Brocade Communications Systems A7990A - StorageWorks SAN Director 4/16 Blade... User manual

Publication Number: 53-1000040-03
Publication Date: 9/29/2006
Glossary
Supporting Fabric OS v5.2.0

Copyright © 2006, Brocade Communications Systems, Incorporated.
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Document History
The following table lists all versions of the Brocade Glossary.
Document Title Publication
Number Summary of Changes Publication Date
Brocade Glossary v3.1 / 4.1 53-0000369-01 New document. April 2003
Brocade Glossary v4.1.2 53-0000369-02 Added FICON® terms. October 2003
Brocade Glossary v5.1.0 53-1000040-01 Added Fibre Channel Routing
Services and FCIP definitions. November 2005
Brocade Glossary v5.1.0 53-1000040-02 Minor updates. April 2006
Brocade Glossary v5.2.0 53-1000040-03 Updated for Fabric OS v5.2.0,
including IPSec and FCIP. September 2006

Brocade Glossary 1
Publication Number: 53-1000040-03
Glossary
A
ACC Accept link service reply. The normal reply to an Extended Link Service request (such as FLOGI),
indicating that the request has been completed.
ACL (Access Control List)
active copper A Fibre Channel connection that allows copper cabling up to 33 meters (36 yards) between devices.
AD0 A special administrative domain. When an AD-capable switch is first added to a fabric, all relevant
resources of the fabric (switches, ports, devices) become its members automatically. These resources
are put in an implicit list as defined later. When members are added to AD0 explicitly they become part
of the explicit list as fixed members. See also administrative domain, automatic member, explicit list,
fixed member and implicit list.
AD255 An administrative domain that allows users to get an unfiltered view of the fabric and manage ADs. See
also physical fabric.
The difference between the legacy physical fabric context and the physical fabric context as seen from
an AD-capable switch is as follows:
•Does not allow modifications to the zone database
•Displays hierarchical zone database: AD/zone, and so on
•Allows AD administration
address
identifier A 24-bit or 8-bit value used to identify the source or destination of a frame. See also D_ID, and S_ID.
administrative
domain (Admin Domain or AD) Part of Brocade’s virtual fabric strategy, a filtered administrative view of the fabric. The logical view presented in an Admin Domain filters attributes of switch ports and end devices
based on AD membership without hiding the following resources—fabric, chassis, switches, and slots.
Administrative domains allow device resources in a fabric to be grouped together into logical groups
and provide the ability to manage them separately.
Advanced
zoning In EZSwitchSetup, a zoning option that allows you to customize zoning (appropriate for advanced SAN administrators who have the experience to perform manual zoning). See also Custom zoning and
Typical zoning.
AD zone
database The zone database owned by each Admin Domain. Once Fabric OS v5.2.0 is installed, the root zone database will be owned by AD0. Each AD will have its own zone database (with both defined and
effective zone sets and all related zone objects (zones, zone aliases, zone members). See also AD0 and
root zone database.

2Brocade Glossary
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Glossary
AL_PA Arbitrated-loop physical address. A unique 8-bit value assigned during loop initialization to a port in an
arbitrated loop.
AL_TIME Arbitrated-loop timeout value. Twice the amount of time it would take for a transmission word to
propagate around a worst-case loop. The default value is 15 milliseconds (ms).
alias A logical grouping of elements in a fabric. An alias is a collection of port numbers and WWNs, used to
simplify the entry of port numbers and WWNs when creating zones.
alias address
identifier An address identifier recognized by a port in addition to its standard identifier. An alias address identifier can be shared by multiple ports. See also alias.
alias AL_PA An AL_PA value recognized by an L_Port in addition to the AL_PA assigned to the port. See also
AL_PA.
alias object A name assigned to a device or group of devices to enable easy configuration of multiple devices in the
zone database. See also zone object.
alias server A fabric software facility that supports multicast group management.
ARB Arbitrative primitive signal. Applies only to an arbitrated-loop topology. Transmitted as the fill word by
an L_Port to indicate that the port is arbitrating access to the loop.
arbitrated loop A shared 100-Mbit/sec Fibre Channel transport structured as a loop. Can support up to 126 devices and
one fabric attachment. See also topology.
arbitration A method of gaining orderly access to a shared-loop topology.
area number A logical numeric identifier for a physical port. In Brocade Fabric OS v4.0 and above, ports on a switch
are assigned a logical port area number. Port area numbers can be viewed by entering the switchShow
command. They are used to define the operative port for many Fabric OS commands: for example, area
numbers can be used to define the ports within an alias or zone.
ARR Asynchronous response router. Refers to Management Server GS_Subtype Code E4, which appears in
portLogDump command output.
ASIC Application-specific integrated circuit.
ATM Asynchronous Transfer Mode. A protocol for transmitting data over LANs or WANs that transmits
fixed-length units of data. Provides any-to-any connectivity and allows SAN devices to transmit
simultaneously.
audit event Fabric OS events that are logged. When managing SANs, you may wish to filter, or audit, certain
classes of events to ensure that you can view and generate a “paper trail” for what is happening on a
switch.
authentication The process of verifying through a password that an entity in a fabric, such as a switch, should or should
not have access to the fabric. See also digital certificate and switch-to-switch authentication.

