Monitoring port statusThe faceplate display provides the following port related information:

•Port type

•Port operational state

•Port speed

•Port media

To display port number and status information for a port, position the cursor over a port on the faceplate display. The status information changes depending on the View menu option selected.

Displaying port types

To display port type status, from the faceplate display, select View > View Port Types. Table 18 lists the possible port types and their meanings.

Table 18

Port types

 

 

 

State

 

Description

 

 

 

F_Port

 

Fabric port (point-to-point) — supports a single public device (N_Port)

 

 

 

FL_Port

 

Fabric loop port — self discovers a single device (N_Port) or a loop of up to

 

 

32 public devices (NL_Port). FL_Port is the default port type for internal ports

 

 

 

G_Port

 

Generic port — self discovers as an F_Port or an E_Port

 

 

 

GL_Port

 

Generic loop port — self discovers as an F_Port, FL_Port, or an E_Port.

 

 

GL_Port is the default port type for external ports. A single device on a

 

 

public loop will attempt to configure as an F_Port first, then if that fails, as

 

 

an FL_Port.

 

 

 

E_Port

 

Expansion port — the mode that a G_Port or GL_Port is in when attached

 

 

by an ISL (inter-switch link) to another FC switch

 

 

 

Displaying port operational states

To display the operational state on each port in the faceplate display, select View > View Port States. Table 19 lists the possible operational states and their meanings. The port operational state refers to actual port state and not the administrative state you may have assigned.

Table 19 Port operational states

State

Description

 

 

On

Online — port is active and ready to send data

 

 

Ia

Inactive — port operational state is offline, but administrative state is

 

online

 

 

IsoIsolated — E_Port has lost its connection. Refer to ”Port Information data

 

window” on page 98 for information about why the E_Port has isolated.

 

 

OffOffline — port is active, can receive signal, but cannot accept a device

 

login

 

 

DiaDiagnostics — port is in diagnostics mode in preparation for testing

 

 

Dn

Down — the port is disabled, power is removed from the lasers, and can’t

 

be logged in

 

 

94 Managing ports