FC-AL FEATURES

LOOP CONNECTIONS

The ZeusIOPS 3.5-inch Fibre Channel SSD features two independent FC-AL ports. These ports may be connected in different loops or the same loop. In addition, the drive can send transfers while receiving frames on both ports. This capability is called “full-duplex”.

If the ports are 1) connected in different loops, 2) hard addressing is used, and 3) the drive interface address is selected through the interface connector, then both ports will seek the same loop address. If there are no duplicate addresses on the different loops, both ports will use the same address.

If the ports are 1) connected in the same loop and 2) hard addressing is used, the drive reads the settings from the connector. If the SCA connector is configured for a hard address, only one of the ports will be seen on the loop; only one port can acquire the ID.

If the drive has 1) its ports connected to different loops, and 2) buffer availability, then the drive is able to receive transfers on both ports at the same time. This capability is called “concurrent port transfers”.

Table 11 summarizes the FC-AL options supported by the drive.

 

Table 11. FC-AL Supported Options

 

 

Option

Support

 

 

OPEN Half Duplex

Accepted from another device

 

 

OPEN Full Duplex

Sent to open another device; accepted from another device

 

 

Private Loop

Supported

 

 

Public Loop

Supported

 

 

Old Port State

Not supported

 

 

Loop Position

Supported

 

 

Loop Position Report

Supported

 

 

ZeusIOPS 3.5-Inch Fibre Channel Solid State Drive Product Manual Rev. 1.0

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SimpleTech ZeusIOPS manual Loop Connections, FC-AL Supported Options, Option Support