Brocade Glossary 3
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Glossary
autocommit A feature of the firmwareDownload command. Enabled by default, autocommit commits new
firmware to both the primary and secondary partitions of a CP. With autocommit disabled, the firmware
is written only to the primary partition of a CP, enabling you to restore the previous firmware from the
secondary partition.
autoleveling A process run on switch modules (blades in a Brocade director) that is triggered when the active CP
detects that the blade contains a different version of the firmware, regardless of which version is older.
Autoleveling downloads the firmware to the blade, swaps partitions, reboots the blade, and copies the
new firmware from the primary partition to the secondary partition.
automatic
member In administrative domains, all switches, ports, and devices that have not been explicitly declared in any AD (including AD0); a member of in the implicit list. See also AD0, fixed member, and implicit list.
AW_TOV Arbitration wait timeout value. The minimum time an arbitrating L_Port waits for a response before
beginning loop initialization.
B
backbone
fabric A backbone fabric can consist of a single- or multiple- Fibre Channel Routing Services capable switches that connect to each other directly or indirectly through other switches using E_Ports or
VE_Ports. Two edge fabrics can communicate across a backbone fabric and share resources such as
storage or servers, they are kept from merging into a single fabric. Edge fabrics can also share devices
with backbone fabric with FR4-18i and vice-versa. See also Fibre Channel Routing Services, translate
phantom domain, and phantom device.
backup FCS
switch Relates to the Brocade Secure Fabric OS feature. The backup fabric configuration server serves as a backup in case the primary FCS switch fails. See also FCS switch and primary FCS switch.
bandwidth The total transmission capacity of a cable, link, or system. Usually measured in bits/sec (bits per
second). Can also refer to the range of transmission frequencies available to a link or system.
Basic User
mode In Web Tools, a switch configuration that is set from the EZSwitchSetup CD. If Basic User mode is enabled, then entering the switch IP address in a browser window launches Web Tools EZ instead of
Web Tools. Basic User mode is supported only on SilkWorm 200E and 3250 switches.
BB See backbone fabric.
BB fabric A backbone fabric that connects FC Routers. The FC Routers communicate over the backbone fabric
using FCRP (Fibre Channel Router Protocol).
BB_Credit Buffer-to-buffer credit. The number of frames that can be transmitted to a directly connected recipient
or within an arbitrated loop. Determined by the number of receive buffers available. See also buffer-to-
buffer flow control and EE_Credit.
beacon A tool in which all of the port LEDs on a switch are set to flash from one side of the switch to the other,
to enable identification of an individual switch in a large fabric. A switch can be set to beacon by a
Fabric OS command or through Web Tools.

4Brocade Glossary
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Glossary
BER Bit error rate. The rate at which bits are expected to be received in error. Expressed as the ratio of error
bits to total bits transmitted. See also error.
BISR Built-in self-repair.
BIST Built-in self-test.
bit
synchroniza-
tion
The condition in which a receiver is delivering retimed serial data at the required bit error rate.
blind-mate
connector A two-way connector used in some Brocade SilkWorm switches to provide a connection between the motherboard and the power supply.
block In Fibre Channel technology, upper-level application data that is transferred in a single sequence.
Bloom A Brocade 2-Gbit/sec switch and director ASIC.
boot code Software that initialized the system environment during the early phase of the boot-up process. For
example, boot code might determine the amount of available memory and how to access it.
boot flash Flash (temporary) memory that stores the boot code and boot.
bport Back-end port of the ASIC.
broadcast The transmission of data from a single source to all devices in the fabric, regardless of zoning. See also
multicast and unicast.
buffer-to-
buffer flow
control
Management of the frame transmission rate in either a point-to-point topology or in an arbitrated loop.
See also BB_Credit.
bypass
circuitry Circuits that automatically remove a device from the data path when valid signals are dropped.
C
CAM Content-addressable memory.
CAN Campus area network. A network comprising a limited area but not just one building. See also LAN,
MAN, and WAN.
canvas In Web Tools, a saved configuration of performance monitor graphs.
cascade Two or more interconnected Fibre Channel switches. Brocade SilkWorm 2000 and later switches can be
cascaded up to 239 switches, with a recommended maximum of 7 interswitch links (no path longer than
8 switches). See also fabric and ISL.
certificate
authority A third party organization that provides secure public and private keys. To ease maintenance and allow secure out-of-band communication between switches, consider using one certificate authority (CA) to
sign all management certificates for a fabric.

