and Fibre Channel in general can be found on the Fibre Channel Industry Association Web site, located at vi

7 Getting Help For information for the FC Entry Switch 8B and FC Switch 8B, visit the HP Web site at For the most current technical support information for the FC 16B, visit the HP Web site at This includes hardware and software support, all repairs, and spare components. Be prepared to provide the following information to the support personnel: Switch serial number Switch world wide name Output from the supportshow telnet command Detailed description of the problem Topology configuration Troubleshooting steps already performed Getting Software Updates For information on obtaining software updates contact your HP account representative or technical support. vii

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9 Introducing ISL Trunking Chapter 1 This chapter provides the following information: Overview on page 1-1 Advantages of ISL Trunking on page 1-1 Trunking Groups, Ports and Masters on page 1-3 Overview Interswitch Link (ISL) Trunking is an optionally licensed product available on the FC Entry Switch 8B, FC Switch 8B, and FC 16B switches with Fabric OS version 3.0.1b or later. ISL Trunking is managed using telnet commands or the Web Tools interface. The ISL Trunking feature allows up to four ISLs, connections between two switches through an Expansion Port (E_Port), to merge logically into a single link. When using ISL Trunking to aggregate bandwidth of up to four ports, the throughput of the ISLs between switches in a fabric is quadrupled. For example, at 2 Gb/Sec speeds, ISL Trunking delivers ISL throughput of up to 8 Gb/Sec. ISL Trunking also supports high-bandwidth, large-scale Storage Area Networks (SANs) which include core switches. The primary task of ISL Trunking is to route data and edge switches that aggregate connections to servers and storage. ISL Trunking simplifies network design and reduces the cost of storage management by optimizing bandwidth utilization and enabling load sharing of traffic at the frame-level. For a list of frequently asked questions about the ISL Trunking Feature, refer to Frequently Asked Questions about ISL Trunking on page 3-4. Advantages of ISL Trunking The ISL Trunking feature enhances switch to switch performance in Storage Area Networks while simplifying management and improving reliability. Advantages of the ISL Trunking feature include: Combining up to four ISLs into a single logical ISL Load sharing traffic across all ISLs in a trunk Maintaining in-order delivery of frames Avoiding rerouting if one of the server links between two switches fails Simplifying management by implementing fewer ISLs 1-1

10 1 Introducing ISL Trunking Routing without the ISL Trunking Feature Prior to the implementation of the ISL Trunking feature, device-level load sharing was done through Fibre Channel networks that created ISLs and operated with the Fibre Channel Shortest Path First (FSPF) routing protocol. The protocol established and communicated the shortest paths for data to be carried from source to destination. Load sharing multiple ISLs to connect two switches was established by a round robin algorithm that assigned the next available ISL as part of the link to connect a Host Bus Adapter (HBA) and storage. Depending on the fabric event sequences, multiple HBAs shared an individual ISL. This type of load sharing sometimes caused the fabric to have congested input/output traffic over the ISLs connecting two switches. Although FSPF compliant switches ensure fixed routing paths, and guarantee that all frames are delivered in order, congestion occurs if the aggregation of the stream exceeds the capacity of one of the ISLs in the path. For example, Figure 1-1 shows four untrunked ISLs with a maximum capacity of 2Gb/Sec each, for a maximum throughput of 8Gb/Sec. Due to traffic that is not trunked, the throughput of the four ISLs is: 1Gb/Sec + 1.5Gb/Sec +.5G + 1Gb/Sec + 1Gb/Sec, giving a total of only 5Gb/Sec, because two 2Gb/Sec data streams are competing for the same path. Figure 1-1 Routing without the ISL Trunking Feature Routing with the ISL Trunking Feature ISL Trunking ensures that all links are used efficiently, eliminating congestion on one link, while distributing the load of the links. This feature is designed to significantly reduce traffic congestion. As shown in Figure 1-2, four ISLs are combined into a single logical ISL with a total capacity of 8Gb/Sec. The ISL Trunking feature distributes workload across all ISLs in a trunk. Each incoming frame is sent across the first available ISL. As a result, transient workload peaks for one system or application are much less likely to impact the performance of other parts of SAN fabric. Because the full bandwidth of each physical link is available, bandwidth is efficiently allocated. 1-2

