Brocade SAN Glossary Secured

Brocade SAN Glossary 1/31/2008 Page 1 of 29
STORAGE AREA NETWORK

Brocade SAN Glossary
A
ABTS Abort Basic Link Service.
ACC Accept link service reply; the normal reply to an Extended Link Service
request (such as FLOGI), indicating that the request has been completed.
Access fairness A process by which contending nodes are guaranteed access to an
Arbitrated Loop.
Access method The method used to access a physical medium in order to transmit data.
ACK Acknowledgement frame. Used for end-to-end flow control; verifies receipt of
one or more frames from Class 1, 2 or F services.
Active copper A Fibre Channel connection that allows copper cabling up to 33 m (108 ft) in
length between devices.
Adaptive Networking A suite of fabric services introduced in Fabric OS 6.0 that employ deep fabric
intelligence to anticipate congestion and to dynamically make adjustments
in the fabric so that application traffic continues to flow. See also QoS,
Ingress Rate Limiting, and Traffic Isolation.
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.
AD255 An administrative domain that allows users to get an unfiltered view of the
fabric and manage ADs. Corresponds to the legacy physical fabric in a non-
AD aware fabric.
AD zone database The zone database owned by each AD. Once Fabric OS 5.2.0 and later is
installed, the root zone database will be owned by AD0, and each AD will
have its own zone database.
Address identifier A 24-bit number used to indicate the link-level address of communicating
devices. In a frame header, the address identifier indicates the source ID
(S_ID) and the destination ID (D_ID) of the frame respectively.

Administrative Domain (AD)
Part of Brocades virtual fabric strategy, a filtered administrative view of the
fabric. The logical view presented in an AD filters attributes of switch ports
and end devices based on AD membership. ADs allow device resources in a
fabric to be grouped together and provide the ability to manage them
separately.
Advanced zoning In EZSwitchSetup, a zoning option that allows you to customize zoning and is
appropriate for SAN administrators who have the experience to perform
manual zoning.
Alias server A proposed standard as part of FC-GS-3; it will use the well-known address
FFFFF8 and will maintain identifier mappings to support multicast group
management
AL_PA Arbitrated Loop Physical Address. An 8-bit value used to identify a device
participating 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).
ANSI American National Standards Institute. Governing body for standards
in the U.S.
ARB Arbitrative Primitive Signal. Applies only to an Arbitrated Loop topology, and
is transmitted as the fill word by an L_Port to indicate the port is arbitrating
access to the loop.
Arbitrated Loop A shared 100/200-megabytes-per-second Fibre Channel transport
supporting up to a maximum of 126 devices and 1 attachment to a fabric.
Ports with lower AL_PAs have higher priorities.
Arbitration A method of gaining orderly access to a shared-loop topology.
ARP Address Resolution Protocol. A TCP/IP function for associating an IP address
with a link-level address.
ASIC Application-Specific Integrated Circuit.
ATM Asynchronous Transfer Mode. A high-speed packet-switching transport used
for transmitting data over LANs or WANs that transmits fixed-length units of
data. It provides any-to-any connectivity and nodes can transmit
simultaneously.
Audit event Fabric OS event that is logged.
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.
Autoleveling A process run on embedded switches (also called blades) 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 embedded switch, swaps partitions, reboots the switch, and
copies the new firmware from the primary partition to the secondary
partition.

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 Fibre Channel fabric that enables scalable metaSANs by allowing the
networking of multiple FC routers connected to the backbone fabric via
E_Port interfaces. Devices attached to Multiprotocol Routers via F_Port or
FL_Port, or imported via the iSCSI Gateway Service, are also considered part
of the backbone.
Bandwidth The transmission capacity of the cable, link, or system.
BB_Credit Buffer-to-buffer credit; used to determine how many frames can be sent to
the recipient.
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.
BER Bit Error Rate. The rate at which bits are expected to be received in error.
Expressed as a ratio of error bits to total bits transmitted.
Bit synchronization The condition is which a receiver is delivering retimed serial data at a
required bit error rate.
Bloom The code name given to the third-generation Brocade 2 Gbit/sec ASIC. This
ASIC is used in Brocade switches 3000 series and beyond.
Broadcast Sending a transmission to all Nx_Ports on a fabric.
Boot code Software that initialized the system environment during the early phase of
the boot up process. For example, boot code may determine the amount of
available memory and how to access it.
Boot flash Flash (temporary) memory that stores the boot code and boot parameters.
Brocade Data Migration Manager (DMM)
Brocade application that provides hardware-assisted data migration from
one storage device to another across a Brocade switch; enables the
migration of data from multiple storage devices simultaneously across
multiple fabrics; layered on the Brocade Storage Application Services (SAS).
Brocade DCX Backbone A backbone-class platform designed to operate at the core of the Brocade
Data Center Fabric (DCF). The Brocade DCX enables massive consolidation,
multi-protocol integration, and simplified management to dramatically
reduce operational and capital costs. It provides true interoperability with
existing SANs. See also Adaptive Networking and data center fabric.
Brocade Fabric Manager (FM)
Optionally licensed Brocade application that resides on a host computer and
enables fabric-wide management for multiple fabrics in a geographically-
dispersed location via a graphical user interface.

Brocade Enterprise Fabric Connectivity Manager (EFCM)
Optionally licensed Brocade software that provides easy, centralized
management of a SAN and quick access to all device configuration
applications.
Brocade Web Tools Optionally licensed software component of Fabric OS that enables
administrators to monitor and manage single or small fabrics, switches, and
ports from a standard workstation.
Broadcast zone In Fabric OS 5.3.0 or later, a zone with the name of broadcast (case-
sensitive), which is used for setting up recipients of broadcast packets. Does
not restrict access to its members, but restricts broadcast packets to only
those devices that are members.
Buffer-to-buffer flow control
Management of the frame transmission rate in either a point-to-point
topology or in an Arbitrated Loop.
Bypass circuitry Circuits that automatically remove a device from the data path when valid
signals are dropped.
C
CAM Content-Addressable Memory.
Cascade Connecting two or more Fibre Channel hubs or switches to increase port
capacity or distance. Seven levels of cascading is the limit for Brocade
switches. Brocade 1000 switches can have up to 32 in a SAN; Brocade
2000 switches and above can have up to 239.
CDR Clock and Data Recovery circuitry.
CE Conformit Europenne.
Channel A point-to-point link whose task is to transport data from one point to
another.
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.
CIM Common Information Model; a management structure enabling disparate
resources to be managed by a common application.
Class 1 A connection-oriented class of service that requires acknowledgment of
frame delivery.
Class 2 A connectionless class of service that requires acknowledgment of frame
delivery.
Class 3 A connectionless class of service that requires no acknowledgment of frame
delivery between N_Ports.
Class 4 A connection-oriented service that allows fractional parts of the bandwidth to
be used in a virtual circuit.
Class 6 A connection-oriented, multicast service geared toward video broadcasts
between a central server and clients.

