Dell PowerVault 56F User manual

support.dell.com Dell PowerVault 56F 16-Port Fibre Channel Switch User’s Guide 1-1
(Rev. 11/3/98) FILE LOCATION: S:\SYSTEMS\Labrador\Ug\89TMRc10.fm
DELL CONFIDENTIAL - Preliminary 4/11/00
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The Dell PowerVault 56F is a 16-port Fibre Channel switch that consists of a remov-
able system board with gigabit interface converter (GBIC) modules, front panel
controls with a liquid crystal display (LCD) for configuration, redundant power sup-
plies, hot-swappable fan pack, and firmware for building and managing a fabric. A
fabric is an active, intelligent, and nonshared interconnect scheme for Fibre Channel
server and storage nodes. One or more switches interconnected create a Fibre Chan-
nel fabric. Figure 1-1 shows the switch view of a PowerVault 56F.
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Ethernet port
serial port
power supply 1
power supply 2
(optional)
LCD panel

1-2 Dell PowerVault 56F 16-Port Fibre Channel Switch User’s Guide
DELL CONFIDENTIAL - Preliminary 4/11/00
(Rev. 11/3/98) FILE LOCATION: S:\SYSTEMS\Labrador\Ug\89TMRc10.fm
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The switch includes the following features:
Ability to perform initial setup, including setting up the switch’s Internet Protocol
(IP) address from the front panel controls.
GBIC modules support fiber and copper transmission media. The switch’s modu-
lar construction gives the switch a range of flexibility in creating, upgrading,
maintaining, and configuring a fabric.
Integrated multifunction application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) devices are
used throughout the switch.
Design does not require microprocessor data path interaction, resulting in a
worst-case data transfer latency of less than 2 microseconds from any port to
any port at peak Fibre Channel bandwidth of 100 megabytes per second (MB/
sec). The latency may differ when the destination or device is a loop.
Virtual channels allow the switch to use congestion management techniques that
are performed automatically by the switch.
The switch’s firmware allows discovery of all connected devices and determines
optimum data paths without intervention.
The switch interoperates with the PowerVault 51F. If compatibility mode is
enabled on the PowerVault 56F switch, it can also interoperate with the
PowerVault 50F.
Switch ports support E_Port, F_Port, and FL_Port modes of operation with the
software selecting the optimum mode of operation.
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A minimum aggregate routing capacity of 8,000,000 frames per second is specified
for Class 2, Class 3, and Class F frames. Non-blocking throughput of up to
16 by 100 MB/sec end-to-end is provided.
A maximum switch latency of less than two microseconds is specified for Class 2,
Class 3, and Class F frames when the output port is free.
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You can perform initial configuration of the switch from the front panel controls.
You can also manage the switch remotely via Telnet, the Switch Manager, or Dell
OpenManage™ products.

support.dell.com Dell PowerVault 56F 16-Port Fibre Channel Switch User’s Guide 1-3
DELL CONFIDENTIAL - Preliminary 4/11/00
(Rev. 11/3/98) FILE LOCATION: S:\SYSTEMS\Labrador\Ug\89TMRc10.fm
0RGXODULW\
The modularity built into the switch allows:
Support of 16-unit (U) universal ports
GBIC interface support of different transmission media for each port
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The switch has the following features, ensuring reliability:
Power-on self test (POST)
Error monitoring
Temperature and fan-speed monitoring
Low component count
Optional redundant power supply
Redundant fans
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The switch has the following features, enhancing serviceability:
Simple enclosure
Loopback test modes for service
Hot-pluggable fans and power supply
No jumpers or switch settings
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Components are enclosed in an air-cooled chassis that may be either mounted in a
standard rack or used as a stand-alone unit. The front panel has controls with an LCD
that you can use to view status or configuration, and an RJ-45 Ethernet connector
that allows you to manage the switch remotely.
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The switching function is based on a central memory bank associated with its data
path control. Each switch port stores received frames in this memory, passing a buffer
pointer to the forwarding port’s transmitter. The switch uses cut-through routing to
route frames from the receiving port to the transmitting port, providing the transmit
port is free, without waiting for the end of the frame to be received. This provides a
low-latency data path within the switch. The frame can be temporarily stored in the
memory bank but only if the transmit port is busy.