Brocade Glossary 5
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Glossary
CHAP Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol. Allows remote servers and clients to securely exchange
authentication credentials. Both the server and client are configured with the same shared secret.
chassis On a SilkWorm director, the metal frame in which the switch and switch components are mounted.
chassisConfig
Mode Chassis configuration mode. On a SilkWorm director, the chassisConfig mode determines the blade types enabled for use in the chassis. See the chassisConfig command in the Fabric OS Command
Reference for more information.
CIM Common Information Model. A management structure enabling disparate resources to be managed by a
common application.
circuit An established communication path between two ports. Consists of two virtual circuits capable of
transmitting in opposite directions.
Class 1 service The class of frame-switching service for a dedicated connection between two communicating ports
(also called “connection-oriented service”). Includes acknowledgement of frame delivery or
nondelivery.
Class 2 service A connectionless class of frame-switching service that includes acknowledgement of frame delivery or
nondelivery.
Class 3 service A connectionless class of frame-switching service that does not include acknowledgement of frame
delivery or nondelivery. Can be used to provide a multicast connection between the frame originator
and recipients, with acknowledgement of frame delivery or nondelivery.
Class 4 service A connection-oriented service that allows fractional parts of the bandwidth to be used in a virtual
circuit.
Class 6 service A connection-oriented multicast service geared toward video broadcasts between a central server and
clients.
Class F
service The class of frame-switching service for a direct connection between two switches, allowing communication of control traffic between the E_Ports. Includes acknowledgement of data delivery or
nondelivery.
class of
service A specified set of delivery characteristics and attributes for frame delivery.
CLI Command-line interface. An interface that depends entirely on the use of typed commands, such as
through a terminal connection, telnet, sectelnet, or SSH2; does not involve a GUI. See also GUI.
client An entity that makes requests of a server using its common transport (CT).
CLS Close primitive signal. Used only in an arbitrated loop. Sent by an L_Port that is currently
communicating in the loop, to close communication with another L_Port.
comma A unique pattern (either 1100000 or 0011111) used in 8b/10b encoding to specify character alignment
within a data stream. See also K28.5.
community
(SNMP) A relationship between a group of SNMP managers and an SNMP agent, in which authentication, access control, and proxy characteristics are defined. See also SNMP.

6Brocade Glossary
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Glossary
compact flash Volatile flash memory used in a manner similar to hard disk storage. It is connected to a bridging
component that connects to the PCI bus of the processor. Not visible in the processor's memory space.
Condor A Brocade 4-Gbit/sec switch and director ASIC.
controlled port A port that fulfils one of the following conditions: a) is a member of an Admin Domain, either explicitly
assigned or part of AD0, or b) if the switch to which the port belongs is a member of an Admin Domain.
configuration (1) A set of parameters that can be modified to define the operational characteristics of a switch.
(2) In Brocade Zoning, a zoning object that contains a set of zones; analogous to a zone set used by
other Fibre Channel switch vendors. See also zone configuration.
congestion The reduction of throughput below the requested amount either due to oversubscription within a fabric
of switches or within a group of interconnected ASICs inside a switch. A congested link is an ISL on
which multiple devices have collectively requested more throughput than the link supports at one time.
core PID The default PID mode for SilkWorm 200E, 3016, 3250, 3850, 3900, and 4100 switches and SilkWorm
directors, the recommended format for Brocade switches and fabrics. It uses the entire 8-bit address
space and directly uses the port number as the area_ID. It supports up to 256 ports per switch. See also
VC Encoded PID, native PID, and extended edge PID.
CP1 The first-generation director CP blade provided with the SilkWorm 12000. This CP supports 1- and 2-
Gbit/sec port speeds. It supports only the dual domain configuration in the chassis.
CP2 The second-generation director CP blade provided with the SilkWorm 24000. This CP supports 1- and
2-Gbit/sec port speeds. It supports both a dual domain and a single domain configuration in the chassis.
CP4 The third-generation director CP blade provided with the SilkWorm 48000. This CP supports 1-, 2-, and
4-Gbit/sec port speeds, as well as 16-, 32-, and 48-port 4-Gbit/sec blades. It also supports the FR4-18i
blade when set to chassisConfig mode 5.
CRC Cyclic redundancy check. A check for transmission errors, included in every data frame.
credit In Fibre Channel technology, the number of receive buffers available to transmit frames between ports.
See also BB_Credit and EE_Credit.
CSCN Common services connection framework.
Custom zoning In EZSwitchSetup, a zoning option that provides a device accessibility matrix for you to modify and
then automatically creates zones based on the matrix. See also Advanced zoning and Typical zoning.
D
D_ID Destination identifier. A 3-byte field in the frame header, used to indicate the address identifier of the
N_Port to which the frame is headed.
dark fiber A leased fiber optic cable running between sites characterized by not having a service provided on the
wire by the leasing company. All services are provided by the customer.
DAS Direct attached storage.