Class F A connectionless class of service that gives notification of delivery or non-
delivery between E_Ports, used for control, coordination, and configuration
of the fabric.
CLS Close Primitive Signal. Only in an Arbitrated Loop; sent by an L_Port that is
currently communicating on the loop, to close communication to another
L_Port.
Controlled port A port that fulfils one of the following conditions: a) is a member of an AD,
either explicitly assigned or part of AD0 or b) the switch to which the port
belongs is a member of an AD.
Community A relationship in SNMP between an SNMP agent and a set of SNMP
managers that defines authentication, access control, and proxy
characteristics.
Compact flash Flash (temporary) memory that is used in a manner similar to hard disk
storage. It is connected to a bridging component which connects to the PCI
bus of the processor. Not visible within the processor's memory space.
Condor The code name given to the Brocade 4 Gbit/sec ASIC. This ASIC is used in
Brocade switches and directors.
Congestion The realization of the potential of over-subscription. A congested link is one
on which multiple devices actually are contending for bandwidth.
Controller A computer module that interprets signals between a host and a peripheral
device. The controller typically is part of the peripheral device.
Core PID The default PID mode for Brocade 200E, 3016, 3250, 3850, 3900, and
4100 switches and Brocade directors. It uses the entire 8-bit address space
and directly uses the port number as the area_ID.
COS Class of service.
CRC Cyclic Redundancy Check. A self-test for error detection and correction.
Credit A numeric value that represents the maximum number of receive buffers
provided by an F/FL_Port to its attached N/NL_Port such that the N/NL_Port
can transmit frames without overrunning the F/FL_Port.
CRU Customer Replaceable Unit. A component that can, upon failure, be replaced
by an end user.
Cut-through A switching technique that allows a routing decision to be made as soon as
the destination address of the frame is received.
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.

Data center fabric The hardware, software, and infrastructure required to power data centers.
Includes concepts such as converged protocols, extended physical
connectivity, virtual partitions, fabric services, and extending data
management policies into the fabric. See also Adaptive Networking.
Data Migration Console The graphical user interface for the Brocade Data Migration Manager
appliance.
Data Migration Manager See Brocade Data Migration Manager.
Datagram A Class 3 Fibre Channel service that allows data to be sent quickly to devices
attached to the fabric, with no confirmation of receipt.
DCC Direct cable connection; does not require network interface cards (NICs),
making it relatively simple and inexpensive; however, it provides a limited
connection between two PCs and the data transfer rate is slower compared
to a true LAN.
Dedicated simplex A means that permits a single N_Port to simultaneously initiate a session
with another N_Port as an initiator, and have a separate Class 1 connection
to another N_Port as a recipient.
Deskew In the Brocade trunking feature, the time difference between the traffic
traveling over each ISL other than the shortest ISL in the group and the
traffic traveling over the 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 FC
address of the source device (S-ID) and the destination device (D_ID),
improving path utilization for better performance.
DH-CHAP Diffie-Hellman Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol; an
implementation of CHAP using Diffie-Hellman encryption.
DHCP Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. An Internet protocol for automating the
configuration of computers that use TCP/IP; can be used to automatically
assign IP addresses, to deliver TCP/IP stack configuration parameters, such
as 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.
DID Destination ID with three fields: Domain ID (DD), Area ID (AA), and AL_PA
(PP). SID/DID traffic prioritization is a licensed feature introduced in Fabric
OS 6.0 that allows you to categorize the traffic flow into high, medium, or
low priority. Requires an Adaptive Networking license on every switch in
the path between a given configured device pair. See also QoS.
Digital certificate An electronic document issued by a CA (certificate authority) to an entity,
containing the public key and identity of the entity.
Director A highly available and scalable Fibre Channel switch that uses a chassis and
blade architecture; current models are Brocade 24000 Director and Brocade
48000 Director.
Discovery domain An iSCSI access control concept; created between iSCSI hosts and targets
using their IQN.

Disparity The relationship of 1s and 0s in an encoded character; positive disparity
contains more 1s, negative disparity contains more 0s, neutral disparity
contains an equal number of 1s and 0s.
DLS Dynamic Load Sharing. Allows for recomputing of routes when an Fx_Port or
E_Port comes up or down.
Domain ID A unique number between 1 and 239 on a Brocade 2000 Series or later
switch that identifies the switch to a fabric.
Dynamic Ports On Demand (DPOD)
Automatically enables ports on an embedded blade when the server is
powered on and does not require a predefined assignment of port;
determined by the total number of ports in use and the number of
purchased dynamic ports.
DWDM Dense Wave Division Multiplexing..Allows more wavelengths to use the same
fiber. See WDM.
E
8b/10b encoding An encoding scheme that converts an 8-bit byte into one or two possible 10-
bit characters; used for balancing 1s and 0s in high-speed transports.
ECCN Export Classification Control Number. A government classification of
encryption, for example, SSH is in the high-encryption category and therefore
has certain restrictions regarding its transfer.
Edge fabric A Fibre Channel fabric connected to an FC router via an EX_Port (where
hosts and storage are typically attached in a metaSAN).
E_D_TOV Error-Detect Time Out Value. The maximum round-trip time that an operation
could require before declaring an error condition.
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.
EE_Credit End-to-End Credit. Used to manage the exchange of frames by two
communicating devices and set the maximum number of frames that may
remain unacknowledged.
Enterprise Fabric Connectivity Manager (EFCM)
See Brocade Enterprise Fabric Connectivity Manager.
E_Port A standard Fibre Channel mechanism that enables switches to network with
each other.
EIA Electronic Industries Association.
ELP Exchange Link Parameters.
ELS Extend Link Service. Sent to the destination N_Port to perform the requested
function or service. ELS is a Fibre Channel standard sometimes referenced
as Fibre Channel Physical (FC_PH) ELS.

Enabled zone configuration
The currently enabled configuration of zones; only one configuration can be
enabled at a time.
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.
Exchange The highest-level Fibre Channel mechanism used for communication
between N_Ports, composed of one or more related sequences and working
either uni- or bi-directionally.
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 by using LSAN zoning).
EX_Port The type of E_Port used to connect a Multiprotocol Router to an edge fabric.
An EX_Port follows standard E_Port protocols and supports FC-NAT but does
not allow fabric merging across EX_Ports.
Extended edge PID Format that 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.
Extended Fabrics Optionally licensed Fabric OS feature that provides up to 500 km of switched
fabric connectivity at full bandwidth over long distance.
Extent A range of logical blocks within a logical unit (LU); the path name identifies
both the LU of which the extent is part and the path used to access this
extent.
F
Fabric A collection of Fibre Channel switches and directors and connected devices,
such as hosts and storage.
Fabric Application Platform
A device that enables fabric-based storage applications such as mirroring,
data migration, snapshots, and virtual tape. The Brocade Fabric Application
Platform can run in a central location, process data at wire-speed, and
reside in existing data paths.
Fabric ID (FID) Unique identifier of a fabric in a metaSAN.
Fabric Manager See Brocade Fabric Manager.
Fabric port count The number of ports available for connection by nodes in a fabric.
Fabric topology The arrangement of switches that form a fabric.
Fabric Watch Optionally licensed Brocade software accessed through either the command-
line interface or Brocade Web Tools; provides the ability to set thresholds for
monitoring fabric conditions.
Failover On a Brocade device, the process of activating the standby CP and
transferring switch processing from the active CP so that traffic is not
disrupted.

