1. SS020750.zip Driver
2. Help.txt File Contents

Help.txt Driver File Contents (SS020750.zip)

!book!Fabric Display!title!Editing user accounts!text!
Clicking on the account profile icon will enter the user administration panel.!paragraph 1!SEE: User Administration.

!title!Fabric Console!text!
The console window near the bottom of the Fabric window contains any errors or check conditions encountered for all monitored switches. When this utility is first activated, you may receive monitor messages showing errors with the comment "(May not be current)".  This indicates that these errors or events occurred before the utility was activated.!paragraph 1!NOTE: Only a fabric with a scan rate > 0 will show polling events in the console window.  As with all display windows, leaving the Fabric window causes all polling to cease.  Event polling is reactivated when you return back to the Fabric window.

!title!Fabric Table!text!
The fabric window (shown immediately after login) lists a defined fabric the utility is currently administrating.  This is the "HOME" page for viewing and administrating your SAN networks.  To manage a different fabric, select the existing fabric and press the Delete button. Then, create a new fabric by entering the IP address of the switch to be used to manage the new fabric. Next, TAB to the RATE and enter an optional scan interval (in seconds) or zero if you don't want to monitor active ports on this fabric.!paragraph 1!If the scan RATE is set to a non-zero value, the utility will actively scan each active port in the fabric for errors.  If error counts are seen changing on a fabric, the icon will turn yellow (turning to/from yellow will only occur if RATE <> 0).  Traps counts changing will turn the icon blue.  Lost communication will turn the icon red.  The Console window displays error reports for all monitored devices and is located just below the fabrics table.  The console information is also kept in a log file. Event polling is reactivated when you return back to the Fabric Topology List display.!paragraph 1!The Fabric name is taken from the SNMP Name stored on the first switch of the fabric.  You can modify this name by double clicking on the FABRIC NAME field through the Network Configuration window. 

!title!Fabric Toolbar Buttons!text!
APPLY will save the current list of managed switches and management settings to your default fabric file.!paragraph 1!ZOOM will zoom into a selected fabric line topology display.!paragraph 1!DELETE will delete the current selected fabric line.!paragraph 1!REFRESH will immediately attempt to contact all switches in the fabric for status changes.

!title!Recording fabric statistics!text!
You can export statistics information to spreadsheets using the RECORD feature in the FABRIC display.  Click on the RATE field and enter a polling rate (in seconds).  The minimun scan rate is 20 seconds.  Next select the fabric for which you want to record statistics by clicking on the TYPE and MODE fields.  This will select what information you want to record.  Your options are TYPE: Errors, Data + Errors, ALL.!paragraph 1!Errors - Records just the total error counts.!paragraph 1!Data + Errors - Records Frames In/Frames Out + total error counts.!paragraph 1!ALL - Records each statistic individually.  See Port Display->Port Statistics.!paragraph 1!MODE options are: Fabric, Switch, and Port.!paragraph 1!Fabric - Sums statistics from all ports & switches in the fabric into one total.!paragraph 1!Switch - Sums the traffic of all ports of each switch in the fabric.!paragraph 1!Port - Displays traffic counts for each port individually and are recorded in EVENT_FRAMES/Second.!paragraph 1!As with all display windows, leaving the Fabric window causes all polling to cease.  Event polling is reactivated when you return back to the Fabric window.

!book!Network Administration!title!Configuring Ethernet Port's IP Address!text!
By default from the factory, all switches are configured with an IP Address of 10.0.0.1. The switch can also be forced to this address when in forced PROM mode.   The utility's host machine must be able to PING the switch to administrate it.!paragraph 1!To change the switch's IP address, first setup a fabric entry in the fabric window.  Next, select it and zoom into the TOPOLOGY window.  If you're in forced PROM mode, expect the switch icon in the TOPOLOGY window to turn blue.  This is simply a side-effect of being in PROM mode.!paragraph 1!!image hlpTEplug.gif!In the TOPOLOGY window, zooming/double clicking on the ethernet icon will bring you to the NETWORK CONFIGURATION window for that switch.  Zooming/double clicking on the ethernet plug in the FACEPLATE display will also move to the NETWORK CONFIGURATION window.  The network configuration window allows configuration of the network address, netmask, and default gateway address.  Trap monitor, Trap Port, and Administration password are for future enhancements and need not be filled in at this time.!paragraph 1!The SNMP configuration section allows the System table fields to be entered.  Trap and community information may not show your current configuration.  Expect this in future releases.

