Fibre Channel - Fibre Channel - Topologies & Protocols Topologies & Protocols
Fibre Channel - Fibre Channel - Topologies & ProtocolsTopologies & Protocols
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AgendaAgenda
Why Fibre
Fibre-Speak
Fibre Pipes
Topologies
Protocols
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QuestionQuestion
Why is Fibre in Fibre Channel always misspelled F-I-B-R-E instead of F-I-B-E-R?
Answer: It’s the Britishspelling of the word.
And most Brits have troublewith words longer thanP-U-B and P-I-N-T.
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Why Fibre Channel? Why Fibre Channel? Speed
100 MB/s now 200 MB/s early next year 400 MB/s in the future
Distance 30 meters with copper 100’s of meters with today’s multi-mode fibre 1000’s of meters with tomorrow’s single mode fibre
Flexibility Point-to-point Loops Fabrics
It’s the industry standard interconnect Clusters and SAN’s now And an important disk interface
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What’s a Cluster?What’s a Cluster? Group of independent systems that
Function as a single system Appear to users as a single system And are managed as a single system
Clusters are “virtual servers”
Fibre Channel
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What’s a SAN?What’s a SAN? Dedicated Network for Storage Devices
RAID Arrays, Tape and Optical libraries Storage management software, e.g Back-up, archiving,, …
“Network Behind the Servers”
Fibre Channel
LAN
SAN
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What’s a Fibre Disk?What’s a Fibre Disk?
SCSI Disk Single SCSI interface
Fibre Disk Dual Fibre Channel interfaces If one fibre loop fails, you can still access a fibre disk
SCSI Disks Fibre Disks
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And It’s A Key Mylex And It’s A Key Mylex StrategyStrategy
SF and FL Controllers Fibre to the server, cluster or SAN SCSI to the disks
FF Controller Fibre to the server, cluster or SAN Fibre to the disks
Fibre Apple, Lion and Lambersomethingorother PCI to the server Fibre to the disks Fibre to another Fibre Apple or Lion (cluster configuration)
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Fibre-SpeakFibre-Speak Fibre Node
Any device on a fibre loop or fabric with a fibre port address Servers, Array controllers, Tape Libraries, ...
Fibre Networking Devices Devices used to interconnect nodes in loop or fabrics
Fibre Hubs and Fibre Switches
Fibre Loop Topology where nodes are configured in a loop like Token
Ring Fibre networking device -- Hub(s)
Fibre Fabric Topology where nodes are configured in a star or mesh (“the
cloud”) Fibre networking device -- Switch(es) And it could have hub(s) hanging off switches
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More Fibre SpeakMore Fibre Speak GBIC
Gigabit Interface Converter Converts optical signal to copper signal (and vice versa) Can plug into any fibre port
DB-9 and HSSDC Fibre connectors that provide a fibre port External product development kit (SF-DEVKIT) have HSSDC’s
LIP Loop initialization process Similar to a SCSI bus reset
LRC Loop redundancy circuit Allows fibre loops to bypass non-operational fibre nodes
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Gigabit TransmissionGigabit Transmission
SCSI
Ultra 40 MB / s Ultra/2 LVD 80 MB / s -- Now Ultra/3 LVD 160 MB / s -- Late ‘99
Fibre Channel
1st Generation Gb Fibre 100 MB/s now 2nd Generation 2 Gb Fibre 200 MB/s 2000 3rd Generation 4 Gb Fibre 400 MB/s 2001
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Serial TransmissionSerial Transmission Fibre is a serial technology
One bit at a time through a pipe
001001110101001
Versus SCSI which is an 8 or 16 bit wide parallel bus
8 or 16 bits at a time across a bus
0
0 0 1 0 0 1 10 0 1 0 0 1 10 0 1 0 0 1 10 0 1 0 0 1 10 0 1 0 0 1 10 0 1 0 0 1 10 0 1 0 0 1 10 0 1 0 0 1 1
Serial pipes can be designed to go faster over greater distances
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Fibre CablesFibre Cables
Fibre cables have two pipes One to move bits in each direction
Also called a “link” Two unidirectional “fibres” transmitting in opposite directions
“fibres” -- copper or optical
001001110101001001001110101001
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Fibre Channel PipesFibre Channel Pipes
Fibre Channel defines copper and optical pipes Copper Cables
Electrons represent bits Cheaper Distance limited -- 30 meters
Optical Fibre Cables Light pulses represent bits
Pulses are generated by a laser or a LED And detected at the other end by a transceiver
More expensive Distances up to thousands of meters
Depends on type of optical pipe, transmission speed, ...
