HP StorageWorks Fabric Manager 5.x Administrator Guide (AA-RUQSF-TE, September 2005)

Fabric Manager 5.x administrator guide 17
1 Introduction to Fabric Manager
This chapter describes the system requirements and explains how to install the Fabric Manager client and
server software on the supported operating systems. See the following sections:
• Features and functions, next
• System requirements, page 17
• Supported operating systems, page 18
Features and functions
Fabric Manager is a fabric monitor and management application that provides a central point of control
for multiple switches and fabrics. Fabric Manager:
• Is tightly coupled with Advanced Web Tools for switch configuration and management
• Enables global integration and execution of processes across multiple switches and fabrics
• Assists SAN administrators by centralizing the configuration, monitoring, and management tasks of
SANs
• Reduces the overall cost of SAN management by simplifying management tasks
• Provides access to critical SAN information across HP StorageWorks SANs
System requirements
The system requirements for the Fabric Manager client and server software depend on the size of the fabric
and on whether you are using one or more machines for the client and server software.
NOTE: HP recommends that you have a dedicated system for the Fabric Manager server.
For a fabric with 1281 to 2560 ports or 51 to 80 switches, run the Fabric Manager client and server
software on separate machines. Adhere to the system requirements for each, as listed in Table 2.
Each Fabric Manager server can support up to five Fabric Manager clients (not running on the same
machine).
The Fabric Manager client accesses any managed switches through an Ethernet connection.
NOTE: If your client and server are on different systems, you must ensure that both have access to the
switches, good network connection, and good bandwidth. HP recommends no firewall between the client,
server, and SAN.