.SAN design reference guide Vol. 1-5 785350-001

9 SAN fabric connectivity and switch interoperability rules
This chapter describes SAN fabric connectivity and interoperability rules. It describes the following
topics:
• “SAN fabric connectivity rules” (page 152)
• “SAN fabric switch interoperability rules” (page 161)
• “Third-party switch support” (page 162)
• “SAN performance considerations” (page 162)
SAN fabric connectivity rules
This section describes SAN fabric connectivity port interfaces, cables, and rules.
Switch port interfaces
The switch port interfaces are as follows:
• E_Port—Provides switch-to-switch connectivity for ISLs
• EX_Port—Connects a Fibre Channel router to an edge fabric
• F_Port—Provides fabric-attached device connectivity for initiators (HBAs) and targets (storage
ports)
• FL_Port—Provides fabric-aware public loop connectivity with 24-bit Fibre Channel addressing
capability
• FCAL_Port—Provides private loop connectivity for 8-bit Fibre Channel addressable devices;
(requires B-series QuickLoop feature)
QuickLoop enables private FC-AL initiators and targets to communicate through the switch. A
target that is not configured with QuickLoop cannot communicate with a QuickLoop initiator.
QuickLoop is supported only for specific B-series switches and legacy storage systems. For
more information, contact an HP storage representative.
• VE_Port—Virtual E_Port used with a GbE port for FCIP tunneling
• VEX_Port—Virtual EX_Port used for Fibre Channel routing over a VE_Port
Certain HP B-series (NPIV), C-series (NPV), and all H-series (NPIV) switches use an N_Port ID
Virtualization interface. NPIV and NPV are industry-standard Fibre Channel protocols that support
the assignment of multiple Fibre Channel N_Port addresses on the same physical link. See “HP FC
Switches for the c-Class BladeSystem server environment” (page 167).
Device port interfaces
The server HBA or storage system controller device node port interfaces are as follows:
• N_Port—Connects a Fibre Channel device to a switch
• NL_Port—Connects a Fibre Channel device to a Fibre Channel arbitrated loop or switch
Fiber optic cables
All 16 Gb/s, 8 Gb/s, 4 Gb/s, and 2 Gb/s Fibre Channel components use industry-standard LC
connectors for fiber optic cable connections; all 1 Gb/s Fibre Channel components use
industry-standard SC connectors. Cables and adapters are available with SC connectors on one
end and LC connectors on the other end.
Some fiber optic cable installations require SC or LC duplex couplers to couple the cable connector
ends (for example, if you use wall jacks or connect to existing installed cables). HP supports the
152 SAN fabric connectivity and switch interoperability rules