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Figure 1 FC SAN networking
NOTE:
• An FC SAN refers to a network comprising FC switches and nodes.
• A fabric refers to a transmission network comprising FC switches.
FC protocol
The servers, FC switches, and disk devices in an FC SAN must all support FC.
Basic concepts
WWN
The World Wide Name (WWN) is a 64-bit address that identifies a fabric or an entity (such as an FC
switch, node, or port) in an FC SAN. The upper-layer protocol of FC uses WWNs for communication.
Each entity has a factory-assigned globally unique WWN.
FC address
The FC protocol accesses communication entities in an FC SAN through FC addresses. An FC address
is also known as an "FC_ID."
Disk
Server
1) Point-to-point
connection
2) Arbitrated loop
Disk
Server
Fabric
Disk
Server
FC switch
3) Switched fabric
Server
Disk
Disk
