Glossary hp StorageWorks Directors and Edge Switches Second Edition (July 2004) Part Number: AA–RU5JB–TE/623–000005–001 This glossary defines terms used in manuals that support HP StorageWorks Directors and Edge Switches.
© Copyright 2001–2004 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Hewlett-Packard Company makes no warranty of any kind with regard to this material, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. Hewlett-Packard shall not be liable for errors contained herein or for incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing, performance, or use of this material.
Glossary Glossary This glossary defines terms used in manuals that support the following HP StorageWorks storage area network (SAN) products: ■ Director 2/64 ■ Director 2/140 ■ Edge Switch 2/12 ■ Edge Switch 2/16 ■ Edge Switch 2/24 ■ Edge Switch 2/32 Glossary The glossary includes terms that relate specifically to the supported products. It does not include many terms that are generally well-known in the SAN industry.
Glossary active FRU A redundant field-replaceable unit that is currently operating as the active and not the backup FRU. See also backup FRU. active port address matrix In S/390 mode, an active port address matrix is the port address matrix that is currently active or operational on an attached director or switch. See also connectivity capability. active zone set Single zone set that is active in a multiswitch fabric. It is created when you enable a specified zone set.
Glossary application-specific integrated circuit ASIC. An asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) local area network/ wide area network (LAN/WAN) circuit using cell relay transport technology. ASICs are designed for a specific application or purpose, such as implementing the lower-layer Fibre Channel protocol (FC-0). They are particularly suited to sending video and audio information, as well as text. ASICs differ from general-purpose devices such as memory chips or microprocessors.
Glossary BB_Credit See buffer-to-buffer credit. beaconing Use of light-emitting diodes on ports, port cards, field-replaceable units, and directors to aid in the fault-isolation process. When enabled, active beaconing causes LEDs to flash for selected components. BER See bit error rate. bezel A removable panel that covers empty drive bays and port cards. bidirectional In Fibre Channel, the capability to simultaneously communicate at maximum speeds (100 Mbps) in both directions over a link.
Glossary broadcast Send a transmission to all node ports (N_Ports) on a fabric. See also broadcast frame and multicast. broadcast frame Data packet, also known as a broadcast packet, whose destination address specifies all computers on a network. See also broadcast and multicast. buffer Storage area for data in transit. Buffers compensate for differences in processing speeds between devices.
Glossary channel path identifier (CHPID) — In a channel subsystem, a value assigned to each installed channel path of the system that uniquely identifies that path to the system. channel-to-channel CTC. A channel attached to another channel (channel-to-channel) and specifies the I/O mode of operation for the channel path under the I/O configuration program (IOCP) channel path identifier (CHPID) statement ‘Type’ parameter. See also channel path identifier.
Glossary community name (SNMP) A name that represents a simple network management protocol (SNMP) community that the agent software recognizes as a valid source for SNMP requests. A product recognizes a management station as a valid recipient for trap information when the station’s community names are configured. community profile Information that specifies which management objects are available to what management domain or SNMP community name.
Glossary connector See optical fiber connector. control processor card (CTP card) — Circuit card that contains the director microprocessor. The CTP card also initializes hardware components of the system after power-on. A 10 Mbps RJ-45 twisted pair connector is located on the CTP card to connect to an Ethernet LAN and communicate with the HAFM server or a specific management station. control unit A device that controls the reading, writing, or displaying of data at one or more input/output units.
Glossary default Pertaining to an attribute, value, or option that is assumed when none is explicitly specified. default zone Contains all attached devices that are not members of a separate zone. destination identifier Address identifier that indicates the targeted destination of a data frame. device Product (server or storage), connected to a managed director, that is not controlled directly by the Element Manager application. See also node.
Glossary domain A Fibre Channel term describing the most significant byte in the node port (N_Port) identifier for the Fibre Channel device. It is not used in the Fibre Channel small computer system interface (FC-SCSI) hardware path ID. It is required to be the same for all SCSI targets logically connected to a Fibre Channel adapter. domain ID Number (1 through 31) that uniquely identifies a switch in a multiswitch fabric.
Glossary enhanced availability feature EAF. A backup field-replaceable unit (backup FRU) that is ordered and installed to provide redundancy and reduce disruption in case of failure. Enterprise Systems Architecture ESA™. A computer architecture introduced by IBM in 1988 as ESA/370. The architecture added access registers to improve virtual memory management and increase storage from 2 gigabyte to 6 terabytes. The architecture was enhanced with the introduction of ESA/390 in 1990.
