A
Access Gateway (AG)
A Brocade term for a special type of switch that uses NPIV to connect an embedded switch in a bladed server chassis into a fabric with an N_Port rather than E_Port method. This type of functionality is also referred to as NPIV Proxy Gateway (NPG) or NPV.
API (Application Programming Interface)
Application Programming Interfaces provide a layer of abstraction between complex lower-level processes and upper-level applications development. They facilitate building complex applications by providing building blocks for programmers to work with.
B
BB_Credit
Buffer-to-buffer credits are a flow control mechanism used to determine how many frames can be sent to a recipient from any given port.
C
Converged Network Adapter (CNA)
CNA is a type of Network Interface Card that is deployed in a server to simultaneously provide connectivity to the Ethernet based Local Area Network (LAN) and a Storage Area Network (SAN). All CNAs support Data Center Bridging (DCB) protocol suite to provide lossless functionality to iSCSI or FCoE based storage traffic.
Credit
Numeric value that represents the maximum number of receive buffers provided by an F_Port to its attached N_Port such that the N_Port may transmit frames without overrunning the F_Port.
D
Dark Fiber
A leased fiber optic cables running between sites characterized by not having a service provided on the wire by the leasing company. All services are provided by the customer.
DAS (Direct Attached Storage)
Direct Attached Storage is the method of connecting a single storage device directly to one and only one host.
DID
Destination Identifiers are three-byte Fibre Channel addresses that used to specify the physical location - switch domain, port on the switch, and position if applicable on the loop - of the receiver of a frame. A DID represented as 010100 would designate domain 1, port 1, no loop. DID is typically written in HEX.
Domain ID
Unique number between 1 and 1239 that identifies an FC switch, router port, or translation address to a fabric.
E
E_Port (Expansion Port)
E_port (Expansion port) is the connection between two fibre channel switches. it is also known as an Expansion port. When E_ports between two switches form a link, that link is referred to as an inter-switch link (ISL).
EX_Port
Enhanced E_Port used to connect a router to an edge fabric. From the port of view of a switch in an edge fabric, an EX_Port is virtually indistinguishable from an E_Port.
Edge Fabric
Fibre Channel fabric connected to an FCR (Fibre Channel Router) via an EX_Port. This is largely the same as any standard Fibre Channel fabric. This is where the hosts and storage are attached in a Meta SAN.
F
FCoE (Fibre Channel over Ethernet) Gateway
FCoE gateways accept Fibre Channel traffic encapsulated in Ethernet packet from servers and de-encapsulate it to native Fibre Channel before forwarding it to a directly connected FC storage or FC switch. This functionality assumes converged network adapters (CNAs) are deployed in the servers.
FCF (FCoE Forwarder)
The FCF is a type of switch that accepts the Fibre Channel frame that is encapsulated in an Ethernet packet and forwards that packet over an FC network or an FCoE VLAN across an Ethernet network to a remote FC or FCoE end device. FCF switches communicate with FCoE end devices, such as converged network adapters (CNAs).
FIP Snooping Bridge (FSB)
FSB is a type of Ethernet switch that can exist between an FCoE server node and an FCF / NPG switch. FSB switches snoop FIP (FCoE Initialization Protocol) packets during the discovery and login phases. The switch then implements dynamic data integrity mechanisms using ACLs that permit valid FCoE traffic between the FCoE server node and FCF / NPG switch. Implementing such security mechanisms ensures that only valid FCoE traffic is allowed.
F_Port
F_port is a port on the switch that connects to a node point-to-point (i.e. connects to an N_port). It is also known as fabric port. A switch supporting F_Port functionality allows FC storage to directly connect to the switch. The switch supports some of the services such as name server and zoning that are typical of fabric switches. The switch does not support creation of a multi-switch fabric because of lack of support for features such as FSPF.
Fabric Switch
A fabric switch supports a number of features that allow FC hosts and FC storage to directly connect to the switch. It also supports creation of a multi-switch FC fabric due to its support of features such as FSPF.
H
Host Bus Adapter (HBA)
HBA is a type of Network Interface Card that is deployed in a server that is specialized to process and forward storage traffic.
I
Inter-switch link (ISL)
When E_ports between two switches form a link, that link is referred to as an inter-switch link (ISL).
N
NPIV Proxy Gateway (NPG)
NPIV Proxy Gateway (NPG) is a type of switch that significantly simplifies the Fibre Channel (FC) storage area network by reducing the number of domain IDs in the network as well as reducing the number of switches that need to be managed in the network. Dell NPG switches such as S5000, MXl, M-IOA, and FN-IOM uses VF_Ports and N_Ports to connect devices to the Fibre Channel (FC) switch and / or Fibre Channel storage. The connected FC switch connects to the NPG switch N_Ports through F_Ports and presents a variety of ports for connection to FC fabric devices.
NPG switches manage some of the following items:
- DCB (PFC, ETS and DCBx)
- FIP discovery and initialization
- FLOGI and FDISC conversion process
- FIP keep alives (FKA)
N_Port
N_port is a port on the node (e.g. host or storage device).It is also known as the node port.
P
Ports
Fibre Channel (FC) and Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) protocols support various types of ports. These port types ensures that specific type of functionality is supported on those ports e.g. F_Port, N_Port, E_Port.