!title!Configuring IP Address using BOOTP!text!
The BOOTP checkbox in the NETWORK CONFIGURATION panel selects whether or not to use BOOTP for dynamically configuring the switch's IP address at reset.  To configure a BOOTP server, see your user's manual for your server.  Usually, DHCP servers can be configured with BOOTP windows for serving both DHCP & BOOTP clients simultaneously.

!title!Saving Network Configuration Changes!text!
!image Apply.gif!After configuring a new IP Address, Netmask, Gateway, etc., click the APPLY toolbar button.  This will store all changes to the switch's non-volatile memory.  Those changes take effect on the next reset of the switch.

!book!Port Display!title!Port Loop Devices!text!
At the bottom of the Port Display is the Loop Devices table.  When the port is in arbitrated loop mode (FL-port, TL-port, or SL-port) it contains all known devices on that loop.  For public devices you'll see the N_Port address, Port & Node World-Wide-Name, FC-4 type, and current loop status (private devices may not contain all this information).  By selecting a device, you may Enable/Disable that device on/off the loop by clicking the buttons to the right of the table.  Other buttons available include Loop Reset, single LIP, and Enable-All-Devices on Loop.  The ICON to the far left of the table will light green if the device has logged into the switch.

!title!Port Statistics!text!
In Frames: Number of frames received on this port.!paragraph 1!Out Frames: Number of frames transmitted.!paragraph 1!Discarded Frames: Number of sequences discarded by this port.  Reasons include: detecting a missing frame based on SEQ_CNT or by E_D_TOV, detecting an error within a frame, receiving a reject frame, detection of an internal malfunction, receiving frames for a stopped sequence, receiving frames for a previously rejected sequence, etc.!paragraph 1!Busy Frames: Number of F_BSY (Fabric busy) frames generated by this port against incoming frames.  This indicates that the fabric or destination N_Port is temporarily occupied with other link activity and the switch is unable to deliver the frame.!paragraph 1!Reject frames: Number of F_RJT frames generated against incoming frames.  This indicates that delivery of a frame was denied for one of may reasons including: Invalid D_ID, Invalid S_ID, D_ID unavailable, Class not supported, Delimiter usage error, Type field not supported, Invalid Link_Control, Invalid R_CTL, Invalid F_CTL, Invalid OX_ID, Invalid RX_ID, Invalid SEQ_ID, Invalid DF_CTL, Invalid SEQ_CNT, Invalid parameter field, Exchange error, Protocol error, Incorrect length, Unexpected ACK, Login Required, Excessive sequences attempted, Unable to establish exchange, Expiration Security Header, Fabric path not available...!paragraph 1!Link Failures: Optical link failures seen by this port.  When a port sees a loss of sychronization for a period greater than R_T_TOV or Loss of Signal while not in the offline state, it attempts to reestablish the link.  If this is unsuccessful after R_T_TOV, a link failure is counted.  A Link Reset is performed after a Link Failure.!paragraph 1!Sync losses 100ms: Number of synchronization losses > 100ms detetcted by the port.  Loss of synchronization is detected through the reception of invalid transmission words on the port.!paragraph 1!Protocol Errors:  Number of primitive sequence protocol errors detected which violate the rules of FC-2 signaling protocol and are not specified by other error codes.  Caused when an improper primative sequence is received for a given sequence state.!paragraph 1!Invalid TX Words Recv:  Number of invalid transmission words detected.  Fibre channel encodes all 8-bit characters to 10-bit characters including special K characters.  Invalid transmit word errors are counted when an invalid character is detected while decoding.!paragraph 1!CRC errors: Number of invalid Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) frames detected. !paragraph 1!Delimiter Errors: Number of delimiter errors detected.  