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Fibre Channel Glass PipesFibre Channel Glass Pipes
Multi-Mode Optical Fibre -- Now Pipe is large enough to simultaneously transmit multiple streams of light Comes in two diameters
50 microns -- de facto standard 62.5 microns
Single Mode Optical Fibre -- Future Pipe is only wide enough to transmit a single steam of light
9 microns
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QuestionQuestion
How big is a micron?
Average brain size of East Coast Sales Guy
Relative size of aone micron particle
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Speed / Distance of FC PipesSpeed / Distance of FC Pipes
62.5 MicronMulti-Mode
175 m
150 m
90 m
50 MicronMulti-Mode
500 m
300 m
150 m
9 MicronSingle Mode
10 km
2 km
2 km
TransmissionSpeed
100 MB / s
200 MB / s
400 MB / s
Copper
30 m
Copper-Local Area Wiring
Multi-Mode Building Wiring
Single Mode -Campus Wiring
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Management Management QuestionQuestion
How big is a meter?
Hint: 1,000 Microns = Meter
Answer: Enough space to put 4,000 east coast brains side by side.
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TopologiesTopologies Physical Model -- Topologies
How the servers, arrays, hub and switches are physically connected
Communications Model How nodes talk to each other and it’s always “point-to-point”
At any point in time, one node talks to one other node
Fibre Ports N-Port (node in a fabric topology) F-Port (switch port in a fabric topology) NL-Port (node in a loop topology FL-Port (hub port in a loop topology)
FC Node = server or an arrayFC Ports have world-wide addresses like Ethernet portsSF, FL and FF have two FC Ports (addresses stored in controllers)
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Three Fibre TopologiesThree Fibre Topologies
Point-to-Point
Arbitrated Loop(FC-AL)
Fabric
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Fibre HubsFibre Hubs Networking Device for Connecting Fibre Nodes in a Loop
Simplifies cabling
Connects fibre nodes with different fibre cable types Can plug copper and different types of optical into the same hub
Improves cluster or SAN availability
Allows fibre nodes to be hot plugged and removed
Bandwidth in a Loop is Constant (100 MB/s Today) As servers are added to a loop; less bandwidth per server
Cheaper Per Port than Fibre Switches
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FC Loop w/ Four Port Fibre HubsFC Loop w/ Four Port Fibre Hubs
SF SF
Hub
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Server Failure - Server Failure - HUB LRC Heals LoopLRC
IsolatesDead Server
SF SF
Hub
X
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SF SF
Hub
SF Failure -- SF Failure -- HUB LRC Heals LoopHUB LRC Heals Loop
X
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Fibre SwitchesFibre Switches
Networking Device for Connecting Fibre Nodes in a Fabric Does everything a hub does Same benefits PLUS
Bandwidth in a Fabric is Scaleable
Add more servers to a loop Bandwidth per server is constant But bandwidth for the fabric increases with each added node
Expensive Per Port Compared to Fibre Hubs
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SF 0 SF 1
Switch
S0 S1
FC Fabric w/ 4 Port Fibre SwitchFC Fabric w/ 4 Port Fibre Switch - 200 MB/s - 200 MB/s
But They CommunicateSimultaneously
in Fabrics
Pairs of NodesCommunicate
in Loops and Fabrics
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SF 0 SF 1
Switch
S0 S1
FC Fabric w/ 4 Port Fibre SwitchFC Fabric w/ 4 Port Fibre Switch - 200 - 200 MB/sMB/s
Any node cantalk to anyother node
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FC Fabric w/ 8 Port Fibre Switch -FC Fabric w/ 8 Port Fibre Switch - 400 400 MB/sMB/s
SF 0 SF 1
Switch
S0 S1
SF 0 SF 1
S0 S1
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Fibre Channel ProtocolFibre Channel Protocol
Fibre Channel Spec Defines Physical aspects
Nodes, ports, links (cables), …
And the communications model Frame -- carries the payload (chunks of data) Sequence -- set of related frames (for flow control) Exchange -- set of related sequences (sets up the conversation)
Fibre Protocol is a “Low Level” Protocol And is used to transport other protocols
It transports the SCSI protocol to talk to disks (SCSI over FC) It can transport the IP protocol for array management
Plan to port the GAM server to external controllers And talk to it from WAM clients (IP over FC)
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Last QuestionLast Question What’s a protocol?
Example: Ron tells you,
Get the order today!
You grab yoursales trainingpresentations
Confidentlyhead out
Dazzle them with product knowledge
Close withfinesse
Ron reactspositively
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OrOr
You head outwondering howto pull it off
Decide to try begging
You come back withnothing morethan a goodstory
You can findyour salestraining presentation
Ron gets akick out of your story
And then stops laughing