Qlogic SANbox-16STD Installer's/ User manual

Preliminary
SANbox-16STD
Fibre Channel Switch
Installer’s/ ser’s Manual
Publication No. 59012-03 Rev. A

Preliminary
QLogic Corporation
6321 ury Drive
Eden Prairie, MN 55346
[phone]
Release Number 03, Revision A (August, 2000)
The following paragraph does not apply to the United Kingdom or any country where such provisions are inconsistent
with local law: THIS PU LICATION is printed “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING, UT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTA ILITY OR FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE. Some states do not allow disclaimer of express or implied warranties in certain transactions;
therefore, this statement may not apply to you.
This publication could include technical inaccuracies or typographical errors. Changes are periodically made to the
information herein; These changes will be incorporated in new additions of the publication.
It is possible that this publication may contain reference to, or information about, products (machines and programs),
programming, or services that are not announced in your country. Such references or information must not be
construed to mean that such products, programming, or services will be offered in your country. Any reference to a
licensed program in this publication is not intended to state or imply that you can use only the licensed program
indicated. You can use any functionally equivalent program instead.
Copyright © QLogic Corporation 2000. All rights reserved.
SANbox, SANsurfer, and Multistage are trademarks of QLogic Corporation
I M® is a registered trademark of I M Corporation.
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Note to US Government Users – Documentation and programs related to restricted rights – Use, duplication, or disclo-
sure are subject to the restrictions set forth in GSA ADP Schedule Contract.

Preliminary
SANbox-16STD Fibre Channel Switch
Installer’s/ ser’s Manual 59012-03 Rev. A
iii
Table of Contents
Preface
How to Use This Manual 1
Intended Audience 1
Related Materials 2
Safety Notices 3
Sicherheitshinweise 3
Notes informatives relatives à la sécurité 3
Communications Statements 4
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Class A Statement 4
Canadian Department of Communications Class A Compliance Statement 4
Avis de conformité aux normes du ministère des Communications du Canada 4
CE Statement 5
VCCI Class A Statement 6
Laser Safety Information 7
Labeling Requirements 7
Accessible Parts 8
Pièces Accessibles 8
Zugängliche Teile 8
QLogic Customer Support 8
1
General Description
Introduction 1-1
Major Fibre Channel Port Features 1-2
Fabric Port Overview 1-3
Segmented Loop Port (SL_Port) Overview 1-3
Translated Loop Port (TL_Port) Overview 1-5
Major Switch Chassis Features 1-10
Major Switch Management Features 1-11
Switch Management Tools 1-15
SANsurfer Switch Management Application 1-15
Telnet 1-15
Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) 1-16
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) 1-16
Fibre Channel Ports 1-17
Giga it Interface Converters (G ICs) 1-18
Front Panel Controls 1-19

Preliminary
SANbox-16STD Fibre Channel Switch
iv
59012-03 Rev. A Installer’s/ ser’s Manual
Power Switch 1-19
Test Mode Switch 1-19
Front Panel LEDs 1-20
Heartbeat LED (Yellow) 1-20
Switch Logic Power Good LED (Green) 1-20
Fan Fail LED (RED) 1-20
Over Temperature LED (Red) 1-20
Logged-In LED (Green) 1-21
Traffic LED (Yellow) 1-21
AC Input Power Connector and Fuses 1-22
Switch Management Connector 1-22
2 Installation
Introduction 2-1
Unpack 2-2
Place or Mount the Equipment 2-2
Shelf Mount 2-2
Rack Mount 2-3
Apply the IEC Class 1 Laser Information Label (If the installation is in Europe) 2-5
Install G ICs 2-6
Connect to AC Power 2-6
Switch Logic Power Good LED 2-8
Check the Power-On-Self-Test (POST) Results 2-8
Cable Fibre Channel Devices to the Switch 2-9
Public Devices 2-9
Private Devices 2-10
Mixing Public and Private Devices on the Same Loop. 2-10
Switch Ports 2-10
Tuning 2-10
Distance 2-11
Port uffer Credits 2-11
Hot-Pluggable 2-12
Incorrect Cabling 2-12
Connections 2-12
Examples 2-13
Configure the Chassis 2-18
Configure the Ports 2-19
Fabric Ports 2-19
SL_Ports 2-19
TL_Ports 2-20
T_Ports 2-20
Tuning Ports for Multi-Frame Sequences 2-21

