3PAR InForm® OS 2.2.4 Concepts Guide (320-200085 Rev B, March 2009)

6.3
About Ports
InForm OS Version 2.2.4 3PAR InForm OS Concepts Guide
6.3 About Ports
The storage server controller nodes use Fibre Channel, iSCSI, and Gigabit Ethernet adapters to
connect the system's physical disks to host computers and to other storage servers. The InForm
CLI and Management Console enables you to view port information and settings for all of
these ports.
6.3.1 Fibre Channel Adapters
Fibre Channel adapters are PCI host bus adapters (HBAs) with Fibre Channel ports that connect
controller nodes to hosts and drive cages.
Storage server drive cages also have Fibre Channel ports in the FC-AL modules that connect the
drive cages to the controller nodes. For information about these ports, refer to Chapter 12,
Drive Cages.
6.3.2 iSCSI Adapters
The iSCSI adapters are PCI host bus adapters (HBAs) with iSCSI ports that connect controller
nodes to hosts.
6.3.3 Gigabit Ethernet Adapters
Gigabit Ethernet adapters are used for 3PAR Remote Copy over IP (RCIP). Ethernet ports
connect the primary and secondary storage servers in the remote copy pair.
6.4 Target, Initiator, and Peer Mode
The storage server controller nodes connect the system's physical disks to host computers.
Fibre Channel ports use the following firmware mode settings:
■ Target mode is for ports that connect to hosts and receive commands from those hosts.
■ Initiator mode is for ports that connect to physical disks and send commands to those disks.
NOTE: The iSCSI ports in an InServ Storage Server controller node can only be
used to connect the storage server to a host computer.