HP StorageWorks Fabric OS 5.X Command Reference Guide (AA-RVHVB-TE, September 2005)

Fabric OS 5.x command reference guide 797
Glossary
8b/10b encoding An encoding scheme that converts each 8-bit byte into 10 bits. Used to balance 1s and 0s in
high-speed transports.
address identifier A 24-bit or 8-bit value used to identify the source or destination of a frame. See also S_ID
and D_ID.
AL_PA Arbitrated-loop physical address. A unique 8-bit value assigned during loop initialization to a
port in an arbitrated loop.
AL_TIME Arbitrated-loop timeout value. Twice the amount of time it would take for a transmission word
to propagate around a worst-case loop. The default value is 15 milliseconds (ms).
alias A logical grouping of elements in a fabric. An alias is a collection of port numbers and
connected devices, used to simplify the entry of port numbers and WWNs when creating
zones.
alias address
identifier
An address identifier recognized by a port in addition to its standard identifier. An alias
address identifier can be shared by multiple ports. See also alias.
alias AL_PA An AL_PA value recognized by an L_Port in addition to the AL_PA assigned to the port. See
also AL_PA.
alias server A fabric software facility that supports multicast group management.
ANSI American National Standards Institute.
arbitrated loop A shared 100-Mb/sec Fibre Channel transport structured as a loop. Can support up to 126
devices and one fabric attachment. See also topology.
arbitration A method of gaining orderly access to a shared-loop topology.
area number In HP Fabric OS v4.0 and above, ports on a switch are assigned a logical area number. Port
area numbers can be viewed by entering the switchShow command. They are used to
define the operative port for many Fabric OS commands: for example, area numbers can be
used to define the ports within an alias or zone.
ARP Address Resolution Protocol. A TCP/IP function for associating an IP address with a link-level
address.
ARR Asynchronous response router. Refers to Management Server GS_Subtype Code E4, which
appears in portLogDump command output.
ASD Alias server daemon. Used for managing multicast groups by supporting the create, add,
remove, and destroy functions.
ASIC Application-specific integrated circuit.
ATM Asynchronous Transfer Mode. A transport used for transmitting data over LANs or WANs that
transmit fixed-length units of data. Provides any-to-any connectivity and allows nodes to
transmit simultaneously.
authentication The process of verifying that an entity in a fabric (such as a switch) is what it claims to be. See
also digital certificate, switch-to-switch authentication.