Delimiters are used for framing sequences and include SOFc3 (start of frame class 3) EOFn (end of frame), etc.  The switch port detects these errors when an improper or invalid delimiter is received including: class not supported, delimeter usage errors, abnormal frame termination, EOF abort received, incorrect SOF or EOF.!paragraph 1!Address ID Errors: Number of address identifier (S_ID/D_ID) errors detected.  An incorrect S_ID or D_ID was used in a frame.!paragraph 1!Link Reset In: Number of Link Reset (LR) primatives received and sent from an attached device port.!paragraph 1!Link Reset Out: Number of Link Reset (LR) primatives issued by this port to an attached port.!paragraph 1!OLS In: Number of Offline Sequences received.  OLS is issued to initiate link initialization, receive & recognize Not_Operational (NOS) state, or to enter the offline state.!paragraph 1!OLS Out: Number of Offline Sequences issued by this port.   OLS is issued to initiate link initialization, receive & recognize Not_Operational (NOS) state, or to enter the offline state.  The switch may issue an OLS to perform offline diagnostics or to power-down.!paragraph 1!LIP Total Received: Number of Loop Initialization Primative frames received.!paragraph 1!LIP F7F7: LIP indicating L_Port is initializing.  Used to aquire an AL_PA.!paragraph 1!LIP F8F7: LIP indicating an error was detected by an L_Port (loop failure).!paragraph 1!LIP F7 AL_PS: LIP used to reinitialize the loop.  The L_PORT, identified by AL_PS, may have noticed a performance degradation (e.g. arbitrating longer than it deemed reasonable) and is trying to restore the loop.!paragraph 1!LIP F8 AL_PS: LIP denotes loop failure detected by L_PORT identified by AL_PS.!paragraph 1!LIP AL_PD AL_PS: AL_PS performs a normal F7, AL_PS LIP.  All ports in AL_PD also perform a vendor specific reset.!paragraph 1!AL Init Errors: Number of times the port entered initialization and failed.!paragraph 1!AL Init Attempts:  Number of times the port entered initialization state.!paragraph 1!LIF Flow Cntrl Errors: An ASIC was sent a frame from another ASIC, when it's input buffers (LIF) are full.  This is an internal hardware error.!paragraph 1! Short Frame Errors:  Number of times the port received a frame shorter than the minimum frame length (36 bytes).!paragraph 1! Long Frame Errors: Number of times the port received a frame longer than the maximum frame length (~2KB).!paragraph 1!Smoothing Overflow Errors: Refers to the number of smoothing characters issued for clock re-synchronization.  Each node supports a smoothing algorithm to account for the difference in clock domains.  Smoothing occurs between frames as six (+ smooothing) fill characters.!paragraph 1! Loss of Signal: Number of signal losses detected for this port.  This also implies loss-of-sync.!paragraph 1!Laser Faults: Number of laser faults detected by the GBIC.!paragraph 1!Sync Loss: Total number of synchronization losses.  Loss of synchronization is detected through the reception of invalid transmission words on the port.!paragraph 1!LISM Failed: Loop Initialization Select Master failures.  The LISM primative is used to select a temporary loop master for initialization.  This error counts the number of times the switch was unable to establish itself as the loop master.!paragraph 1!Retry LIPs:!paragraph 1!LOF Timeout ELS:  The switch was unable to transmit an Extended Link Service (ELS) frame within RT_TOV time.  This usually means the device has not issued credit allowing delivery of the frame.  ELS sequences are used for Fibre Channel clock signal synchronization.!paragraph 1!LOF Timeouts: The switch was unable to transmit a frame within RT_TOV time. This usually means the device has not issued credit allowing delivery of the frame.  This count includes ELS frames.!paragraph 1!LIP during init: A LIP was received while the switch was already in a loop initialization state.!paragraph 1!OPN returns: A device on the loop did not accept an open primative, causing the OPN to be returned to the switch.  Indicates a device error.

