HP Mainframe Connectivity Design Guide

NOTE: HP has not certified any Fibre Channel over SONET/SDH products for FICON use.
If you have a SONET or SDH network, consider the following options:
Option 1
Use FCIP gateways with the GbE port connected to your SONET or SDH multiplexer. This provides
a dedicated IP circuit over your SONET or SDH network. HP allows FICON long-distance extension
over SONET or SDH networks with an HP FICON SAN if the multiplexer is certified for FICON by
the FICON director vendor. HP does not provide support for third-party SONET/SDH multiplexers.
Option 2
Use a Fibre Channel over SONET gateway. Fibre Channel over SONET gateways can connect
directly to your SONET or SDH multiplexer. These gateways map Fibre Channel or FICON frames
to SONET or SDH frames, which can traverse the SONET or SDH network like any other SONET
or SDH frames. HP allows FICON long-distance extension using Fibre Channel over SONET
gateways with an HP FICON SAN if the gateway is certified for FICON by the FICON director
vendor. HP does not provide support for third-party Fibre Channel over SONET gateways.
Option 3
Use a Fibre Channel over ATM gateway. Fibre Channel over ATM gateways can connect directly
to your SONET or SDH multiplexer using an OC3 interface. The SONET or SDH network must be
configured to support an ATM tunnel between the two end points. Fibre Channel over ATM gateways
map Fibre Channel or FICON frames to ATM cells, which can traverse the SONET or SDH network
in the ATM tunnel. HP allows FICON long-distance extension using Fibre Channel over ATM
gateways with an HP FICON SAN if the gateway is certified for FICON by the FICON director
vendor. HP does not provide support for third-party Fibre Channel over ATM gateways.
For more information about Fibre Channel over SONET, see HP SAN Design Reference Guide.
FICON over ATM
Direct Fibre Channel to ATM (FC-to-ATM) conversion is supported by the Fibre Channel standards;
you can use it for FICON. You can connect local FICON SANs through an ATM network to create
an extended FICON SAN.
If you have an ATM network, consider the following options:
Option 1
Use a Fibre Channel over ATM gateway. Fibre Channel over ATM gateways can connect directly
to your network using an OC3 interface. These gateways map Fibre Channel or FICON frames
to ATM cells, which can traverse your ATM network. HP allows FICON long-distance extension
using Fibre Channel over ATM gateways with an HP FICON SAN if the gateway is certified for
FICON by the FICON director vendor. HP does not provide support for third-party Fibre Channel
over ATM gateways.
Option 2
Use FCIP gateways with an ATM blade residing on the GbE switch or IP router to convert the GbE
to ATM. HP allows FICON long-distance extension over ATM networks with an HP FICON SAN
if the ATM switch is certified for FICON by the FICON director vendor. HP does not provide support
for third-party ATM switches.
For more information about Fibre Channel over ATM, see HP SAN Design Reference Guide.
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