HP StorageWorks MSA 2.8 SAN Switch - Manual (Page 14)

Remote Switch
14 HP StorageWorks Remote Switch Version 3.1.x/4.1.x User Guide
About Remote Switch
The Remote Switch fabric environment functions as an E_Port.
The network-bridge accepts Fibre Channel frames from one side of a Remote
Switch fabric, tunnels them across the network, and then passes them to the other
side of the Remote Switch fabric. Switches can be cascaded together to form a
fabric that, from the viewpoint of the connected hosts and storage devices, interact
the same as locally connected switches.
Remote Switch provides:
■ Any-to-any connectivity - A host connected on the local or remote switch can
communicate with storage devices at either location.
■ Coordinated fabric services - The Remote Switch fabric configuration fully
supports all fabric services, the same as a centralized fabric configuration.
These services include Distributed Name Services, Registered State Change
Notifications, and Alias Services.
■ Distributed management - Access to the management facilities (Advanced
Web Tools, telnet, and SNMP) is available from either the local or the remote
switch. Interconnect for switch management is routed through the Fibre
Channel connection; no additional network connection is required between
sites.
■ Ability to support multiple interswitch links (ISLs) - Sites requiring redundant
configurations can connect multiple E_Ports to remote sites by using multiple
gateways. Standard Fabric OS routing facilities automatically maximize
throughput by using the E_Ports to load share traffic during normal operation,
with automatic failover and failback during interruption on the WAN
connection.