11 Introducing ISL Trunking 1 In Figure 1-2, four ISLs provide 8Gb/Sec of total throughput. With the implementation of ISL Trunking, bandwidth is shared across the trunked ISLs, permitting a total throughput of 2Gb/Sec Gb/Sec + 0.5Gb/Sec + 1 Gb/Sec + 2Gb/Sec, or 7Gb/Sec. Because the trunk aggregates the four individual paths into one and preserves in-order deliver of frames, the total throughput is increased compared to a non-trunked group of ISLs. Figure 1-2 Routing with the ISL Trunking Feature Trunking Groups, Ports and Masters ISL Trunking dynamically performs load sharing, at the frame level, across a set of available links between two adjacent switches to establish a trunking group. Ports that belong to a trunking group are called trunking ports. One port is used to assign traffic for the group, and is referred to as the trunking master. Trunking Groups A trunking group is identified by the trunking master that represents the entire group. The rest of the group members are referred to as slave links that help the trunking master direct traffic across ISLs, allowing efficient and balanced in-order communication. Trunking Ports Trunking ports in a trunking group must meet the following criteria: Port must be configured as E_ports. Ports must reside in the same contiguous four-port groups. For example: 0-3, 4-7, 8-11, Ports must be set to run at the 2G speed. The cable difference between all ports in a trunking group must be less than 400 meters, and should be kept to 30 meters or less within a trunk to ensure optimal performance and bandwidth utilization. Note: Short Wave Length (SWL) and Long Wave Length (LWL) fiber optics can be intermixed within a trunking group. 1-3

12 1 Introducing ISL Trunking Trunking Masters The trunking master implicitly defines the trunking group. All ports with the same master are considered to be part of the same group. Each trunking group includes a single trunking master and from 1 to 3 trunking slave links. The first ISL found in any trunking group is assigned to be the trunking master, also known as the principal ISL. After the trunking group is fully established, all data packets intended for transmission across the trunk are dynamically distributed at the frame level across the ISLs in the trunking group, while preserving in-order delivery. 1-4

13 Installing ISL Trunking Chapter 2 Overview Installing the ISL Trunking feature involves activating a license for each switch you want to enable for trunking. After the license is activated, ISL Trunking is automatically invoked as ISLs are added between two 2Gbit/Sec switches. A license may have been installed in the switch at the factory. If not, contact your switch supplier to obtain a license key. The ISL Trunking feature requires an HP Surestore FC Switch with Fabric OS version 3.0.1b or later. A Trunking license can be installed using either telnet or Web Tools. Installing ISL Trunking through Telnet To use telnet to log on to the ISL Trunking feature, do the following: 1. From a command prompt screen, use the telnet command to log onto the switch (see the user s guide provided with the hardware for details), using an account that has administrative privileges. 2. Determine whether a ISL Trunking license is already installed on the switch, type licenseshow on the telnet command line. A list displays of all the licenses currently installed on the switch. For example: admin> licenseshow 1A1AaAaaaAAAA1a: Web license Zoning license SES license Trunking license If the Trunking license is not included in the list, or is incorrect, continue with step [3]. 3. Enter the following on the command line: licenseadd key where key is the license key provided to you, enclosed in double quotes. The license key is case-sensitive and must be entered exactly as given. 4. Verify the license was added by entering the following on the command line: licenseshow If the ISL Trunking license is listed, the feature is installed and immediately available. If the license is not listed, repeat step [3]. 5. Disable the switch by entering the following command: 2-1

14 2 Installing ISL Trunking switchdisable 6. Enable the switch by entering the following command: switchenable Installing ISL Trunking through Web Tools To enter the ISL Trunking license key using the Web Tool user interface, do the following 1. Launch the Web browser, enter the switch name or IP address in the Location/Address field, and press Enter. Web Tools launches, displaying the Fabric View. 2. Click the Admin View button on the relevant switch panel. The logon window displays. 3. Enter a logon name and password with administrative privileges and press Enter. The Switch Admin view displays. 4. Select the License Admin tab, enter the license key in the License Key field, and click Add. The Trunking feature is available as soon as the license key is added. 5. Select Switch Settings tab, disable the switch by selecting Disable. 6. Enable the switch by selecting Enable. 2-2

15 Using ISL Trunking Chapter 3 This chapter provides the following information: Overview on page 3-1 Administering ISL Trunking on page 3-1 Frequently Asked Questions about ISL Trunking on page 3-4 Overview The ISL Trunking feature is managed by performing some administration tasks. These tasks include: enabling or disabling the trunking, enabling and disabling ports of a switch, setting the speed of a port, and debugging a trunking link failure. Administering ISL Trunking The ISL Trunking feature is administered using telnet commands, or through Web Tools (an optionally licensed product). You can also attach another cable to an additional port within a trunk group quad to establish a trunking group. 3-1

