HP StorageWorks Fabric OS 5.
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Glossary This glossary defines terms used in the HP StorageWorks Fabric OS 5.x documentation set or related to the Fabric OS 5.x product. It is not a comprehensive glossary of computer terms. 8b/10b encoding An encoding scheme that converts each 8-bit byte into 10 bits. Used to balance ones and zeroes in high-speed transports. ABTS Abort Basic Link Service. Also called Abort Sequence ACC Accept link service reply.
arbitration A method of gaining orderly access to a shared-loop topology. area number In Fabric OS 4.0 and later, ports on a switch are assigned a logical area number. These area numbers can be viewed by entering the switchShow command. They are used to define the operative port for many Fabric OS commands; for example, area numbers can be used to define the ports within an alias or zone. ARP Address Resolution Protocol. A TCP/IP function for associating an IP address with a link-level address.
BER Bit error rate. The rate at which bits are expected to be received in error. Expressed as the ratio of error bits to total bits transmitted. See also error. BISR Built-in self-repair. BIST Built-in self-test. bit synchronization The condition in which a receiver is delivering retimed serial data at the required bit error rate. blind-mate connector A two-way connector used in some HP StorageWorks switches to provide a connection between the motherboard and the power supply.
CFN Change fabric name. An ELS field that appears in portLogDump command output. CHAP Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol. Allows remote servers and clients to securely exchange authentication credentials. Both the server and client are configured with the same shared secret. chassis The metal frame in which the switch and switch components are mounted. CIM Common Information Model. A management structure enabling disparate resources to be managed by a common application.
CMT Central memory test. comma A unique pattern (either 1100000 or 0011111) used in 8b/10b encoding to specify character alignment within a data stream. See also K28.5. community (SNMP) A relationship between a group of SNMP managers and an SNMP agent, in which authentication, access control, and proxy characteristics are defined. See also SNMP. compact flash Flash (temporary) memory that is used in a manner similar to hard disk storage.
datagram A Class 3 Fibre Channel service that allows data to be sent quickly to devices attached to the fabric, without receipt confirmation. data word A type of transmission word that occurs within frames. The frame header, data field, and CRC all consist of data words. See also frame, ordered set, and transmission word. DCC Direct cable connection.
domain controller An embedded port that communicates with and gets updates from the embedded ports on other switches. The well-known address is fffcdd, where dd = domain number). See well-known address. domain ID A unique identifier for each switch in a fabric. It is used in routing frames. Usually assigned by the principal switch but can be assigned manually. The domain ID for an HP StorageWorks switch can be any integer from 1 through 239. DTE Data terminal equipment.
EMI Electromagnetic interference. Any electromagnetic disturbance that interrupts, obstructs, or otherwise degrades or limits the effective performance of electronics/electrical equipment. Emulex A brand of host bus adapter (HBA). enabled zone configuration The currently enabled configuration of zones. Only one configuration can be enabled at a time, but since multiple configurations can be defined in the database, a new configuration can be easily enabled.
Fabric Mode One of two possible modes for an L_Port, in which the L_Port is connected to another port that is not loop capable, using fabric protocol. fabric name The unique identifier assigned to a fabric and communicated during login and port discovery. fabric port count The number of ports available for connection by nodes in a fabric. fabric services Codes that describe the communication to and from any well-known address. fabric topology The arrangement of switches that form a fabric.
FC-GS Fibre Channel generic services. A standard that describes in detail all of the basic Fibre Channel services introduced in ANSI X3.230, FC-PH. In addition, this document describes any ancillary functions and services required to support the Fibre Channel services. FC-GS-2 Fibre Channel generic services, second generation. FC-GS-3 Fibre Channel Generic Services, third generation. FCIP Fibre Channel over IP.
FCS Fibre Channel switch; also called fabric configuration server. Relates to the Secure Fabric OS feature. One or more designated switches that store and manage security parameters and configuration data for all switches in the fabric. The designated switches also act as a set of backup switches to the primary FCS switch. See also backbone fabric and primary FCS. FC-SW-2 The second-generation Fibre Channel Switch Fabric standard defined by ANSI.
firmware Software (programs or data) that has been written onto read-only memory devices, such as ROM, PROM, EPROM, and EEPROM. firmware watermarking An HP StorageWorks switch feature that prevents an incompatible version of the HP Fabric OS to be downloaded to HP StorageWorks 2 GB switches. flash Programmable nonvolatile RAM (NVRAM) memory that maintains its contents without power. FLOGI Fabric login.
FSPF Fabric shortest path first. The routing protocol for Fibre Channel switches. FSS Fabric OS state synchronization. A service is related to high availability (HA). The primary function of FSS is to deliver state update messages from active components to their peer standby components. FSS determines if fabric elements are synchronized (and thus FSS compliant). FTP File Transfer Protocol. A protocol for transferring files over some form of media (usually, the Internet). FTS Fiber Transport Services.
header The portion of a Fibre Channel frame that contains control and addressing information associated with the frame. HiPPI High-Performance Parallel Interface. An 800 Mbps interface normally used in supercomputer environments. hop count The number of ISLs a frame must traverse to get from its source to its destination. host A computer system that provides end users with services, such as computation and storage access.
intercabinet A specification for copper cabling that allows up to 33-meter distances between cabinets. intermix A service in which Class 2 and Class 3 frames may be delivered to an N_Port that has an open Class 1 dedicated connection. The Class 2 and 3 frames are delivered during times in which there are no Class 1 frames being delivered on the connection. interswitch link See ISL. intracabinet A specification for copper cabling that allows up to a 13-meter (42-foot) distance within a single cabinet.