Brocade Glossary 7
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Glossary
data migration
console (DMC) The graphical user interface to the DMM appliance. See also DMM appliance.
DCC Direct cable connection. DCC does not require network interface cards (NICs), making it relatively
inexpensive and simple; however, it provides a limited connection between two PCs, and the data
transfer rate is slower than with a true LAN.
dedicated
simplex A connection method that permits a single N_Port to simultaneously initiate a session with one N_Port as an initiator and have a separate Class 1 connection to another N_Port as a recipient.
defined zone
configuration The complete set of all zone objects defined in the zoning database. The zoning database is fabric wide, and thus includes all alias, zone, and configuration definitions for the entire fabric. Multiple zone
configurations can be defined in the zone data, though only one can be active on the fabric. See also
effective zone configuration, enabled zone configuration, and zone configuration.
deskew In the Brocade trunking feature, the time difference between traffic traveling over each ISL other than
the shortest ISL in the group and traffic traveling over that shortest ISL. The deskew number
corresponds to nanoseconds divided by 10.The firmware automatically sets the minimum deskew value
of the shortest ISL to 15.
device-based
routing A routing policy in which the choice of routing path is based on the Fibre Channel addresses of the source device (S_ID) and the destination device (D_ID), improving path utilization for better
performance. Thus, the same route is always used and the sequence of exchanges is guaranteed. See
also port-based routing and exchange-based routing.
DH-CHAP Diffie-Hellman Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol. An implementation of CHAP using
Diffie-Hellman encryption. See also CHAP.
DHCP Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. An Internet protocol for automating the configuration of
computers that use TCP/IP. DHCP can be used to automatically assign IP addresses, to deliver TCP/IP
stack configuration parameters such as the subnet mask and default router, and to provide other
configuration information such as the addresses for printer, time and news servers.
DHCPD Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol daemon.
digital
certificate An electronic document issued by a CA (certificate authority) to an entity, containing the public key and identity of the entity. Entities in a secure fabric are authenticated based on these certificates. See also
authentication and public key.
director A highly-available and scalable Fibre Channel switch that uses a chassis and blade architecture. The
SilkWorm 12000, 24000, and 48000 are all Brocade directors.
discovery
domain (DD) An iSCSI access control concept. An iSCSI discovery domain is created between iSCSI hosts and targets using their IQN. See also IQN.
discovery
domain set (DDSet) An iSCSI access control concept. A set consisting of an iSCSI host and an iSCSI target.
disparity The proportion of 1s and 0s in an encoded character. “Neutral disparity” means an equal number of
each, “positive disparity” means a majority of 1s; and “negative disparity” means a majority of 0s.

8Brocade Glossary
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Glossary
DLS Dynamic load-sharing or dynamic distribution of traffic over available paths. Allows for recomputing
of routes when an Fx_Port or E_Port changes status. The device-based and exchange-based routing
policies depend on the Fabric OS Dynamic Load Sharing feature (DLS) for dynamic routing path
selection.
DMC Data migration console. The graphical user interface to the DMM appliance. See also DMM appliance.
DMM
appliance A Brocade product that provides hardware-assisted data migration from one storage device to another across a SilkWorm switch. It enables the migration of data from multiple storage devices
simultaneously across multiple fabrics. The software portion of the DMM appliance is layered onto the
Brocade Storage Application Services (SAS). The DMM appliance requires the SilkWorm AP7420 as a
hardware platform. See also LU path, extent pair, and migration set.
domain
controller A domain controller (or embedded port) that communicates with and gets updates from other switches' embedded port, in order to assign domain numbers that do not conflict with the domains numbers
currently used in the fabric to new switches. The well-known address is fffcdd, where dd = domain
number.
domain ID A unique numeric identifier for each switch within a fabric used in routing frames. Usually
automatically assigned by the principle switch but can be assigned manually.
dynamic load-
sharing See DLS.
E
E_D_TOV Error-detect timeout value. The minimum amount of time a target waits for a sequence to complete
before initiating recovery. Can also be defined as the maximum time allowed for a round-trip
transmission before an error is declared. See also R_A_TOV and RR_TOV.
E_Port A switch port that has been connected to another switch to form an ISL. See also ISL.
ECCN Export classification control number. A government classification of encryption. For example, SSH is
in the high-encryption category (number 5x02) and therefore has certain restrictions regarding its
transfer.
edge fabric A Fibre Channel (FC) fabric connected to an FC router or FR4-18i AP blade via an EX_Port.
EE_Credit End-to-end credit. The number of receive buffers allocated by a recipient port to an originating port.
Used by Class 1 and 2 services to manage frame exchange across the fabric, between source and
destination. See also BB_Credit and end-to-end flow control.
effective zone
configuration A subset of the defined zone configuration, containing only the zone configuration objects that are currently enabled. Only one configuration can be active at a time, but multiple configurations can be
defined in the database. See also defined zone configuration.
EIA rack A storage rack that meets the standards set by the Electronics Industry Association (EIA).
ELP Exchange link parameters.

