g-36 McDATA® Sphereon 3032 and 3232 Fabric Switches Installation and Service Manual
Glossary
NIC See network interface card.
nickname Alternate name assigned to a world-wide name for a node, director
or switch in the fabric.
node In Fibre Channel protocol, an end device (server or storage device)
that is or can be connected to a switched fabric. See also device.
node port N_Port. Physical interface within an end device that can connect to an
fabric port (F_Port) on a switched fabric or directly to another N_Port
(in point-to-point communications). See also bridge port; expansion
port; fabric port; generic port; segmented expansion port.
node port identifier N_Port ID. In Fibre Channel protocol, a unique address identifier by
which an N_Port is uniquely known. It consists of a domain (most
significant byte), an area, and a port, each 1 byte long. The N_Port ID
is used in the source identifier (S_ID) and destination identifier
(D_ID) fields of a Fibre Channel frame.
nondisruptive
maintenance See concurrent maintenance.
nonvolatile random
access memory NV-RAM. RAM that retains its content when the device power is
turned off.
N_Port See node port.
N_Port ID See node port identifier.
NV-RAM See nonvolatile random access memory.
O
octet An 8-bit quantity, often called a byte or word. An octet can equal a
byte as long as the byte equals eight bits. See also byte.
OEM See original equipment manufacturer.
offline Referring to data stored on a medium, such as tape or even paper,
that is not available immediately to the user.