Fibre Channel facts for kids
Fibre Channel, often called FC, is a special way that computers connect to storage devices, like hard drives. Think of it as a super-fast highway for data! It's mainly used in large computer systems called Storage Area Networks (SANs). These networks help many computers share the same storage.
Today, Fibre Channel systems can move data at amazing speeds, like 4 or 8 gigabits per second. This speed is usually sent over special fiberglass cables. Fibre Channel is great because it lets several computers connect to the same storage system at the same time.
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How Fibre Channel Connects Devices
There are two main ways, or topologies, that Fibre Channel devices can be connected:
Arbitrated Loop Connections
This method connects all the devices in a circle, or a "loop," similar to a ring shape. Imagine everyone holding hands in a circle to pass a message around. In this setup, devices share the connection. This way of connecting is often chosen because it avoids using special Fibre Channel Switches, which can be very expensive.
Fabric Connections
In a "Fabric" setup, all devices connect to central Fibre Channel Switches. This is a lot like how a regular Ethernet network works, where all your computers plug into a central switch. While this method is very powerful and flexible, it costs more because Fibre Channel Switches are quite expensive.
Images for kids
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A Port has a physical structure as well as logical or virtual structure. This diagram shows how a virtual port may have multiple physical ports and vice versa.
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Fibre Channel predominantly uses the SFP module with the LC connector and duplex cabling, but 128GFC uses the QSFP28 module and the MPO connectors and ribbon cabling.
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The SFP-DD module is used in high-density applications that need to double the throughput of traditional SFP ports.
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The Fibre Channel SAN connects servers to storage via Fibre Channel switches.
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Fibre Channel director with SFP+ modules and LC optical fiber connectors with Optical Multimode 3 (OM3) fiber (aqua).
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Dual port 8Gb FC host bus adapter card.
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Dual port 16Gb FC host bus adapter card.
See also
In Spanish: Canal de fibra para niños
