Q-Logic SANBOX2-64 Manuale Utente

59043-01 A

3-1

Planning

Consider the following when planning a fabric:

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Devices

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Multiple chassis fabrics

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Performance

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Device access

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Fabric management

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Fabric security

When planning a fabric, consider the number of devices, the types of device 
(public or private), and the anticipated demand. This will determine the number of 
ports that are needed and in turn the number of switches. Consider how many 
switches are needed and how to connect the devices.

The SANbox2-64 Fibre Channel switch uses SFP optical transceivers, but the 
device host bus adapters you are using may not. Consider whether the device 
adapters use SFP transceivers or Gigabit Interface Converters (GBIC), and 
choose fiber optic cable accordingly. Use LC-type cable connectors for SFP 
transceivers and SC-type cable connectors for GBIC transceivers.

Consider the distribution of public and private devices as well as targets and 
initiators. Public devices have full Fibre Channel addressing capability, and 
therefore can communicate with any other public device on the fabric. An F_Port 
supports a single public device. An FL_Port can support up to 126 public devices.

Private devices do not have full Fibre Channel addressing capability, only the 
Arbitrated Loop Physical Address (ALPA) portion. A TL_Port provides a proxy for 
a loop of private initiator or target devices allowing communication with off-loop 
public and private devices. Consider the number of private devices in the fabric 
and the number of off-loop devices with which the private devices must 
communicate:

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A TL_Port can support up to 125 private initiator devices and maintain 
communications with up to 64 off-loop target devices.

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A TL_Port can support up to 124 private target devices and maintain 
communications with up to 63 off-loop initiator devices.