FAN 1) Fabric Address Notification. Keeps the AL_PA and fabric address when
loop re-initializes if the switch supports FAN.
2) File Area Network. The set of systems and software that enable
centralized management of file data to improve user and administrative
efficiency.
Fan-in The ratio of hosts to storage devices. It is the view of the SAN from the
storage port's perspective.
Fan-out The ratio of storage devices to hosts. It is 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; eliminates the latency associated with long
distance in FCIP.
F_BSY Fabric Port Busy Frame. A frame issued by the fabric to indicate that a frame
cannot be delivered because the fabric or destination N_Port is busy.
FCA Fibre Channel Association.
FC-0 Lowest layer on Fibre Channel transport; represents the physical media.
FC-1 This layer contains the 8b/10b encoding scheme.
FC-2 This layer handles framing and protocol, frame format, sequence/exchange
management, and ordered set usage.
FC-3 This layer contains common services used by multiple N_Ports in a node.
FC-4 This layer handles standards and profiles for mapping upper-level protocols
such as SCSI and IP onto the Fibre Channel Protocol.
FC-AL Fibre Channel Arbitrated Loop.
FC-AV Fibre Channel Audio Visual.
FC-CT Fibre Channel Common Transport.
FC-FC Routing Service A service that extends hierarchical networking capabilities to Fibre Channel
fabrics. It enables devices located on separate fabrics to communicate
without merging the fabrics. It also enables the creation of LSANs.
FC-FG Fibre Channel Generic requirements.
FC-FLA Fibre Channel Fabric Loop Attachment.
FC-FS Fibre Channel Framing and Signaling.
FC-GS Fibre Channel Generic Services.
FC-GS-2 Second-generation Fibre Channel Generic Services.
FC-GS-3 Third-generation Fibre Channel Generic Services.
FCIP Fibre Channel over IP protocol.
FCoE Fibre Channel over 10 Gbit/sec Ethernet networks.

FC-PH Fibre Channel Physical and signaling standard for FC-0, FC-1, and FC-2
layers of the Fibre Channel protocol. Also indicates signaling used for cable
plants, media types, and transmission speeds.
FC-PH-2 Second-generation Fibre Channel Physical interface.
FC-PH-3 Third-generation Fibre Channel Physical interface.
F_RJT Fabric Port Reject Frame. A frame issued by the fabric to indicate that
delivery of a frame is being denied, maybe because class is not supported,
or there is an invalid header, or no N_Port is available.
FC_SB Fibre Channel Single Bytes.
FC-SW Fibre Channel Switch Fabric. Specifies tools and algorithms for
interconnection and initialization of Fibre Channel switches to create a
multiswitch Fibre Channel fabric.
FC-SW-2 Second-generation Fibre Channel Switch Fabric. Specifies tools and
algorithms for interconnection and initialization of Fibre Channel switches to
create a multiswitch Fibre Channel fabric.
FC_VI Fibre Channel Virtual Interface.
FCC Federal Communications Commission.
FCIA Fibre Channel Industry Association. Its mission is to nurture and help
develop the broadest market for Fibre Channel products.
FCIP Tunneling Service A 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.
FCLC Fibre Channel Loop Community.
FCP Fibre Channel Protocol. SCSI to Fibre Channel mapping.
FDDI Fibre Distributed Data Interface. ANSI architecture for a Metropolitan Area
Network (MAN); a network based on the use of optical-fiber cable to transmit
data at 100 megabits per second.
FDMI Fabric Device Management Interface. 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 address for a broadcast alias-ID.
Fibre Channel (FC) The primary protocol for building SANs. Unlike IP and Ethernet, Fibre Channel
was designed to support the needs of storage devices of all types.
Fibre Channel Network Address Translation (FC-NAT)
A capability that allows devices in different fabrics to communicate when
those fabrics have addressing conflicts. This is similar to the "hide-behind"
AT used in firewalls.
Fibre Channel Router Protocol (FCRP)
A Brocade-authored standards-track protocol that enables LSAN switches to
perform routing between different edge fabrics, optionally across a
backbone fabric.
FICON
A protocol used on IBM mainframes; FICON support enables a Brocade

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.
Fill word The primitive signal used by L_Ports to be transmitted between frames.
FIPS Federal Information Processing Standard. Publicly announced standards
developed by the US Federal government, for example, standards for
encoding data and encryption standards. See also KAT.
FL_Port A fabric loop port to which a loop attaches; it is the access to the fabric for
NL_Ports on a loop.
Flash Programmable nonvolatile RAM (NVRAM) memory that maintains its
contents without power.
FLOGI Fabric login. A process by which a node makes a logical connection to a
fabric switch.
F_Port A fabric port to which an N_Port is attached.
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 A data unit containing a start-of-frame (SOF) delimiter, header, payload,
Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC), and an End-Of-Frame (EOF) delimiter. The
payload can be 0-2112 bytes, and the CRC is 4 bytes.
Frame relay A protocol that uses logical channels, as those used in X.25; also known as
bandwidth on demand.
Front domain A tier of virtual domains between the translation domains and the edge
fabrics that allows FSPF multipathing to work as desired.
FRU Field Replaceable Unit. A component that can be replaced in the field upon
failure.

FSP Fibre Channel Service Protocol. The common FC-4 level protocol for all
services, transparent to the fabric type or topology.
FSPF Fabric Shortest Path First. A routing protocol used by Fibre Channel switches.
FSS Fabric OS State Synchronization. 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.
Full Fabric The Brocade software license that allows multiple E_Ports on a switch.
Full duplex Concurrent transmission and reception of data on a link.
Full fabric citizenship A loop device that has an entry in name server.
Fx_Port A fabric port that can operate as either an F_Port or an FL_Port.
G
Gateway A device that connects incompatible networks by providing the necessary
translation, both for hardware and software.
GbE Port Gigabit Ethernet port available on some Brocade switches; supports FCIP
and FC Channel Routing Service features with link speeds up to 1 Gbit/sec.
GBIC Gigabit Interface Converter. A removable transceiver module permitting Fibre
Channel and Gigabit Ethernet physical-layer transport.
Gbps Gigabits per second. Also, Gbit/sec.
GBps Gigabytes per second. Also GB/sec.
Gigabit 1,062,500,000 bits per second.
GLM Gigabit Link Module. A semitransparent transceiver that incorporates
serializing/deserializing functions.
GoldenEye The code name for a Brocade 4 Gbit/sec switch ASIC used in the Brocade
200E Switch.
G_Port A generic port that supports either E_Port or F_Port functionality.
GUI Graphical User Interface.
H
HA High Availability. A set of features in Brocade switches designed to provide
maximum reliability and nondisruptive replacement of key hardware and
software modules.
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).
Hard address The AL_PA that an NL_Port attempts to acquire during loop initialization.
HBA Host Bus Adapter. An interface between a server or workstation bus and the
Fibre Channel network.

