2 – General Description
Fibre Channel Ports
59042-00 A 2-5
2.2.1
Small Form-Factor Pluggable (SFP) Transceivers
SFP transceivers plug into the ports; duplex fiber optic cables plug into the
transceivers which then connect to the devices. A port is capable of transmitting at
1 Gbps or 2 Gbps; however, the transceiver must be capable of 2 Gbps for the
port to deliver at that rate.
The SFP transceivers are hot swappable. This means that you can remove or
install an SFP transceiver while the switch is operating without harming the switch
or the transceiver. However, communication with the connected device will be
interrupted. Refer to ”Install SFP Transceivers” on page4-4 for information about
installing and removing SFP transceivers.
2.2.2
Port Modes
All ports are self-configuring generic ports: GL_Ports or G_Ports. A GL_Port
self-discovers in the following ways:
■FL_Port when connected to a loop of public devices (NL_Port)
■F_Port when connected to a single public device (N_Port). If the device is a
single device on a loop, the GL_Port will attempt to configure first as an
F_Port, then if that fails, as an FL_Port.
■As an E_Port when connected to another FC-SW-2 compliant switch
A G_Port self-discovers as an F_Port when connected to a public device or an
E_Port when connected to another switch. You can also configure a port as a
translated loop port (TL_Port) to support private devices.
2.2.2.1
Fabric Ports
A fabric port supports either a single public device or a loop of up to 126 public
devices. A fabric port configures itself during the fabric login process as an F_Port
when connected to a single public device (N_Port), or an FL_Port when
connected to a loop of public devices (NL_Port).
2.2.2.2
Expansion Port
E_Ports enable you to expand the fabric enabling you to connect SANbox2
switches with other FC-SW-2 compliant switches. SANbox2-8c switches
self-discover all inter-switch connections. Refer to ”Multiple Chassis Fabrics” on
page 3-2 for more information about multiple chassis fabrics.