User`s guide

Preface

“Do everything that is necessary and absolutely nothing that is not.”

In this IBM Redbook, we have tried to consolidate as much of the critical

information as possible while covering procedures and tasks that are likely to be

encountered on a daily basis.

Each of the products described has much, much more functionality than we

could ever hope to cover in just one redbook. The IBM SAN portfolio is rich in

quality products that bring a vast amount of technicality and vitality to the SAN

world. Their inclusion and selection is based on a thorough understanding of the

storage networking environment that positions IBM, and therefore its customers

and partners, in an ideal position to take advantage by their deployment.

In this redbook we cover the latest additions to the IBM SAN family, which

includes products from companies such as Brocade, INRANGE, and McDATA.

We show how they can be implemented in an open systems environment, and

we focus on the Fibre Channel protocol (FCP) environment in particular. We

address some of the key concepts that they bring to the market, and in each

case, we give an overview of those functions that are essential to building a

robust SAN environment.

The team that wrote this redbook

This redbook was produced by a team of specialists from around the world

working at the International Technical Support Organization, San Jose Center.

Jon Tate is a Project Leader for SAN TotalStorage Solutions with the

International Technical Support Organization, San Jose Center. Before joining

the ITSO in 1999, he worked in the IBM Technical Support Center, providing level

2 support for IBM storage products. Jon has 16 years of experience in storage

software and management, services, and support, and he is an IBM SAN

Certified Specialist.

Brian Cartwright is an Advisory I/T Specialist with the Storage Systems Group

and is based in Brisbane, Australia. Brian has 14 years of experience in the I/T

industry with 6 years at IBM working as a Technical Specialist in the S/390 and

Storage Systems Groups. During this time, Brian has been providing pre-sales

and technical support for IBM Storage Solutions and has been heavily involved in