HiPPI High-performance Parallel Interface. An 800 Mbit/sec interface normally
used in supercomputer environments.
Hop count Hop count is the number of ISLs a frame must traverse to get from its source
to its destination.
Hot swappable A component that can be replaced while under power.
HSSDC High Speed Serial Data Connection. A form factor that allows quick
connections for copper interfaces.
HSSDC-2 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 HTTPS instead of
standard HTTP links.
Hub A Fibre Channel wiring concentrator that collapses a loop topology into a
physical star topology. A hub can automatically recognize an active node and
inserts it into the loop; a node that is not functioning is automatically
removed from the loop.
Hunt Group A number of N_Ports registered as a single Alias_ID, so the fabric can route a
word to a port that is free.
I
Idle An ordered set transmitted continuously over a link when no data is being
transmitted to maintain an active link. It helps maintain bit, byte, and word
synchronization.
IFCP Internet Fibre Channel Protocol. Supports FC Layer 4 FCP-Over-TCP/IP; a
gateway-to-gateway protocol in which TCP/IP switching and routing
components exchange/replace FC fabric.
IKE Internet Key Exchange. The protocol used to set up a security association in
the IPsec protocol suite.
In-band Transmission of management protocol over the Fibre Channel transport.
Initiator A server or workstation on a Fibre Channel network that initiates
transactions to tapes or disks.
Ingress Rate Limiting A licensed fabric service that restricts the speed of traffic from a particular
device by setting the maximum speed traffic can flow through a particular
F_Port or FL_Port. See also Adaptive Networking.
Integrated Fabric The fabric created by connecting multiple Brocade switches with multiple ISL
cables, and configuring the switches to handle traffic as a seamless group.
Intercabinet A specification for copper cabling that allows up to 33-m (108 ft) distances
between cabinets.

Inter-Chassis Link (ICL) A connection between two chassis, for example, between two Brocade DCX
Backbones; uses dedicated ICL ports on each chassis.
Inter-Fabric Link (IFL) 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.
Intermix Allows any unused bandwidth in a Class 1 connection to be used by Class 2
or Class 3.
Inter-Switch Link (ISL) A connection between two switches using the E_Port.
Intracabinet A specification for copper cabling that allows up to a 13-m (42-ft) distance
within a single cabinet.
IOD In Order Delivery. A parameter than when set, guarantees that frames get
delivered in order, or they are dropped.
IP Internet Protocol. The addressing part of TCP/IP.
IPI Intelligent Peripheral Interface.
IPsec IP security. A framework of open standards to ensure private, secure
communications over IP networks through the use of cryptographic security
services.
IQN iSCSI Qualified Name. An iSCSI address that uniquely identifies an iSCSI
device on the network, the equivalent of a Fibre Channel WWN.
iSCSI Internet Small Computer System Interface. An IP-based storage networking
standard.
iSCSI Gateway Service A service that maps the SCSI protocol to the IP transport. This service
projects iSCSI hosts onto the backbone fabric of a gateway switch.
iSCSI PDU iSCSI Protocol Data Unit. A message between an iSCSI initiator and iSCSI
target; has a Header and an optional Data Unit.
iSCSI target gateway An intermediate device in a network that allows iSCSI initiators in an IP SAN
to access and use storage in an FC SAN.
ISL oversubscription ratio
The ratio of the number of free ports (non-ISL) to the number of ISLs on a
switch.
Isolated E_Port Occurs when an ISL is online but not operational between switches because
of overlapping domain IDs or no identical parameters such as E_D_TOVs.
ISP Internet Service Provider.
J
JBOD Just a Bunch Of Disks. A term for disks typically configured as an Arbitrated
Loop segment in a single chassis.
Jitter A deviation in timing for a bit stream as it flows through a physical medium.

K
K28.5 A special 10-bit character used to indicate the beginning of a Fibre Channel
ordered set.
KAT Known Answer Test. Used for encryption and decryption operations in FIPS
compliance. See also FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standard).
Key A string of data (usually a numeric value) shared between two entities and
used to control a cryptographic algorithm.
Key pair In public key cryptography, a pair of keys consisting of an entitys public and
private key; the public key can be publicized, but the private key must be
kept secret.
L
L_Port Loop Port. A node port (NL_Port) or fabric port (FL_Port) that has arbitrated-
loop capabilities
LAN Local Area Network. A network where transmissions are typically less than
5 km (3.4 mi).
Latency The period that a frame is held by a network device before it is forwarded.
LED Light Emitting Diode. A status indicator on a switch.
Link control facility A termination handling physical and logical control of the Fibre Channel link
for each mode.
LIFA Loop Initialization Fabric Assigned frame. Contains bitmap of all fabric
assigned AL_PAs and is the first frame transmitted in the loop initialization
process after a temporary loop master has been selected.
LIHA Loop Initialization Hard Assigned frame. A hard assigned AL_PA that is
indicated by a bit set and is the third frame transmitted in the loop
initialization process after a temporary loop master has been selected.
LILP Loop Initialization Loop Position frame. The final frame transmitted in a loop
initialization process. A returned LIRP contains an accumulation of all of the
AL_PA position maps. This allows loop members to determine their relative
loop position. This is an optional frame and is not transmitted unless the
LIRP is also transmitted.
Link A bi-directional point-to-point serial data channel.
Link control facility A termination, handling physical and logical control of the FC link for each
node.
Link cost A dimensionless positive number associated with the cost of an ISL or IFL
that, by default, is inversely proportional to its bandwidth.
LIP Loop Initialization Primitive sequence. A means to get an AL_PA address, to
indicate a loop failure or to reset a node.
LIPA Loop Initialization Previously Assigned. A situation in which the device marks
a bit in the bitmap if it had not logged in with the fabric in a previous loop
initialization.

