SMI Tutorial > SMI-S 1.1.0 Functionality > SNIA Profiles > Fabric Topology Profiles > Fabric Profile

Fabric Profile

The Fabric Profile allows a Client to manage a Fibre Channel Fabric. In a Fabric, a Node is a source or destination of information for one or more other Nodes. Each Node can use one or more Ports as the physical connection to the Fabric for receiving or transmitting data. Disk arrays and tape libraries have a fixed number of physical Ports. Hence, they can only be attached to a limited number of systems. A Fabric provides a more flexible alternative. Physical Ports can instead be connected to a Fabric to create a SAN that allows devices to be shared amongst many servers.

Using this Profile, a Client can do the following:

• Enumerate all the Switches, Systems and directly attached devices on the Fabric
• Enumerate all the Ports on each Switch, System or directly attached device
• Enumerate all the Nodes on the Fabric
• Enumerate all the Zones and Zone Sets on the Fabric
• Determine the active Zone Set
• Ask to be notified when a Switch, System or Port is added to or removed from the Fabric
• Ask to be notified when the operational status of a Switch, System or Port changes (e.g., from “OK” to “Degraded”)
• Ask to be notified when Zone change occurs
• Ask to be notified when a Zone Set is activated
• Ask to be notified when a Port is added to or removed

This Profile exposes information about the Fabric, the Zones within the Fabric and the Nodes and Ports that are connected to the Fabric. To access the information exposed by this Profile, a Client starts with the CIM element that represents the Fabric. From there, the Client can discover the Zones, Nodes and Ports and then retrieve information about each of them.

For the Fabric, a Client can retrieve information such as its WWN name, configuration and capabilities. For example, a Client can determine whether the Fabric supports Domain ID locking, which principal priorities are supported, or which state changes are supported (e.g., “Dormant”, “Stopped”, etc). Similarly, a Client can retrieve the current preferred Domain ID and principal priority of the Fabric and discover the version and Manufacturer of the installed software or firmware. Finally, this profile allows a Client to obtain the product vendor and model number for asset inventory purposes.

For the Ports, a Client can retrieve statistics, configuration and determine its capabilities. For example, a Client can retrieve information such as its WWN name, port type (e.g., bridge, fabric, node, etc) and its current and maximum speed. Similarly, a Client can determine which types and speeds the Port is capable of supporting. The Profile also defines two groups of statistics to be collected. One group relates to actual Port usage such as the number of bytes and frames transmitted or received, or the number CRC errors or link failures. There are many other optional statistics that a vendor can also choose to collect and make available. The other group relates to the rate statistics for the Port such as the data transfer and receive rates (average and peak) and the frame transfer and receive rates (average and maximum).

For the Nodes, a Client can retrieve its WWN name and enumerate the Ports that it uses.

For the Zone Sets, a Client can enumerate its constituent Zones. Likewise, for Zones, a Client can enumerate its constituent Members.

The Profile defines Subprofiles that represent optional features that a vendor may choose to support in their Fabric product. They are:

• Zone Control – allows a Client to actively manage Fabric zoning
• Enhanced Zone and Enhanced Zoning Control - allows a Client to actively manage Zone Aliases
• FDMI - allows a Client to manage HBA's
• Fabric Path Performance - allows a Client to retrieve performance statistics for the path between an Initiator Port and Target Port