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
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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