Fibre Channel Components
Fibre Channel Terminology
Fibre Channel Port Summary
Loop Hub
NL_Port NL_Port
No ports
FL_Port
Fabric Switch
N_Ports F_Ports E_Ports N_Port
E_Port
B_Port
• FC Ports are uniquely identified by their WWN
• FC Ports are dynamically assigned an FCID
WAN gateway
This slide brings together the logical port types described.
Many switches support auto-configuring ports that automatically configure
themselves for either F_Port, FL_Port or E_Port operation. Such ports are
called G_Ports (Generic Ports) or U_Ports (Universal Ports).
FC Ports are assigned a World Wide Port Name (WWPN) by the manufacturer
that uniquely identifies them in a SAN.
Nodes are also assigned a World Wide Node Name (WWNN).
FC Ports are also dynamically assigned a Fibre Channel ID (FC_ID) which is
used for routing frames across the fabric.