HP StorageWorks Fabric OS 5.0.0 Advanced Web Tools User Guide (AA-RW1RA-TE, May 2005)

152 Glossary
PID Port identifier. See also core PID.
point-to-point A Fibre Channel topology that employs direct links between each pair of communicating
entities. See also topology.
port In an HP StorageWorks switch environment, an SFP or GBIC receptacle on a switch to which
an optic cable for another device is attached.
port address In Fibre Channel technology, the port address is defined in hexadecimal. In HP StorageWorks
Fabric OS, a port address can be defined by a domain and port number combination or by
area number. In an ESCON Director, an address that specifies port connectivity parameters
assigns link addresses for attached channels and control units.
port log A record of all activity on a switch, kept in volatile memory.
port name A user-defined alphanumeric name for a port.
POST Power-on self-test. A series of tests run by a switch when it is turned on.
principal switch The first switch to boot up in a fabric. Ensures unique domain IDs among roles.
private device A device that supports arbitrated-loop protocol and can interpret 8-bit addresses, but cannot
log in to the fabric.
protocol A defined method and set of standards for communication. Determines the type of
error-checking, the data-compression method, how sending devices indicate an end of
message, and how receiving devices indicate receipt of a message.
public device A device that supports arbitrated-loop protocol; it can interpret 8-bit addresses and can log in
to the fabric.
QuickLoop An HP StorageWorks software product that allows multiple ports on a switch to create a
logical loop. Devices connected via QuickLoop appear to each other as if they are on the
same arbitrated loop.
R_A_TOV Resource allocation time-out value. The maximum time a frame can be delayed in the fabric
and still be delivered. See also E_D_TOV.
RAID Redundant array of independent disks. A collection of disk drives that appear as a single
volume to the server and are fault tolerant through mirroring or parity checking. See also
JBOD.
receiver A device that performs detection and signal processing.
route As applied to a fabric, the communication path between two switches. Might also apply to the
specific path taken by an individual frame, from source to destination. See also FSPF.
routing The assignment of frames to specific switch ports, according to frame destination.
SID Source ID. Refers to the native port address (24-bit address).
SAN Storage area network. A network of systems and storage devices that communicate using
Fibre Channel protocols. See also fabric.
scalability One of the properties of a SAN: the size to which a SAN topology can grow port and switch
counts with ease.
SCSI Small Computer Systems Interface. A parallel bus architecture and a protocol for transmitting
large data blocks to a distance of 15 to 25 meters.
SCSI-3 A SCSI standard that defines transmission of SCSI protocol data over different kinds of links.
sequence A group of related frames transmitted in the same direction between two N_Ports.
serial The transmission of data bits in sequential order over a single line.