Preliminary
SANbox-16STD Fibre Channel Switch
Installer’s/ ser’s Manual 59012-03 Rev. A
v
Zoning 2-22
Rack and Shelf Administration 2-23
Operating the Switch 2-23
3
Diagnostics/Troubleshooting
Introduction 3-1
Power Supply Troubleshooting 3-1
Power-On-Self-Test (POST) 3-2
Overview 3-2
Heartbeat LED link Patterns 3-4
Test/Failure Descriptions 3-4
Cable Continuity Tests 3-8
4
Removal/Replacement Procedures
Introduction 4-1
Input Fuse 4-1
Removal 4-1
Replacement 4-2
G IC 4-3
Removal 4-3
Replacement 4-4
attery (Repair Depot Only) 4-5
5 Multi-Chassis Fabrics
Introduction 5-1
Three Multi-Chassis Topologies 5-1
Choosing a Topology 5-2
Cascade Topology 5-5
Cascade Fabric Size 5-6
Cascade Latency 5-6
Cascade andwidth 5-6
Cascade Physical Distance between Chassis 5-7
Cascade Zoning 5-7
MKII Compatibility 5-8
Mesh Topology 5-8
Mesh Fabric Size 5-8
Mesh Latency 5-9
Mesh andwidth 5-9
Mesh Physical Distance etween Chassis 5-9
Mesh Zoning 5-10
MKII Compatibility 5-10
Multistage Topology 5-11

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SANbox-16STD Fibre Channel Switch
vi
59012-03 Rev. A Installer’s/ ser’s Manual
T_Port Rules for SANbox IO/T Chassis 5-11
T_Port Rules for SANbox Cross-Connect (CC) Chassis 5-11
Multistage Fabric Size 5-11
Multistage Latency 5-11
Multistage andwidth 5-12
Multistage Physical Distance etween Chassis 5-12
Multistage Zoning 5-12
MKII Compatibility 5-12
Multistage Examples 5-13
Cabling 5-16
Fiber Optic T_Port Connections 5-16
Copper T_Port Connections 5-16
T_Port Cable Length 5-16
Device Connections 5-16
Chassis Configuration 5-17
Chassis Configuration Process 5-18
A
Reference Information
QLogic Customer Support A-1
SANbox-16STD Fibre Channel Switch Specifications A-2
Switch A-2
Switch Maintainability A-3
Fabric Management A-4
Switch Mechanical A-4
Switch Electrical A-4
Switch Environmental A-4
Switch Regulatory Certifications A-5
Shortwave Laser G IC (multi-mode) A-6
Longwave Laser G IC (single-mode) A-6
Copper Inter-Enclosure G IC (active) A-6
Copper Intra-Enclosure G IC (passive) A-7
B
QLogic Customer Support
Help Desk -1
Hardware Support -2
Software Support -2
Customer Responsibilities -2
Index

Preliminary
SANbox-16STD Fibre Channel Switch
Installer’s/ ser’s Manual 59012-03 Rev. A List of Figures
vii
List of Figures
Figure 1-1 SANbox-16STD Fibre Channel Switch 1-1
Figure 1-2 Segmented Loop Topology Example 1-4
Figure 1-3 SCSI Example 1-6
Figure 1-4 TCP/IP Example 1-7
Figure 1-5 Chassis Front 1-17
Figure 1-6 Typical G IC 1-18
Figure 1-7 Test Mode Switch 1-19
Figure 2-1 Cabinet Mounting racket 2-4
Figure 2-2 IEC Class 1 Laser Information Label 2-5
Figure 2-3 Extending uffer Credits by Chaining Ports 2-12
Figure 2-4 Cabling 2-14
Figure 2-5 Variety of Public Connections 2-15
Figure 2-6 Private Segmented Loop Connections 2-16
Figure 2-7 Private Translated Loop Connections 2-17
Figure 3-1 Test Mode Switch 3-2
Figure 4-1 Fuse Holder Removal 4-1
Figure 4-2 Fuse Replacement 4-2
Figure 4-3 Removing G ICs that have individually operated latches 4-3
Figure 4-4 Removing G ICs that have bail-operated latches 4-4
Figure 4-5 Replacing G ICs 4-4
Figure 5-1 Cascade Example 5-5
Figure 5-2 Mesh Example 5-8
Figure 5-3 SANbox-16 Multistage with one T_Port link from each IO/T chassis 5-13
Figure 5-4 SANbox-16 Multistage with two T_Port links from each IO/T chassis 5-14
Figure 5-5 SANbox-16 Multistage with eight CC chassis 5-15
Figure A-1 SANbox-16STD Switch Dimensions in Millimeters (Inches) A-8