!title!Reset Counts!text!
Changes all the ports statistics counters to zero.  Note, this does not actually clear those statistics on the switch, just to the local application.

!title!TL Port Configuration!text!
Translated Loop (TL) mode is available on IOT switches and allows older FC-private devices to communicate to FC-public devices through a public fabric.  To do this, the switch maintains a conversion table (ALUT) between the private loop (ALPA) and the public address (N_Ports).  Each TL loop can have up to 31 fabric devices it can communicate with via this method.  A typical TL port would contain a loop of private SCSI targets (disks) with TL translations back to their initiators (HBAs) (although the reverse is also possible).!paragraph 1!The currently-active TL table may be viewed through the VIEW->TL TRANSLATIONS menu option.  This will display a complete list of all fabric devices not on this port with an icon showing whether or not a translation is currently in effect.  By clicking on a line in the list you may toggle devices in/out of that port's ALUT configuration table (hit APPLY to take effect).  Applying the ALUT will store all "bridged" devices into the ALUT configuration (not actually the ALUT itself).  The "configured" devices are programmed into the ALUT only when they're actually part of the fabric.!paragraph 1!Auto-Learning allows targets to automatically configure themselves to respond to initiators.  In target mode, the first 31 initiators will have access to the private TL devices on each private target's switch port (first-come-first-serve).  Private initiators do not use the Auto-Configure feature.  Private initiators typically need to know the AL-PAs available (from loop initialization) before they'll attempt PLOGI.  Use the manual configuration method to program which devices (up to 31 per HBA's switch port) with which you wish to translate.        

!book!Topology Display!title!Archive Fabric!text!
The archive feature allows administrators to save fabric/switch configurations to a local file.  That file can then be used via the RESTORE FABRIC option to reprogram all switches back to a known configuration or to program new switches for deploying identical configurations.!paragraph 1!When saving the archive, a standard file dialog will appear asking for the name & location to save the archive file.  The utility will then retrieve all the configurable parameters from each switch in the fabric and save that information to the archive.  This includes: Operational switch parameters (Fabric ID, Timeout values, etc), Port modes (MFS/testing/TL, etc), ALUT configuration, SL configuration, Zoning (excluding descriptions), Network, and SNMP configurations.!paragraph 1!NOTE: This function is not used to save the topology "layout". !paragraph 1!When asked for a file name, DO NOT place an extension on the file name. The application will append the correct extension for you.

!title!Monitoring Devices!text!
The Topology window is a configurable display that allows you to monitor both switches and the devices they're attached to.  Managed objects (disks, switches, HBAs, etc) can be managed in logical groups called RACKS.  Racks are broken down even finer through individual shelves.  A rack can hold many shelves and a shelf can hold one or more devices (switches always occupy a full shelf.)!paragraph 1!When the Topology Panel is first entered, the utility self-discovers the fabric configuration.  All switches discovered are placed in unique racks and link lines are drawn showing the T-port connections.  Racks can be repositioned by drag & drop operations.  Racks can be merged, but not split, through drag & drop operations.!paragraph 1!If you click on a switch or a rack title bar, the a topology tree will appear on the left side of the window.  This will contain all the devices held on the switch.  Devices can be selected and through drag & drop operations placed on the topology screen.  When a device is placed in the topology a RACK and SHELF are automatically created.  Further administration options are available by zooming into a rack (double click or zoom).!paragraph 1!Devices on the topology are periodically scanned for connectivity and marginal behaviour errors.  Shelf icons will change color depending on their last scanned state.  For devices (disks, HBAs, etc) RED=OFFLINE, PURPLE=MARGINAL, GREEN=ONLINE.  For switches: RED=OFFLINE, BLUE=PROM, PURPLE=MARGINAL, YELLOW=CROSS-CONNECT CONFIGURATION, GREEN=IO/T CONFIGURATION.!paragraph 1!!image hlpEplug.gif!Double clicking on an ethernet port will manage the network connection.  Selecting and clicking the DELETE button will delete Racks, Shelves, and Links from the topology. 

