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