SANbox-16STD Fibre Channel Switch
List of Figures 59012-03 Rev. A Installer’s/ ser’s Manual
Notes

Preliminary
SANbox-16STD Fibre Channel Switch
Installer’s/ ser’s Manual 59012-03 Rev. A Preface
1
Preface
How to se This Manual
This manual has five sections and two appendixes:
•Section 1 is an overview of the Switch. It describes indicator lights and all
user controls and connections.
•Section 2 explains how to install the Switch.
•Section 3 contains troubleshooting procedures, and explains the Power-On-
Self-Test (POST).
•Section 4 contains removal/replacement procedures for all field replaceable
units (FRUs).
•Section 5 explains how to expand the size of a Switch fabric to multiple
Switch chassis.
•Appendix A contains reference information.
•Appendix B contains information about QLogic Customer Support and how
to contact us for assistance.
Please read the communications statements and laser safety information presented
on the next pages in this Preface.
Please use this manual in conjunction with the Switch Management Installer’s/
User’s manual listed in “Related Materials”. The Switch Management manual
contains information about managing Switch chassis through all available means.
Intended Audience
This manual introduces users to the Switch and explains its installation and
service. It is intended for users competent in installing and servicing electronic
equipment.

Preliminary
SANbox-16STD Fibre Channel Switch
2
Preface 59012-03 Rev. A Installer’s/ ser’s Manual
Related Materials
The following manuals and materials are referenced in the text and/or provide
additional information.
• Switch Management Installer’s/User’s Manual, Publication Number 59010.
Available from QLogic Communications.
• Fibre Channel-Arbitrated Loop (FC-AL-2) Rev. 6.8
• Fibre Channel-Private Loop SCSI DirectAttach (FC-PLDA)
NCITS TR-19:1998
• Fibre Channel-10-bit Interface Rev. 2.3
• Definitions of Managed Objects for the Fabric Element in Fibre Channel
Standard (draft-ietf-ipfc-fabric-element-mib-04.txt).
The Fibre Channel Standards are available from:
Global Engineering Documents, 15 Inverness Way East, Englewood, CO
80112-5776 Phone: [phone] or [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Preliminary
SANbox-16STD Fibre Channel Switch
Installer’s/ ser’s Manual 59012-03 Rev. A Preface
3
Safety Notices
A Danger notice indicates the presence of a hazard that has the potential of
causing death or serious personal injury. Danger notices appear on the following
pages:
2-6 and 2-7
A Warning notice indicates the presence of a hazard that has the potential of
causing moderate or minor personal injury. A Warning notice appears on page:
4-5
A Caution notice indicates the presence of a hazard that has the potential of
causing damage to the equipment.
Sicherheitshinweise
Ein Gefahrenhinweis weist auf das Vorhandensein einer Gefahr hin, die mögli-
cherweise den Tod oder schwere Verletzungen zur Folge hat. Gefahrenhinweise
sind auf den folgenden Seiten vorhanden:
2-6 and 2-7
Ein Warnhinweis weist auf das Vorhandensein einer Gefahr hin, die möglicher-
weise mittelschwere oder leichte Verletzungen zur Folge hat. Ein Warnhinweis ist
auf der folgenden Seite vorhanden:
4-5
Ein Vorsichtshinweis weist auf das Vorhandensein einer Gefahr hin, die mögli-
cherweise Geräteschäden zur Folge hat.
Notes informatives relatives à la sécurité
Une note informative Danger indique la présence d’un risque pouvant entraîner la
mort ou des blessures sérieuses. Les notes informatives Danger paraissent aux
pages suivantes:
2-6 and 2-7
Une note informative Avertissement indique la présence d’un risque pouvant
entraîner des blessures légères ou mineures. Une note informativeAvertissement
paraît à la page:
4-5
Une note informative Attention indique la présence d’un risque pouvant entraîner
des dégâts matériels.

