topic Re: help me in understanding storage concepts in Disk Enclosures

help me in understanding storage concepts

Raja N — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 13:43:09 GMT

can any one there help in understanding following questions

1.What exactly happens when two fabric switch are get connected. i under stand that the second switch's configuration has to be cleared but iam more interested about how the merging happens. Will the connected switches act like single switch?

2. How AL_PA works in EVA controller

"Will be much useful if any can provide storage controller concepts documents".

Thanks
Raja N

Re: help me in understanding storage concepts

IBaltay — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 15:00:21 GMT

Hi,
1. zone merging
http://community.brocade.com/home/thread/2467;jsessionid=555179AF3E0C04707D1BBA3A40161EE2

2. only EVA back-end is AL, there are e.g. (FC-AL Device ports). EVA front end ports are pure FC F-ports.

the functionality is described e.g. here:
http://www.cuddletech.com/veritas/fcal.txt

Re: help me in understanding storage concepts

Sivakumar MJ._1 — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 17:01:36 GMT

Check our forum postings....

http://forums11.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=1309158

Re: help me in understanding storage concepts

Uwe Zessin — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 17:06:27 GMT

1. No, the switches will not simply act like one large switch. For example, each switch requires a unique "Domain-ID", which is part of the 24-bit "Fibre Channel address" (some other popular names are: FCID, PID or N_Port ID ;-)

2. An AL_PA (Arbitrated Loo p_ Phyiscal Address) is just an 8-bit address for devices on an FC_AL (Fibre Channel _ Arbitrated Loop).

FC_AL is complex topic. Does it help if I say that the previous generation used "hard addressing" and the current generation uses "soft addressing"?