LIRP Loop Initialization Report Position frame. The first frame transmitted in the
loop initialization process after all L_Ports have selected an AL_PA. It gets
transmitted around the loop so all L_Ports can report their relative physical
position. This is an optional frame.
LISA Loop Initialization Soft Assigned frame. The fourth frame transmitted in the
loop initialization process after a temporary loop master has been selected.
L_Ports that have not selected an AL_PA in a LIFA, LIPA, or LIHA frame will
select their AL_PA here.
LISM Loop Initialization Select Master frame. The first frame transmitted in the
initialization process when L_Ports select an AL_PA. It is used to select a
temporary loop master or the L_Port that will subsequently start
transmission of the LIFA, LIPA, LIHA, LISA, LIRP, or LILP frames.
LM_TOV Loop Master Timeout Value. The minimum time that the loop master waits
for a loop initialization sequence to return.
Logical Storage Area Network (LSAN)
A logical network that spans multiple fabrics. The path between devices in
an LSAN can be local to an edge fabric or cross one or more Multiprotocol
Routers and up to one intermediate backbone fabric. LSANs are
administered through LSAN zones in each edge fabric.
Login server The unit that responds to login requests.
Loom The code name given to the second-generation Brocade fabric ASIC, used in
the Brocade 2000 series of switches.
Loop circuit A temporary bi-directional communication path established between L_Ports.
Loop_ID A hexadecimal value representing one of the 127 possible AL_PA values in
an Arbitrated Loop.
Looplet Private Arbitrated Loop segments connected by a fabric.
LPB Loop Port Bypass. A primitive sequence transmitted by an L_Port to bypass
one or all L_Ports to which it is directed. It is used only in Arbitrated Loops.
LPE Loop Port Enable. A primitive sequence transmitted by an L_Port to enable
one or all L_Ports that have been bypassed with the LPB. It is used only in
Arbitrated Loops.
L_Port Loop port. A port supporting the Arbitrated Loop protocol. It appears as the
part of the output of a switchShow command.
LPSM Loop Port State Machine. Logic that monitors and performs the tasks
required for initialization and access to the loop. It is maintained by an
L_Port to track behavior through different phases of loop operations.
LR Link Reset. A primitive sequence used during link initialization between two
N_Ports in point-to-point topology, or an N_Port and an F_Port in fabric
topology. The expected response is an LRR.
LRR Link Reset Response. A primitive sequence during link initialization between
two N_Ports in point-to-point topology, or an N_Port and an F_Port in fabric
topology. It is sent in response to an LR, and expects a response of Idle.

LSAN Logical Storage Area Network. Enables device and storage connectivity that
spans two or more fabrics.
LSAN device entry The total number of port WWN entries for all devices defined in all active
LSAN zones within a routed fabric.
LSAN zone The mechanism by which LSANs are administered. A Multiprotocol Router
attached to two fabrics will "listen" for the creation of matching LSAN zones
on both fabrics. If this occurs, it will create phantom domains and FC-NAT
entries as appropriate, and insert entries for them into the name servers on
the fabrics. LSAN zones are compatible with standard zoning mechanisms.
LSAN zone entry The number of port WWN entries defined in an edge fabric or backbone
LSAN zone.
LU Logical Unit. A piece of logical storage in a disk array.
LU path In Brocade Data Migration Manager, identifies a path to a logical unit; the
port WWN (pWWN) of the array and the LUN from the standpoint of the
virtual initiators.
LUN Logical Unit Number. The path to an LU or the 64-bit address of the LU.
LUN mapping Mapping between a virtual iSCSI target and physical FC target.
LWL Long Wavelength fiber-optic; based on 1300 and 1550-nm lasers supporting
1, 2, and 4 Gbit/sec link speeds.
M
MAC address Media Access Control address. The address used for communication
between network adapters on the same subnet. Each network adapter has
an associated MAC address.
MALLOC Memory allocation; usually refers to buffer credits.
MAN Metropolitan Area Network.
Mbps Megabits per second; also Mbit/sec.
MBps Megabytes per second; also MB/sec.
MetaSAN The collection of all devices, switches, edge and backbone fabrics, LSANs,
and Multiprotocol Routers that make up a physically connected but logically
partitioned storage network. In a data network, this would simply be called
"the network." However, an additional term is required to specify the
difference between a single-fabric network (SAN), a multi-fabric network
without cross-fabric connectivity (for example, a dual-redundant fabric SAN),
and a multi-fabric network with connectivity (metaSAN).
Metric A relative value assigned to a route to aid in calculating the shortest path
(1000 @ 1Gbit/sec, 500 @ 2Gbit/sec).
MIA Media Interface Adapter. A device that converts optical connections to
copper ones and vice versa.
MIB Management Information Base. An SNMP structure for device management
that contains an abstraction of configuration and device information.

Migration set In Brocade Data Migration Manager, a collection of extent pairs that
comprise a migration; used by the application to configure migration and
scheduling policies.
MMF Multimode Fiber. See SWL.
MOF Managed Object Format file.
Morphed WWN In a Brocade SAN, ADs are treated as fabrics; since switches cannot be part
of two fabrics, but they can be part of two ADs, their WWNs are morphed
so that they appear as unique entities in different fabrics.
MRK Mark Primitive Signal. Used only in Arbitrated Loop, it is transmitted by an
L_Port for synchronization and is vendor specific.
MS Management Server. Allows a SAN management application to retrieve
information and administer the fabric and interconnected elements, such as
switches, servers, and storage devices; located at the FC well-known address
FFFFFAh.
MTBF Mean Time Between Failures. An expression of time indicating the longevity
of a device.
Multicast A restricted broadcast to a subset of the N_Ports on the network.
Multimode (MMF) A fiber optic cabling specification that allows up to 500-m distances between
devices.
Multiprotocol Router A device that enables Brocade multiprotocol routing services.
Multiprotocol Routing Services
Optionally licensed software bundle available on certain Brocade platforms,
such as the Multiprotocol Router, that includes the FC-FC Routing Service,
the iSCSI Gateway Service, and the FCIP Tunneling Service.
Multiprotocol SAN Routing Services (MSRS)
An optionally licensed software bundle available on certain Brocade
platforms, such as the Brocade AP7420, that includes the Fibre Channel
Routing Service, iSCSI Gateway Service, and FCIP Tunneling Service.
N
N_Port A Fibre Channel port in a fabric or point-to-point connection.
Name Server or Service A switch service that stores names, addresses, and attributes for up to 15
minutes and provides them as required to other devices in the fabric; also
known as Simple Name Server (SNS) or directory service.
NAS Network-Attached Storage. A disk array connected to a controller that gives
access via a LAN.
Native PID Introduced with the Brocade 2000 series switches, supports up to 16 ports
per switch.
NDMP Network Data Management Protocol. Used for tape backups without using
server resources.
NIC Network Interconnect Card.

