• Every switch is connected to every other switch • No ISL is a point of failure • Large number of E_Ports used to connect ISLs • Smaller number of ports available for nodes • Single hop count between any two nodes
Full mesh is a variation using multiple switches to create a single extended fabric. Sometimes the term “mesh” is used to indicate that each switch has at least one E_Port directly connected to each other switch. A mesh topology is arranged such that if any link or switch fails, the remaining switches can still communicate. (As opposed to cascaded switches that belong to a redundant fabric, meaning they are not interconnected throughout.)
A fully meshed fabric is a meshed fabric where any one switch is a single hop from any other switch. This minimizes latency across the fabric, and if any link fails, all switches can still communicate with each other -- a guaranteed hop count not exceeding two.