!title!Remap Fabric!text!
Selecting Special->Remap Fabric will force the utility to rediscover and map the current fabric.  This should be done if the topology display is showing removed or reconfigured switches & devices that are no longer relevant.

!title!Restore Fabric!text!
This feature restores from the file created with ARCHIVE FABRIC. This can be used to restore the configuration of a fabric/switch to a known state or to program new fabrics/switches to a common configuration.!paragraph 1!Restore opens a standard file dialog box for locating the archive file.  It then compares the archive configuration to the current fabric.  Any switches that can't be identified must be manually mapped to the archive.  This will determine which configuration will be assigned to each switch.  The utility then polls each switch in the fabric and compares it to the stored configuration.  If there are differences, this utility will recommend reprogramming the modified switches.  After the fabric has been reprogrammed, you must manually reset (or reset through the faceplate menu) each switch in the fabric before the modifications will take effect.

!title!Toggling switch beacon!text!
The switch can be set to a Beacon mode where it will flash the heartbeat LED rapidly.  Toggle the switch beacon either in the Topology or Faceplate windows.  When the beacon is active, it can be used to easily locate a particular switch by-site.  For the topology display, select a switch for which you'd like to toggle the beacon.  Next, select the Toggle Beacon item from the Special menu.

!title!Viewing Fabric Topologies!text!
The utility identifies each switch in a fabric and displays the physical links between switches.  In a working fabric, switch icons will appear either green (IOT mode) or yellow (CC mode).  Clicking on a switch will display the hardware/software version and all port addresses and connections to other switches.  Clicking on a link will show a description and current operational state.!paragraph 1!!image Refresh.gif!Switches or links that are red indicate either hardware failure or misconfiguration.  Swapping or removing elements to a fabric should be acknowledged by deleting the affected switch elements and clicking the REFRESH button.!paragraph 1!!image Delete.gif!To delete a switch or link, select the element and click the delete button.

!title!Viewing Message Statistics!text!
The message statistics window (upper left) will show the current GUI message count for this fabric.  This keeps track of the number of management messages Sent, Received, Queued, Timed out, Resent, Duplicated Response, and Returned with a Checksum Error detected.  If a fabric is offline, expect the Queued to be non-zero and the Timeouts to be increasing.

!book!Faceplate Display!title!Administration Mode!text!
Administration mode allows the switch administrator to configure an entire switch to either online, offline, or testing (if available).  Online is the normal operational mode (default).  Offline will effectively disconnect the switch from a fabric and devices it's currently attached to.

!title!Chassis Number!text!
The switch's chassis number (labeled simply "Chassis") is only meaningful in fabric topologies, where multiple switches are connected together.  The chassis number is used to define the switch addressing within a fabric.

!title!Default Configuration!text!
Selecting DEFAULT CONFIG from the Special Menu will restore the switch's timeout values & modes to a factory default setting.  The default values are ideal for most setups and should only be changed when required. 

!title!E_D_TOV Description!text!
The E_D_TOV value configured for all FxPorts. The Error_Detect_Timeout Value is used as the timeout value for detecting an error condition.  Values are given in milliseconds and defaults to 2000 ms.

!title!Fabric ID!text!The switch fabric ID is used to identify the fabric number portion of the 24 bit Fibre Channel Address.

