Glossary

multiswitch fabric

Fibre Channel fabric created by linking more than one director or fabric switching device within a fabric.

N

name server

(1)In TCP/IP, see domain name server. (2) In Fibre Channel protocol, a server that allows node ports (N_Ports) to register information about themselves. This information allows N_Ports to discover and learn about each other by sending queries to the name server.

name server zoning

Node port (N_Port) access management that allows N_Ports to communicate if and only if they belong to a common name server zone.

NAS

See network-attached storage.

navigation panel

The left side of the embedded web server interface window. Click on words in this panel to display menu options. See also main panel.

network

An arrangement of hardware, software, nodes, and connecting branches that comprises a data communication system. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) seven-layer specification partitions a computer network into independent modules from the lowest (physical) layer to the highest (application) layer (D).

network address

Name or address that identifies a device on a transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP) network. The network address can be either an IP address in dotted-decimal notation (composed of four three-digit octets in the format xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx) or a domain name (as administered on a customer network).

network-attached storage

NAS. Storage connected directly to the network, through a processor and its own operating system. Lacks the processor power to run centralized, shared applications.

network interface card

NIC. An expansion board inserted into a computer so the computer can be connected to a network. Most NICs are designed for specific types of networks, protocols, and medias, although some can serve multiple networks.