Lots of good technical details in the links above. Here is a summary.
N_Port: an end device connecting to a switched fabric network, such as a SCSI initiator or a SCSI target.
F_Port: a port on a switch that provides access to Fabric Services (eg. the Fabric Nameserver & the Fabric Login Server etc)
Fabric_point_2_point initialization (ie. N_Port to F_Port initialization) involves the following ordered sequence: FLOGI, PLOGI, PRLI.
FLOGI
N_Port requests a unique 24-bit address from the Fabric Login Server (accessible via an F_port on a Fabric switch).
PLOGI
N_Port informs the Fabric Name Server of its personality and capabilities. For example:
WWNN, WWPN
Buffer credits for flow control
clock frequency ('speed capability')
Upper layer protocol support (eg. SCSI-3, IP)
PRLI
Upper layer protocol communication. Well, ever since SCSI was designed and engineered (1970s, or so, previously SASI...), SCSI initiators need to discover SCSI targets. So, during PRLI, N_Port SCSI initiators discover N_Port SCSI targets (which is an opportunity for the host (maybe a UNIX host) to assign a target ID to the device path).
Depending on the OS, you may be able to investigate further with commands like:
egrep -i 'flogi|plogi|prli' /var/adm/messages
Thought for the Day. How completely is SCSI ? It's had a few makeovers, but maybe we should now call it BCSI . Hats off to the SCSI developers !!!
I moved this thread into the ControlCenter community, since it was on the ControlCenter welcome page. I am not sure that is the correct community for it, so please let me know what the intended community was for this question.
It does look like the information provided in the links above and does answer the question, but if not, please let us know.
Hey Candi, This probably fits better over in the Proven Professional Community. Once the Forums move here it would likely have fit better there, but for now it doesn't relate much to ControlCenter.
Ok, I will see if I can move it there. Thanks, Allen. It occurred to me after I moved it in here, that there was the possibility the person could not see it in the ControlCenter community unless he was a CCOC member. Proven Professionals is open.
I cannot move it there, as I do not have access to move it in.
Richard_Butler
84 Posts
0
November 17th, 2009 14:00
Hi,
Lots of good technical details in the links above. Here is a summary.
N_Port: an end device connecting to a switched fabric network, such as a SCSI initiator or a SCSI target.
F_Port: a port on a switch that provides access to Fabric Services (eg. the Fabric Nameserver & the Fabric Login Server etc)
Fabric_point_2_point initialization (ie. N_Port to F_Port initialization) involves the following ordered sequence: FLOGI, PLOGI, PRLI.
Thought for the Day. How completely
is SCSI ? It's had a few makeovers, but maybe we should now call it BCSI 
. Hats off to the SCSI developers !!!
Chris-A1
8 Posts
0
July 9th, 2009 08:00
Try this...other explanations are available - and I have NO attachment/bias to IBM - it was just the top of the Google search
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/abstracts/tips0035.html?Open
jehoey
1 Rookie
•
9 Posts
0
September 23rd, 2009 08:00
Candi_Imming
7 Posts
0
November 5th, 2009 14:00
I moved this thread into the ControlCenter community, since it was on the ControlCenter welcome page. I am not sure that is the correct community for it, so please let me know what the intended community was for this question.
It does look like the information provided in the links above and does answer the question, but if not, please let us know.
Allen Ward
4 Operator
•
2.1K Posts
0
November 13th, 2009 13:00
AlanZ1
2 Intern
•
790 Posts
0
November 17th, 2009 13:00
Candi_Imming
7 Posts
0
November 17th, 2009 13:00
Ok, I will see if I can move it there. Thanks, Allen. It occurred to me after I moved it in here, that there was the possibility the person could not see it in the ControlCenter community unless he was a CCOC member. Proven Professionals is open.
I cannot move it there, as I do not have access to move it in.