Brocade Glossary 9
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Glossary
ELS Extended link service. ELSs are sent to the destination N_Port to perform the requested function or
service. ELS is a Fibre Channel standard that is sometimes referred to as “Fibre Channel Physical
(FC_PH) ELS.”
EM Environmental monitor. A daemon in the Fabric OS that monitors hardware components and FRUs and
reports failures. See also FRU.
embedded port An embedded port (or domain controller) communicates and get updates from other switches'
embedded ports. The well-known address is fffcdd, where dd = domain number.
EMI Electromagnetic interference.
enabled zone
configuration The currently enabled configuration of zones. Only one configuration can be enabled at a time. See also defined zone configuration and zone configuration.
end-to-end
flow control Governs flow of Class 1 and 2 frames between N_Ports. See also EE_Credit.
entry fabric The basic Brocade software license that allows one E_Port per switch.
EOF End of frame. A group of ordered sets used to mark the end of a frame.
ePair See extent pair.
error In Fibre Channel terminology, a missing or corrupted frame, timeout, loss of synchronization, or loss of
signal (link errors). See also loop failure.
Ethernet A popular LAN protocol.
EVMd Event management database. Delivers FDMI-related events.
EX_Port A type of E_Port that connects an FC router to an edge fabric. From the point of view of a switch in an
edge fabric, an EX_Port appears as a normal E_Port. It follows applicable Fibre Channel standards as
other E_Ports. However, the router terminates EX_Ports rather than allowing different fabrics to merge
as would happen on a switch with regular E_Ports.
exchange The highest-level Fibre Channel mechanism used for communication between N_Ports. Composed of
one or more related sequences, it can work in either one or both directions.
exchange-
based routing A routing policy in which the choice of routing path is based on the S_ID, D_ID, and Fibre Channel originator exchange ID (OX_ID), optimizing path utilization for the best performance. Thus, every
exchange can take a different path through the fabric. This routing policy is the default on the SilkWorm
200E, 4100, 4900, AP7420, 7500, and 48000 (using configuration option 5). See also device-based
routing and port-based routing.
explicit list In AD0, consists of any members in the AD0 that have been intentionally added to another Admin
Domain. These members are automatically deleted from the implicit list, but members of the explicit
list are not deleted when they are assigned to other ADs. See also AD0 and implicit list.
exported
device A device that has been mapped between fabrics (a host or storage port in one edge fabric can be exported to any other fabric including backbone by using LSAN zoning).

10 Brocade Glossary
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Glossary
extended edge
PID This format generates the same PID for a port on switches with 16 or fewer ports as would native PID format, but it also supports up to 256 ports per domain. It should be used only in cases where you cannot
upgrade devices to dynamic PID binding and you must not reboot your servers. Extended edge PID is
supported in Fabric OS v2.6.x, v3.1.x, and v4.2.x. See also VC Encoded PID, native PID, and core PID.
Extended
Fabrics An optionally licensed Fabric OS feature that provides up to 500 km of switched fabric connectivity at full bandwidth over long distances.
extent A range of logical blocks within a logical unit (LU). The path name identifies both the LU of which this
extent is part and the path used to access this extents. See also DMM appliance.
extent pair (ePair) Associates two extents in DMM: a source extent and an appropriate destination extent. This pair
then identifies the migration locations to DMM. See also DMM appliance.
F
F_Port Fabric port. Fabric port on a switch to which an N_Port connects. See also N_Port, and Fx_Port.
fabric One or more interconnected Fibre Channel switches. The term “fabric” refers to only the interconnected
switches and not to devices connected to the fabric. See also cascade, SAN, and topology.
fabric
application
platform
A switching device that enables fabric-based storage applications to run within a fabric at wire-speed.
The Brocade SilkWorm AP7420 is an example of a fabric application platform. See also DMM
appliance.
Fabric
Manager Fabric Manager is licensed Brocade software that resides on a host computer and enables fabric-wide GUI management for multiple fabrics in geographically dispersed locations.
Fabric mode One of two possible modes for an L_Port, in which the L_Port is connected to another port that is not
loop capable, using fabric protocol.
fabric name The unique identifier assigned to a fabric and communicated during login and port discovery.
fabric port
count The number of ports available to connection SAN devices in a fabric.
fabric services Codes that describe the communication to and from any well-known address.
fabric topology The arrangement of switches that form a fabric.
Fabric Watch An optionally licensed Brocade software. Fabric Watch, accessed through either the command line or
Web Tools, provides the ability to set thresholds for monitoring fabric conditions.
failover On a SilkWorm director, the process of activating the standby CP and transferring switch processing to
this CP. Typically when a failover occurs caused by a problem detected in the active CP, the standby CP
is made active so that traffic is not disrupted. Multiple failovers occur during the firmware download
process, because when new firmware is activated, the CP must be rebooted.
FAN Fabric address notification. Retains the AL_PA and fabric address when a loop reinitializes, if the
switch supports FAN.