Glossary event code A three-digit numeric code that displays in the event log and identifies a specific event that occurred. This code provides information on system failures, such as hardware failures; failure locations; or general information on normal system events. event log Record of significant events that have occurred at the director or switch or through the HAFM Management Services application, such as FRU failures, degraded operation, and port problems.
Glossary fabric address notification (FAN) — A message that informs all NL_Ports of the address of the FL_Port. Allows LIP processing to not be disruptive to FC traffic on devices that support FAN. See also loop initialization primitive. fabric binding A feature that enables a switch or director to communicate only with fabrics that are included in the fabric binding membership list (FBML). Fabric Binding is available only if the SANtegrity Binding feature is installed.
Glossary failover Automatic and nondisruptive transition of functions from an active FRU that has failed to a backup FRU. FAN See fabric address notification. FC-0 The Fibre Channel layer that describes the physical link between two ports, including the transmission media, transmitter and receiver circuitry, and interfaces.
Glossary feature key A unique key that allows additional product features to be enabled. This key is entered into the Configure Feature Key dialog box in the Element Manager application to activate optional hardware and software features. Upon purchasing a new feature, customers will receive the associated feature key. fiber Physical media types supported by the Fibre Channel specification, such as optical fiber, copper twisted pair, and coaxial cable.
Glossary Fibre Channel input/output controller (FCC-IOC) — A device that controls the embedded Fibre Channel port and configures the port’s ASICs. Fibre Channel IP address FC IP. The default FC IP on a new switch is a temporary number divided by the switch’s World Wide Name (WWN). The system administrator needs to enter a valid IP address. Fibre Channel management framework integration FCMGMT.
Glossary FICON Management Server An optional feature that can be enabled on the director or switch through the Element Manager application. When enabled, host control and management of the director or switch is provided through an S/390 Parallel Enterprise or zSeries server attached to a director or switch port. FICON management style The management style that is most useful when attaching to IBM S/390 Enterprise Servers. See also open systems management style; management style.
Glossary gateway A multi-homed host used to route network traffic from one network to another, and to pass network traffic from one protocol to another. gateway address A unique string of numbers (in the format xxx.xx.xxx.xxx) that identifies a gateway on the network. generic port (G_Port) — Physical interface on a director that can function either as a fabric port (F_Port) or an expansion port (E_Port) depending on the port type to which it connects. generic port module card GPM card.
Glossary HBA See host bus adapter. heterogeneous fabric A fabric containing open-fabric-compliant products from various vendors (HP and non-HP). See also homogeneous fabric. high availability A performance feature characterized by hardware component redundancy and hot-swappability (enabling non-disruptive maintenance). High-availability systems maximize system uptime while providing superior reliability, availability, and serviceability.
Glossary hub port H_Port. In arbitrated loop devices, a port that uses arbitrated loop protocols. The physical interface that attaches to a loop device, either an end device or another loop interconnect device (hub). IML See initial machine load. inband management Management of the director or switch through a Fibre Channel connection to a port card. See also out-of-band management. industry standard architecture ISA.
Glossary interface (1) A shared boundary between two functional units, defined by functional, signal, or other characteristics. The concept includes the specification of the connection of two devices having different functions. (2) Hardware, software, or both, that link systems, programs, or devices interface controller The chip or circuit that translates computer data and commands into a form suitable for use by the hard drive and controls the transfer of data between the buffer and the host.
Glossary jumper cable Optical cable that provides physical attachment between two devices or between a device and a distribution panel. See also trunk cable. latency The amount of time it takes for data transmission to pass through a switching device.
Glossary loop A loop is a configuration of devices connected to the fabric via a fabric loop port (FL_Port) interface card. loop initialization primitive (LIP) — In an arbitrated loop device, a process by which devices connected to hub ports (H_Ports) on the arbitrated loop device notify other devices and the switch of their presence in the loop by sending LIP sequences and subsequent frames through the loop.
Glossary managed product Hardware product that can be managed with the HAFM application. For example, the Director 2/64 and the Edge Switch 2/32 are managed products. See also device. Management Information Base (MIB) — Related set of software objects (variables) containing information about a managed device and accessed via SNMP from a network management station. Management Services application Software application that provides back-end product-independent services to the HAFM application.
Glossary name server Program that translates names from one form into another. For example, the domain name server (DNS) translates domain names into IP addresses. name server zoning N_Port access management that allows N_Ports to communicate if and only if they belong to a common name server zone. network address Name or address that identifies a managed product on a transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP) network.