16 3 Using ISL Trunking ISL Trunking Telnet Commands The following table shows the telnet commands used to manage the ISL Trunking feature. Table 3-1 ISL Trunking Telnet Commands Telnet Command Description Example portcfgtrunkport switchcfgtrunk trunkdebug trunkshow Use this command to configure a port to be enabled or disabled for ISL Trunking. Use this command to enable or disable trunking on all ports of a switch. Use this command to debug a trunk link failure. Use this command to display ISL Trunking membership information. To enable port 5 for ISL Trunking, enter: portcfgtrunkport 5, 1 To disable port 5 for ISL Trunking, enter: portcfgtrunkport 5, 0 To enable ISL Trunking on all ports of a switch, enter: switchcfgtrunk 1 To disable ISL Trunking on all ports of a switch, enter: switchcfgtrunk 0 To debug ports 1 and 2, enter: trunkdebug 1, 2 To display ISL Trunking membership information about users, enter: trunkshow For detailed information on how to use these commands, refer to the Fabric OS Reference Guide. 3-2

17 Using ISL Trunking 3 Using Web Tools for ISL Trunking Use Web Tools to view and modify ISL Trunking options through the Trunk Information Tab and the Port Settings Tab on the Switch Administration interface. For information on how to install and use Web Tools for the ISL Trunking feature, refer to the Web Tools User s Guide. Use the Web Tools Trunk Information tab to view a summary of trunk groups and associated master and member ports. Table 3-2 describes the headings displayed from the Trunk Information tab. Table 3-2 Trunk Information Tab Description Trunk Information Tab Trunk Group Master Port Member Ports Description A numerical number is displayed. The associated master port for the group is displayed. Shows the member ports associated with the group, separated by a comma. The following table describes the headings and the tasks you can perform using the Web Tools Port Setting tab. Table 3-3 Port Setting Tab Features Port Setting Tab Features Port Number Trunking Enable:Disable Port Enable:Disable Port Speed Description Each port is assigned a number. The port numbers are displayed under this heading. This allows you to enable or disable ISL Trunking on a per port basis. Use this to enable or disable a port. Use this to set the speed of the port to 2Gb/Sec. Note: ISL Trunking ports always must operate at 2Gb/Sec, setting the speed to 1Gb/Sec prevents a port from participating in a trunk. Brocade Trunking User s Guide 3-3

18 3 Using ISL Trunking Frequently Asked Questions about ISL Trunking The following table lists Frequently Asked Questions about the ISL Trunking feature: Table 3-4 Frequently Asked Questions about ISL Trunking Frequently Asked Questions Does ISL Trunking replace Dense Wavelength Digital Multiplexing (DWDM)? What happens if an ISL in the trunk slave port fails? What happens if a trunk master fails? Are trunks automatically established when the trunking feature is enabled? Is it possible to have more than one trunk between a pair of switches? Is there a limit on the number of trunks I can have on one switch? Is there a limit on the number of trunks I can have between a pair of switches? Is it possible to trunk between a switch and an edge devices host or storage? Should port statistics be the same across all participating ISLs within a trunk? Answers No. DWDM is a ring, and if a failure occurs it reroutes the allocated wavelength over alternate routes, and therefore changes the effective cable lengths. If one of the trunk slave ports fails, the logical ISL stays up, however, its capacity is reduced by 2Gb/Sec, and no route failure or re-routing of traffic occurs. If a trunk master fails, the ISL goes down, and FSFP perceives a momentary route failure. The trunk immediately re-forms without the failed ISL, and traffic resumes over the re-formed trunk with capacity reduced by 2Gb/sec. Yes. Trunks are automatically established on available ports when the trunking feature is enabled. Yes. No. No. No. Not necessarily, it depends on the payload variations at the frame level. While optimal bandwidth utilization is the goal of the ISL Trunking feature, traffic might not be distributed exactly the same across all ISL links within a trunk. 3-4