Preliminary
SANbox-16STD Fibre Channel Switch
4
Preface 59012-03 Rev. A Installer’s/ ser’s Manual
C
ommunications Statements
The following statements apply to this product.The statements for other products
intended for use with this product appear in their accompanying manuals.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Class A Statement
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A
digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to
provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is
operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can
radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the
instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.
Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interfer-
ence in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at their own
expense
Neither the provider or the manufacturer are responsible for any radio or television
interference caused by unauthorized changes or modifications to this equipment.
Unauthorized changes or modifications could void the user's authority to operate
the equipment.
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the
following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and
(2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that
may cause undesired operation.
Canadian Department of Communications Class A Compliance Statement
This equipment does not exceed ClassA limits for radio emissions for digital
apparatus, set out in Radio Interference Regulation of the Canadian Department of
Communications. Operation in a residential area may cause unacceptable interfer-
ence to radio and TV reception requiring the owner or operator to take whatever
steps necessary to correct the interference.
Avis de conformité aux normes du ministère des Communications du Canada
Cet équipement ne dépasse pas les limites de Classe A d'émission de bruits
radioélectriques por les appareils numériques, telles que prescrites par le Régle-
ment sur le brouillage radioélectrique établi par le ministère des Communications
du Canada. L'exploitation faite en milieu résidentiel peut entraîner le brouillage
des réceptions radio et télé, ce qui obligerait le propriétaire ou l'opérateur à prendre
les dispositions nécwssaires pour en éliminer les causes.

Preliminary
SANbox-16STD Fibre Channel Switch
Installer’s/ ser’s Manual 59012-03 Rev. A Preface
5
CE Statement
The CE symbol on the equipment indicates that this system complies with the
EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility) directive of the European Community (89/
336/EEC) and to the Low Voltage (Safety) Directive (73/23/EEC). Such marking
indicates that this system meets or exceeds the following technical standards:
• EN60950/A11:1997 “Safety of Information Technology Equipment,
Including Electrical Business Equipment”.
• EN60825-1:1997 “Safety of Laser Products, Part 1.
• EN 55022 (CISPR 22) ClassA “Limits and Methods of Measurement of
Radio Interference Characteristics of Information Technology Equipment”.
• EN 50082-1/1997 “Electromagnetic compatibility - Generic immunity
standard Part 1: Residential commercial, and light industry.”
- IEC1000-4-2/1995 “Electrostatic Discharge Immunity Test”
- IEC1000-4-3/1995 “Radiated, Radio-Frequency, Electromagnetic
Field Immunity Test”
- IEC1000-4-4/1995 “Electrical Fast Transient/Burst Immunity Test”
- IEC1000-4-5/1995 “Surge Immunity Test”
- IEC1000-4-6/1996 “Immunity To Conducted Disturbances, Induced
By Radio-Frequency Fields”
- IEC1000-4-8/1993 Power Frequency Magnetic Field Immunity Test”
- IEC1000-4-11/1994 “Voltage Dips, Short Interruptions And Voltage
Variations Immunity Tests”
•EN61000-3-2/1995 “Limits For Harmonic Current Emissions (Equipment
Input Current Less Than/Equal To 16 A Per Phase)”. Class A
•EN61000-3-3/1995 “Limitation Of Voltage Fluctuations And Flicker In
Low-Voltage Supply Systems For Equipment With Rated Current Less Than
Or Equal To 16 A”.
•ENV50204/1995 “Radio Frequency Susceptibility, Keyed Carrier”

Preliminary
SANbox-16STD Fibre Channel Switch
6 Preface 59012-03 Rev. A Installer’s/ ser’s Manual
VCCI Class A Statement
Translation:
This is a Class A product based on the standard of the Voluntary Control Council
For Interference by Information Technology Equipment (VCCI). If this equipment
is used in a domestic environment, radio disturbance may arise. When such trouble
occurs, the user may be required to take corrective actions.

Preliminary
SANbox-16STD Fibre Channel Switch
Installer’s/ ser’s Manual 59012-03 Rev. A Preface 7
Laser Safety Information
This product may use Class 1 lasers to communicate over the fiber optic conduc-
tors. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) does not
consider Class 1 lasers to be hazardous. The International Electrotechnical
Commission (IEC) requires labeling information that states that the lasers are
Class 1.
Labeling Requirements
There are no caution or danger labels required for use of the optical Gigabit Inter-
face Converters (GBIC) since it is a Class 1 laser component assembly. Within the
U.S., the only laser safety label required is the certification label that already
appears on the plastic retainer of the optical GBIC assembly. Outside of the U.S.,
the IEC 825 laser safety standard requires that the system level product have a
Class 1 information label permanently attached and clearly visible whenever
access to the optical ports is possible. This label is supplied with the equipment
and applied by the user during the installation procedure. Refer to Section 2 Instal-
lation. An example of the IEC Class 1 information label and its dimensions,
suitable for use in most European countries, is shown below. The label consists of
black printing on a yellow background.The languages represented on this example
label are English, German, Finnish, and French and represent the minimum set for
acceptance of a Class 1 product in most European countries.
CLASS 1 LASER PRODUCT
TO IEC 825 (1984) + CENELEC HD 482 S1
LASER KLASSE 1
LUOKAN 1 LASERLAITE
APPAREIL A LASER DE CLASSE 1
G3
A
G3
G2
R
Dimensions in mm
A x B G2 G3 R
26 x 52 4 4 2
52 x 105 5 5 3.2
74 x 148 6 7.5 4