Brocade Glossary 11
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Glossary
fan-in The ratio of hosts to storage devices; the view of the SAN from the storage port's perspective.
fan-out The ratio of storage devices to hosts; the view of the SAN from the host port's perspective.
FastWrite A Fabric OS feature running on top of FCIP that accelerates Write operations from a host to a target
device. It eliminates the latency associated with the long distance in FCIP.
FC virtual
initiator Fibre Channel Virtual Initiator (FC-VI). The iSCSI port looks like an F_Port to the rest of the system, with one FC-VI per iSCSI port. Brocade uses the FC proxy initiator solution. FC-VI registers to the
Name Server with its symbolic port name and node name.
FC-16 A 16-port SilkWorm director blade supporting 1- and 2-Gbit/sec port speeds. This port blade is
compatible with only the SilkWorm 12000 (CP1) or SilkWorm 24000 (CP2) control processor blades.
FC2-16 A 16-port SilkWorm director blade supporting 1- and 2-Gbit/sec port speeds. This port blade is
compatible with only the SilkWorm 24000 (CP2) or SilkWorm 48000 (CP4) control processor blades.
FC4-16 A 16-port SilkWorm director blade supporting 1-, 2-, and 4-Gbit/sec port speeds. This port blade is
compatible with only the SilkWorm 24000 (CP2) or SilkWorm 48000 (CP4) control processor blades
and does not support private devices.
FC4-16IP A 16-port SilkWorm director blade enabling bridging of iSCSI hosts to Fibre Channel fabrics. It has 8
Fibre Channel optical SFP ports and 8 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) copper RJ-45 ports.
FC4-32 A 32-port SilkWorm director port blade supporting 1-, 2-, and 4-Gbit/sec port speeds. This port blade is
compatible with only the SilkWorm 48000 (CP4) control processor blades and does not support private
devices.
FC4-48 A 48-port SilkWorm director port blade supporting 1, 2, and 4 Gbit/sec port speeds.This port blade is
compatible only with the SilkWorm 48000 (CP4) control processor blades. It does not support L_Port
attachments.
FCIP Fibre Channel over IP.
FCIP
Tunneling
Service
A routing service that enables SANs to span longer distances than could be supported with native Fibre
Channel links. FCIP is a TCP/IP-based tunneling protocol that allows the transparent interconnection of
geographically distributed SAN islands through an IP-based network. The links appear as virtual
E_Ports (VE_Ports) in switchShow.
Fibre Channel
Routing
Services
Fibre Channel Routing Services enables two or more fabrics to share resources (such hosts or storage
devices) without merging those fabrics. See also backbone fabric, translate phantom domain, and
phantom device.
FCS switch In Brocade Secure Fabric OS, one or more designated switches that store and manage security
parameters and configuration data for all switches in the fabric. They also act as a set of backup
switches to the primary FCS switch. See also primary FCS switch.
FC-SW-2 The second-generation Fibre Channel Switch Fabric standard defined by ANSI. Specifies tools and
algorithms for the interconnection and initialization of Fibre Channel switches to create a multiswitch
Fibre Channel fabric.

12 Brocade Glossary
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Glossary
FDDI Fibre Distributed Data Interface. An ANSI architecture for a metropolitan area network (MAN); a
network based on the use of fiber-optic cable to transmit data at 100 Mbit/sec.
FDMI Fabric-Device Management Interface. FDMI is a database service provided by the fabric for Nx_Ports.
The primary use is by HBA devices that register information about themselves and their ports.
FFFFF5 Well-known Fibre Channel address for a Class 6 multicast server.
FFFFF6 Well-known Fibre Channel address for a clock synchronization server.
FFFFF7 Well-known Fibre Channel address for a security key distribution server.
FFFFF8 Well-known Fibre Channel address for an alias server.
FFFFF9 Well-known Fibre Channel address for a QoS facilitator.
FFFFFA Well-known Fibre Channel address for a management server.
FFFFFB Well-known Fibre Channel address for a time server.
FFFFFC Well-known Fibre Channel address for a directory server.
FFFFFD Well-known Fibre Channel address for a fabric controller.
FFFFFE Well-known Fibre Channel address for a fabric F_Port.
FFFFFF Well-known Fibre Channel address for a broadcast alias ID.
Fibre Channel The primary protocol used for building SANs to transmit data between servers, switches, and storage
devices. Unlike IP and Ethernet, Fibre Channel was designed to support the needs of storage devices of
all types. It is a high-speed, serial, bidirectional, topology-independent, multiprotocol, and highly
scalable interconnection between computers, peripherals, and networks.
FICON®A protocol used on IBM mainframes. Brocade SilkWorm switch FICON support enables a SilkWorm
fabric to transmit FICON format data between FICON-capable servers and storage.
FID Fabric ID. Unique identifier of a fabric in a metaSAN. The backbone fabric is also identified using a
unique fabric ID. See also Fibre Channel Routing Services.
FIFO First in, first out. Refers to a data buffer that follows the first in, first out rule.
firmware The Brocade Fabric OS provided with SilkWorm hardware platforms.
fixed member In administrative domains, a member that has been intentionally added to another AD. A member of the
explicit list, and once assigned to an AD, deleted from the implicit list. See also automatic member and
explicit list.
fixed port
usage In EZSwitchSetup, fixed port usage means that a set of switch ports is designated to be used as HBA (host) ports and a set of ports is designated to be used as storage ports.
FL_Port Fabric loop port. A port that is able to transmit under fabric protocol and also has arbitrated-loop
capabilities. Can be used to connect an NL_Port to a switch. See also F_Port and Fx_Port.