19 Glossary 8b/10b Encoding Address Identifier Advanced Performance Monitoring AL_PA Alias Address Identifier Alias AL_PA Alias Server ANSI API Arbitrated Loop ASIC ATM AW_TOV Bandwidth BB_Credit Beginning Running Disparity An encoding scheme that converts each 8-bit byte into 10 bits. Used to balance ones and zeros in high-speed transports. A 24-bit or 8-bit value used to identify the source or destination of a frame. A software product that provides error and performance information to the administrator and end user for use in storage management. Arbitrated Loop Physical Address; a unique 8-bit value assigned during loop initialization to a port in an arbitrated loop. An address identifier recognized by a port in addition to its standard identifier. An alias address identifier may be shared by multiple ports. An AL_PA value recognized by an L_Port in addition to the AL_PA assigned to the port. See also AL_PA. A fabric software facility that supports multicast group management. American National Standards Institute; the governing body for Fibre Channel standards in the U.S.A. Application Programming Interface; defined protocol that allows applications to interface with a set of services. A shared 100 MBps Fibre Channel transport structured as a loop. Can support up to 126 devices and one fabric attachment. See also Topology. Application Specific Integrated Circuit. Asynchronous Transfer Mode; a transport used for transmitting data over LANs or WANs that transmit fixed-length units of data. Provides any-to-any connectivity, and allows nodes to transmit simultaneously. Arbitration Wait Time-out Value; the minimum time an arbitrating L_Port waits for a response before beginning loop initialization. The total transmission capacity of a cable, link, or system. Usually measured in bps (bits per second). May also refer to the range of transmission frequencies available to a network. See also Throughput. Buffer-to-buffer credit; the number of frames that can be transmitted to a directly connected recipient or within an arbitrated loop. Determined by the number of receive buffers available. See also Buffer-to-buffer Flow Control, EE_Credit. The disparity at the transmitter or receiver when the special character associated with an ordered set is encoded or decoded. See also Disparity. Glossary-1

20 BER Block Broadcast Bit Error Rate; the rate at which bits are expected to be received in error. Expressed as the ratio of error bits to total bits transmitted. See also Error. As applies to Fibre Channel, upper-level application data that is transferred in a single sequence. The transmission of data from a single source to all devices in the fabric, regardless of zoning. See also Multicast, Unicast. Buffer-to-buffer Management of the frame transmission rate in either a point-to-point topology or Flow Control in an arbitrated loop. See also BB_Credit. Cascade Chassis Circuit Class 1 Class 2 Class 3 Class F Class of Service Comma Community (SNMP) CRC Credit Cut-through Data Word Defined Zone Configuration Two or more interconnected Fibre Channel switches. For HP switches, a maximum of seven hops is recommended (no path longer than eight switches). See also Fabric, ISL. The metal frame in which the switch and switch components are mounted. An established communication path between two ports. Consists of two virtual circuits capable of transmitting in opposite directions. See also Link. Service that provides a dedicated connection between two ports (also called connection-oriented service), with notification of delivery or nondelivery. Service that provides multiplex and connectionless frame switching service between two ports, with notification of delivery or nondelivery. Service that provides a connectionless frame switching service between two ports, without notification of delivery or nondelivery of data. Can also be used to provide a multicast connection between the originator and recipients, with notification of delivery or nondelivery. Connectionless service for control traffic between switches, with notification of delivery or nondelivery of data between the E_Ports. A specified set of delivery characteristics and attributes for frame delivery. A unique pattern (either or ) used in 8B/10B encoding to specify character alignment within a data stream. See also K28.5. A relationship between a group of SNMP managers and an SNMP agent, in which authentication, access control, and proxy characteristics are defined. See also SNMP. Cyclic Redundancy Check; a check for transmission errors included in every data frame. As applies to Fibre Channel, the number of receive buffers available for transmission of frames between ports. See also BB_Credit, EE_Credit. A switching technique that allows the route for a frame to be selected as soon as the destination address is received. See also Route. Type of transmission word that occurs within frames. The frame header, data field, and CRC all consist of data words. See also Frame, Ordered set, Transmission Word. The set of all zone objects defined in the fabric. May include multiple zone configurations. See also Enabled Configuration, Zone Configuration. Glossary-2

