Fibre Channel adapter

A Fibre Channel (FC) adapter is a hardware component that provides connectivity from a server to a storage area network (SAN).

An FC adapter, which uses the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) slots on the server, can have one, two or four ports. The number of adapters used in an implementation depends on the use case -- for example, storage features such as redundancy or the need for a faster connection might require additional ports. Most adapters are backward-compatible with previous generation connection speeds.

Download this free guide

Considerations for Using Cloud File Storage

The cloud-based file storage landscape is constantly changing, making it important to keep up with the crucial offerings from different vendors. Unlock this white paper to learn which vendors to watch and learn 3 crucial observations to enhance your multi-cloud data storage strategy.

Start Download

• Corporate E-mail Address:

  You forgot to provide an Email Address.

  This email address doesn’t appear to be valid.

  This email address is already registered. Please login.

  You have exceeded the maximum character limit.

  Please provide a Corporate E-mail Address.

• • I agree to TechTarget’s Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, and the transfer of my information to the United States for processing to provide me with relevant information as described in our Privacy Policy.

  Please check the box if you want to proceed.

• • I agree to my information being processed by TechTarget and its Partners to contact me via phone, email, or other means regarding information relevant to my professional interests. I may unsubscribe at any time.

  Please check the box if you want to proceed.

By submitting my Email address I confirm that I have read and accepted the Terms of Use and Declaration of Consent.

Some adapter vendors  provide their own management software, although most adaptors are recognized by existing SAN management software.

See also: host bus adapter (HBA)