NL_Port Node Loop port. A port supporting the Arbitrated Loop protocol.
Node A Fibre Channel device that supports one or more ports.
Node count The number of nodes attached to the fabric.
Node name A 64-bit unique identifier assigned to a Fibre Channel node.
Non-OFC A category of laser transceiver that does not require open fiber control due
to its low intensity.
Nonparticipating mode Mode that is entered if there are more than 127 devices on a loop, and an
AL_PA cannot be acquired.
NOS Non-Operational Primitive Sequence. Used during link initialization between
two N_Ports in the point-to-point topology, or an N_Port and F_Port in the
fabric topology. It is sent to indicate that the transmitting port has detected a
link failure or is offline. An OLS is the expected response.
NPIV N_Port ID Virtualization. Allows a single FC_Port to appear as multiple,
distinct ports providing separate port identification and security zoning with
the fabric for each operating system image as if each one had its own
physical port.
NR_Port A port used as a source and destination address for frames traversing a
backbone fabric. A normal E_Port (not an EX_Port) is used to connect a
Multiprotocol Router to a backbone. An NR_Port appears to the rest of the
backbone as a standard N_Port connected to the Multiprotocol Router
domain.
NSCAM Name Server Cache Manager. Updates the NS databases across switches as
a background task.
Nx_Port Node port that can operate as either an N_Port or NL_Port.
O
OFC Open Fiber Control. A method used to enable and disable laser signaling for
higher-intensity laser transceivers.
OLS Offline Primitive Sequence. Used during link initialization between two
N_Ports in a point-to-point topology or an F_Port and an N_Port in a fabric. It
is sent to indicate that the transmitting port is attempting to initialize a link,
has recognized the NOS primitive sequence, or is going offline. The expected
response to an OLS is an LR.
OLTP Online Transaction Processing.
OPN Open Primitive Signal. Applies only to Arbitrated Loop, and is sent by an
L_Port that has won the arbitration process to open communication with one
or more ports on the loop.
Ordered set A set of 4 characters beginning with a special character used to manage
frame transport, initialization, and media access, and to distinguish Fibre
Channel control information from data.
Originator The Nx_Port that originated an exchange.

Out-of-band Transmission of management protocol outside the Fibre Channel network,
usually over Ethernet.
Over-subscription When more nodes could potentially contend for a resource than the resource
could simultaneously support (typically an ISL). Over-subscription could be a
desirable attribute in fabric topology, as long as it does not produce
unacceptable levels of congestion.
OX_ID Originator Exchange Identifier. A 2-byte field in the frame header used by the
originator of an exchange to identify frames as being part of an exchange.
P
Parallel The simultaneous transmission of data bits over multiple lines.
Participating mode The normal operating mode for an L_Port that has acquired an AL_PA on a
loop.
Passive copper A low-cost copper Fibre Channel connection allowing distances up to 13 m
between devices.
PBC Port Bypass Circuit. A circuit in hubs or a disk enclosure to open or close a
loop to add or remove nodes.
PCBA Printed Circuit Board Assembly.
Performance Monitoring
A Brocade switch feature that monitors port traffic and includes frame
counters, SCSI read monitors, SCSI write monitors, and others.
Phantom address A PID value assigned to a device that is not physically in a loop.
Phantom device A device that is not physically in an Arbitrated Loop, but is logically included
via the use of a phantom address.
Phantom domain ID The domain ID used for importing devices into edge or backbone fabrics.
Physical fabric In AD-aware fabrics, an unfiltered view of the actual fabric.
PID Port identifier.
PKI Public Key Infrastructure. An infrastructure based on public key cryptography
and CA (certificate authority) that uses digital certificates.
PKI certification utility Public Key Infrastructure certification utility; enables the collection of
certificate requests from switches and the loading of certificates to switches.
PLDA Private Loop Direct Attached. A technical report specifying a logical loop.
PLOGI A port-to-port login process by which initiators establish sessions with
targets.
Point-to-Point A dedicated Fibre Channel connection between two devices.
Port A Fibre Channel entity that connects a node to the network.
Port address In Fibre Channel technology, defined in hexadecimal; in Brocade Fabric OS,
can be defined by a domain and port number combination or by area
number.

Port-based routing A routing policy in which the choice of routing path is based on the incoming
port and the destination domain. To optimize port-based routing, the
Dynamic Load Sharing (DLS) feature can be enabled to balance the load
across the available output ports in a domain.
Port card A hardware component that provides a platform for field-replaceable, hot-
swappable ports.
Port group A group of adjacent ports that share a common pool of frame buffers for
long-distance connections.
Port-level zoning Defines a zone member by domain port, which is the physical port to which
the member is connected.
Port log A record of all activity on a switch, kept in volatile memory.
Port log dump A view of what happens on a switch from the switch's point of view. The
command used to read the Port Log is portLogDump.
Port mirroring A feature that enables the configuration of a switch port as an analyzer port
to mirror specific source and destination port traffic passing through any
switch port, in other words, it enables non-disruptive traffic analysis.
Port_name A unique 64-bit character identifier assigned to a Fibre Channel port and
communicated during login and port discovery.
Ports On Demand (POD) Optionally licensed feature available on certain Brocade switches; when
switches are shipped with some but not all of the physical ports activated, a
POD license can be used to activate some or all of the remaining ports.
POST Power On Self Test. A routine that the switch performs to test its
components.
PPID Unique static identifier for each blade in a bladed server; resides on a
printed label and on an electronic tag on the card.
Primary FCS switch Primary Fabric Configuration Server switch. In Brocade Secure Fabric OS,
actively manages security and configurations for all switches in the fabric.
Primitive sequence Ordered sets that indicate or start state changes on the transport medium
and require at least three consecutive occurrences to trigger a response.
Primitive signals Ordered sets that indicate actions or events and require just one occurrence
to trigger a response. Idle and R_RDY are used in all three topologies, ARB,
OPN CLS, and MRK are used in Arbitrated Loop.
Principal switch The first switch to boot up in the fabric; ensures unique Domain IDs amongst
other roles.
Private device A device that supports loop and can understand 8-bit addresses but does
not log into the fabric.
Private loop An Arbitrated Loop device with no participating FL_Port.
Private loop device An Arbitrated Loop device with no fabric attachment.
Private NL_Port An NL_Port on a public or private loop; it only communicates with other
ports on the loop, not with the fabric.