!title!Faceplate display!text!
The faceplate display is used for administrating switch specific parameters.  The faceplate itself will show the current port status, states, and modes.  Port status will show what type of GBIC is currently installed for each port.!paragraph 1!!image Db9.gif!All passive copper GBICs (DB9 or HSSDC) will have this image.!paragraph 1!!image Md1.gif!Active copper DB9 or HSSDC GBICs will appear blue.!paragraph 1!!image Md3.gif!Single mode fibre optic GBICs also appear blue.!paragraph 1!!image Nofc.gif!Standard Non-OFC Fibre GBIC.!paragraph 1!!image Ofc.gif!IBM OFC GBIC (rarely used).!paragraph 1!The GBIC color outline will give the state of the port.  GREEN denotes an active, logged-in port.  Grey denotes an installed GBIC with an open connection.  YELLOW denotes the port is in TEST mode.  RED denotes the port is offline or failed.  BLUE denotes the port is selected for ZOOM.!paragraph 1!A small status window on the right side of the screen will show switch firmware versions, download status, and other information.

!title!Faceplate Toolbar Buttons!text!
BACK will unzoom the display back to the topology window.!paragraph 1!APPLY will save the current switches settings directly onto the switch.  Some changes will require a switch restart to take effect.!paragraph 1!ZOOM will zoom into a selected port.  This can also be done by clicking on a performance graph.!paragraph 1!ZONE will enter the zoning screen.  This button maybe unavailable in some hub configurations.!paragraph 1!REFRESH will immediately attempt to contact the switch for status changes.!paragraph 1!PLUS/MINUS will move to the next managed switch in this fabric.  This has no function for single stage configurations.

!title!R_A_TOV!text!
The Resource_Allocation_Timeout Value configured for all ports.  This is used as the timeout value for determinine when to reuse an port resource such as a Recovery_Qualifier.  It represents E_D_TOV plus twice the maximum time that a frame may be delayed within the Fabric and still be delivered.  Values are given in milliseconds and defaults to 2000 ms.

!title!Restore Saved Configuration!text!
Selecting RESTORE SAVED CONFIG from the Special Menu will restore the switch's timeout values & modes to a saved switch configuration.

!title!R_T_TOV!text!
The Receiver_Transmitter_Timeout value of all ports. This is used by the receiver logic to detect Loss of Synchronization.  This value is generally higher for longer fibre connections.  Values are given in milliseconds and defaults to 2000 ms.

!title!Resetting switch!text!
Selecting RESET from the Special Menu while in the Faceplate display will reset the switch.  Resetting the switch will disrupt data, so only perform this function as a last resort.

!title!Switch Statistics!text!
The faceplate display shows a table with current switch-wide statistics counters.  These maybe of interest for switches that are behaving marginally.  Switch Resets simply count the number of resets since the switch was built.  The other counters should remain zero during normal operation.  ZERO COUNTERS from the Special Menu items will not effect these statistics.  That command is used to zero the active port counters.

!title!Toggling switch beacon!text!
The switch can be set to a Beacon mode where it will flash the heartbeat LED rapidly.  Toggle the switch beacon either in the Topology or Faceplate windows.  When the beacon is active, it can be used to easily locate a particular switch by-site.

!title!Updating Switch Flash Memory!text!
As feature enhancements and firmware updates become available, you may be required to update the switch's flash memory.!image hlpUpfl0.gif!This is performed through the "Update Flash" option in the Faceplate screen.  When selected, you will be asked to select the flash file to transmit to the switch.  The utility verifies the flash file and then transmits it.  When completed, you have to option to immediately reset the switch or to wait for a later time to reset.  The new switch code becomes available after the reset.

!title!Naming your switch!text!
This is used as a convenience feature.  The switch's name will appear in the topology display and in console messages.  Switches are named in the Network Configuration panel.

!title!Viewing Name Service Display!text!
All public SAN devices are required to register themselves with the Name Service provided by the switch.  The name service provides a list of all connected device's Fibre Channel 24 bit Address, Port & Node World-Wide-Name, FC-4 type, and Switch Port the device is connected to.  Adapters and other devices use this for quickly determining what devices are attached to a fabric.  This display can also be viewed by-port by zooming into the port display.!paragraph 1!Hubs and SL mode switches do not have a Name Service present.  When viewing the Name Service display on these devices, you'll get only a basic list of what was detected at initialization.