21 Disparity Distributed Fabrics DLS Domain ID E_D_TOV E_Port EE_Credit EIA Rack Enabled Zone Configuration End-to-end Flow Control Error Exchange Extended Fabrics F_Port Fabric Fabric Assist The relationship of ones and zeros in an encoded character. Neutral disparity means an equal number of each, positive disparity means a majority of ones, and negative disparity means a majority of zeros. The combined user s guides for the software products Extended Fabrics and Remote Switch. Distributed Fabrics is not a software product. See also Extended Fabrics, Remote Switch. Dynamic Load Sharing; dynamic distribution of traffic over available paths. Allows for recomputing of routes when an Fx_Port or E_Port changes status. Unique identifier for the switch in a fabric. Usually automatically assigned by the switch, but can also be assigned manually. Can be any value between 1 and 239. Error Detect Time-out Value; the minimum amount of time a target waits for a sequence to complete before initiating recovery. Can also be defined as the maximum time allowed for a round-trip transmission before an error condition is declared. See also R_A_TOV, RR_TOV. Expansion Port; a type of switch port that can be connected to an E_Port on another switch to create an ISL. See also ISL. End-to-end Credit; the number of receive buffers allocated by a recipient port to an originating port. Used by Class 1 and 2 services to manage the exchange of frames across the fabric between source and destination. See also End-to-end Flow Control, BB_Credit. A storage rack that meets the standards set by the Electronics Industry Association. The currently enabled configuration of zones. Only one configuration can be enabled at a time. See also Defined Configuration, Zone Configuration. Governs flow of class 1 and 2 frames between N_Ports. See also EE_Credit. As applies to Fibre Channel, a missing or corrupted frame, time-out, loss of synchronization, or loss of signal (link errors). See also Loop Failure. The highest level Fibre Channel mechanism used for communication between N_Ports. Composed of one or more related sequences, and can work in either one or both directions. Software product that runs on Fabric OS and allows creation of a Fibre Channel fabric interconnected over distances of up to 100 kilometers. See also Distributed Fabrics. Fabric Port; a port that is able to transmit under fabric protocol and interface over links. Can be used to connect an N_Port to a switch. See also FL_Port, Fx_Port. A Fibre Channel network containing two or more switches in addition to hosts and devices. May also be referred to as a switched fabric. See also Topology, SAN, Cascade. A feature that enables private and public hosts to access public targets anywhere on the fabric, provided they are in the same Fabric Assist zone. This feature is available only when both QuickLoop and Zoning are installed on the switch. Glossary-3

22 Fabric Manager Fabric Name Fabric OS Fabric Watch FC-AL-3 FC-FLA FCP FC-PH-1, 2, 3 FC-PI FC-PLDA FC-SW-2 Fibre Channel Transport Fill Word Firmware FL_Port FLOGI Frame FRU FS FSP A software product that works in conjunction with Web Tools to provide a graphical user interface for managing switch groups as a single unit, instead of as separate switches. Fabric Manager is installed on and run from a computer workstation. The unique identifier assigned to a fabric and communicated during login and port discovery. Operating system on HP Brocade switches. A software product that runs on Fabric OS and allows monitoring and configuration of fabric and switch elements. The Fibre Channel Arbitrated Loop standard defined by ANSI. Defined on top of the FC-PH standards. The Fibre Channel Fabric Loop Attach standard defined by ANSI. Fibre Channel Protocol; mapping of protocols onto the Fibre Channel standard protocols. For example, SCSI FCP maps SCSI-3 onto Fibre Channel. The Fibre Channel Physical and Signalling Interface standards defined by ANSI. The Fibre Channel Physical Interface standard defined by ANSI. The Fibre Channel Private Loop Direct Attach standard defined by ANSI. Applies to the operation of peripheral devices on a private loop. The second generation of the Fibre Channel Switch Fabric standard defined by ANSI. Specifies tools and algorithms for the interconnection and initialization of Fibre Channel switches in order to create a multi-switch Fibre Channel fabric. A protocol service that supports communication between Fibre Channel service providers. See also FSP. An IDLE or ARB ordered set that is transmitted during breaks between data frames to keep the Fibre Channel link active. The basic operating system provided with the hardware. Fabric Loop Port; a port that is able to transmit under fabric protocol and also has arbitrated loop capabilities. Can be used to connect an NL_Port to a switch. See also F_Port, Fx_Port. Fabric Login; the process by which an N_Port determines whether a fabric is present, and if so, exchanges service parameters with it. See also PLOGI. The Fibre Channel structure used to transmit data between ports. Consists of a start-of-frame delimiter, header, any optional headers, the data payload, a cyclic redundancy check (CRC), and an end-of-frame delimiter. There are two types of frames: Link control frames (transmission acknowledgements, etc.) and data frames. Field-replaceable Unit; a component that can be replaced on site. Fibre Channel Service; a service that is defined by Fibre Channel standards and exists at a well-known address. For example, the Simple Name Server is a Fibre Channel service. See also FSP. Fibre Channel Service Protocol; the common protocol for all fabric services, transparent to the fabric type or topology. See also FS. Glossary-4

