HP StorageWorks XP Disk Array Mainframe Host Attachment and Operations Guide XP24000, XP20000 (A5951 - 96151, September 2007)

Figure 2 Fiber Connectors
FICON Logical Specifications
The following table compares the logical specifications between FICON and ESCON.
Table 4 Comparing ESCON and FICON Logical Specifications
FICONESCONItem
PipeliningHandshakingCCW handling
Protocol interlock is reduced.
Multiple I/Os execute concurrently per
one channel
One I/O executes once per
channel
Number of concurrent I/Os
16,384 devices per channel1,024 devices per channelAddressing
Full-duplexHalf-duplexData transfer
In FICON:
• The interlock between the host and RAID is lowered in terms of the protocol.
• Throughput is increased using multiple I/O process and bi-directional data transfer.
• Improvements in connectivity increases the number of the connectable devices per channel.
FICON Operating Environment
The following table lists the operating environment required for FICON.
Table 5 Operating Environment Required for FICON
SpecificationItems
FICON Express,Z9CPU
FICON Express2,
FICON Express4
Native FICONz900
FICON Express
FICON Expressz990
Native FICONG5/G6
z800
FICON and ESCON Host Attachment26