SECURING FIBRE CHANNEL FABRICS - Brocade

Chapter 3: SAN Basics for Security Professionalsa TCP/IP network. Routing FC fabrics is accomplished by adding anextra abstraction layer and “tricking” switches into believing they areconnected directly to a specific physical switch. When a router connectsto a switch in another fabric, the connection is referred to as aninter-fabric link (IFL) instead of an ISL. The port at the router end of theIFL is also called an EX_Port and the port at the switch end of the IFLremains an E_Port.ServersServersSAN ASAN BStorageBackboneworking asrouterStorageSAN CBlade serverTapelibraryStorageFigure 17. Routed fabricsExtended FabricsIn recent years, disaster recovery and business continuity have takencenter stage in most IT organizations as a way to protect critical dataand prevent potential business outages. Storage networks have playeda prominent role in this trend; data replication, remote mirroring, andremote backup are represented in some of the most commonlydeployed solutions utilizing long-distance SAN connectivity. Today'sorganizations typically use two data centers to exchange data betweenSANs over long distances. Cost, distance, and performance are the primaryfactors in deciding what technology to use in a long-distancedeployment.As shown in Figure 25, dark fiber is the first method that offers thehighest performance for connecting two sites over distance, althoughthis solution comes at a higher price and has distance limitations. The42 Securing Fibre Channel Fabrics