23 FSPF Full-duplex Fx_Port G_Port GBIC Gbps GBps Half-duplex Hard Address HBA Hub Idle Initiator Integrated Fabric IOD ISL ISL Trunking Isolated E_Port IU Fabric Shortest Path First. Routing protocol for Fibre Channel switches. A mode of communication that allows the same port to simultaneously transmit and receive frames. See also Half-duplex. A fabric port that can operate as either an F_Port or FL_Port. See also F_Port, FL_Port. Generic Port; a port that can operate as either an E_Port or F_Port. A port is defined as a G_Port when it is not yet connected or has not yet assumed a specific function in the fabric. Gigabit Interface Converter; a removable serial transceiver module that allows gigabaud physical-level transport for Fibre Channel and gigabit ethernet. See also SFP. Gigabits per second (1,062,500,000 bits/second). GigaBytes per second (1,062,500,000 bytes/second). A mode of communication that allows a port to either transmit or receive frames at any time, but not simultaneously (with the exception of link control frames, which can be transmitted at any time). See also Full-duplex. The AL_PA that an NL_Port attempts to acquire during loop initialization. Host Bus Adapter; the interface card between a server or workstation bus and the Fibre Channel network. A Fibre Channel wiring concentrator that collapses a loop topology into a physical star topology. Nodes are automatically added to the loop when active and removed when inactive. Continuous transmission of an ordered set over a Fibre Channel link when no data is being transmitted, to keep the link active and maintain bit, byte, and word synchronization. A server or workstation on a Fibre Channel network that initiates communications with storage devices. See also Target. The fabric created by the HP FC 6164, consisting of six Silkworm 2250 switches cabled together and configured to handle traffic as a seamless group. In-order Delivery; a parameter that, when set, guarantees that frames are either delivered in order or dropped. Interswitch Link; a Fibre Channel link from the E_Port of one switch to the E_Port of another. See also E_Port, Cascade. An HP Brocade switch feature that enables distribution of traffic over the combined bandwidth of up to four ISLs (between adjacent switches), while preserving in-order delivery. A set of trunked ISLs is called a trunking group; each port employed in a trunking group is called a trunking port. See also Master Port. An E_Port that is online but not operational due to overlapping domain IDs or nonidentical parameters (such as E_D_TOVs). See also E_Port. Information Unit; a set of information as defined by either upper-level process protocol definition or upper-level protocol mapping. Glossary-5

24 JBOD Just a Bunch Of Disks; indicates a number of disks connected in a single chassis to one or more controllers. See also RAID. K28.5 A special 10-bit character used to indicate the beginning of a transmission word that performs Fibre Channel control and signaling functions. The first seven bits of the character are the comma pattern. See also Comma. L_Port Latency Link Link Services Loop Port; a node port (NL_Port) or fabric port (FL_Port) that has arbitrated loop capabilities. An L_Port can be in one of two modes: Fabric mode Connected to a port that is not loop capable, and using fabric protocol. Loop mode In an arbitrated loop and using loop protocol. An L_Port in loop mode can also be in participating mode or non-participating mode. See also Non-participating Mode, Participating Mode. The period of time required to transmit a frame, from the time it is sent until it arrives. As applies to Fibre Channel, a physical connection between two ports, consisting of both transmit and receive fibres. See also Circuit. A protocol for link-related actions. LIP LM_TOV Loop Failure Loop Initialization Loop_ID Looplet LPSM LWL Master Port MIB Multicast Loop Initialization Primitive; the signal used to begin initialization in a loop. Indicates either loop failure or resetting of a node. Loop Master Time-out Value; the minimum time that the loop master waits for a loop initialization sequence to return. Loss of signal within a loop for any period of time, or loss of synchronization for longer than the time-out value. The logical procedure used by an L_Port to discover its environment. Can be used to assign AL_PA addresses, detect loop failure, or reset a node. A hex value representing one of the 127 possible AL_PA values in an arbitrated loop. A set of devices connected in a loop to a port that is a member of another loop. Loop Port State Machine; the logical entity that performs arbitrated loop protocols and defines the behavior of L_Ports when they require access to an arbitrated loop. Long Wavelength; a type of fiber optic cabling that is based on 1300mm lasers and supports link speeds of Gbps. May also refer to the type of GBIC or SFP. See also SWL. As relates to trunking, the port that determines the routing paths for all traffic flowing through the trunking group. One of the ports in the first ISL in the trunking group is designated as the master port for that group. See also ISL Trunking. Management Information Base; an SNMP structure to help with device management, providing configuration and device information. The MIB types provided with HP Brocade switches are described in the MIB Reference Manual. The transmission of data from a single source to multiple specified N_Ports (as opposed to all the ports on the network). See also Broadcast, Unicast. Glossary-6

