Fibre Channel Primer

6 Fibre Channel: Connection to the Future
Main Site
Gigabit Fibre
Channel Data Pipe
Remote
Site
Figure 2.1 Gigabit Fibre Channel solutions
open the way to meeting backup and recovery
requirements
DISASTER RECOVERY
One of today’s most valuable assets is stored information that is
moved, utilized, and shared in a timely and cost-effective manner.
Banking records, credit card transactions, and inventory status are
typical examples of critical pools of stored data.
Despite the strongest efforts, no one can avoid disasters that
threaten the life of a company, like hurricanes, floods, fires, extended
power outages, or sabotage. The need for backup and recovery is
well documented. Never before have IT staff had the ability to deploy
gigabit Fibre Channel solutions that enable backups and recoveries
to be completed on-line or within a short window of opportunity.
Fibre Channel networks can be deployed between sites within a
10 km range, stretched to 30 km (18 miles) with optical extender
modules, or, in the future, linked to the WAN using Synchronous
Transfer Mode (STM) or Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM).
A Fibre Channel investment before a disaster strikes can
dramatically impact the efficiency of a recovery. If your main IT
operations were destroyed, could you quickly implement a plan to
maintain day-to-day business activities? Fibre Channel will not only
speed up the recovery process but also help you make an effective
recovery, reducing the amount of lost productivity and revenue.