Brocade Communications Systems 53-0001575-01 manual Gbic

SAN Design: March 29, 2001 3:18 pm

TABLE 1. Glossary of Fibre Channel and SAN Design Terminology

Term	Definition
Frame	Fibre channel structure used to transmit data. Consists of start-of-frame delimiter, header, any optional headers, data
	payload, cyclic redundancy check (CRC), and end-of-frame delimiter. There are two types: data frames and link con-
	trol frames. Similar to the networking concept “packet”.
FSPF	Fabric Shortest Path First. BROCADE routing protocol for fibre channel switches
G-Port	Generic Port. Port that can operate either as E _Port or F _Port. Ports are defined as G_Ports when disconnected or have
	not assumed specific function within fabric
GBIC	Gigabit Interface Converter -- converts electrical to optical signal
HBA	Host Bus Adapter. Interface card between a server or workstation bus and the fibre channel network. Similar to a net-
	work interface card
ISL	Interswitch Link. Fibre channel link from the E_Port of one switch to E_Port of another.
JBOD	Just a Bunch Of Disks. A number of disks connected in a single chassis to one or more controllers
Latency	Time required to transmit a frame, from the time sent until time of arrival.
Link	As applies to fibre channel, a physical connection between two ports, consisting of both transmit and receive fibres
LWL GBIC	Long wavelength fibre optic GBIC. Based on 1300 nm lasers supporting 1.0625 Gbps link speeds. Connectors are
	color-coded blue.
MIB	Management Information Base. SNMP structure that provides configuration and device information to assist with
	device management
Name Server	Service of storing names, addresses, and attributes for up to 15 minutes, provided by a switch to other entities in fab-
	ric. Defined by fibre channel standards, and existing at a well-known address. Also called Simple Name Server, SNS,
	or directory service
N-Port	Node Port. Port that can attach to a fibre channel port.
	Storage Area Network. Network of systems and storage devices that usually communicate using fibre channel proto-
	cols.
SWL GBIC	Short wavelength fiber-optic cable. Based on 850 nm lasers supporting 1.0625 Gbps link speeds. Connectors are
	color-coded black.

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