Glossary
adapter
The board that interfaces between the host system and the target devices. Adapter is synonymous with host bus adapter (HBA), host channel adapter (HCA), host adapter, and adapter board.
arbitrated loop
A circular (ring) topology (versus
adapter port
A port on the adapter board.
adapter port beacon
An LED on the adapter. Flashing it enables you to locate the adapter.
basic input output system
See BIOS.
BIOS
Basic input output system (typically in Flash PROM). The program (or utility) that serves as an interface between the hardware and the operating system and allows booting from the adapter at startup.
boot code
The program that initializes a system or an adapter. Boot code is the first program to run when a system or a device within a system, such as an adapter, is powered on. FCode, BIOS, and EFI (enhanced firmware interface) are all forms of boot code for specific hardware/operating system environments.
Boot code for QLogic Fibre Channel Adapters is required if the computer system is booting from a storage device (disk drive) attached to the adapter. The primary function of the boot code is communication with the external boot device before the operating system is up and running. Boot code can also perform secondary functions, including managing the setup for the adapter and initializing and testing the adapter's ISP.
boot device
The device, usually a the hard disk, that contains the operating system the BIOS uses to boot from when the computer is started.
boot from SAN
The ability for each server on a network to boot their operating system from a Fibre Channel RAID unit located on the SAN, rather than from a local disk or
