Components of FC SAN

Components of Fibre Channel SAN

The following are the components of a Fibre Channel SAN:

  • Node Ports
  • Cables
  • Connectors
  • Interconnecting Devices
  • Storage Arrays
  • SAN Management Software

The fibre channel fabric is a rational space wherein every joint converses with each other via an FC switch or manifold unified FC switches. If an FC fabric involves manifold switches, they are associated mutually via an FC cable. In a switched fabric, the association between any two switches is knowns as an inter-switch link (ISL).

ISLs permit two or more fibre channel switches to be allied collectively to develop a bigger fabric. ISLs are accustomed to shifting from servers to storage ranges and the fabric administration traffic from one switch to another. Using inter-switch associations, a switched fabric may be extended to unite a proliferation of joints.

Computer systems converse with storage tools via specific vents known as ports. It is the fundamental construction block of an FC network. In the network, ports may be of different kinds as follows:

N_port: It is an endpoint in the fabric. It is also called the node port. Characteristically, it is a compute system port bost bus adaptor (HBA) or a storage range port which is associated with a switch within a switched fabric.

E_port: It is an FC port which develops the association between two FC switches. The port is called the expansion port. The E_port on an FC switch unites with the E_port of the other FC switches in the fabric via an ISl.

F_port: It is a port on a switch which unites an N_port. It is also defined as a fabric port.

G_port: It is a standard port which may function as an F_port or an E_port and decides its functionality mechanically all through initialization.

Fibre Channel SAN

World Wide name and channel address are the two kinds of addresses which are used for communication in an FC SAN situation. A fibre channel address is dynamically allotted when a joint port logs on to FC SAN. The FC address is a 24-bit processing plan along with three divisions. The first area in the FC address restraints the domain ID of the switch. A domain ID is an exclusive recognition number offered to every switch in FC SAN. The area ID is employed to recognize a cluster of switch ports employed to unite joints. An illustration of a cluster of ports along with a universal area ID could be a port card on the switch. The last field recognizes the port inside the cluster.

World Wide Name:

In FC, every tool is allocated a 64-bit unique identifier that is known as World Wide Name (WWN). The fibre channel employs two kinds of WWNs:

  • World Wide Port Name (WWPN)
  • World Wide Node Name (WWNN)

World Wide Name (WWN) is a static term for every tool on an FC network. WWNs are like the MAC addresses employed in IP networking. WWNs are allocated via software or burned onto the hardware. Several pattern descriptions in a SAN utilize WWN for recognizing HBAs and storage tools.

Fibre Channel Zoning

Zoning is an FC switch operation which allows joints inside the fabric to be rationally divided into pools which may converse with one another. When a tool logs on a fabric, it is recorded through the name server. While a port logs on the fabric, it moves via a tool detection procedure with other tools recorded in the name server. The zoning operation manages this procedure by only permitting the members in a similar zone to set up these link-level services. Zoning can be classified into three kinds as listed below:

1. Port Zoning: To characterize zones, it utilizes the FC addresses of the physical ports. In port zoning, data access is decided by the physical switch port to which a joint is associated. Port zoning is known as Hard zoning as well.

2. WWW Zoning: To characterize zones, it utilizes worldwide names. WWN zoning is also termed soft zoning. The main benefit of WWN zoning is its elasticity. It permits the SAN to be reflexed without having to rearrange the information of the zone.

3. Mixed Zoning: It merges the traits of both port zoning and WWN zoning. Using mixed zoning. Using mixed zoning allows a specific port to be united to the WWN of a joint. Zoning is used in combination with a logical unit number (LUN) masking for controlling server access to storage.