System information

Glossary
g-19
Glossary
Ethernet A widely implemented local area network (LAN) protocol that uses a
bus or star topology and serves as the basis for the Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.3 standard, which
specifies the physical and software layers.
Ethernet hub A device used to connect the EFC Server and the directors it manages.
event code A three-digit number that specifies the exact event that occurred. This
code provides information on system failures, such as hardware
failures, failure locations, or general information on normal system
events.
exchange A term that refers to one of the Fibre Channel protocol “building
blocks,” composed of one or more non concurrent sequences.
expansion port E_Port. Physical interface on a FC switch within a fabric, that attaches
to an E_Port on another FC switch through an interswitch link (ISL)
to form a multiswitch fabric. See also
bridge port; fabric loop port;
fabric port; generic port; hub port; node loop port; node port;
segmented expansion port.
explicit fabric login The process by which a node port (N_Port) learns the characteristics
of the fabric to which it is attached by sending a fabric login
command (FLOGI) frame to the fabric port (F_Port) address FFFFFE
(hexadecimal).
F
fabric Entity that interconnects node ports (N_Ports) and is capable of
routing (switching) Fibre Channel frames, using the destination ID
information in the Fibre Channel frame header accompanying the
frames. A switch is the smallest entity that can function as a complete
switched fabric topology.
A collection of one or more FC switches interconnected by E_Port
ISLs. A fabric has its own fabric services such as a simple name server
(SNS) and a management server. Routes between various end points
in the fabric are calculated within the context of the fabric using
Fabric Shortest Path First (FSPF) algorithms. Traditionally, a fabric
has been referred to as a SAN or a SAN island.