!title!Viewing Port States!text!
When the faceplate is in this mode, it shows the port GBIC type icon colored to represent its current mode of operation.  Green = normal, Yellow = testing, Red = offline/error, Blue = Selected (click ZOOM to zoom into the port display).

!title!Viewing Port Modes!text!
Selecting VIEW->Port Modes in the faceplate display will show how each port is configured on your switch.  Port modes include: Offline, Testing, SL-Port, TL-Port, FL-Port, F-Port, F-Ext16, F-Ext24, F-Ext32, & T-Port.  Clicking on the individual ports will toggle between these modes (or those that are available for that port.)!paragraph 1!OFFLINE ports will be unresponsive to logins & normal traffic.  This maybe done for security reasons or to disable a failed port.  TESTING allows for more extensive testing to be performed in the PORT screen.  SL-PORT acts as a normal private loop (no fabric support) that can be segmented into smaller loops.  TL-PORT is a translation port between private and public devices.  On a TL-PORT all devices are private, but via translation tables they are able to see public devices outside this loop.  FL-PORT is a fabric loop port.  F-PORT is a point-to-point fabric connection.  T-PORTs connect switches together as do E-PORTs.  E-PORTs will become available as a standard for interconnect develops.
    
!title!Viewing Port Tuning!text!
In most circumstances tuning of an individual port is not desirable and the default setting (Normal) should be left unchanged. However, certain devices perform better with active tuning. Tuning modes supported are:!paragraph 1!Non-I - Non-Interleaved: This option prevents sequences from different sources and bound for a single destination from being interleaved. Once a sequence has begun, the Switch will not transmit frames from any source other than the one that began the sequence. If the fabric consists of multiple Switches, Non-I must also be selected on any Cross Connect port.!paragraph 1!Min-I - Minimize-Interleave: This option, while not preventing interleaved sequences, minimizes their extent. Once a sequence has begun, the Switch will continue to transmit from the same source as long as frames are available for transmission or end of sequence occurs. If no frames are available for transmission, then a new source will be started and held until it has no frames to transmit or end of sequence occurs.!paragraph 1!Frame-L - Frame Limit: This option limits the number of frames that can be transmitted during a single loop tenancy to 32.!paragraph 1!Normal - No tuning applied. Recommended for all situations in which the above is not required.

!title!Viewing switch's Memory Map!text!
Typically this is only done by the direction of your switch provider.  This provides basic PEEK & POKE functions to the switch's memory map.  The user selects the word size (byte, word = 2 bytes, dword = 4 bytes), READ or WRITE operation, Starting address (in Hex), and number of objects (in Hex).  Modify the memory by double clicking on the cell data.  Use the APPLY button to save the changes to the switch.

!title!Viewing Trace Log!text!
Typically this is only done by the direction of your switch provider.  This provides a firmware trace into the operation of the switch.  The resulting output is saved into a file to be decoded by a firmware developer. 

!book!Zoning!title!Broadcast Zones!text!
Broadcast zones are used for isolating ports from broadcasts.  This is typically used to isolate IP broadcasts (ARP, etc) from SAN devices; for which such information is meaningless and potentially harmful.  For pure IP devices, broadcast zoning is an effective way of isolating groups of ports from seeing one another.  This type of zoning is only available for full fabric (non SL/TL) ports.  Broadcast zones may overlap.  T-Ports are not effected by Broadcast zoning.