1-4 Dell PowerVault 56F 16-Port Fibre Channel Switch User’s Guide
DELL CONFIDENTIAL - Preliminary 4/11/00
(Rev. 11/3/98) FILE LOCATION: S:\SYSTEMS\Labrador\Ug\89TMRc10.fm
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The switch is manufactured with 16 universal ports (U_Ports). U_ports provide the
greatest amount of flexibility when building a fabric because the ports automatically
and dynamically configure themselves to operate in E_Port, F_Port, or FL_Port mode
during port installation. The ports negotiate from the FL_Port to the higher-performing
F_Port if the attached device supports both modes.
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The embedded port, which is a logical N_Port, is based on a microcontroller and is
responsible for:
Fibre Channel link control
Switch management
Routing table management
Address assignment and management functions
Management of Class F services and the related protocols as defined in the Fibre
Channel Standard
The embedded port also functions as a Simple Network Management Protocol
(SNMP) agent, a Fibre Channel name server, and an alias server to manage multicast
and broadcast functions.
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Included with the switch is firmware that can be customized and tuned for each instal-
lation. Dell has provided a standard set of commands and interfaces described in
“PowerVault 56F Commands”of the Dell PowerVault 56F 16-Port Fibre Channel
Switch Installation and Troubleshooting Guide for switch monitoring, control, and
management.
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The short-wave laser (SWL) fiber-optic GBIC module is based on short wavelength
850 nanometer (nm) lasers supporting 1.0625 gigabytes-per-second (Gbps) links
speeds.This GBIC module supports 50-micrometer and 62.5-micrometer multimode
fiber and is supported only in non-Open Fibre Connection (OFC) mode. 50/125-
micrometer cables up to 500 meters (m) in length and 62.5/125-micrometer cables up
to 175 m in length are supported.
NOTE: The SWL GBIC module uses a Class 1 CD laser, which complies with the 21
CFR, subpart (J) as of the date of manufacture.

support.dell.com Dell PowerVault 56F 16-Port Fibre Channel Switch User’s Guide 1-5
DELL CONFIDENTIAL - Preliminary 4/11/00
(Rev. 11/3/98) FILE LOCATION: S:\SYSTEMS\Labrador\Ug\89TMRc10.fm
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The long-wave laser (LWL) fiber-optic GBIC module, which has a blue color-coded sub-
scriber connector, is based on long wavelength 1300-nanometer (nm) lasers
supporting 1.0625-Gbps link speeds. This GBIC module supports 9-micron single-
mode fiber. You can use cables up to 10 kilometers (km) in length with a maximum of
five splices. The GBIC module is shipped with a protective plug in place; keep the plug
in place if no fiber-optic cable is connected to the port.
NOTE: The LWL GBIC module uses a Class 1 CD laser, which complies with the 21
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), subpart (J) as of the date of manufacture.
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The copper GBIC module is based on the High-Speed Serial Data Connection
(HSSDC) interface standards. The GBIC provides a female HSSDC connector.
HSSDC-to-HSSDC cables of 6 and 12 m have been qualified. Standard cables with
HSSDC-to-DB9 male connectors are also available in lengths of 3, 6, and 12 m.
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The switch has a universal hot-pluggable power supply capable of functioning world-
wide without voltage jumpers or switches. The power supply auto-ranges to
accommodate input voltages and line frequencies.
The power supply has a modular design that plugs directly into the enclosure through
the front panel, attaching to an internal connector. The switch also supports a second
redundant hot-pluggable power supply.
The power supply has an integrated on and off switch, input filter, and power indicator.

1-6 Dell PowerVault 56F 16-Port Fibre Channel Switch User’s Guide
DELL CONFIDENTIAL - Preliminary 4/11/00
(Rev. 11/3/98) FILE LOCATION: S:\SYSTEMS\Labrador\Ug\89TMRc10.fm