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Differences between a two-switch fabric and a full fabric

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QUESTION POSED ON: 05 May 2005
Could you explain the difference between a two-switch fabric and a full fabric?

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SAN switch, SAN (storage area network), SAN management, Storage Area Network Upgrades, Enterprise switch upgrades, Related information, Storage area network, Storage area network components and architecture, Data Storage Basics, VIEW ALL TAGS

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RELATED GLOSSARY TERMS

Terms from Whatis.com − the technology online dictionary

intelligent switch (SearchStorage.com)

logical unit number (SearchStorage.com)

oversubscription (SearchStorage.com)

pathing (WhatIs.com)

SAN routing (SearchStorage.com)

switch-on-a-chip (SearchStorage.com)

switching fabric (SearchStorage.com)

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Whatis.com, the online computer dictionary

A two-switch fabric is just that. The SAN consists of two switches implemented in a way that there is no single point of failure. Brocade, for example, offers a two-switch license for their eight- and 16-port switches. It is targeted to the SMB market as a low cost solution for organizations that may not need anything more than this type of configuration.

A full fabric consists of many switches can be interconnected in a mesh. Generally, this is also done to avoid the SAN going down due to a failure of an HBA, storage port, transceiver, cable, switch or a switch port.

Keep in mind that all directors allow you to create the logical equivalent of a two-switch configuration, but the cost would be much higher.

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