HP StorageWorks XPath OS 7.4.X Administrator Guide (AA-RVHDD-TE, February 2006)

XPath OS 7.4.x administrator guide 109
FC-SW-2
The second-generation Fibre Channel Switch Fabric standard defined by ANSI. Specifies tools and
algorithms for the interconnection and initialization of Fibre Channel switches to create a multiswitch Fibre
Channel fabric.
Fibre Channel
The primary protocol used for building SANs to transmit data between servers, switches, and storage
devices. Unlike IP and Ethernet, Fibre Channel was designed to support the needs of storage devices of all
types. It is a high-speed, serial, bidirectional, topology-independent, multi-protocol, and highly scalable
interconnection between computers, peripherals, and networks.
Fibre Channel transport
A protocol service that supports communication between Fibre Channel service providers. See also FSP.
FID
Fabric ID. Unique identifier of a fabric in a meta-SAN.
firmware
The basic operating system provided with the hardware.
FL_Port
Fabric loop port. A port that is able to transmit under fabric protocol and also has arbitrated-loop
capabilities. Can be used to connect an NL_Port to a switch. See also F_Port, Fx_Port, NL_Port.
flash
Programmable nonvolatile RAM (NVRAM) memory that maintains its contents without power.
frame
The Fibre Channel structure used to transmit data between ports. Consists of a start-of-frame delimiter,
header, optional headers, data payload, cyclic redundancy check (CRC), and end-of-frame delimiter.
There are two types of frames: link control frames (transmission acknowledgements and so forth) and data
frames.
FS
Fibre Channel service. A service that is defined by Fibre Channel standards and exists at a well-known
address. For example, the Simple Name Server is a Fibre Channel service. See also FSP.
FSP
Fibre Channel Service Protocol. The common protocol for all fabric services, transparent to the fabric type
or topology. See also FS.
FSPF
Fabric shortest path first. The HP StorageWorks routing protocol for Fibre Channel switches.
FSS
Fabric OS state synchronization. The FSS service is related to high availability (HA). The primary function
of FSS is to deliver state update messages from active components to their peer standby components. FSS
determines whether fabric elements are synchronized, and thus FSS compliant.
FTP
File Transfer Protocol.