User`s guide

Chapter 1. Implementing Fibre Channel host adapter cards 7
1.2.6 Attaching an ESS to FICON channels
You can use the following FICON adapters with the IBM S/390 Enterprise
Storage Servers.
򐂰 Feature code 2314 — This is the long-wave laser adapter.
򐂰 Feature code 2316 — This is the short-wave laser adapter.
You can use the following FICON adapters with the IBM S/390 or zSeries
system:
򐂰 Feature code 2315 — This is the FICON long-wave laser adapter. This
adapter has two ports per adapter. This adapter is a 9-micron single mode
cable, but you can use it with a 62.5-micron multimode cable when you attach
mode-conditioning cables at each end.
򐂰 Feature code 2318 — This is the FICON short-wave laser adapter. This
adapter has two porters per adapter. The short-wave laser adapter supports
the 50 and 62.5-micron multimode cable.
You can attach the FICON channels directly to an ESS or you can attach the
FICON channels to a Fibre Channel switch. When you attach the FICON
channels directly to an ESS, the maximum number of FICON attachments is 16.
That is the maximum number of host adapters you can configure in an ESS.
When you use an ESS host adapter to attach to FICON channels either directly
or through a switch, the adapter is dedicated to FICON attachment and may not
be simultaneously attached to Fibre Channel protocol hosts.
When you attach an ESS to FICON channels through one or more switches, the
maximum number of FICON attachments is 128 per ESS adapter. The directors
provide very high availability with redundant components and no single points of
failure or repair.
You can use the INRANGE FC/9000 Fibre Channel director to attach Fibre
Channel protocol hosts and devices in addition to the FICON hosts and devices.
For these configurations, the Fibre Channel protocol hosts should communicate
only with the Fibre Channel protocol devices. The FICON hosts should
communicate only with the FICON devices. IBM recommends that you set up
zones in the directors to guarantee that none of the Fibre Channel protocol hosts
or devices can affect the FICON traffic.
When you attach FICON products to switches or directors, note that switch
cascading is not allowed. You cannot configure a fabric of multiple
interconnected directors and have a FICON channel attached to one director
communicate to a FICON control unit attached to another director.