Specifications

8/20q Fibre Channel Switch installation and reference guide 15

Transceivers

The 8/20q Fibre Channel Switch supports SFP+ optical transceivers for the Fibre Channel ports. A

transceiver converts electrical signals to and from optical laser signals to transmit and receive data. Duplex

fiber optic cables plug into the transceivers which then connect to the devices. A port is capable of

transmitting at 8 Gb/s, 4 Gb/s, or 2 Gb/s; however, the transceiver must also be capable of delivering at

this rate.

The SFP+ transceivers are hot-pluggable. This means that you can remove or install a transceiver while the

switch is operating without harming the switch or the transceiver. However, communication with the

connected device will be interrupted. For information about installing and removing SFP+ optical

transceivers, see ”Install the transceivers” on page 33.

Port types

The 8/20q Fibre Channel Switch supports generic ports (G_Port, GL_Port), fabric ports (F_Port, FL_Port),

and expansion ports (E_Port). Switches come from the factory with all Fibre Channel ports configured as

GL_Ports. Generic, fabric, and expansion ports function as follows:

• A GL_Port self-configures as an FL_Port when connected to a loop device, as an F_Port when connected

to a single device, or as an E_Port when connected to another switch. 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.

• A G_Port self-configures as an F_Port when connected to a single device, or as an E_Port when

connected to another switch.

• An FL_Port supports a loop of up to 126 devices. An FL_Port can also configure itself during the fabric

• An F_Port supports a single device.

• E_Ports enable you to expand the fabric by connecting 8/20q Fibre Channel Switches. The 8/20q

Fibre Channel Switch self-discovers all inter-switch connections. For more information, see ”Multiple

switch fabrics” on page 21.

Ethernet port

The Ethernet port is an RJ-45 connector that provides a connection to a workstation through a 10/100

Base-T Ethernet cable (Figure 5). A workstation can be a Windows

or a Linux server that is used to

configure and manage the switch fabric. An Ethernet connection to the switch is required to manage the

switch using the CLI, QuickTools, Simple SAN Connection Manager, or Simple Network Management

Protocol (SNMP).

The Ethernet port has two LEDs: the Link Status LED (green) and the Activity LED (green). The Link Status LED

illuminates continuously when an Ethernet connection has been established. The Activity LED illuminates

when data is being transmitted or received over the Ethernet connection.

Figure 5 Ethernet port

1 Activity LED 2 Link status LED

3 RJ-45 Ethernet port