Q-Logic 3200, 8200 logical unit number LUN, loopback, message signaled interrupts MSI/MSIX, path

User’s Guide Converged Network Adapter 8200 and 3200 Series Adapters

logical unit number (LUN)

A subdivision of a SCSI target. It is the small integer handle that differentiates an individual disk drive or partition (volume) within a common SCSI target device such as a disk array.

Technically, a LUN can be a single physical disk drive, multiple physical disk drives, or a portion (volume) of a single physical disk drive. However, LUNs are typically not entire disk drives but rather virtual partitions (volumes) of a RAID set.

Using LUNs, the Fibre Channel host can address multiple peripheral devices that may share a common controller.

loopback

Diagnostic tool that routes transmit data through a loopback connector back to the same adapter.

message signaled interrupts (MSI/MSIX)

One of two PCI-defined extensions to support message signaled interrupts (MSI), in PCI 2.2 and later and PCIe. MSIs are an alternative way of generating an interrupt through special messages that allow emulation of a pin assertion or deassertion.

MSI-X (defined in PCI 3.0) allows a device to allocate any number of interrupts between 1 and 2048 and gives each inter- rupt separate data and address registers. Optional features in MSI (64-bit addressing and interrupt masking) are mandatory with MSI-X.

network interface controller/card (NIC)

A computer circuit board or card that is installed in a computer so that it can be connected to a network.

node port (N_Port)

Node port. A port that connects by a point-to-point link to either a single N_Port or a single G_Port. N_Ports handle creation, detection, and flow of message units to and from the connected systems. N_Ports are end ports in virtual point-to-point links through a fabric, for example N_Port to F_Port to F_Port to N_Port using a single Fibre Channel fabric switch.

node port ID virtualization (NPIV)

The ability for a single physical Fibre Channel end point (N_Port) to support multiple, uniquely addressable, logical end points. With NPIV, a host Fibre Channel adapter is shared in such a way that each virtual adapter is assigned to a virtual server and is separately identifiable within the fabric. Connectivity and access privi- leges within the fabric are controlled by identification of each virtual adapter and, hence, the virtual server using each virtual adapter.

Nonvolatile random access memory (NVRAM)

A type of memory that retains data (config- uration settings) even when power is removed. You can manually configure NVRAM settings or restore them from a file.

path

A path to a device is a combination of an adapter port instance and a target port as distinct from internal paths in the fabric network. A fabric network appears to the operating system as an opaque network between the adapter (initiator) and the target.

SN0054671-00 A Glossary-3