Brocade Glossary 13
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Glossary
flash Programmable nonvolatile RAM (NVRAM) memory that maintains its contents without power.
FLOGI Fabric login. The process by which an N_Port determines whether a fabric is present, and if so,
exchanges service parameters with it. See also PLOGI.
FR4-18i An application processor blade with 16 x 4Gbit/sec FC ports and 2 x 1Gbit/sec Ethernet ports.This
blade supports FCIP and Fibre Channel Routing Services and is available for the SilkWorm 48000
director in chassisConfig mode 5. See also FCIP Tunneling Service and Fibre Channel Routing
Services.
fractional
bandwidth The partial use of a link to send data back and forth, with a maximum of 254 Class 4 connections per N_Port.
frame The Fibre Channel structure used to transmit data between ports. Consists of a start-of-frame delimiter,
header, optional headers, data payload, cyclic redundancy check (CRC), and end-of-frame delimiter.
There are two types of frames: link control frames (transmission acknowledgements and so forth) and
data frames.
frame relay A protocol that uses logical channels, as used in X.25. Provides very little error-checking ability.
Discards frames that arrive with errors. Allows a certain level of bandwidth between two locations
(known as a “committed information rate” or CIR) to be guaranteed by service provider. If CIR is
exceeded for short periods (known as “bursts”), the network accommodates the extra data, if spare
capacity is available. Frame relay is therefore known as “bandwidth on demand.”
front domain A tier of virtual domains between the translation domains and the edge fabrics. This allows FSPF
multipathing to work as desired. Current FC Routing Service uses one front domain per EX_Port,
although future implementations might limit this to one per edge fabric. No FC-NAT devices are ever
“hung off of” front domains: each IFL connection from a router to an edge fabric creates a front domain.
FRU Field-replaceable unit, such as a fan assembly or power supply assembly. A component that can be
replaced onsite, typically without powering off the switch or disconnecting the switch from the fabric.
See also hot swappable.
FSPF Fabric shortest path first. The IEEE T11 standard routing protocol for Fibre Channel switch, which was
written by Brocade.
FSS Fabric OS state synchronization. The FSS service is related to high availability (HA). The primary
function of FSS is to deliver state update messages from active components to their peer standby
components. FSS determines if fabric elements are synchronized (and thus FSS "compliant").
FTP File Transfer Protocol.
full fabric The Brocade software license that allows multiple E_Ports on a switch, making it possible to create
multiple ISL links.
full fabric
citizenship A loop device that has an entry in the Simple Name Server.
full duplex A mode of communication that allows the same port to simultaneously transmit and receive frames. See
also half duplex.
Fx_Port A fabric port that can operate as either an F_Port or an FL_Port. See also F_Port, FL_Port.

14 Brocade Glossary
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Glossary
G
G_Port Generic port. A port that can operate as either an E_Port or an F_Port. A port is defined as a G_Port
when it is not yet connected or has not yet assumed a specific function in the fabric.
gateway Gateway hardware merges SANs into a single fabric by establishing point-to-point E_Port connectivity
between two Fibre Channel switches separated by a network with a protocol such as IP or SONET.
GbE port Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) ports available on the SilkWorm 7500 and FR4-18i blade. These ports support
the FCIP and Fibre Channel Routing Services features with link speeds up to 1 Gbit/sec. Each GbE port
can support up to 8 FCIP tunnels. Each FCIP tunnel is represented and managed as a Fibre Channel
E_Port. Fibre Channel Routing Services functionality can be used over the FCIP link. See also FCIP
Tunneling Service.
GBIC Gigabit interface converter. A removable serial transceiver module that allows gigabaud physical-level
transport for Fibre Channel and gigabit Ethernet. GBICs have been replaced by SFPs in newer Brocade
switches. See also SFP.
GMT Greenwich Mean Time. An international time zone. Also known as “UTC.”
GoldenEye A Brocade 4-Gbit/sec switch ASIC. Used in the SilkWorm 200E.
GUI Graphical user interface, in Brocade products: Web Tools, Fabric Manager., DMC, and so on.
H
HA High availability. A set of features in SilkWorm switches designed to provide maximum reliability and
nondisruptive replacement of key hardware and software modules. Includes the HA manager and
failover functionality in Fabric OS software and hardware features, such as redundant hot swappable
CPs, fan FRUs, power supplies, and WWN cards.
HA manager A daemon in Fabric OS that monitors processes in the fabric. If an error is detected, the HA manager
will failover to the standby CP and reboot the primary CP.
half duplex A mode of communication that allows a port to either transmit or receive frames at any time except
simultaneously (with the exception of link control frames, which can be transmitted at any time). See
also full duplex.
hard address The AL_PA that an NL_Port attempts to acquire during loop initialization.
hardware-
enforced
zoning
Hardware-enforced zoning is specified when using the a homogenous zoning scheme, that is, when all
members of a zone configuration are defined using the same method, either <domains, ports> or
WWNs, but not both. See also software enforced zoning.
Hardware
Translative
Mode
A method for achieving address translation. There are two hardware translative modes available to a
QuickLoop-enabled switch: Standard Translative Mode and QuickLoop Mode.
HBA Host bus adapter. The interface card in a server or workstation that allows an operating system to
communicate on a Fibre Channel network.

