HP StorageWorks 2/16V Brocade Glossary (53-1000040-03, November 2006) - Page 25

Glossary MSRS Multiprotocol SAN Routing Services. An optionally licensed software bundle available on certain Brocade platforms, such as the SilkWorm Fabric AP7420, that includes the Fibre Channel Routing Service, the iSCSI Gateway Service, and the FCIP Tunneling Service. MTBF Mean time between failures. An expression of time, indicating the longevity of a device. multicast The transmission of data from a single source to multiple specified N_Ports (as opposed to all the ports on the network). See also broadcast, unicast. multimode A fiber optic cabling specification in which multiple light waves (or modes) are transmitted over relatively short distances due to modal dispersion. Single mode specifies a single light wave and can transmit over much longer distances. Specific distance limitations at a certain speed are determined by the optical loss budget for the transmit and receive optics. N N_Port Node port. A Fibre Channel host or storage port in a fabric or point to point connection. See also NL_Port, Nx_Port. Name Server Simple Name Server (SNS). 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 referred to as "directory service." NAS Network-attached storage; disk storage connected to an IP network that provides file level access for hosts. The protocols used are typically CIFS for MS Windows environments and NFS for Unix and Linux environments. native PID Introduced with the SilkWorm 2000 series, this PID format supports up to 16 ports per switch. See also VC Encoded PID, core PID, and extended edge PID. NDMP Network Data Management Protocol. Used for tape backup without using server resources. NIC Network interconnect card. NL_Port Node loop port. A node port that has arbitrated-loop capabilities. Used to connect an equipment port to the fabric in a loop configuration through an FL_Port. See also N_Port, Nx_Port. node A Fibre Channel device that contains an N_Port or NL_Port. node count The number of SAN devices attached to a fabric. node name The unique identifier for a SAN device, communicated during login and port discovery. nondisruptive configuration download A Fabric OS feature that allows you to download configuration files to a switch while the switch is enabled, that is, you do not need to disable the switch for configuration changes in SNMP, Fabric Watch, and ACL parameters. Nondisruptive configuration download is independent of the hardware platform and supported on all hardware platforms running Fabric OS v5.2.0 and higher. Nonparticipati ng mode A mode in which an L_Port in a loop is inactive and cannot arbitrate or send frames but can retransmit received transmissions. This mode is entered if there are more than 127 devices in a loop and an AL_PA cannot be acquired. See also L_Port, Participating mode. Brocade Glossary 21 Publication Number: 53-1000040-03