Fibre Channel Primer

16 Fibre Channel: Connection to the Future
The ambitious requirements given the standards group were:
l Performance from 133 megabits/second to four gigabits/second
l Support for distances of up to 10 km
l Small connectors
l High-bandwidth utilization with distance insensitivity
l Greater connectivity than existing multidrop channels
l Broad availability (i.e., standard components)
l Support for multiple cost/performance levels, from small systems
to supercomputers
l Ability to carry interface command sets of multiple existing
protocols, including Internet Protocol (IP), SCSI, IPI, HiPPI-FP,
and audio/video
Fibre Channel, a channel/network standard, contains network
features that provide the required connectivity, distance, and protocol
multiplexing. It also supports traditional channel features for
simplicity, reliability, repeatable performance, and guaranteed
delivery. Fibre Channel also works as a generic transport mechanism.
Fibre Channel architecture represents a true channel/network
integration with an active, intelligent interconnection among devices.
All a Fibre Channel port has to do is manage a simple point-to-point
connection. The transmission is isolated from the control protocol,
so point-to-point links, arbitrated loops, and switched topologies are
used to meet the specific needs of an application (see Chapter 6 for
an explanation of topologies). The fabric is self-managing. Nodes
do not need station management, which greatly simplifies
implementation.
INTEROPERABILITY
Two independent laboratories do Fibre Channel testing. The
Interoperability Laboratory (IOL) at the University of New Hampshire
develops test suites for vendors to check compliance with the Fibre
Channel standard. The Computational Science and Engineering
Laboratory at the University of Minnesota is focused on functionality
and extending the application of Fibre Channel.