Brocade Glossary 15
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Glossary
header A Fibre Channel frame has a header and a payload. The header contains control and addressing
information associated with the frame. See also payload.
HiPPI High-Performance Parallel Interface. An 800 Mbit/sec interface normally used in supercomputer
environments.
hop count The number of ISLs a frame must traverse to get from its source to its destination. See also ISL.
host A computer system that provides end users with services such as computation and storage access.
hot swappable A subsystem component, such as a power supply or fan assembly, that can be replaced while the overall
system remains powered and functional.
HSSDC High-speed serial data connection. A form factor that allows quick connections for copper interface.
HSSDC-2 A second-generation HSSDC connector
HTTP Hypertext Transfer Protocol. The standard TCP/IP transfer protocol used on the World Wide Web.
HTTPS Hypertext Transfer Protocol secure link. Switches and directors configured for SSL grant access to
management tools through hypertext transfer protocol secure links (which begin with https://) instead of
standard links (which begin with http://). See also SSL.
hub A Fibre Channel wiring concentrator that collapses a loop topology into a physical star topology. SAN
devices are automatically added to the loop when active and removed when inactive.
hunt group A number of N_Ports registered as a single Alias_ID so that the fabric can route a word to a port that is
not busy.
I
I2C Related to internal circuitry on motherboard.
ID_ID Insistent domain ID. A parameter of the configure command in the Fabric OS.
idle Continuous transmission of an ordered set over a Fibre Channel link when no data is being transmitted,
to keep the link active and maintain bit, byte, and word synchronization.
iFCP Internet Fibre Channel Protocol. Supports Fibre Channel Layer 4 FCP-Over-TCP/IP. It is a gateway-to-
gateway protocol in which TCP/IP switching and routing components enhance/replace Fibre Channel
fabric.
iFCS IP storage fabric configuration server.
IFL Interfabric link. A connection between a router and an edge fabric. Architecturally, these can be of type
EX_Port-to-E_Port or EX_Port-to-EX_Port.
IKE Internet Key Exchange. The protocol used to set up a security association in the IPSec protocol suite.
See also IPSec and SA.

16 Brocade Glossary
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Glossary
implicit list In administrative domains, a list of all switches, ports, and devices that have not been explicitly declared
in any AD (including AD0). The implicit list changes as other ADs are created and resources consumed
by them. See also AD0, automatic member, and explicit list.
in-band Transmission of management protocol over the Fibre Channel.
initiator A server or workstation on a Fibre Channel network that initiates communications with storage devices.
See also target.
Insistent
Domain ID
mode
Sets the domain ID of a switch as insistent, so that it remains the same over reboots, power cycles,
failovers, and fabric reconfigurations.
intercabinet A specification for copper cabling that allows up to 33-m distances between cabinets.
intermix Allows any unused bandwidth in a Class 1 connection.
interop mode The interoperability mode that enables Brocade switches and other vendor switches to exchange
interoperability parameters, allowing their fabrics to merge into one fabric with one principal switch
and unique domain IDs. This mode is enabled using the interopMode command. Using interop mode
significantly reduces the advanced functionality of Brocade switches.
interswitch
link See ISL.
intracabinet A specification for copper cabling that allows up to a 13-m (42-ft) distance within a single cabinet.
IOCDS I/O Configuration Data Set.
IOCTL I/O control.
IOD In-order delivery. A parameter that, when set, guarantees that frames are either delivered in order or
dropped.
IPSec A framework of open standards to ensure private, secure communications over Internet Protocol (IP)
networks through the use of cryptographic security services. See also IKE and SA.
IQN iSCSI Qualified Name. An iSCSI address that uniquely identifies an iSCSI device on the network. It is
the equivalent of a Fibre Channel WWN and is in human readable format.
ISL Interswitch link. A Fibre Channel link from an E_Port of one switch to an E_Port of another. See also
cascade and E_Port.
ISL oversub-
scription ratio The ratio of the number of free ports (non-ISL) to the number of ISLs on a switch.
isolated
E_Port An E_Port that is online but not operational due to overlapping domain IDs or nonidentical parameters (such as E_D_TOVs). Frequently appears in the command line or logs as segmented. See also E_Port.
ISP Internet service provider.