25 Multimode N_Port Name Server NL_Port Node Node Name A fiber optic cabling specification that allows up to 500 meters between devices. Node Port; a port on a node that can connect to a Fibre Channel port or to another N_Port in a point-to-point connection. See also NL_Port, Nx_Port. Frequently used to indicate Simple Name Server. See also SNS. Node Loop Port; a node port that has arbitrated loop capabilities. Used to connect an equipment port to the fabric in a loop configuration through an FL_Port. See also N_Port, Nx_Port. A Fibre Channel device that contains an N_Port or NL_Port. The unique identifier for a node, communicated during login and port discovery. Non-participati ng Mode Nx_Port A mode in which an L_Port in a loop is inactive and cannot arbitrate or send frames, but can retransmit any received transmissions. This mode is entered if there are more than 127 devices in a loop and an AL_PA cannot be acquired. See also L_Port, Participating Mode. A node port that can operate as either an N_Port or NL_Port. Ordered Set A transmission word that uses 8B/10B mapping and begins with the K28.5 character. Ordered sets occur outside of frames, and include the following items: Frame delimiters Mark frame boundaries and describe frame contents. Primitive signals Indicate events. Primitive sequences Indicate or initiate port states. Packet Participating Mode Ordered sets are used to differentiate Fibre Channel control information from data frames and to manage the transport of frames. A set of information transmitted across a network. See also Frame. A mode in which an L_Port in a loop has a valid AL_PA and can arbitrate, send frames, and retransmit received transmissions. See also L_Port, Non-participating Mode. Path Selection The selection of a transmission path through the fabric. Phantom Address Phantom Device PLOGI Point-to-point Port_Name POST Private NL_Port An AL_PA value that is assigned to an device that is not physically in the loop. Also known as phantom AL_PA. A device that is not physically in an arbitrated loop but is logically included through the use of a phantom address. Port Login; the port-to-port login process by which initiators establish sessions with targets. See also FLOGI. A Fibre Channel topology that employs direct links between each pair of communicating entities. See also Topology. The unique identifier assigned to a Fibre Channel port. Communicated during login and port discovery. Power On Self-Test; a series of tests run by a switch after it is turned on. An NL_Port that communicates only with other private NL_Ports in the same loop and does not log into the fabric. Glossary-7

26 Private Device A device that supports arbitrated loop protocol and can interpret 8-bit addresses, but cannot log into the fabric. Private Loop An arbitrated loop that does not include a participating FL_Port. Protocol Public NL_Port A defined method and a set of standards for communication. An NL_Port that logs into the fabric, can function within either a public or a private loop, and can communicate with either private or public NL_Ports. Public Device Public Loop QuickLoop R_A_TOV RAID A device that supports arbitrated loop protocol, can interpret 8-bit addresses, and can log into the fabric. An arbitrated loop that includes a participating FL_Port, and may contain both public and private NL_Ports. A software product that makes it possible to allow private devices within loops to communicate with public and private devices across the fabric through the creation of a larger loop. May also refer to the arbitrated loop created using this software. A QuickLoop can contain a number of devices or looplets; all devices in the same QuickLoop share a single AL_PA space. Resource Allocation Time-out Value; the maximum time a frame can be delayed in the fabric and still be delivered. See also E_D_TOV, RR_TOV. Redundant Array of Independent Disks; a collection of disk drives that appear as a single volume to the server and are fault tolerant through mirroring or parity checking. See also JBOD. Remote Switch A software product that runs on Fabric OS and enables two switches to be connected over an ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) connection. This requires a compatible Fibre Channel to ATM gateway, and can have a distance of up to 10 kilometers between each switch and the respective ATM gateway. See also Distributed Fabrics. Request Rate The rate at which requests arrive at a servicing entity. See also Service Rate. Route Routing RR_TOV RSCN SAN Sequence Service Rate SFP As applies to a fabric, the communication path between two switches. May also apply to the specific path taken by an individual frame, from source to destination. See also FSPF. The assignment of frames to specific switch ports, according to frame destination. Resource Recovery Time-out Value; the minimum time a target device in a loop waits after a LIP before logging out a SCSI initiator. See also E_D_TOV, R_A_TOV. Registered State Change Notification; a switch function that allows notification of fabric changes to be sent from the switch to specified nodes. Storage Area Network; a network of systems and storage devices that communicate using Fibre Channel protocols. See also Fabric. A group of related frames transmitted in the same direction between two N_Ports. The rate at which an entity can service requests. See also Request Rate. Small Form Factor Pluggable; optical transceiver used to convert signals between optical fiber cables and switches. Glossary-8

