Finisar Brocade Fabric Watch User Manual

Page 36

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Glossary-8

Fabric Watch User’s Guide

Path Selection

The selection of a transmission path through the fabric. Brocade switches use the
FSPF protocol.

Phantom
Address

An AL_PA value that is assigned to an device that is not physically in the loop.
Also known as phantom AL_PA.

Phantom
Device

A device that is not physically in an arbitrated loop but is logically included
through the use of a phantom address.

PLOGI

Port Login; the port-to-port login process by which initiators establish sessions
with targets. See also FLOGI.

Point-to-point

A fibre channel topology that employs direct links between each pair of
communicating entities. See also Topology.

Port_Name

The unique identifier assigned to a fibre channel port. Communicated during
login and port discovery.

POST

Power On Self-Test

; a

series of tests run by a switch after it is turned on.

Private
NL_Port

An NL_Port that communicates only with other private NL_Ports in the same
loop and does not log into the fabric.

Private Device

A device that supports arbitrated loop protocol and can interpret 8-bit addresses,
but cannot log into the fabric.

Private Loop

An arbitrated loop that does not include a participating FL_Port.

Protocol

A defined method and a set of standards for communication.

Public
NL_Port

An NL_Port that logs into the fabric, can function within either a public or a
private loop, and can communicate with either private or public NL_Ports.

Public Device

A device that supports arbitrated loop protocol, can interpret 8-bit addresses, and
can log into the fabric.

Public Loop

An arbitrated loop that includes a participating FL_Port, and may contain both
public and private NL_Ports.

R_A_TOV

Resource Allocation Time-out Value; the maximum time a frame can be delayed
in the fabric and still be delivered. See also E_D_TOV, RR_TOV.

RAID

Redundant Array of Independent Disks; a collection of disk drives that appear as
a single volume to the server and are fault tolerant through mirroring or parity
checking. See also JBOD.

Request Rate

The rate at which requests arrive at a servicing entity. See also Service Rate.

Route

As applies to a fabric, the communication path between two switches. May also
apply to the specific path taken by an individual frame, from source to
destination. See also FSPF.

Routing

The assignment of frames to specific switch ports, according to frame destination.

RR_TOV

Resource Recovery Time-out Value; the minimum time a target device in a loop
waits after a LIP before logging out a SCSI initiator. See also E_D_TOV,
R_A_TOV.

RSCN

Registered State Change Notification; a switch function that allows notification of
fabric changes to be sent from the switch to specified nodes.

SAN

Storage Area Network; a network of systems and storage devices that
communicate using fibre channel protocols. See also Fabric.

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