Ethernet Support Guide for HP-UX 11i v3

through two FC fiber connections on the card. The LAN devices are connected to an Ethernet
LAN through two NIC fiber connections on the card. The FC and LAN devices do not share
bandwidth on a common connection to the fabric or network.
Converged
Infrastructure
HP Converged Infrastructure architecture, a set of associated services and partner offerings that
create a virtualized, on-demand data center. It integrates and virtualizes compute, storage,
networking, and management resources based on several HP technologies, most notably
BladeSystem Matrix, FlexFabric, and Virtual Resource Pools.
converged network
adapter (CNA)
A computer I/O card that combines the functionality of a host bus adapter (HBA) with a network
interface controller (NIC). In other words, it "converges" access to a storage area network and
a local area network, respectively.
Converged
Network
Integrated
Controller (CNIC)
See Integrated FlexFabric adapter.
data link layer In the seven-layer OSI model of computer networking, the data link layer is layer 2. In TCP/IP
reference model, it corresponds to, or is part of the link layer. The data link layer is the protocol
layer that transfers data between adjacent network nodes in a wide area network or between
nodes on the same local area network segment. The data link layer provides the functional and
procedural means to transfer data between network entities and might provide the means to
detect and possibly correct errors that may occur in the physical layer. Examples of data link
protocols are Ethernet for local area networks (multi-node), the Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP), HDLC
and ADCCP for point-to-point (dual-node) connections.
The data link layer is concerned with local delivery of frames between devices on the same LAN.
Data-link frames, as these protocol data units are called, do not cross the boundaries of a local
network. Inter-network routing and global addressing are higher layer functions, allowing data-link
protocols to focus on local delivery, addressing, and media arbitration. In this way, the data link
layer is analogous to a neighborhood traffic cop; it endeavors to arbitrate between parties
contending for access to a medium.
destination
address
A field in the message packet format identifying the end nodes to which the packet is being sent.
Destination
Port-based
Steering (DPS)
A feature that allows packets to be steered to different queues based on the destination port
number of the packet. This feature can improve performance with some workloads.
DHCP Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. A network protocol that is used to configure network devices
so that they can communicate on an IP network.
Direct Input Output
(DIO)
With HPVM, a networking feature that allows virtual machines to directly control I/O devices,
minimizing device emulation overhead incurred with AVIO. Provides near-native I/O functionality,
manageability, and performance with virtual machine workloads.
DLPI Data Link Provider Interface. An industry-standard definition for message communications to
STREAMS-based network interface drivers. HP-UX DLPI serves as a Layer 2 (Data Link Layer) of
an OSI architecture. DLPI serves as an interface between LAN device drivers and DLPI users. DLPI
is intended for use by experienced network users. For more information, see the HP-UX dlpi(7)
DPS See Destination Port-based Steering (DPS).
Ethernet A 10 Mbit/s LAN, developed by Digital Equipment Corporation, Intel and Xerox Corporation,
upon which the IEEE 802.3 network is based.
Ethernet partners Two Ethernet devices that are connected by an Ethernet cable (CAT5 or Fiber). For example, two
Ethernet cards connected directly to each other by a cable, or an Ethernet card connected to an
Ethernet hub or switch.
Fast Ethernet A commonly used name applied to 100Base-T.
Fibre Channel (FC) A network technology used for storage networking.
Fibre Channel over
Ethernet (FCoE)
An encapsulation of Fibre Channel frames over Ethernet networks that is independent of the
Ethernet forwarding schemes and integrates with existing Fibre Channel networks and management
software. Computers connect to FCoE through CNAs.
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