Prohibit Dynamic Connectivity Mask (PDCM)
A method for isolating traffic used for specific forced network control, for
example, to route traffic to a particular EX_Port in an M-EOS edge fabric;
lets you define which ingress port will take which egress port; configuration
must be performed at the director level.
Proxy device A virtual device present in a local fabric that represents a physical device
connected to a different edge fabric. From the perspective of the local device
that is physically connected to a fabric, a proxy device is considered to be
imported; from the perspective of the remote fabric, the proxy device is
said to be exported.
PSU Power Supply Unit.
Public device A device that supports loop and can also log in to the fabric.
Public key cryptography A type of cryptography that uses a key pair, with the two keys in the pair
(public and private) called at different points in the algorithm.
Public loop An Arbitrated Loop with a participating FL_Port.
Public loop device An Arbitrated Loop device that supports fabric login and services.
Public NL_Port An NL_Port that can communicate with other ports on the loop as well as
through an FL_Port to other N_Ports on the fabric.
Q
QLogic A brand of host bus adapters and switches.
Quality of Service (QoS) An optionally licensed fabric service introduced in Fabric OS 6.0that allows
you to assign different priority to different applications, users, or data flows,
or to guarantee a certain level of performance to a data flow between a
given host-target pair. You assign high or low priority (QoS level) using a
special QoS zone.See also Adaptive Networking, SID, and DID.
Queue A mechanism for each AL_PA address that allows for collecting frames prior
to sending them to the loop.
QuickLoop A Brocade software product that allows multiple ports on a switch to create a
logical loop. Devices connected via QuickLoop will appear to each other as if
they were on the same Arbitrated Loop.
QuickLoop mode Allows initiator devices to communicate with private or public devices that
are not in the same loop.
R
R_A_TOV Resource Allocation Timeout Value. Used to time out operations that depend
on the maximum allowable time a frame could be delayed in the fabric and
still be delivered.
R_CTL Route Control. The first 8 bits of a header, which defines the type of frame
and its contents.
R_RDY Receiver Ready. A primitive signal indicating that the port is ready to receive
a frame.

R_T_TOV Receiver Transmitter Timeout Value. Used by the receiver logic to detect loss
of synchronization between transmitters and receivers.
Radius The greatest distance between any edge switch and the center of a fabric.
RAID Redundant Array of Independent Disks. Disks that look like a single or
multiple volumes to the server and are fault-tolerant either through mirroring
or parity checking.
RAIT Redundant Array of Independent Tapes.

RBAC Role-Based Access Control.
Receiver A device that does detection and signal processing.
Redundancy Having multiple occurrences of a component to maintain high availability.
Remote switch An optional product for long distance fabrics requiring a Fibre Channel-to-
ATM or SONET gateway.
Repeater A circuit that uses recovered clock to regenerate and transmit an outbound
signal.
Resilient core/edge topology
Two or more switches acting as a core to interconnect multiple edge
switches, nodes attach to the edge switches.
Responder The N_Port with which an Exchange originator wishes to communicate.
Retimer A circuit that uses an independent clock to generate outbound signals.
Root zone database The zone database from a pre-Fabric OS 5.2.0 fabric; once Fabric OS 5.2.0
or later is installed, the root zone database is owned by AD0.
Route A path between two switches.
Routed fabric Two or more edge fabrics interconnected by one or more backbone fabrics.
Routing The assignment of frames to specific switch ports, according to frame
destination.
RSCN Registered State Change Notification. A switch function that allows
notification to registered nodes if a change occurs either with or within the
fabric.
RTWR Reliable Transport With Response.
RX_ID Responder Exchange Identifier. A 2-byte field in the frame header that may
be used by the responder of the Exchange to identify frames as being part of
a particular exchange.
S
S_ID Source Identifier. A 3-byte field in the frame header used to indicate the
address identifier of the N_Port from which the frame was sent.
SA Security Association. The collection of security parameters and
authenticated keys negotiated between IPsec peers.

SAN Storage Area Network. A network linking computing devices to disk or tape
arrays and other devices over Fibre Channel.
SAN architecture The overall design of a storage network solution, which includes one or more
related fabrics, each of which has a topology.
SAN port count The number of ports available for connection by nodes in the entire SAN.
Scalability One of the properties of a SAN; the size to which the SAN topology can grow
port and switch counts with ease.
SAS Brocade Storage Application Services.
SCC SC Connector. A fiber-optic cable connector that uses a push-pull latching
mechanism similar to common audio and video cables.
SCN State Change Notification. Used for internal, not external, changes.
SCR State Change Registration. The command used by devices to register to
receive RSCNs.
SCSI Small Computer Systems Interface. Parallel bus architecture and a protocol
for transmitting large data blocks to a distance of 15 to 25 m.
SCSI-2 An updated version of the SCSI bus architecture.
SCSI-3 A SCSI standard that defines transmission of SCSI protocol data over
different kinds of links.
SDRAM The main memory for the switch.
Sectelnet A protocol similar to telnet, but with encrypted passwords for increased
accuracy.
Secure Fabric OS An optionally licensed Brocade feature that provides centralized security
tools for a fabric; some Secure Fabric OS features migrated to base Fabric
OS starting with Fabric OS 5.2.0 and continued in Fabric OS 5.3.0.
Security policy Rules that determine how security is implemented in a fabric.
SEQ_ID Sequence Identifier; a 1-byte field in the frame header change to identify the
frames as being part of a particular Exchange Sequence between a pair of
ports.
Sequence A group of related frames transmitted uni-directionally from one N_Port to
another.
Sequence initiator The N_Port that begins a new sequence and transmits frames to another
N_Port.
Sequence recipient The N_Port to which a particular sequence of data frames is directed.
SERDES SERializing/DESerializing circuitry. A circuit that converts a serial bit stream
into parallel characters, and vice-versa.
Serial The transmission of data bits in sequential order over a single line.
Server A computer that processes end-user applications or requests.
SES SCSI Enclosure Services. A subset of the SCSI protocol used to monitor
temperature, power, and fan status for enclosed devices.

SFF Small Form Factor. An industry term for a smaller transceiver.
SFP Small Form Factor Pluggable. A transceiver used on 2Gbit/sec switches
that replaces the GBIC.
SID Source ID with three fields: Domain ID (DD), Area ID (AA), and AL_PA (PP).
SID/DID traffic prioritization is a licensed feature introduced in Fabric OS
6.0 that allows you to categorize the traffic flow into high, medium, or low
priority. Requires an Adaptive Networking license on every switch in the
path between a given configured device pair. See also QoS.
SilkWorm A former brand name for the Brocade family of switches and directors.
Single mode A fiber optic cabling specification that provides up to 10 km and > 50 km
distances between devices.
S-Link Service Facilities used between an N_Port and the Fabric, or between two N_Ports
for login, sequence/exchange management, and maintaining connections.
SLAP Switch Link Authentication Protocol. An authentication method for Fibre
Channel switches that uses digital certificates to authenticate switch ports.
SLP Service Location Protocol. Allows computers and other devices to find
services in a LAN without prior configuration.
SMDS Switched Multimegabit Data Service. A good protocol for interconnecting
LANs, however, with less error-checking capability than Frame Relay.
SMF Single Mode Fiber. See LWL.
SMI Structure of Management Information. A notation for setting or retrieving
SNMP management variables.
SNMP Simple Network Management Protocol. A TCP/IP protocol designed for
management of networks over TCP/IP, using agents and stations.
SNS Simple Name Server. A switch service that stores names, addresses, and
attributes for up to 15 minutes and provides them as required to other
devices in the fabric.
SOF Start Of Frame. A group of ordered sets that marks the beginning of a frame
and indicates the class of service the frame will use.
Software-enforced zoning
A method of zoning in which members are defined using both WWNs and
domain, port; prevents hosts from discovering unauthorized target devices.
SoIP SCSI over IP.
SONET Synchronous Optical Network. A standard for optical networks providing
building blocks and flexible payload mappings.
Special character A special 10-bit character that does not have a corresponding 8-bit value but
is still considered valid. The special character is used to indicate that a
particular transmission word is an ordered set. This is the only type of
character to have five 1s or 0s in a row.
SPOF Single Point Of Failure. Any component in a SAN whose malfunction could
bring down the entire SAN.