Preliminary
SANbox-16STD Fibre Channel Switch
8 Preface 59012-03 Rev. A Installer’s/ ser’s Manual
Accessible Parts
The only Field Replaceable Units (FRUs) in the SANbox-16STD Fibre Channel
Switch are:
• Fuses associated with the AC power input and
• Interfaces to the interconnection media called GBICs.
Other than these FRUs, there are no accessible parts in the Switch chassis.
Removal of the top of the Switch chassis will void the warranty. Refer to Section 4
Removal/Replacement Procedures for more information.
Pièces Accessibles
Les pièces remplaçables, Field Replaceable Units (FRU), du commutateur
SANbox-16STD Fibre Channel Switch sont les suivantes :
• Fusibles associés à l’entrée de courant c.a., et
• Interfaces aux media d’interconnexion appelés GBIC
Il n’y a aucune pièce accessible, à part les URC, dans l’enceinte du commutateur.
Le fait de retirer le dessus de l’enceinte du commutateur annulera la garantie. Se
reporter à la Section 4 (Procédures de retrait et remplacement) pour plus de
renseignements.
Zugängliche Teile
Nur die folgenden Teile im SANbox-16STD Fibre Channel Switch können
kundenseitig ersetzt werden:
• Sicherungen für den Wechselstromeingang, und
• Schnittstellen für die Zwischenverbindungsträger, GBIC genannt.
Außer den oben genannten ersetzbaren Teilen sind keine Teile innerhalb des
Switch-Gehäuses zugänglich. Bei einem Entfernen der oberen Abdeckung des
Schaltergehäuses verfällt die Garantie. Weitere Informationen finden Sie im
Abshcnitt 4(Ausbauen der ersetzbaren Teile).
QLogic Customer Support
Phone:[phone]
Fax: [phone]Attn: Customer Support
E-Mail: [email protected]
Web: www.QLogic.com
Please refer to Appendix B QLogic Customer Support for an explanation of
QLogic Customer Support.

Preliminary
SANbox-16STD Fibre Channel Switch
Installer’s/ ser’s Manual 59012-03 Rev. A General Description 1-1
Section 1 General Description
Introduction
The SANbox™-16STD Fibre Channel Switch is the Fabric component of a Fibre
Channel compliant network. Figure 1-1 is an illustration of the Switch. This
manual describes the Switch as a full-featured fabric Switch unless otherwise
specified. The SANbox-16STD consists of two models; Model A has the airflow
front-to-back and Model B has the airflow back-to-front. In all other respects they
are the same.
Figure 1-1 SANbox-16STD Fibre Channel Switch

Preliminary
Major Fibre Channel Port Features
SANbox-16STD Fibre Channel Switch
1-2 General Description 59012-03 Rev. A Installer’s/ ser’s Manual
Major Fibre Channel Port Features
Major Fibre Channel port features include:
• Each Switch chassis has 16 Fibre Channel ports. Each port operates at
1062.5 megabaud.
• Any or all 16 ports may be:
Fabric Ports Fabric ports connect to fibre channel public devices and device
loops. A fabric port is self configuring as an F_Port for a public device
or as an FL_Port for a loop of public devices. Refer to “Fabric Port
Overview” on page 1-3.
SL_Ports. Segmented Loop Ports (SL_Ports) allow you to divide a Fibre
Channel Private Loop into multiple segments. Each segment of the loop
can pass frames around as an independent loop and can also connect
through the fabric to other segments of the same loop. Refer
to“Segmented Loop Port (SL_Port) Overview” on page 1-3.
TL_Ports. Each Translated Loop Port (TL_Port) connects to a private loop
and allows connectivity between the private loop devices on the loop
and “off-loop” devices (devices not connected to that particular
TL_Port) such as Public fabric devices and private devices on other
TL_Port loops. Refer to“Translated Loop Port (TL_Port) Overview” on
page 1-5.
T_Ports. Trunk Ports (T_Ports) allow the interconnection of multiple chassis
to form larger fabrics. Refer to Section 5 Multi-Chassis Fabrics.
• All ports support Class 2 and Class 3 Fibre Channel service. Refer toAppen-
dix A Reference Information for more information.
• The Switch supports the maximum Fibre Channel frame size (2148 bytes) for
Class 2 and 3 Fibre Channel service. Refer to Appendix A Reference Infor-
mation for more information.
• All ports are supported by GigaBit Interface Converters (GBICs). GBICs
contain the transmitters and receivers that connect to the interconnection
media. Each GBIC is “hot pluggable”.
• Each port has eight buffer credits. This feature allows a cable length up to 13
km at 1 Gbps without performance degradation. F_Port and T_Port credits
can be extended by chaining ports together. Refer to “Port Buffer Credits” on
page 2-11 for more information about extending port credits. Cable length is
also dependant on the type of GBIC used. Refer to Appendix A Reference
Information for more information.