K28.5 A special 10-bit character that indicates the beginning of a transmission word that performs Fibre Channel control and signaling functions. The first seven bits of the character are the comma pattern. See also comma. key A string of data (usually a numeric value) shared between two entities and used to control a cryptographic algorithm. See also key pair. key pair In public key cryptography, a pair of keys consisting of an entity’s public and private key.
LISA Loop-initialization soft-assigned frame. The fourth frame transmitted in the loop initialization process after a temporary loop master has been selected. L_Ports that have not selected an AL_PA in a LIFA, LIPA, or LIHA frame select their AL_PA here. LISM Loop-initialization select master frame. This Frame applies only to the Arbitrated Loop topology. It is the first frame transmitted in the loop initialization process in which L_Ports select an AL_PA.
LSAN zone The mechanism by which LSANs are administered. An MP Router attached to two fabrics will listen for the creation of matching LSAN zones on both fabrics. If this occurs, it will create phantom domains and FC-NAT entries as appropriate, and insert entries for them into the name servers on the fabrics. LSAN zones are compatible with all standard zoning mechanisms. LUN Logical unit number. The physical number of a device in a chain of drives connected in series. LWL Long wavelength.
MSRS Multi-protocol SAN Routing Services. An optionally licensed software bundle available on certain HP platforms, such as the HP StorageWorks Multi-protocol Router, which includes the Fibre Channel Routing Service, the iSCSI Gateway Service, and the FCIP Tunneling Service. MTBF Mean time between failures. The average time a component works without failure. This average is calculated by dividing the number of failures by the hours under observation.
OLS Primitive sequence offline. A primitive sequence that is used during link initialization between two N_Ports in a point-to-point topology or an N_Port and an F_Port in a Fabric topology. It is sent to indicate that the transmitting port is attempting to initialize the link, has recognized the NOS primitive sequence, or is going offline. OLTP Online transaction processing. Online updating of the appropriate database records as soon as a transaction is entered. ON Offline notification.
PCBA Printed circuit board assembly. PCM Pulse-code modulation. A standard method of encoding analog audio signals in digital form. Performance Monitoring An HP StorageWorks switch feature that monitors port traffic and includes frame counters, SCSI read monitors, SCSI write monitors, and other types of monitors. phantom address An AL_PA value that is assigned to a device that is not physically in the loop. Also called phantom AL_PA.
port name A user-defined alphanumeric name for a port. port_name The unique identifier assigned to a Fibre Channel port. Communicated during login and port discovery. port swapping The ability to redirect a failed port to another port. This feature is available in Fabric OS 4.1.0 and later. POST Power-on self-test. A series of diagnostic tests run by a switch after it is turned on. PPID A unique static identifier for each blade in a bladed server.
public loop An arbitrated loop that includes a participating FL_Port and can contain both public and private NL_Ports. public NL_Port An NL_Port that logs in to the fabric, can function within either a public or a private loop, and can communicate with either private or public NL_Ports. QLA A type of Fibre Channel controller. QLFA QuickLoop Fabric Assist. Arbitrated-loop technology. See also arbitrated loop. QoS Quality of service. A defined level of performance in a data communications system.
resilient core/ edge topology Two or more switches acting as a core to interconnect multiple edge switches. Nodes attach to the edge switches. See also edge switch. responder The N_Port with which an exchange originator attempts to communicate. retimer A circuit that uses an independent clock to generate outbound signals. return loss The ratio expressed in decibels ) of incident power to reflected power, when a component or assembly is introduced into a link or system.
scalability One of the properties of a SAN, the size to which a SAN topology can grow port and switch counts with ease. SCC SC connector. A fiber-optic cable connector that uses a push-pull latching mechanism similar to common audio and video cables. For bidirectional transmissions, two fiber cables and two SC connectors (dual SC) are generally used. SCN State change notification.
SFP cable A cable specifically designed for use with an SFP tranceivers. Not compatible with GBICs. SI Sequence initiative. S_ID Source ID. A term that refers to the native port address (24 bit address). Simple Name Server A switch service that stores names, addresses, and attributes for up to 15 minutes and provides them as required to other devices in the fabric. SNS is defined by Fibre Channel standards and exists at a well-known address. Also called directory service or name server.
soft zone A zone consisting of zone members that are made visible to each other through client service requests. Typically, soft zones contain zone members that are visible to devices using Name Server exposure of zone members. The fabric does not enforce a soft zone. Note that well-known addresses are implicitly included in every zone. SoIP Storage over IP or SoIP is a technology for accessing storage devices over TCP/IP networks.
SWL Short wavelength. A type of fiber optic cabling that is based on 850 mm lasers and supports 1.0625, 2.125, and 4.25 Gbps link speeds. Can also refer to the type of GBIC or SFP tranceivers. See also LWL. syslog A daemon that is used to forward error messages. T10 A standards committee chartered with creating standards for SCSI. T11 A standards committee chartered with creating standards for Fibre Channel. tachyon A chip that supports FC-0 through FC-2 on a single chip.
transmission word A group of four transmission characters. See also transmission character. trap (SNMP) The message sent by an SNMP agent to inform the SNMP management station of a critical error. See also SNMP. trunking In Fibre Channel technology, a feature that enables distribution of traffic over the combined bandwidth of up to four ISLs between adjacent switches, while preserving in-order delivery.
WDM Wavelength division multiplexer. A set of technologies that allows multiple wavelengths to be combined or filtered on a single cable. See DWDM. well-known address In Fibre Channel technology, a logical address defined by Fibre Channel standards, as assigned to a specific function and stored on the switch. workstation A computer used to access and manage the fabric. Also called management station or host. WTV Write timeout value. An ELS field that appears in portLogDump command output.
