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EMC Fibre Channel Storage System Model FC4700 Configuration Planning Guide
About Fibre Channel FC4700 Storage Systems and Storage Networks
Fibre Channel Storage Components
A Fibre Channel storage system has three main components:
•Server component (host bus adapter driver package with adapter
and software)
•Interconnect components (cables based on Fibre Channel
standards, and switches)
•Storage component (storage system with storage processors —
SPs — and power supply and cooling hardware)

Server Component (Host Bus Adapter Driver Package with Software)

The host bus adapter driver package includes a host bus adapter and
support software. The adapter is a printed-circuit board that slides
into an I/O slot in the server’s cabinet. It transfers data between
server memory and one or more disk-array storage systems over
Fibre Channel — as controlled by the support software (adapter
driver).
One or more servers can use a storage system. For high availability —
in event of an adapter failure — a server can have two adapters.
Depending on your server type, you may have a choice of adapters.
The adapter is designed for a specific kind of bus; for example, a PCI
bus or SBUS. Any adapter you choose must support optical cable.

Interconnect Components

The interconnect components include the optical cables between
components and any Fibre Channel switches.
The maximum length of optical cable between server and switch or
storage system is 500 meters (1,640 feet) for 62.5-micron multimode
cable or 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) for 9-micron single-mode cable.
EMC1803
Adapter
Adapter
Server