!title!Editing Port Zones!text!
Zoning is used to isolate ports or devices from one another within a fabric.  There are several zoning types available including Hard, Name Server, Broadcast, and Segmented Loop.  Each of these are configured through the ZONING Panel.  The tree on the left side of the Zoning Panel shows the current switch configuration for the selected zoning type & zone number.  The main section contains the topology layout created in the TOPOLOGY Panel.  By selecting ports/devices in the tree, the topology will change colors to indicate which devices were effected.  Color codes include: GREEN=In Zone, YELLOW=Toggled in, PURPLE=Toggled out, GREY=Not in Zone.!paragraph 1!To select a zone, using the ChoiceBox to select the zone type (Nameserver, Broadcast, etc.)  The zone number can be adjusted through the PREVIOUS/NEXT in the toolbar or the ZONE INDEX ChoiceBox.  If you want to add additional zones in the selected zone type, click the ADD ZONE button.  To delete empty zones, click the toolbar DELETE button.!paragraph 1!Initially the switch will have every port in an Orphan zone (every port will see every other port.)  Select a non-orphan zone and select ports/devices to add/remove from the zone. Click the APPLY button to save the changes to the switch.  This will also give you the option to save the changes permanently through power cycles.!paragraph 1!When creating a zone, it is possible to add a unique description that will be displayed with the fabric image. Click the edit description button to access the description on the currently selected zone. In the text area of the zone description, it is necessary to use the return key at the desired line end for each line entered. If the return key is not used, when the zone screen is next displayed, the description will extend to the far right edge of the fabric display. When the desired text has been entered, click the DONE button at the bottom of the description box to return to the zoning window.!paragraph 1!When new switches or devices are added to the fabric, the application will display a message window stating that the current topology is being saved to disk, then to the other switches. This window will contain an OK button. DO NOT press this button unless the status messages at the lower portion of the window have not changed for at least five minutes. This button is only to be used to exit this window in the event that the topology save process is unable to complete normally. Attempting to exit this message window will leave the backup process in operation and attempting another operation while the backup is running will result in indeterminite events.

!title!Hard Zones!text!
Hard zoning is used to isolate ports through internal switch hardware.  This will effectively divide a fabric into smaller fabrics.  No data traffic, including other forms of zoning, can cross hard zones. Care must be taken to ensure T-Port links are included in the zone for all multi-switch configurations.  Up to 16 Hard Zones are available per fabric.  If hard zoning is implemented, all ports must be configured in one and only one non-orphan hard zone.   This type of zoning is only available for full fabric switches (not Private Hub Emulation).

!title!NameServer Zones!text!
NameServer zones are used for isolating SAN ports/devices from each other.  Public (and TL) SAN devices register themselves with the Fabric Name Service.  Queries are issued to discover what devices are currently attached to the SAN.  NameSaver Zoning segments these entries into zones and presents only those devices that are available for zoning.  NameServer zones are typically used for keeping potentially misbehaving SAN devices from seeing/modifying storage outside its normal SAN window.  This type of zoning is only available for full fabric (non SL) ports -or- for public devices.!paragraph 1!Zoning by port allows ports to be grouped into zones.  Orphan devices can see & communicate with each other.!paragraph 1!Zoning by World-Wide-Name is used to group individual devices into zones.  Orphan devices cannot see or communicate with each other.    

!title!Segmented Loop Zones!text!
Segmented loops (SL) isolate private loop clusters (SL-Ports) from within a fabric.  The utility allows for up to 256 SL clusters per fabric and each SL cluster can hold up to 32 SL-Ports.  SL clustering is only available for switches in IO/T mode; when in Private Hub mode, all ports are in the same cluster. Private loops also do not have NameServer support and do not cross hard-zone boundaries.  T-Ports are unaffected by SL zoning.

!book!User Administration!title!Adding or Editing User Accounts!text!
By clicking on the User Profile Icon on the Fabric window you'll enter the User Administration panel.  Only users with Super User privileges are allowed to modify or add user accounts.!paragraph 1!To enter a new user, click on the blank edit line in the users table on the Name field.  After entering the username, hit the tab key to move to the next edit.  Continue entering in all the fields until the user is complete.  The profile face will appear as an icon when the user has been completed.  By clicking on the security column, you can toggle through the different security access levels.  Guests have restricted access and are generally not allowed to modify the switch configuration.  Hit APPLY to save the new users list.!paragraph 1!To delete users, click the user profile icon to select the user and click the DELETE toolbar button.  You must hit APPLY to permanently save your changes.