Specifications

Escala Tower PL & S, E, T System Hardware
Chapter 3: External Storage and SAN Subsystems 104/116
9es3s1c3.doc
Rev 5.9
02/12/2003
7.6. SilkWorm Software Components
The SilkWorm 3800 switch is supplied with the following software components: Fabric OS, Zoning,
WEB tools and SES.
Optional software components (contact Bull for availability): QuickLoop, Secure OS, ISL Trunking,
Extended Fabric (up to 100Km links), Fabric Manager (Web tools extension), Remote switch
(connectivity through WAN).
Fabric OS
The Brocade Fabric OS™ is an embedded operating system that allows the operation and management
of the fabric. Fabric OS runs on the Brocade SilkWorm® family of Fibre Channel switches, providing
transparent interoperability between 1Gb/s and 2 Gb/s switches and a smooth transition from 1 Gb/s to
2 Gb/s SANs. It includes the following services:
•
A Simple Name Server, which discovers connected devices and registers/deregisters the device
information when a connection changes.
•
The Registered State Change Notification: dynamic detection of changes in topology and port
status.
•
Multicast Service (Alias Server): sends a single data copy simultaneously to group members.
•
Switch management:
SNMP agent embedded in the switch.
Telnet commands via Ethernet connection.
WEB based management tools.
•
Diagnostics: Embedded online and offline diagnostics.
•
Translative mode to reconnect the fabric devices that support only the PLDA protocol (private
loop).
Zoning
Zoning allows to partition your SAN into logical groupings of devices that can access each other.
Zoning can arrange fabric-connected devices into logical groups, or zones, over the physical
configuration of the fabric.
Zones can be configured dynamically. They can vary in size depending on the number of fabric-
connected devices, and devices can belong to more than one zone.
With Zoning you can:
•
Administer security: zone members can access only other members of the same zone; a device not
included in a zone is not available to members of that zone.
•
Customize environments: use zones to create logical subsets of the fabric to accommodate closed
user groups or to create functional areas within the fabric.
•
Optimize IT resources: use zones to consolidate equipment.
Zoning can be done at port level or WWN level:
•
Port Level Zone: a zone containing members specified by switch ports (domain ID, port number)
only. Port level zoning is enforced hardware in the Brocade 2000 series of switches and beyond.
•
WWN Zone: a zone containing members specified by device World Wide Name (WWN’s) only.
WWN zones are hardware-enforced in the Brocade 3000 series of switches.
•
Mixed Zone: a zone containing members specified by WWN and other members specified by
switch port. Mixed zones are software enforced through the fabric name server.