SMI Tutorial > SMI-S 1.1.0 Functionality > SNIA Profiles > Fabric Topology Profiles > Switch Profile
The Switch Profile allows a Client to manage a Fibre Channel Switch device. Disk arrays and tape libraries typically have a fixed number of physical Ports. Hence, they can only be attached to a limited number of systems. Alternatively, their physical Ports can be connected to a Switch to create a SAN that allows them to be shared amongst many servers. Using this Profile, a Client can do the following:
This Profile exposes information about the Switch device and the Ports that might be connected to it. For the Switch, a Client can retrieve information such as its WWN name, configuration and capabilities. For example, a Client can determine whether the Switch 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 Switch and determine 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 its statistics, the configuration and 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 are supported by the Port. The Profile also defines two groups of statistics to be collected. One group relates to 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). By incorporating the Physical Package Package as part of the Switch Profile, a Client can retrieve physical information about the switch hardware. For example, a Client can retrieve the version or serial number. Additionally, a Client can retrieve product information about the switch hardware. For example, a Client can retrieve the vendor name and an identification number (e.g., SKU). By incorporating the Software Package as part of the Switch Profile, a Client can retrieve information about the switch software such as the manufacturer and a version number. Optionally, a vendor can choose to expose additional software information such as a build number. The Profile can be augmented by the following Subprofiles that represent optional features that a vendor may choose to support in their Switch product:
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