HP StorageWorks 2/24 FW 07.00.00/HAFM SW 08.06.00 McDATA Products in a SAN Env - Page 88

Characteristics of Arbitrated Loop Operation, Arbitrated loop, Multiswitch fabric

Page 88 highlights

Planning Considerations for Fibre Channel Topologies 3 • Arbitrated loop - This topology uses a Sphereon 4300 or 4500 Fabric Switch to connect multiple device node loop ports (NL_Ports) in a Fibre Channel arbitrated loop (FC-AL) or hub configuration without benefit of a multiswitch fabric. Both switches support a switched mode topology that provides a single, logical connection between two device NL_Ports. The switches dynamically configure different logical transmission paths, and in all cases, connected NL_Ports have access to 100% of the available bandwidth. Loop devices communicate with switches through a fabric loop port (FL_Port). If peripheral loop devices are expected to communicate with fabric-attached devices, consider installation of a Sphereon 4300 or 4500 Fabric Switch to form a fabric-loop hybrid topology. For information, refer to Planning Considerations for Fibre Channel Topologies, Planning for Private Arbitrated Loop Connectivity, and Planning for Fabric-Attached Loop Connectivity. • Multiswitch fabric - This topology provides the ability to connect directors and fabric switches through expansion ports (E_Ports) and interswitch links (ISLs) to form a Fibre Channel fabric. Director or fabric switch elements receive data from a device and, based on the destination N_Port address, route the data through the fabric (and possibly through multiple switch elements) to the destination device. For additional information, refer to Planning for Multiswitch Fabric Support and General Fabric Design Considerations. Characteristics of Arbitrated Loop Operation When implementing Fibre Channel arbitrated loop topology, consideration must be given to switch operating mode, device connectivity, and loop configuration. This section describes the characteristics of arbitrated loop operation, including: • Switch operation in shared mode or switched mode. • Connectivity of public loop devices and private loop devices. • Configuration of public arbitrated loops and private arbitrated loops. 3-2 McDATA Products in a SAN Environment - Planning Manual

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3
3-2
McDATA Products in a SAN Environment - Planning Manual
Planning Considerations for Fibre Channel Topologies
Arbitrated loop -
This topology uses a Sphereon 4300 or 4500
Fabric Switch to connect multiple device node loop ports
(NL_Ports) in a Fibre Channel arbitrated loop (FC-AL) or hub
configuration without benefit of a multiswitch fabric. Both
switches support a switched mode topology that provides a
single, logical connection between two device NL_Ports. The
switches dynamically configure different logical transmission
paths, and in all cases, connected NL_Ports have access to 100%
of the available bandwidth.
Loop devices communicate with switches through a fabric loop
port (FL_Port). If peripheral loop devices are expected to
communicate with fabric-attached devices, consider installation
of a Sphereon 4300 or 4500 Fabric Switch to form a fabric-loop
hybrid topology. For information, refer to
Planning Considerations
for Fibre Channel Topologies
,
Planning for Private Arbitrated Loop
Connectivity
, and
Planning for Fabric-Attached Loop Connectivity
.
Multiswitch fabric -
This topology provides the ability to connect
directors and fabric switches through expansion ports (E_Ports)
and interswitch links (ISLs) to form a Fibre Channel fabric.
Director or fabric switch elements receive data from a device and,
based on the destination N_Port address, route the data through
the fabric (and possibly through multiple switch elements) to the
destination device. For additional information, refer to
Planning
for Multiswitch Fabric Support
and
General Fabric Design
Considerations
.
Characteristics of Arbitrated Loop Operation
When implementing Fibre Channel arbitrated loop topology,
consideration must be given to switch operating mode, device
connectivity, and loop configuration. This section describes the
characteristics of arbitrated loop operation, including:
Switch operation in shared mode or switched mode.
Connectivity of public loop devices and private loop devices.
Configuration of public arbitrated loops and private arbitrated
loops.