User`s guide

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2001 371
Glossary
8B/10B A data encoding scheme developed by
IBM, translating byte-wide data to an encoded
10-bit format. Fibre Channel's FC-1 level defines
this as the method to be used to encode and
decode data transmissions over the Fibre
channel.
Adapter A hardware unit that aggregates other
I/O units, devices or communications links to a
system bus.
ADSM ADSTAR Distributed Storage Manager.
Agent (1) In the client-server model, the part of
the system that performs information preparation
and exchange on behalf of a client or server
application. (2) In SNMP, the word agent refers to
the managed system. See also: Management
Agent
AIT Advanced Intelligent Tape - A magnetic tape
format by Sony that uses 8mm cassettes, but is
only used in specific drives.
AL See Arbitrated Loop
ANSI American National Standards Institute - The
primary organization for fostering the
development of technology standards in the
United States. The ANSI family of Fibre Channel
documents provide the standards basis for the
Fibre Channel architecture and technology. See
FC-PH
Arbitration The process of selecting one
respondent from a collection of several
candidates that request service concurrently.
Arbitrated Loop A Fibre Channel
interconnection technology that allows up to 126
participating node ports and one participating
fabric port to communicate.
ATL Automated Tape Library - Large scale tape
storage system, which uses multiple tape drives
and mechanisms to address 50 or more
cassettes.
ATM Asynchronous Transfer Mode - A type of
packet switching that transmits fixed-length units
of data.
Backup A copy of computer data that is used to
recreate data that has been lost, mislaid,
corrupted, or erased. The act of creating a copy
of computer data that can be used to recreate
data that has been lost, mislaid, corrupted or
erased.
Bandwidth Measure of the information capacity
of a transmission channel.
Bridge (1)Acomponentusedtoattachmore
than one I/O unit to a port. (2) A data
communications device that connects two or
more networks and forwards packets between
them. The bridge may use similar or dissimilar
media and signaling systems. It operates at the
data link level of the OSI model. Bridges read and
filter data packets and frames.
Bridge/Router A device that can provide the
functions of a bridge, router or both concurrently.
A bridge/router can route one or more protocols,
such as TCP/IP, and bridge all other traffic. See
also: Bridge, Router
Broadcast Sending a transmission to all N_Ports
onafabric.
Channel A point-to-point link, the main task of
which is to transport data from one point to
another.
Channel I/O A form of I/O where request and
response correlation is maintained through some
form of source, destination and request
identification.
CIFS Common Internet File System
Class of Service A Fibre Channel frame delivery
scheme exhibiting a specified set of delivery
characteristics and attributes.