Fibre Channel Specifications

Introduction

The Fibre Channel (FC) specifications can be split in the following parts: The following can help you to start understanding the Fibre Channel specifications and associated documents:
  1. Fibre Channel General Introduction: one page overview
  2. Fibre Channel Overview: more detailed overview
  3. Fibre Channel Reference Card: fold-in card in Postscript format from FCA (670 KB)
  4. Fibre Channel Examination: Q& A on the different specifications
  5. Fibre Channel Courses: information on course providers

ANSI Fibre Channel specifications

The ANSI working group X3T11 defines the Fibre Channel specifications.

The Fibre Channel Association has a complete list of the ANSI X3T11 Fibre Channel Standards and draft Standards You can find those via the FCA Fibre Channel Technology pages (click on Standards at the top of that page). 


FCSI Fibre Channel profiles

The Fibre Channel Systems Initiative (FCSI) was formed in February of 1993 by Hewlett Packard Corp, IBM Advanced Workstation and Systems, and Sun Microsystems Computer Corp. to promote interoperability through the development of interoperability Profiles.

An FCSI Profile is an interoperability specification. The FCSI Profiles will serve as implementation guidelines for systems manufacturers, system integrators, component manufacturers, and users seeking to design and select interoperable Fibre Channel peropherals, hosts and components. Each Profile specifies which settings of the many Fibre Channel physical, link-level, and upper-level protocol options have been selected by FCSI for interoperable implementation. An FCSI Profile may be thought of as a vertical slice through the Fibre Channel option space.

These Profiles are not certification documents; conformance with an FCSI Profile requires actual testing of interoperability with independently developed products having the same Profile.

The Fibre Channel Association has a complete list of the FCSI Fibre Channel profiles. You can find those via the FCA Fibre Channel Technology pages (click on Standards at the top of that page). 


CERN - High Speed Interconnect - FCS
Erik van der Bij - 23 April 1998 - Disclaimer
3 October 2002 - removed non-working links