What is a workgroup-level Fiber Channel switch?

In the SAN storage architecture, the core devices in the fiber channel switch play an important role in the SAN storage process and affect the network performance. Fiber Channel switches provide Fiber Channel switching for high-bandwidth and Low-latency data communication. Currently, fiber channel switches provide connectionless services (Class2 and 3 ). An optical fiber switch is directly connected using an optical fiber network route. It uses routing software to directly connect the initiator and target, so that all the bandwidth of the optical fiber can be exclusive.

This means that each connection in the optical fiber can exist independently and does not interfere with other connections. The number of ports of an optical fiber switch ranges from 8 to 64, or even more, including SMART switching hardware, so that any two points of all ports of the switch can be connected. Fiber switches can be stacked through E_Ports. This method can extend the fiber network to thousands of nodes, and the number of switch stacks can reach up to 239.

A large SAN is implemented by connecting multiple switches in a mesh network. Each vswitch has a one-way connection to other vswitches in the network. In the example, the vswitch has 16 ports. As the number of switches in the network increases, the percentage of ports used for inter-Switch Connection increases. This is one of the reasons why the FC switch port is expensive. In a mesh SAN core network consisting of six switches with a total of 96 ports, there are 30 vswitches and 66 user ports.

Vswitches greatly improve the performance of optical fiber networks, such as name services, management services, and more complete device connection protocols. Vswitches are used in most environments as a complete mechanism to provide host-to-array connections, especially in multi-device and multi-boot environments. Fiber Channel switches are at the core of SAN storage architecture. The fiber channel switch is logically the core of SAN and connects hosts and storage devices. Fabric infrastructure can be seen as the foundation of SAN. When a device sends a frame of data to the switch, the switch routes the frame to the target device. In fact, a frame can be forwarded before it is fully received. Fiber Channel switches are also intelligent. They can provide various Fabric services, including services for locating other nodes on the Network (simple name service). They can automatically establish routes with other switches in Fabric, you can also partition devices to monitor and handle errors.

Fiber Channel switches provide many different functions, including GBIC, Fan redundancy and power supply, partitioning, ring operation, and multi-management interfaces. Each function increases the operability of the entire switching network. Understanding these features can help users design a powerful large-scale SAN. The main functions of an optical fiber switch are as follows: Self-configured ports, loop device support, switch cascade, adaptive speed detection, configurable frame buffering, and partitioning (based on physical ports and WWN-based partitions) IP over Fiber Channel (IPFC) broadcast, remote logon, Web management, Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), and SCSI interface independent device Service (SES. Optical fiber switches are often divided into different categories based on their functions and features. Generally, the hardware may be based on the same basic architecture or the same ASIC chip, but the software functions are different. The price of the Fiber Channel switch is determined based on the requirements it can meet. A high-redundancy core-level switch is an exception. It is often developed and designed based on its own hardware fault-tolerant platform. The following describes the different features of vswitches of various major categories.

Entry-level switch

Entry-level switches are mainly used in small working groups with 8 to 16 ports. They are suitable for low-price scenarios with little need for expansion and management. They are often used instead of hubs to provide higher bandwidth and more reliable connections than hubs. Generally, entry-level switches are not purchased separately, but are often purchased together with other vswitches to form a complete storage solution. Entry-level switches provide limited port cascade capabilities. Users may encounter some manageability problems when using such low-end devices separately.

Workgroup-level optical fiber switch

Fiber switches provide the ability to cascade many switches into a large-scale Fabric. By connecting one or more ports of two vswitches, all ports connected to the vswitch can see a unique network image, any node on this Fabric can communicate with other nodes. Essentially, through cascade switches, a large, virtual, and distributed switch can be created, and the distance between them can be very large. Fabric built on multiple vswitches looks like a Fabric composed of independent vswitches, the ports on all vswitches can view and access all other ports on Fabric just like accessing a local vswitch. The unified name server and management service allow you to view and modify all Fabric information through a separate interface.

An important factor in creating a distributed Fabric is to obtain the bandwidth for connections between switches. The effective rate between any two ports is affected by the valid bandwidth of the switch connection. You may need to use connections between multiple switches to maintain the necessary bandwidth. The Working Group has a large number of fiber channel switches and is more common. You can use workgroup switches in multiple ways, but the most widely used field is small-sized SAN. This type of switch can be connected by the interconnection lines between the switches to provide more ports. The interconnection lines between switches can be created on any port on the fiber channel switch. However, if you plan to use products from multiple vendors, you must ensure that the devices are interoperable.