SRM Storage Resource Management. The management of disk volumes and any
file resources.
SSH Secure Shell. Used starting in Fabric OS 4.1 to support encrypted telnet
sessions to the switch; encrypts all messages, including the client sending
the password at login.
SSL Secure Sockets Layer.
Standard Translative Mode
Allows public devices to communicate with private devices that are directly
connected to the fabric.
Static route A route assigned to a specific path that does not change when a topology
change occurs, unless the path used by the route becomes unavailable.
Stealth mode A method used in some switches to have them work similar to Brocade
switches using QuickLoop.
Stitch The code name given to the first-generation Brocade fabric ASIC; used in the
Brocade 1000 series of switches.
Storage A device used to store data, such as a disk or tape.
Store-and-forward A switching technique that requires buffering an entire frame before a
routing decision is made.
Striping A RAID technique for writing a file to multiple disks on a block-by-block basis,
with or without parity.
Switch A fabric device providing bandwidth and high-speed routing of data via link-
level addressing.
SWL Short Wavelength fiber optic; based on 850-mm lasers supporting
1.0625-Gbit/sec link speeds.
T
T10 A standards committee chartered with creating standards for SCSI.
T11 A standards committee chartered with creating standards for Fibre Channel.
Tachyon A chip developed by Hewlett-Packard, and used in various devices. This chip
has FC-0 through FC-2 on one chip.
Tape Pipelining A Fabric OS feature that accelerates the writes to tape devices of FCIP from
a host; eliminates the latency associated with the sequential nature of a
tape device, thus forcing the host to send multiple outstanding commands
and buffering associated data at the remote switch.
Target A disk or a tape device in SCSI.
TCP/IP Transmission Control Protocol over Internet Protocol.
Telnet A virtual terminal emulation used with TCP/IP.
Tenancy Possession of an Arbitrated Loop by a device to conduct a transaction.

Tiering The process of grouping particular SAN devices by function and then
attaching these devices to particular switches of groups of switches based
on that function.
Time Server (TS) A Fibre Channel service that allows for the centralized management of
switch time settings.
Top Talker (TT) A fabric service (part of the optionally licensed Advanced Performance
Monitoring feature) that provides real-time information about the top n
bandwidth-consuming flows from a set of a large number of flows passing
through a specific port in the network. See also Adaptive Networking.
Topology The physical or logical arrangement of devices in a networked configuration.
TPC Third Party Copy. A protocol for performing tape backups without using
server resources.
Traffic Isolation A fabric service that allows you to control the flow of interswitch traffic by
creating a dedicated path for traffic flowing from a specific set of source
ports (N_Ports). See also Adaptive Networking.
Transceiver A device that converts one form of signaling to another for transmission and
reception; in fiber optics it means optical to electrical.
Translate phantom domain
An FC router virtual domain that represents an entire fabric. Device
connectivity can be achieved from one fabric to another over the backbone
fabric through this virtual domain, without merging the two fabrics.
Translative mode A mode that allows public devices to communicate with private devices
across a fabric.
Transmission character A valid or invalid character transmitted serially over fiber.
Transmission word A string of 4 consecutive transmission characters.
Trap An SNMP mechanism for agents to notify the SNMP management station of
significant events.
Trunking A fabric feature that enables distribution of traffic over the combined
bandwidth of up to eight ISLs between adjacent switches, while preserving
in-order delivery.
Trunk group A set of ports that share traffic to a destination domain. Bloom-based
switches supported trunk groups of up to four ISLs. Condor and GoldenEye
based switches support trunk groups of up to eight ISLs.
TTL Time To Live. The number of seconds an entry exists in cache before it
expires.
Tunneling A technique for making two different networks interact where the source and
destination hosts are on the same type of network, but there is a different
network in between.

U
U_Port Universal Port. A port that can operate as a G/E/F/FL_Port. All Brocade 2xxx
series switches and beyond contain Universal Ports to allow any device to
connect to any port. Selection of actual port type is automatic.
UDP User Datagram Protocol. A protocol that runs on top of IP and provides port
multiplexing for upper-level protocols.
ULP Upper Level Protocol. The protocol that runs on top of Fibre Channel through
the FC-4 layer. Typical protocols are SCSI, IP, HiPPI, and IPI.
ULP_TOV Upper-Level Timeout Value. The minimum time that an SCSI ULP process
waits for SCSI status before initiating ULP recovery.
Unicast A routing method that provides one or more optimal path(s) between any two
switches in the fabric.
UTC Universal Time Conversion. Also known as Coordinated Universal Time, an
international time standard that is 5 hours behind Eastern Standard Time
(EST).
V
VAR Value Added Reseller.
VC Encoded PID PID format defined by the Brocade 1000 series switches.
VCSEL Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser. An improved and more reliable type of
laser.
VE_Port Virtual E_Port; functions somewhat like an E_Port, but terminates at the
switch and does not propagate fabric services or routing topology
information from one edge fabric to another. The link between an E_Port and
EX_Port or VE_Port is called an Inter-Fabric Link (IFL).
VEX_Port A type of VE_Port that connects an FC router to an edge fabric.
Virtual circuit A one-way path between N_Ports that allows fractional bandwidth.
W
WAN Wide Area Network.
WAN_TOV Wide Area Network Timeout Value.
WDM Wavelength Division Multiplexer. Allows multiple wavelengths to be
combined or filtered on a single cable.
Web Tools See Brocade Web Tools.
Well-known address In Fibre Channel technology, a logical address defined by Fibre Channel
standards as assigned to a specific function and stored on the switch.

WTV Write Timeout Value.
WWN World Wide Name. A 64-bit unique identifier for nodes and ports in a fabric.
WWN-level zoning Defines a zone member using WWN port or WWN SAN device. Defining a
zone member as WWN allows the member (device) to be attached without
regard to its physical location.
Z
Zone A logical group of member devices; devices in the same zone have access to
others in the zone but are not visible to a device outside the zone.
Zone configuration In Brocade zoning, a zoning object that contains a set of zones; the highest-
level zoning element and used to enable or disable a set of zones in the
fabric.
Zone member Defines a device; can belong to more than one zone at a time.
Zone object A device defined in the zone database, which can be a member within an
alias, zone, or configuration.
Zoning A feature in fabric switches or hubs that allows segmentation of a node by
physical port, name, or address.

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Brocade SAN Glossary 1/31/2008 Page 1 of 29

STORAGE AREA NETWORK

A protocol used on IBM mainframes; FICON support enables a Brocade

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