95741 Sixth Edition Glossary-3
Glossary
enterprise A representation of the goals,
organizational structure, business processes,
and information resources and requirements
of an enterprise. (IBM)
environmental requirement Any of the
physical conditions required for the
protection and proper operation of a
functional unit; the requirement is usually
specified as a nominal value and a tolerance
range. For a device, there may be more than
one set of environmental requirements; for
example, one set for transport, another for
storage, and another for operation. (T) (A)
error A discrepancy between a computed,
observed, or measured value or condition
and the true, specified, or theoretically
correct value or condition. (I) (A)
F
F_Port A Port within the Fabric which
attaches to an N_Port through a link.
fabric The FC topology that is similar to a
telephone switch in that the initiator of a
“call” to the receiving port simply provides
the receiver with the port address, and the
fabric routes the transmission to the proper
port. A fabric differs from a point-to-point or
arbitrated loop topology in that it provides
for interconnections between ports without
having a point-to-point connection. The
fabric also serves as a media type converter.
fault symptom code (FSC) A hexadecimal
code generated by the drive for controller
microcode in response to a detected
subsystem error.
FC See Fibre Channel.
fibre channel (FC) The ANSI standard that
defines an ultra high-speed, content
independent, multi-level data transmission
interface that can support multiple protocols
simultaneously, support connectivity to
millions of devices over copper and/or fiber
optic physical media, and provides the best
characteristics of both networks and
channels, over diverse topologies.
field replaceable unit (FRU) An assembly
that is replaced in its entirety when any one
of its components fails. (IBM)
file-protect To prevent the destruction or
overwriting of data stored on cartridge tape.
See also write-protect switch.
firmware An ordered set of instructions and
data stored in a way that is functionally
independent of main storage; for example,
microprograms stored in a ROM. (T)
FL_Port An F_Port within the Fabric which
also contains the Loop Port State Machine as
defined in FC-AL-2. The FL_Port attaches to
an NL_Port through a link.
FRU See field replaceable unit.
FSC See Fault Symptom Code.
G
GB See Gigabyte.
Gb Gigabit, equal to 109 bits.
GBIC See Gigabit Interface Converter
gigabit (Gb) One billion (109) bits.
Gigabit Interface Converter (GBIC) An
adapter that connects a fiber-optic or copper-
wire cable to a Fibre Channel hub or switch.
gigabyte (GB) One billion (109) bytes.
When referring to memory capacity,
1,073,741,824 in decimal notation. (IBM)
H
hardware All or part of the physical
components of an information processing
system, such as computers or peripheral
devices. (T) (A)
HBA See host bus adaptor