HP B-series 16Gb FC Switches Hardware Reference Guide

1 HP 16Gb FC switches
This chapter provides general information about the HP StoreFabric SN6500B 16Gb FC Switch,
HP SN6000B 16Gb FC Switch, and HP SN3000B 16Gb FC Switch.
NOTE: For descriptions of acronyms and abbreviations used in this guide, see the “Glossary”.
HP StoreFabric SN6500B 16Gb FC Switch
This section provides an overview of the HP StoreFabric SN6500B 16Gb FC Switch. It describes
platform capabilities and components, the physical layout of the switch, and hardware and software
options.
Overview
The HP StoreFabric SN6500B 16Gb FC Switch is a 96-port autosensing 4, 8, 10, or 16 Gb/s
FC switch that delivers the latest HP multi-chip architecture for FC SANs. It is an enterprise-class
switch designed to handle the large-scale SAN requirements of an enterprise environment, and
can also be used to address the SAN requirements of a small-sized to medium-sized workgroup.
It provides excellent value as the foundation of a SAN, and is able to grow to meet an organization’s
SAN needs.
The HP StoreFabric SN6500B 16Gb FC Switch meets the RAS, performance, and scalability
requirements of an enterprise switch, while delivering interoperability and ease-of-use advantages.
This switch is the latest offering from the HP family of entry-to-enterprise products.
The HP StoreFabric SN6500B 16Gb FC Switch provides up to 96 ports in a double (2U) height
switch only 24 inches deep. This small size enables the creation of very dense fabrics in a relatively
small space.
The HP StoreFabric SN6500B 16Gb FC Switch offers POD licensing. Base models of the switch
contain 48 ports, and up to two additional 24-port POD licenses can be purchased. With the
appropriate licensing, ports can be configured to run at 4, 8, or 16 Gb/s, and optionally 10 Gb/s
for the first eight ports. Port activation works through DPOD, where ports are licensed only as they
come online. For example, a base model with 48–port licenses registers the first 48 ports to come
online, regardless of their numbering. After all 48 licenses have been assigned, you can manually
move the licenses between those ports.
Platform capabilities
The HP StoreFabric SN6500B 16Gb FC Switch offers the following features and capabilities:
• Up to 96 autosensing ports in a single domain, with high-performance 16 Gb/s technology.
• POD scaling from 48 to 72 or 96 ports.
• Port licensing through DPOD.
• 4, 8, and 16 Gb/s autosensing FC switch and router ports.
4 and 8 Gb/s performance is enabled by 8 Gb/s SFP+ transceivers.◦
◦ 4, 8, and 16 Gb/s performance is enabled by 16 Gb/s SFP+ transceivers.
• 10 Gb/s manual set capability on FC ports (requires the optional 10 Gb FCIP/FC license),
on the first eight ports only.
◦ 10 Gb/s performance is enabled by 10 Gb/s SFP+ transceivers.
◦ The first eight ports can be configured for 10 Gb/s for metro connectivity.
6 HP 16Gb FC switches