Back to: FC (Fibre Channel) fundamentals
A Fibre Channel (FC) interface consists of multiple components that work together to facilitate high-speed data transfer in Storage Area Networks (SANs). The key components include:
1. Host Bus Adapter (HBA)
- An HBA is a dedicated hardware component that connects a server to a Fibre Channel storage network.
- It provides the necessary physical and logical interface for communication.
- Each HBA has a WWN (World Wide Name) for unique identification in the SAN network.
- HBAs can be single-port, dual-port, or even quad-port for redundancy and performance.
2. Small Form-Factor Pluggable (SFP) Transceiver
- An SFP (or SFP+) is a hot-swappable optical module used to convert electrical signals into optical signals.
- It allows HBAs or switches to interface with optical fiber or copper cables.
- Common SFP speeds for FC are 4Gbps, 8Gbps, 16Gbps, 32Gbps, and now even 64Gbps.
- SFPs come in different types based on distance and wavelength, such as SR (short range), LR (long range), or CWDM/DWDM for wavelength division multiplexing.
3. I/O Module (Input/Output Module)
- In storage arrays, I/O modules handle data communication between storage controllers and connected devices.
- These modules may have Fibre Channel ports, Ethernet/iSCSI ports, or even NVMe-over-FC support.
- They ensure high-speed data transmission and redundancy in enterprise storage solutions.
- Some I/O modules have multiple FC ports (4, 8, 16 ports per module) for scalability.
How They Work Together
- The HBA in a server is connected to an FC switch or directly to a storage array via an SFP transceiver.
- The SFP transceiver in the HBA and the storage array’s I/O module enables optical or electrical data transmission.
- The I/O module in a storage system receives FC frames and processes them for data access.