Preliminary
Major Fibre Channel Port Features
SANbox-16STD Fibre Channel Switch
Installer’s/ ser’s Manual 59012-03 Rev. A General Description 1-3
• You may populate 2 to 16 ports with GBICs. The choice of ports and GBICs
is yours.
• The Switch has been validated with GBICs that support a variety of intercon-
nection media. Refer to“Fibre Channel Ports” on page 1-17 for more infor-
mation.
Fabric Port Overview
All ports on the SANbox-8 chassis are “Loop-aware” fabric ports. That is, they are
ports that are able to discover through the Fibre Channel Fabric Login process,
whether they should function as an F_Port (communicating with an N_Port) or as
an FL_Port (communicating with an Node Loop Port (NL_Port)). Fabric ports
connect to Public devices that conform to the Fibre Channel Standards.
Switch management allows you to force a fabric port to function as an F_Port.
Refer to the Switch Management manual.
The attributes of F_Ports and FL_Ports are described in the Fibre Channel
Standards.
Segmented Loop Port (SL_Port) Overview
You may use Switch management to configure any or all ports on the SANbox-16
chassis as Segmented Loop ports (SL_Ports). SL_Ports connect to devices which
conform to the Fibre Channel-Private Loop SCSI Direct Attach (FC-PLDA)
standard. SL_Ports allow you to divide these Private Loops into multiple segments
which may communicate through the Switch as though they were all part of the
same private loop.
A Segmented Loop has greater performance than an un-segmented loop because a
Segmented Loop can have multiple concurrent frame transfers (one per loop
segment) while an un-segmented loop can have only one.
Figure 1-2 shows a possible topology of a Segmented Loop. In this figure, there are
three distinct loop segments that have been linked together (placed in the same
segmented loop zone) by the Switch as a single Segmented Loop. This means that
all three loop segments share the same address space (same set ofArbitrated Loop
Physical Addresses (AL_PAs). All devices on the Segmented Loop can see all
other devices as though they were attached to their local loop segment.

Preliminary
Major Fibre Channel Port Features
SANbox-16STD Fibre Channel Switch
1-4 General Description 59012-03 Rev. A Installer’s/ ser’s Manual
Figure 1-2 Segmented Loop Topology Example
Segmented Loop Features
• Switch management allows you to designate any or all ports on a SANbox-16
chassis as SL_Ports.
• SL_Ports connect to devices that conform to the Fibre Channel-Private Loop
SCSI Direct Attach (FC-PLDA) standard. If you place a Public Fibre
Channel device on an SL_Port it becomes a Private device and (like other
Private devices) cannot communicate off the loop.
• Each SL_Port can support up to 126 devices.
• Each SL_Port automatically discovers the devices connected to it.
• Switch management allows you to link up to 32 segments (SL_Ports)
together in the same segmented loop zone (even across multiple chassis in
the same fabric) to form a Segmented Private Loop.The aggregate total
number of devices in the linked SL_Ports must not exceed 126 devices and
all AL_PAs within the linked segments must be unique.
• Devices in the same segmented loop zone communicate with one another as
though they were on the same physical loop.
• Devices on SL_Ports cannot communicate with devices on F, FL or
TL_Ports. They also cannot communicate with devices on SL_Ports which
are not in the same segmented loop zone.
• Devices connected to SL_Ports are not registered with the Name Server.
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
Private Loop
Segment Hub SL_Port
Private Loop
Segment
Private Loop
Segment
Hub
SL_Port
SL_Port
Hub
ST3
ST2 ST1
Switch
Server 3
Server 2