32 Installation Guide (AA-RVULC-TE, January 2005)

SAN Switch 2/8V, 2/16V, 2/16N and 4/32 installation guide 121

both. Can be made available over other protocols, such as UDP/IP, because it does not

rely on the underlying communication protocols.

SNS 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. May

also be referred to as directory service.

switch Hardware that routes frames according to fibre channel protocol and is controlled by

software.

switch port A port on a switch. Switch ports can be E_Ports, F_Ports, or FL_Ports.

SWL Short wavelength. A type of fiber optic cabling that is based on 850mm lasers and

supports link speeds up to 2 Gbit/sec. May also refer to the type of transceiver.

tenancy The time from when a port wins arbitration in a loop until the same port returns to the

monitoring state. Also referred to as loop tenancy.

throughput The rate of data flow achieved within a cable, link, or system. Usually measured in bps

(bits per second).

topology As applies to fibre channel, the configuration of the fibre channel network and the

resulting communication paths allowed. There are three possible topologies:

Point to point: A direct link between two communication ports.

Switched fabric: Multiple N_Ports linked to a switch by F_Ports.

Arbitrated loop: Multiple NL_Ports connected in a loop.

transmission

character

A 10-bit character encoded according to the rules of the 8b/10b algorithm.

transmission wordA group of four transmission characters.

trap (SNMP) The message sent by an SNMP agent to inform the SNMP management station of a

critical error.

U_Port Universal port. A switch port that can operate as a G_Port, E_Port, F_Port, or FL_Port. A

port is defined as a U_Port when it is not connected or has not yet assumed a specific

function in the fabric.