27 SI Single Mode SNMP SNS Switch Switch Name Switch Port SWL Target Tenancy Throughput Topology Translative Mode Transmission Character Transmission Word Trap (SNMP) Trunking Tunneling Sequence Initiative. The fiber optic cabling standard that corresponds to distances of up to 10 km between devices. Simple Network Management Protocol. An internet management protocol that uses either IP for network-level functions and UDP for transport-level functions, or TCP/IP for both. Can be made available over other protocols, such as UDP/IP, because it does not rely on the underlying communication protocols. See also Community (SNMP). Simple Name Server; a switch service that stores names, addresses, and attributes for up to 15 minutes, and provides them as required to other devices in the fabric. SNS is defined by Fibre Channel standards and exists at a well-known address. May also be referred to as directory service. See also FS. Hardware that routes frames according to Fibre Channel protocol and is controlled by software. The arbitrary name assigned to a switch. A port on a switch. Switch ports can be E_Ports, F_Ports, or FL_Ports. Short Wavelength; a type of fiber optic cabling that is based on 850mm lasers and supports Gbps link speeds. May also refer to the type of GBIC or SFP. See also LWL. A storage device on a Fibre Channel network. See also Initiator. The time from when a port wins arbitration in a loop until the same port returns to the monitoring state. Also referred to as loop tenancy. The rate of data flow achieved within a cable, link, or system. Usually measured in bps (bits per second). See also Bandwidth. As applies to Fibre Channel, the configuration of the Fibre Channel network and the resulting communication paths allowed. There are three possible topologies: Point to point - A direct link between two communication ports. Switched fabric - Multiple N_Ports linked to a switch by F_Ports. Arbitrated loop - Multiple NL_Ports connected in a loop. A mode in which private devices can communicate with public devices across the fabric. A 10-bit character encoded according to the rules of the 8B/10B algorithm. A group of four transmission characters. The message sent by an SNMP agent to inform the SNMP management station of a critical error. See also SNMP. See ISL Trunking. A technique for enabling two networks to communicate when the source and destination hosts are both on the same type of network, but are connected by a different type of network. Glossary-9

28 U_Port UDP ULP ULP_TOV Unicast Web Tools Well-known Address Workstation WWN Zone Zone Configuration Zoning Universal Port; a switch port that can operate as a G_Port, E_Port, F_Port, or FL_Port. A port is defined as a U_Port when it is not connected or has not yet assumed a specific function in the fabric. User Datagram Protocol; a protocol that runs on top of IP and provides port multiplexing for upper-level protocols. Upper-level Protocol; the protocol that runs on top of Fibre Channel. Typical upper-level protocols are SCSI, IP, HIPPI, and IPI. Upper-level Time-out Value; the minimum time that a SCSI ULP process waits for SCSI status before initiating ULP recovery. The transmission of data from a single source to a single destination. See also Broadcast, Multicast. A software product that runs on Fabric OS and provides a graphical interface to allow monitoring and management of individual switches or entire fabrics from a standard workstation. As pertaining to Fibre Channel, a logical address defined by the Fibre Channel standards as assigned to a specific function, and stored on the switch. A computer used to access and manage the fabric. May also be referred to as a management station or host. Worldwide Name; an identifier that is unique worldwide. Each entity in a fabric has a separate WWN. A set of devices and hosts attached to the same fabric and configured as being in the same zone. See also Zoning. Devices and hosts within the same zone have access permission to others in the zone, but are not visible to any outside the zone. A specified set of zones. Enabling a configuration enables all zones in that configuration. See also Defined Configuration, Enabled Configuration. A software product that runs on Fabric OS and allows partitioning of the fabric into logical groupings of devices. Devices in a zone can only access and be accessed by devices in the same zone. See also Zone. Glossary-10

29 Index A administering trunking switch administration 3-1 advantages of trunking 1-1 B Brocade Web Tools tabs 3-3 F Fibre Channel Association vi Fibre Channel Shortest Path First (FSPF) 1-2 four-port groups 1-3 G group members 1-3 trunking 1-3 I installation license key 2-1 telnet 2-1 Web Tools 2-2 Interswitch Link (ISL) 1-1 K key, license 2-1 L load balancing 1-2 M manage trunking 3-3 master 1-4 members, group 1-3 O overview trunking 1-1 P port speed 1-3 trunking 1-3 R routing with trunking 1-2 without trunking 1-2 S support, technical vii supportshow telnet command vii switch administration 3-3 switchcfgtrunk 3-2 Index-1

30 T technical support vii telnet commands administering 3-2 installation 2-1 portcfgtrunkport 3-2 supportshow command vii trunkdebug 3-2 trunkshow 3-2 trunking administration 3-3 advantages 1-1 groups 1-3 management 3-3 masters 1-4 overview 1-1 port 1-3 W Web Tools installation license key 2-2 Index-2