The FC3171 8 Gb SAN switch provides a fully interoperable solution that can integrate Fibre Channel initiators with any existing external fabric. For maximum flexibility, you can deploy this switch in either full-fabric or transparent mode.
In full-fabric mode, the FC3171 switch supports Expansion port (E_port) connections to external switches and provides enhanced systems-management capabilities. In transparent mode, the FC3171 switch uses industry-standard Node port ID virtualization (NPIV) technology to present initiators directly to the external fabric, without using E_port or consuming a Fibre Channel domain ID. In transparent mode, the external fabric management is not affected by the FC3171 switch, so administrative complexity and cost is eliminated. The FC3171 switch provides twenty 8/4 Gb Fibre Channel ports that are configured as fourteen internal ports and six external ports.