HP Surestore E Tape Library Model 2/20 HP SureStore E Tape Library Models 2/20 - Page 205

NOTE Introduction to Fibre Channel Fibre Channel Technology Fibre Channel Technology Overview of Fibre Technology This section provides an overview of Fibre Channel technology. You can find information specific to the 20-slot, 40-slot, and 60-slot libraries in "Fibre Channel with Libraries" on page C-5 and "Fibre Channel Cable Connections" on page 1-33. Fibre Channel is an industry-standard interface that is used to transfer information between computers and computer sub-systems. Defined by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), Fibre Channel supports the following: • Internet Protocol (IP) • Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI) • High-Performance Parallel Interface (HIPPI) • Other high-level protocols With Fibre Channel, these protocols can be run at the same time. For example, a host bus adapter (HBA) can simultaneously send Local Area Network (LAN) information to another computer via IP while reading and writing data to a (RAID) subsystem via SCSI. In addition to supporting multiple protocols at the same time, Fibre Channel offers the following advantages: • High speed data transmission • Long distance support (up to 10 kilometers) • Large address space • Multiple device configurations Fibre Channel Appendix C C- 7