AB291A Fabric Clustering System Support Guide (12-port Switch), April 2004

Glossary
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Glossary
1X link – An HP Fabric Clustering System link
capable of 2.5 Gb/s in each direction simultaneously.
1X technology is upward compatible with 4X
(10Gb/s) and 12X (30 Gb/s) links.
4X link - An HP Fabric Clustering System link
capable of 10 Gb/s in each direction simultaneously.
A 4x link consists of 4 signal pairs, each running at
2.5 Gb/s. 10 Gb/s links are the current level of
InfiniBand technology.
12X link – An HP Fabric Clustering System link
capable of 30 Gb/s in each direction simultaneously.
It consists of 12 signal pairs, each running at 2.5
Gb/s. 30 Gb/s technology and is downward
compatible with 10 Gb/s (4X). 12x links will become
available at the end of 2003
Agent A software-driven process running on a
communications or networking device that allows
that device to participate in a network management
system. For example, an SNMP agent running on a
router provides the ability for the router to exchange
information with an SNMP network management
system through the use of the SNMP protocol.
ARP Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) maps
TCP/IP network addresses to MAC physical
addresses. This ensures proper host-IP address
routing.
Base LID The numerically lowest Local Identifier
(LID) for a set of ports on a subnet.
CA See Channel Adapter
Channel Adapter The Channel Adapter (CA) is the
component in an end node that connects to the
fabric. A CA is classified as either a Host Channel
Adapter (HCA) or a Target Channel Adapter (TCA).
See also Host Channel Adapter and Target Channel
Adapter.
CLI Command Line Interface.
DMA Direct Memory Access is an efficient way of
transporting data between systems. It allows one
system to dump data directly into the memory of
another system, thus bypassing the CPU and freeing
CPU resources for other uses.
DTE-DCE Configures the wiring of the RS-232 port.
When DCE (Data Communication Equipment) is
selected, data is received on Pin3 and transmitted on
Pin2 (DB-9 connector). When DTE (Data Terminal
Equipment) is selected, Pin3 is the transmit and
Pin2 is the receive.
FSPF Fabric Shortest Path First is a popular
link-state path-selection protocol. It takes into
account the number of switch links, or hops, a
connection has to make in selecting a network path.
The number of switch links is used to calculate
“cost”.
GID Group ID (GID) assigned to every Fabric
interface port. The 16-byte GID value is unique
across the fabric. The GID is the result of a
combined GUID and LID. The GID and QPN are
used to identify the IPoIB interface at the port.
Multiple GIDs may be associated with a single port.
GUID Globally Unique Identifier. A number that
uniquely identifies a device or component on the
network layer. It identifies the target subnet and the
port in that subnet. Every channel adapter has a
GUID. The GUID and LID result in a Global ID
(GID) address in accordance with the IPv6 standard.
HCA See Host Channel Adapter
Host Channel Adapter Host Channel Adapter
modules are a method of supporting HP Fabric
Clustering System scalability in the server without
redesigning the system motherboard. Fabric HCA
modules are similar to Fibre Channel host bus
adapters (HBAs) in that they create scalable,
extensible connectivity outside the server. In HP
Fabric Clustering System configurations, HCAs are
used to extend the input/output (I/O) connectivity
normally provided by a bus physically located in the
server.
IBML InfiniBand Management Link. Provides
management for multiple InfiniBand modules in a
single chassis.
ICMP Internet Control-Message Protocol (ICMP) is
a message control and error-reporting protocol
between a host server and a gateway to the Internet.
IEC International Electrotechnical Commission
(IEC) assesses international standards and
conformity to these standards for all
electrotechnology disciplines.