Glossary nondisruptive maintenance Ability to service FRUs (including maintenance, installation, removal and replacement) while normal operations continue without interruption. See also concurrent maintenance. N_Port See node port. offline Referring to data stored on a medium, such as tape or even paper, that is not available immediately to the user. offline diagnostics Diagnostics that only operate in stand alone mode. User operations cannot take place with offline diagnostics running.
Glossary open systems management style The mode that is used for open fabrics. See also management style; FICON management style. open-systems mode The management mode used to specify director or switch port connectivity when the product is attached to other HP products or OSI-compliant devices as part of an open fabric. Open Trunking Open Trunking is a licensed optional feature that enables load balancing of traffic flows. Open Trunking monitors the average speed of data traffic through a flow.
Glossary optical fiber connector Hardware component that transfers optical power between two optical fibers or bundles and is designed to be repeatedly connected and disconnected. out-of-band management Transmission of management information using frequencies or channels (Ethernet) other than those routinely used for information transfer (Fibre Channel). See also inband management packet Logical unit of information (usually in the form of a data frame) transmitted on a network.
Glossary port binding Configuring a specific switch or director port to communicate exclusively with an attached device. port card Field-replaceable hardware component that provides the port connections for fiber cables and performs specific device-dependent logic functions. port card map Map showing numbers assigned to each port card by card slot. port name Name that the user assigns to a particular port through the Element Manager. POST See power-on self test.
Glossary prohibited port connection In S/390 operating mode, an attribute that removes dynamic connectivity capability. protective plug In a fiber-optic environment, a type of duplex connector (or cover) that provides physical protection (D). protocol (1) Set of semantic and syntactic rules that determines the behavior of functional units in achieving communication.
Glossary rerouting delay An option that ensures that frames are delivered in order through the fabric to their destination. remote notification A process by which a system is able to inform remote users and/or workstations of certain classes of events that occur on the system. E-mail notification and the configuration of SNMP trap recipients are two examples of remote notification programs that can be implemented on director-class switches.
Glossary scalable Refers to how well a system can adapt to increased demands. For example, a scalable network system could start with just a few nodes but easily expands to thousands of nodes. Scalability is important because it allows the user to invest in a system with confidence that a business will not outgrow it. Refers to anything whose size can be changed. segment A fabric segments when one or more switches cannot join the fabric because of various reasons.
Glossary simple network management protocol (SNMP) — A protocol that specifies a mechanism for network management that is complete, yet simple. Information is exchanged between agents, which are the devices on the network being managed, and managers, which are the devices on the network through which the management is done. simple network management protocol version 1 SNMP v1. The original standard for SNMP is now referred to as SNMP v1. simple network management protocol version 2 SNMP v2.
Glossary small form factor pluggable transceivers SFP transceivers. Laser-based optical transceivers for a wide range of networking applications requiring high data rates. The transceivers, which are designed for increased densities, performance, and reduced power, are well-suited for Fibre Channel applications. SSP See system services processor. static random access memory SRAM. SRAM is microprocessor-cache random access memory. It is built internal to the microprocessor or on external chips.
Glossary switch binding membership list SBML. If switch binding is enabled, a list of devices with which the product is allowed to make connections. switch priority Value configured into each switch in a fabric that determines its relative likelihood of becoming the fabric’s principal switch. switched fabric One of three topologies offered by the Fibre Channel protocol. The topology is structured as a network of one or more interconnected switch elements.
Glossary token A sequence of bits passed from one device to another on a token ring network that signifies permission to transmit over the network. The token consists of a starting delimiter, access control field, and end delimiter. If a device has data to transmit, it appends the data to the token. token ring A local area network (LAN) configuration where devices attach to a network cable in a closed path or ring.
Glossary trap Unsolicited notification of an event originating from an SNMP managed device and directed to an SNMP network management station. trap host SNMP management workstation that is configured to receive traps. trap recipient In simple network management protocol (SNMP), a network management station that receives messages through SNMP for specific events that occur on the arbitrated loop device. trunk cable Cable consisting of multiple fiber pairs that do not directly attach to an active device.
Glossary vital product data (VPD) — System-level data stored by the backplane in the electrically erasable programmable read-only memory. This data includes serial numbers and identifies the manufacturer. VPD See vital product data. warning message Software message that indicates a possible error was detected. See also error message and information message.
Glossary zone member Specification of a device to be included in a zone. A zone member can be identified by the port number of the director to which it is attached or by its World Wide Name. In multiswitch fabrics, identification of end-devices/nodes by World Wide Name is preferable. zone set See also zone. zoning Grouping of several devices by function or by location. All devices connected to a connectivity product, such as the director, may be configured into one or more zones. See also zone.
