What is Fibre Channel?
Fibre Channel is a set of standards for connecting storage devices in a fabric network.
Fibre Channel supports data transmission rates of 100MBps. Fibre Channel supports the connection of 126 devices on a single network.
Fibre Channel Topologies
Fibre Channel supports three fabric topologies:
- Fabric
- Loop
- Point-to-Point
Fiber Channel Physical Connectivity
Fiber Channel supports connectivity over fiber optic cabling or copper wiring.
Fibre Channel devices using fiber optic cabling use two unidirectional fiber optic cables for each connection. One fiber optic cable is used for transmitting, the other for receiving. Fibre channel over fiber optic cable supports cable distances of up to 10Km.
Fibre Channel devices which communicate over copper cabling are limited to distances of 30m.
Fibre Channel Devices
Fibre Channel Devices include:
- Host Bust Adapters (HBA's)
- Fibre Channel Hubs
- Fibre Channel Switches
Fibre Channel Ports
Fibre Channel uses a shorthand terminology to describe different types of connections to the fibre channel network.
Fibre Channel uses the term "ports" and defines seven different types of ports:
| Short Name | Descriptive Name | Device Type | Port Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| N-port | Network Port | Nodes | Node port used to connect a node to a Fibre Channel switch |
| F-port | Fabric Port | Switches | Switch port used to connect the Fibre Channel fabric to a node |
| L-port | Loop Port | Nodes | Node port used to connect a node to a Fibre Channel loop |
| NL-port | Network + Loop Port | Nodes | Node port which connects to both loops and switches |
| FL-port | Fabric + Loop Port | Switches | Switch port which connects to both loops and switches |
| E-port | Extender Port | Switches | Used to cascade fibre channel switches together |
| G-port | General Port | Switches | General purpose port which can be configured to emulate other port types |
Fibre Channel Standards
The Fibre Channel standards are defined by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
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